Wednesday 5 October 2011

Deck the Halls with Sparkle and Bling


Over the past week or so since I came back from my hols, I have started to become uncomfortably aware that October is upon us already, and I have made very little progress with my Christmas card makes. It's normally around now that I start thinking about how I can devise an aesthetically pleasing but easy to create card that is relative quick to make in bulk (bearing in mind that my average time to make a card is 2.5 - 3 hours!) ... AND .... if it is reasonably flat so that I can post it with a normal stamp ... result!!

This daunting annual task is becoming somewhat easier with the advent of so many yummy cutting dies, especially from Marianne D. Last year I was very pleased with a quick make I made in batch using one of the Christmas tree dies (see here) ... and this year I have been tempted by the new bauble dies.Originally I just bought the baubles, but found when it came to putting them on a card I was a bit flummoxed as to how best to "anchor" them. I have now resolved this dilemma by investing in a "fir branch" die, and here's the simple result of my playtime.


I felt that the fir branch really benefitted from being cut out in glitter card to give it a bit of texture and depth; and I created a frame by drawing round a deckle-edged nestie using a sparkly pen. The picture isn't the best, but as I said at the beginning, alas October is upon us!

Image: sentiment by Pink Gem Designs;
Supplies: gems from my stash;
Tools: Marianne D Creatables LR0184 (Baubles) and LR0181 (Fir Branch).


Challenges:
Simon Says - Sparkle & Bling
Anything Goes #51 - Dies / Punches
Fab 'n' Funky #93 - Die Cuts / Punches
Sparkles Christmas #9 - Christmas Songs ("Deck the Halls")
Bling It On (October) - No Patterned Papers

Thanks for looking :-)

7 comments:

Tamara Morton said...

A stunning creation, thank you so much for joining us at Anything Goes
Hugs
Tamara

cheryl said...

oh this is just gorgeous just love the image and detail on this bless you for playing at anything goes,this week hugs cherylxxx

Di said...

I just adore this Pauline! Simple, very cleverly done, and elegant! Love it! Di xx

Anonymous said...

Just gorgeous.

Thanks for joining us at SFCC.

Huggies Angel

Christine said...

Beautiful card!! I think it is perfect for your Christmas card! I love the sparkle and intricate details in the ornaments. There will be a lot of oohs and ahhs when they open it up.
Thanks for joining us on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog.
xoxo, Christine

Michele and Josee' said...

Absolutely gorgeous card! You did a fabby job!
Josee'
Jamcrafts4u.blogspot.com

Patsi said...

Very striking card, simple and elegant. Thanks for joining us at Bling It On... xx