Joy, Hope and Wonder

Hi everyone, I have recently seen some lovely winter scene cards featuring the Northern Lights, so I thought I’d have a go at my own version, broadly inspired by the look of this card by CarolAnn.

 I always use Pink Frog super smooth 300gsm card for stamping, and last weekend they gave me a pack of 30cm x 15cm sheets to try, as I visited their depot which is in my home town of Chesterfield to exchange a large box of A4 super smooth which had unfortunately been damaged in transit. I was delighted by this kind gesture and it struck me that these sheets would be brilliant for making 6” square one layer cards, so I cracked open the pack and made 4 cards - two each of 2 similar but different designs.

I created my card blank, then placed a Lavinia Mini Hill mask in the centre and created a snow line by blending blue Distress Oxide ink. I then blended angled stripes of Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio DOX before filling in the gaps and blending out using Blueprint Sketch and Chipped Sapphire. I then applied a paper mask over the snow line and stamped the row of fir trees using Twilight VFC. I stamped additional trees in the foreground in Twilight, then added a couple more snowdrifts using blended DOX. I added snowy accents to the trees using a white Signo pen, then added some Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the trees and snowdrifts. I stamped a Penny Black sentiment which seemed to me particularly apt for a Northern Lights scene, then finished off by adding white Posca dots for falling snow.

Here are a couple of closeups of the 2 designs. They are actually very sparkly but it is impossible to capture that in the poor winter light here.

Card 1

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group, Fir Tree 1; Penny Black joy.hope (3898F);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Chipped Sapphire, Blueprint Sketch, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Cracked Pistachio); Versafine Clair (Twilight, Blue Belle); Signo Uniball broad (white); Posca pen (white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Lavinia Mini Hill masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #482 - Christmas (2nd entry)

Beccy’s Month of Holiday Cards - Holiday Themed (7th entry)

C.R.A.F.T. #742 - Christmas

Double D - Get Ready for Winter (2nd entry)

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #11 2024 - Christmas (2nd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #173 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

LeighSB Designs #34 - Anything Goes with option Falling Into Winter (2nd entry)

Night Owls #43 - In the Snow  (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Simon Says - Celebrating 20 Years of Distress #SSS20YearsofDistress

Simply Clean & Simple (November) - Christmas is Coming

Card 2

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group, Fairy Fir Tree (small), Fairy Fir Tree 2 (small); Penny Black joy.hope (3898F);

Media & Tools: same as card 1.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Card Challenge #279 - Anything CAS Goes  Christmas/Winter

Allsorts #808 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Aud Sentiments #319 - Glitter and/or Christmas + a Sentiment (2nd entry)

FarmQuest Country Christmas #14 - Anything Country Christmas Goes (4th entry)

Little Red Wagon #784 - Non-Traditional Winter Holiday

Peace On Earth #76 - Anything Christmas Goes (3rd entry)

Rudolph Days (November) - Christmas

Simon Says (Monday) - Trees

Simon Says - Celebrating 20 Years of Distress #SSS20YearsofDistress

Word Art Wednesday #675/676 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

I definitely need more practice to get a better effect with the Northern lights, and I think my blending brushes are perhaps not quite up to the task, but I’m reasonably happy with my first attempt and really enjoyed trying it.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,