CST #249

Here is my card for the CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge #249.  This was a retro sketch design for the blog, it originated as sketch 104.  I wanted to create a Christmas card using no traditional colors.  I ended up with a monochromatic card that is very stunning.

The stamp set, ink and solid cardstock are all from Stampin' Up.  The stamp set is called Flurry of Wishes, the ink color and cardstock color is Blackberry Bliss.  The Flurry of Wishes stamp set is still available for purchase at the time of this post.  The ink color and cardstock have been discontinued as it was a one of Stampin' Up's In Color collections several years ago.  If you are not familiar with Stampin' Up products, they feature 5 colors for two years which are called In Colors.  Once the two years is over the colors are discontinued.  Stampin' Up's inks come very juice, so even though  I didn't by the reinkers for this color, it is still very juice pad.  I think I will be able to get many uses out of it before it is dried up. The juiciness of the ink pads is one of the reasons I love Stampin' Up ink.  I also love that all of the colors work well with each other. Lastly, they watercolor die ink that you can use as watercolor paint (similar to Distress Inks) that dry quickly.  They also stamp very evenly, so many reasons to use these inks.

When I bought this stamp set, I also bought the matching punch for the small snowflakes. The punch is being discontinued, but I believe there are still some available at the time of this posting.  I wanted to have some dimensional elements on this card to balance out the dimension on the bottom of the card.  I also stamped the background with second generation stamping, so the ink is not as dark as the focal snowflakes.  I think this helps the focal snowflakes from being lost in the background.  I love the pattern of these snowflakes, but you could use any snowflake stamps you own to make a similar card.

I also added rhinestones to the middle of raised snowflakes to give them some shimmer and to tie in the silver die cut at the bottom of the card.  The die cut is a silver mirrored poster paper from the Dollar store.  I cut the image with my Cricut Maker from the cartridge Give a Hoot.  Normally this design has a second cut for the background, but I deleted that layer.  I already knew based off the sketch above that I was going to cut a layer from the solid blackberry bliss cardstock.  I think that the image gives the card a little bit of whimsy. 

Overall I think this card is a very elegant non-traditional Christmas card.  I really enjoyed this sketch this week and think it can be used for so many different types of cards.

I would love to hear if you like or dislike Christmas or Holiday cards that use non-traditional colors. Please also subscribe to my blog, so you don't miss my next posting.

Happy Crafting!