Peace, Love and Joy...

Happy Monday everyone!

So another week has flown by in the blink of an eye and here we are in December ~ how did that happen? Where did 2019 go, and are you ready for Christmas?!? I'm starting to slowly check things off my Christmas list but there's still a long way to go and plenty to do but fingers crossed, it will all come together quickly and everything will be in place on the day!

In the meantime, there's always time for some crafting and today, we are starting the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week our theme is called Let It Sparkle and the DT are also showcasing Brutus Monroe products within their projects but all you have to do to join us is add some glitter, gems and maybe a hint of Christmas sparkle!

For my project, I created a Christmas card, full of sparkle and shimmer and used the stunning Fanciful Snowflakes from Tim Holtz to add dimension and elegance to this piece. I really wanted to make this card all about those snowflakes, and so I decided to keep the background fairly simple but classy, just letting the snowflakes do the talking and let's face it, at this time of year ~ simple can be a real bonus when you're making lots of Christmas cards.

So, here we go and here's how I created this card...

We'll start with the background and for this I used a piece of navy blue cardstock, cut to measure 16 x 19cm and inked up the appropriately named Snow Sparkles stamp from the Tim Holtz Christmas Nostalgia Stamp Set, using a Versamark Watermark Ink Pad. I then stamped over the entire surface of the blue card panel to create a repeat pattern before sprinkling with gold embossing powder and heat embossing the design until it was molten and shiny.

I then machine stitched a border around the outside of the panel before inking the edges with a gold ink pad and matting it onto cream card stock. I then wrapped some twine around the centre of matted panels, creating a fan shape and mounted my panels onto a piece of kraft card which I'd inked around the edges using a white ink pad.

The matted layers are now complete but for an added touch of sparkle, I took a kraft card blank, 20.5 x 17.5cm and used the Emboss It Dabber which I ran around the edge of the card. I then sprinkled some Brutus Monroe Vintage Sparkle Embossing Powder over the top and heat embossed the powder to create this subtle sparkly effect before mounting the matted layers of card over the top.

I now have my card blank ready for those layers and embellishments....

I started by cutting another piece of navy blue cardstock, this time using the Postage Stamp die set from Tim Holtz ~ I'm sure most people have these dies as both of the dies that I used in the background layers are from my own stash but if you don't have them, then any die that cuts stitched mats will be fine.

I then inked up the Peace message from Tim's 2019 ChristmasTime 2 stamp set using the Versamark pad and stamped it onto my die cut postage stamp panel. I then sprinkled Brutus Monroe Alabaster embossing powder over the top, tapped away the excess and heat embossed the message. Now, I'm a font addict ~ so, these type of sets are always a huge favourite with me and I can never fault the fonts that Tim uses, they are just so beautiful and this one, is definitely another stunning addition to my collection.

After splattering some Picket Fence paint across the surface of the panel, I machine stitched a border and then matted it onto some ivory coloured card, followed by a panel of gold metallic card, die cut using the Stitched Rectangle die.

I then stamped a further panel of blue card with the Snow Sparkles stamp and once again embossed it with gold embossing powder.

I matted the stamped panel onto gold metallic card before mounting the message onto the centre. I then added some foam to the back of the message and attached this onto the centre of my card.

Now for those gorgeous snowflakes, created using the Fanciful Die set. These snowflakes really are the focal point of this card ~ they are stunning!

I began by cutting four flakes from watercolour card, 1 large, 3 smaller. As you'll notice these snowflakes are dimensional and if you have the Dimensional Stars set that Tim released a few years back, then these work in exactly the same way.

There are scorelines in the cut pieces, and all you have to do is fold along the scorelines and form the snowflake. Once I'd done all four, I then added some sparkle and for this I used a combination of Brutus Monroe's Vintage Sparkle Powder with a touch of Gilded and Alabaster embossing powder that I mixed in. I love to make my own custom made powders and this creates a beautiful subtle shimmer and sparkle.

I dabbed my Versamark Ink Pad over the top of the snowflakes and then sprinkled the powder over each one. Tap away any excess powder and heat emboss. I repeated this process three times to get a really thick covering and I also ensured that the snowflake kept it's dimensional shape during this process, you don't want it to flatten as it will be difficult to fold again once the embossing has set.

Once I was happy with my flakes, I then attached them to the card, placing them around the central message area and found that you just needed to place a dab of Matte collage Medium on the points to adhere each one securely.

We're nearly there and all that's left is to add some more sparkle and for this I used some gold Metallic Drops which I placed in the centre of each snowflake....

...and also added one to the centre of the star on the message.


I finally added some more of the drops around the outside of edge of the background panel.

To complete the card, I attached a few die cut gold stars that I had left over from a previous project.

So, that's my project finished and I hope you love this card and it's given you a few ideas of your own. As always, if you have been inspired by any of my makes, please let me know by just tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here ~ it's always such a honour and I love to pop by and see all your wonderful pieces.

Have fun creating your projects and don't forget, if you would like to see more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

"As gentle as a snowflake, may peace come into your heart" ~ Japanese Proverb

Recipe for project:

Brutus Monroe Embossing Powder: Vintage Sparkle Embossing Powder, Gilded, Alabaster

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Christmas Nostalgia, 2019 ChristmasTime 2

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Fanciful Snowflakes, Postage Stamp Die Set, Stitched Rectangles

Idea-ology: Metallic Droplets

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Emboss It Dabber
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Watercolour Card, Navy Card, Metallic Kraft Stash
Foam Pads
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot
Twine