A Warm Glow At Christmas

Hello Everyone
To start this week I am sharing some cards I made some weeks ago now when I first received the stunning Vintage Women’s Christmas image sheets from Ignacio at Nicecranes.
Apologies in advance for this post being photo heavy and I really do not expect you to take in all the photographs with you all being so busy yourselves.
The cards I am sharing today are 6″x6″, all  using a stencil and modeling paste (details further on) to form the snowflake background onto which I applied gilding wax.I was disappointed with the way the background translated in the photograph as there is much more depth to it in real life, it looks rather washed out in the photograph! Plenty of shimmer and sparkle on this card with the mix of vintage mica flakes and the gilding wax, I used two (or it might have been three, gilding waxes).  The mica flakes are available to purchase from That’s Crafty , such a quick way to add sparkle to edge an image and I would have been lost without them this year.Also  shimmer in the form of the flower (taken from a shoe!) which I layered with German Scrap and a metal frame, adding a touch of stamping with the calendar detail from Oxford Impressions.  You can source the stamps directly from Oxford Impressions (Austen Gallery) or in the U.K. from That’s Crafty.I couldn’t resist smudging some gilding wax onto all the different elements. Card No. 2
Vintage Women’s Christmas was printed onto low gloss  which is so much nicer than regular photo paper.Texture in various forms, with the snowflake texture paste design on the cardbase, various found papers scrunched and gilded, the Oxford Impressions sentiment stamped onto found paper and then swiped with Rose Quartz, again there is corrugated cardboard and  the mica flake edging on the image.It was only to be a two card post but as the days are whizzing past I am squeezing in a third card.
This is such a sweet image.  That is what also appeals to me about this collection of images, there are children as well as femmes, a nice mix of vintage images.
I randomly sprinkled the flakes onto the image, not keeping only to the edge.It isn’t only a matter of ease, reaching for the same elements to mix up and use on cards and other projects, it is also that those are the items I like to incorporate:- found papers, corrugated cardboard, fragments of lace whether they be stained or not and for Christmas, by smudging some wax onto those items, it adds another dimension and makes them all the more festive.This year I have been using Studio Calico Starbursts and Stars on nearly all my cards and other items, you will see them repeatedly making an appearance, alongside Prima Bark Icons Stars.  For my DT post for That’s Crafty yesterday they all made an appearance, they are nice little touches to scatter here and there and if you like the look of them they can be purchased from That’s Crafty. In fact that is where you can also find the snowflake stencil and the texture paste I used, Maimeri Light Modelling Paste. Why I mention this is because I have used different types of Modelling Paste over the years, not being loyal to any particular brand. Recently I have been using a tub purchased from a supermarket. I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was and had it in different strengths but I did find that even the light was causing cardstock to buckle ever so slightly at the edges. So far, no buckling with Maimeri Light. I hope this start to a new week finds you all progressing well with your Christmas preparations and if, like me you are still surrounded with Christmas stamps and images, at least you are making some headway and nearing the end of what you need to achieve.
This week I will be focusing on Christmas for most of my Blog posts with a mix of samples to share. In the meantime, many thanks for your visit and here’s to you having a lovely week.
Wishes
Lynne