PaperArts Cafe: Technique Junkies November New Stamp Release And Blog Hop

Welcome to the Technique Junkies November release! AND...we are also mid-way through the 30 Days of Christmas celebration! What all this means is SAVINGS for YOU!
All Christmas stamps are 20% off until November 13th. All new release stamps are 15% off through November 8th. And ALL stamps AND products, including the amazing Shimmering Bliss sprays, are 10% off ANY TIME, when you use my code, TJ10Lynda! That's lots of savings.... especially on Christmas stamps with 20% + my 10% = 30% off at the Technique Junkies store!! So, grab a cuppa and start shopping, friends. You're going to love this release, and the artistic inspiration by my fellow design team peeps!

NOW...onto my cards for today's release. I thought I would try something different. I chose one focal stamp, FIR FOREST, to make four different cards. This will show four different ways to use this fabulous stamp, with different techniques.

Card 1-

STAMPS:  FIR FOREST (trees)
              GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS SET OF 5 (verse)

This was such a fun card to make. I started with watercolor paper, and stamped the trees in my Misti, with distress inks in various shades of greens. I repeated stamping the trees, inking different portions of the stamp with the ink, and stamping some trees higher than others to give them different levels. I 'stamped off' some of the ink for the trees in the background. When satisfied, I brushed some inks into the sky area.

I added some white Aleene's True Snow paste to the tree limbs with a palette knife, and sprinkled some glitter over it to make it sparkle. Some spatters of white India ink for snow falling, along with some dots of glitter (made with a glue stick with glitter sprinkled over them).
For the snow banks, I tore watercolor paper, layered it over the trees, and brushed on some blue ink for shading, and more glitter. The verse is embossed with gold embossing powder. All layered onto gold A2 card.

Card 2 -

STAMPS: FIR FOREST

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS TRIO
PROVERBS

I sponged the background with distress inks, and stamped the trees and Peace verse with black ink. Some white India ink spatters for snow, and white embossing for the Merry Christmas, with oval die for the panel finish off this card.

Card 3 -

Stamps: FIR FOREST
Other: SHIMMERING BLISS

I embossed the trees with gold, then sprayed purple and blue Shimmering Bliss sprays. The photo does not do justice to the fabulous shimmer and glow of this card with these sprays!

I used my gold foil pen around the border, and spattered it onto the background for flakes. I used a die from my stash, adding gold embossing to it. Some gold twine and a charm finish off this card.

Card 4 -

Stamps: FIR FOREST
ALL IS CALM
SNOWFLAKES SET OF 9

On a red A2 card front, I embossed the trees and snowflakes, and some dots I made with a VersaMark pen for 'snow.'
I embossed the verse onto a vellum strip. A button threaded with gold embroidery floss add accent to my card.

I hope these many styles of card making with the one focal stamp has inspired you. AND...I have one more with this set coming up. Stay tuned. Sneak preview....