Shabby Chic Christmas Card

Hi Everyone,

Spurred on by wanting to join in this month's Rudolph Day over at Sandra's I finally got down to some crafting.

I didn't really have much of a plan before I started on this card - just Christmas and shabby chic with some distress ink somewhere. However, I did use the red gardenia as my starting point.  Originally intended for another project, I'd edged the petals with silver embossing powder ... well, it seemed a good idea at the time but then it just didn't work ... so in the end decided it wasn't suitable ... happens to me all the time :)

Anyway, I really wanted to make use of it so searched through the paper stacks and found what I was looking for - red and gold polka dots. This and the coordinating paper suggested a Kraft card base and I found the gold card used for the mat in the snippet drawer.

After that the design came together pretty quickly ... except that tying the bow in the seam binding was a nightmare, no matter what I did, it refused to sit pretty.

Materials used:
Kraft notecard for baseGold cardstock for matting
DPs from the Memory Box Spiceberry 6x6 collection
Stamps - the edging stamp (stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa) comes from a Buttons, Stitches and Zips set - I've forgotten who produced this set - and the snowflake and greeting are from a Basic Grey Value set - no name but there is this identification code - sta-2323 on the packaging
Barely seen but nevertheless there is a bauble die-cut under the gardenia - it was white but it's been inked with TH DI in Pumice Stone - currently my go-to colour of choice - and Fired Brick 
The gardenia, tiny roses and ivy leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts
Everything else, lace trim, ribbon, pearls, gems, black beading trim all from stash


I started off by saying I wanted to make a card for Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge ... well, I didn't check the requirements and have just been completely thrown ... she wants 6 of the same - SIX ... that'll teach me to check first!

Never mind, next month I'll do better :)

Fortunately, I can still submit it to the following:

Hazel's Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge 78 - let's get inky - the ink is not immediately visible but I assure you it is there - I have the inky fingers to prove it :)

and

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge - 26 - just the gold cardstock used for matting is a snippet Di, but it is still one bit less to store in the snippet drawer :)

And that, as they say, it that! It's late and I'm desperately in need of some shut-eye so I'm off to bed just as soon as I've linked with the two challenges.

However, before I do, I just wanted to say that I've heard about the storms down in the southern parts of England and I do hope those of you who live in that region have escaped the worst of the damage that seems to have been done. What a disaster this summer is turning out to be!

Crafty hugs to you all,