I'm still trying to decide on a design for my Christmas cards this year and spent HOURS this morning putting this together. I had remembered seeing a card online a few weeks ago that used a poinsettia stamp and this Holly Embossing folder together and thought it was beautiful. So I found my poinsettia stamp, embossing folder, gold embossing powder, heat gun and went to work.
My first attempt was on a 4.25"x5.5" vanilla cardstock base. I stamped the poinsettia's in Versarmark and heat embossed with the detail gold embossing powder. I added tiny gold half beads to the centers and made sure they would stay in place by adding a drop of crystal lacquer to the top. I remembered the card I had seen used the MS branch punch to punch little gold branches - but I didn't have any gold paper and since I am home with a sore throat today really didn't want to go out to the store to get some. Did you know you can MAKE YOUR OWN GOLD 
METALLIC PAPER???? All you have to do is take a piece of white cardstock, stamp your versarmark inkpad all over the surface, apply gold embossing powder and heat. I made just enough to punch about 8 branches and added those to the Poinsettias. I layed the flowers in place in the corner of the embossed cardstock, and while it was very pretty in it's monochromatic theme and simplicity - it still needed something to make it a "WOW" card. So I tried ribbon, then heated ribbon, then a greeting - and decided it just wasn't working so I should start over.
METALLIC PAPER???? All you have to do is take a piece of white cardstock, stamp your versarmark inkpad all over the surface, apply gold embossing powder and heat. I made just enough to punch about 8 branches and added those to the Poinsettias. I layed the flowers in place in the corner of the embossed cardstock, and while it was very pretty in it's monochromatic theme and simplicity - it still needed something to make it a "WOW" card. So I tried ribbon, then heated ribbon, then a greeting - and decided it just wasn't working so I should start over.I saved the Poinsettias - after all that work I wasn't about to pitch them. I decided I should try a larger card base so I could have a larger canvas to work with - and after a couple more "FAILURES" came up with this as my end result. I wish the photo looked as elegant as the card does in real life - but the metallic portions of the card reflect the color of the walls and overhead light so that they look orange in the photo. In reality, the gold embossed metallic branches and Poinsettias appear several shades darker than the River Rock cardstock and blend beautifully.
I'm still thinking I might add a ribbon across the bottom of the embossed cardstock and tie a bow in the right-hand corner.
Hope you enjoyed the card and the babble -
thanks for visiting
and until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill
6 comments:
This is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!! You did good after all your tries!
I'm thinking that a gold bow would really finish this up nicely.
It's just beautiful the way it is though. Good job! (as usual)
Simply Stunning!
I sure can realte to spending HOURS
and having many failures at attempting the "just right" card for Christmas...still going through that challenge!
Stunning, Jill. Definitely worth all your hard work!
Your hard work paid off - This is beautiful!!!
I love this beautiful card and each time I browse your gallery I have to pause for aonother look. It's so striking.
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