Almost one layer cards in festive colours

Hi Everyone,

Mirella here with another set of cards for you. 

Today, I want to share some lovely almost-one-layer cards with you, with the use of festive colours. I had loads of fun with this colour palette, and since I love the use of gold on my cards - I was in the zone ;o) Note that none of my cards are actually properly one-layer ones, however they totally could be - with a bit of masking and/or better planning... I simply rarely plan on making one layer cards, and I automatically start with a small panel of cardstock, which I then need to mount on card bases... 

CARD 1 - Any occasion/masculine card

1. For my panel, I used some kraft coloured cardstock. I love this particular one for Copic colouring, as it gives really nice results. 

2. I stamped the boarders from the new "Madhubani Borders" stamp set in a somewhat symmetrical way, and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder. 

3. Next, I coloured them with my Copics, making sure not to touch the tips of my markers on the embossing too much - some say it can ruin your markers, so it's good to be careful!

4. I then created a card base, and adhered strips of gold mirror paper on each side. 

5. Finally, I adhered my coloured & embossed panel. 

6. I didn't add any sentiment to the front of the card, since the design is nice and busy by itself. I will add something inside, when I need to post the card to someone, and know the occasion. I think it makes for a great masculine card, too! 

CARD 2 - Because I am obsessed with butterflies

1. This is a very simple but pretty card, and it would be quite good for mass-production, if needed.

2. I started with ink-blending my background, with the use of Distress Inks and a stencil. I used Candied Apple for the base coat, and then sponged some Fired Brick through the stencil. For some additional interest and shimmer, I also added a thin layer of Delicata Golden Glitz ink on top of the Fired Brick. It looks fantastic in real life!

3. I heat embossed the sentiment & the butterfly in gold, directly on top of the inked panel (TIP: make sure your inks are good and dry before you attempt heat embossing on top - otherwise, your embossing powder will stick to everything!). I actually heat embossed all the elements twice - one on top of the other, to make them a little bit "puffier" (a stamp positioning tool like a MISTI comes handy for that, but if you're careful enough, you can achieve the same result with regular stamping blocks).

4. Next, I adhered the panel to a white card base, making it a bit off-set. 

5. As a final touch, I added a trail of golden sequins behind the butterfly. 

CARD 3 - Celebrate the colours!

1. I think this is my favourite of the three, as I absolutely love the colour combination here!

2. I started with a white card panel, and heavily blended some Distress Inks on top of it - I used Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey, Candied Apple, and some more Picked Raspberry on the very bottom. 

3. Once the panel was completely dry, I stamped some leaves with Versafine Onyx Black Ink, and heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder. The heat embossing is totally optional here, but it gives the leaves a nice shine and some dimension. 

4. I also stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the panel, and heat embossed it in gold. 

5. Finally, I added some splatters - both with clean water, and with some diluted Delicata Golden Glitz Ink - these made the background look truly magical :o)

6. Since I didn't start with a card base, but only with a small panel (initially, I was planning on doing some die-cutting, etc, but I didn't think this design needed it in the end), I had to adhere the panel to a card base. 

Hope you've enjoyed these!

If - like me - you got inspired by the gorgeous festive colours, please remember to join us in the current challenge - you can find more details here. Simply remember to follow the Colour Palette. 

The Craft Shop
Hndmd

Crafters Corner, India

Crafts Need
Anandha Stationery
Hindustan Trading Company
Kat Scrappiness
Art and Craft Store - Noida
The Craft Store, Srilanka
Papercurves, UAE
Scrapbook Boutique, Australia

Have a great day,

Mirella