Have you ever made a card that you like so much that you see other potential in it??  That is how I felt about a card I made for the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop.  I have never given that card a full explanation and I thought you’d like to see its sister card too.

This was the very first card I made with Bright Hopes and it still may be my favorite so far.  I have always loved Always Artichoke and it seems so beautiful when put with Very Vanilla.  I stamped the Christmas tree in Versamark and then embossed with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  I inked up my Brayer and rolled it across then finished the edges with a little extra sponging.  The bow uses the “potato masher” technique that I showed you in a previous tutorial.  The Always Artichoke layer was attached to the Very Vanilla base and then run through my Big Shot with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder.  I added some pearls for some extra elegance and popped the stamped layer up on Dimensionals.

You can see that the second card is really exactly the same in most ways.  I did not emboss the tree (although that would be a beautiful addition) but instead added shimmer to the stamped panel.  I created my own Shimmer  Paint spray by adding Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to regular rubbing alcohol (about 12-15 drops per 1 ounce) and sprayed it on the Naturals Ivory paper.  I created a different style double bow and frayed the ends a bit to match the earthier tones.  I do find that it is particularly hard to photograph any projects made with the Shimmer Paint spray.

This close-up picture gives you a better idea but this is one of those cards that is just prettier in person.  The wonderful thing about the Shimmer Paint spray is that you can add sparkle without it coming off.  Really perfect for the mass production of your Christmas cards!!

I look forward to hearing which of these cards you like better and why.  The second card was for a Stampin’ Addicts swap and you should see the amazing cards I got in return.  What an amazing group!

Thanks for stopping in today!  I hope these inspire you to start thinking about your holiday cards.  Start now and you’ll have them done well before the holiday season!!  Have a great week!

Card 1:  Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Versamark; Accessories:  Brayer, Embossing Tool, Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Basic Pearls, Always Artichoke Seam Binding, Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Card 2:  Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso; Ink:  Early Espresso; Accessories:  Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Dimensionals

All products are Stampin’ Up!