Delivering Christmas Cheer with Dare 2B Artzy

Hello and welcome, crafty friends!

Today I have a new card to share for Dare 2B Artzy! I’m still working on getting a head start on my Christmas card making, and today’s card features the fun Hide the Cookies stamp and die set. I combined watercoloring, a sparkly ombré background, and some beautiful snowy layers to create a festive winter scene.

Coloring Santa and the Reindeer

To get started, I stamped Santa Claus and the reindeer using black pigment ink. Since I planned to watercolor the images, I made sure to heat-set the ink after stamping to ensure it was completely dry.

For coloring, I pulled out my Distress Pencils and a spray bottle filled with water. You could also use a small cup of water to dip your Distress Pencils into.

I love working on my glass mat because cleanup is so easy! I selected several colors of Distress Pencils and spritzed a little water onto the glass surface.

I initially tried applying a lighter red directly to the paper, but I found that this sometimes left a harsh line that was difficult to blend out. Instead, I dipped the pencil into a puddle of water on my glass mat, scribbled the color onto the glass, and then picked it up with my paintbrush. This method worked really well!

When I wanted a deeper, more intense color, I dipped the pencil into the water and applied the color directly to the paper. The trick with this technique is to work quickly and move the color around before it dries, or you may end up with a splotchy line.

Once I finished coloring both images, I set them aside to dry thoroughly before cutting them out with the coordinating dies.

Creating a Sparkly Ombré Snowflake Background

Next, I wanted to create a sparkly ombré background using the Snowflake Slimline Die from Dare 2B Artzy.

For this technique, I pulled out several shades of alcohol ink in blues, purples, and teals. I added a few drops of each color to my glass mat and sprayed them with a little rubbing alcohol.

Using a sponge dauber, I picked up the diluted ink and pounced it onto a piece of white glitter cardstock. I gradually worked my way up the panel, adding different colors to create an ombré effect. I tried to avoid leaving harsh, blotchy lines as I blended the colors together.

You’ll want to work fairly quickly with this technique because alcohol inks dry very fast!

I didn’t bother changing my sponge dauber between colors since the blues, purples, and teals blended beautifully together. However, if you’re experimenting with colors that don’t mix as well, you may want to use separate daubers.

The background didn’t need to be perfectly blended because I would be cutting it with the snowflake die, which would help disguise any small imperfections.

Once I was happy with the colors, I ran the panel through my die-cutting machine a couple of times to ensure the die cut through the thick glitter cardstock.

A little tip: Placing a piece of wax paper between your cardstock and the die can help the paper release more easily after die cutting. I forgot this step, so I had to spend a little extra time carefully removing the cardstock from the die with my pokey tool!

The extra effort was absolutely worth it, though. This snowflake die is stunning, and revealing that beautiful ombré background through all the delicate snowflake details was such a treat. Best of all, the cardstock still sparkles just like glitter paper should!

Building the Winter Scene

To create the scene behind my snowflakes, I used the Frosty Chalet paper collection and cut a piece of patterned paper with the largest Rectangle Framelet Die.

Next, I cut two pieces of glitter cardstock using the Curve Slimline Border Die and the Wavy Slimline Border Die. These would become the snowy hills at the bottom of my card, giving Santa and his reindeer a place to stand.

I used the bottom edge of the large Rectangle Framelet Die to trim the snowbank pieces so they would have a clean, finished edge that matched the shape of my card background.

I also cut a piece of iridescent vellum to soften the patterned background. I attached it to the Frosty Chalet paper using my Xyron sticker maker. This is one of my favorite ways to apply adhesive to vellum because it helps avoid visible adhesive marks!

With the background ready, I layered on my beautiful ombré snowflake panel. Since the Snowflake Slimline Die is designed for a standard slimline card, the die cut was larger than I needed for my A2 card. I simply trimmed the top and bottom edges to fit my card base.

I attached the first layer of snow along the bottom of the card using liquid glue. Then I added the second snowbank with dimensional foam to give the scene a little extra depth.

Finally, I arranged Santa and the reindeer on the snowy ground, using a combination of liquid glue and dimensional foam to bring the images to life.

Adding the Finishing Touches

For my sentiment, I stamped and heat-embossed “Delivering Christmas Cheer” and cut it out with a flag die.

The flag die was a little longer than I wanted, so I ran the sentiment through the die-cutting machine a second time to trim it down and center the sentiment without leaving a large gap on one side.

I then cut another flag from a leftover scrap of my ombré ink-blended cardstock and layered it behind the sentiment for a coordinating pop of color.

I attached the sentiment to the card with dimensional foam, then finished everything off with a few iridescent snowflakes scattered across the background. A tiny touch of liquid glue was all I needed to secure them in place.

I love how the sparkly snowflakes, colorful background, and snowy layers all come together to create this festive Christmas scene!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you’re getting a head start on your Christmas cards, too, and that this design inspires you to pull out your favorite holiday stamps, dies, and sparkly supplies.

I’ll have all the products I used to create today’s card listed and linked below for your convenience.

Happy crafting, friends, and I’ll see you again soon!

Hugs,

Tonya