January 2016 Card Chain Challenge Reveal!

It's so good to be back playing with the Card Chain Challenge - I missed how much fun it is to make a card and actually send it! Seriously, I have a HUGE pile of cards, but that story is for another time. This month Deborah gave us the following perimeters to work with:

Sketch

Themes:  Winter / Valentine’s Day / Friendship

Products:  Stencils / Embossing Paste

                        Color Palette:

This month I chose to use the sketch, the theme of winter and the color scheme; daring, I know!  My card is on it's way from Agata, who's fabulous blog can be seen here.  Agata lives in Switzerland, and I am SO happy her card made it in time for me to show you:

Look at that sparkle!!! Thank you Agata!!!

 I sent my card to Jeanne in Minnesota; I don't think she's going to appreciate my snowflakes, but. . .

How I made my Card:
White Card Base
Sentiment from Memory Box, #B2060
Blue Papers from Stash
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Thinlits Die Cut Set, Labels, #660060
Snowflake Punches from Emagination
Silver Paper
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

After I dug through my stash (which took forever!) to try to find 3 papers I felt matched the color palette, I decided how I was going to incorporate the sketch into my card.  The sentiment stamp is brand new, never been inked, and I was dying to use it, so that was a given.  I punched the snowflakes using a set of snowflake punches I got ages ago when the company was going out of business. I remember I got an awesome deal! So, I punched the snowflakes using silver paper and set them aside.

Next I decided to use two of the circle dies included in the Sizzix Labels Set - there are 17 dies (!) in that set and it has been one of the best purchases I've made in a long, long time.  After I cut the circles out, I adhered the snowflakes to the circles and set them aside.  Now I was looking for a die for the sentiment.  I had already put the Labels Set away when it dawned on me that I would most likely find a die that fit my sentiment in that set - so out the set came again and sure enough I found the die that I used (I call it a blimp die because that's what it looks like to me - the circle dies are called POW dies from when you'd see that edged word bubble in comics when something shocking happened. Now, if I get famous, you have these fabulous obscure facts about me to amaze your friends).  I die cut the sentiment and adhered everything onto the blue background paper. Simple but effective!

Another Look

I hope Jeanne likes my card, it certainly evokes winter in my eyes.  Thank you for reading my little tutorial.  I have lots of fun stuff coming up this month, so stay turned, or better yet, subscribe to me! Why not join in the Card Chain Challenge? It's simple; you sign up, you make a card following the suggested theme(s), you send the card, you get a card AND there is a drawing each month for a fabulous prize :) It's a win win win situation ~ Fondly, Christi

I would like to enter my "Follow Your Bliss" Card in the following challenges:
Craft for the Craic (M) - January, January Blues
Addicted to Stamps - #119, Anything Goes
Brown Sugar Challenge - #183, Anything Goes
Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes
Aud Sentiments - #147, Anything Goes