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Thursday 10 October 2019

Beautiful branches, twinkling for Christmas

Hello crafting pals!

I'm just sharing a moment of complete and utter excitement today! Eva is looking slightly concerned as I have let loose some strange squawking noises! Come and see what I've made:


When I made this Christmas card, I enjoyed the sparkly berries (which I was inspired to add for a challenge) but secretly yearned for something subtler. Here, I stamped the branches and berries with the gorgeous Beautiful Branches by Concorde and 9th, and added details with a fineliner. Then, to give the berries a bit of shine, I heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. Nice and glossy but not quite what I wanted, so I laid the card aside until...


... my Wink of Stella pen arrived! A gentle brush of the berries with the brush - and magic happened: shiny red berries with a delicious slick of subtle gold twinkle! Lots of people have told me I needed one of these little pens and they were quite right. What they didn't tell me though is that now that I have a pen that adds a subtle gold shimmer, I also need one that adds a subtle silver shimmer too! Can anyone advise?!!!


My card was finished with Stampin' Up's brilliant Merry Christmas to All stamp set. This is a sentiment set with added bits and pieces and versatile words that can be mixed and matched, and many of them can be used all year round. Love it!

I shall link this card up with Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge where the optional theme is Twinkle. I am definitely twinkling today - and so is my card!!!



AND IN OTHER NEWS
Here's someone else who's having a twinkle today :)


I was trying to capture the sparkle on those berries, kneeling in an odd, leaning back position on the floor with a camera clamped to my eye, and found a damp nose in my neck. This is Eva's "What on earth are you up to?!" expression!

Thanks for popping in today. Does your pet find you amusing? Do let me know in the comments below!

Hugs,

15 comments:

  1. Awesome winter berry extrcard witha glitz.

    Glad you like your new Wink of Stella brush pen which, of course, you need in EVERY colour available!!!! Xxx

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  2. Love these frosty berries, Vicky! A beautiful Christmas card!

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    1. It's a very golden frost Bonnie, such as has never before been seen on this earth! I need a silver one!

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  3. I love this card Vicky, the colour combination is so beautiful. And the shimmer.
    By the way, wink of stella comes in lots of colours I am sure there is a silver as well. But I actually only invested in the clear one, because I thought it was most versatile.
    Love your little helper too, she's adorable.

    Hugs
    Ela

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Ela! My pen is the clear one but the shimmer is definitely golden so I'll need to do some research!

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  4. Oh yes, Vicky! Wink of Stella comes in many colors! However, I would honestly only advise the clear, gold, and white. The clear is *kinda* silvery and it may be all you need. Many crafters just use the clear and are happy but the gold came out recently and reminded everyone why we love 1. Wink of Stella, 2. gold, and 3. shimmer! There is another brand you may want to try, Spectrum Noir has sparkle pens in a multitude of colors in brights, pastels, and earth tones, as well as clear. Oh, and Gelly Roll has Stardust pen with a roller ball that allows you to draw thin lines and tiny dots that I think is a must too. Lovely card! Love Concord & 9th but this almost looks like the Penny Black brushstroke stamps. Both companies make beautiful stuff! And on the dog subject, my 2 dogs (1 Lab, and 1 Lab/Border Collie mix) think I am ridiculous, singing out loud and talking to myself, or to them in silly voices. But I tend to agree with them, so I don't mind 😁 The mix dog is a new to us shelter dog who thinks we're the craziest people ever, but she tolerates us because we spoil her to death. She's been here 5 month and still isn't sure what to think of us sometimes!

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    1. Hmm, strange. My pen is 'clear' but the shimmer is golden rather than silvery. Might try Spectrum Noir as I've heard they do metallics.

      I'm so glad you and your border collie mix found each other! x

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  5. Beautiful, elegant card. Lovely to see you back. I have been looking from time to time since you stopped blogging so it was a brilliant surprise. I hope you are well on the mend. Clear Wink of Stella works well over every colour. Buddly Crafts have a great colour chart.
    Very best wishes, Susan in Gloucestershire. I've blogged as anonymous as I'm rubbish at doing this :)

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    1. Hi Susan! So happy to welcome you back here and your kind words are much appreciated. I'm very well now thanks :)
      That's a good tip about Buddly Crafts' colour chart - I'll look it up! x

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  6. Love it! Wink of Stella also comes in (or used to) clear which is really a silver glitter. Alternately, Nuvo's shimmer pen is silver, and it's also my go to for a bit of sparkle xoxo

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    1. Thanks for the Nuvo tip Em. My Clear Wink of Stella definitely has a golden shimmer! xx

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  7. Yay - glad you found your sparkle - it finishes off your berries a treat! I use my clear Wink of Stella more than my gold one, but both are lovely!

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    1. I know! You did tell me didn't you?! Such a useful thing to have a shimmer pen! But the colour of the shimmer on my Clear pen is definitely gold rather than silver.

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  8. A lovely sparkly card! Thanks for joining us at Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge

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I'd love to know what you think. Do leave me a comment - it always makes my day! Vicky x


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