Hello everyone. I spent a happy hour earlier watching Barbara Gray on HobbyMaker TV putting Clarity’s build-a-wreath collection through their paces and I thought I’d have another play with the winter set – this time I have made a Christmas card with it though, after yesterday’s spring offering!

Now you’ll know I love a kraft and white card so the latest theme at 52 Christmas Crad Throwdown was right up my alley! I’ve also picked up earthy colours, embossing (with Clarity’s embedders rather than a typical folder) and plants from the inspiration list at Festive Friday, and the theme at The Holly & Ivy is always ‘anything goes’.

The first step was to emboss a raised frame onto the front of a 6×6 kraft card blannk using a couple of Clarity’s embedders. I started with one of the nested circle embedders, attaching it to the card front with low tack tape. Flipping to the inside of the card front, I rubbed it with a tumble dryer sheet to make my tools glide more easily, used a bone folder to initially locate the circle, butting it up against the embedder, then sharpened it up with an embossing tool. Back on the front of the card, I switched the embedder to a slightly smaller solid circle one and repeated the process on the inside of the card front.

Having got my raised embossed frame, I traced a circle outline in pencil within it and used a couple of the leafy stamps from the set in ‘gathered twigs’ Distress Ink to give me the base. I then added the little holly and ivy stamps, again in ‘gathered twigs’ but this time second generation, and then the mistletoe spray in ‘picket fence’ Distress Ink (which was much paler than I’d hoped for).

As the picket fence ink didn’t stand out as well as I’d expected, I heat embossed the two little poinsettia stamps with WOW’s white powder, then added a few more of the mistletoe sprigs in the ‘gathered twigs’. The final step was to stamp one of the ‘occasions – Merry Christmas’ stamps into the centre – I masked off each word before inking so I could sit them on top of each other, instead of a horizontal sentiment.

This has quite a vintage feel to it, don’t you think? If you missed Barbara on HobbyMaker TV, then the shows are available on their website to catch up here – lots of tips & tricks to enjoy!