Greetings from the North Pole

Greetings from the North Pole!!! Ok, maybe not. It’s waaaay to cold for me up there. I had gotten this awesome sentiment from Ellen Hutson, before the shop closed for retirement. I love how bold it is, and how varied you can make the letters look based on the techniques you use. With a bold sentiment, you need a bold background, so that it doesn’t get lost, which is where the Overlapping Rings stencil from A Colorful Life Designs comes in.

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I had originally inked this stencil on a different piece of paper (you’ll see it on another project soon) with Candied Apple, Abandoned Coral, and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks. Since there was so much ink left on the stencil, I didn’t want to waste it. So I sprayed it well with water, flipped it over and laid it on a new piece of cardstock and rubbed it well to transfer the color. It came out great, so I trimmed it down to be my background.

For that fantastic sentiment, I stamped the main layer with Hero Arts Ombre pad in Spring Day and for the shadow layer, I used Rain Forest VersaFine Clair Ink from Imagine. I die cut the pieces next. I used Rain Forest for the sub-sentiment too, which I stamped directly on the background. I wanted a little something extra, so before gluing everything, I inked the top of the background with VersaMark Ink, then I sprinkled on Shabby Pink Frantage embossing enamels (basically, it’s a mix of different sized granules of embossing powders in pink, white, and gold) and heat set it on top. It’s thick, shiny, and fabulous. I decided to also add Kaleidoscope embossing powder on top of the focal parts of the sentiment. Then I added a holly from the same stamp set. I painted New Sprout Fireworks! Spray onto the card base for more shine and a bit more green.

I love this fun, bold sentiment, and how the holly berries mimic the Overlapping Rings stencil in the background. Please be sure to visit A Colorful Life Designs to see the many, many stencils they have to offer. You can use my code, AlFan10 to save 10% off of your regular-priced purchase. Then, show off your creations in the A Colorful Life Designs Fan Group on FB. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!