🎶Bearing Gifts They Travelled Afar🎶

Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You'll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs. Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

Let’s get Started:

Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

Card Face: 5.25 x 4

Card Face:

This stencil comes in two pieces: it also includes both stencil and mask. I chose to use the mask for this card.

• I sprayed the back of the mask with Pixie Spray to be certain that there was no movement, which would ruin the crisp white lines.

• I laid the card face on my Grip Mat and placed the mat, positioning this to allow the third Wise Man to hang off the right-hand side. This created a sense of movement.

• I used several inks to create the effect of a night: a very dark purple, a medium purple a dark blue, medium blue and light blue,

• I started at the bottom with dark purple and moved through the colours as I went up the card face. I used more pressure at the bottom and less at the top, and went over the areas where colours met repeatedly to blend thoroughly. I also pulled colour up in certain areas (which is very apparent in the picture) rather than blending with a circular motion as I normally do.

• When I got towards to the top I left the center white initially, and then added just a touch of light blue with a very light hand.

• The edges on the top and approximately half way down where given a narrow edging of black ink to provide contrast.

• I left the mask in place while I added white spatter to the night sky.

Assembly

• I added a layer of self-adhesive foam to the back of the card face before centering it on the card base.

• I added tiny rhinestones to the night sky as a finishing touch.

Final Thoughts:

I was so pleased with the way this card turned out. The intense night sky against the stark white of the wise men, the mixture of blue and purple, the depth created with the addition of rhinestones to the spattered sky… all of these worked really well together.

I almost put a sentiment on this, but decided to let the card face tell its story without that distraction.

Supplies: (and links where possible)

I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

Stencil: Wise Men, A Colorful Life Designs

Waffle Flower Grip Mat, 8.5 x 6.5, Scrapbook.com

Ink: Stampin’ Up!

Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up!

Versafine Onyx, Simon Says Stamp

White Spatter: Dr Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Taylored Expressions

Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon

Do you have comments or thoughts to share on this design? Drop me a line in the Contact section in the header - I’d love to hear from you!

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Create Handmade Cards that mix design and technique for stunning results.