Friday, May 22, 2015

Birch Tree Christmas


Hi everyone.  Today I'm playing along with the Merry Monday #159 - Non-Evergreen Tree(s) Challenge.



I used a birch tree die that I've had a long time, but never used before.  There are quite a few NBUS items in my stash.  :)

I sponged the sky with three colours of distress inks.  Then I sprayed the card front with shimmer mist.  Once dry, I added some embossing paste through a falling snow stencil, and sprinkled a mix of white and glitter embossing powders over top.  Once the paste was dry, I heat embossed.

Added a few snowdrifts at the bottom, and the birch trees which I coloured with some diluted soft gray ink.  The little birds were added to finish the design.  I wanted the sentiment to match the colours of the sky, but because they were blended, I tried out a few inks and found that if I inked the sentiment in Bermuda Bay and then tapped it onto Marina Mist, the colour seemed to match! :)  Always good to try new things. :)

I'm also going to add this to the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where they want stenciling added to the entries.








Stamps:  Christmas Sampler (Paper Smooches)
Paper:  White (Neenah)
Ink:  Distress Inks: Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean (Tim Holtz); Bermuda Bay, Marina Mist, Smoky Slate, Island Indigo (SU!)
Accessories & Tools: Sponges, Falling Snow Stencil (Simon Says), embossing paste (Dreamweaver), white embossing powder, ice glitter embossing powder (SU!), heat tool, birch tree dies (Impression Obsession), Snowdrift dies (My Favorite Things), shimmer mist

Challenges:
Merry Monday #159
Simon Says Wednesday - Stencil It!

42 comments:

maria f. said...

Ha! Saw that challenge and immediately thought of these birch trees too! Looks gorgeous.

Chriss Blagrave said...

Beyond gorgeous!

conil said...

Dear me, you do the most incredible blending. And those birch trees fairly jump off the page at me. Completely lovely scene for Merry Monday.

MaryH said...

You KNEW I'd go AHHH when I saw this one! I have this die as well, and I LOVE your bluejays! The snow dunes look so perfect with these gorgeous trees - ditto the sponing in the sky with the snow fall. I absolutely love this die...What a beautiful way you've used it. I can feel the cold breeze coming through those pretty white trees, see the jays shivering too! TFS & Hugs

gail said...

Gorgeous, I love those birch trees and the little blue birds. Gail xx

JJ said...

Hi Loll,

Wow stunning card, love the trees and those cute little Blue birds.

Have a great day

Love & Hugs

Jacquie J xxx
http://jewelscardcraft.blogspot.co.uk/

Vicki Dutcher said...

This is so pretty! The use of blues is awesome~

Lee-Anne said...

This is stunning in the blues! Love the bit of gray on the trees and those blue birds are so awesome, Loll! Teehee, you made me laugh about your NBUS stuff...I think we all have lots of that :)

Julie B said...

I agree with Vicki, this is so pretty, love the snow laden sky with the embossed snow. :)

Pam said...

Love tis! So gorgeous.

Stamps and Paper said...

Such a lovely card Loll and love the little birds

Anne

My Card Attic: Hazel said...

Another beauty Loll! That die was worth getting out of your NBUS, in fact it is now going on my wish list . . . thank you ;) I must admit I have a huge NBUS stash . . . must get to use some! Have a nice evening! Hazel xx

sandie said...

stunning Loll, full of texture x

Sue said...

Gorgeous card, Loll. The tree trunks and snowflakes look amazing!

Heather Hopson said...

I love your colors. The birds and the trees really stand out.

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

I have this die around the house somewhere too, Loll - just love what you did with it, especially the blue birds - so pretty!

Brenda said...

Wow, this card is so pretty Loll! I love the falling snow. Your snow drifts are amazing, love those birch tree dies and your blue birds are so pretty! Love that sky you created and your sentiment is in such a pretty color! Yep, I am loving this card!! Hugs, Brenda

Debbie Henderson Debbie's Designs said...

Loving the blues and the 3D layering of your card Loll! The snowflakes feel so real! Thanks for playing Merry Monday this week!

Wendy said...

Gorgeous card, Loll!!! Love the blue background and your beautiful trees! Such a lovely scene you created!! Thanks for playing along with us this week over at Merry Monday! :)

Melissa Bove said...

Stunning card Loll! Absolutely gorgeous!! Love the trees and the entire scene you created!

Thank you very much for joining us this week at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

hugs...
Melissa

Darnell said...

YUM, YUM, YUM!! Perfection, Lolly!! Enjoy the long weekend!! Hugs, Darnell

Darnell said...

Oops, I mean Dolly!

Bonnie said...

This is a gorgeous scene, Loll! Love the sponged and stenciled sky and the blue jays in the trees. We saw a blue jay when we were out today. No snow though. Thanks for sharing this with us at Merry Monday!

Maura said...

LOVE. LOVE. this card. Stunning, Loll. Love the colors, the sparkle, the trees - ooh, la la!

Kelli P. said...

Beautiful card...colors, details; especially the birds. I think they "make" the card....Would you mind sharing more about the birds....are they a die or a punch? I'd love to get my hands on those birds when it's time to start making my holiday cards. Please share. Thanks

Loll said...

Hi Kelli. The little birds are dies and they are part of the birch tree die set from Impression Obsession. xx

Karen Letchworth said...

This is awesome, Loll I'd love to have you share it with us at Word Art Wednesday.
www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

Always Anything Goes - Great prizes!

Barb Ghig said...

Gorgeous winter wonderland, Loll! I love how you used blue as your accent color, especially for the birds...I'll bet this card really sparkles in person! Love it!!!

Anita in France said...

What an awesome snowy background, Loll ... and the shading on those birds ... stunning ... a simply splendid scene! Anita :)

Notes by Nina said...

Stunning card Loll, you created such a beautiful wintery scene. So glad you played along with us for MM.

Susan Powell said...

This is beautiful!!! I love your sky and the birds too - it's all so pretty!!

Sazzle Dazzle said...

Absolutely adorable Loll. You are so talented.
Love your blending to the sky and those gorgeous little birds just pop!
Fantastic card. x

Kristie Goulet said...

Gorgeous card, Loll! I love the sky blending and the gorgeous birds. Thank you for joining us at Merry Monday!

Linda said...

Fabulous card Loll. The sky looks amazing, love the falling snow, and those birds are just adorable. Hugs ...... Linda xx

Marcia Hill said...

Beautiful, beautiful card Loll! I'm so used to seeing people use red birds with birch trees, so a real treat to see your little blue birdies among the branches! :0)

Susan Joyce said...

Stunning Loll, such an elegant card, love every detail. Thanks for playing at Merry Monday this week.

Kath said...

A stunning card - congratulations on being the challenge winner.
Kath (Guest Designer)

cm said...

Gorgeous...I want to go for stroll in this winter wonderland you've created (but not until December *grin*)
Hugs~c

Daria said...

Such a pretty card.

Sarah Biswabic said...

Stunning! I love it!!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful card.

jan metcalf said...

Beautiful!