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Saturday, February 03, 2018

Pastel Christmas

Hi everyone.  Today I'm playing long with Merry Monday Challenge #275 (Pastels).


I rarely use pastel colours, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone.  It did give me a change to use some long neglected distress inks! :)

I started by sponging a piece of mixed media paper.  Not sure why I used mm paper ... regular card stock would have done, but I wasn't sure where I was going with this design.

I sponged Spun Sugar ink on the top half of my main panel.  Next I sponged Milled Lavender ink about 2/3 way down the spun sugar sponging.  And last I sponged Tumbled Glass ink on the top 1/3.  I sent over the blended inks a few times with all three colours to smooth the transition of one colour to the next.  Then I spritzed with water and blotted with a paper towel to add just a slight texture.  I diluted white acrylic paint and splattered over the sky.

I cut the tree and deer die from white, adding glue to the trees and along the top of the snow line.  Sprinkled with iridescent glitter ... love the sparkle, tapping off excess.  It stuck to the glue, but still would flake off, so I took an old small paint brush and brushed on a thin later of glossy accents.  It worked!  To finish I stamped the sentiment in Delicata silver ink.

Here's a close-up of the sparkle ...









Stamps:  Snowglobe Sentiments (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb. 400 Series); White card base (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Spun Sugar, Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass (Tim Holtz); Delicata Silver (Tsukineko)
Accessories & Tools:  sponges, water mister, tree & deer die (AliExpress), glue, iridescent glitter, glossy accents

Challenges:
Merry Monday #275 - Pastels

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35 comments:

  1. Nstiz3 February 2018 at 12:14

    What a beautiful gradient, Loll! How smooth it is, not always easy to do! Love the soft pastels and the non-traditional Christmas colors. The sparkle on the tree look fabulous too. Your scene is so peaceful.

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  2. Susan3 February 2018 at 12:39

    Wonderful use of pastel colours - such a gorgeous sky! And what a great idea to add Glossy Accents on top of glitter to stop it flaking off. It's a beautiful card!

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  3. nancy littrell3 February 2018 at 13:49

    Gorgeous pastel background for your beautiful sparkly snow covered trees and snow bank. I love your die and so happy you gifted me with this die. TFS my friend. Hugs..

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  4. karen h3 February 2018 at 15:09

    Oh my word - this is stunningly beautiful! Love the sky colors and the snow and the glitter....total perfection.

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  5. Liz3 February 2018 at 16:21

    Stunning card, Loll! I just love this design with the ombré effect of the background. xx

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  6. Bonnie3 February 2018 at 16:40

    I love this die and how you've "iced" it up! And that blended sky is gorgeous! You do the best sponging, my friend!

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  7. Lyn3 February 2018 at 17:18

    So pretty and elegant!

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  8. Christine Alexander3 February 2018 at 18:02

    Loll. such a beautiful soft pastel colour, I love the sparkle of the trees and the deer. Awesome Card :)

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  9. clelie3 February 2018 at 18:10

    Oh!...so VERY VERY PRETTY! ♥

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  10. Julie B4 February 2018 at 01:09

    So very pretty Loll, a beautiful sky and lots of twinkly snow! :)

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  11. Jeanne4 February 2018 at 04:57

    Absolutely gorgeous! Wow! You should do pastels more often because this background looks amazing. Love the sparkle too. Wow!

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  12. Debbie Henderson Debbie's Designs4 February 2018 at 05:15

    How pretty is that sky with just a small tint of blue! And the glittered layers so pretty! Thanks for playing at Merry Monday Challenge with us this week!

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  13. Susan Joyce4 February 2018 at 06:49

    Totally delightful Loll, love your background with the white silhouettes. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday this week.

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  14. Cindy C.4 February 2018 at 08:10

    How pretty! Love that dreamy ombre background!!

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  15. Marcia Hill4 February 2018 at 10:17

    WOW...absolutely BEAUTIFUL Loll!! Love your softly blended background and all that sparkle is fabulous! Love the GA tip too! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Merry Monday!! :0)

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  16. Linda4 February 2018 at 10:38

    Oh wow, Loll, this is so soft and beautiful. Love it. Thanks for joining us this week at Merry Monday.

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  17. Linda4 February 2018 at 10:41

    Wow Loll, this is so soft and beautiful. Love it. Thanks for joining us this week at Merry Monday.

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  18. Brenda4 February 2018 at 10:48

    You should do pastels more often Loll as this is simply stunning! I love that sky you created and I love your scene. The glitter is just perfect and clever of you to use glossy accents to get it to not shed. Hugs, Brenda

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  19. Mac Mable4 February 2018 at 12:15

    So delicate and so very pretty. I never think to use my milled lavender ink but it looks so pretty with the spun sugar, so will be giving that one a go. Yes I hate it when glitter still shreds, even after putting it onto glue so great idea about the glossy accents. Thank you for sharing this beauty x

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  20. Barb Ghig4 February 2018 at 20:03

    Gasp! I think you might want to play with pastels more often, Loll...your sky background is absolutely stunning! I love how you added so much sparkle to this card, too...it just glistens so perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing your tip with us using Glossy Accents...very clever way to control all that lovely glitter :)

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  21. Faith A at Daffodil Cards5 February 2018 at 07:12

    A beautiful and striking card.
    Faith
    x

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  22. Bobby5 February 2018 at 09:58

    I'm just getting around to seeing this and you've already won an honorable mention at MM, Loll. I can see why. That ink blended background is wonderful with the snowy trees and deer.

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  23. Patti5 February 2018 at 13:42

    Ooooh! Loll pastels want to be your friend! : ) this is really stunning! I'm in "dreamy" heaven *wink*

    Have a great week.

    Patti

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  24. Trina P.5 February 2018 at 14:41

    So soft and gorgeous. Flawless ink blending. I’m going to have to CASE those colours.

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  25. MaryH5 February 2018 at 18:12

    Love this die, and it looks just beautiful with the pastels of the sky. (you should use pastels more often! Good job with this one). Love the glittered, icy look of the elements, and clever idea to add some GA to hold on the glitter too. Very frosty looking, and very serene with the pastel palette. TFS & Hugs

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  26. Jo6 February 2018 at 09:07

    This is so dreamy Loll, you really captured our Northern Winter Skies. The glitter is truly a beautiful finish and the grey sentiment is perfect. Exquisite xx

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  27. Anita in France6 February 2018 at 10:09

    Soft, delicate and so deliciously frosty, Loll ... a simply beautiful scene! Hugs, Anita :)

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  28. Debbie6 February 2018 at 14:49

    This is just gorgeous, Loll. The pastel shades add to the peaceful feel of your design. And, at least in my world, you can't go wrong with a bit of sparkle.

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  29. Susanne Vargas6 February 2018 at 19:10

    The scene you've created looks so soft and serene and beautiful! Fantastic!

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  30. Papercraft Boutique6 February 2018 at 22:24

    Your sponged pastel background is gorgeous and so smooth, Loll! I have Spun Sugar and Milled Lavender but I stayed away from them because they're very light and I was not sure how and when to use them. This card inspired me to use them! The iridescent glittered icy trees and the snow lines are pretty too. Hideko

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  31. Karen Dunbrook7 February 2018 at 04:35

    gorgeous card...I'm drooling at the beauty. Love the sparkle too.
    xx Karen

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  32. Julia Aston7 February 2018 at 06:46

    I too rarely use the pastels - you've done a beautiful job on this lovely sky behind the glittered deer in the woods scene! Julia xx

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  33. My Card Attic: Hazel8 February 2018 at 04:05

    What beautifully soft blending here Loll! Makes such a lovely, tranquil scene! Fabulous! Have a wonderful day my friend! Luv & Hugs. Hazel xx
    My Card Attic

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  34. BożenA8 February 2018 at 04:40

    I know you prefer more decisive colors, but this scene looks magical. I have the impression that you were creating it in the very center of your comfort zone. It looks stunning, Loll. I love the color of your sky just after sunrise, I've seen such a miracle in my life several times :-)
    BożenA xoxo

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  35. Linda11 February 2018 at 02:47

    Hi Loll .... I'm catching up with blog posts after the move. This card is just gorgeous ..... great job with the blending, the colours look so pretty and such a nice look for a Christmas card. The added sparkle is the perfect finishing touch. xx

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I love hearing from you! Loll :)