Magical Meadow Christmas

Hello friends!  Here it is another week gone and another month too.  Can you believe it's already into October?  Where have the months gone?  This means the holidays are coming up fast and furious.  I need to get serious about making these cards!  Today's card is something I envisioned before I even ordered this wonderful stamp bundle - the Magical Meadow.  Yes, this really does portray a magical meadow of possibilities.  I've done this card as a Christmas card, but with a quick change of colors I think it would be a gorgeous fall card.  I'll have to give that a try when I have time.  For now, let's just focus on the Christmas theme.

I totally love navy and white for Christmas card colors but have already done several with those colors.  It was time to use other colors even though I was sticking with a monochromatic color scheme.  I debated about purple or Pretty Peacock.  As you can see, Pretty Peacock won out.  I'm so happy with how the card turned out.  If you'd like to make one too, I'd be happy to share the instructions with you.

Start with a half piece of Thick Basic White that's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  There is a layer of Pretty Peacock next.  This is cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  Then a layer of Basic White that measures 3 3/4" x 5".  Let's work with the white layer first before putting them together.

Using Pretty Peacock ink and a Blending Brush, add a soft background color from the bottom left up and out.  This fades out with about 1/4 of the cardstock having no ink on it at all.  Keep the color very light but add a little more in the bottom corner.  This picture is a little deceiving as the color added is a little darker than it shows.  

There are several greenery stamps in the Magical Meadow set.  I used two of them.  First I stamped the largest stamp (with the tiny berries) coming up from the corner using Lost Lagoon ink.  Another partial one was stamped angled to the side.

Then switching stamps to the smaller leafy one, this was stamped with Pretty Peacock ink.  It was stamped between the two Lost Lagoon branches.  Then it was stamped two more times with only part of the stamp on the card to fill it in somewhat.

There are also 4 extra greenery dies in the matching set that do not have a coordinating stamp.  Two of these were used on the card.  The leaf and berry branch was used to die-cut the truly fabulous Snowflake Magic Specialty Designer Paper twice.  I love how the snowflake design just gives highlights to the leaves and you can't really see the design at all.  The one on the left was fully used.  It's attached with adhesive.  The same branch on the right is cut down to fit the area.

To add a little sparkle, the evergreen type of branch was die-cut once from the More Dazzle Specialty DSP.  It was big enough that it was cut apart and made to look like there were two branches.  They were attached to the card front with adhesive.

At this point, a 7" strip of Silver and White Sheer Ribbon was attached across near the bottom of this layer.  It's attached in the back with a bit of Tear & Tape to hold it in place.  A Mini Glue Dot is placed under the area that the bow will be attached. 

Then the white layer is attached to the Pretty Peacock layer with adhesive.  This is then attached to the folded card base using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Christmas Classics set.  First the Christmas was stamped on Basic White, then the merry was tucked in closely on top of it.  The sentiment was die-cut with the Deckled Rectangle Dies.  

To enhance the edge, the Blending Brush that I used earlier was lightly flicked on the edges.  This not only brought out the lovely edges, but it also helps the sentiment to stand out from the white card front.  Then it's attached with Dimensionals.

A bow was made from the same ribbon.  I actually needed two Mini Glue Dots to make the bow feel secure.  The pretty silver edging on the ribbon is so nice and delicate, a great addition for this card.

Lastly, there was a need for a little more bling.  The Adhesive-backed Glitter Sequins were the perfect choice.  The color fit in perfectly with the card and I love the glittery sequins.  As a plus, they're fairly flat for ease in mailing - no extra postage!  Hooray!

In many aspects this is a simple card just a few layers, a few stamps and some ribbon.  But I think it sure packs a wow.  I sure hope you give this monochromatic style of card a try.  I love the serene look of using just one color family but differing shades to give it depth.

Thank you for stopping in today so I could share this card idea with you.  If you're shopping, please use the Host Code at the top of the post.  I'd truly appreciate it.  There's so much going on at the Stampin' Up! website for you to peruse.  You'll find great Online Exclusive items that you won't find in either catalog, so don't forget to check it out.  As always, I love hearing from you.  If I can help you with your stamping needs, please let me know.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon