Merry Monday is Back!

Playing along with Merry Monday challenge today, but before I reveal my card, if you're looking for the Technique blog hop, click here to quickly get to that post.

Merry Monday is back from summer hiatus, and Christmas is looming nearer.  Today's challenge was to create a card using black, white and gold.

 I went with a white background and created my design using gold and black in a variety of form.  My sentiment is gold foil cardstock, my snowflakes gold embossed, and my circles and sentments are black ink ,with a few black sequins to add some dimension.  

I hope you all find some time to create today.

Supplies Used - Happy Holidays

Stamps:  Snowy Sayings (CAS-ual Fridays)*

Ink: Hero Arts Black and Versamark

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Licorice (The Stamps of Life); Gold Foil Cardstock (DCWV)

Accessories:  Happy Holidays Die (Neat and Tangled)*; Gold Embossing Powder (Ranger); Black Onyx Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

*from Stamp of Approval Holiday Magic Collection

Mixed Media Cards for A Year of Card Techniques

It's month nine of our year-long adventure into different card-making techniques, folds and paper crafting products.

We hope you got the chance to hop with us each month.  It's not too late to hop and comment to be entered into our prize drawing.  If you missed any of the previous months, you can click on the month to be taken directly to the start of that month's hop.

January - Emboss Resist Technique

February - Ink Layering Techniques

March - Inlaid Die-cutting

April - Shaker Cards

May - Spinner Cards

June - Step Cards

July - Watercolor Cards

August - Baby Wipe Technique

We're mixing things up this month with a few mixed media techniques and products.

We really love feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in today's hop.   Each comment on the 12 hops throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Blitsy.com or Stampin' Up gift certificate (Winner's Choice).

Now on with the projects.  I have three of them for you today.  I'll start with two that I created using the same watercolor piece which I cut down to create the two projects.  The watercolor piece was created using Ken Oliver Color Bursts.

On this one, I wanted to explore using black embossing paste but in two ways.  I always struggle with matte or glossy when I buy embossing paste.  So i go with matte and then I can make it glossy by adding clear embossing paste and heating.  This first card shows a card made with matte . . . 

There was no stamping on this card - it was all stencil and embossing paste.  Even that sentiment.  The close-up below really shows how the matte paste looks.  

 So here is the second version; this one shows the embossing paste with clear embossing powder, giving it the glossy look.  Also added . . . in mixed media fashion . . . micro beads and glitter.  I put down strips of scor-tape and used two colors of beads/glitter.  

While the black paste with the clear embossing isn't quite as glossy as glossy would be, you can definitely see below how different it is from the previous card.

 

And now my final card, which I have to say started out as a hot mess!  The watercolor piece with the embossing paste was just not working for me.  But I truly have to say that I love how this card turned out. 

My one regret in the end was not the hot mess of a watercolor/emboss/stencil piece . . . nope . . . it was the fact that my Rock Candy Distress Stickles, which I put on using a stencil, made my sentiment run.  If you look close in the white area, there are dots of those Distress Stickles which were stenciled onto the card.  Note to self . . . need a permanent ink in the future if I'm going over that sentiment.  

Next up is Sharon!

Here is the line-up in case you get lost along the way . . .

Theresa  -  http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/

Kim  - http://katydidcards.com/

Claudia  - http://www.claudiahenderson.blogspot.com/

Debbie  - http://pawstoscrap.blogspot.com/

Sharon  - http://piece-ofheart.blogspot.com/

Lisa  - http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/

Denise  - http://www.craftconfectionery.com/

Thanks for hopping! 

Hope you find some time to be creative. 

Supplies Used - Smile

Ink: Violet, Ultramarine Blue and Alizarian Crimson (Ken Oliver Color Burst)

Paper:  Solar White Cardstock (Neenah); Watercolor Paper (Canson); Licorice Cardstock (The Stamps of Life)

Accessories:  Ice Cream Cone Stencil (Mint Owl Studio); Adhesive Sentiment Stencil (Momenta); Matte Black Embossing Paste (Dreamweaver); Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); Whisper White Ribbon (Stampin' Up)

Supplies Used - #SMILE

Stamps:  Jumbo Stripes (Simon Says Stamp);

Ink: Violet, Ultramarine Blue and Alizarian Crimson (Ken Oliver Color Burst)

Paper:  Solar White Cardstock (Neenah); Watercolor Paper (Canson); Licorice Cardstock (The Stamps of Life)

Accessories:  Mini Stencil Collection 12 (Tim Holtz); Matte Black Embossing Paste (Dreamweaver); Clear Embossing Powder (Ranger); Mini Staples (Close To My Heart); Bitty Beads and Pixie Dust (Queen & Co.)

Supplies Used - Peace, Love, Joy

Stamps:  Holiday Trimmings (Winnie & Walter)*

Ink: Pthalon Green and Alizarian Crimson (Ken Oliver Color Burst); Emerald Envy (Stampin' Up)

Paper:  Solar White Cardstock (Neenah); Watercolor Paper (Bee); Silver POW (American Crafts)

Accessories:  Translucent Embossing Paste (Dreamweaver); Pattern of the Rings Stencil and Circle Creative Screenings (Winnie & Walter)*, Funky Flakes Dies (CASual Fridays)*; Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles (Tim Holtz);

*from previous Stamp of Approval Collections