Christmas hugs to you

Hi everyone. I hope you've all made it through the rush of preparation and are ready for Christmas. I have just a bit of baking to do and I'm done.

This morning I checked the ways to use it challenge on SCS and it was to use backgrounds. Well, you may not know it, but I'm somewhat of a background junkie. I have lots and lots of background stamps. I will reach for a background stamp way more often than a piece of designer paper. I especially like the large ones that cover the size of a card. So even though I knew I had some baking to do, I wanted to play with my backgrounds.

I fiddled around with a few before I decided on the ones that I used on this card. I ended up using three different background stamps on top of each other. First I used creamy caramel ink on French Script (SU) and just finger walked to stamp it on vanilla cardstock. Then I inked up French Filigree (SU) with brocade blue and stamped over the first one. Then I inked Print Pattern (SU) with elegant eggplant, stamped off once and then stamped over the first two. Then I sponged chocolate chip ink on all the edges as well as dragging the sponge across the cardstock, completely changing the color. I layered this piece on vanilla and eggplant and a brocade blue card base.

The lacy trim is actually machine made bobbin lace, but is sold as crocheted ribbon.

I pulled out a new SU stamp set called Vintage Vogue (available Jan. 5), which I fell in love with the moment I first saw it. I stamped several of the large flowers in brocade blue and some of the small ones in elegant eggplant and cut them out. I sponged the edges of the petals with not quite navy. The large flower is three layers, with each of the petals rounded slightly with my fingers and then each layer is separated with foam tape. I cut a very narrow strip of eggplant cardstock and threaded it through the button in the center. The smaller flowers have half pearls in the center. The leaves are stamped in always artichoke and cut out.

For the sentiment piece, I used a Hero Arts stamp (eggplant on vanilla) and then die cut the layers in my big shot with Spellbinders dies (labels five and six). Each layer is sponged with not quite navy and popped up. I added a few more tiny pearls. I really like how this turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I want to wish each of you a wonderful and blessed Christmas.