Twenty Two Down only One more to go.

This week at Through the Purple Haze Challenges we are being asked to use our favourite Christmas colours and being a bit of a traditionalist I have chosen Red and Green. More importantly this is my husband's Christmas card this year and eh is even more of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colours - he really doesn't get the blues and pinks and will always gravitate to red and green given teh choice.

Here is the card I have made for him .....

I started off with an A5 card blank and cut a piece of 'red velvet' card from pink pig crafts to fit leaving a narrow border. The card is a rich deep red and although foiled has a mat finish so it really does look like velvet. The only disadvantage is that it is quite expensive so knowing I wanted to add a white panel on top I gutted the centre of teh card and used what was removed to make the flowers. 

I embossed a piece of white centura pearl card in a 'honeysuckle' folder from Crafter's Companion and then turned this upside down as I thought the flowers had an appearance of mistletoe leaves when viewed upside down.

I cut two large ivy leaf sprays using green mirror card and a tattered Lace die and stuck these on the front of the white panel to trail down. 

The hearts are chipboard shapes that I painted with white gesso and then coloured with a berry red pro marker. Once coloured I coated them with a thin layer of glossy accents and allowed it to dry slightly but whilst still tacky added white stickles distress glitter in rock candy to give a sparkly effect once completely dry I added the gingham ribbons. 

The poinsettias were cut using Britannia dies and Green mirror card and the red velvet card gutted from the base layer. The centres are cut using a tattered lace winter florals die from off cuts of the Centura Pearl as were the pine cones and some of the pine branches and coloured with a 'Sunflower' 'Cocoa' and 'Holly Green' promarkers respectively. The Holly leaves were cut from Green Mirror card using another die from the Tattered Lace winter florals set. 

I placed the hearts on the card where I wanted them and then used a chain effect border peel off to make them look as if they were hanging down the card before sticking them down with glue gel. I added the Flowers branches and leaves and added red gems for Holly Berries. The finishing touch was the wooden sentiment tag with a scrap of gingham ribbon threaded through. 

Whilst flowers may not seem the obvious choice for a male card I know hubby will love this as his mum sadly no longer with us loved the bright poinsettia plant and would have several in the house every Christmas, we have kept the tradition alive and always have at least one in the house over the Christmas period, so they have a bit of special meaning for us which I know he will appreciate.

I am entering this card into the following challenges 

http://throughthepurplehazechallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - Use your favourite Christmas Colours I chose red and green 

http://trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ - Christmas 

http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ - For Someone Special

http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk - Anything Goes so long as it's Christmas 

http://pennyschallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ Tic Tac Toe I chose Flowers glitter and ribbon