Merry Ornament

Hello All, 

This is Shawna's daughter, Iris. I know that this is unusual, but we both thought it would be fun for me to take a shot at this blogging thing for a bit. For this card, Mom is working with CAS(E) this Sketch, Addicted to CAS, The Merry Christmas Challenge, and Double D Challenges. Although it should be a federal crime to post Christmas cards on Halloween, I have to say that my mom's most recent design turned out very well. Enjoy!

Those pretty red stripes were made using fired brick distress oxide ink and stencils. The fading greed around the pine was sponged using crushed olive distress oxide ink and mowed lawn distress ink. The needles themselves were stamped with ranger pesto ink, and only one stamp was actually used, facing in multiple directions for a more natural look. I'm nodding casually because I know what all of that means...

To create balance, the ornament is centered horizontally rather than vertically. The crushed olive fades around the ornament, giving it a sort of glow.

The ornament was colored using Copic Ciao and MEXPY alcohol markers. (I'm not jealous at all... no really...) The shading and light reflection creates a feeling of dimension. The idea was sketched out on paper beforehand, so the final image didn't come out messy.

Challenges Entered:
CAS(E) this Sketch: CTS#295
Addicted to CAS: Game #148- One Layer
The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas
Double D Challenges: Stripes & Dots

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Iris's Commentary: What I really love about this card is the contrast that its different elements create. The stripes are clean and uninformed, while the pine is random and its color fades into the background. Both the stripes and the ornament itself appear very crafted and manmade, but the green needles are more natural and free. Not only does this make for a beautiful design, but it also shows of the different ways that we celebrate major events: with a mixture of our own culture and the world that was there before. I believe that subtle things like this help to create a better image of the words printed on the card's face. This post is really becoming cheesier than a stuffed crust pizza, and I've already droned on for what seems like way too long in comparison to what my mom writes, so I should probably stop about now. Stay amazing and never stop being positive! Iris is out!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and do appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to spend time with me. I hope you all have a fantastic day and lots of good crafting vibes headed your way.