Grungy Shimmery Christmas

I needed to complete my February Christmas cards to keep on track with my Quest - Complete all 40 cards by end of October, 4 a month. This month they are based on a new technique that was inspired by Tim's Perfect Distress technique - here's a link to his video.

I call this technique Perfectly Distress Background. Here are the steps:

Start with a dark card stock, here I used chocolate chip:

Apply your Distress Inks direct to paper - starting with your lightest color first:

I used 3 inks (recipe to follow) - I did not want full coverage as you you see here:

Loosely apply your Perfect Pearls, don't blend them together and again you are not looking for full coverage:

Here's what it looks like with all the Perfect Pearls applied:

Next HEAVILY mist your carstock:

Now let the water and Distress Inks work their magic (you can see them running and blending together):

Dry with your heat gun:

Here is the background completed - see the shimmer:


The recipe for this background (DI - PP):

Scattered Straw - Heirloom Gold
Peeled Paint - Green Patina
Aged Mahogany - Rust

Now the Christmas card that I made with this background:

Another view to see the shimmer:

The second Christmas card:

Another view to see the shimmer:

Recipe for Snowflake card:

Weathered Wood - Blue Patina
Faded Jeans - Blue Smoke
Black Soot - Pewter

The snowflake background was stamped using Snow Cap pigment ink - dye based inks do not stamp well over this background.

Here is a butterfly that I made stamping on the background (this will find a home later):

I hope you will give this background a try - it is Grungy Shimmery in real life!

Happy Creating!

KAT

The Stuff:
Stamps - Santa (inkadinkado), Snowflake (Here Arts)
Inks - Coffee Archival (Ranger) - all Distressed Inks listed above, Snow Cap and Pitch Black Pigment (Ranger)
Other - Perfect Pearls (listed above - Ranger), Picket Fence, Tarnished Brass Distressed Stickles (Ranger), Gold Leafing Pen (Krylon), corners (idea-ology), Classic Frame (Spellbinders)