Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Going green for Rudolf day

Yes it is the 25th again already which means it is time to go over to Sandra's blog and post a Christmas card for Rudolf day.
At my parchment craft class this month, our tutor brought in some old parchment magazines for us to borrow, and I chose to bring home one which featured a couple of Christmas cards. This was my first attempt at following a pattern without any input from a tutor and here is what I made.


I am not too thrilled with it. It is rather bigger than I like to make cards at Christmas, and the pattern work still leaves a lot to be desired. I am getting to grips with the grid work but haven't yet got the hang of stippling (covering an area with tiny white dots to create texture). You can see in the close-up picture of the pattern work, that mine is still very uneven. But I will keep practising, and hopefully I will eventually improve. In the meantime, I felt this piece was acceptable to use, so I mounted it up, adding a gold star to cover the glue used to attach the tree to the card. The sentiment strip is a stamp from a very old set by Hero Arts, and the backing paper came from a pack by Papermania called A silent night, which I purchased very recently. Those of you who know my work, will know that I don't do white spaces, so I wasn't comfortable with the areas on each side of the tree top, but this pair of Clarity stamps baubles filled them up nicely.

Although it is 00.44 am on 25th July here, I see it is not quite midnight in UK so I hope Sandra will accept my entry if I link it upfor Rudolf Day tomorrow morning. I seem to have got a bit ahead of myself!  I am also entering this card in:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 179: Christmas in July.
Hooked on Craft Challenge 22:  Christmas in July.
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14 comments:

  1. kiwimeskreationsJuly 25, 2012 at 2:44 AM

    Kate this is fabulous - really rather elegant in fact. I quite like the simplicity of the design, that contrasts with the detail in the tree.
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  2. HazelJuly 25, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Beautiful card - stunning parchment work - thanks for joining in my CHNC challenge 82 - hope to see you again soon x

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  3. SarnJuly 25, 2012 at 9:43 AM

    Well . . . even though you're not 100per cent happy with it Kate, I think it's totally AMAZING. You must have a lot of patience.

    Of course I will accept your entry, it's only backlinking to old posts that's not allowed.

    Thanks for joining in, and good luck in the draw. xxx

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  4. JeanJuly 25, 2012 at 12:07 PM

    This is a lovely card Kate, I like the subtle colours you get with the parchment work, and the pretty patterns on the tree.Jean x

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  5. Glenda AtkinsJuly 25, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    Absolutely a fabulous tree. Love your card!

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  6. Catie CuddlesJuly 25, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    Wow ... I think this is stunning work ... I ef haven't the patience for parchment and am in awe of such creations!
    Well done.
    Thanks for sharing at CHNC 82 and hope to see you again soon.
    Catherine xxx

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  7. ikeJuly 25, 2012 at 9:46 PM

    Very cool - I love the colour and I think your tree is just fine :-) I have been doing parchment work for years and I made so many bog-ups when I started but now it's just ruined my eyes.... hahahahahaha LoL
    Great piece - Go Girl :-D xxxx

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  8. AmandaJuly 26, 2012 at 6:07 AM

    Simply beautiful and I love it! I love all of the pattern on the tree and your colors! It looks perfect! :)

    Thank you for playing along with us in Flourishes Timeless Tuesday!

    ~ Amanda :)

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  9. Shirley-AnneJuly 26, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Hello Kate . Sorry i have been neglectful as of late barely keeping up with DT work and workshops
    Popped in to see how you are
    Hope this finds you and yours well .
    Love your parchment work
    I have some unfinished pieces around and you have inspired me to look for them and try my hand at it again .
    loved Saturdays post too with beautiful butterflys and parchment work ..
    Thanks for your visit to my blog recently .
    hugs Shirley-Anne

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  10. Pia SJuly 26, 2012 at 8:25 PM

    I think your card turned out great! The tree looks absolutely fabulous!

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  11. craftimammaJuly 28, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    You might not be totally happy with this Kate but I think it's fabulous. I've never done any parchment work and find these intricate patterns amazing. I don't think my eyesight could cope with such detail now but never mind, I'll just admire yours instead, lol!

    Hugs
    Lesley Xx

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  12. SarahJuly 29, 2012 at 10:12 PM

    You must have such patience...your tree is beautiful and very delicate.

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  13. KathleenJuly 30, 2012 at 9:46 PM

    Wow a very different card indeed. A lot of work and patience I see and very well done.

    Kath x

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  14. AnonymousJuly 31, 2012 at 8:32 AM

    That's a lovely card Kate, l think the tree looks amazing. It reminds me of material rather than paper, l think you should be very pleased with it.

    TFS, good luck in the draw xx

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