Blogger Challenge: Week 24

This week's blogger challenge was to have a watercolored focal point or use a watercolor technique on your card. In addition to meeting this week's challenge, this is the holiday card I'm sending out to family and friends. I've known that this was what I was going to do for a holiday card since I attended the SU! Regional seminar in Philadelphia in September. Jaron demonstrated a card using the Santa image from Naughty & Nice (from the Holiday mini) and the Dashing Designer Series paper.

Here's the card I came up with based on Jaron's idea. I modified the design so it would be appropriate to send to family and friends who celebrate either Christmas or Hanukkah. I decided to use the Simple Snowman stamp set for the main image. Even though this set was new to SU! in the Fall/Winter Collection catalog, it will be retiring at the end of this catalog. I was kind of surprised to see how many of the sets featuring snowman images are retiring this time (Frosty, It's Snow Time, Flaky Friends, Cold Play). I guess there will be lots of new ones in next winter's catalog.

I stamped the snowman and the "peace" garland in black ink on Shimmery White cardstock. I used an aquapainter and reinkers to watercolor the image in colors that matched the Wintergreen designer papers. It doesn't show in the photo, but I added some white Fun Flock to the snowman's hat for some texture. I thought about adding a tiny pom pom at the top of the hat, too, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to mail the cards as easily if I did that.

I used a bunch of different designs from the Wintergreen paper pack, so the cards aren't all the same look. I also used Soft Sky double stitched grosgrain on some of the cards for variety.

I like to do something a different than the traditional card format for my holiday card. Last year I did a buckle card and the year before I did a waterfall card and before that, a shaker card. I really like the fun fold this card uses. Here's a picture of how the card opens. This design was also pretty easy to make a bunch of, especially when compared to making multiple waterfall or shaker cards!

I'm not sure that the cards are complete, though. I'm thinking of stamping some kind of sentiment on the front of the card in the bottom right corner. What do you think?

Materials Used:
Simple Snowman stamp set, Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery, and Basic Black Classic inks, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, and Blue Bayou reinkers, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, and Shimmery White cardstock, Wintergreen Designer Series paper, Soft Sky double stitched grosgrain, aquapainter, 2 way glue pen (Stampin' Up!); white fun flock (Stampendous)