12 MoC Plaid Nutcracker

 

Over at The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up it is the midway point of our challenge. That means it is the turn of the Merry Maidens to share some more fabulous Christmas cards

The challenge theme is any Christmas Card with an optional twist of using PLAID. The lucky winner's prize is any 2 Winter or Christmas paper packs from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles

If you link up 2 or more cards to our challenge you will get the free Purple Plaid digital paper sent to you that our intrepid leader Lisa of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles has designed. 

Having had a break from card making since December to deal with a family emergency this is my first Design Team card for 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. It feels really weird to be only just starting making Christmas cards this late in the year so this challenge is so important for all card makers to get you disciplined into making your holiday cards all through the year. I find it is the most perfect reason/excuse to play with glitter and twinkle all year round ☺

This card has been made using the Christmas Plaid paper from Holiday Hoopla Patterned Papers set 1. I rarely make slimline cards but this paper would look fabulous with the Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker is a pre-coloured Doodle from A Very German Christmas. I am fortunate to be on the Creative Team for Kate Hadfield Designs and have access to so many fabulous images. They are a perfect compliment to Lisa's papers too.

Kate's Doodles are available pre-coloured and as digital stamp packs so perfect for many applications such as scrapbooking, journalling, card making and also a lot of teachers use them.

I use a program called Affinity Designer on the Mac to create my digital layouts, mock ups for cards in the planning stage and it is perfect to create digital layers like on this card. 

I started off with the plaid paper and selected the area in the page that I wanted to use. I then overlaid the Nutcracker image onto it and sized up as required. I then wanted to decoupage the image so also printed a copy of just the upper body and then a final layer with the head and beard. These were then printed onto glossy photo paper and fussy cut with my trusty Fiskars embroidery scissors. I have had them for years and years and having tried lots of other scissors none have been as accurate as these little beauties.

The plaid background has been matted with red card and then the base is dark green card. The decoupage layers have been popped up with foam pads. You can see the layers better in the close up below. I added some gems onto the uniform buttons and some red gems in the corners. Finally a gold bordered sentiment finishes the card.

I do hope you will take part in our challenge and look forward to seeing your creations.

Card Details -

Size - DL Slimline

Digital Image - Nutcracker from A Very German Christmas Doodles (Kate Hadfield Designs)

Digital Paper - Holiday Hoopla Patterned Papers Set 1 (Decosse’s Dynamite Doodles)

Embellishments - self adhesive gems

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)

• 613 Avenue Create - #202206 Anything Goes
• ABC Christmas Challenge - M is for Music (The Nutcracker Ballet my fave classical music by Tchaikovsky)
• A Perfect Time To Craft - #06-2022 Anything Goes
• A Place to Start - #062022 Anything Goes
• CCC Digi Creations - #137 Anything Goes
• CD Sunday Plus - #87 - Anything Goes with a Digital Item
• Classic Design Challenge - #6 Anything Goes
• Corrosive Challenge - #6 Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner - #232 Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper
• Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper
• Creatalicious Challenges - #237 Anything Goes
• Creative Fingers - #233 Anything Goes
• Creative Moments - #235 Anything Goes
• Digi Choosday - #23 Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers Christmas - Anything Goes
• Jan’s Digi Stamps - Anything Goes
• Let’s Craft & Create - #184 Anything Goes / A Penny For Your Thoughts
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - #183 Anything Goes
• Little Red Wagon - #658 Digi Do
• Paper Shelter - #516 Favourite Colours (red & Green for Christmas cards)
• Penny’s Challenge - #522 Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - #24 Anything Goes
• QKR Stampede - #446 Anything Goes (store image)
• Sheepski Designs - #63 Checks or Stripes
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Add a sentiment
• The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - #118 Anything Christmas Goes
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Through The Purple Haze - #193 Anything But Square
• Word Art Wednesday - #547-548 Anything Goes
• World Wide Open Design Team Challenge - #6 Anything Goes