CASS | Merry Christmas | CAS With A Coloured Base

Lady Joyful

11 months ago

As someone who generally likes to work with clean and simple designs I mostly use white card bases. Coloured card bases can of course be CAS too, but like most people, white is my go-to. So you can imagine my dismay when I realised I was out of white card bases. Not only that but I don’t have any big enough pieces of white card to create card-front sized panels. How did that happen?!

With that realisation I figured I’d change plans and use a red card base instead. Then realised I didn’t have a red card base or suitable card to make one with in my regular stash… In fact I pretty much have no card base sized card at all! Luckily I was able to steal a red base from a kit I’ve been working with.

I used the new Very Merry Sentiments stamp set from Concord & 9th for the main focus of this card. I first treated the card base with my anti-static powder tool, then stamped in embossing ink and heat embossed with Golden Crown embossing powder from Love From Lizi.

Next I used the Swirly Vine Sizzlet (which I think has retired) from Sizzix – one of my very first dies! – to cut two flourishes from a snippet of vellum. I trimmed one slightly so that they wouldn’t be identical. I then played around with positioning them on the card until I was happy with the arrangement.

Vellum is notoriously tricky to adhere due to the adhesive showing through. I carefully selected a few places on the vines to adhere with a dot of Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue. I then used Nuvo Drops in Simply White to embellish the vines, hiding the dots of glue in the process. I added a few further dots of Nuvo Drops around the sentiment to pull the design together.

I had to improvise with this card, but I’m glad I did. I love the design on the red card base and I think it’s possibly even better than it would have been on white. And it’s fun to change things up a bit from time to time. I was worried I’d have trouble with the photographs, especially as we have less and less sunlight. I improvised though and used my SAD prevention lightbox on one side and a mirror on the other to reflect the light back. I think it helped to give more accurate colours in the photograph, and a better light balance, but I’ll have to keep experimenting as it added a bit of an odd shadow under the card which makes it look a bit misshapen.

Love,

Lady Joyful