My Next Class at China Phoenix 2!

Hey, all!  Welcome back!  Today I want to share one of two cards I will be teaching at China Phoenix 2 on December 15th at 1:00pm.  Both cards will feature lots of Tim Holtz dies, tools, and techniques, which I just LOVE!

Do you ever start to pile stuff onto a card and find you can't help but keep adding more.  Yes, I've heard the adage "Less is more", but apparently I have no concept of what that means.  Especially where this card is concerned, LOL!  

I started by creating a fun splashy background using Distress Inks in last seasons winter colors...Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough, and Fired Brick.  Oops, I should have used Festive Berries to make the trio complete, but Fired Brick is my absolute favorite red in the Distress line.  I swiped these colors onto a craft sheet and misted generously with water to form little droplets of diluted ink, then I laid my white paper panel down and gave it a gentle twist or two before I pulled it off the sheet.  Not too much though, as I didn't want to muddy the colors.  I went back in and dabbed up the remaining droplets so that I had lots of inky splatters on my panel.  A blast with a heat gun to set it and then I was ready to add more color.  I used the Evergreen Bough reinker and just swiped the dropper across the sheet in a swirly pattern.  I didn't even squeeze any additional color out of the dropper, more or less I just used what was on the tip.  I misted this lightly with water and laid my paper down again.  This time I didn't twist the paper, but pulled it straight up.  That's where those brighter splashes of color came from.  I LOVE creating backgrounds with the Distress Line!  The possibilities are endless!

Next, I just PILED on the die cuts and the embellishments.  There is NO WAY this card is going in an envelope...LOL!  My thought process went something like this...if one rose is good, two are better!  If two roses  are good, a clump of pinecones is better!  And so on, and so on.  Crazy, I know ;D

Anyway, this is the first of two cards I will be teaching.  If you're in or around the Albuquerque area on December 15th and feel like getting crafty, come join me!  Call Nancy at China Phoenix 2 at (505)884-8217 and she'll add your name to the roster.  I'll be back in a day or two to share the other card.  I have to make it first...LOL!  ;D

Until next time, stay crafty!