Rejoice!

As I was looking at some blogs last week for some Christmas inspiration, I came across a card that I just loved! It was by Heather Nichols and you can view it here. I wanted to do a similar card but incorporate TAC stamps into the layout. I love how the card turned out!

I used all TAC Bazzill textured cardstock except for the ivory piece which is TAC's Ultrasmooth Ivory cardstock (GREAT cardstock!!). The word "Rejoice" comes from the TAC "Whimsical Greetings" set and the rest are from TAC's "Deco Designs" set. I love being able to use non-Christmas stamps to make Christmas cards because then you can use the set all through the year and not just for Christmastime!

The word "Rejoice" has been stamped with Burnt Umber Palette ink. The leaves are stamped with Landscape Palette ink and the "flowers" are stamped with Bordeaux Palette ink (one of my most favorite colors of Palette ink--if you don't have it, get it!! It's gorgeous!!). You'll notice that I stamped the main image in the left-hand corner. I then reinked the stamp, stamped it once or twice on scrap paper and then stamped it again on the ivory cardstock for a very light watermarked look.

After I finished stamping, I covered the entire piece with VersaMark ink and then poured Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) on top of that. I used my heat gun to melt it. The, I put more VersaMark ink on top of that and poured another layer of UTEE on top of it and heated it again. This creates a thick, glossy piece. I then VersaMarked it again and lightly sprinkled TAC's Prisma Glitter on top and then reheated the UTEE with my heat gun so that the glitter would melt into the piece. I put the entire ivory piece into the freezer for 3 minutes and then when I took it out it was nice and brittle and I could crack it as I desired. This makes the cracked glass effect. I took a sponge with Burnt Umber Palette ink on it and rubbed it into the cracks and then wiped off the excess ink with a clean rag.

The ivory piece is mounted on the green Bazzill cardstock and popped up with pop dots.

Here is a close-up of what the final ivory piece looks like.

The green strip that you see across the front of the card has been crimped using the paper crimper that TAC sells. I LOVE this thing!! It easily and effortlessly adds texture to any card or scrapbook page. The strip is attached with Matte Heritage Mini Brads.
It does take a little bit of work to make a card like this but it isn't a complicated process and the end result is awesome!!