Super Saturday at Magenta: Christmas Card with Pan Pastels

Hi all, I'm over at the Magenta Blog today, and you can see that post here.

This is my Christmas Card for April. Yeah, I didn't make any in March, and I'm letting that go. I will still have plenty of cards by the end of summer, which is my goal. Honestly my craft space(s) renovation has been taking up a lot of my time and energy. You can see my Part 1 post here.

 I decided to pull out my Pan Pastels for this card. I have some metallics that I haven't used a whole lot.

This background stamp is new to me, and I can't believe I never saw it when it first came out. It's really a beautiful design by former Magenta designer Valerie. First I die cut a piece of red cardstock, using the Greetery Nordic Frames die. I think this die is great for a Christmas card.

I stamped the Wishing You Peace Love Joy sentiment toward the bottom third of the panel in Versamark ink and embossed it using gold embossing powder. I then masked off the sentiment area with 1" wide Post It tape. 

I stamped the background image on the panel using Versamark Ink and then removed the tape. Using a sponge applicator, I applied gold Pan Pastel over the entire cardstock. Excess pastel was removed with a Swiffer cloth.

This shot shows how shiny the metallic Pan Pastels are. I was contemplating using strips of the gold cardstock above and below the sentiment, but in the end decided not to.

I matted the panel with gold cardstock and then mounted it to a base card.

I love how this card turned out, but there is one issue that I wasn't super happy with. It's usually a good idea to seal pastel to your cardstock because it can rub off. I don't think it rubs off as much if you are using Versamark ink to hold it there, but it can happen, and I don't want that to be an issue since I'm mailing these cards away. I sprayed my panel with a fixative spray, and I think it dulled the gold shine of the pastel a bit. In any case, I didn't think it was quite as amazingly shiny and bright after spraying. I'm planning to get a different brand of fixative (Spectrafix) that is recommended for pastels and try it out. I will let you know how I like it.

If you have been reading my blog you know that I have been working on renovating my craft space(s). My work space has been incorporated with my office (see Part 1 link at the beginning of this post). My former craft room will be used for storage. I haven't been able to obtain a Kallax unit from Ikea yet, but my craft supplies will be stored in containers that will go into Kallax shelving eventually. I have obtained some of those containers to get started.

This is one of the boxes I will use, and there will be black and white ones of these. My plan is to make a panel for the front of each that will reflect what is inside. Since I have my Pan Pastels out, I am going to make a panel for the front of this one. Stay tuned for a future post about it.

Magenta Products Used:

42.172.P Christmas Stars & Flowers Background

07.1019.F Wishing You

Other Products Used:

The Greetery Nordic Frames die

Versamark ink

Gold Pan Pastel

Ranger Gold Embossing powder

PTI Pure Poppy cardstock

Curious Metallics Super Gold cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock