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

Happiness is the Path

Since the new Pan Pastels have come out in metallics and pearlescent colors, I have fallen in love with them all over again.  The new Magenta Flowers & Buds stamp is perfect for a fun Pan Pastel application because it has a lot of solid area.

For this card the sentiment "Happiness is the Path" (LOVE this sentiment) was stamped in Olympia Green Versafine and embossed with clear embossing powder.  The Flower & Buds stamp was stamped several times in Versamark ink, and using a sponge tool, I applied Pan Pastels to the Versamarked images in light gold, dark gold, and copper colors.  Excess pastel was wiped off with a Swiffer cloth.  It was hard to capture the beautiful shiny look of these metallic pastels in a photograph, so in the first picture, the flowers look like they have a sepia tone.

A picture taken at an angle gives an idea how they really look in real life.

 To finish the card, the panel was matted with Stardream gold paper, and flicked with Artquest mica watercolor.

Magenta stamps used:

Flowers & Buds 0707.L

Happiness is the Path  07.912.H 

Other Materials Used: 

Pan Pastel Metallics:  Light Gold; Dark Gold; Copper

Versamark Ink

Versafine Olympia Green Ink

Stardream Gold paper

Artquest Palette Pastels