Vintage Christmas cards with Tim Holtz stamps and a tutorial.
I learnt a little while ago that to achieve better results always create a trial piece first and these are just off cuts of the papers I want to use for the project.
I stamped Tim's snowman scene three times all random directions and tried out the techniques and colours to see if I was happy with them and I loved the result, so all that was left was to translate this into cards with single images.
First stamp the snowman scene, I mixed Morning Mist round the snowman area and pinecone over the trees section of the stamp, dry and start blending the sky with Weathered Wood Oxide...
.... and also with Antique Linen Oxide blending them into each other across the sky (looks like I forgot how to blend! Watch out for dark blobs!!!). Blend the antique linen round the bottom of the card too. The chalky finish starts you off on making it look and feel like a cold, hazy, overcast winter day.
Blend the edges with vintage photo DI, then work on the trees using forest moss DI with a paint brush around the twiggy areas and then vintage photo and ground espresso on the trunks and fences.
Onto the snowman - Paint with watery Lost Shadow Oxide very lightly around the inside edges of the snowman to create a smooth shadow. Use a white posca pen to add some white back in if it looks a bit too dark in places.
Paint your snow drifts using a mix of Antique Linen Oxide and Lost Shadow Oxide.
Flick clean water droplets onto the snow drifts and let it sit for 10 seconds before blotting it dry with a paper towel.
One of the coolest features of Oxide ink is its reactive nature with water but I have been experimenting with different types of watercolour paper and most didn't work. Out of two made with Langton hot press, one of them worked a bit, the other didn't. Another made with super smooth card from a mill didn't! Lastly one made with Fabriano watercolour made the best efforts and some of the colour lifted. I'm guessing the results are reliant on how much ink is left on the surface when blending.
Flick clean water droplets onto the snow drifts and let it sit for 10 seconds before blotting it dry with a paper towel.
One of the coolest features of Oxide ink is its reactive nature with water but I have been experimenting with different types of watercolour paper and most didn't work. Out of two made with Langton hot press, one of them worked a bit, the other didn't. Another made with super smooth card from a mill didn't! Lastly one made with Fabriano watercolour made the best efforts and some of the colour lifted. I'm guessing the results are reliant on how much ink is left on the surface when blending.
Add a sentiment/greeting, mine fitted in with Christmas and winter, I used silver embossing powder.
Also create a watery white paint snowstorm.
To finish off, the best part for me is adding the details that bring everything together. Keeping to a vintage, aged, and well-worn look, so that the card could have been kept in someone's drawer for a lifetime, I needed to give it a dog-eared feel.
To make it look naturally torn or snagged, I used a few of my favorite distressing techniques:
* Rough edges & tears: I used the scissor blade method to rough up the edges, purposefully creating little tears and worn spots.
* Inking: I ran a Ground Espresso ink pad around the perimeter to add deep, aged shadows.
* The finishing touch to the distressing: I dragged the edges through a puddle of Vintage Photo Distress Ink and dried them to lock in that perfect, time-stained patina.
Finally I used black, brown and white pens to be arty and add to the outlines and to create shadows and definition.
I also used a clear sparkly gelly roll pen to add some subtle sparkle in the snow.
Top 2 are Langton hot press and bottom left is super smooth card and bottom right is Fabriano watercolour paper.
Creating that perfect vintage look is all about finding the right balance with your inks. If your holiday scenery ever turns out a bit heavier or darker than you planned, don't worry the snow technique will help you blend everything seamlessly into the background.
Want to save this tutorial for your next holiday crafting session? Pin the image below to your favorite Vintage Christmas Cards or Tim Holtz Stamps board on Pinterest so you can find it the next time you are creating!
Happy stamping till the next time.
xxSupplies
Stamps - Tim Holtz - Handwritten Holidays CMS209, Christmas Spirit CMS501
Miscellaneous - Silver embossing powder
Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Forest Moss, Picket Fence,
Distress Oxides - Lost Shadow, Antique Linen, Weathered Wood
Versafine Clair - Morning Mist, Pinecone
Pens - Posca PC 1MR white, Uni pin fineliner 0.1 black, Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen Fineliner 0.5 Dark Sepia, Gelly Roll clear star,
