Blogger Challenge 7

Good morning to you.  I can hardly believe how quickly the days roll by and that it is Wednesday already.  Bob spoke over the weekend about getting all the hedges in the yard trimmed soon so they will be in good shape for all the Christmas lights he  puts up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Yikes!!!  Is Thanksgiving only one month away!!!  The holidays will be here before we know it.

Tami is hosting the Rubbernecker Stamp Company blogger challenge today and she has a fun sketch for us to work with. Be sure to go over and check it out.  If you play in the challenge please go back to the Rubbernecker blog and post a link to your card.  Sherry wants to showcase all of the challenge cards on the blog.

I think this Santa from the Rubbernecker Holiday Collection is so darling. The image is fun to color and there is lots of room to use Liquid Applique to create his beard and clothing fur. I stamped the image with versa on watercolor paper and embossed with gold embossing powder.  Just a word about the Ranger gold embossing powder.  I have tried several brands of gold powder over the years and have been disappointed that many heat to a dull finish.  The finish on the Ranger product is a bright, elegant finish. I painted the image with reinkers and and a watercolor brush and used a Krylon gold pen and a tiny tipped applicator to apply gold to the belt buckle and button. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

I squeezed out large blob of Liquid Applique' on a piece of scrap paper. I have tried several different techniques to apply LA so that it heats to a nice even layer without the dreaded blobs. I found that using an old brush (I can never paint with it again as LA damages it) to lightly apply the LA works wonders. I lightly paint on the LA, smooth it out to a good even consistency and lightly heat.  If you put the LA on too thick you will get blobs and if you heat too long you can burn it.

Since Liquid Applique' has such a rubbery finish I have experimented to find a way to finish it off so it doesn't stick to the envelope or cardstock if used inside a card. I wrote a hint in a post a while back about applying Iridescent Ice to the already heated LA. Last night I decided to experiment with clear embossing powder. I sprinkled clear powder over all the pre heated LA and lightly heated again setting a clear glaze on it. It looks wonderful and eliminates that rubbery, stickiness to the LA. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Holiday Collection -Grand Santa (there are two sizes of this Santa- Grand and Petite) and Merry Christmas Sentiment

Paper:  Real Red. Watercolor, Dasher Designer Paper

Ink:  SU Real Red, Blush Blossom, Caramel, Banana, Adirondack Slate, Distress Black Soot,

Accessories:  Versa, Twill, Liquid Applique', Brushes, Stickles, Gold and Clear Embossing Powder, Snaps, Deckle Scissors