Digital Carolers

The SCS Sunday Featured Stamper Challenge featured Anna aka annascreations.  I was drawn to the layout of her fun snowmen card and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try, for the first time, using Carolers, a brand new digital image by Squigglefly. This is such an interesting concept to me.  The Carolers file was downloaded and saved on my computer.  I pulled it up in Paint Shop and was able to resize it to any size I wanted to work with. You can do this resizing through your word processing program as well. 

I sized my image and copied and pasted it several times to fit on a full sheet of white cardstock. I wanted to have a few copies of it so I could cut parts of the image and pop up in my scene**.  I heat set the ink and watercolored with a brush and reinkers.  I am going to experiment printing on watercolor paper next and seeing if the ink will hold or if I need to spray with a fixative to set to set.  I used Liquid Applique' on the clothing trim by applying with a tiny stiff brush (stiff from using it with LA) to spread it evenly to avoid blobs when heating. I cut the image out and set aside. I painted the lamp and wreath ( the wreath is almost lost in this scene) and cut out.  I used a large brush to apply a watery light coat of gray ink to the block wall and fence area.  I painted the window and the lamp yellow using a light wash of butterscotch reinker and added depth to the lamp by touching up with dabs of stronger butterscotch reinker where the candle or gas flame would be. I used a small brush to apply white craftink over the window and on the sill, along the top and base of the fence and lightly on the lamp post and base and embossed with white embossing powder. I adhered the lamp post in the scene but only popped up the lamp with a dimensional. I sponged a light shade of yellow around the lamp and window to show a glow from the light. I popped up the carolers and on dimensionals and attached. I used balled up glue dots to attach the wreath to the window. I created the circles and the two layer frame with Nestabilities. I attached my ribbon across the green background layer and then mounted the frame over it with mounting tape. I applied Diamond Glaze to the lamp post and window to give the appearance of glass and along the wrought iron fence. I tied a multi loop bow (see my ribbon tying tutorial) and attached it to finish the project.  I thought the dark burgundy gingham was so perfect with this old fashioned scene.

**Hint: If you want to paper piece images on your project and have them look perfectly placed over the original image in the scene you should color the ourter portions of the original images with the exact colors used on your cut out image. This will eliminate any white showing under your paper pieced image if you didn't get it cut exactly perfect. Note that you can see the lines of the original lamp but it doesn't really hurt the scene as it matches in so well. 

Image:  Squigglefly Carolers

Paper:  Mustard, Artichoke, White, Wassail by Basic Grey

Ink:  Adirondack Butterscotch, Caramel, Pesto, Distress Aged Mahogany, Black Soot, Tattered Rose (for skin), SU Barely Banana, Basic Gray

Accessories:  Gingham, White Embossing Powder, Diamond Glaze, Liquid Applique', Nestabilities, Mounting Tape, Glue Dots, Brushes, Snips