Yuletide Fireside

I really had fun creating the card I made yesterday! The Free for All Challenge on Splitcoast was "Tail Waggin' Greetings," which was to make a project (any theme) using something that has a tail. Well, Speedy the Cat has a tail and I think this image of him wearing a Santa hat is adorable, so I decided to use him for a yuletide greeting as he gazes into the fireplace!!
This card gives you a sneak peek of two different Mark's Finest Papers stamp sets that will be released next week: Christmas Postage Due (Speedy) and Brick Wall. Last Saturday I made a different sneak peek card for Brick Wall using only the butterfly and flowering vine images from this new set. After seeing my sample, my friend Colleen was puzzled by the set name, and I then realized how provoking it was to sneak peek a set without its titular image! So, Colleen, this sneaky peek is for you. :)

This card was kind of a departure for me. I'm not sure that I've ever created a scene like this, but I sure did have fun!! The problem is that I could probably have spent the rest of the day adding more and more little details. It's like decorating a doll house!! Some of the details:

• I white embossed the brick wall image on red card stock to create the fireplace. After adding a scrap of black for the opening and scrap of kraft for the mantel.
• Creating a somewhat realistic-looking fire gave me pause. In the end, I sketched a rough flame shape on white card stock, colored in some orange flame centers, and cut it out. Then I used vellum to cut out a slightly larger, similarly shaped set of flames. After sponging the vellum shape with yellow ink and drying it with a heat tool, I attached it as on overlay with a glue pen.
• The rug in front of the fireplace is from a piece of embossed card stock that I found in an SU scrap pack from Colleen. (Thanks, Colleen!!!) The texture was just what I was looking for to make it look like something woven! I sponged it with some old olive ink to match my "decor."
• Like my mantel decorations? I added a swag of tinsel using a tube of Studio G Sparkle Writer. I found the tiny stocking image among some ancient mini stamps from The Angel Company.
• I knew I needed something to hang on the wall above the fireplace. I thought about making a wreath somehow, but didn't have any good images for one. While I was mulling over making a wreath with punches somehow, I suddenly remembered that I still had a few items left on an awesome card of decorative brads from Making Memories. Some have the coolest little home-dec-like frames and I thought that a trio of these would be perfect as wall hangings!

As you would suspect from me, I incorporated a few challenges as well:

• Cute Card Thursday: Gently Does It, to use vellum or tissue paper on your project. I used vellum to make my fire flames.
• 4 Crafty Chicks: Challenge #10, to use the color combo Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, plus a neutral. I had to substitute a bit, but I think I came pretty close.
• Caardvarks: to create a new holiday card using die cut(s). Check out the oval rug and the photo corner in the upper left.

Thanks so much for checking out this holiday creation of mine. I had the best fun making it! See you back here soon :)

Card Recipe:
Stamps: MFP Brick Wall, MFP Christmas Postage Due, TAC (stockings)
Paper: SU old olive, PTI kraft, SU basic black, The Paper Company scraps, Pink Paislee Tinsel Town DP, vellum
Ink: Palette noir black, Versamark, SU old olive, Palette paris lights
Accessories: photo corner die cut, oval die cut, scissors, white EP, heat tool, Studio G glitter glue, dimensionals, sponge, Making Memories brads
Techniques: embossing, sponging