Merry Medley

This is one of those stamps I didn't notice at first, but fell in love with when I saw all the beautiful cards everybody was making with it.  It didn't take me long to decide to buy it and just in time for Christmas-card-making sessions.
I was surprised to see the actual size of the stamp as it was larger than I had expected and I knew that I wanted to coordinate it with the Christmas Pines suite. Initially I stamped it on Tip Top Taupe, and whilst it looked great, it lacked the festive colours that we all know and love.  I decided to sponge on a little colour with Emerald Envy and Cherry Cobbler. The thing about sponging is that it gives each card a different character, no two cards will look exactly the same.  It is this uniqueness that makes using a sponge so versatile.

Once my background was ready, I need to figure out what to place on top of the background to give it a little boost.  I did not want to place too many embellishments here, as I did not want to hide my beautiful background.  I played around with the pine leaves and the twine, placed them on different spots before finding the right fit. What I love about card making is that there is not just one way to create a beautiful card.  Anything goes. As long as it works for you, and you feel satisfied with the end product. 

To add little a little bling, I decided to decorate the leaves with a mini pine cone, tied it to the bow with a little piece of gold twine from the baker's twine trio pack. To finish it off, I decided to give it a little rustic look by sponging the edge of the front panel with Tip Top Taupe, just to add a darker frame around the edge, a simple step but makes a huge difference to the overall appearance of the card.