Northern lights & Star gazing

Jeg må bare bekjenne.. jeg lider av scrapomani... Ser jeg et stempel jeg syns er fantastisk, bare MÅ jeg ha det i samlingen min, som er blitt tusentalls av etterhvert som årene går.. og jeg vet jeg ikke er alene om det. Det er nok mange av oss som har denne 'hemmelige' lasten ;) 
Og dessverre for oss er det alltfor mange flotte motiv som hele tiden blir lagt ut som fristelser .. oi oi oi så fint! Dermed har jeg mange flere jeg ikke har fargelagt og brukt enn de jeg har lagd noe med, og det er på tide å gjøre noe med! :)  Herved erklærer jeg at minst annenhvert kort eller prosjekt skal ha et hittils ubrukt motiv på! Og minst ett år gammelt!

Papirplanetens utfordring for November har 'Jul - Blå, Sølv og Hvit' som tema! Og det er lov med andre farger også. Vi håper du blir inspirert til å delta! ♥ 

Mitt motiv stempel er to små søte snømenn ♥ 'Star gazing' fra Impression Obsession som du kan finne her. Har også brukt et av kantstemplene fra Autumn Leaves settet 'Stampology - On the Edge' for første gang, det er ni flotte stempler der og selvfølgelig har jeg bare brukt et av dem før, selv om det er mer enn 5 år siden jeg kjøpte det... Har brukt sølv embossing pulver for å lage en fin ramme rundt. 

Bakgrunnen har jeg lagd med distress inks, og her oppe i nord har vi stadig slike flotte farger på himmelen. Nordlys teknikken med distress inks kan du se mere om på youtube! Linker til dem lengre ned i den engelske blogg-teksten. Det var også en artikkel i Ett Trykk nr.3 side.67, fra i år, om du har det bladet :)

I have something to confess... I am a stamp-o-holic... that means my guilty pleasure is the cronic hoarding of rubberstamps, clearstamps and digital stamps.. and yes I hoard scrapping supplies such as design papers as well.. I know I share this with so many of you.. and Gollum! As him I am a lost cause.. ;)  ... My preciousss!
Unfortunately there is not enough crafting hours to be able to use all those fabulous stamps, so most have never even been taken out to play! That is super sad.. and something that I have to change! 

I solemnly swear to at least have one old stamp never to have been used and one year old or more, on every other project from now onwards on my creations! Like this super cute snowman duo gazing up at the stars and the northern light ♥ This christmas card is my DT inspiration for PapirPlaneten, a norwegian challengeblog and craft shoppe.


I used the pine trees die and a circle die to draw a frame for my distress inked northern light sky. Shades of green are the most usual aurora borealis up here in the northern parts of Norway, it very active all winter, and I live in a rural area, so there is not much light-pollution, not managed to get good photos of it though :)
I can't find the video I once saw how to create such a background now, since it's so long ago, but it is a similar technique as Jennifer McGuire uses here: Starry Night Sky Stamping & Inked Shaker Cards. Just make it go diagonally instead, and use colours for northern lights! How to Create a Galaxy Background is also a cool technique for a night sky by TheCraftBunny :)

I enter my card in theese fab Challenges: [Ends on]

● Winter Wonderland ~ Frosty or well wrapped up! [Nov. 3rd.]
● Crafting by Designs November ~ Anything goes! [Nov. 26th.]
● Artistic Inspirations #166. ~ Anything goes! [Nov. 6th.]
● Allsorts #387. ~ Let's Make A Start On Christmas! [Nov. 4th.]
● Craft your passion #366. ~ Always Anything Goes! [Nov. 6th.]  
● Simon says Wed. ~ Anything goes (2nd. entry)[Nov. 2nd.]
● Pile It On #120. ~ Use scraps! [Nov. 12th]
 (the trees are cut out on a leftover piece of unknown green paper)

EDIT: I got Top 3 picked at both Winter Wonderland and Craft your Passion! Thank you :)

Scandinavian challenges: [innen]

● Scrap from your heart #3. ~ Jul/Christmas! [28. Nov.]

inside detail
(colors went wonky, not as bright blue as it looks!)
 

Stamps/Images: Impression Obsession - 'Star gazing F6748'. Autumn Leaves 'Stampology - On the Edge'. Panduro Hobby 'God Jul'. Kort & Godt 'S-198'. Prima the Goods 'corner stamp four/clearstamps 2'. Hot off the Press 'HOTP just a note'.

Papers: Bazzill cardstock. Plain white cardstock. Unknown green paper. Prima Marketing inc. 'Madeline' 6x6 paper pad.

Embellishments/Tools: Marianne Design Creatables die 'Horizon Pine Trees LR0283'. Spellbinders™ Nestabilities 'Labels One' die. Crafts Too Presscut 'Circle Nest Dies PCD46'. Crafters Companion Embossalicious 6x6 Embossing Folder 'Vintage Decorations'. Marvy Uchida corner rounder punch. Misc. adhesive pearls bling.
Techniques: I always use my Scor-Pal to score n fold my cards. I prefer Canson Montvale aquarelle paper (200 g/m coldpressed). My distress tools from Ranger Ink is always in use! ~ Tim Holtz® Mini Ink Round Blending Tool & the Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool and Foams. I used misc. Luminarte Twinkling H2o's Shimmering Watercolors, and Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads & markers to watercolor and distress image and papers. Heatgun tool with Misc. embossing powders, silver/white, clear and a pewter. Rangers Perfect pearls (a teaspoon in a little mister spray with water). Wink of Stella 'Clear' glitterpen. Scalpel and self-healing craft mat.

The Distress Ink recipe for my northern lights background are: Blend swipes of Tumbled glass, Twisted citron and Cracked Pistachio for the northern lights. Add Salty Ocean for definition, and fill the rest of the sky. Then blend Black soot on top of some of the blue and a lot of black towards the edges. I sprinkled/flicked with fingers water droplets onto the surface several times, drying in between, and finished it off with a light mist of perfect pearls, as well as some spatters/blobs flicked with a watercoloring brush off from an acrylic block.