Wishing you a Merry ChristmasCompleted by Pamela Horton The whispering Platypus

Thank you Joan for this quick and easy card front or insert design, I will be able to use it for many cards this coming festive season.

I have decided to use this beautiful mage to make a card for some one special and use the step by step method to form a beautiful decoupage card front using all the elements to give the topper extra dimension.

I printed the beautiful sheet supplied 3 times as I wanted to use the smaller elements and the frames as extra decoupage for both the topper and the insert.

I have made the 28cmx14.5cm main card using the holly backing paper, cup479109_936 to print onto both sides of the white card and then scored and folded it before making the topper for the front of the card.

I have used gold foil satin finished light card cut at 12.5cmx 12cm to attach to the complete main copy of the 11.5cm x 11cm image using D.S. tape.

I have used a gold and red ribbon to wrap across 3cm down from the top edge and secured the tails at the back.

I have used D.S. tape to attach these 2 backing sheets to the card front. I have used the second copy of the sheet to carefully remove and retain the red frame for the insert and used D.S. tape to attach this central image onto the card front.

I have then used the third copy of the sheet to carefully cut out, so as to retain the red frame, for the insert and the lace rosette style central image.

I attached the rosette shaped lace to the card front using padded D.S. tape.

I have then added the gold peel off stars to the 4 corners, the peel off fine line gold strips on the parchment coloured gold lined edge, and cut some peel off gold strips into small curves and attached them placing tiny stars on the points of the gold corners.

I threaded a small length of the same gold and red ribbon through and over the left hand edge of the exposed horizontal ribbon.

I cut out the roses to form the step by step decoupage and attached these elements using tiny padded D.S. dots.

To complete the insert I have used the single red frame to attach to the front of a print of the Christmas verse I have chosen from the free verse section and added a star and a reindeer, as embellishments.

I have used the red frame that has the rosette space in the centre to back with a red card and then used a 9cm doily to fit into the space.

I have added a silver green backed Christmas tree, a star and one of the red gold leafed roses as extra embellishments.

I love this design, and as a quick card to make, is so easy and has so much appeal, will suit almost every family on your Christmas posting list.

Pamela Horton. The Whispering Platypus.