...Introducing Woodgrain Backgrounder Set

Good morning, I have a little decor item for you this morning to kick off the December release samples. I wanted something to sit on a shelf that just wasn't a card! I made a little woodgrain box and popped in a little Christmas scene, it's all very simple but I thought it was quite cute!

Some of the DT ladies are sampling with me today, and some of the girls will be showing their samples on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday!

Ladies sampling today are:
Bonnie Sharp
Tosha Leyendekker
Kelly Schirmer
Sandie Dunne
Clare Buswell
 Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes

The woodgrain backgrounder is a huge stamp in our new series of backgrounders and the best way to use these is described here in the store 'Learn' Blog. At 4.5 by 5.75 inches I am finding it is definitely easier to leave them on the carrier sheet and ink them up with the brayer - I'm indebted to Lynn for that neat technique!

This woodgrain backgrounder is actually part of a large stamp set - there are a few more doodads in the set and hopefully I will get to show you those later on.

The woodgrain pattern is a large scale image, and it's going to be suitable for every season. When I was drawing up rough drafts of this set I was haunted by an image that I had seen, a beautifully captured photo of weathered wood. The image was so simple, but yet so perfectly detailed that I could not resist asking the photographer if I could base my stamp design on the woodgrain in his shot. I was delighted to be given permission to do this and so I am thrilled to bits to bring you this highly detailed and realistic woodgrain pattern, drawn from the stunning photography of Mr D VanderYacht. I think it has just the perfect amount of contrast and I am smitten with this stamp! You may have seen me use it last week on this project, isn't it stunning in white ink on kraft!

Today's Christmas scene is a box with an oval cut from the front, the overall box is 4.25 x 5.5 inches by an inch and a half thick, it feels like a wee chunk of wood! I stamped 4 card size pieces of card with the Woodgrain backgrounder in Cherry cobbler ink and then trimmed an oval out of one panel with a Spellbinders die template (Classic ovals). I used one panel for the back and cut the other two panels up to get sides and tops, if you fancy having a go let me know I can probably make up a quick template for this...but it'll be after the release on Sat...

 I added a little scene inside the box using 3 little bottle brush trees that I rubbed with cherry cobbler - I wanted a cream and red colour scheme.

Behind the trees I inserted a little panel with a sentiment from Yonder Star and a star motif, which I embossed with copper powder. There is sponging with Antique Linen distress ink pretty much everywhere....

I cannibalised a little broken Christmas decoration to get the berries and leaves and hid the cut end of the wires with a nice bow....the provenance of that ribbon is forgotten, but I am sure it's not too hard to get red spotty ribbon at this time of year, if you must have it leave a note and I will look it up!

Hope it tickles!! I'll be back later/tomorrow with more samples!