GSL Cuts: Red and Blue Christmas Cards by Melissa & A Wintery Layout by Nancy

Today we have double the fun on our blog, with two designers up to share their projects. First up is Melissa with some fun Christmas Cards.

Hi everyone! Melissa here with two cards for Gina's Chipboard Laser Designs. I thought the chipboard here added so much to the design; that makes it fun to work with. To decorate the chipboard I first prepped them with gesso. The leaves are Utee sprinkled on wet chalk ink that I then melted with a heat tool. The scroll at the top is is just gold leaf paint brushed on. The snowflake on the right is silver leaf paint. I added a couple pieces of bling.

Chipboard used:

Snowflake Shape Set

Flourished Frame Bella

Papers from Reminisce and Kay & Company
Prima and Petaloo flowers
Prima bling

Vintaj metal
Jaquard Pearlex Powder
Plaid Liquid Gold Leaf paint, also silver
Distress Crackle Paint-Clear Rock Candy
Tsuineko chalk ink
Viva Modeling Cream
A few pointed back Swarovski crystals
Silver Stickles

Now over to Nancy with her gorgeous layout!

It is with great regret that we announce that today is our last project from Nancy. Nancy has been with Gina's Designs from the beginning and had shared freely of her talent and time. Nancy, we appreciate you so much and look forward to having you return as a guest with us in the future.

Hi Everyone, it's Nancy here! Today I'm sharing a Vintage styled layout with a Winter theme. I decided to frame my layout in a 12 x 12 wooden shadow box from Michael's, giving me more space to play with my chipboard shapes, embellishments, and mixed media techniques.

I began by painting the unfinished wood frame with gesso. When it was dry I used Mod Podge to adhere some of the design papers that I had printed onto tissue paper. I then used some of my stencils to add texture. I added even more texture with pieces of the Diamond Texture Sheet from Gina's Designs and some of our Intricate Doilies. I embossed the pieces of chipboard texture sheet with Stampendous shabby blue and then I rubbed on gold Gilder's Paste. The doily pieces were adhered to the frame with Mod Podge and when dry, I applied gold Gilder's Paste. A closeup of the frame's textures is shown below:

I added texture to the chipboard tree from our Winter Shape Set with my goal being to give it the look of being glazed over with ice. I first painted the tree with gesso. I followed that with a coat of white pearlescent paint by Folk Art. When dry I added Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy. I then added Vintage Photo Distress Ink and wiped it off so it stayed mainly in the cracks. I followed that by applying a white puffy dimensional paint and drew it on in a tree pattern. While wet I sprinkled on clear glass beads and Tim Holtz Distress Glitter. On the snowflakes I simply applied Stampendous shabby embossing powders in white and in ivory.

For the sled, also from our Winter Shape set, my goal was to try to make it look old and worn. I began with a light coat of gesso applied using a fan brush so some of the natural chipboard showed through. I added just a touch of light blue Prima Chalk Ink to the slats. I then drew wood pattern on the slats with a Tim Holtz Distress Pen in Vintage Photo which I then blurred and blended with a water pen. For the sleds framework, I first painted it with a brass paint dabber, then "rusted" it with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder.