No Patterned Papers, Just Inks

Last night was craft night with the girls, and after our tea and home made white chocolate and pecan blondies (recipe here on my baking blog), we all made cards with a Christmas theme.  I really love my paper stash, but sometimes I just wanna get inky and create my own, as I've done here with Distress Inks in Pine Needles, Evergreen Bough, Walnut Stain and Barn Door.

 For some reason my new camera really picks up reds and accentuates them, the red on this card is not as bright in reality.
I've used one of my favourite stamp sets for this, it's by Creative Expressions and is called Christmas Post, it's a lovely set to get inky with.  I stamped the card blank round the edges with two different holly stamps in Evergreen Bough and Pine Needles, then for the next layer, I cut a square of cream card, masked off a square in the middle, and stamped pine needles in the same greens as before.  The robin was also stamped with Distress Inks, and I matted the layers up with red cardstock to highlight the red of the bird's breast and the red gems I added for holly berries.  I finished off with some Papermania, red, dew drops and a pewter pearl for the robin's eye.
Best of all, this card's flat enough to go standard post, not something that happens very often with my usual, rather bulky style of cardmaking!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafty Boots - Christmas in August
Come and Get It - Things With Wings
Hobbycutz - #13 - Make Your Own Background
Pan Pastel - #33 - Create Your Own Background
Pile it On - #33 - No Designer Paper
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Holly
Card Crafter's Circle - #88 - Winged Things
Winter Wonderland - Red and Green Must be Seen