Mixed media Christmas background - Inspired by Ardyth

We have had a very relaxing weekend at our friends in Mangawhai.   Went up on Friday evening and came back this afternoon.   Got home at 3.00pm so after unpacking I heading into my craft room.   I had watched Ardyth Percy-Robb video (see it here) yesterday where she made one large panel of watercoloured and mixed media background using some powders to make her watercolours.  I really love how she managed to get such a gorgeous background and made 16 cards!   I definitely didn't get that many made!   

I used a sheet of Bristol smooth 250gsm card.  I taped it to my glass matt and went to town!  Used  Nuvo Shimmer powders in Blue Blitz, Cherry Bomb and Atlantis Burst and Pixie Powder in Lava Red.  I did stripes of colour vertically along the long side - then white paint stenciling, gold paint stenciling, used the blue and red paints to stencil as well.  Water splatters, gold paint splatters, spritzed with white shimmer spray and Fossilized Amber Distress spritz.  I forgot to photograph the panel before I chopped it up.  

I made one panel into a card this afternoon. 

I trimmed the panel to 3.25" x 4.5" and ran it through an embossing folder - Holly and used Catherine Pooler Eucalyptus ink to highlight the raised areas.   I matted it onto some dark green card and added to a white base.   For my sentiment I used a new to me die set - cut the words with the dark green and shadow layer from vellum.  Made some dark green enamel dots by adding some clear packing tape over a scrap of the dark green card and used a dotty die to cut the dots, 

And here are the other panels still to use

 so will be making some more cards so I can get my Christmas cards in the post by the end of this month.