Card making is quite the rage right now. Let Decorator & Craft Corporation's fun pieces help you create the cards everyone will be glad to receive.

Surface
23-1686 Acrylic Mirror Snowman
23-1682 Acrylic Mirror 4" Heart
24-7215 Rusty Tin-Tiques 1 per wire snowman 3-1/2" Heart
24-7225 Rusty Tin-Tiques 2 per wire tree 2-1/2" Star
24-7223 Rusty Tin-Tiques 2 per wire tree 1-3/4" Star
24-7751 Tin-Tiques Twisted Wire 22 gauge snowman 13" and tree 15"
46-3642-063 Jewel Tone Beads 10mm round Malachite 1 per snowman
46-3645-063 Jewel Tone Beads 6x13 tube Malachite 1 per tree
46-3645-008 Jewel Tone Beads 6x13 tube Ruby 1 per snowman and 2 per tree
46-3643-063 Jewel Tone Beads 16mm round Malachite 2 per snowman and 1 per tree
46-3643-008 Jewel Tone Beads 16mm round Ruby 1 per snowman
46-3266 Medal Antique Gold 5X7mm AG 6 per snowman and 2 per tree
Brown paper corrugated greeting card 5" x 7"
Dark Green greeting card 6" x 8-1/2"
Red card stock 1 sheet per two wired snowmen cards
Dark Red card stock 1 sheet per two wired tree cards
Medium green card stock 1 sheet

Delta Ceramcoat Acrylics
www.deltacrafts.com

Brushes
Royal and Langnickle
www.royalbrush.com
Aqualon
Series 2585 liner #0
Series 2550 shader #4 and 12
Series 1460 Angular Stippler #5

Miscellaneous Supplies
Water container
Tracing paper
Palette paper
Scissors
Stylus
Transparent tape
Deckle edged scissors
Sobo Glue
Needle nosed pliers
Wire Cutters

Preparation for Tin-Tiques
*Lightly sand any bubbled rust off the Rusty Tin-Tiques using a fine sand paper. Using the #12 shader apply an even coat of All-Purpose Sealer. This will keep the rust from getting on your hands.

Transferring PATTERN 1, PATTERN 2:
*Lay tracing paper over the pattern and trace all lines except those used to denote shadows. The shadow lines are generally short straight lines and several of them. Main lines are where there are color changes. Detail lines are facial features, patterns on fabric, and etc. Lay the tracing over the surface and tape at the top and on one side. Slide the graphite paper between the tracing and the surface; draw over the main lines only. Do not add the detail lines these will be applied after the basecoating is done.

*Apply the patterns to the paper and the heart.

Assembling Instructions
*Cut all of the paper pieces with the deckle edged scissors. Glue these pieces to the card.

Painting Instructions for Wired Snowman Card
*Using the #0 liner do all of the bands in White referring to the color picture. Using the #4 shader basecoat all of the holly leaves in Heritage Green. Using the same brush float the shadows in Woodland Night Green. Using the same brush float the highlights White plus a touch of Heritage Green. Do all of the vines and stems with Woodland Night Green using the #0 liner. Tip: to float load the brush first in floating medium or water, pat of the excess on a paper towel. Tip one corner of the brush in color, blend the color through the bristles of the brush using a short back and forth motion on the palette. The color should graduate from heavy color on the corner that you loaded to no color on the opposite corner. If when you begin to paint, you have color showing from both sides of the brush, it is improperly loaded. Rinse and start again.

*Using the wooden end of the brush dot the berries in Tompte Red. Float the highlight with a mix of equal parts Tompte Red and White.

Painting Instructions for Wired Tree Card
*Using the #0 liner do the bands on the red paper in a mix of 2 parts
Vintage Wine and White. Using the same brush add a little more White and
do the highlight bands. Using the #0 liner do all of the Straw bands on the stars. Using the #0 liner do the hatband in Green Isle. Float the highlight with White plus a touch of Green Isle using the #4 shader. Basecoat the hat in Black using the #4 shader. Float the highlights with Bridgeport Grey. Basecoat all of the snowmen in Bridgeport Grey using the #12 shader. Float the shadows with Midnight Blue using the #12 shader. Stipple the highlights with White using #5 angular stippler. Load the brush in White, pat the excess off on the palette. When the brush is freshly loaded start in the brightest are of the highlight and work out into the shadows. Stippling can be done with many tools, stippling brush, old fluffy brush, sponge, plastic wrap, load the tool in color pat on the palette to remove excess. Use a straight up and down patting motion to apply the color to the surface. Should have an airy look with background color showing through. Creates wonderful bushes, fur, flowers, etc. Dot his eyes and do the coal with Black. Highlight the coal with White. Snowman and Tree Instructions Cut a 13" piece of wire for the snowman and a 15" for the tree. Start in the curl on the top of the snowman’s hat. Make the curl and add appropriate beads then bend according to pattern. Add the body beads when needed. Leave a tall to go down behind the snowman.

*Tip: the wire can be laid right on the pattern and bent accordingly. Repeat this process for the wired tree starting in the center as before.

To Finish
*Glue the wired snowman and hearts in place on the corrugated brown paper card. Glue the wired tree and the snowman in place on the dark green card. I set a book on this until it was dry. Spatter both cards and envelopes with White. Tip: to spatter thin the paint with water to the consistency of heavy cream. Dip a stiff brush in the color. (Fan Brush, old toothbrush or commercial spattering brush). Drag a sharp object through the bristles starting from the front and pulling back creating specks. Often called flyspecking.