Buttons and Bows

Here is this weeks contribution to the 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown challenge.
When I saw 'Buttons and Bows' for this weeks theme I knew it was a good opportunity to use my Tatty Button Tree stamp. The background was inked up with Distress Ink Evergreen Bough from the Winter set. I then stamped with the same ink using the Pine Silhouettes stamp from Penny Black all around the edge. The next layer has been embossed with a That Special Touch mask from Creative Expressions. Using the mask to emboss gives a slightly softer impression than using a folder, the embossed card was then gently inked with Evergreen Bough.
The main image was stamped in Archival Ink Olive and clear embossed. I cut out the picture using a Spellbinder die (Labels 17) then while the die was still in place I inked the edges of the picture to give me a perfectly even little white border.
The buttons have come from various places ranging from craft shops to charity shops. The ribbon has been in my stash for ages but finally found a use today, it has Merry Christmas written on it but unfortunately it doesn't show very well in this photo...sorry. The little bow has also been in the stash box for a while but looked just right with a green button and some Bakers Twine.
It's been a very busy and interesting week for me so far, I will have some crafting news to share with you all very soon.  Happy Crafting!!