OLW Sentiment-a-mania with a Sketch

This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is to create a card where the sentiment is the focus or shares the focus equally with the image.  Less Is More has a sketch for us this week.

I came home from Archivers yesterday with a Christmas sentiment stamp that I needed like a hole in the head, but it was so unique and stylish - a set designed by Ali Edwards at Technique Tuesday.

I knew that I wanted to use that first sentiment with a star in the upper corner, but my CAS card has taken me hours!  First I tried glitter paper and a Christmas star punch - broke the punch, and the star looked lost by itself. 

Then I tried a few dozen ways to add a blue square - punching, sponging, glimmer misting, etc. - when I finally hit on this technique to ink an acrylic block - I was thrilled!

But then came the simple little star.  The glitter paper was too gold - it needed to be whiter, so clearly I would just add glitter.  Have you really looked at different "white" glitters?  Some have a pink cast, some blue, some are too white with no glitz, some show dark flakes.  Yuck!  I cannot tell you how many glittered stars I have on my desk - not to mention the glitter on my PJs, carpet and even eyebrows!  The final star - which is NOT my Christmas star punch as that broke at the beginning of this saga - is a combo of Crystal Effects (or Glossy Accents) covering the star with some no-brand glitter all over it. 

I wanted the sentiment to be slightly sparkle - a "moonlit" sparkle - so after I stamped it, I just sprinkled it with the same glitter - no embossing powder or heat-and-stick - and enough flakes stuck to give me the effect.  You know how glitter sticks to everything - I don't know how long it will stay, but so far it has resisted me trying to blow it off.

So...now that you are thoroughly tired of me whining - here's the card.  I really like it - but it definitely wasn't worth the hours I put it on it - particularly given that it should have been a 5 minute card!!

• Stamps: Technique Tuesday Good Cheer
• Paper: white
• Ink: Ranger Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans
• Accessories: Emaginations Star punch, glitter, Stampin' Up Crystal Effects