welcome back to day two of the october countdown to new papertrey ink stamps, including my new set merry kiss-mas! according to the mistletoe pages, it's hard to pinpoint the exact origin of the kissing tradition of mistletoe. the most logical possibility seems to stem from legends of fertility because the plant was alive and thriving in the middle of winter when most plants looked dead. it was even used as a charm for young ladies to find husbands! at some point, the kissing tradition began and as mass communication and travel became more common, the tradition spread. these pages from publications in the mid to late 1800s (also from mistletoe pages) demonstrate how popular the kissing tradition was, despite being frowned upon by the church at the time! i particularly like the one of the young lady appearing to push her gentleman away. while yesterday my cards were a bit more modern and minimal in layout and color, these images inspired cards with a more vintage look...
the lines of the chandelier in the image on the lower right reminded me of the frame image in melissa's regency era set from stamp-a-faire, so i used a piece of it to hang my mistletoe. cream and fine linen card stocks set the vintage tone. but instead of going monochromatic like the magazine images, i decided to choose darker shades of green and grey inks stamped onto fine linen die cuts, again adding to the vintage feel. there are berry filler stamps included in the set, but i actually reached for a paint pen with a tip that matched the berry size and finished them off with glossy accents for a little extra texture. merry kiss-mas! isn't the font perfect for this look?!
for my second card, i stuck with the same color scheme and general idea, inspired by the layout of the first magazine image - the oval inset, mistletoe hanging fom the top edge. i decided to fill my frame by layering and staggering three stamped die cuts, creating a larger bundle of mistletoe - and dimension! again, i simply colored in my berries with a white paint pen. the inner frame is four layers thick and finished off with a slightly bent banner, for even more depth and dimension. because the frame is slightly higher than the mistletoe branches, it offers a little protection to them as well. one of the bow options extends over the frame for the perfect finishing touch. i'm loving this vintage vibe - isn't it fun when a stamp set has multiple personalities?! come back tomorrow for yet another, but first check out nichole and company to see what else is in the spotlight today. maile, betsy, laura, dawn, erin, and melissa all have posts...
may your merry be very!
:) lexi
