CHRISTMAS BERRIES BACKGROUND: A4 Christmas Background Paper, With Commercial UseCompleted by Pamela Horton The whispering Platypus

A beautifully bright Christmas berries background sheet, of which, I have had a great deal of fun. I was able to make not only Christmas cards, but many paper beads, into some jewellery items. This is another brilliant design from Clare Walker's pen and water colour collection, so thank you Clare for the inspiration. I have made a tutorial for these as well.

For the Christmas card, I firstly made a template and a pattern to be able to keep and use as often as I want. I have included instructions. The triangle shown in the second photograph is 10cm high and 7.5 cm at the base. Inside that, is smaller triangle. To make this second triangle, I measured and marked the centre from top point to the base ( Midway point is 3.75cm). If you decide to follow the patter, then, keeping in mind the next set of lines you will make, need to be parallel with the base, mark the following points with a pencil down from the top point at 1.5cm.,and again at 8.5cm. This last point will be 1.5 cm up from the bottom of the larger triangle. Draw a parallel lie across and measure and mark 0.5cm in, from both the original triangle sides. Draw the new triangle from the first 1.5cm mark to the new 0.5cm marks made at the 8.5cm parallel line. See diagram in photograph 2. You will now make the pattern for the cut outs, following the diagram. Each cut out is only 0.5cm, except for the top one which is 2.5cm. I used a sharp craft blade to cut these out in the pattern. I then traced the triangle onto a green card, to use as the background colour behind the cut out sections, and marked the positions for the cut out sections on to the wrong side of the Christmas Berries paper. I used a glue tape to attach the front pattern to the green card, and made a triangle, 1cm larger at the sides and top only, in a gloss gold paper, and attached it to a deeper green backing sheet, 18cm x10cm, with the glue tape. I then covered these with an acetate sheet, printed with snowflakes. The acetate sheet is the same size as the deeper green card. I made a tan tub for the tree and wrapped it with a Christmas ribbon, and added the bling to the tree. I then used padded double sided tape to attach this to the acetate backing sheet. The main ivory card is 26 x 19.5 cm and then folded. I attached the Christmas Berries backing sheet,19cm x 12cm, with double sided tape. I used the same tape to attach the completed topper.

The star is a gold peel off that I had backed with the same gold, I have used for the larger triangle, and mounted with padded tape. The edges are lined with a gold, Merry Christmas peel off. I used the Christmas berries backing sheet for the insert. I also made this card with a red tree behind the cut outs and used green bling, instead of the red.

I then went ahead and used the Christmas Berries backing sheet to make the paper bead jewellery. I now have gifts to give my friends along with a card with the same theme. A big hug Clare.

Pamela Horton