Inkurable Stampers One Layer Wonder

Well I wanted to get more involved in challenges and when I saw this challenge over at Inkurable Stampers I said yikes, this means no embellies, not second layers, no flowers no nothing. So.....after creating a tag I was doing with many layers of paper involved I thought what can I possibley do to make it one layer.
So this is what I came up with.

I first measured the front panel of  my greeting card and using my paper cutter I cut the size, then I measured a width to make a border evenly around the edges. I drew lines then cut out the middle part of the cardstock so I had what would look like  matting for a picture. I then applied some repositional glue on the backside around the edges of the opening and let it try. I then applied it to the front of the card and made sure the top pieces was down well for my next step.
I stamped with a Hero Arts Old French Writing stamp in VersaMagic Jumbo Java ink. I made sure I applied enough pressure on the stamp in order for it to stamp right up to the edges of the opening top piece.  I then stamped my bird stamp, Inkadinkado birds on branches stamp in Black Soot DI and embossed it also with black EP.  I then stamped my holly leaves in black ink and wiped off the  black ink on  the berries on the stamp because I wanted them to be really red.  I used 3 colours of pastels for around the edges,  leaving my top piece of paper on til the pastel part is complete. I scribbled in different areas around the opening close to the edge with a lime green, leaf green and a red pastel. I used a different finger between colours so they  pastels don't get all muddy,  I rubbed and smooshed the colours and blended the hard edges to soften them and blended into the next colour beside it. I then wiped most of it carefully away with a tissue so the paper is actually stained with the colours of the pastels. I then removed my window piece.  I then took some pencil crayons and coloured in the holly leaves and I used a Sharpie red marker to really make the berries stand out. I also added a bit of grey pastel to the right side of each bird to give them a 3-dimension look. I took a black sharpie fine tip marker to go over the stamped holly leaves and circle the berries and a white gel pen to line the top of the branches for a bit of snow.
That is it, my one layer wonder. Hope Sarah and the gang over at Inkurable Stampers like it.
Til next time....Falalala

PS the actually real card looks much brighter than it is here. Darn computers :)