Monday, April 29, 2013

Goose bookmark


Just to show you how quick and easy Die-Versions Sweet Petites are to use, I've designed a book mark using the new Goose Sweet Petite.  I've colored him with Copics and adhered him to a square of Core'dinations cardstock.  The background was created with Dylusions Ink Sprays and I added the message with the Die-Versions Landmark font.  Perfect for every reader!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Thinking of You



Today's Challenge #66 from Pattie's Creations is Anything But A Card.  This image is Thinking of You and can be found in Pattie's Etsy store.



I printed the image twice so I could pop dot the daisy and the butterfly and then colored it with Copic markers.  I also added a bit of sparkle with Spica glitter pens.

I also want to remind you of the 30% off sale going on now at Pattie's Etsy store.  It goes until April 30.  Be sure to use the code PATTIEBOOP1 (in CAPS) at checkout.  The store has a brand new feature where you can now download your images as soon as the payment has been processed!  No more waiting!  Yea!

Be sure to visit the rest of the team to see what they've created for you as well.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Silhouette




Using the new Silhouettes stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle, I combined two different techniques to achieve the end result: Molten Pearls (also known as embedded embossing) and Cracked Ice technique (also known as the Cracked Glass technique).

I used two different embossing powders, Pineapple and Moss Star.  Start out by trimming a piece of cardstock slightly larger than the stamped image.  Cover the entire piece with VersaMark and then Pineapple embossing powder.  Heat set.  Ink up the rubber stamp with VersaMark and stamp directly onto the cardstock embossed with Pineapple embossing powder.  Cover with Moss Star embossing powder and heat set.  Those bits of glitter in this embossing powder really sparkle and shine backed by the lighter colored Pineapple.  (This is the Molten Pearls technique.)

Next, cover the entire piece with VersaMark again and cover with Super Thick Clear embossing powder.  Heat set.  Repeat this step several times, building up the layers of embossing powder each time.  You can leave it at this step - it's super shiny, like glass - or you can continue to the next step, which is putting it in your freezer for a few minutes.  When you take it out of the freezer, bend the cardstock back and forth, causing the clear embossing powder to crack.  If you want more cracks, place it back in the freezer again.  To emphasize the cracks, use a sponge dauber and rub in a bit of ink into the cracks. (This is the Cracked Glass or Cracked Ice part.)

Using a Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three die, cut out a piece of vellum and stamp your sentiment with VersaMark.  Cover with Moss Star embossing powder and heat set.  I loved combining these two techniques together, but I have to tell you, they are both hard to photograph.



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Enabler Alert



Pattie is having a 30% off sale at Pattie's Creations Digital Stamps Etsy store starting today through 5/7.  We are celebrating a new and exciting feature.  In the past, anyone purchasing an image had to wait for Pattie to send it to them.  Now, you'll be able to download your images once the payment is processed.  No more waiting to get started creating with your new Pattie's Creations images!

So head on over and start shopping!  Use the code PATTIEBOOP1 (be sure to use CAPS) at checkoutto receive your 30% off YOUR ENTIRE ORDER.  There are lots of images that will fit the themes you have in mind.



Monday, April 22, 2013

Ombre Box Pleats




Here is another card using the new Die-Versions Sweet Spot Live Simply die that was released this month.  (You can see the other card I created with this die here.)  

Ombre is such a popular trend right now and I wanted to try to create something along those lines too. This is pretty quick and easy to make.  Start out by cutting several strips of paper (folds easier than cardstock) and score them starting at 1/2", 3/4", 1 1/2", 1 3/4", 2 1/2", 2 3/4".... until you've scored the entire length of the strip.  Then start creating the valley and mountain folds in a box pleat.  I could have sewn the top of each strip to keep the pleats in place, but I used my Tiny Attacher stapler instead.  This was much, much quicker and easier.  Line them up darkest to lightest (or vice versa).

I've die cut the Sweet Spot out of the darkest paper and adhered it to white cardstock.  The square/circle combo makes it pop a bit more.  One other unique thing about this card is the fold.  It ends at the bottom of the pleats.  So the strips of glittered double sided tape still show at the bottom when you open it and I've added a place to write your message on the inside.

Head on over to the Die-Versions Blog for more great inspiration from this month's Country Life release.



Friday, April 19, 2013

Sea You




Every now and then it's fun to do a monochromatic card as well as something that's not a dt requirement.  And that's what I've done for today.  I've used a Pattie's Creations image and colored it with copic markers.  The background is a M-Bossiblities embossing folder from Spellbinders that I die cut with the Lifestyle Crafts nesting die.  Create a bit of depth by going over the raised postions with some Distress Inks and your blending tool.

Add a few Liquid Pearls for the air bubbles to add a little dimension and a simple sentiment and you've completed another card for when you need it.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tandem Bike


This image from the new rubber stamp set Bicycles at Sparkle N Sprinkle reminds me of my honeymoon eons ago as one of the things we did was rent a tandem bike.  My husband kept saying it was much harder than he thought it should be.....then he realized I wasn't pedaling and he was doing all the work  :-).  After that, it was much easier.

For this scene, I started by stamping the bike with VersaMark and heat embossing with Copper embossing powder.  Then I masked it using a liquid masking fluid so I could stipple the background with Distress Inks.  After rubbing the masking material away from the image, I colored it with Copic markers and added Reflection velvet glitter to all the chrome pieces of the bike.

I also used a number of dies and created my own variegated glitter paper by randomly sprinkling the following glitters onto a Super Adhesive Sheet adhered to a scrap of cardstock: Raspberry Soda, Eggplant, Cyclamen, Frosted Carmine, Goldenrod, and Mountain Mint.   The sun, grass, and cloud are dies from MFT and the gazebo, birds, butterflies, and flowers are by Die-Versions.   I used the variegated glitter paper to cut out all the accessories to the gazebo.

I also heat embossed the sentiment onto the sun with Copper embossing powder and covered the cloud with Sparkle N Soft Twinkling Clouds flock.

If you haven't checked out the new products at Sparkle N Sprinkle yet, head on over.  There's lots of great new things.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Country Life



How's this for a bright, sunny card?  I've created this Country Life scene using the new Barn Whispers die from Die-Versions.  I've cut it out several times so I could paper piece various parts and I've also used quite a few of the negative pieces.  The Sweet Petite Goose is walking in the foreground. (He must be on the way to the pond for a swim.)

I've also incorporated the Express Edge HELLO along the top edge, inked with the same Distress Inks.  The word sunshine is from the Die-Versions Cuppycake font.

The background was created using Distress Inks and my Scor-Pal scoring board for the rays of sunshine.  I got the idea for this here and knew that I wanted to recreate something similar.  This card makes me smile every time I look at it as I love those bright colors.

Don't forget to check out the Die-Versions Blog as well as the Die-Versions Facebook page to see all the latest projects using this month's New Release called "Country Life".


Friday, April 12, 2013

Pumps



Time for a new challenge from Pattie's Creations and its all about getting sparkly.  This can be interpreted in a number of ways - gems, spritz, glitter.  Glitter is the way to go for me.  You can never have too much glitter, can you?





I've used the Pumps and Flowers digi image from Pattie's Etsy store and the technique I used is called "Coloring on Glitter."  (Basically, you cover your image with glitter and then color it with whatever medium you like best.  If using a rubber stamp, cover the cardstock with glitter, stamp your image, and then color it.)   How fun and super sparkly!  The entire image is covered with double sided adhesive and Cloud Nine glitter from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  After burnishing the glitter to make sure it was firmly adhered, I took out my Copic markers and began coloring the image.  Since I'll never have a pair of Louboutin shoes (which are known for their red soles), I decided to make a funky pair of my own.  I also added a turquoise gem to the center of the flower just in case there wasn't enough sparkle :-)!

For those of you concerned that this will ruin your Copic marker tips, it doesn't as long as you are careful.  I try to use the side of the tip a bit more and don't press down with the point.  I also wipe off any stray glitter that might get on the point before replacing the cap.

Now it's your turn to Get Sparkly and show us what you've got.  You'll have two weeks to upload your creation to the Pattie's Creations Design Challenge blog.  While you're there, check out how the rest of the team got their sparkle on.  Have a super sparkly day!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bicycle Race


When I saw this new rubber stamp set called Bicycles from Sparkle N Sprinkle, the "Bicycle Race" song by Queen immediately started playing in my head.  So I decided to use lyrics from the chorus as my background.  I copied them into Word, changed the color of the font and made it semi-transparent.  I also digitally colored the gradient background.

Next I stamped one of the bicycle images directly onto the lyrics and began adding my Copic markers.  Since the background is already a shade of green, you need to be careful of which colors you choose.  I used V22 and V25 for the bike.  Even though these are violets, they appear more of a silvery-gray color.

I stamped the image twice so I could pop dot the basket of flowers as well as the bouquet beneath the seat.  After coloring (and fussy cutting), I added Flower Soft (Heather mix) to all of the flowers.  It's hard to tell in the photos, but I also sprinkled Orchid Rose velvet glitter on all the flowers.  You want to shake off the excess Flower Soft and sprinkle on the glitter before the glue dries. It gives it just the right amount of sparkle.  I also added Orchid Rose to the bow and ribbon streamers trailing under the seat as well.  Sonic Silver velvet glitter was added to the chrome areas of the bike, including the pedal.

The final steps were to add a few details.  I faux stitched around each panel to coordinate with the stitching on my ribbon and I glittered the brads with Orchid Rose as well.  (You can see the tutorial on how to do this here.)

Monday, April 8, 2013

Duck, Duck, GOOSE


How many of you remember the children's game called "Duck, Duck, Goose" where you all sit in a circle and the person that's "it" goes around tapping everyones head saying duck, duck, duck, goose?  The person who's tagged must then jump up and catch the other person before they have time to run around the circle and sit down.  Well, if you remember this game, that's what inspired my card for today featuring the new Country Life dies from Die-Versions.   As you've probably guessed, I've incorporated two of the new Sweet Petite dies - the Duck and the Goose.

Not only is it a circular card, it's also an acetate card.  The Die-Versions fonts used to create my sentiment are the My Micro and Missy Micro fonts.   Be sure to head over to the Die-Versions Blog to see what all 10 of us on the team has created!  I have to tell you, there's some fantastic stuff and more projects will be showcased using this new release throughout the month.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Pattie's Creations Blog Hop

For my Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop post, please click here (or scroll down).  



Welcome to Pattie's Creations three day blog hop.  The blog hop starts now and goes until 1pm (CST) Sunday, April 7th.  Each member of the design team is using this cute Rain Boots with Tulips image from Pattie's Etsy store for their inspiration piece.  There are a total of six sponsors and tons of prizes.  Check out the entire list and all the prizes at the PCDC challenge blog.


I've printed the image twice so I could pop all the blooms up from the background and Copics were used to color the image.  After fussy cutting, Glossy Accents was applied to the rain boots (as everyone know rain boots are shiny).  It's a bit hard to tell in the photo, but you can see it here and there.  The background was created with a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities embossing folder and the sentiment was created on my computer.  A touch of ribbon was also added for a little more texture.

Hopefully, you have arrived from the beginning at Pattie's Creations Design Challenge blog; if not, that's where you need to start.   In order to be eligible for all the prizes, you'll need to leave a comment at each of our blogs, become a follower of each of our blogs, and then go back to the PCDC blog and leave your name and blog link using the InLinz button at the bottom of Blog Hop post..  The winners will be announced in the afternoon of April 9.

 Your next stop will be Bettina.   Good luck and happy hopping.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Purse Papers


Welcome to another fun Blog Hop from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  This month the theme is Anything But a Card.




Are you like most of us fumbling in your purse for a scrap of paper to write something down on?  Well, I found a solution to this age old problem in this fun tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers - Purse Papers.  It's a miniature folder that holds slips of papers approximately 3" x 5" and can be held closed with ribbon (like I've done), small magnets, or velcro.

To create this cute project, I stamped the Free Spirited Hat Ladies from Sparkle N Sprinkle onto a square of cardstock covered with Cloud Nine velvet glitter and then colored with Distress Markers (or you can also use your Copic markers).  You can view the complete instructions and all the techniques used, here, in my SNS Art Gallery.  Glitter, embossing powders, embossing folder, spritz sprays, and bling - lots of fun elements in this project.

Hopefully you arrived here from Shanna's blog; if not, you will want to start at the beginning at the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog.  (You can also see the complete blog hop list there.)  Be sure leave each of us a comment in order to be eligible for some super prizes.  Plus three of us are Mystery Hosts and winners will also be chosen from these comments as well.

Your next stop is Brigita.  Happy hopping.  Hope you get lots of inspiration to create something other than a card.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Live Simply



It's the beginning of the month and you know what that means....time for the Die-Versions monthly New Release.  Wait to you see all the fabulous dies that have been released this month!  So fun!

Live Simply is one of the new Sweet Spots making it's debut and it just shouted to have a CAS card designed around this message.  I don't do white on white cards very often but I love the impact they have.   I've used two different embossing folders from Spellbinders and dyed the ribbon and matching cardstock using Dylusions Ink Sprays (crushed grape).  Love those vibrant colors in this ink spray.

Also this month, Die-Versions will be debuting all the new Dynamos that joined this design team.  (If you want to visit those that have a blog, check out my list under the Design Team tab at the top of the page for links to their blogs.)  You will definitely want to check out the Die-Versions blog to see what they've come up with.  (It's some pretty fantastic stuff!)  And, as always, Susan has a video showing how each of the new dies cut and what they look like in real life.  If you're like me, I want to see the cut version before I figure out how I'm going to use a particular design.

Monday, April 1, 2013

SNS Creative Challenge


We want you to use a digi in this month's Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge.   Now you can use any digi image you wish, but if you use a Sparkle N Sprinkle digi image from either artist (Michelle Perkett or Beccy Muir), you will receive a free Michelle Perkett digi just for entering.  Pretty cool, huh and a great way to build up your digi collection.

I've used Michelle Perkett's Serena, Just Breathe Mermaid.  Her skin and hair are colored with Copic markers and her tail is covered with Sparkle N Sprinkle Eggplant and Flaming Orange glitters.  The flowers are covered with Sparkle N Soft Mimosa and the leaves have Luau Green velvet glitter on them.

The image is die cut using a Spellbinders nesting die, as is the coffee filter behind her.  Using the Coffee Filter/Embossing Powder technique was a really fun way to add texture and shine to this project.  In person, it looks like colored wax paper and is quite easy to do and work with.  (The tutorial shows how to create flowers with this technique, but I wanted it to look like part of my underwater scene.)  I've used Cerulean, Concord, and Amethyst Spray embossing powders.

The panel behind the coffee filter layer was created with the Debossed embossing technique.  (Ink up your folder with VersaMark, run it through your die cut machine, then add embossing powder and heat set.  The debossed areas from the folder will now be embossed with embossing powder.) Amethyst Spray was used here.  The sea shells and anchor are dies from MFT and I've also added a touch of Cloud Nine velvet glitter to them for a touch of sparkle.

You have the entire month of April to play along with us and you know you have a digi (or two) sitting around.  So go ahead and enter - you can win some fantastic products from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  Link your digi creation at Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenges blog.