Sunday, August 31, 2014

Thanksgiving Friends



Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's September 1 Reveal.

This month SIX new stamp sets are being introduced.   These sets are 20% off their regular price, until September 3rd.  All the new reveal sets are available on Cling Mounted Rubber and as a digital image. The Magic of the Season, set #653 is the stamp set featured in  This Month's Technique Video.

The sets are:



Autumn Splendor #651   (Digi version - DIGI651)
Farm Sweet Farm #652  (Digi version - DIGI652)
Magic of the Season #653  (Digi version - DIGI653)
Thanksgiving Friends #656  (Digi version - DIGI656)
Bountiful Blessings #658  (Digi version - DIGI658)
Sweet Holiday #655  (Digi version - DIGI659)

On Sept 3rd,  one Grand Prize Winner will be selected from the comments left on the designers' blogs listed below.  The Grand Prize Winner will receive their choice of:

1) all SIX of the new rubber stamp sets
or 
2) all the new digital stamps and digital stamp sets. 

The new SNS Creative Challenges also begins today, with lots of prizes and recognition badges. 

The winner of the blog hop will be announced on Sept 3 on Facebook, the SNS blog, and on our blogs:


(Tip: if you have a problem with a particular link, try clicking on the person's blog title to send you to their Home page.)

Wonder which Designer contains the Grand Prize this month?

Here's a bit about my project today.

I've combined both the Thanksgiving Friends and the Bountiful Blessings stamp sets today.  Copics were used to color the images and lots of glitter and embossing powder.  In my mind's eye, Gerty is the eccentric one, so she always is wearing funky glasses.  Today, her glasses coordinate with her dress and are covered with Laser Blue glitter.  Surf glitter was added to all of steam coming from the turkey and the pot on the counter.  Eunice's outfit was hand drawn using a Copic red multi-liner.  The sentiment on her apron was added with a Copic Black mulit-liner.


The frame around the girls was die cut using Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Ovals, covered with VersaMark and heat set with Indian Corn embossing powder.  I used the Distressed Embossing technique around the card base with Distress Ink (Pine Needles) and Sparkle embossing powder.  Cloud Nine velvet glitter was added to the strips of 1/8" Tear-ific Tape holding down the string of pearls.  This gives it a bit of sparkle and takes care of any sticky adhesive that might be showing at the same time.  For even more details, you can visit my SNS Art Gallery.

Hope you've enjoyed this month's SNS New Reveal.  Don't forget to leave each Designer a comment and you could be the lucky winner to receive all six of the new rubber stamp sets!  The winner will be announced on Sept 3.





Saturday, August 30, 2014

It's coming soon


Mark those calendars for the first and third Wednesday of each month.  Scrapy Land has a new Challenge blog and a brand new group of very talented ladies.

The fun and excitement starts in 4 days...
on Sept 3rd

I'll give you a little hint too......not only will you get to see firsthand what these very talented ladies can do, but there will also be a very special Guest Designer joining us for the kick off of this new blog.



Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Holiday Tag



It's not very often that I can combine two different design team requirements into one project.  But today is the exception as I was able to combine the new Holiday Tag die from Die-Versions with the newly re-released Cheery Christmas rubber stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle.


After die cutting the Holiday Tag, I covered it with VersaMark and heat set it with Christmas Lights embossing powder.  I also saved the negative pieces from the die cut and added Sparkling Sands flock to the two reindeer (and a little bit of Copic marker to their noses) and Velvet Sparkle embossing powder to the snowflake.

The ornament was colored with Copic markers and then I heat embossed it with Clear embossing powder a couple times to make it a bit thicker and smoother looking.  The words and the bow on the stamped image were covered with a Versamarker and heat set with Cherry embossing powder.  A Versamarker was also used to apply embossing ink to the hook and ornament top.  Silver Detail embossing powder was added and then heat set.

The sentiment was stamped with VersaMark onto a piece of Clear Embossable Acetate.  White Detail embossing powder was added and then heat set as well.

I used the die itself to create my mat for the die cut by outlining the die itself and fussy cutting it out.  This automatically gives you a border when you layer them.

1/2" Tear-ific Tape was applied to the edges of the card base.  After exposing the adhesive, Velvet Sparkle embossing powder was added and then heat set.  A bit of ribbon and faux stitching around the patterned papers add the finishing touches. 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Sunflowers


Sunflower from Sparkle N Sprinkle is another new reveal this month.  The technique I used for this card is the Coloring on Glitter technique.


I stared out by stamping the image with Memento ink (Rich Cocoa) and then covering the stamped image with a Super Adhesive Sheet.  Then I die cut the image with a Spellbinders Beaded Circles die. Using an Exacto knife, I then cut through the beaded edges protective sheet (without cutting all the way through).  After exposing the adhesive, Sunset glitter was applied to the outside ring of beads and Cloud Nine Velvet glitter was applied over the center of the die.

Next I added color to the flower using Distress Markers.  Adhesive backed pearls were placed along the outside ring.  Burlap ribbon and a heat embossed sentiment (using Distress Ink and Clear embossing powder) are final touches to the card.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Scrapy Land Challenge Blog


I'm very excited to tell everyone that there will be a new challenge blog in town :-).  The Scrapy Land Challenge Blog will be have bi-weekly challenges and will officially start on Sept 3.

The challenges will be on the first and third Wednesday of each month and the Winner of each challenge will receive a gift certificate to shop at Scrapy Land.

The theme of the first challenge is Anything Goes, using one or more dies brands that Scrapy Land carries.  (There are over 40 brands for you to choose from!)

There is a new design team to go along with this new Challenge blog and I am very happy to say that I'm part of this fantastic group of ladies and am also the Team Leader/DT Coordinator.  They are all very talented and have a wide range of styles that will definitely inspire!

Head on over to the Scrapy Land Challenge Blog to meet these talented women and say hi.  Mark your calendars for Sept 3 and start thinking about your submissions now.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Bookworm


Altered or Recycled is the theme for toady's new challenge beginning at Pattie's Creations.  The theme is a fun one, plus it's good for the environment.  I guess I did a combination of both:  I recycled this old container that used to house drink mixes in little tubs and I altered it using Pattie's Mr. Bookworm with Apple image.

Here is what the container looked like before it's transformation.  I started out by coloring the image with Copic markers and fussy cutting him out.  I also added a touch of glitter to his nose.





I've had the patterned cardstock for quite a while and though it would be perfect for my newly decorated pencil holder.  A little Washi tape finishes it off nicely.


You have two weeks to upload your Altered or Recycled project to Pattie's Creations Design Challenge.  Can't wait to see what you recycle and/or alter.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Singing Carolers



How sweet are these Singing Carolers from Die-Versions?  There are so many possibilities with this one.  Today, I've cut it out twice, once from glossy black cardstock and once from ivory colored cardstock.

I also used several of the negative pieces to create my scene.  All of the negative pieces that were reinserted were die cut from the ivory cardstock and then colored with Copic Markers and Spica glitter pens.  Dimensional dots were added behind the die cut to lift it off the patterned paper.



The new Deck the Halls Sweet Wordlet was added to the card using the very popular (at the moment) Die-Cut Inlay technique.  Basically, you die cut it from the patterned paper (be sure to save all the little negative pieces) and then again from the solid cardstock.  Inlay the solid cardstock into the patterned paper and add the negative pieces back to the letters.  A quick and easy way that I've found to do this is to apply a piece of tape behind the area you want to place the inlay.  This will automatically give you adhesive to hold both the sentiment and all the negative pieces.

To finish off the card, two strips of white cardstock, which were die cut using the Die-Versions Lacey Dots border, was added to the bottom.  A piece of thin white ribbon was added down the center (to hide the seam created by the two die cuts).


Monday, August 18, 2014

Bountiful Thanksgiving


For today's card, I combined two different Sparkle N Sprinkle new reveal stamp sets: Pilgrim Thanksgiving and Wisps of Autumn.

I stared out by stamping the images and sentiment onto a die cut frame by Creative Expressions (Spanish Collection - Granada) with Distress Ink (Black Soot) and then heat embossing them with Clear Detail embossing powder.  Copic markers were then used to color all of the images.

I used a variation of the Covered with Glitter technique to cover the entire piece.  Instead of glue or a Super Adhesive Sheet, I sprayed the piece with spray adhesive and then covered it with Lavender Iris glitter.  I thought this way would be easier considering all the little details in the die.

The Distressed Embossing technique was used on both of the patterned papers combining Distress Ink (Mustard Seed for the first panel and Vintage Photo on the card base) and Clear embossing powder.  As a finishing touch, I threaded a piece of ribbon through the side openings of the die cut before final assembly.


Friday, August 15, 2014

Die-Versions/Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop



Welcome to the Die-Versions and Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop!

The joint blog hop with Die-Versions and Sparkle N Sprinkle begins today (7am EST) and goes until Aug 17th (5pm EST), so there will be plenty of time to check out all the great projects created by both teams.  The theme is Christmas, so you'll get lots of great inspiration for your upcoming Holiday cards.

Die-Versions manufactures low profile dies made right here in the United States and Sparkle N Sprinkle manufactures rubber stamps, glitters, embossing powders, and flocking, also made in the US.  This is like a match made in heaven - low profile dies combined with lots of bling!  Doesn't get much better than that.

One winner will receive a Grand Prize consisting of a $50 gift certificate from Die-Versions and a $50 gift certificate from Sparkle N Sprinkle, for a total of $100.  The winner will be announced on Aug 17th on both the DV Blog and the SNS Blog as well as their Facebook pages.

In order to be eligible for the Grand Prize, please: 
  • Leave a comment on each Designer's blog
  • Follow both companies on Facebook (DV Facebook pageSNS Facebook page) if you haven't already so you can keep up to date on all the latest goings on.   (I'm sure that all of the Designers would love for you to Follow them too, but that isn't a requirement to win this prize.)  

You should have arrived here from Marie's blog.  If not, then you should begin at the Die-Versions Blog and end at the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog.  If you get lost along the way, you can go to either the DV Blog or the SNS Blog to see the complete list of participants.

We'd love it if you'd like to leave a comment at either the DV Blog or the SNS Blog telling us which projects were your favorites.  :-)

Now for a bit about my project:


To start off, I used the Holiday Bird rubber stamp from Sparkle N Sprinkle and colored him with Copic markers.  Blue Jewel glitter has been added to the bow and Silver Detail embossing powder was heat set onto the ornament cap and stripe.  Lavender Iris glitter was added to the star for more sparkle.  He is also pop dotted above the background.

To create the background, I started with a piece of Sticker Paper, covered it with Christmas Cheer glitter, and then cut it into three panels.  This background is really shimmery and sparkly in person. 

The Die-Versions Sweet Wordlet, Tis the Season, sentiment was die cut from a piece of cardstock that I had applied a piece of 1/2" Tear-ific Tape to and covered with Blue Jewel glitter.  This was then glued to a strip of white ribbon.  

All in all, this is actually a pretty quick card to create and definitely will make an impression on the recipient (or a publishing company - wink, wink :-).) 



Your next stop on the blog hop is Eret.  I know she has something special in store for you.

We hope you enjoy this blog hop and it gives you lots of inspiration!  Don't forget to leave each of us a comment and follow both Die-Versions and Sparkle N Sprinkle on Facebook.


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Get Ready!

The Die-Versions/Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop will start this Friday!  So mark those calendars now because you won't want to miss a single project!





The joint blog hop with Die-Versions and Sparkle N Sprinkle begins Aug 15 at 7am EST and goes through Aug 17th, so there will be plenty of time to check out all the great projects created by both teams.  The theme will be Christmas, so you'll get lots of great inspiration for your upcoming Holiday cards.  

The winner will receive a Grand Prize consisting of a $50 gift certificate from Die-Versions and a $50 gift certificate from Sparkle N Sprinkle, for a total of $100.

Die Versions manufactures low profile dies made right here in the United States and Sparkle N Sprinkle manufactures rubber stamps, glitters, embossing powders, and flocking, also made in the US.  This is like a match made in heaven - low profile dies combined with lots of glitter, embossing powder, and flocking.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Be sure to come back Friday to see the list of Designers and the Christmasy project that I've created.  Here is a sneak peek at mine.



Monday, August 11, 2014

Witchy Gerty


Witchy Gerty, from Sparkle N Sprinkle loves Halloween and her favorite costume is a witch (surprise, surprise).  She loves going all out, including adding glitter to her fingernail polish :-).


Gerty is colored with Copic markers and then fussy cut out.  The apron is paper pieced.  Orange Surprise glitter was added to her nails and her hat band, as well as for the background.

The spider webs are dry embossed using an old QuicKuts embossing folder (appropriately named Spider Web), and then heat embossed using a Versamarker and Silver Pearl embossing powder.

The spider shaped buttons were enhanced using the Customize your Brads/Buttons technique and Ebony Spark embossing powder.  This is such a fun way to add sparkle and bling to your embellishments.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Delicate Tree


Edited: This was published in the Just Cards! - Christmas Cards & Decorations, Vol 2., 2015 magazine

Today I'm using the new Delicate Tree die from Die-Versions, plus eight more dies from Die-Versions.  These include the "star", which is part of the new Holiday Tag die, and the following Sweet Wordlets: the new Tis the Season and Deck the Halls, plus Noel, Believe, Happy, Holidays, and Merry Christmas.

I've also got a quick tutorial on how to do the Double Flocking technique.  It's basically the same as the double glitter technique, but using flock instead.  I have to say it does feel so soft and it's quite sparkly with the added glitter that's in the flock.

Start out by adhering a piece of Super Adhesive Sheet to white cardstock and die cut the tree.  Depending on how thick the cardstock is, the die should hopefully only cut through the top protective sheet.  If it does cut all the way through, that's ok, just add some tape to the back so that all the pieces remain in place.  Begin by removing the protective sheet from the inner portion of the die (as shown on the left).




Next, cover the exposed adhesive with Glistening Emeralds Sparkle N Soft flocking from Sprinkle N Sparkle.  Burnish the flock in well with your fingertip.














Now take the remaining protective sheet off.  Cover the exposed adhesive with Irish Sparkle Sparkle N Soft and burnish well with your fingertip.  The end results should look like the photo below.  Now for the rest of the card.


After the Christmas tree was all flocked, I took a piece of red cardstock, applied VersaMark all over it, and heat set it with Clear embossing powder.  It transformed the dull red to something shiny and bright.  Next I die cut all the Sweet Wordlets and placed them on the tree.


The star/snowflake is actually one of the negative pieces formed when die cutting the Holiday Tag.  I applied VersaMark to the snowflake, covered it with Halo embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle and heat set it.  The patterned papers have been in my stash for a long time.

Be sure to visit the Die-Versions blog daily for more great projects from the DV Dynamos team.



Monday, August 4, 2014

Knight Owl


Wiper card, closed

Wiper card, open

Knight Owl is one of the new reveals from Sparkle N Sprinkle this month and he is such a cutie.  I decided to try my hand at using the Wiper Card technique, altering it slightly to fit a square card.

I used Amber Wheat flock for his body and Twinkling Clouds Sparkle N Soft for his chest and eyebrows.  This gives him great dimension.  The shield was stamped twice and fussy cut out.  It's colored with Copic markers and then a thick layer of Super Thick Clear embossing powder was applied to the top.  To give it even more dimension, the shield is also pop dotted above his body. 

The plume on the helmet is Tomato Red tinsel glitter the face guard and sword are heat embossed with Silver Detail embossing powder.  He is perched on a tree die cut from Die-Versions (Spring Tree) and colored with Copics.  The leaves on his branch are covered with Pine Grove tinsel glitter. 

For the background, I printed the full moon (free clip art found on the web) and adhered it to my Wiper Card front, which is cut from black cardstock and before assembly.  Next, I applied VersaMark to the entire card front, covered it with Sparkle embossing powder, and heat set.  I love how shimmer dark cardstock looks with this embossing powder.

To create the wiper part of the card, I heat embossed the sentiment with White Detail embossing powder and then used the Versamarker to add embossing ink to the moon and stars on the sentiment.  These are heat embossed with Yellow Spark embossing powder.
Once all the parts were completed and decorated, I finished the assembly of the wiper card.   I also added a few confetti stars randomly around the card front.


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Sparkle N Sprinkle Grand Prize Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in this month's release at Sparkle N Sprinkle.  One Grand Prize winner will win the entire collection revealed this month!

This month SIX new stamp sets were  introduced.  All the sets are available on Cling Mounted Rubber and as a digital image. The Sunflower, set #643 is the stamp set featured in  This Month's Technique Video.

The sets are:


Knight Owl #632     (Digi version: DIGI632)
Sunflower #643     (Digi version: DIGI643)
A Little Note #645     (Digi version: DIGI645)
Pilgrim Thanksgiving #646     (Digi version: DIGI646)
Wisps of Autumn #647     (Digi version: DIGI647)
Witchy Gerty #648     (Digi version: DIGI648)


 One Grand Prize Winner was selected from the comments left on the participating Designers' blogs.  The Grand Prize Winner will receive their choice of:

1) each of the new rubber stamp sets
or 
2) all the new digital stamps and digital stamp sets. 

Congratulations goes to 
Mary Holshouser,
who commented on Belinda's blog:

I love to make step cards but seem to have trouble finding enough matching items to completely embellish it. Love the way you made this one. I'll remember this for my next step card.
thanks for sharing.

Please email Anne at icinganne@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  Be sure to include your mailing address.


Hugs from The Sparkle Team,