Thursday, July 31, 2014

Sparkle N Sprinkle Aug 1 Reveal



Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's August 1 Reveal.

This month SIX new stamp sets are being introduced. These sets are 20% off their regular price, until August 3rd.  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)

On August 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 August 3 on Facebook, the SNS blog, and on our blogs:

Don't forget to leave a comment with each Designer to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  We love reading your comments and hope we have inspired you as well.  If you absolutely can not leave a comment for some reason, please email icinganne@yahoo.com with your comment and the name of the blog or Designer you are commenting about.

We hope you enjoy the New Reveals as much as we do!
Wonder which Designer contains the Grand Prize this month?


Now for a little bit about my project.  I decided to use the digi version of A Little Note and colored her with Copic markers.  Using a Sakura Glue pen, I applied the glue and added Sunny Daze glitter to the flowers and Bubblegum glitter was added to the bow's on the little girl's outfit.  


The heart button was customized with Firecracker Red embossing powder.  You can watch a short video here, describing the process.  It's really easy to bling your brads and buttons this way.

Lil Inker's Designs Quilted Stitched Pattern die is the background for this sweet image and the sentiment was die cut using the Sizzix Labels, Fancy #3.  A little twine wrapped around the panels finishes it off nicely.

Hope you enjoyed the SNS New Reveal and that something has caught your eye.  Don't forget to leave each of us a comment for your chance at the Grand Prize.

DV/SNS Blog Hop

Guess what's coming in August? 










A joint blog hop with Die-Versions and Sparkle N Sprinkle.  It will begin Aug 15 at 7am EST and go 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.

Here is a sneak peak of some of the goodies that both teams received:




So mark your calendars now because this is one blog hop you won't want to miss!


Monday, July 28, 2014

Christmas Town


Die-Versions is celebrating Christmas in July with it's newest release.  Today's card incorporates two of the 34 new dies released this month - Tis the Season Sweet Wordlet and Christmas Town Scene Whispers die.

This new die just shouted that it needed sparkle.....so I gave it lots of sparkle.  I first die cut the Christmas Town Scene from black cardstock, covered the die cut with VersaMark and then heat set it using Velvet Sparkle embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  Love how this sparkly embossing powder looks on dark cardstock.

Next, I trimmed a piece of white cardstock slightly smaller than my scene and repeated the process of heat embossing it with Velvet Sparkle embossing powder.  After adhering the white cardstock to the back of the black cardstock, I used markers to color some of the glittered areas.

Using the new Tis the Season Sweet Wordlet, I die cut the sentiment from white cardstock and used the card base to give it color.  A quick and easy way to insert those tiny little filler parts of the letters is to apply adhesive to the back of the words and then insert the little pieces.  To eliminate the rest of the stickiness behind the sentiment, I added Lavender Iris glitter and burnished it in with my fingertip.  Not only does it cover up the rest of the adhesive, it also adds a touch more shimmer to the project.

Paper piercing and ribbon are the finishing touches to this pretty quick and easy Christmas card.

Be sure to visit the Die-Versions blog often to see what great projects the rest of the DV Dynamos have come up with.

Friday, July 25, 2014

For the Birds!



Time for a new challenge at Pattie's Creations.  As you can probably guess from my titile, the theme for the next two weeks is: For the Birds!  You're image must have one or more birds on it.  For this fun challenge, I've used Flamingos and you can find it in Pattie's Etsy Shop.

 The image is colored with Copic markers and highlighted with.....what else but glitter :-).  The flamingos have Mauvelous glitter by Sparkle N Sprinkle and the water ripples are highlighted with Waterfall glitter.  I also added Glossy Accents to the lily pads for a shiny look.

The sentiment was die cut from black cardstock that I spritzed with Smooch Spritz (Silver Foil) before cutting the letters.  The Gatsby font from Die-Versions was used to create the sentiment.  The Smooch Spritz gives the letters a bit of subtle shimmer.

The big pink bow is a die from Lil' Inkers Designs.  I started off by adhering double adhesive tape to cardstock, die cutting the image, and then adding more Mauvelous glitter to the exposed adhesive.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the team has created for this fun For the Birds! challenge.


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Old Friends


Gerty and Eunice are back in the Old Friends stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  I think the sentiment, which is part of the set, is so true - don't you?

I started off by stamping the image, coloring it with Copics and then fussy cutting it out.  Purple Dust glitter was added to Eunice's purple hat; Aqua Marine glitter enhances Gerty's glasses as well as the flower in her hat; and Raspberry Soda glitter gives shimmer and sparkle to Eunice's fingernails and Gerty's knitting bag and her jewelry.


For the background I applied VersaMark to the inside of the Cane Weave embossing folder from Spellbinders and ran it through my machine.  Then I covered it with Peanut Butter embossing powder and heat set it.

The sentiment was stamped onto a piece of vellum with Memento ink and heat embossed with Clear embossing powder.  I created the little ball of yarn from some yarn I had and added two straight pins for the knitting needles.

The card base is a piece of Core'dinations cardstock that I sanded down the raised portion.  After that, I added some glue with my Sakura glue pen to the sanded-off areas and sprinkled Aqua Marine onto the glue.  This added another element of shimmer to the card (with very little work).

Monday, July 21, 2014

Winter Stream


When I saw Winter Stream from Sparkle N Sprinkle, I thought it would make a great tag....maybe for a larger present under the tree  :-).

I started off by stamping the image with Archival Ink (Coffee) onto watercolor paper and then I colored it with Distress Markers and a water brush.  It's a little hard to distinguish in the photo, but I used Waterscape glitter on all the icicles in the image, Waterfall glitter on the ripples in the water, and Sparkling Snow glitter on all the snow mounds.  I also adhered the Sparkling Snow glitter differently.  For the other glitters, I added glue using a Sakura glue pen.  For the snow mounds, however, I first colored them with an Opaque Paint Markers (Elmer's) and then immediately covered the wet paint with the Sparkling Snow glitter - and it stuck as the paint dried.  (That was a happy experiment that was successful and a "good-to-know" for the future.)

The dimensional icicles adhered to the top of the tag are actually a Christmas tree garland that I picked up in an after Christmas sale last year, thinking they might be perfect for one of my projects.  I just cut the individual icicles apart and adhered them with 1/2" Tear-ific Tape.  I also sprinkled some Waterscape glitter over the exposed adhesive, thereby eliminating any excess stickiness and giving a touch more sparkle.


I wanted to add a little something more to the image, so I die cut my Reindeer (from Die-Versions) from 2 1/2" Tear-ific tape and cardstock.  After exposing the adhesive in sections, I added Amber Wheat flock to his antlers and hooves, a bit of Snow White flock to his tail and his chest, and the rest of his body is covered with Dark Chocolate flock.  The reindeer is adhered to the tag with a thick dimensional dot and he's "standing" on some Tinsel Twine from Tim Holtz.

Friday, July 18, 2014

You're the Cat's Meow


I love almost anything to do with cats or dogs (but especially cats).  So you know I love this new Feline Humor stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  It comes in both a digital format (which I used here) as well as in rubber.

I wanted both the sentiment and the cat to be large; that's why I went with the digi version.  After printing my combined image out twice (once onto cardstock and once onto copy paper), I die cut the cardstock version with a Lifestyle Crafts die (Nesting Doily Rectangles) and fussy cut out the cat from the copy paper to create a mask.

I left the cardstock in the Nesting die, covered the cat with my mask, and started adding color to the background with Distress Inks (Antique Linen; Tattered Rose) with my blending tool.  Once I was happy with the background, I removed the mask and colored the cat with Copic markers.

Using Dimensional Glue, I outlined the large sentiment and then covered it with Blue Raven glitter.  I also covered 1/8" Tear-ific tape, which adds an additional frame to the image, with the Blue Raven as well.

Once all the glue was dry, I masked off the inside of the project with scrap paper and covered the doily portion of the die cut with VersaMark and Shimmer embossing powder and then heat set it.

The card base is the result on another happy experiment gone right :-).  I deckle edged the black cardstock and then covered it with VersaMark and Shimmer embossing powder.  I was amazed at how much sparkle there was on the black after it was heat set.  It looks like millions of tiny stars in the night sky.  I definitely encourage you to try this embossing powder on dark cardstock. 

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Gran's Chair



Gran's Chair by Sparkle N Sprinkle is perfect for the grandparents in your life.  It has sentiments for both a grandmother and a grandfather.  I have to warn you that lots of dies were used in this creation - but it was so fun to see my idea bloom into reality :-).

After stamping the image and coloring it with Copic markers, I fussy cut it out with an exacto knife as I wanted to get in between each of those little spindles.  I also stamped the flowers in the basket twice, so I could adhere one layer on top of the other.  This gives it just a little more dimension without having to add pop dots.  The centers of the flowers in the basket and the ribbon around the hat also have Sunny Daze glitter added to them.







The arch and trellis, from Impression Obsession, was die cut twice so I could could cut off the flower box at the bottom and add pop dots to it.  All three pieces were covered with VersaMark and heat set using Sparkle embossing powder.

For all the flowers and vines on the trellis, I used quite a few dies and glitters.  The vines are from Memory Box (Savannah Border) and Cheery Lynn Designs (Mini Flourish One) and the flowers are all from different sets of Susan's Garden by Sizzix (Yarrow, Sunflower, Forsythia).

I added my glitter colors (Impulsive Purple, Mauvelous, and Carnation) to strips of Sticker Paper and then die cut each individual flower.  I adhered them to the trellis with small dabs of Dimensional Glue.

The edges of both cardstock panels were distressed with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  The die frame between the layers and the sentiment frame (which are both pop dotted), is a new die in my collection from Creative Expressions called Spanish Collection-Granada.

The sentiment was heat embossed onto the smallest frame in this set with Caramel embossing powder.  This is a Cosmic embossing powder, so it leaves a little bit of shimmer on the cardstock.  You could either wipe it off with your fingertip or leave it.  I left it on because it enhanced the details of the die cut.


Monday, July 14, 2014

Wine Friends




Wine Friends is another new rubber stamp set (also available in digital format) from Sparkle N Sprinkle featuring Gerty and Eunice.  Here, they have bellied up to the bar and are enjoying a nice glass (or two) of vino!


When I saw this set, I thought it would be a great topper on a bottle of wine presented to your favorite hostess.  So I went about creating one.  Start off with a piece of solid cardstock cut to 7 1/2" x 4 1/4".  Score 2 1/2" from the bottom and 1" from the top (optional).  You'll create a mountain fold at the bottom and stamp and color the image.  Apply adhesive on the inside edges of this panel to create your pocket for the tag.

Copics were used to color the girls and the wine paraphernalia (which are dies from Taylored Expressions: Wine & Dine; Wine Charms).

Dazzling Rose glitter was added to Eunice's (the one on the right) hat and Daisy velvet glitter and Easy Green glitter helps accent Gerty's hat.

I used the Distressed Embossing Technique and Burgundy embossing powder to outline the tag I created.  Silver Detail embossing powder was heat embossed over the "metal" portions of the corkscrew.  Cordial Red embossing powder was used for the sentiment (which comes with the set) on the tag.

1/8" Tear-ific Tape was added up the sides and covered with Daisy Velvet glitter for just a touch more sparkle.



Here is a close-up of the tag.  After coloring the wine bottle and the wine glass with Copics, I gave them a heavy coating of Glossy Accents.  This really gave these pieces lots of dimension!  Glossy Accents was also added to their eyeglasses and the wine glasses they are holding.
This really does make a create presentation piece.  I duplicated this idea for a hostess, except that I added 1/2" Tear-ific Tape up the sides and covered the adhesive with Dazzling Rose glitter.  Everything else was done the same.  It was a big hit at the party!














Friday, July 11, 2014

A Savior


A Savior, one of the new reveals this month from Sparkle N Sprinkle makes a fantastic Christmas card.  I stamped the image twice and fussy cut out the Holy Family and the star from the second one so I could pop dot them and give the card dimension.  The image is colored with Copic markers and Celestial glitter covers their halos.  Sparkle N Soft Sun Dazzle was adhered to the star with Dimensional Glue.


  I also fussy cut the outline of the entire image.  The rays of light were covered with Brushable Glue and then Sunny Daze glitter, which is a semi-transparent glitter.  This semi-transparency allows the outlines of the rays to show through the glitter.


I die cut a piece of speckled vellum from a Memory Box die (Debutante frame) and adhered the Holy Family onto the center and stamped my sentiment below.  The sentiment is heat embossed with Black Detail embossing powder.

The next layer was accentuated using the Distress Embossing technique, Distress Ink (Salty Ocean) and Clear embossing powder.  Added a small bow as a final touch.


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Celebrate Love


Here is another way to use the new Sweet Petite Princess die from Die-Versions.  I treated the die cut, which was cut from white cardstock, like it was a stamp.  I colored the image with Copics and then added two different PK Glitz glitters to the dress portion of the die.

The background was stamped with a script image from Cornish Heritage Farms and heat embossed with Clear embossing powder.  This created a resist for my Pan Pastels that I used for the background.

The Celebrate and Love are Sweet Wordlets  and the border die cut is Crochet Lace - all from Die-Versions.  I also colored some sequins with my Copics to coordinate the colors and added a strip of ribbon to complete this note card. 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Daisies


Daisies from Sparkle N Sprinkle is one of the new reveals this month and was so fun to color.  I can think of lots of variations using this image.

I decided to color the image with Copic markers and then fussy cut around it.  Easy Green, Bubble Gum, Purple Dust, and Caution Yellow glitters were added to the flowers and vines.  The Spellbinders (Grand Labels Eleven) die cut showcases the glittered arrangement well.


I added a strip of 1/2" and 1/8" Tear-ific tape to the patterned cardstock layer and covered the exposed adhesive with Dogwood Rose Velvet glitter (a soon to be released new color).  Kraft cardstock and a black card base help make the rest of the card pop with color.


Sunday, July 6, 2014

Helping a fellow blogger



Hello, dear blogging friends.

One of our blogging-paper-crafting-friends, Sue Drees, recently shared some sad news.

Her sister, Edith, fell on June 22, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. On June 25, the tumor was successfully removed. However, the biopsy brought back devastating news - a fast growing Brain Cancer. Sue's sister is determined to fight this all the way. She began physical rehabilitation on July 4.

Sue and Edith both live in the North East (USA). Sue and her husband transport Edith's husband to the hospital each day and check up on changes and quality of care.

While Sue did not ask for help, others kept in touch with her and asked if Edith would enjoy receiving cards of encouragement and support.

Sue was so grateful that the on-line community might help in this way - it was something she had not considered.

Edith enjoys quilting and LOVES flowers! Edith's beloved fur baby is a little pug and they miss each other very much.


Will you please consider sending a note, tag, or card (or two or three?) offering encouragement? Edith valiantly fights other illnesses in addition to this new challenge. She is a very courageous soul.

Cards can be sent addressed to Edith c/o Sue Drees and she will take them daily to the hospital.

To obtain the mailing address, please write:

Thank you for making a difference in one person's life, by bringing in a little sunshine.

If you'd like to post this information on your own blog, feel free to copy and paste it into a post.  The more people we reach, the more cards will be there to encourage Edith in her fight.  And if you believe in the power of prayer, add Edith to your daily prayers.  I'm keeping her in mine.  :-D

{Thanks to Donna for allowing me (and anyone who wishes) to re-post her original post.}

Thursday, July 3, 2014

SNS July 1 Reveal Winners

Thanks to everyone who participated in this month's release.  To make the blog hop even more exciting, going forward, we are choosing one Grand Prize winner who will win the entire collection revealed that month!

This month EIGHT new stamp sets were introduced.  Due to a glitch on the website, all the sets will continue to be 20% off their regular price, until Monday, July 7th.   

The sets are:


Under The Mistletoe #556 - (digital available)

Feline Humor #631 - (digital available)

Old Friends #633 - (digital available)

Gran's Chair #627 - (digital available)

Winter Stream #601 - ( (digital available)

A Savior #637 - (digital available)

Beach Friends #644 - (digital available)

Daisies #619 - (digital available)



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) all EIGHT new rubber stamp sets
or 
2) all the new digital stamps and digital stamp sets. 

Congratulations goes to 

Sandy (Cheesy) who commented on Shona's blog and said: 

You never cease to amaze me with your imagination. Love, love the cream emboss powder on the dark bg. And those glitters really sparkle and pop. Nice idea on coloring the beads too! Its another winner!

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


Hugs from The Sparkle Team,


Beach Friends


This new rubber stamp (and digital version) from Sparkle N Sprinkle is so fun to color.  The artist behind this new line of wonderful women is Jan Mahew.  Gertrude (Gerty) is on the left and Eunice is on the right.  Oh the stories I could concoct for these two :-).  These girls are a lot like our own girlfriends!  

This set is Beach Friends and these two are enjoying a nice, refreshing beverage and talking up a storm.  They are colored with Copic markers and Eunice's swimsuit was paper pieced.  The background was created using a stipple brush and Distress Inks (Tumbled Glass; Salty Ocean) and Memento Ink (Desert Sand).  {Thanks again Lynn for the link :-).  She creates the best clouds!}  I added a die cut palm tree from Taylored Expressions and also colored it with Copic markers. The coconuts are covered with Sparkle N Soft Sparkling Coffee.


To add all the glitter to the small spaces, I used a Sakura glue pen.  Orange Surprise was added to the tie on Gerty's swimsuit, her beach bag, and the star fish.  Spirited Green glitter is on the flip-flops, Gerty's hatband, and the branches of the palm tree.  Carnation glitter helps the sea shells sparkle and Pretty Princess completes Eunice's hat band.

The sun was die cut using the Nesting Rick Rack Circles die from Lifestyle Crafts and the sentiment was stamped with Memento Ink.  Next, I added two layers of Clear embossing powder for an extremely shiny sun.  As a final detail, Glossy Accents was added to the drinking glasses and the sunglasses.

Be sure to check out the rest of this line; I don't think you'll be disappointed.   I'll also be showcasing a couple more stamp sets featuring these two throughout the month.

Happy 4th of July to everyone.  Have a great long weekend.  Who knows, maybe you'll be spending it on the beach too, just like Gerty and Eunice.