Monday, August 28, 2017

Dream Catcher Maiden



Hey everyone, today I'd like to share one of the new stamp sets released this month from Sparkle N Sprinkle called Dream Catcher Maiden.




I started out by stamping her onto white cardstock and then coloring the image with Copic markers.  I added Waterscape glitter to her headband as well as her bracelet and a couple of the feathers.  Nuvo Crystal Drops (Morning Dew) was added to each of the beads to make then really stand out.   Purple Dust glitter was added to each of the small dots all around the image for a bit more sparkle.

To create the sentiment, I began by die cutting an Elizabeth Crafts Designs (Dreamcatcher) die set.  The circle is one of the negative pieces from the die cut.  I inked it up with Distress Inks and Oxides and then stamped the sentiment with Ground Expresso Distress Ink.  I then heat embossed it with Clear Detail embossing powder.  I used my new Tim Holtz Stamp Platform to stamp the image.  I left the stamp in place and then after heat setting the Clear embossing powder the first time, I repeated the process a second time to give the words an even more raised profile.  I also sprinkled some Clear embossing powder on the top and heat set it from the bottom to give a bit more pizazz.  I like how the light catches the Clear embossing powder when held at different angles.  I added a couple feathers and beads from the die set to complete the sentiment.

I have a quick unsolicited comment regarding the Stamp Platform.  I also have the Misti as well as a few older stamp positioners (Fiskers; the old stamp-ma-jig thingy 😛) and I have to say I like the Tim Holtz Stamp Positioner the best - by far!!!  It feels more durable and I don't feel that I might accidentally break or crack the cover like I do when I use the Misti.  I also like the fact that you don't have to add inserts when switching from rubber to clear stamps.   I haven't had the platform long enough to do lots of creative things with it yet, but I know it's a keeper and it won't be collecting dust like all the other stamp positioners I have. Thought I'd throw my two cents into the ring. 😊


Monday, August 21, 2017

Elf Sitter



I have another fun Christmas card to share with you today.  It's an acetate card (which are so hard to photograph, but are so fun to make!).  I used the Elf Sitter stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  After coloring him with Copic markers, I fussy cut him out and added Imagination glitter to his belt, hat, and boots.  Nuvo Crystal Drops (Bright Gold) was added to the bells on his hat and boots.  His eyes were given dimension by applying Gloss White Nuvo Crystal Drops and immediately adding a small drop of Ebony Black to the still wet white drop.

I decided that since elves live in the North Pole, he should be sitting on top of an igloo.  I didn't have an igloo die that would work, so I made my own igloo by using an oval die (from Spellbinders).  My blocks of ice are outlined with Olaf White glitter (part of the Frozen glitter set).  The snow banks, die cut using a Paper Smooches die (Stitches) were also outlined with Olaf White.

The sentiment base was die cut from vellum using a Sue Wilson die (Spanish Collection - Cordoba).  After stamping the sentiment with VersaMark, it was heat set using Red Apple embossing powder.  A couple drops of Bright Gold Nuvo Crystal Drops were added as well.


The focal panel was then adhered to the center of a piece of Embossable Acetate.  I created the frame using two of the Double Pierced Rectangles (Sue Wilson Designs) and used the Glueless Glitter technique to add Sparkling Snow glitter to the edges.

Here is one more photo with a different color background so you can see the acetate better.


Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Little Cottage {Scrapy Land Challenge #72}

It's the third Wednesday of the month and time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme for the Scrapy Land Challenge #72 is Anything Goes using use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.

WE NOW HAVE TWO WINNERS PER CHALLENGE.  One is random and the other is chosen by the Design Team.  Each winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.

You have until Sept 3 to join in on the fun.  Each winner of the challenge will receive a $10 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.

I created this special birthday card for a friend and I used the following dies:


Tonic Studios: Posy Pillar Strips
Tonic Studios: Blocked Parquet and Garden Trellis


Elizabeth Craft Designs: Garden Notes-Hydrangea
Elizabeth Craft Designs: Happy Birthday 2
Die-Versions: Happy sweet wordlet
Sue Wilson Designs: Noble dies - Double Pierced Rectangles, Set B

The digi image I used is called Little Cottage and is from Beccy's Place.  After printing it out, I colored it with Copic markers.  Then I began adding my details, starting with the flowers.

I began with the hydrangeas in the front and added some dimensional blooms.  Using Distress Ink and the Direct to Paper method, I colored a scrap of cardstock with a couple different colors and then heat embossed it with Clear embossing powder.  This gave the petals a bit of shine.  Then I used the Elizabeth Craft Designs hydrangea die and cut out the petals, shaped them, and adhered them to the front.  I added Fuchsia Glass Glitter to the Holly Hocks behind the hydrangeas and Bubblegum glitter to the flowers on the climbing bush.

I want to point out my little "bird" perched on the porch railing.  It is actually one of the negative pieces from the Posy Pillar Strips.  It looked like a bird to me, so I used Copics to transform it into a Robin.


The cat on the right side of the image is from Impression Obsessions and he is heat set with Sandstone embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  You can also see the dimension on the hydrangeas as well as how much dimension the glass glitter gives those blooms.

The frame around my image was created by using the two outer dies from the Blocked Parquet and Garden Trellis die set.  It was actually a bit too long, so I cut off one of the ends and re-glued that end on top of the rest of the frame to make it smaller.  A trick to hid the lines created from the overlaping of the die is to heat emboss.  And that's what I did here.  Not only does the Velvet Sparkle embossing powder camouflage the lines, it also gives it some sparkle.

To create the card base, I used the Sue Wilson die.  In order to create a folding card using this die (versus a card mat), make sure that the top die cut line is placed above the fold in your cardstock before you run the die through your machine.  This way, you don't cut the top edge, but it will die cut through the rest of the folded cardstock.

My sentiment was die cut from the same color cardstock as the card base.  In order to make the words stand out, I heat embossed each die cut with Clear embossing powder and adhered them to the card front.

I also added a bit of interest to the inside of the card by adhering one of the Posy Pillar Strips to a piece of dark blue cardstock as well as a couple more kitties from the Impression Obsession set.  I used a white pen to add my personal message.

Now it's your turn to come join in on the fun.  Be sure to visit the Scrapy Land Challenge Blog to see what the rest of this very talented team has created for you.





Monday, August 14, 2017

For Someone Special {Sparkle N Sprinkle August New Reveal Blog Hop}



Welcome to the August
Sparkle N Sprinkle New Reveal Blog Hop! 


We are now revealing our new stamp sets on the 15th of each month.  On the first of the month, a new video kit club will be revealed.

NEW STORE - NEW BLOG - NEW PRODUCT LINES! 

We are continuing to add new product lines, so be on the look out for them.  


We have four new rubber stamp sets, a new digi-only stamp set, a new digital paper pack, plus one huge digi bonus bundle being revealed this month.  

The sets are:

Elf Sitter 859
Digital Version: DIGI859BG

Dream Catcher Maiden 865
Digital Version: DIGI865LS

Basket of Hope 866
Digital Version: DIGI866J

Autumn Berry Wreath 867
Digital Version: DIGI867



DIGI3131M Christmas Spirit Fairy (digi only)

DIGI4007LS Saguaro Desert Landscape Paper Pack

DIGI867-815-3128B Four Seasons Digi Bonus Bundle (combines Autumn Berry Wreath with lots of additional colored images, sentiments, and digi papers) 



You are definitely going to want both the digi version as well as the rubber version because when you purchase the digital versions, there are lots of extras that aren't available otherwise.  These extras can include additional images, additional sentiments, digi papers (in some cases), and a cut file.


The new sets are 20% off until the 20th of the month.  Head on over to the SNS store once you've finished the Blog Hop and start shopping.

One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be announced on the 17th of the month.  One of the Designers is our Mystery Host and the winner will be selected from comments left on her blog.  You must leave a comment on each of the Designers' blogs in order to be selected as the winner, as you never know who the Mystery Host will be.  This is checked for compliance.

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be announced on the SNS Facebook page and on the SNS Blog and will receive all the rubber stamp sets revealed this month.

The Blog Hop order is:
(Tip: if you have difficulty with a particular link, try clicking on the Designer's blog title to be directed to their Home page.)

Shona
Diane
Donna
Chris
Jess
Anne
Belinda
Eret



We hope you enjoy the New Reveal Blog Hop as much as we enjoy creating new projects for it.  Be sure to visit the SNS Blog for even more inspiration.  Something new is posted most every day.



Did you know that SNS has a You-Tube Channel?  If not, then you are in for a real treat.  Subscribe today to get all the latest tips and techniques!





The Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge group is on Facebook.  

This is a closed group (just trying to keep out spammers), but we want anyone who to participate to join.  Click on the link and join in on the fun today! 

The Creative Challenges run from the 1st - 25th of each month.  A SNS image (either rubber or digi) is required.  If you don't have any yet - no worries - there are some freebies located on the Home page of the SNS website.  Just scroll down the page a bit to see them. 

The Creative Challenge Winner and Top Three will be posted on the last day of each month.  The winner will receive a $15 Gift Certificate to go shopping at the SNS store. 

Please review all the Challenge Rules before submitting your photo 😀.  We can't wait to see what all you create using SNS images.



Now for a bit about my project using the Autumn Berry Wreath stamp set.



I started out with a plain manila tag.  First I die cut the leaves on top using an Elizabeth Craft Designs die (Tags and More 3 - Leaves).  Next I brought out my Tim Holtz Stamp Platform and positioned the wreath where I wanted it on the tag.  Then I inked up the stamp using two different colors of green (VersaMagic Oasis Green; Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy). I stamped and reinked a couple different times.




Leaving the wreath stamp in place on the Platform, I took off the tag and colored it with Koh-I-Noor colored pencils.  Once I was happy with the coloring, I placed the tag back onto the Stamp Platform, inked up my wreath stamp with VersaMark and stamped on top of the colored image.  I then heat set it with Clear Detail embossing powder.  I repeated this step a second time as I really wanted the added dimension this process gives the stamped image.  I love how it shows off all the small details and plan on using this technique much more often.  This is one of those techniques that would be really hard to do if you didn't have a stamp positioner!  I then added Nuvo Crystal Drops (Morning Dew) to each of the berries for even more dimension.



Next I wanted to add my sentiment into the center of the wreath.  This can be a little tricky since this is a cling mounted stamp, but I have a trick for you.  I used a scrap of clear acetate packaging and placed the strip on top of the wreath where I wanted the sentiment to be stamped.  Then I used Distress Ink and stamped my sentiment onto the clear plastic.  That way I could make minor adjustments to the rubber stamp and know exactly where it was going to be stamped.  If I didn't like where it stamped on the plastic, I cleaned it off with water, moved the stamp a little and then re-stamped on the plastic.  I originally planned on having the sentiment parallel but I accidentally moved the clear plastic strip sideways and decided I liked that angled sentiment better.




I wasn't happy with the plain manilla background after stamping and coloring, so I brought out my stencils (Bo Bunny - Brocade Stickable Stencil) and Nuvo Embellishment Mousse (Mother of Pearl) and added a bit of subtle tone on tone color to the background.  The Mother of Pearl really picks up the light when held at various angles.  I added some Spring Green Nuvo Embellishment Mousse to the outside edge of the tag for a bit of contrast and then added a bit of Distress Ink (Vintage Photo) to the very edge of the tag.

At the bottom of the tag, I added a strip of 1/2" Tear-ific Tape and a strip of 1/4" Tear-ific Tape and covered them with Silver Glass Glitter.  The bow is a piece of seam binding ribbon that was dyed using Various Copic marker reinkers (B26, B63).  (This was a happy accident.  I usually use my Distress reinkers, but picked up the wrong bottles.  I was wondering why the color wasn't absorbing as well as normal and why I still had some puddles of color on my craft mat that the ribbon wasn't picking up.  Then it hit me!  So I started adding more drops directly to the ribbon for full coverage.  The alcohol reinkers made the ribbon stiffer than ink pad reinkers do, but it also made the bow loops stand up more 😀.  I was happy with the way it turned out.)  The cording for the top of the tag was white, so I colored it with my Copic marker to match.

The background for the tag was created using the same stencil and more Spring Green Nuvo Embellishment Mousse.  I also distressed the edges with a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Your next stop on the New Reveal Blog Hop is Belinda and I know she has something special for you.  Be sure to leave a comment on each of the Designers' blogs for your chance to win all the rubber stamp sets revealed this month.  (This is checked for compliance and I'm sad to say the original winner last month was disqualified because she didn't comment on each of the Designers' blogs 😞.)



Flowering Thanks

closed


open

Although Sparkle N Sprinkle is celebrating Christmas in July this month, I have a non-Christmas card to share with you.  If you haven't visited the new SNS website lately, you might not know that Sparkle N Sprinkle also sells some Hampton Art, Stampendous, House Mouse, and Tonic Studios rubber stamps.

The Flower Thanks Layering Stamp Set by Hampton Arts is being showcased today.  I also found an "oldie, but goodie" interactive technique to share with you - a slider card.  I used this tutorial, but you can Google slider card instructions to find a whole bunch of them.

After cutting the pieces of white cardstock, I inked them up using Distress Inks (Wilted Violet, Shaded Lilac) and Distress Oxides (Wilted Violet, Broken China).  Once I was happy with the colors, I laid a Tim Holtz stencil (Burlap) on top and lightly spritzed it with a homemade shimmer spray (Perfect Pearls spray or plain water would work as well).  This lifted some of the ink off the paper and left the burlap impression.

On the front cover,  I stamped the solid flower stamp multiple times with VersaMark and heat set with Dandy Dandelion embossing powder.  Depending on the color of the background, the base flower had different hues of yellows.  Then I used the detailed flower and stamped on top of the base flower with VersaMark and heat set it with White Detail embossing powder.  (I didn't try to line up the detailed stamp with the solid.)  The little swirls, which are part of the set were stamped with Wilted Violet Distress Ink.

Nuvo Crystal Drops (Dandelion Yellow) added a pop of color and dimension to the flower centers.  I also randomly added some Nuvo Jewel Drops (Sea Breeze, Pale Periwinkle) to the background.  The darker areas of the background gave the Pale Periwinkle a more pinkish tone.  I love that it can pick up colors like that.


When you slide the card open, you'll see that I used the same technique to color these.  The flower on the left panel was stamped the same as above, using VersaMark, Dandy Dandelion embossing powder, overlaid with White Detail embossing powder.

The center swirl and the sentiment were stamped with VersaMark and heat set with Amethyst embossing powder.  The sentiment on the right panel was created the same way.  I punched a small hole in the end and threaded a strip of ribbon through it.

There are so many variations you could do with this slider card.  The next one I make I think I'll have both the right and left panels the same size and corner round both edges.  I may or may not have part of the underlying stamping show along the edges.  ðŸ˜€   I already have another one in mind, so I guess we'll wait and see.


Monday, August 7, 2017

Spirit of Christmas Poinsettia


The Spirit of Christmas Poinsettias from Sparkle N Sprinkle is such a beautiful set and has so many options.  I chose the largest poinsettia and after stamping it onto white cardstock, I colored it with Copic markers and then die cut it using a Spellbinders die (Grand Ovals).

I left the die in place and then colored the background with a soft yellow Pan Pastel.  This left a nice white edge all the way around.  The frame behind the image is also a die cut from Spellbinders (Opulent Ovals) and I colored it with a light green Pan Pastel.

The veins of the petals were outlined with a Sakura glue pen and covered with Cyclamen glitter.  The centers of the flowers were given a bit of sparkle using Daisy velvet glitter.

I used the inlaid die cutting technique for my bow, which is from Impression Obsession (Tied Line).

The sentiment, which is part of the set, was stamped with VersaMark and heat set with White Detail embossing powder.  The white really pops on the dark blue card panel. A matte gold card base finishes off this Christmas card.


Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Dreams {Scrapy Land #71}



It's the first Wednesday of August!  This year is flying by.  It's also time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge. The theme is always Anything Goes using any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.


For today's project, I only used one die set - Elizabeth Craft Designs Dreamcatcher.  This is a five piece die set with each of the elements a separate die. I loved working with it and feel that it is more versatile than I originally thought.  The center could be used as a flower or you could create a unique background using multiples of the center.  The feathers are small enough that they could be used with almost any scene.  I don't know what it is about this project, but it is so calming to look at and I plan on placing it right on my work desk so I can always see it.




I started out by creating the background on watercolor paper using some Distress Inks.  I lightly spritzed it with a homemade sparkly spritzer (similar to Perfect Pearls Mists).  I also distressed the edges of the background and added more Distress Ink for contrast against the blues and browns.

Next I began building my Dreamcatcher.  I die cut all the pieces out of white cardstock and colored them with either Distress Inks/Distress Oxides or Copic markers.  I die cut multiples of the beads, feathers, and cords.

After adhering everything together, I added Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops to each of the beads.  This really gives them the true look of beads and makes the colors pop.

The sentiment is a sneak peek from a new stamp set coming out in a couple of weeks from Sparkle N Sprinkle (called Dream Catcher Maiden).  I used a scrap of white cardstock and inked it up with Distress Inks and Distress oxides and corner rounded one end.  Then I stamped the sentiment on top using Ground Expresso Distress Ink and I heat set it with Clear Detail embossing powder.  I also added a few more feathers to the side.

The focal panel was then adhered to a piece of cream cardstock.  When adhering the focal panel, I only added adhesive to the center back as I wanted the edges to curl up naturally and give it more dimension.

I hope this inspires you to create something to share with the Scrapy Land Challenge.  You have until August 13 to join us.  There are two winners, one is a random winner and one is chosen by the design team, and both winners receive a $10 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.  Be inspired even more by checking out what the rest of this very talented design team has created.

I am also entering this in the following challenges: Craftaholics R Us (die cuts); Die Cut Divas (anything goes); Word Art Wednesday (anything goes).