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.

Imagine

 How fun is this new stamp set, Serena Mermaid, from Sparkle N Sprinkle?  So many ideas came to mind when I first saw this set.   The first thing I did was to make my water scene by applying Copic markers, using long strokes, to white cardstock.  Then I added a soon-to-be-released new product from SNS called Velvet Shimmer.  It's a shimmery paint with bits of velvet glitter added to the mix and it gives a very subtle, shimmery look to whatever you paint it on.  To  create the rest of the underwater scene, I stamped all my images directly onto the water background.  I also stamped them onto white cardstock so I could color them and fussy cut them out (don't worry about all the little curly cues).  Once that was done, I adhered them directly onto the stamped waterbackground.  This allows the curly cues to still be seen without having to worry about cutting them out and it gives the images just a hint of dimension.

Serena is colored with Copic markers and her tail is covered with Moonrise and Deep Royal tinsel glitter.  The centers of the flowers have a touch of Celestial glitter, as do all the starfish, sea shells, and sea horses.  I heat embossed the sentiment onto mirror blue cardstock with Sangria Star embossing powder.  The three panels behind the image use the Debossed embossing technique (see tutorial here) and are heat embossed with Tuscan Star embossing powder and a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities embossing folder, and layered onto the mirror blue cardstock.  The final layer brings back the tan color and I distressed the edges.  For more details on how I created this card, you can visit my SNS Art Gallery.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This was a fun card to make, using the Debossed embossing technique (also known as Double Embossing) and the new rubber stamp set, Sweet Strawberries designed by Beccy Muir for Sparkle N Sprinkle.  You can read about this technique here, in the SNS Tips and Technique section.  (I just lightly tapped the VersaMark onto the embossing folder instead of using a brayer.)  I first heard about it from a Sizzix video, so I'm sure there are several places you can check out this fun technique.

I used Distress Inks (Shabby Shutter, Forest Moss, and Brushed Corduroy) and the Bubble embossing folder from Sizzix to create the background.  I added the Memory Box border die (Tessatina border) that I heat embossed with Brown Fizz embossing powder.  When you cut this die out, be sure to save some of the negative pieces to add back to the die cut.  The Chocolate Covered Strawberries are colored with Copic markers and fussy cut out.  When adhering to the background, don't glue down the leaves; instead curl them slightly upwards, giving the piece added dimension.   The sentiment is from the Fall Harvest rubber stamp set and I heat embossed it with Brown Fizz as well.  Attaching a couple of the negative pieces of the border to the sentiment adds a nice embellishment to the oval frame.

I'm entering this in the following challenges: Sweet Stamps (embossed embossing); Simon Says (something messy).

Ernie Carpenter

 The inspirational challenge from Dude Time Doodles this week is to make a gift tag based on the inspirational photo.  Our sponsor this week is Paper Temptress and the winner will receive a $20 gift certificate.

I went about this backwards (as I tend to do) because I read about a new technique on the Sizzix blog that I wanted to try called De-bossed Embossing.  So the first thing I did was figure out which on my embossing folders would go well with the wonderful images from Bonibleux Designs.

As soon as I saw Ernie Carpenter, everything clicked into place quite easily.  It's a bit difficult to see the shine of the embossing powder in the de-bossed portion of the tag, but it looks really cool in person.   The clear embossing powder acts as a resist to the Distress Inks used to color the woodgrain. So you can just wipe the excess off and the color underneath is still visible.  The twill ribbon is colored to coordinate with Distress Stains.  Added a few brads (um, I mean nails) and the tag is completed and all ready to go on a gift for my Stud Muffin.

Now it's your turn to inspire us with your tag.  You have until next Tuesday, 4/24, to join us at the Dude Time Doodles Challenge blog.  Be sure to see what the rest of the team has created for you too.

I'm entering this in the following challenges: PanPastel (for the boys); Incy Wincy Designs (digi only); Simon Says Stamp and Show (anything goes).

 
Copics: B21, B 24, B26 (palette method)   E00, E01, E13    YR12, E15, E37    E33, E99, E39    Y21, Y23, Y32, Y35    E23, E39, E29
Other: metallic silver pen, Sizzix Embossing folder (Woodgrain), brads; Distress Ink (Frayed Burlap, Walnut Ink); Distress Stains (Frayed Burlap)