3D Winter Wonderland

Products used:
Sparkle embossing powder - EP107
Elephant flock - FL111
Amber Wheat flock - FL116
Tonic Studios - Christmas Header Fold Winter Wonderland die - 1410E 
Tonic Studios - Starry, Starry Night Simply Screens
Nuvo Glimmer Paste - Golden Crystal - 950N
Nuvo Glimmer Paste - Emerald - 955N
Nuvo Glimmer Paste - Peridot - 958N
Nuvo Crystal Drops - Red Berry - 667N
Nuvo Crystal Drops - Gloss White - 651N
Nuvo Glitter Accents - Fresh Snowfall - 948N
Dreamweaver stencil - LG651
Penny Black die - Moose
Impression Obsession - Rabbit set

Winter officially begins in a few days, but I know a lot of people have already had lots of snow.  They are even predicting a few snow flurries in my area, which is unusual for the South.

To create today's winter playground for a few furry friends, I started off by cutting a large piece of white cardstock (8 1/2" x 5 1/4") and adding the tree using a Dreamweaver's stencil and Nuvo Glimmer Paste (Emerald, Peridot, Golden Crystal).  I applied the Peridot Green first, as it was the lighter of the two colors, and then added a little of the Emerald Green.  I applied the Golden Crystal to the star.  I quickly removed the stencil (dropped it in a pan of warm, soapy water) and used my finger tool to combine the two greens together and fill in some of the open areas.  This stencil has a lot of open areas, but I wanted a dense tree.  I let this dry for completely before adding my ornaments (Nuvo Crystal Drops - Red Berry).  Next I squeezed some Nuvo Glitter Accents (Fresh Snow) onto the background and spread it around with my handy dandy finger tool. :-).  Gloss White Nuvo Crystal Drops were also added for some falling snow.

Next I die cut my moose (a Penny Black die) and a couple bunnies (Impression Obsession - Rabbit set) and colored them with Copic markers.  Amber Wheat flocking was added to the Moose's antlers and Elephant grey flocking was added to the bunny tails.

Here's what the background looks like before adding the front:

For the front of my project, I cut another piece of white cardstock the same size as the background.  I used the Tonic Studios Winter Wonderland die set to add my sentiment and then die cut the huge snowflakes using the Tonic Studios Starry, Starry Night Simply Screens die set.

After the front was die cut, I heat embossed it using Sparkle embossing powder.  The front was adhered to the background, leaving a slight curve in the center.  To allow for the curve, the background piece was cut to 8 1/8" x 5 1/4".

Singing Carolers

Today I'd like to share another Christmas card with you.  This uses a stencil from Dreamweavers (Bare Trees) and the Singing Carolers die from Die-Versions.

I started out by creating the background using the Dreamweaver stencil and Nuvo Glimmer paste (White Blizzard) on black cardstock.  This glimmer paste looks very different on different color cardstock.  Even on the black, depending on how you hold it in the light, you'll see different colors.  You can see some variances in the background between the photo above and the one below.  (Love this stuff!)

While this was drying, I die cut the Singing Carolers from white cardstock and colored various areas with Copic markers and Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers.  I also added more Nuvo White Blizzard onto their bodies and the books they are holding.  I squeezed some out and spread it around with my finger tip.

For the lady's "hair", I added dimensional glue and covered it with Snow White flock.  Once this was dry, I colored her hair with a light yellow Copic marker.

I pop dotted the carolers in front of the trees and added some patterned paper and kraft cardstock.  A golden rope is the finishing touch.

Happy Mother's Day

Throughout the month, the Designers from Sparkle N Sprinkle have been pairing Want 2 Scrap chipboard with various products sold at SNS.

For my card today, I started out with the Want 2 Scrap Nestaboard Lacey Ovals and created the background by heat embossing it with Gold Coast embossing powder.  The silhouette is a Dreamweavers stencil that I laid on top and then pressed VersaMark embossing ink through the openings.  After carefully removing the stencil, I covered the embossing ink with Amethyst Spray embossing powder and heat set it.

Once this had cooled, I added Nuvo Crystal Drops (Buttermilk) around the perimeter of oval.  I let these dots set up for a few minutes as I only wanted some of the Crystal Drops to be covered with glitter, then I sprinkled Hyacinth glitter over the semi-wet drops.  This allowed some of the Crystal Drops to be covered with glitter and some of them to remain the original color.

The green oval frame is part of a die from Cheery Lynn Designs (Emperor Swan).  The white die cuts are from Sue Wilson Designs (Noble die collection: Ornate Pierced Rectangles) and the sentiment is two Sweet Wordlet dies from Die-Versions (Happy, Mother's Day).  I added some Amethyst Spray embossing powder to a scrap of cardstock, heat set it, and then cut out my words.

For a finishing touch, I combined a couple different Mon Ami Gabby (White/Gold 7/8"; Carmel/Gold 7/8") pull ribbons together to create a ribbon flower.

Pagoda

Have you seen the new Asian dies recently released from Die-Versions?  If not, you should definitely check them out.  I want all of them :-).

For today's card, I used the new Pagoda die.  I started out by die cutting it out of white cardstock and a piece of red fun foam.  I used my Copic markers to color the pagoda. Bright yellow paper was adhered to the back of the die cut for the little cut outs.

Once I was happy with the coloring, I heat embossed the entire thing with Clear embossing powder by Ranger.  I love how this makes it look like the pagoda is painted with glossy paint.  Then I adhered this to the fun foam for more dimension.

For the background, I started out with a piece of watercolor paper and used a Dreamweaver stencil (Cherry Blossoms) to add the flowers using Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  I free-handed the mountains in the background using the Zig markers.  The sky was also watercolored with these Zig markers and a aqua brush.

Remember you can use the code anne15 to receive 15% off your Die-Versions purchase.  So what are you waiting for?  Have fun shopping :-).

Cherry Blossoms

 Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's

 Dec 1 Blog Hop!

This month the Designers were given a Surprise Package full of products found at the SNS Shoppe and were asked to create projects with these products.  So sit back, enjoy the Hop and get ready to have those creative juices flowing!

On Dec 3rd, ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be selected from the comments left on the Designers' blogs listed below. Please leave a comment with each Designer in order to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  You never know who the Mystery Designer will be that has the winning comment.

The Grand Prize Winner, which will be announced on the SNS Facebook page and on the SNS Blog, will receive a $20 gift certificate to go shopping at the SNS Shoppe.

The Blog Hop order this month is:

Anne (you are here)
Shona
Jess
Belinda
Marie
Eret
Irit

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

We would also like to thank all the Guest Designers who joined us this year: Diane, Ashley, Ani, Chris, Irit, and Jess.  It was a pleasure having each of you on the team as Guest Designers!

We hope you enjoy the Surprise Blog Hop as much as we do.  Thanks for joining us and remember to comment on each of the Designers' blogs to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  

 Wonder who the Mystery Host will be this month????

The Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge also begins today.  There are lots of prizes and recognition badges.  Come check out how you can become a SNS Featured Artist as well.  The theme is always Anything Goes using Loose Glitter, Embossing Powder, and/or Flock.


Have you checked out the SNS YouTube Channel featuring Demo Donna?  If not, then you are in for a real treat.  Subscribe today to get all the latest Demo Donna tips and techniques!



Now a little about my project.

Some of the items I received in my Surprise package were the Dreamweaver Cherry Blossom stencil, Clear Embossable Acetate, Mon Ami Gabby flat backed Pearl Mesh, Want 2 Scrap chipboard and self adhesive bling, plus a few other things as well.

I knew I wanted to incorporate acetate and the stencil, so I set out to experiment on a couple of things.  First off, the embossing paste I had was white and I wanted pink.  So I added a little Nuance powder (Scarlet and a small bit of Turquoise) to the white and mixed it together on my craft mat.  The Nuance colored the paste beautifully.  I also wasn't sure how the paste would look on the clear acetate since you can see both sides.  As you see in the photo below, it looks good.  The darker spots on the flowers are where the powders were still concentrated in certain areas.  If you don't like these concentrated areas, spend a little more time combining the Nuance powders into the embossing paste.  Once the embossing paste was dry, I added some Mon Ami Gabby flat backed pearls to the centers with a dab of Brushable glue.

inside

The acetate was framed using a Simon Says Stamp die (Stitched Rectangles) and then some Mon Ami Gabby pull ribbon was adhered along the edges.  I also added a thin line of glue around the frame's outside edge using a Sakura glue pen and covering it with Sparkling Snow glitter.  The sentiment is another die from Taylored Expressions that I die cut from fun foam and added more Sparkling Snow glitter to the letters.

The card base was created from watercolor paper so that I could watercolor the inside panel of the card.  I used Nuance powders (Turquoise) to create my sky background.  The birch trees are a die from Taylored Expressions and I highlighted certain areas of the trunks with a Sakura glue pen and Sparkling Snow glitter.

I'm first on the blog hop today, so your next stop is Shona.  Be sure to visit each of the Designers for your chance to win the $20 gift certificate to the SNS Shoppe.

What!?!!

front

open

My flip/swing card uses the new mid-month release of the Cool Chicks stamp sets from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  I used digi versions of all the images and sentiments.

The flip card was die cut using a Sizzix steel rule die (Cards, Square Flip It) and was cut out of watercolor paper.  Ken Oliver's Color Bursts were used to give color to the watercolor paper.  I started out by placing a Dreamweaver stencil (Feathers- Large) onto the right hand side of the card and sprinkling a little blue and violet Color Bursts into the openings of the stencil.  Then I spritzed the entire area with water.  The metallic parts in the feather are just concentrated areas of the Color Burst.

Once the feather was dry,  I wadded up a small piece of paper towel and dabbed it into the extra Color Burst that was on my craft sheet.  I then dabbed the paper towel onto the rest of the card (front and back).  I also randomly added little dots of Dimensional Glue to the entire card front and covered them with Orchid glitter.

Both images were colored with Copic markers and placed on the swing panel.  Orchid glitter was also added to the flower and the shoes of the bird on the front panel.  Glossy Accents was added to her beak.

When you flip the panel to the interior image, you can see the surprise reaction.  Her beak was printed twice so I could add a little extra dimension and it was also covered with Glossy Accents.

Steampunk Girl

We have a new challenge #22 beginning today at the Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme for this bi-monthly challenge is Steampunk, plus use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.  They sell over 40 brands of dies, so you most likely already have some on hand.

The dies used in this project are:
Elizabeth Crafts Designs: Garden Patch and Mini Petals
Taylored Expressions - Sprockets
Die-Versions - Lacey Dots

I started out by using a digi image from Aurura Wings and colored her with Copic markers.  The rose on her hat is the Mini Petals die.  These aren't hard to make, but it would definitely be easier if you plan to make a bunch of these at one time.  

The background uses a Dreamweavers stencil (LJ911-Gears), which was dry embossed and then Staz-On Cotton White ink was run over the top of the raised areas.  The Taylored Expression's Sprockets were heat embossed using Blackened Bronze embossing powder form Sparkle N Sprinkle.  As I always associate lace with steampunk (and gears), the Lacey Dots border was a perfect addition to this steampunk card.

Be sure to head on over to the Scrapy Land Challenge to see what the rest of the design team has created for you.  You have until August 2nd to upload your steampunk inspired project.  The winner will receive a $15 gift card to go shopping at Scrapy Land.

Steampunk Hat

I have to admit, Steampunk is a bit out of my comfort zone, but when someone described it as Victorian meets Industrial, it made more sense to me :-).  So today, I'm using the new Steampunk Hat from Die-Versions as the focal point of my card.

After die cutting it out of watercolor paper, I used several Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to color the image and just a little bit of water.  To tone it down some, I added white Wink of Stella on top.  The gears on the hat were inked using a VersaMarker, covered with Silver Bells embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle and heat set.  I also added a pearl string from Mon Ami Gabby.

The background was created using white cardstock and a Dreamweaver stencil (Gears) and embossing paste.  While the embossing paste was still wet, I sprinkled Blackened Bronze and Silver Detail embossing powders on it and then heat set it.  When you heat set embossing paste, it tends to make the paste bubble and that was exactly what I wanted.  It gave it a rough texture plus the Blackened Bronze gave it a rusted look to certain spots.  To add color to the white cardstock, several Distress Stains were applied.  I kept adding different colors until I was happy with the results.  And since most embossing pastes act as a resist, the Distress Stains didn't change the color of my gears.

Some floral paper, lace and a rosette (plus a couple more layers :-) ) add my finishing touches .

Gilded Peacock

Today I'm sharing another Dreamweaver stencil and yet another way to use these stencils.  As you probably know, all month long the designers from Sparkle N Sprinkle are showcasing various techniques using Dreamweaver stencils.

I've basically used the Double Glitter technique, but I tweaked it on the Peacock stencil.  Instead of just using glitter, I also added flock and gilded flakes to the focal point.

I started off by rubbing the Hawaiian Soap across the back of the stencil before placing it down onto the Sticker Paper.  By doing this step, it allows the sticker paper to be easily removed from the stencil.

Then I added Palm Leaf flock to the branches and swirls behind the peacock and around most of the edges.  Priceless Peacock glitter was added to the head and part of the wing and Red Tiger Leaf gilded leaf was added to the tail and part of the edges.  I incorporated a little of each of the products into the tail section to give it more depth.

After removing the stencil, I sprinkled a little more Priceless Peacock glitter onto the background with my fingertips and then covered the rest of the background with Lavender Iris glitter.

The die cut panel peeking out from behind the focal point is from Taylored Expressions (Proud Peacock Cutting Plate) and I added touches of SNS Brushable glue to the centers of each of the feathers and covered them with Priceless Peacock glitter.  The sentiment, a die cut from Penny Black (Doodles) was cut from sticker paper and covered with more Priceless Peacock  glitter.

I have to say that this project feels so good to the touch.  It's amazing how soft the flocking is.  You just want to keep rubbing your fingers over the background.

Beauty in Nature

All month long, the designers at Sparkle N Sprinkle have been working with Dreamweaver stencils and creating projects using various techniques.  For my card today, I used the Bare Trees Dreamweaver Stencil and Pearlescent Embossing Paste.

After following the normal steps of using embossing paste and a stencil, I let the design dry overnight.  As I've mentioned in other posts, most embossing pastes act as a resist, but Pearlescent embossing paste does not.  It takes on a soft hue of the color you applied to the entire design.  In this case, that was exactly what I was going for so I added Gathered Twig Distress Stain to the front, making sure to go over the tree trunks throughly.  After I was happy with the results, I did wipe off the excess ink from the embossing paste.  It left a soft pearlescent cream color for the backdrop to the trees.

The sentiment is part of the Nesting Birds stamp set and was stamped onto Velvet Sparkle embossing powder with Archival Ink (Coffee).  A Spellbinders tag (Labels Eight) was used to die cut the sentiment.  The Chevron strip behind the sentiment was die cut from Sticker Paper using a MFT die (Chevron stripe) and then covered with Bronze Splendor glitter.

The two panels behind the focal point were dry embossed using a Darice embossing folder (Fall Leaf) and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink was lightly dragged across the top of each using the direct to paper method.   A bit of jute adds the finishing touch.

Angel

During the month of May, the Designers at Sparkle N Sprinkle are sharing various techniques using Dreamweaver stencils.  Today, I want to share the Angel stencil and the technique I used was to dry emboss with it.  You could use a light box and trace around the stencil, but I used my die cutting machine.

Everyone's sandwich for dry embossing with a stencil will vary depending on the machine used.  I use a Grand Calibur and my sandwich for this technique is:

1. Base Plate A 
2. Stencil
3. Card stock
4. Silicone Mat
5. Fun Foam (cut to size of base plate)
6. Embossing Plate B (the pink one)

Once the image was dry embossed onto my cardstock, I treated it as if it were a stamped image and colored it with my Copic markers.  This gives you the same effect as no-lines stamping.

After the image was complete, I placed the stencil back on the image and I added a thin layer of white embossing paste to the angel's wings and to the dove.  Remove the stencil (drop in a bucket of sudsy water) and cover the wet embossing paste with  Sparkling Snow glitter.  Allow this to completely dry.  I also added some Golden Silver glitter to the halo (using a Sakura glue pen) and Goldenrod glitter to the star.  (Tip: you could have used SNS Dimensional glue and get the same results.  You have to be careful not to squeeze to hard in the narrow areas.)

My background is a piece of fabric that I adhered to cardstock.  I added some SNS Brushable glue to the edges, smeared it inward with my fingertip and then covered the glue with Cloud Nine velvet glitter for a sparkly edge.  I also added Cloud Nine to my die cut sentiment (from Die-Versions).

Red velvet ribbon and gold mirrored cardstock for the base finish the card of nicely.

Fill Life with Happiness {SNS May Reveal}

Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's

 May 1 New Reveal Blog Hop!

This month we are doing something a little different.  Instead of releasing new stamp sets, all the Designers have been creating projects with Dreamweaver stencils, using various techniques and products.

Be sure to visit the SNS Blog all month long, as well as the Designers' blogs (you can click on the Designers' names to go directly to their blogs) to see different techniques used with the stencils.   Each Designer always posts 2 different projects to the SNS Blog and 4 different projects to their personal blogs each month.   

Some of the techniques you see throughout the month is dry embossing with your stencil; double glitter technique; combining embossing pastes with glitter, embossing powders, flock, and/or guilded flakes; using the embossing paste as a resist; double embossing paste technique and lots of other fun ideas.

 All Dreamweaver stencils, soap, and embossing pastes are 20% off until May 3.  So once you finish the blog hop, head on over to the store and start shopping.  

Large Feather is the stencil featured with this month's Technique Video Kit.

On May 3, one GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be selected from the comments left on the Designers' blogs.  Please leave a comment with each Designer in order to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  You never know who the Mystery Designer will be that has the winning comment.  

The winner will be able to choose $55 worth of any products listed under the Stencils and Templates category, plus mica powders (Pearl Ex) and of course, glitters, embossing powders, flock, and sticker paper or adhesive sheets.

The Grand Prize Winner will be announced on June 3 on the SNS Facebook page, the Designer's blogs, and here on the SNS Blog.  

We are pleased to have Diane and Ashley, two of our 2015 Guest Designers, joining us again this month. They will be our Guest Designers for the months of April, May, and June.

The Blog Hop order this month is:

Eret

Anne

Ashley

Marie

Belinda

Diane

Shona

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

We love reading your comments and hope that we have inspired you as well.  If you can not leave a comment for some reason, please email icinganne@yahoo.com with your comment and the name of the blog or the Designer you are commenting about.

The Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge also begins today.  There are lots of prizes and recognition badges.  Come check out how you can become a SNS Featured Artist as well.  The theme is always Anything Goes using Loose Glitter, Embossing Powder, and/or Flock.

We hope you enjoy the New Reveal Blog Hop as much as we do.  Thanks for joining us and remember to comment on each of the Designers' blogs to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  Last month Diane was the Mystery Designer with the winning comment.  Wonder who it will be this month??

Now here's a bit about how I created my project.  I'm using what I call the Double Embossing Paste technique.  I started off by laying down the Damask Dreamweaver stencil onto white cardstock and I applied Black Matte embossing paste over it.  (Be sure to clean your stencil and palette knife as soon as you are finished).  Once the black embossing paste was dry, I laid the stencil on top of the dry black embossing paste and then applied Crackle embossing paste over the top.  Let dry throughly.  The black embossing paste undercoat lets the cracks from the Crackle embossing powder be more pronounced.

Did you know that most embossing pastes act as a resist?  Well, they do.  With that in mind, I inked up my card base with Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry and Shabby Shutter).  I wiped off the excess ink from the embossing paste.  Once the color was added, you can see the cracks left from the crackle embossing paste even better.

The sentiment, from the Life Is Beautiful stamp set, was applied to vellum using the Glue-less Glitter technique.  This very easy way to apply glitter was done by stamping the sentiment with Versamark onto the vellum, covering it with Dogwood Rose glitter, and then heat setting it.  Once heat set, the glitter will not rub off.  You can watch the SNS You-Tube video here.  The small dragonfly, from the Buggy die set by Die-Versions, was heat embossed using Pebbled Copper embossing powder.  

The fabric flowers were layered and I added Bubble Gum glitter to one of the layers and Glossy Accents to a few of the petals to replicate dew drops.

To finish the card, I applied strips of 1/4" Tear-ific Tape around the edges of my card base and covered them with more Dogwood Rose glitter.


I hope you enjoyed the techniques I used today and will try them soon.  Now it's time to head on over to Ashley's blog to see what she's created using Dreamweaver stencils.  Don't forget to leave each of us a comment as we never know who the Mystery Designer is that will have the winning comment.

Pearls and Lace {Scrapy Land #16}

It's time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme for this challenge is to use Pearls and/or Lace, plus use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells on your project.

I thought this would be a perfect theme for a Mother's Day card.  I started out by creating a silhouette using a Dreamweaver's stencil (Cameo) and embossing paste.  While the embossing paste was still wet, I sprinkled Cloud Nine velvet glitter onto the silhouette itself (but not the frame around the silhouette) and then let it dry overnight.  Once the embossing paste was dry, I die cut the image using a Spellbinders die (Classic ovals) and then spritzed it with a shimmer mist I created using the Marion Smith Color Lab Paint kit. The dry embossing paste acts as a resist and the mist doesn't adhere.  As soon as I had spritzed the entire thing,  I used a paper towel to soak up the shimmer mist from the paste. Lace was then adhered to the back of my oval to create a frame.

Memory Box's Elliana background die was used as the backdrop for the framed silhouette.  After die cutting it out, I applied VersaMark to the entire area and then heat set it with Pink Delight embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle.

I created my sentiment on the computer and printed it out onto vellum.  Clear embossing powder was then applied to the printer ink and heat set.

I also created a lace flower and added a length of pearl string form Mon Ami Gabby to the back of the flower.  The larger pearls on the string were colored a soft pink using a Copic marker.

Now it's your turn to create a project following this week's theme.  You'll have until April 26th to upload it to the Scrapy Land Challenge and the winner, who is chosen by the Designers, will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at the Scrapy Land store.

Musical Kids

Die-Versions new release this month is all about music and I've incorporated four of the new dies into this card, plus a few handmade flowers that remind me of carnations.  The new releases are the Music Stand, Musical Boy, Musical Girl, and Harmony Wee Petites (music notes).

I started out by creating my background using a technique which combines embossing powder and embossing paste.  (You can see a video of it here by Jennifer McGuire.)  I placed the Dreamweaver metal stencil down onto white cardstock and applied the embossing paste.  After carefully removing the stencil, I covered it with Lagoon Blue embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle and let it completely dry.

Once it was dry (I waited a couple hours), I heat set the embossing powder.  This gave it a really nice, but subtle, shimmer.  I didn't like the white background, so I spritzed the entire thing with Dylusions Ink Spray (Dirty Martini).  The raised embossing paste/embossing powder design acted like a resist and I was able to take a paper towel and remove all the ink from that portion, leaving a nice variegated background.

I wanted the boy and girl in silhouette and decided they were playing a duet together.  The little girl is pop dotted beside the boy to give the illusion she's standing right beside him, reading the sheet music from the music stand.

After adhering everything together, I felt it needed a little something more.  I remembered seeing these flowers several years ago and decided to make a few.  It's so easy too.... just die cut or punch a bunch of scalloped circles, all the same size.  Then lightly spritz them with water or a spritz (I added Smooch Spritz Vanilla Shimmer) to soften the fibers of the paper.  This allows you to crumple them up in a ball easier.  Once they are dry, punch a hole in the center and begin threading the layers through a brad.  Unfurl the layers as you go.  You can add as many or as few layers as you want to determine the size of the flower.  As I mentioned, these remind me of the carnations I taught people how to make out of gum paste or fondant for cakes.

You're definitely going to want to check out this new release as well as what the rest of the DV Dynamos have come up with.  I think you're going to be pretty impressed.

I'm entering this in the Dreamweaver's challenge: February Flutters.