Stella - Dear Santa

Stella - Dear Santa is one of seven new rubber stamp sets released this month from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  I used the digi version, and after printing it out, Copic markers were used to color the image.  Then I fussy cut out the entire thing.  This message just makes me laugh out loud 😄.

Collegiate Garnet glitter was added to her belt buckle and the word "Santa".  To apply the glitter to the word, first outline it with a glue pen (I used a Sakura glue pen) and then cover with the glitter of your choice.

Green Iris glitter accents her hat and shoes and Nuvo Crystal Drops (Morning Dew) was added to the ornaments. Nuvo Gilding Flakes (Sunkissed Copper) was added to the edges by first applying glue from the large Nuvo glue pen.  Let the glue dry for a little bit.  Once the glue feels tacky to the touch, add the guilding flakes.  Save all the excess and place back in the jar.

Crafters Companion embossing folders were used to create texture on both the circle behind the image (Christmas Merriment) as well as the cranberry layer (Distress).  Distress Ink was used on the circle to have the raised areas pop with a touch of color.

Reindeer in the Woods

Christmas is almost here, so I'm creating lots of Christmas cards at the moment.  The one I have to share with you today features the Reindeer die from Die-Versions and a layering stamp set by Hero Arts.

I started out by stamping the trees in different colors of green to see which combination I liked the best.  I ended up using Memento Ink (Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Leaves) and Brilliance (Pearlescent Ivy).  The top layer for the trees was stamped with VersaMark and heat set with White Spark embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  The background of falling snow was also stamped using one of the stamps from the Hero Arts set.

The snowy banks were hand cut (although the trees ended up covering up most of the banks) and then heat embossed with Sparkle embossing powder.  I added Nuvo Glitter Drops (White Blizzard) for more definition of the banks.

The reindeer was die cut from white cardstock.  I colored his hoofs with a Copic marker and then began adding flock to various the rest of the die cut.  His antlers are covered with Buff flock, his tail with Snow White flock, and his body with Amber Wheat flock.  He is so soft to touch.  Unfortunately the reindeer is temporarily out of stock.

Hope this gives you some more Christmas card ideas. :-)

Winter Birdhouse

Winter Birdhouse is one of the new Bugaboo stamp sets released from Sparkle N Sprinkle this month.  This was so much fun to color with my Copic markers.

A Spellbinders die (Labels Twenty-Five) was used to die cut the image.  Nuvo Crystal and Glitter Drops were used to accent various areas on the image. White Blizzard was applied to the snow and icicles; a double application of Morning Dew was added to the ornaments (let dry between applications); Ruby Slippers to the pom-pom on the bird's pink hat and Bubble Gum glitter was added to the body of the hat.

For the next layer, I used the new Nuvo Glimmer Paste (Blue Topaz).  If you haven't used this product yet, you should definitely put it on your wish/want/NEED list 😀.  I love using embossing paste, but this is so much easier (even though embossing paste is easy to use) and so fun to use.  (It's really hard to describe.)

I placed a The Crafters Workshop stencil (Mini Aboriginal) onto white cardstock and then covered it with Blue Topaz glimmer paste.  After it was dry, I spritzed the cardstock with Dylusions Ink Spray (Lemon Zest).  The glimmer paste acted like a resist and wasn't effected.  This was die cut using the same Spellbinders die and then cut into thirds.  Tear-ific Tape was used to adhere all the layers together.

The sentiment is from a different Bugaboo rubber stamp set, Deer Duo.  I added more Blue Topaz to a white circle and let that dry.  Then I stamped the sentiment from the Deer Duo set with Archival Ink onto the glimmer paste.  I used a marker to color in the letters on the ornaments (STOP).  This was pop- dotted for a bit more dimension.

Snowman Kisses

Today's project features a sweet tag that can be used as an ornament, a tag on a bottle of your favorite vino, or on a present.  The stamp set, Christmas Tag #2 from Sparkle N Sprinkle has two different images that come with it, plus a "to" and "from".

This project is a hybrid as I used the digi image of the snowman (and made it a little bigger) and the rubber for the sentiment.  Copic markers were used to color the image and Nuvo Glitter Drops (White Blizzard) was used to accent the snowflakes.  Luau Green velvet glitter accents his hat.

The to/from, which is on the back of my tag, was stamped with green pigment ink and then heat set with Clear embossing powder.

This colored project was sitting on my desk for a few days while I decided what I wanted to do with it.  While it was there, I received some happy mail which included a Tonic Studios die (Wreath Bauble die set) and the wheels started turning. :-)

I took a piece of Super Adhesive Sheet, adhered one side to white cardstock, and then die cut the wreath.  After removing the protective sheet, I placed the snowman image in the center and then covered the rest of the adhesive with more Luau Green glitter.  An instant tag/ornament/decoration was created once a piece of stretchy string was added through the hole at the top.

Giving Thanks to our Veterans {Scrapy Land Challenge # 54}

It's the third Wednesday of the month and that means it's time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme is Give Thanks, plus use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.  This is perfect since we just celebrated Veterans Day here in the US and are about to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Even though Veterans Day was last week, I wanted to create a card to show that I am thankful for all our Vets.  I was fortunate enough to visit a World War I site and a World War II site this fall (both in France) and it really hit home how much our Veterans sacrifice for this country.  So my card is a small tribute to all they have done and continue to do for us.


The following dies were used:

Die-Versions: A Little Lime font

Die-Versions: Fireworks

Die-Versions: Hero w/ Star

Impression Obsession: All-in-One Frames Rectangles 2

You are also seeing a sneak peek of a new rubber stamp coming out in early 2017.  I colored the image with Copic markers and added Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers to the fireworks explosions and to the firecrackers in the upper left corner.

I used three of the pieces from the All-in-One Frame.  This die cuts all the pieces at the same time, so I die cut it twice: once in black and once in red.  The oval (part of this die set) was pop dotted.  I used the negative pieces from the Hero w/Star die to create this portion of my sentiment.  The rest of the sentiment was created by die cutting the individual letters from the A Little Lime font.

Be sure to visit the rest of the Scrapy Land team to see what their take on this theme is.  I think you'll definitely be inspired.  You'll have until December 4th to upload your project to the Scrapy Land Challenge.  We can't wait to see what you are thankful for.  The winner, chosen by the Design Team, will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.

Spirit of Christmas

My Christmas card combines the Die-Versions Holiday Tag die with a Stampabilities rubber stamp.  For some reason, this die reminds me of those thick winter sweaters.

So, going with that idea in mind, I decided to create a plaid look using Copic markers.  I started out by die cutting the tag out of white cardstock.  Then I chose a couple Copic markers and a Copic multiliner and just winged it.  It was really easy to create this.  I used a piece of graph paper and a ruler.  (The graph paper helped me keep my ruler straight.  I'm one of those that can draw a crooked line using a ruler :-O.)

The sentiment is an older rubber stamp from Stampabilities called Warm Your Heart.  After stamping the message with black Versa Fine, I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.

I also used a couple of the negative pieces from the die cut - the large snowflake and the two smaller ones located below the large one.  Before adhering them back into the main die cut, I added Nuvo Glitter Drops (White Blizzard) to them for for added sparkle.

My die cut was adhered to red mirror cardstock that already had some texture.  This was then added to a piece of pre-glittered cardstock.  A small plaid ribbon was the finishing touch.

Festive Lantern

The Festive Lantern stamp set is one of seven new sets released by Sparkle N Sprinkle this month.   This set includes three stamps: the lantern, the poinsettia cluster, and a sentiment.  That way you can mix and match.  For my project, I used the lantern and the poinsettia cluster.  Both were colored with Copic markers.

To start out, I stamped the lantern image with VersaMark and then covered it with Copper Flame embossing powder. After heat setting from the bottom (this is a chunky embossing powder) and letting it cool, I then sprinkled some Coffee embossing powder on top of the Copper Flame.   This gave it a great two-toned aged look.  Finally, I fussy cut out the open areas of the lantern so that my background would show through (just like a real lantern).  

The poinsettia cluster was stamped with a light ink so that the lines of the stamp would blend into the colored areas.  After fussy cutting this cluster out, I added Sunny Daze glitter to the centers of the poinsettias and outlined the leaves with Lavender Iris glitter.  This was then adhered to the base of the lantern with pop dots.  Lavender Iris glitter was also added to the candle flame.

The background is a die cut from Sue Wilson Designs (Festive Collection - Snowflake Background) that I covered with VersaMark and then heat set with White Spark embossing powder.  With this particular die, you can leave the oval in the center solid.  I wanted this to have a yellow glow from the "candle", so I colored that portion of the embossing powder with a marker.

The next layer was dry embossed using a Tonic Studio embossing folder (Simple Stripes).   This is an 8" x 8" folder with a "frame" around the outside edge, so you'll want to be careful where you place your cardstock.  That way the parts you want to get embossed will. :-).  All of these layers were adhered to the white card base using Tear-ific Tape.

A strip of ribbon and my die cut sentiment are the final touches.  The sentiment was created from a Die-Versions Sweet Wordlets (Merry Christmas) die.  To add sparkle and shimmer the sentiment, I added a bit of VersaMark to a scrap piece of paper, heat embossed Sparkle embossing powder, and then die cut the words.  For me, this is a quicker way to get bling on a smaller die cut instead of doing it after they have been die cut.

Merci {Scrapy Land #53}

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It's November!  Where did the year go??? Since it's the first Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge!  The theme for this challenge is Anything Goes using any brand of dies that Scrapy Land sells.  (If you haven't checked out the new look of the website, you definitely should.  It's easy to navigate and looks great.  The Products page is where you will find all the brands of dies that Scrapy Land sells.  There are some new companies on the list too. :-).)

Here are the dies used to create this project:

Sizzix - Ticket-Fold A Long
Taylored Expressions - Thanks
Elizabeth Craft Designs - Merci
Joy Crafts - Eiffel Tower (this was a special order from SL, but here are several other choices)

For my card today, I created a thank you card for a friend that helped me out while I was on vacation. (Unfortunately, her mailman stole the card and all she got was an empty envelope that had been resealed.  So, from now on I'm going to tape the back too. :-). )

I started out die-cutting the base of the card with a Sizzix gate fold die (Ticket - Fold A Long) and G45 papers.  I die cut both sentiments twice for added dimension and added Nuvo Embellishment Mousse (Mother of Pearl) to my Eiffel Tower so that the details of the die cut would show.

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Here are some close ups of each section:

The center section (with the Eiffel Tower) can either be adhered permanently or slipped through the pre-cut tabs.  If you slip the piece into the tabs, then you can write your message on the back.

So again, thank you Lori for all your help.  I'm sorry that you only get to see the pictures though and not the real thing. :-)

Be sure to visit the Scrapy Land Challenge and see what amazing projects the rest of the team has created for you.  Then upload your own project using the InLinkz button.  You'll have until November 13 to play with us.  The winner, chosen by the Design Team, will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.