Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Christmas Goose {Sparkle N Sprinkle Reveal}



Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's
 July 1 New Reveal Blog Hop!

We have FOUR new stamp sets to share with you today.  These new sets are 20% off until July 3.  So once you finish the blog hop, head on over to the store and start shopping.  All of the new sets are available on cling mounted rubber or as a digital image.  Christmas Goose 721  is the stamp set featured with this month's Technique Video Kit.
The sets are:


3 Wisemen 720   (digi version DIGI720M)
Christmas Goose 721   (digi version DIGI721B)
Reindeer 722   (digi version DIGI722J)
Tree Scene 723   (digi version DIGI723J)


On July 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 Grand Prize Winner, which will be announced on July 3 on the SNS Facebook page and here on the SNS Blog, will receive ALL of the new stamp sets released this month (or the digi versions, if preferred).

In addition to our regular Designers, we are happy to introduce you to two new Guest Designers this month.  Ani and Chris will be our Guest Designers for the months of July, August, and September.  We'd also like to say Thank You to our first set of Guest Designers, Diane and Ashley, for a job well done!

The Blog Hop order this month is:


(*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 hope you enjoy the New Reveal Blog Hop as much as we have enjoyed creating new projects for it.  We also hope that we have inspired you as well.  Thanks for joining us and remember to comment on each of the Designers' blogs to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  (We love reading them too since your comments also inspire us.)  Last month the winning comment came from Eret's blog.  Who will be the Mystery Designer this month?? 





The Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge also begins today with lots of prizes and recognition badges.  Find out how you can become a SNS Featured Artist with special recognition on the SNS Facebook page as well as the Creative Challenge Winner's post.  From time to time, we also have special prizes just for Featured Artists.  The theme is always Anything Goes using Loose Glitter, Embossing Powder, and/or Flock.


I've chosen Christmas Goose for my Reveal project this month because I know exactly how he feels when it comes to stringing Christmas lights :-).  I used the digi version as I wanted him pretty large.  After coloring the image with Copic markers, dimensional glue was added to the light bulbs and then covered with Terrific Blue glitter and Crystal Ice glitter.

A Sue Wilson die (Noble - Ornate Pierced Rectangles) was used for the frame and covered with more Terrific Blue glitter using the Glueless Glitter technique and the Spanish Collection-Cordoba die was used for the sentiment (also digi).  I outlined the stitching on this die cut with a Sakura glue pen and covered it with Terrific Blue glitter.

I'm the last one on the blog hop this month and we hope you've enjoyed seeing all the projects using the new reveals.  In order to win the Grand Prize (all of the stamp sets released this month), you will need to leave a comment on each of the Designers' blogs.  You never know who the Mystery Designer will be.  Will it be one of the Guest Designers or one of the regulars?  Only time will tell...

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Rose Watercolor painting


This past weekend I was fortunate enough to go take a Color Burst class with Ken Oliver.  He's a great instructor and we all had lots of laughs.  The class was held at the Scrapbook Village in Glasgow, KY.  You can also have a scrapbooking retreat there at the Butterfly Haven Retreat with some of your closest friends.

This was my first attempt at watercolor painting an actual flower (that wasn't a die cut or a stamped image) with Color Bursts, based on tips Ken shared in his class.  Lots of room for improvement, but I'm pretty happy with it. :-).

The background die is a Die-Versions die (Pebbles Background) that was inked up with VersaMark, covered with Sparkle embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle, and heat set.  The side of the card was die cut using a Sue Wilson Designs die (Gemini Collection:URSA).

To highlight the negative spaces of the die cut more, I added a strip of watercolor paper, using more Blue Color Burst, to the inside.  I also added a small strip of rick rack on the inside to cover the seam.

The sentiment, a Memory Box die (Thanks), was also die cut from watercolor paper.  I added a darker Blue wash to it so it would stand out more and used my favorite technique to add dimension behind it - fun foam.


I love learning new things!  Any suggestions for improvement would be much appreciated.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Hello mini magazine holder



Here is a quick, just for fun, post today.  I used the Splitcoast Stampers mini magazine tutorial to create this note card holder for a friend.  I used the My Favorite Things Smart Phone dies to accent both sides.  A strip of glitter adds just the right amount of bling. :-)


TGIF.... Have a happy weekend!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The Right Shoes



Todays card features the new Ballet Shoes stamp set and sentiment.  The sentiment was the driving force behind the design.  I used the Die-Versions Old Globe West die for my backdrop.  The globe stand was heat embossed with Silver Dust embossing powder and the sentiment was heat embossed using Black Detail embossing powder.



 The shoes were stamped with VersaMark and heat embossed using Pink Lady embossing powder and then lightly colored with Copic markers. Carnation glitter was added to the ties.
  
Carnation glitter was also used to create my glitter bow.  If you don't know how to create a glitter bow, it's really easy.  Start out by taking a strip of Tear-ific Tape and expose one side of the adhesive.  Apply the glitter to that side; burnish it into the adhesive with your finger.  Then take the protective strip off the other side, exposing the adhesive a little at a time.  Cover the exposed adhesive, move on to another section, and continue this process until the tape is completely covered in glitter.  Then tie a bow as if it were regular ribbon.


Monday, June 22, 2015

Two Tickets to Paradise

notecard and envelope

I have a very colorful notecard and coordinating envelope to brighten your day today.  All of the dies are newly released from Die-Versions.

To start out, the Jumping Dolphins were used on the envelope and were watercolored using Distress Inks (Pumice Stone, Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Ripe Persimmon, Abandoned Coral, and Mustard Seed).
card front

The front of the card showcases the new Beach Turtles, which were colored with Copic markers and the shapes on the shells and the sentiment (created using the DV Frank font) were watercolored with Distress Inks (Ripe Persimmon, Abandoned Coral, and Mustard Seed).

inside of notecard


inside, left panel
The same colors of Distress Ink were used for the inside  as well (Ripe Persimmon, Abandoned Coral, and  Mustard Seed).  The Tiki was die cut from watercolor  paper and a black background was placed behind it.  The sentiment is the new Nautical font.


inside, right panel
The colors are even more bright and colorful in person and makes you dream about being on a beach somewhere enjoying life :-).

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Key to my Heart



This week's Scrapy Land Challenge was an easy one for me.  The theme is Use Your Favorite Color plus any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.  Hope that it's obvious that my favorite color is RED.

The dies I used for this tag were all from Die-Versions:
Die-Versions: Vintage Heart Locket
Die-Versions: Vintage Keys
Die-Versions: Frank font
Die-Versions: Heart Doodles

Deco Foil is such a hot trend right now and I wanted to join in on the fun.  There are lots of You Tube videos out there showing you how to use a laminating machine, how to use embossing powder, how to use Thermo-Web's specifically designed adhesive, and the list goes on and on.   Well, I didn't feel like fooling with my laminating machine and I didn't have the special adhesive, but.....I thought "Why won't it work with my SNS Tear-ific Tape?  It's super sticky and holds just about anything."  So I gave it a go and am so happy with the results.

I used my 2 1/2" double sided Tear-ific Tape and adhered one side to cardstock and die cut out my Vintage Locket, Heart Doodles and my letters.  Next, I peeled off the protective liner from the die cuts and placed the Deco Foil (non colored side) against the adhesive.  I burnished the foil into the adhesive with my fingertip and peeled off the remaining piece of Deco Foil.  I didn't have any bare spots or gaps or wrinkles.  Worked like a charm!  (Of course, after I did this and created my project, I saw yet another blog where that person thought the same thing I did and used the adhesive she had on hand.  Great minds.... :-).)

If you frequent my blog, you'll know that one of my favorite ways to add dimension to a die cut is to use fun foam.  What if you don't have any fun foam handy?  What do you do then?  Well, die cut 3 or 4 pieces of the shape you want and glue them together.  That's what I did today for the key.  I then covered the top layer with Versamark, sprinkled a heavy amount of Silver Lightning embossing powder on it, and heat setting it (after replacing the excess embossing powder back into my container.

I did use fun foam to add dimension to my KEY letters and adhered them to the fun foam after applying the Deco Foil.


For the background on my manilla tag, I started out by adding Distress Ink (Spun Sugar) to the entire thing.  Then I used my Falling Snow stencil and added Tattered Rose and Victorian Velvet Distress Inks.  It left a soft background which made the red Deco Foil pop even more.   A couple layers of lace and ribbon finish off my vintage looking tag quite nicely.  The ribbon was white and I dyed it using the same colors of Distress Stains.

Now it's your turn to upload your project using your favorite colors to the Scrapy Land Challenge #20.  Be sure to include any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.  You will have until June 28th and the winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Life Is Better


Instead of creating a card today, I decided to create a "mini portrait" that could be displayed on a small easel stand.  The Life Is Better stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle was used to create this mini portrait.

The image was stamped onto watercolor paper and heat embossed with Black Detail embossing powder.  Distress Markers were used to add color to this little Pomeranian.  A Spellbinders Circle die cut the image and the edges were distressed with Distress Ink (Tea Dye).

The matting was dry embossed with a Sue Wilson Designs embossing folder (Eternity) and then more Distress Inks were added (Festive Berries, Tea Dye, Gathered Twigs).

The "frame" was an experiment where I cut strips of semi-glossy white cardstock and mitered the edges.  These strips were then colored with Gathered Twigs ink.  Next I ran a dot tape runner down the sides and covered the adhesive with Coffee embossing powder and heat set.  This gave me the texture I was looking for.  This adhesive wasn't really heat proof (unlike the SNS Tear-ific tapes, which can take the heat), but I kept the heat far enough away not to scorch the paper, but close enough to melt the embossing powder.

What's a formal portrait without a gold plaque?  To achieve this final part of the equation, I die cut a piece of white cardstock using a Stampendous die (Build a Pop-Up die set) and covered it with VersaMark ink.  Gold Detail embossing powder was added and heat set.  I did this step twice as I wanted it to be nice and smooth.  The "engraving" on the plaque was achieved by stamping the sentiment with VersaMark on top of the Gold Detail.  The embossing ink was covered with Coffee embossing powder and heat set.  Now my mini portrait is complete and ready for any Pomeranian loving dog owner.


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

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 .


Monday, June 8, 2015

Hearts Like Dogs


The new Hearts Like Dogs stamp set from Sparkle N Sprinkle was used for today's project.  I experimented with a couple different things for this and I'm pretty happy with the results.

To start off, I stamped both the shaggy dog and the sentiment at the same time using VersaMark ink.  Then I combined equal parts of Black Detail embossing powder with Clear Detail embossing powder and heat set both the image and sentiment with this combo.  It created a cool salt/pepper type of look.  It's harder to see on the dog's outline, but it's more noticeable on the sentiment.  The Clear Detail allows the color of the base cardstock to show through.

Next, I combined Snow White flock with a touch of Elephant Gray flock to get a soft gray for the main part of the dog's body.  Smokey Black flock and a touch of Snow White flock were mixed together for his hind legs and shadow areas.  These mixtures were adhered to the image with a thin layer of SNS Brushable glue.  Dots of white acrylic paint were added to the white background and covered with Lavender Iris glitter while the paint was still wet.

For the blue sparkly background, I die cut a piece of white cardstock using a Sue Wilson Designs die (New York Collection-Madison Square.  Once the cardstock was die cut, I ran it through again to dry emboss the outside edge.  The entire piece was then covered with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed with Firecracker Blue embossing powder.  This gave it a really sparkly look, but diminished the dry embossing somewhat.  To highlight the edges of the piece, I used the direct to paper method and rubbed Staz-On Cotton White ink along the edges, which brought the dry embossed areas to life again.

MFT dies (Fishtail Flags) were used to die cut the patterned paper below the focal point.  These were then outlined with a Sakura glue pen and covered with Lavender Iris glitter for a subtle sparkle.  The centers of the flowers on the card base were also dotted with a Sakura glue pen and covered with more Lavender Iris glitter.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Prayers {Scrapy Land #19}



Scrapy Land Challenge #19 begins today and the theme for this bi-monthly challenge is Anything Goes using any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.

For today's project, I wanted to create a CAS card and add just a bit of simple quilling.    I die cut my circle for the sentiment using the center section of the Sue Wilson Designs (Italian Collection - Umbria).  The sentiment is from the stamp set Iris Garden by Sparkle N Sprinkle and was stamped using Distress Ink (Peacock Feathers) and then immediately heat embossed with Ranger's Clear embossing powder.


The quilling was arranged around this focal point and after being glued down, was covered with Wink of Stella (Clear) glitter pen.

The background was dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder (Simplicity) and then die cut using a Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Layers die.  I also ran a strip of black cardstock through the same embossing folder, added Wink of Stella to the raised portions and adhered it to the side of the card.

This is a quick and easy card and lets someone know you've been thinking about them.  Be sure to check out what the rest of the team has created for you this time.  You have until June 14 to upload your project and the winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.  Please be sure to include any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells and if you could let us know which dies you used, it would be most appreciated (and extremely helpful).