Saturday, April 30, 2016

Nasturtium 2 {SNS May Reveal}



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

We have six new stamp sets to share with you today.  These new sets are 20% off until May 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.  


The sets are:


 Gone Fishing 778 (digi version DIGI778)
 Just Go Fishing 779 (digi version DIGI779)
  Summer Grilling #1 780 (digi version DIGI780)
Summer Grilling #2 781 (digi version DIGI781)
Nasturtium #1 782 (digi version DIGI782)
Nasturtium #2 783 (digi version DIGI783)


On May 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 ALL of the new stamp sets released this month (or the digi versions, if preferred).


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 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 card.

I used the digi version of Nasturtium #2 to create both the card front and the background mat of my reveal card.

To start out, I designed a three panel card front which I printed and then colored with Copic markers.   I used the same design for the background.  Instead of printing the images out in black ink, I changed the ink color to a light green, increased the size of each panel, and then printed it.

The sentiment, which is part of the set, was printed out onto vellum paper and then heat set with Clear embossing powder.  I placed the vellum on top of the colored panel and then framed the entire piece using a die cut from Simon Says Stamp (Stitched Rectangles).  Using the Glueless Glitter Technique, Orchid Rose velvet glitter was added to the frame for a big splash of color.  The frame was also pop dotted for more visual interest.

A piece of light pink tulle was added for the bottom as the finishing touch.

Your next stop on the blog hop is Shona.  Be sure to leave a comment for each designer so you'll be eligible to win each of the six new stamp sets revealed this month.  You never know who the Mystery Designer will be.


Friday, April 29, 2016

Make A Wish


There are so many things you can create with the new Stitched Nesting Stars dies from Die-Versions.  As I usually do when I get a new die, I cut the shapes out from scraps of cardstock to get a better feel for what I want to create with them.  As I was tossing these around my desk, they sort of overlapped and it sparked an idea of creating a star-filled night sky.

A few years ago, I had seen a demo of painting with embossing powders and it stuck with me.  That's what I decided I wanted to try for this project.  It's definitely a trial and error type of technique - you just keep adding embossing powders and playing with it until you're happy with the results.  For this background, I used Ranger embossing powders (Turquoise and Blue Glass).

I started out by covering the cardstock with the lighter Turquoise embossing powder.  Then I began sprinkling the Blue Glass on top and heating it from underneath so that the powder wouldn't blow away.  I kept adding a little of one and then the other until I thought it looked like a night sky.


I also used a different medium on each of the stars for various sparkle.  The largest star was heat embossed using Stampendous Star Dust embossing powder.  The medium solid star was heat embossed with Clear embossing powder and the small solid star was heat embossed with Opaline embossing powder.  Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers added the additional bling to the open star.

My sentiment is a Sweet Wordlet and was also covered with the Sparkle markers.  The black card base represents deep, deep space and Nuvo Glitter Drops by Tonic Studios (Midnight Sky) give it the added shimmer and sparkle. :-)

Don't forget to use the code anne15 to get 15% of your Die-Versions order.  Just add the code to your cart at checkout for added savings.


Monday, April 25, 2016

Some Bunny Loves You


Today's card features two of the new Die-Versions dies from the most recent release: Bunny and Curly Fries font.  And, as you might have guessed by reading the sentiment, today is my anniversary.  My how time flies! :-)

To create this anniversary card, I die cut the bunny on the left from double sided adhesive and used the Kiss Cut technique, a technique where you cut through the top layer but not the base layer for this bunny.  I carefully removed the negative pieces and added Toffee Flower Soft to the exposed adhesive areas.  Polar White Flower Soft was added to his tail, a little Pink Spirit flock was applied to his nose, and then Nut Brown Flower Soft was added to the rest of his body.



The bunny on the right was run through my Xyron machine.  Elephant Grey flock was added to the body, Pink Spirit flock to the nose, and Polar White Flower Soft to the tail.   I wanted both of their tails to be more dimensional (like the big cotton tailed bunnies we have around here), so I applied some Dimensional Glue and added a lot more Polar White Flower Soft.

The background was created using watercolor paper and Color Bursts (Ultramarie Blue, Violet, Pthalo Green, and Terre Verte).  The letters for my sentiment were die cut from the Curly Fries font, which also coordinates with the new Curly Words that were introduced during this release.

Happy 29th Anniversary to my sweet hubby who lets me work in my craft room as much as I want!

Be sure to use the code anne15 to get 15% off your next order from Die-Versions.  Happy shopping :-).

Friday, April 22, 2016

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.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

friends {Scrapy Land #40}



It's already the third Wednesday of the month and time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme for this challenge is Think Spring, plus use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.  Spring is definitely underway here in the South and everything is blooming and everyone is sprucing up their yards.

I used two different Die-Versions dies, the new Curly Words - friends die and lots of the elements from the Garden Gazebo die:


The image is a digi image from Make It Crafty (Girls Secret Swing).  I created the background and colored the image with Copic markers.

All of the elements from the Garden Gazebo die were colored with Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers.  Clear Sparkle marker was used on the friends die cut, although the camera didn't pick it up very well.

I also die cut the friends sentiment four times and adhered the layers to each other to create a thicker sentiment.  Normally, I use fun foam for added dimension but I wanted it to be even thicker.

Be sure to visit the Scrapy Land Challenge blog to see what the rest of this amazing team has created for you.  You'll have until Sunday, May 1 to upload your Spring inspired project.  The winner, chosen by the design team, will receive a $15 gift certificate to go shopping at Scrapy Land.


Monday, April 18, 2016

Thinking About You


This month at Sparkle N Sprinkle, the designers are combining SNS products with chipboard from Want 2 Scrap.  For today's card, I used the painting with embossing powder technique on both the bird and the background.  This post is photo heavy with step by steps of how the chipboard was painted. 

To start off, I usually add White embossing powder to the naked chipboard.  If you are using brighter colors, this allows the truer color to show; otherwise it is a darker shade because of the brown base.

The background for my bird is the Fleur de Lis Nestaboard and I chose three different colors of blue to create the sky: Bracing Blue, By the Lake, and Sky Blue Spark.  I used the Stampendous Boss Gloss Embossing Ink on top of the heat set White embossed background.  If you look closely (you can click on the image to enlarge it), this embossing ink doesn't go on smoothly on top of an already heat embossed area like VersaMark does; it creates little puddles of ink.  For this background, I was fine with these dots (or puddled areas) as it reminded me of white clouds peeking through.  If you don't want the dots (or puddles), then you should use a different embossing ink.  (Note: If it's the first coat of embossing ink, this works just like any other brand of embossing ink and it's super easy to apply with the dauber top.)

Now it's time to start painting the chipboard bird.  This is actually a large piece with multiple birds called Birds of a Feather,  but I cut off the one I wanted.  I started out by adding color to the branch he was sitting on using Coffee embossing powder.  
Next came the leaves with Emerald embossing powder used for the base.   I used the VersaMarker to draw in the veins before adding Forest Green embossing powder.
For the bird, Concord was used for his body and feet, Red Apple for his head and wings, and Platinum for his beak.  I heat set each color before adding the next color.  Then I added a few details using a permanent fine tip marker.
The card base was die cut using a Sue Wilson Designs die (Noble die-Double Pierced Rectangle, Set B).  The center portion was then dry embossed using a Sue Wilson Designs embossing folder (Rambling Blossoms) and then I did a faux letterpress technique (from Sue Wilson) on top of the dry embossing. 

The thin frame, which gets cut when you use several of the dies from this set together, was pop dotted with dimensional tape and the center dry embossed, faux letterpressed paned was recessed.  The sentiment is also a die cut and is from Lawn Fawn (Thinking About You Border die).

Hope you enjoyed the process and it inspires you to try this technique too.


Monday, April 11, 2016

Feather Quill




The Feather die from Die-Versions is a good size, almost 5 1/2" long.  When I saw it, I was reminded of how people used to write with feathers, called a quill pen.  That's how this card came about.

I have an old clear stamp of a post card (from OTC stamps) and an ink bottle (by Just For Fun stamps) and thought these would be perfect for my die.  After die cutting the feather from white cardstock, I colored the feathers portion with Pink Champagne Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers and "dipped" the end in Starry Sky Sparkle marker.  The ink bottle was heat embossed with Clear embossing powder and then colored with the Sparkle markers.  Parts of the post card were also colored with the Sparkle markers.


My message was created using DV Sweet Wordlets (Thinking of You, the "&" from Mr. & Mrs., and Miss You).  These were all colored with more Starry Sky Sparkle marker.  Writing back then was so elegant, so I could easily image someone who used a quill pen would also write beautifully.

Remember to use the code anne15 when shopping at Die-Versions to receive 15% off your next regular purchase.


Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Exploding Hexagon Baby Card {Scrapy Land #39}


Exploding hexagon box card open


Can you believe it's already April?  Time does fly!!  That means is also time for a new Scrapy Land Challenge.  The theme for this first Wednesday challenge is Anything Goes using any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells.

Exploding hexagon box card closed


The following dies were used to create this 3D card:


Die-Versions: Sweet Wordlets - Welcome
Die-Versions: Sweet Wordlets - Sweet
Die-Versions: Sweet Wordlets -  Baby
Die-Versions: Sweet Wordlets - It's A Boy Girl
Die-Versions: Lacey Dots
Die-Namites: Baby Clothesline
Cheery Lynn Designs: Victoria Picket Fence
Cheery Lynn Designs: Garden Gate


I saw this idea on a card making Facebook group that I belong to.  They found the tutorial for the Exploding Hexagon Carousel Box and the template here.




I made this card for a friend's baby shower and I have to say it was a big hit.  Although it may look complicated, it's actually very easy to make.  The hardest part for me was cutting my lines straight.  You could use a paper cutter or an electronic cutting devise, but I used plain old scissors.  The above photo is the card completely open.

I used Die-Versions Sweet Wordlets to go around the outside panels to spell out "Welcome Sweet Baby" and the Die-Namites Baby Clothesline for the inside panels.  These were cut out of white cardstock and colored with Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers.



I don't have a baby crib die, so I used the Cheery Lynn fence and gate dies to create my own crib.

The little decorations on the crib (the anchor and hearts) are some of the negative pieces from the Baby Clothesline die cut.

The outside of the box was decorated with another Sweet Wordlets die, a lacey border strip and some ribbon.  I also added a personal note on the bottom of the box.  You could also make one of the panels a pocket and add your note there as well.

This was really fun to create and I can see lots of themes that this exploding hexagon box could be used for, not just a baby card.

You have until April 17 to upload your creation to the Scrapy Land Challenge.  Be sure to visit the Scrapy Land blog to see what the rest of the very talented Design Team members have created for you.



Monday, April 4, 2016

Do What Makes You Happy


Today's card is the result of playing around with lots of embossing powders from Sparkle N Sprinkle and Want 2 Scrap chipboard to see what I could create with them.

I started out with the Doily (Doily Set 2 chipboard embellishment) from Want 2 Scrap thinking I wanted to create a deep impression in the heated powder with a stamp. The first layer was Fleur de Lis embossing powder, then I added a couple layers of Super Thick Clear to make it even thicker.  It takes a bit of time to heat the chipboard through the bottom (you don't want the embossing powders to fly all over the place).  Next I used the Versamark pad to create a rectangle as I wanted to create a backdrop.  I added Super Thick White and heat set that.

Well, I didn't like that result, so I doubled up on craft mats, had a heat resistant pad under those (so that I could be hands free and the piece was flat on the table) and I really began to heat up the embossing powder to mix the white in with the background.  This is where the fun really started!  I got super close to the surface with my heat tool and the powder became like molten lava.  I was able to push the liquid embossing powders around with the heat to create depth and ripples.  The contrast between the black and white are actually little ripples that you can feel with your finger.


Here is a closer view so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about.


 It still needed a little something, so I sprinkled some Super Thick Gold on top and quickly melted that in for more contrast.

The chipboard words (Create, Inspire) came from the Want 2 Scrap Printer's Tray Embellishment set and they were heat embossed with Gold embossing powder.  The final touch was to add Nuvo Crystal Drops (gloss white) to the outside edge of the finished doily.

The Poppy in the center of the doily is from the Poppies stamp set #771 and was colored with Copic markers and then fussy cut out.  Black Ice glitter was added to the center and Bubble Gum glitter was added to the outside petals.

For the background, I added Red Apple embossing powder to a piece of white cardstock and heat embossed it.  I then sprinkled  Super Thick Gold embossing powder on top and heat set that as well.  The card base is Coordinations Kraft cardstock.  I tore the bottom edge and then inverted the two pieces to create the strip of kraft paper between the black.

The sentiment is from the Bicycles stamp set #494 and I used the embedded embossing technique to create this (also known as Molten Pearls technique).  I added some Red Apple embossing powder to a scrap of white cardstock and heat embossed it.  Then I die cut an oval using a Stampendous die (Build A Pop Up die set) from the embossed area.  The sentiment was then stamped in Versamark on top of the Red Apple, covered with White embossing powder and heat embossed again.

I hope this has inspired you to go and create more of what makes you happy :-).