Scrapnextras

Burnished Glitter Tutorial

 
If you love glitter I have a Burnished Velvet tutorial over on Scrapbooker's Paradise's blog today!  I learned this technique when we got the Glitter Ritz glitter in the store, and I never tire how incredibly simple it is to achieve this fabulosu result!  Go ahead...have a peek!

A Mix of Old and New

 
 I wonder how many of you accumulate "stuff" at such a rapid rate, you forget the "old" as fast as  you bring in the new.  I have good intentions when I buy it.  I just know it will look better on a card than it does just hanging in a store.  But alas, I seem to have more money than time, because I have soooo much stuff...and not near the time to use it all.  So today I decided to dig out some old and mix it with some "newer" stuff, and do the Playing in Paradise Challenge...it's a sketch challenge this week, and I loves me some sketches!!  There is a prize this week...I can't win it but you can!

There are two sketches...one for a 12x12 layout or a square card, and the other for a standard A2 card.  Nice and easy...so I hope you're mind is whirring with ideas!  I chose to do a card, and here's what I came up with.

Stamps:  Dictionary Greetings (Hero Arts), Ranunculus (Stampendous)
Paper:  grey, ivory, Queen Bee DP (Pink Paislee)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Black Soot Distress Ink
Accessories:  Ornate Plates (Tim Holtz), Flowers (Prima), Buttons (?), Caramel string (American Crafts), Flourish (Prima), Queen Bee Pleated fabric border, Journalling pad (Pink Paislee)

I got these "Queen Bee" papers by Pink Paislee a year ago.  I made a couple of cards at the time and then bought some new stuff and left it to gather dust.  I had also purchased the coordinating ruffled fabric strips and journalling pads..love that they're die cut in such a nice shape, but I never used them.  So today they saw the light and I was really pleased with the final result.

Here's a close up of the sentiment panel.

 
So, are you inspired to give it a try?  I hope so, because there's a prize!  One lucky winner will win  a stamp set, stickers and gems from the new Ever After collection from Pebbles.  I can't win the prizes, but you can!  Link your project up here, by Thursday noon, and you could be the lucky winner! 

Well, that's it for me...have a fabulous day!

Squared Away!

 

Hi there!  I've got another card to share with you today.  I love the way it turned out...definitely one of my favorites.  I used Copic markers on Ranger's new Sticky Back Canvas, and I love the texture and detail it adds. 

 
Supplies: Stamps: Cherry Blossom, Kids Play (Flourishes)
Paper:  Green, Ivory, Once Upon a Time Graphic 45 DP
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Sticky Back Canvas (Ranger), Painterly Petals Hydrangeas  (Prima), Wooden buttons (Kaiser), Copic Markers:  R12, R14, YG95, Caramel Twill ribbon (American Crafts), Scor buddy

 I loved the way the Graphic 45 paper worked with Flourishes, Cherry Blossom set so I had to put them together.  The squares are cut to 1 1/4' and layered on ivory cardstock.  I stamped the Cherry blossom image on the Sticky Back Canvas, cut it in squares, then coloured the squares.  I really liked the look of Copics on canvas, although it's bit hard on the tip, so you want to be gentle.  They don't blend as easy on the canvas but they are permanent, and if you keep a light touch there is minimal bleed.  The sticky back sticks amazingly well considering it's also repositionable.  It's a medium tac adhesive, so you can pull it off and  reposition it or stick it on a craft sheet temporarily while you work on it, but since the adhesive is edge to edge, it stays put when you want it to. 

The sentiment is from Flourishes, Kids at Play set...it was so perfect for the little square and I popped it up for more impact. To embellish, I added a woodgrain button, a flower and a little ribbon tab.  I finished by scoring 1/2" in from the edge of the card with my Scor Buddy...I love this mini Scor pal!  Perfect for my (lack of) work space!

By the way, did you see the Copic Marker price reduction at Scrapbooker's Paradise?  Woohoo!  Copic Markers are now only $6.99 each!  Pair that with Free Shipping* on Canadian orders over $50.00 and that's gotta make you happy!  So have a happy day!

*Order total calculate before GST. Offer valid only within the ten Canadian provinces. Orders destined for Labrador, Nunavut, Yukon, NWT, United States and abroad will be charged the actual shipping amount.

Bring Back Beautiful BBB08 A Neutral Challenge!

Neutral Beauty: Have you ever used neutral colors to bring out the depth in one of your coloring projects? Well, let's kick it up a knotch and show you just how beautiful your stamped creations can be without any color at all! That's right, this challenge is to color up your card with neutrals - shades of grey, sepia tones or even black and white! Link up your Bringing Back Beautiful Challenge card here to enter. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword BBB08. You have until March 31st to enter! As we unveil our challenge for next month, we’ll share our True Beauties – those card makers who wowed us with this challenge! Winners will be featured on the Flourishes Blog and will receive a True Beauty blog button to display proudly on their blog!

Now I have to say that this challenge stalled me in neutral.  I am such a colour girl, that I had a hard time thinking what I could do.  I decided masculine was the way to go and I'm really pleased with the way this turned out.  I used the Mojo Monday 180 sketch to get me going, and I now I have a fabulous birthday card for one of my nephews!

 
Stamps:  Kids at Play (Flourishes)
Paper:  Kraft, Black, Soft Suede, DP Kaiser
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories:  Black EP (Tsukineko), Black satin ribbon (May Arts), black crocheted ribbon (Kaiser), Metal studs (Mark Richards), Vintage Photo distress ink, Circle & labels 12 Spellbinders, embossed scallop punch (EK)

The image was stamped on Kraft in Versafine Onyx Black and embossed with black embossing powder.  I cut it out with Labels12 Spellbinder die and inked the edge with Vintage Photo distress in with the die still in place.  I chose a piece of Kaiser DP with script on it, and inked the edges as well.  The top band was edged with and EK edger and a length of black crocheted ribbon was run across it.  I tied black satin on the vertical and added two sentiments from Kids Play because they both worked so well!

Now be prepared to be WOWed as you check out the rest of the BBB team's creations.  While I could only see masculine...some of them dared to go feminine and I am amazed.  

Beate Johns

Cindy Coutts

Kathy Jones

Yvonne Hagane

Heather Jensen

Now it's up to you to take on the Neutral Challenge!  Link it up here so we can get excited all over again!

That's it for me this fine Monday!  I hope your's is off to a fabulous start.  Have a great day!

Simple Cupcakes

 

 
It's time for another challenge at Scrapbooker's Paradise!  I don't get to play them every week, but every Friday the Challenge Team brings us a new cool challenge to play.  This week the challenge is really sweet!  Anything Cupcakes!   No other requirements...use anything you want, just be inspired by cupcakes!

And here's my card.  A really simple card with a really simple sketch!

 
Stamps:  Tag Lines (Flourishes)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Paper:  White, Turquoise, DP by Best Creations
Accessories:  Square Spellbinders, Wide ric rac ribbon (American Crafts), Perfectly Paisley EF (Cuttlebug), Cupcake Brad (Doodlebug)

OK...now did you guess that little cupcake is a brad by Doodlebug?  How cute is that!  They have some absolutely adorable "Braddies".  Check out the Oven Mitts and Spatulas!  Oh, and how cute are these little houses and aren't these trees to die for?  I love them all and they are so fun.  My card is so simple...a basic fall to sketch...I know you can figure it out for yourself, and then you can run off to create your own cupcake creation!   You have until Thursday March 10 at noon to link it up here, and you could be our next Paradise Player to sample the sketch with the design team!

Need a little more inspiration?  Check out these sweet confections by the Challenge Team!

Allison Cope

Allison Fillo

Carla Peicheff

Dana Nelson

Karen Gerber

Julie Dinn

Have a fun and fabulous Friday!  See you soon!

Butterflies and Friendship

 
It's been a while now hasn't it?  I have been a little "off" these days, and I'm hoping to get myself back in the groove.  I have a fun little card to share with you today featuring Distress Inks, the Featured Product at Scrapbooker's Paradise.  You can find all the details and get in on a GIVE AWAY here!  

 
Stamps:  Dictionary Greetings (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Grey, Ivory, Be Mine Rose Bouquet (Echo Park)
Ink:  Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Spun Sugar, Pumice Stone Distress Inks
Accessories:  Ink Applicator and ink blending foam refills, button (Basic Grey), Butterfly (Prima), Loop edger (Martha Stewart), Caramel string (American Crafts), corner die (Cuttlebug), Pink Pearls (Prima), Textiles embossing folder, Glossy Accents (Ranger)

I am really drawn to black and white designer papers.  They are so versatile and can be "altered" so easily to make something completely unique and equally beautiful.  The paper I worked with here, is from Echo Park's "Be Mine" collection called Rose Bouquet.  It's a soft grey on ivory, perfect in it's own right but with a few colours of Distress Ink, it's the dawn of a new morning!

I used the Tim Holtz ink Blending tool, which makes is so easy and seemless to add soft colour to paper.  It goes on so slick and easy...the "wetter" formula of the Distress Inks allow for easier blending since the ink doesn't dry immediately on contact allowing you to blend it!  I used Broken China, Shabby Shutters and Spun Sugar on the designer paper to give it a more spring like quality.  I did the same to a section of ivory paper and then stamped the sentiment.

I had originally planned to layer the sentiment on the grey paper, but I had this scrap of paper that had been embossed with the Textiles embossing folder, so I went with it.  I used the blending tool and foam pad to add Pumice Stone ink to the to embossed area.  Let me tell you this is THE BEST TOOL for inking the embossed area.  It's small and allows for much more control that an ink pad or brayer.  I dare you to try it!

 
I finished the card with a gorgeous Prima butterfly, a flower and some buttons tied with Caramel string (love this string!!).  I put some Glossy Accents ove the bold words...gosh I love that Glossy Accents now comes in "stickle" size!  So perfect and easy to work with!  So fresh and pretty.

Hannah has a gorgeous project to share using Ranger Distress inks too!  Hop on over for a peek and then pop over to Scrapbooker's Paradise's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of a Distress Ink pad!

Have a wonderful day!