Musical Happy Birthday!

Hi there,

An extra post from me this week. We had a special little lady turn 21 last Monday. She has brought us so much joy over the years - it has truly been a wonder to watch her grow from baby to the beautiful lady that she has become. Her passion is music: handbells and singing, for which she is undergoing a five-year program at Westminster Choir College, NJ. We look forward to seeing what the road ahead has in store for this exceptional young woman!

I wanted to have a music theme for her card, so I started with a burgundy background - purple is Gillian's favorite color! Next I found a lovely piece of music DP, which happened to have some color at the edges, which worked in well with the base card. Found this old Hero Arts Bird Collage stamp which I stamped in Ranger's Archival Ink onto white cardstock. Then I went to town with the Art Anthology Paints (Vegas Gold, Pumpkin Spice, Coral and Leaf) and colored in the bird and the flowers and leaves with those and set it aside to dry.

After it was dry (maybe half an hour at most) I die cut the image with Spellbinders Floral Ovals, and left the die in place while I sprayed the Art Anthology Sprays (Timeless, Wild Orchid and Rustic) over the top. The sprays dry very quickly and then I took the Nuvo Fine Tip Glue Pen and added some Sparkling Snow Glitter to the flowers and leaves on the image. I wanted to add some flowers to the card and I happened to have some that had musical notes on them (though I'm not sure where I got them from!). Anyway, I sprayed them with the same three colors. When they were dry I used a paint brush and applied some Brushable Glue to some of the petals and added Cloud Nine.

I tried to find something with music, but couldn't find anything for the card front, so did this on the inside with Versamark, Black Detail embossing powder and the same three sprays carried over from the front. The row of birds and sentiment is from the Bird Song Set 496 from Sparkle N Sprinkle.

The sentiment on the front was a challenge! I wanted to use the Happy Birthday die, but I wanted to have different layers on the card front, so knew it wouldn't be good to just glue it down. So I took the smaller die from the SB Floral Ovals and sprayed the inside before removing the die, then I used the little oval from the Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large and cut out a scrap of Super Adhesive Sheet. This was then attached to the center of the sprayed floral oval. I die cut the Happy Birthday (from the burgundy cardstock) from Sizzix Thinlits Celebrate and positioned it on top of the adhesive and then applied Cloud Nine Velvet Glitter to the remaining sticky surface.

Then everything was put together. The image was put on first to the music DP, with foam squares. Then the flowers were attached with brass brads. The little ivy stems (Creative Expressions Craft Dies) were cut from white cardstock and sprayed with the same three sprays. Those were tucked under the flowers as shown and then the sentiment was added at the base with foam squares.

I had fun creating this for my special little girl! How can she be 21 already? Sing On and Ring On, looking forward to the ride, Gillian!

I'd like to join the following challenges:

Scrapy Land: Anything goes #57 (Using dies that Scrapy Land sells)
World Wide Open Design Team Challenge #18: Anything Goes
Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes

CANCER SURVIVOR EQUATION

Hi there, 

Today I'd like to share with you another card I created with the Die-Versions Awareness Ribbon Words (DV-485) for our August joint reveal.

First, I made the mottled pink cardstock from which to cut the dies. I took a piece of glossy white card and sprayed it first with Perfect Pearl, a Perfect Pearls Mist. I then applied Alizarin Crimson, one of the Color Bursts that Sparkle N Sprinkle now carries. It gave a lovely mottled, metallic look to the cardstock.

I placed the dies on the prepared cardstock at the same time and ran it through my embossing machine.  The equal and plus signs were punched from the same piece of cardstock. I cut a piece of Super Adhesive Sheet, removed the protective backing and placed the die cuts on to the sticky surface.

Cloud Nine and the new Ballerina Velvet Glitters were then sprinkled, one at a time, over the remaining sticky surface. This was layered to a piece of card which had been edged with Versamark and heat embossed with Raspberry Tart. This was then layered to the white card base.

The sentiment was stamped on glossy white cardstock in Versamark and heat embossed with Raspberry Tart. It was die cut with Spellbinders Ribbon Banner die and I sponged over the sentiment with Memento Angel Pink ink, before removing the die. The sentiment was attached with dimensional foam.

Hope you've enjoyed my share with you today.

Shona

WHEN SKIES ARE GRAY!

OK, so we had 70 degrees at the weekend and then snow yesterday, three days later! Really? The poor daffodils have been whipped by the wind, and are looking a little droopy as a result, but hopefully they'll perk back up, as our temperatures are supposed to gently increase over the next week. 

Last week I left you with a sneak peak of another card that used the April Shower's Set from Sparkle N Sprinkle:

I used Dimensional Glue to get the "wet look" for my orange brolly and wellies and added some Waterscape and Cloud Nine Glitter with the Sakura Glue pen for the sparkle on the yellow umbrella and the puddle.

I had made a flocked background using the Darice Heart Embossing Folder with Sun Dazzle Sparkle N Soft and Lady Bug Memento ink. If you missed the tutorial on the flocked backgrounds - it can be found here. 

Doesn't the top photo look as though the heart center is raised? Funny how the camera can play tricks! Here is what it really looks like:

The Spellbinder's Scalloped heart was cut from the center of the flocked background and then I put the smaller red heart behind it. The image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics. The sky and puddle were sponged with Memento inks.

The image was attached to a yellow card base and then the flocked piece was layered over the top with dimensionals. Sentiment was stamped on yellow card stock in Versamark and heat embossed with Detail Black. I cut out the saying using the same scalloped heart die and then cut along the top and bottom of the sentiment and edged it with the Lady Bug ink.

I love this little SNS set - so appropriate for this time of year. Just think of all the May flowers these April showers will bring! Full directions for the card, if needed, can be found in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Gallery.

I think I may have found the perfect challenge for this little card - it's with Stampotique Designers Challenge, April Showers!

Hope you have a great week and that if you do get caught in an April shower that you've got an umbrella handy!

Hugs,

Shona

WINTER WONDERLAND PART TWO!

Hi there, thanks for stopping by.  

Did you get a chance to see the Sparkle N Sprinkle November 1st reveal?  If you did, then you saw what the Design Team came up with using the new Winter Wonderland set:

 

It is such a versatile stamp. In my last card I spotlit the scene:

So now I've taken a totally different spin on my second card.  I stamped the winter scene on white card and colored with Copics.  I framed over it with embossable acetate covered with Velvet Sparkle, so that it looked like a snow scene. I used April's Faux Patina  technique to create the snowflake background. I had a little Cloud Nine Snowman, from the Snow One's Like You set, sitting on my desk and decided to incorporate him into the scene.  

Plenty of sparkle and fun! Hope you enjoyed your visit today!

Please stop by again soon!

Shona

Sparkle N Sprinkle Winter Wonderland - November 1st Release

Welcome to the latest Sparkle N Sprinkle November Release
 (two lovely new sets), along with our November Challenge.

This month we have two new awesome sets by artist Rosiland Solomon and there are five chances to win these sets!

the first two chances are with our "Winter Wonderland" Release Contest
 and
three more chances with the SNS monthly challenge where the monthly theme is always "Anything Goes with Glitter, Embossing Powder and /or Flocking."

The Winter Wonderland stamp set and the Flourishes Two stamp set are both available on line.
The beautiful Winter Wonderland stamp set is included in Jazzy Jill's Technique Video for the month.

The Winter Wonderland stamp set, one glitter and one EP will be awarded to one commenter.

The Flourishes Two stamp set, one glitter and one EP will be awarded to another commenter.

To win, just come to our Mystery Designer Party!

I chose to "highlight" this lovely Winter Wonderland Set (literally I used the Spotlight "Highlighting" Technique in my card).  I took each of the three animals and framed them in the same way as the scalloped frame, by heat embossing with Vintage embossing powder, I then reapplied Versamark and heat embossed with Magic Speckle.

I stamped the same scenic image twice - one on glossy in detail black embossing powder and then the second in black StazOn and then used watercolor crayons with a waterbrush to apply color. I punched out the three animal images and framed them with the little Vintage/Magic Speckle frames.

I added more sparkle and shine with my favorite Cloud Nine glitter and Twinkling Clouds Sparkle N Soft, applied with Brushable Glue and a Sakura Glue Pen for the snow highlights. Here are another couple of angles to try to capture the sparkle and shine of the card:

 How the Mystery Party works:

On two of the participating blogs below, a Commenter will be selected to receive the prize. 

No one knows who the Mystery Designers are, so you may wish to visit each blog to leave a comment.

The winners will be announced on November 3rd on Facebook, the SNS blog, and on our blogs:

Mayra Duran-Hernandez

Shona Erlenborn

Eret's Kaardimaania 

Craft E Marie Berquist
Anita Scroggins

April "Stampwilly" Williams

Belinda Shupe
Anne Temple
Donna Ellis

Both sets (here is the flourish set):

 

are available at 20% off 

as part of our Wintry specials. 

Just use the code WINTRY20 in the COMMENTS SECTION 

when checking out in the SNS on-line store 

to receive these brand new sets at 20% off.

Promotion valid through November 3.(sorry, credit card customers only. Total will be manually adjusted. Or phone the SNS shoppe on Wednesday and ask them to manually adjust the charge on the phone for you).

CLOUD NINE 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Hi there,

Well it's been a whirlwind for me the last couple of weeks - you know the old saying when it rains - it pours.

I knew I had two weeks of Musical Camps up at the church, for which I was to make a slide show for each week.  In the middle of the second week, the choir kids (all three of ours) sang the National Anthem and God Bless America at the local minor league baseball game on Wednesday, which meant I housed 4 extras (including the old Choir Director) that very late night!!  Need I say more?  Thank goodness that only happens once a year!  

Then David was out of town for the next two days, which was when the water tank gave out!  This weekend was spent fixing the water tank, trying to get caught up, including gutting out the dishwasher, which was totally clogged.  But we think we actually fixed it!  Time will tell!

Tomorrow starts Hand Bell Camp for the two younger ones and Struan the oldest, who just returned from climbing Mount Washington in New Hampshire last night at 2am, will be helping the beginning of tearing down the two bathrooms upstairs, we are about to renovate!!  I never want to go forward in time, as I know how precious time is, but this morning taking a shower before church, I wished it was a month from now, so I didn't have to go through the dust and aggravation and (new problems) of what is about to happen!

So anyway, that's why you haven't heard from me in a while!  So without further ado here is a Happy 25th Anniversary Card, which I did I while ago, but have never gotten around to posting! 

This is the card closed - or as close to closed as it could be! (Try saying that three times fast!)

Then we open it up:

.... and here it is from the top:

All the directions can be found right here in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Gallery.

I hope that you can see the glittery goodness of the Cloud Nine Glitter which has been colored on top with colored pencils!  There are a few different tutorials on how to do this in the SNS Tips and Techniques section. For this particular card I used StazOn black and watercolor pencils.

That's it for tonight, I'll be back soon,

Shona

LET'S DOODLE!

Well here we are, the second day of Spring - and it's snowing again!  I hope it's not going to come to much, as I've got too much to do today, most of which involves being out and about in the car.

I just got my Vamp Stamp News e-article yesterday. I had four cards published, so I thought I'd share them on my post this morning.

The challenge for March was Doodling, Hand-lettering and Stamps.  I really wasn't sure what to do here, but I played around with a couple of ideas and came up with the following cards:

You are supposed to use at least one stamped image in each of your cards.  So here I chose to start by stamping the three different butterflies from Sparkle N Sprinkle's Fancy Butterflies Set 437.  Then I just started playing!  

For the next one I thought I'd try doodling on the inside of the image.  Here is my attempt at that:

Next, I tried doodling with different colored pens.  I used outline stickers to doodle with!

... and for the last one .... I "cheated" and used  pre-made stamps from the Sparkle N Sprinkle set 463 - Zendoodle Flowers.

I stamped on top of Cloud Nine velvet glitter for the main image in this one and colored with Copics.

If you want more full instructions of any of the cards, or take look at the informative e.article you can see it here. 

Thanks for stopping by today,

'Till next time!

Shona

THE SPARKLE N SPRINKLE MONOCHROMATIC BLOG HOP

Hi there, and welcome to the SNS Monochromatic Blog Hop.  Today, instead of a subject theme, the Sparkle Team will be presenting projects using monochromatic color schemes.  We were permitted to use any stamps, for any occasion, so I'm sure there are going to be a lot of varied ideas this time round!

The hop will run for two days, winners being announced on Saturday, the 16th.  In order to have a chance at being one of these winners, all you need do is leave a comment at the end of each of the designer's posts.  If you are here by way of Anne's blog, then you are in the right place, if not then pop back to the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog, to be eligible for all the prizes.

So without further ado, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and let's get on with the show! 

I couldn't decide which projects to post today.  I created a few monochromatic cards, using different techniques and then picked out two (well - maybe three!) to share with you today.

First up, is my green underwater scene.  Sparkle N Sprinkle is now carrying some of the Lifestyle embossing folders and dies.  I love the two Tide embossing folders (L-EF0020).  I used one of them in my previous post and, as promised, used the second one for this card.  For two of the fish, I applied outline stickers to white cardstock applied with 2 1/2" Tear-ific Tape and Cloud Nine Velvet Glitter.  They were colored with watercolor crayons and a waterbrush. The third fish was colored the same way without the glitter underneath.  The saying is from a really cute new set Just Froggy.

You will find full instructions in the gallery here.

For my second card, I decided to stay green and with the new Just Froggy set.  I used a branches embossing folder for the grass this time and a flower border punch to make my "water" lily.  I thought I'd try to make it look like he was "peeking" out through the grass to say he was sorry for being late!  It somehow transpired into an easel card - one of my favorite fun folds at the moment!

Isn't he just adorable?  Who wouldn't forgive him?  Again, I used Cloud Nine Glitter and watercolor crayons to color him in.  Full details? Right here!

.... and now for something completely different - how about purple and pinks and butterflies?

I was trying out a new technique using an Impressibilities Plate.  To achieve this look, you temporarily tape the plate to white glossy cardstock and apply Versamark, using the plate as a stencil, before you run it through the machine.  Remove the die and apply Clear Detail embossing powder and heat emboss. Apply Distress inks to the embossed piece - the color will appear where the plain cardstock remains. I used some Plum Wine embossing powder for the saying, and for the little butterflies I sprinkled some Magic Speckle over the Plum Wine butterflies to create the mosaic look. The outline stickers were colored with Cloud Nine and Watercolor crayons, and for the smaller butterfly on the right, I used Bubblegum Glitter and Purple Potion Velvet glitter directly onto the Tape behind the sticker. Full directions can be found in the Gallery.

So that's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed the show.  Now you should  flutter on over to Karin's blog for some more inspiration.  Remember to leave a comment before you go!

'Till next time,

Shona

HELLO MY FRIEND!

Hello there!

Just a quick blog to keep things ticking over.  My eldest leaves for Scotland again tomorrow for his second semester.  Have to say, since he's been home, my schedule has been a little off kilter!  But while he's been sleeping-in, and after I've gotten the younger two off to school, I've been trying to catch up on projects, both inside the house and in my stamping room.

Today, I managed to use up this little Cloud Nine Frog, from Set 482.  He's been sitting on my desk for at least two weeks - he even had a Lator Gator Velvet Glitter Crown at one point! Anyway, after I decrowned him, I still thought he was adorable and then I gave him a little friend - from the same set, (see if you can find him hidden amongst the lily!)  The other set, 47, that I used, for the fence and the bucket, happens to be on sale right now.

Here is the finished project:

Here are the full directions to make the card.

Have you entered your project for the January Monthly Creative Challenge here yet?  New rules - you don't "have" to use SNS images! Things have changed a little. Take a look!  What are you waiting for?

See you soon!

Shona