SPARKLE N SPRINKLE'S APRIL 1ST REVEAL

Hi there, and welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle's April 1, 2015 Reveal. I'm first up on the hop this month, and getting rather excited about the upcoming Spring season - when everything starts to bloom - I couldn't resist using the Spring Window Set 704 for my reveal card. 

This month we have FOUR new stamp sets to share with you and these sets are 20% off their regular price, until April 3rd.  All the new reveal sets are available on Cling Mounted Rubber and as a digital image.  Friendship Flowers #702 is the stamp set featured in  This Month's Technique Video.

The sets are:

Get Well Friends #701   (digi version DIGI701)

Friendship Flowers #702   (digi version DIGI702)

Old Well #703  (digi version DIGI703)

Spring Window #704   (digi version DIGI704)

On April 3rd,  one Grand Prize Winner will be selected from the comments left on the designers' blogs listed below.  The Grand Prize Winner will receive

all FOUR of the new rubber stamp sets (or digi sets, if you prefer)

The winner of the blog hop will be announced on April 3 on Facebook, the SNS blog, and on our blogs.  In addition to our regular designers, we are happy to introduce you to two of our new Guest Designers.  Diane and Ashley will be the Guest Designers for the months of April, May, and June.  This month's Blog Hop order is:

Shona (you are here)

Diane 

Eret

Anne

Ashley

Marie

Belinda

April

(Tip: if you have a problem with a particular link, try clicking on the person's blog title to send you to their Home page.)

Don't forget to leave a comment with each Designer to be eligible for the Grand Prize.  We love reading your comments and hope we have inspired you as well.  If you absolutely can not leave a comment for some reason, please email icinganne@yahoo.com with your comment and the name of the blog or Designer you are commenting about.

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The new SNS Creative Challenges also begins today, with lots of prizes and recognition badges.  The theme is always Anything Goes using Loose Glitter, Embossing Powder, and or Flock.

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I loved the "Spring Window" image, so I decided to use the image from the prospective of looking out of "my window" from across the street.

The image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on white cardstock and was colored using the following Copics: E11, E13, E25, E33, E35, R22, YR24, W-1 and W-3. The vase was colored using a Versamarker Pen and was then heat embossed with Verdigris. The Sakura Glue Pen was applied to the flowers in the vase and then I applied Pink Spirit Sparkle N Soft. The glass panes were achieved by applying the Versamarker Pen again and then were heat embossed with Clear Detail. I added Dimensional Glue to the tree flowers and left it to dry to give the flowers some shiny dimension.

I used a Spellbinders window die, which includes the curtains and the valance in the set.  I cut the window frame from beige cardstock and then distressed it with Memento Cantaloupe, Desert Sand and Rich Cocoa. The curtains and valance were made by applying a piece of Super Adhesive Sheet to the beige cardstock and running those through an embossing machine. I then removed the protective backing and applied Sparkling Sands Sparkle N Soft for a velvety feel for the fabric. I cut the frame from a piece of designer paper, which looked like wallpaper, and then placed the window frame in the die cut spot and taped them together from the back. The curtains were layered on top with dimensional dots. I tied little brown wool bows for the curtain tie-backs.

The window frame had an arch at the top, so left little room for the sentiment from the set. I set the sentiment on an acrylic block and made it curve before stamping it on beige cardstock in Versamark ink. It was then heat embossed with Sienna, one of my favorite Tuscan embossing powders. I cut out the saying using the Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large die, cutting above and  below the sentiment.  Distressed with some Desert Sand ink again, it was then added behind the window valance to mimic the arched top of the window frame.

Hope you've enjoyed the start to this month's Reveal Blog Hop. Next up is Diane - one of our new Guest Designers. Leave a comment on all eight blogs to be eligible to win all four stamp sets.  I wonder which Designer's blog contains the Grand Prize this month?

Till next time,

Springtime hugs,

Shona

BENDY COFFEE!

Hi there, 

It's been a while since I last blogged.  I've been busy with College Spring Break for Gillian which ended up as a very fun and impromptu mother-daughter trip to New Orleans for five days! A funeral of a very dear friend in Washington D.C. last week and now Calum's Spring Break this week and so trying to get a few things taken care of before we head back to D.C. and Virginia this week. Today I'm sharing another coffee themed creation, from the March Reveal sets. I used two of the new sets on my card:  Coffee Shoppe Set 695 and Coffee Talks Set 700.

I decided to give the Bendy Card another try. I stamped the Coffee Shoppe on watercolor cardstock in black StazOn and used watercolor crayons and an aquabrush to color the scene. The girls at the table were stamped twice on watercolor paper and also colored with crayons and the waterbrush. 

One version was cut to just above the stools to become the left side of the bendy card. The girls and the table were fussy cut from the 2nd stamped image and were attached on top of the stools. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Black Detail.

Hope you've enjoyed your visit today. 

Stop by again on Wednesday, when we will be revealing our new April sets.

Hope to see you then!

Shona

SHARING YOUR SORROW

Hi everyone,

Well, I'm back quickly because unfortunately I have a sympathy card to share. Our family friend of 30 years, our softball coach - when David and I first met and "Uncle" Tommy to the kids, passed away rather unexpectedly this week. It's taken me a few days to get over the shock and put "ink" to "paper". Tommy was very connected to the Irish community in D.C. and so I wanted to keep the card in the green family in his honor. So out came the Brusho Crystals again!

I spritzed normal white cardstock with water and then sprinkled the paper with Yellow, Leaf Green and Emerald Green Brusho Crystals. I chased them around the paper with my heat gun until it was dried. (Not quite sure where the random pink spots came from?) So now what? It was a pretty background, but you know I can't leave well enough alone, and I had no idea in what direction this card was going.

I cut out the Die-Namics Daisy Bunch (love this die) from a lime green and yellow cardstock, saving the negative pieces of the die. One of the negatives was temporarily taped to the brusho surface after applying lots of anti-static dust. I used a dauber with Versamark to pounce down through the negative die. I lifted up the "stencil" and applied Black Detail embossing powder, which was then heated.

I covered that entire piece with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Detail, then applied a little Magic Speckle on top of that, which gave it a marbled look. (Wish I had taken my camera upstairs with me!) It looked too dark, so I decided to put the die back over the top of the black "image" and cut it from the brusho piece. I used it in the inside of the card instead:

So then I took the yellow die cut piece and placed it back in the space where the black version had been. It was taped down from the back. I cut all the flowers off the green version and glued it on top of the yellow version. Using a Sakura Glue Pen I added Spirited Green Glitter to the stems and leaves and then Sunny Daze Glitter to the petals and buds.

I used Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Large to cut out the center piece. The Grand Scalloped Circles was used to cut the black base card (leaving a fold uncut at the top of the circle). I die cut the same size Grand circle for the outside frame, from the brusho panel and glued that to the black base. I turned the front circle piece slightly so that the scallops had the black showing behind. It was then attached with Dimensional Foam.

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The sentiment from Sympathy Set 579 was stamped in Versamark onto yellow cardstock and then heat embossed with Pine (one of the awesome Tuscan colors, which come in various colors and are detailed powders so are great for sentiments, when you don't want to use black). I fussy cut the sentiment and sponged it with a little Memento Pear Tart ink before attaching it to the card with dimensionals and tape.

I liked the inlay look. It gives dimension to the card without adding the bulk.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges #72: No square or rectangle cards

Emerald Faeries Challenge #65: Yellow and Green

Scrapy Land Challenge #13: Use brand of die that Scrapy Land Sells

Here's a photo of Tommy giving me flowers as I arrived at the church before our wedding in Scotland. I think I remember he was crying more than I was!

I hope Wava, Tommy's wife will like the card. We're all going to miss this really special man. 

Hugs,

Shona