.....come enjoy some handmade creations and heartfelt experiences. I'm glad you're here & hope you'll come back often.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sparkle N Sprinkle "Sparkling Wintry Sensations" Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle "Sparkling Wintry Sensations” blog hop! The very best way to Beat the Heat this July!!  If you hopped here by way of Judy's great blog, then you're in the right spot. If you'd like to start from the beginning and become eligible for SIX great prizes, then click here.

Most of Sparkle N Sprinkle's stamps are available in great coordinated sets.  But for this holiday hop I chose two of our "stand alone" stamps that I just love & I used them to create two completely different looks in the cards I have to share with you today.  **Click on any highlighted words for links to products, instructions, or further information**

Click any photo for larger vie

This first one is my personal favorite - a very rich and elegant card using the gorgeous Nestle In for Christmas stamp.  This stamp is so beautiful it can be the entire main focus of a card.  I stamped it twice & colored up one "whole copy" & then the bird only (with two holly leaves) with Copic markers - you get such rich tones & highlights with the Copics.  Cut out the the main image with a Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Oval (I used the great new Grand Caliber machine!), pop dotted the bird for some dimension, and layered it all onto a beautifully embossed piece of Stardream cardstock & black Mirrorcard.  Attached all the layers to a white card base and added some red & white rhinestones for just the right amount of accents.  When it all comes together; you can see how this stamp makes such a beautiful card just by itself.  For all the details on how to make this card; please click my gallery to see the full instructions.
 
For my second card, I wanted to do something completely different - something warm, rustic, and "home-y".  And I wanted to include a different technique too.  And that's where my "Warm Wishes Bleached Snowman" came about.


Yes, it's completely different from the first card, but that's what I was shooting for.  The Heart Snowman were stamped & embossed onto a rustic blue cardstock with cream speckles that has a beautiful subtle shimmer to it.  Then the snowmen were bleached out before having accent colors added with Copic markers.  The matching saying was done with one of my favorite embossing powders -  Dark Night.  While it is dark in color; it has such a beautiful blue sheen that reflects in the light.  The perfect accent for the blue background paper.  A snowflake background was embossed onto the cream card base and the snowmen & accent piece were both cut out with Spellbinders.  All the directions for this warm & rustic card can be found on this page of my gallery, Warm Wishes Bleached Snowman.

Well, there you have it - two completely different looks for the holidays.  I hope you enjoyed them & that one (or both) of them speaks to you! Don't forget.... Maybe I'm one of “The Five” with a secondary prize, so be sure to leave a comment to become eligible for the Grand Prize and one of the 5 secondary prizes, then hop on over to Karin's awesome blog 

Thanks so much for stopping by & do come back often!  (This blog is brand new & I have lots of great things on the backburner to share with you)  Why not become a follower & see what I have in store!

Have lots of fun on the rest of the hop!  And don't forget to .....
Enjoy the Simple Things in Life!
Until next time -
**Julie**

Here is the blog hop order for this hop in case you've gotten lost anywhere along the way:
Sparkle N Sprinkle Home Blog / Blog Hop Details -  SNS Blog
Sandy - Simply Sandy Lee
Dawn - Belladonna's Garden
Shona - Shona's Stamping Stage
Eleanor - Stamping in Virginia
Julie W - The Write Stuff
Joan - Stamp in Slippers
Judy  - Joy In a Jar
Julie Zippel - (that's me you're here!)
Karin  - With an "i" for Paper
Linda - Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...
Marie - CraftEMarie
Barbara Bruder - Art and Soul Creations
Patti - I Live for Glitter
Donna Ellis - Creative Smiles

52 comments:

Karin said...

Your coloring is just marvelous Julie! I love the extra layer you added to the bird :) The second card is very cute, love sentiment in the middle!

Donna Ellis said...

Julie, your nestled holiday birdie is so sweet and cuddly! Beautiful coloring, and fabulous choice of layering to complement her! A darling card in every way! That image is in my stash, too. Your card makes me want to stamp with it! The snowmen card is sweet as can be! Dark Night is one of my favorite EPs as well. Great cards!

Auntie Em said...

Love both of your cards! The birdy one is sooo precious! From the embossed background to the layered image it's just gorgeous! I like the bleaching technique you used on the snowmen card. When I first saw it I thought you must have stamped them and cut them out to glue them on the blue. Never thought of turning the paper white and then colouring!
Thanks for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

Love both the bridie and the snowmen. Great cards.

Judy Rozema said...

Look at you - barely with your blog and it's so terrific!! I had not yet seen this stamp (can you believe it?), so I am happy to see it here, as I love birds. Both of your cards are so wonderful. I love the bleached snowmen - never thought of that!! Great cards, Julie~!

Sandy (Cheesy) said...

Darling holiday bird card--love it and the stamp. The snowmen are adorable, and I haven't done a bleaching technique in awhile. Will have to try that again. Congrats on the new blog!

Susan said...

I just love that "Nestle in for Christmas" stamps. I will have to find that one. Beautiful cards. Thanks

Linda said...

Julie I adore the bird card. The coloring is excellent and it is really chirping out to me. The little snowmen cards is so cute.

Barbara Bruder said...

I really love that bird card. Very colorful. The snowmen card is so cute as well.

Julie- justwritedesigns said...

Wonderful cards, Julie! Love the little bird and frame on the first and the colors and layout on the second are just terrific.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your new blog, Julie!!! Your cards are gorgeous as always. Brenda

Kim said...

Aw.....I love the little birdy for this card and I love the layout. I also like the unique background. Very nicely done!

Anonymous said...

Two awesome cards! I love "Nestled in for Christmas", makes me even want snow! That's another one for the wish list I guess. Clever idea to bleach the snowmen before coloring. Great blog too!! Shona

Karen Howard said...

Both of these cards are over the top! I love the homey feeling in the first card and the feeling of winter in the second card.

Peg Klitch said...

Oh Julie, that first card is really lovely. I guessed I missed that stamp on the website. You did a fantastic job coloring it in. Thanks for sharing. Peg K.

Dawn said...

What a happy little bird. The coloring is beautiful.

Helen said...

Your first card is very impressive and it even looks like the little fellow is smiling. Snowmen can melt many hearts. Both cards are unique and I agree very different from one anothher.

chipielolo said...

I love your first card. When you look at it, it seems the bird could just unfold his wing and fly right out of it. The way you colored makes it look so real. Thank you for sharing!

Dianne Potter said...

Loved both cards! I'm of the firm opinion, you can never go wrong with critters! Thank bunches.

Pat said...

Great cards. What a diversity of techniques. Good job.

Anonymous said...

Both of your cards are wonderful! Great crafting on your part. Linda Beyer

Lois said...

Julie, Your talent shows with both of these cards.

Anonymous said...

I love your little bird greeter. I'm just partial to birds. :-) The background really makes him stand out. Thanks for sharing two of your creations with us.
Jan Hobbs

Char said...

What adorable cards. I just love both of them. What great ideas for 2 sweet but adorable cards. Love the bird card and snowmen are just darling.

Patti said...

Wow, you always have such beautiful work.You are my idol! :)

Joan Petty said...

Great blog and fabulous cards.
The bird design has to be my favourite......I adore garden birds of every description! This one is very cute the way you have "nested it" with the baubles.
Thanks for sharing

Verna Angerhofer said...

Both cards are absolutely fantastic. And, each has a personality of it's own and therefore, gives us viewers more options for holiday greetings. Thanks for inspiring us.

Unknown said...

The sweetness and soft nature of your first card is simply beautiful Julie. Thank you so much for sharing

Vidette said...

That is a beautiful stamp on your first card. I love the background also. It is so detailed. Your second card is lovely. The embossing powder is really pretty.

Kathy Vogel said...

Your first card is my favorite of the two as well. I recently got that stamp & love it too. I may have to make copics my next investment.

Anita Braddock said...

I love both of your cards. this makes me want to start making Christmas gifts. Love the colors I love your snowmen. thanks for sharing your hard work. great job. thanks for the chance to win. abbraddock@msn.com

Dee in N.H. said...

I love your cards! (and the ones below that I snuck a peak at too!) Great images and love your bleached snowmen! Looking forward to seeing more of your great new blog!

Sharon Hannifin said...

I am partial to birds but the snowman is my favorite. I have added a few more to my"wish list" for the Christmas list! Thanks for your sharing and loved your first blog. Good job!

Lynne Platt said...

I have a thing for snowmen, and I love the card you made with them. Although the bird card is so cute. Thanks for sharing your work and I will definitely follow your blog.

Kelly said...

I love both of the cards, but the first is definely my favorite! The bird is so cute and I love the layering look on the design!

NWFlamingo said...

Great job! I really like all the detail on the bird card. No wonder he appears to be smiling.

Anonymous said...

Love your cards, especially the little birdie.
Nancy

nancynelson1667@optonline.net said...

My kind of card! Love the simple layout with detailed background and image.

slbela59 said...

Both cards are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

cosie said...

Love the snowman card but that little bird is so, so cute. Simply gorgeous.

NanaConnie said...

Love that adorable bird image and luscious gold embossed background! The snowmen are so cute.

Bridget said...

I love the little birdie. He is adorable. Don't get me started on snowmen, I'm a sucker for them. Great cards.

Carol N said...

Love both cards, but that bird is wonderful. Love your coloring job too.

Joni said...

Beautiful cards. I really like the bird card.

Anonymous said...

love the bird in the nest & the heart snowmen cards

Sandy rustydoc1@yahoo.com

Cheryl said...

your cards are beautiful!


--Cheryl--
Stop by my blog to check out my blog candy!

Beth said...

First off . . . awwwww ~ that little birdie is too cute! I think you were right to highlight this stamp and have it stand on it's own. And your second card is also equally cute ~ little snow buddies with heartfelt wishes. Great job on the embossing!

Mitzi said...

This is such a happy bird!!!!...I adore him! gorgeous job! Thanks for sharing!

Candy Meyers said...

Really cute cards. And what is nice is that they could be used during any winter month. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Candy Meyers

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing. You are very talented. Your work is a piece of art

Mary Strauser said...

love both cards. I am bookmarking your blog so I can come back often
Thanks for sharing.

E. Marie said...

Great cards. Love the little bird. My friend just lent this stamp to me and I love it. Never thought about putting jewels on only a few of the scallops of a scalloped die but I really like the look.