Mark Your Calendar - Christmas in July

Hi again.  I told you I'd try to be back today with another project.  But, I can't show you what I've been working on recently just yet......I'm saving that for the next Sparkle N Sprinkle blog hop which is coming up in just a couple weeks.  So, I thought this would be a good time to remind you to mark your calendar so you're sure to be there for all the great designs the team has come up with and take a chance on some great prizes.  The SNS "Christmas in July" Blog Hop is coming up July 12 & 13th - you'll want to make sure you're there!

And to get you in the mood, here's a fun holiday project that I can show you.  I love how this project turned out!  And it's using one of my favorite mediums to play with - craft metal - so many neat effects you can get with this.  The word Joy was stamped onto the metal in Versamark ink and embossed with Christmas Lights Embossing Powder.  You have to be a little careful so the stamp doesn't slip around on the shiny metal and emboss carefully as the powder tends to melt fairly quickly on most metals.  But the end result is worth the extra care.

After embossing Joy, I stamped it again onto a post it note (using any ink) and cut around that (leaving a small border) to make a mask.  With the mask in place, I stamped the swirls & curls (from Set 393 Dani's Garden Swing) randomly around the word using Staz On ink.  Having the mask in place leaves a clean border around the word.  The Staz On ink will take a little while to dry on the metal.  But when it's completely dry, you can go over all the swirls and around the word with an embossing stylus to create a really neat quilted effect.  Be sure to put a piece of fun foam or something similar under your metal as you work to get the best impressions.  But....don't press too hard or you could rub off your ink (if this does happen, just go over the line with a permanent marker to restore the line - this is also how I got the black outline around the word Joy).

The metal piece was mounted under a piece of Mirror card that had a window cut out using a Spellbinder Nestabilites Label and then the whole piece was mounted to white cardstock.  Ribbon was wrapped around the piece like a present for a finishing touch.

What's great about this piece is that it makes a great card, but it's just as beautiful as a piece of home decor!  You can even frame it so you could use it year after year.  What a lovely decoration for your house during the holidays! Complete instructions for this piece can be found in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Art Gallery here.
(Note: This particular Joy stamp is no longer available in the SNS store.  But....you can still request to purchase this stamp or the whole set it came from by contacting Margaret.  Numbers identifying this stamp are found in the full directions linked above. Or....there's lots of other great holiday sayings you could use to create a similar piece.  Check out all the great SNS holiday stamps starting on this page.)

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this piece - it's one of my favorites!  And I hope it's got you thinking about the Christmas in July Blog Hop coming up real soon!

Until next time,

***Julie***