SNS Creative Challenge for August

Well, here we are at the first full week of August.  And here we go again......where did that last month go??  Seems I get that feeling every month any more.  And it gets worse every year.  Does that happen to you?  I guess it's true what they say....the older you get, the faster the time slips by!

I have been a bit extra busy though as my sister's bridal shower is coming up this weekend and the wedding isn't too far off either.  I've been buried up to my nose in lots of extra shower & wedding projects.  Way time consuming, but lots of fun too!  I sure hope to have some pics of some of that to share with you eventually too!  (But best I get it all done first!)

In the meantime, a new month always means a new chance to join the Sparkle N Sprinkle team for a great challenge & some great prizes.  Here's what I created for you for a little inspiration:

Click any photo for a better view

This month's challenge is a color challenge with a great swatch from Design Seeds.

While the swatch does show a flower in the example; the flower itself is not at all a part of the challenge.  But, that being said; these colors do work so beautifully with florals; that lots of us girls at SNS decided to work with a floral for this color combo.

Color Swatch courtesy of Design Seeds

I chose to use the very pretty magnolia from  this year's new Spring Floral Set 490.







The beautiful, rich and pearly sentiment was embossed with one of my favorite embossing powders - Dark Night. 

And for a wonderful touch of sparkle in the background (enough, but not too much); the branches on the embossed Sizzix background were highlighted with a touch of Cloud Nine Velvet glitter.  Even though the pictures don't show it very well; the card is actually a very soft ivory (not white).  And since the glitter is semitransparent; it adds just the right color as an accent - mimicking the ivory without making it appear too "white".  (Be sure to click the photo to see the great sparkle in the close up!)

I couldn't find just the right die cut shape for framing the saying that would complement the die that frames behind the floral.  So, I got a little creative and cut down the same die cut I used on the floral and used some of  the same ribbon used on the flower to accent the piece and also hide the seam.  Pretty creative  I thought and a perfect solution too!


I also tried to add lots of visual interest by incorporating many different layers into the piece - using a combination of tape and dimensional adhesive - often on the same piece (like the flower).  I didn't take a picture of the side of the card where you can see the various layers; so you're just going to have to take my word that it really adds to the interest on the card.

Well, that's what I decided to create with those beautiful colors.  Now how about you?  We'd love to see what you come up with!  Hope you'll jump in and join us this month!

Don't forget to let me know you stopped by & what you think.  And always, thanks so much for visiting!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Joyful Heart Angel

Hello there!  I thought I'd share a project with you quick today and also remind you about SNS's big Winter Wonderland Blog Hop coming up on Thursday.  Remember, this is a BIG one.....ALL our designers this time & lots of days so you can get through all the great projects we have to show you.  So make sure you join us on the 15th! (Lots of great prizes too!!)

Today's project is a very soft & sweet card featuring one of our great new digital designs from Michelle Perkett!  This sweet image is the Christian Angel Proverb. 



This adorable little angel can be printed out any size you desire and better yet; you can even print it on any paper you want too.  That's exactly what I did for this card, printing it twice on Solar White cardstock to color with Copics - once for the main body & then once for the heart/hands which were colored, cut out, & popped up for some dimension.  Then I also printed her onto the purple dotted paper so I could paper piece her skirt.  Printing on different papers takes some extra time but really gives you a little something extra in your digital images.




When printing digital images on specialty or designer papers; you may need to do a little prep work......
-is you paper sized to fit your printer?  (I had to cut my 12x12 paper down to 8 1/2x 11 - you could even consider cutting it down to 4x6 if you have a photo paper tray)
-will the ink print & dry properly on your paper choice? (I chose a very lightly textured paper to make sure it wouldn't have too much texture for printing and went with a somewhat matte paper with the hope that it would dry properly - I had also considered heat setting my image if needed, but it dried fine on it's own.)
-also, double check your printer settings if there's anything you need to change there as well - paper thickness, paper type, etc.  (I didn't need to change any of my settings)
-and if you can spare the paper; do a test print on your paper to see if you need to adjust anything (I had more than one sheet of my purple print paper; so I was covered if my test print didn't work - but everything worked great on the first try; so my test print became my final copy! Yeah!)

It may seem like a bit of work to use specialty papers or prints with your digital images, but again, it's worth it.  And keep in mind; the more you get to know your printer, the easier it is too!

My card was finished of with some great Sparkling Snow glitter accents on her wings, halo, and skirt.  I also outlined the entire oval with this glitter for some extra sparkle! Then it was layered onto a Spellbinder frame backed with a pretty floral paper and accented with a sparkly sheer ribbon woven through the outer edges.  The entire framed piece was then popped up on top of  pretty Vintage Pink Color Coordinate cardstock.

Full instructions for this card can be found in my gallery here in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Art Gallery.

Don't forget to join us for the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop on the 15th!  See you then!!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Sparkle N Sprinkle Endless Summer Blog Hop

Ah, Summer’s here (almost!) and the stampin’ is easy.... and fun!  Hopefully you’ve hopped here from Shona's Blog.  If not, you’ll probably want to hop back to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Home Blog because the Sparkle Team has a bunch of great summery projects for you.  All the details for this hop & the PRIZES will be listed there too!

For this hop, I’ve created a project that’s colorful, fun and super versatile, but still easy enough to save you lots of time for the pool, the beach, havin’ a picnic, or just kickin’ back in the hammock.  It’s so easy to get your stamping in & still have lots of time for all your summer fun!

And what says summer more than anything?..... flip flops!  Since I love shaped projects, I decided to do a fun flip flop shaped design.  And I thought it would be neat to cover my flip flops with flip flops – too fun, lol.  The flip flop stamp is from Set 456 - Surfin' Woody (on sale this month!)  And the assembly for this is pretty straightforward.....stamp, color with Copics, add the saying (from Set 431 - Summer Swirl) with embossing powder, and then add the ribbon & flowers.  But what's really fun about this design is what you can do with it! 

 

*Obviously you can use it as a card - it would make a great birthday, thinking of you, note card, or even a get well card depending on the saying you use (more about that below)!
*How about attaching this to the front of a gift bag for a really pretty present
*Or tie it to the gift bag handle and use it as a tag
*Make it the focal point on a scrapbook page 

So many great uses for this fun design!

Now about changing out the saying....

One of the hardest parts of this card was deciding what saying to use.  Not only were there soooo many great choices; but many of the choices are what make the design so versatile!  Switch the saying & there's no end to what you can use this for!  Here's just a sampling of some of the many great ideas I considered - there's lots more you might like too!

 

(click on the set names to link to any of these great sayings / sets on the SNS website)

For a birthday - cards, tags, or gift bags:

 "A Gift for You" - Set 449 - Wine Tableau

"Just for You" - Set 444S - Just for You

"Treat Yourself" or " You're a Sweetie" - both on Set 374 - Sweet Treats

"For My Friend", "A Gift for You", "Just for You", etc - Set 423 - Fill the Jar

Lots of great birthday sayings on - Set 416 - Happy Birthday

How about a get well card:

"The Cure for Everything is Salt Water" - Set 404 - Ocean Treasures

"Hope you're back on your feet soon" - Set 325 - Rodney Sea Critters  (this will work best on the inside of the card, but what a great saying for a summer get well card that's shoe shaped!)

For a scrapbook page:

"A Day at the Beach", "Beach Bum", "Endless Summer", etc - Set 403 - By the Sea Shore

"Life is Sweet", "Cherish Each Day" - Set 392 - Dani's Umbrella

Don't forget all the beachy sayings on Set 455 - Surf's Up 

(the sample on the right wasn't my favorite, but it gives you the basic idea of making it as a main accent for a scrapbook page)

For any use:

"Kick Back & Relax" - Set 373 - Cocktails

"It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" - Set 417 - Cocktails II 

"If the Shoe Fits...Buy One in Every Color" - Set 242 - Shoes

There's many, many more sayings for a Thinking of You or general Note card too!

Can you believe all the great choices and that's just a handful of them.  Do I have your creative juices flowing - so many great possibilities!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this project today.  With so many different ways you can use it; I sure hope you'll make one up yourself soon!! Full instructions for this design can be found on the SNS Gallery here.  Now hop on over Shanna's Blog to continue on your way and see lots more great designs! Don't forget to leave a comment on each stop to qualify for the great prizes and thanks so much for spending a little time with us today!

Until next time,

***Julie***