Farewell to Summer (SNS Sept. Challenge too!)

It was a pretty busy August around my place: lots of back to school preparations & shopping - end of summer day trips & activities we wanted to squeeze in  - project days to work on more of my sisters wedding projects while we still had opportunities (she's a teacher too).  We try to cram sooo much into those last precious days of summer, but it's kind of like an annual ritual at this point.  And it goes so fast!  Does your family have any end of summer rituals??

For us, the final celebration of summer comes Labor Day weekend.  For years my entire extended family (which really I consider my immediate family) goes to a nearby lake.  We picnic, swim, fish, bike ride, walk the dogs, you name it.  It's the perfect final blow out for summer & we had such an amazing time doing it all together.

So......since we've given summer it's official send off; it's time to think fall.  So I thought I'd give you a little fall inspiration.  And also give you a little inspiration for this month Creative Challenge too!

This month's Challenge is "Anything goes with Glitter, Embossing Powder, and/or Flocking"

I decided to take the ANYTHING part quite literally and made this adorable fall notepad.  Even a plain old notepad looks beautiful with a bit of Sparkle N Sprinkle!

I thought this would be something really nice to give to someone that will be hosting Thanksgiving.  With all the preparations that can go into getting ready for Thanksgiving; what hard working hostess wouldn't love a beautiful little notebook to keep track of all of her shopping & to do lists for all the preparations.  (And it's so perfectly pretty with it's SNS touches of course!)

The beautiful Basket of Apples is from Set 474 - Fall Harvest and is colored with Copic markers.

To make the saying pop off of the printed paper; I used White Detail embossing powder.  And warm & sparkly accents were added in two places by adding a strip of Sparkling Coffee Sparkle N Soft (glittery flocking) between the printed papers and also on the brads.

While I designed it with Thanksgiving in mind; it certainly would be a lovely little gift for so many other occasions/people too -  how about for a teacher's gift (apple for the teacher?) or for a friend at church?  There's so many other great ideas I'd bet you can come up with.

So I hope you enjoyed today's project.  Don't forget to let me know what you think.  And don't forget to join in on the fun for this month's challenge too!  We always look forward to see what you come up with!

Until next time,

***Julie***

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***

Sparkle N Sprinkle Girly Girls and Macho Mania Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on our hop this month! If you're arriving here from Shanna's blog; you're in the right place.  If you just "happened" to arrive here; you may want to go to the SNS Home Blog to start from the beginning of our hop so you don't miss any great ideas and details about the prizes up for grabs!

Today I have a little bit of Girly Girls AND Macho Mania for you!  For this guys and gals hop; I thought it might be fun to take a look a the same card done up for either a guy OR a girl.  

 
Let's face it; lots of us struggle with doing "guy" cards.  But if you modify a few simple details; any card design can take on a masculine feel!  So....here's a look at a card using the same basic layout, the same basic formula (saying as main image, all-over print, decorative strip), and also using the same saying - but one is decidedly masculine and one is definitely "girly".  Take a look at both versions - let me know what you think!

Masculine Version:

• dark & neutral colors
• straight, sharp lines (decorative strip & saying cutout)
• natural elements (woodgrain & rope)
• simple metal studs accents

Full supply list & instructions for this design can be found in the SNS Art gallery here.

(click any photo for better view)






      Feminine Version:

• light / pastel colors
•  soft, rounded lines/ shapes (decorative strip & saying cutout)
• sparkling elements (glitter accents & stripes on decorative strip and on saying piece)
• pearl accents

Full supply list and directions for this version can be found in the SNS Art Gallery here.



Both cards use a saying from the great new Set 498 - Horses.  I've been having a lot of fun playing with this new set.  Did you see the colorful card I did from this set in my previous post?   Be sure to check that out below or here.   (Don't forget to come back here to finish off the hop though!)   I think you're really going to love this set as much as I do!

Here's a peek at the whole set.  Isn't it great?!





So, what do you think about my masculine and feminine versions of this card?  Doesn't this make it seem so much easier to make any design appropriate for a guy or a gal?  Let me know your thoughts before you hop on by (& that qualifies you for prizes too)!  I always love to read and appreciate all your comments!!


Now hop on over to Shona's Blog for even more inspiration (yep, you arrived here from Shanna & are now headed on over to Shona's - no, that's not a typo lol!)  Have lots of fun on the rest of the hop and I hope to see you again soon!

Until next time,

***Julie***

PS - If you liked what you saw today (or on any of my posts), I'd love for you to become a follower.  I really enjoy sharing  my designs with fellow enthusiasts and would love to have you follow along too!

Horses & Patriotism

Hi again!  Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

We actually just worked around the house on the 4th and didn't do anything special.  But we did  have a super busy post 4th weekend.  The highlight was attending the Taylor Swift concert in Pittsburgh with my daughter & sister -  my 1st concert in about 20 yrs. and my daughter's very first concert!  It's not something we usually get to do because we're about an hour from the city (& concert venues) and tickets are sooo expensive (not in our budget!)  But this was a special treat as my sister & family bought us tickets for our birthday & Christmas gifts last year.  My daughter & I both have birthdays in November & with Christmas only a month after that; it was a special combined birthday/christmas present.  I have to say we both really enjoyed it.  It was a great show & who knows when we'll ever get a chance to do that again!  Many thanks to my sister & family for that really special treat!

In any case, I kind of have a patriotic card for you today.  But I specifically saved it until after the fourth because I didn't really intend it to be patriotic.....per se.  How's that for a wishy washy explanation!
Actually, I thought this card would be good for a patriotic card OR a general multipurpose (note card, thinking of you, birthday, etc.)  I have lots of friends with horses and I know any of them would love to get this card any time of the year.  So, I guess that's where I'm reluctant to say it's only a patriotic card. 


 I have to say I'm ecstatic with how this turned out.  One of those exactly how I saw it in my head cards!  The horse silhouette, the bold red, white, & blue combined with the soft watercoloring.  Love it!  Love it! Love it!

(click any photo for a better view)


The inspiration for this card actually came from two places.  I actually have a t-shirt with a similar design and thought that it would make a really great card idea.  And the second inspiration.....if you've ever watched horses run; you can't deny how beautiful and free they look when they're running.  So combining them with an enduring symbol of freedom is such a perfect combination!

The running horse is from the new SNS Set 498 - Horses.  LOVE this set!!  The flag background & the word freedom are sold individually or on  SNS's Set 434 - Patriotic Background.   Everything was colored with Inktense watercolors. With these, I was able to achieve the rich vibrant colors and yet still be able to control the opacity.  I did one version with the horse silhouette very dark & opaque and a second lighter one (below) where the detail lines were still able to show through a little bit.  Different effects, but I liked them both.




The lighter version of the card was also done without the Freedom saying at the top.  After seeing the card with freedom at the top; it probably looks a bit plain without it.  But I thought omitting it made it look a little less like a card for a patriotic holiday & more for use anytime of the year for a note card, birthday or something else for a horse lover.

Hope you like this card as much as I do.  Full instructions can be found in my SNS Art Gallery here. 

Don't forget to stop back Friday or Saturday for SNS's Girly Girl and Macho Mania Blog Hop!  Always some great inspiration and great prizes to be won too!  Let me know what you think of today's card and I hope to see you again at the hop!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Recovering and Father's Day

Hello friends.  I've really been missing spending time crafting and online; but I still have a little bit of recovering to do.  Recovery was going really well at first and then it seemed to stall a bit.  Probably I was expecting too much too soon.  It will get there though.  Strangely, I've continued to have some problems with my vision though (& those should have cleared up by now); so that has been a bit bothersome and has also kept me from both crafting and being online too much.  I miss both and am trying to work it out so I can slowly get back to both while I finish healing.  I decided to try and tackle a project first and hope to be back visiting each of you on your wonderful blogs very soon too!

So....while I've been out; you've probably seen some of the great new sets that Sparkle N Sprinkle has recently released.  If you haven't, you can find them here (towards the bottom) and here.  I couldn't wait to try out something with the new Fishin with Dad set and here's what I came up with:
 


This is such a great stamp set and I had so much fun creating this card.  This is the card my husband will be getting for Father's Day - he requested it lol!  Actually, he frequently serves as a "consultant" as I design cards and he liked this one so much; he said he wanted one for his Father's Day card!  Too funny & such a nice complement too!




The fish and saying are both from the new Fishin' with Dad- Set 501.  The words were done in Moss embossing powder - one of my favorites - from the Tuscany embossing powder line.  The fishing tackle and wood grain papers are both from Momenta.  The fishing pole is from my yard and the fish hook is from the sporting goods department lol ;-)









This is a really fun design for a Father's Day card, but would work just as great for a birthday or other occasion by just switching out the words.  Something any fisherman or outdoors person would be sure to love!

A full supply list and instructions (as well as a few tips!) can be found in my Sparkle N Sprinkle gallery. 


Hope you enjoyed today's card and thanks so much for stopping by.  I really appreciate your continued support while I haven't been able to visit each of you and really look forward to visiting each of you on your blogs very soon!

Until next time,

***Julie***

SNS Creative Challenge - Don't Forget!

Hi blogging friends! So sorry for the extended absence from my blog, but this past month has been pretty busy for me.  Much to my dismay, I had to have some surgery a couple weeks back.  Part of my month was spent getting the house and farm ready for my recovery time and the past couple weeks have been the ups and downs of recovery.  The good news - surgery went well and hopefully all will be well soon.  I'm still going through some ups and downs of recovery; but it's only been a couple weeks; so I need to give it a little more time.

In the meantime, I wanted to remind you that there's still a week left to get in on the Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge for this month.  This month is a fun color challenge.  Before my surgery, I did this colorful card using one of the great new SNS sets - Bicycles.

I love this color combo and knew exactly what I wanted to do when I saw this combo.  I had recently got a new set of Prismacolor Inktense pencils and this was the perfect chance to try them out.  I love how this background turned out.




 

Color Swatch courtesy of Design Seeds

I really struggled with leaving this card so simple, but I also really wanted the background and that great saying to take center stage.  And I think leaving the card simple does that quite well.

Actually, I almost forgot that this was one of the most time consuming simple cards I've done in quite awhile.  I'm just now remembering that this card took me about two weeks to finish - crazy, I know!  But after doing the background, I left it sitting around on my workspace for awhile and I kept staring at and playing with it trying to decide how best to add the images/sayings (I even did a completely different layout, but didn't think it worked quite as well).  Finally I added the images and left it sit around again while I contemplated how to "finish" it.  Again, I tried a couple different finishing options before I decided it needed to be left simple.  In the end, sometimes simplicity can make the most powerful statement.  (Even if it takes a lot of trials to get to simple LOL!)

I do love the end result though.  Full instructions for this card can be found in the Sparkle N Sprinkle art gallery here.

I hope you'll decide to try out something yourself with this warm and beautiful color collection for this month's challenge.  Full details for this Creative Challenge can be found on the Challenge blog here.

Ok, I need to sign off for now.  Need to get some rest.  I'm finding that I've been a lot more tired than I expected while I'm healing.  But your body knows what it needs; so I best pay attention.  Hopefully if I do that I'll be back to more of my regular self and schedule real soon!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!  

Until next time,

***Julie***

Heart Wings from New SNS Stamps

Hi there!!  Today I wanted to share a card using one of the two new Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp sets by Beccy Muir that were just released this week - Bird Song and Bicycles.  You can see the full sets by just clicking on their names. 

I have to say I'm in LOVE with these two sets! So pretty, fun, and versatile - good for cards of all occasions & scrapbook pages too!  Be sure to check them out, I think you're going to love them as much as I do!



I haven't had as much time as I'd like to play with them yet; but I have SO many ideas tossing around in my head! So, until I can put all those ideas to paper; here's the first card I got to create using the Bird Song set.  (click photo for closer view)


There's three different styles of feathers on this set and they are all gorgeous!  So I decided that I wanted one of them to be the focus of this card.  Isn't that feather gorgeous?!


The set also has some beautiful sayings as well.  But for this card, I wanted to show how well this set works with some of our other sets too!  I think it's great when you have sets that you can mix and match.  So much versatility!







And to show you even more versatility.....this great saying is actually from one of our Valentine themed sets!  Stampette Set 454 - Heart Wings  So, Don't forget to keep a really open mind when you look at all your stamps!

Used this way, the saying works so well for something other than Valentines day.....anniversary? mother's day? best friend? maybe even a birthday?  There's probably lots more great ways to use it!  And I just loved the way the "heart wings" saying worked with the feathers!



What do you think?  Be sure to let me know you stopped by!  I always love and appreciate your comments!  Hope you'll stop back again!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Sparkle N Sprinkle Anything But a Card Blog Hop

Welcome! Today us ladies from SNS are hosting an "Anything But a Card" Blog Hop.  Hopefully you've just arrived here from Barbara's Blog and have been enjoying all the interesting projects the girls have come up with.    (If you just happened upon this post, why not go to the SNS Home Blog to check out the details for joining us on this hop.  There's some great prizes to be won too!)

I knew exactly what I wanted to do when this hop was planned.  I've been wanting to do one of these for a long time and this was the perfect time to make it happen!  And I happened to have one of the great new sets that was recently released that would work perfectly for this too; so I was really excited to try this out!

My non-card project features the new Sweet Strawberries Set 484.  And I decided to make this adorable basket to hold a delicious treat!  I had the strawberries on hand the whole time I worked on this; even when I was doing the coloring to get it just right.  And boy did they smell yummy!!  Are you hungry for a little sweet taste of summer yet?!

My neck of the woods just last week.... I'm so ready for summer!

We're still quite cold here in my part of the US (even had snow flurries the last couple days!); so I'm definitely ready for any warm thoughts!!  So this summery project is just what I needed!










The basket is made using a Spellbinder Grand Label die cut that is cut in half and has a strip inserted between the two halves to form the sides and bottom of the basket.  Add a decorative strip for the handle and Viola - adorable little basket to fill with any treat!  Full instructions for how to make the basket can be found in the SNS Art Gallery here. 

 
The image was stamped with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers.  The sentiment is embossed with Teddy Brown embossing powder (one of my favorites) to match the brown basket.  


There's so many different things you could make one of these baskets for - change the paper color, the Spellbinder die, and/or the image and you could create lots of different types of treats.  Whether it's a just little treat for a special person or perhaps something more formal like a shower favor; the ideas are endless!



We're getting close to the end of the hop, but there's a couple more stops and some great projects left for you to check out! So leave a comment (I love to hear what you think!) and then hop on over to Marie's Blog to see what fun idea she has for you!

Hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!  And do stop back again!  

Until next time,

***Julie***

Sparkle N Sprinkle April Creative Challenge

Happy April 1st!  Today us gals at Sparkle N Sprinkle have a new Creative Challenge for you (no April foolin')!  This month the Creative Challenge at SNS is to use a digit image in your project.  So if you love working with digital images; be sure to jump in and join us!  And if you're new to digital images; this is the perfect reason to take the plunge and give it a try! 

Here's what I came up with for this months challenge:


I chose to use the use the adorable "Rose" by Michelle Perkett.  Now I know she has some pretty roses on her dress and her name is in fact "Rose".  But for whatever reason, I just didn't see her in pink lol.  When I saw Rose, I really wanted to see her in a pretty purple dress and I have always loved yellow roses.


I think she looks adorable in her purple & yellow!  A little bit of leaf green accents on the card and in the ombre bow pull out the tiny bit of green on her dress and adds a little extra pop of color too.

I often love to combine digital images with rubber images.  In this case, I added the saying from the Sweet Treats - Set 374; which is perfect for this image and also makes the card so versatile.  You could use this card for so many different occasions.






The tiny rose I added is from Set 382 - Sympathy.  It's probably not the first set you'd think to go to for accent pieces.  But if you're not familiar with the set; be sure to click the set name to check it out.  Not only does it have lovely sayings for those tough times when you need to make a sympathy card.  But it also has some very pretty accents like this tiny rose and several swirls/scrolls that make perfect accents for lots of sayings and cards of all types. 

I loved how well the tiny rose fit with the saying and tied in the saying piece with the flowers on Rose's dress.

A little bit of sparkling snow glitter was added around the image (of course!) for just the right amount of sparkle!

**************

I hope you like my project for this month's challenge to use Digital image(s).  And I really hope you'll decide to play along with us!!  So grab a favorite digital image & join in on the fun!  We look forward to seeing what you create!

Don't forget to stop back on Thursday - we're having another blog hop and it's a little earlier in the month than some of our other hops; so we don't want you to miss it (more prizes to be won)!  We'll be featuring "Anything But a Card"; so we hope you'll join us then too!

 Until next time,

***Julie***

Simply Pattern Play

Hello there!  Today was the last day for the "interactive" part of the Pattern Play class I had signed up for.  I only had the time to post one card during the class and I wanted to post at least one more card today.  Still fighting my cold and super busy with other projects this week; so I didn't get to do as much with Jennifer and Kristina's class as I wanted to.  But I really enjoyed everything I did get to do - so many great ideas from the instructors and even more from the other participants!  I'm really looking forward to checking out more from the class later.


So in any case, since today was the last interactive day; I was hoping to add a few projects related to the lessons / ideas presented.  This was the only one I had time to work up unfortunately.  I have at least three more on the "drawing board" that I really wanted to work up too.  But alas, there's only so many hours in a day!  Perhaps another time for those cards!


This card idea is based on taking a bold or busy patterned paper and breaking it up (or softening it up) by cutting it into strips and allowing stripes of the card base show through.  And it's quite effective at toning down the pattern just enough!  There's so many patterns out there that are really interesting; but can be "too much" and this really does the trick to make it much less overwhelming.  The idea is also to keep the card relatively simple when using a busy pattern.  So generally you only add one main sentiment or other element.  The sentiment I used is from Sparkle N Sprinkle's Nature - Set 467 .   I lightly shaded it with Old Paper Distress ink to soften it a bit & then it's framed with a Spellbinder Label Ten.


I took my card one more step further yet still maintained the simplicity of it by adding a strip of bakers twine between each panel. I really liked the little extra touch of interest that it added without being too much.  A very simple card, but it gave me a chance to actually test out some of the ideas discussed in the class.  I really like the overall effect.  You certainly get to appreciate a beautiful paper.  Sometimes simple really does give the best effect!  Hopefully I'll get a chance to try out some of the other ideas sometime soon!  Hope you enjoyed my take on the technique!

Until next time,

***Julie***

SNS March Blog Hop

Welcome to my page on the Sparkle N Sprinkle Favorite Techniques blog hop.  I hope you have been enjoying the hop and have arrived here from Jackie's blog.  If not, you may want to return to the starting point on the SNS Home Blog so you don't miss of the great projects (or details about prizes you can win!)

So....favorite technique.....hmmm.  Definitely not an easy answer.  First off, would that be favorite "to do" or favorite as in "do it most often".  Well, I have lots of favorites - but the one I'm going to showcase today is a bit of both types of favorites.  I do really like to do this one & it's definitely one that I do often - Glittered Stained Glass.  Normally when I do the glittered stained glass technique, I do something pretty fancy or a very elegant look.  So I thought for today, I'd do something completely different.  Today I wanted it to be just totally fun and bold.  And here's what I came up with.

At first glance at this project, you might not even realize that this is glittered Stained glass; which is why I chose this picture that shows a little bit of the stained glass "glare" on it.  Plus, on this card I chose a stained glass piece that didn't dominate the whole card (usually I make it the main focus).

So even though I did it completely differently this time; it still works great!

I often think of glittered stained glass as a lot like painting by numbers.  You stamp your design onto a piece of acetate and then one color at a time you paint in the glue and add your glitter colors.




And since we're sharing techniques, I thought it might be nice to share one of my favorite tips for doing Glittered Stained Glass.

And it's something I do all the time.....
When doing this technique, you can attach your acetate right to the front of your card using brads or another decorative element.  But more often than not, I prefer to put my acetate behind the top layer of my card using a frame or some type of cut out.  

One of the ways you can make a cut out is so simple I thought I'd demo it on this card.  Simply chose where you'd like your stained glass piece to be and then stamp the design in that position using a light colored ink.  Then just simply cut it out!  Then your window matches your stained glass piece perfectly!  (You might not even be able to tell that I actually cut out that window for this piece.  It almost looks like the stained glass is right on the top of the card!)

Obviously, this works best when you have a design with relatively simple outer edge lines.  But if you have something with a more complex outer edge; you can just chose one of the many dies out there to die cut a frame to place your stained glass piece behind.  However, you chose to do it - brads, matching hand cut frame, or die cut frame; give Glittered Stained Glass at try.  It's fun and full of sparkling goodness!

Do you remember these stained glass projects from past hops?  These are two of my favorite stained glass projects!  Definitely a lot more "elegant" than today's project.  But it's always nice to try new looks and stretch a bit from what is your "norm" too!

Up next is Shanna's blog - hop on over to see what technique she has to share with you!  Be sure to leave a comment before you hop on!  And I hope you have a great time on the rest of the hop!!

Until next time,

***Julie***

PS - When you're done with the hop, Don't forget to stop by the SNS Tips & Techniques page so you can find your favorite technique!!

March Creative Challenge at SNS

We've got a great new challenge for March over at Sparkle N Sprinkle!  This month we want to see you play with glitter - ultrafine glitter, velvet glitter, tinsel glitter, or even glittery embossing powder!  So many choices!!

This was a really hard challenge for me - ok, only in trying to decide which way I wanted to use it!  Soooo many different  ways I love to play with glitter - it was a hard decision!

What I decided to do was combine glitter with one of the most popular paper supplies right now - washi tape!  And here's the results:

Love how the washi and glitter look together!  





To start, I chose three coordinating washi tapes and glitters for my piece. Then I began laying down alternating rows of washi and 1/4" Tearific Tape. ( I chose to cover a piece of cardstock larger than I needed so I would have enough for more than one project after I was done with the glittered piece.)

(click any photo for a better view)

 










When the entire piece was covered; I trimmed all the tapes even with the edges and then burnished the washi & Tearific Tape down real well with a brayer (you could just use your finger to burnish it too).



 
Then I began adding the glitter by removing the paper backing off of every 3rd row of Tearific Tape and covering the tape with one of the glitters.  I burnished the glitter well with my finger and brushed off the excess before moving on to the next glitter color.





After all the colors were added, I burnished everything one more time and then cut the washi/glitter piece to the size I needed for my card.  Doesn't it look awesome!

I've got a bunch more washi/glitter combo's I want to try out now! (All I need is to find the time lol!)  Here's hoping I find the time - this was a lot of fun and there's so many great options to try!!

 The background for the card was created with a great new Pansy stamp from the stampette set by the same name.  And the wonderfully fun Robin Williams saying (love this saying!) is part of the Spring Swirl stamp set.  For extra glittery sparkle, the saying was done in Mulberry Star embossing powder; which is an EP with glitter in it.  And the whole ribbon banner was outlined with one of the same glitters as the washi piece. Look at all that sparkle in the saying and banner!


A supply list and full instructions for this card be found in the SNS Art Gallery here.


Hope you liked all the glittery goodness in this piece!  And we sure hope you join us for this month's Creative Challenge at Sparkle N Sprinkle!  Here's a link to the Creative Challenge blog to get all the details!   Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to leave a little comment so I know you were here - I read and appreciate every one!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Coming This Week!

Don't forget!  

This week, all us gals at Sparkle N Sprinkle will be holding our first Blog Hop of 2013 - the Fancy Folds Blog Hop!  As always, we'll be sharing lots of great ideas & there will be lots of great prizes to be won too.  We sure hope you'll join us this Thurs. (and the hop will run for four days so you have lots of time to check out  all the great ideas too!)

To get you in the mood; I thought I'd share a fancy fold I did quite a while back.  This card was showcased on one of the SNS blogs way back before I had my own blog.  It's always been one of my favorites; so I thought this would be a good time to add it to my personal blog.  I liked this card so much I did it in three different versions.  Each one used a different variety of SNS's beautiful embossing powders and a different treatment for the center of the flowers.


 This lovely version focused on vibrant shimmering pastels with pearl centers.

If you'd like the full instructions for how to make a Flower Pot Card card; they can be found in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Tips & Techniques section (click any bold name to go there!).  

Or you can find the instructions for this version in the SNS Art Gallery Here.

My second version was done in a "bridal style" in pinks and white.  

This one has handmade floral centers that were created with shrink plastic, scallop punches, and a coating of the "oh so versatile" Sparkle embossing powder.

(Don't forget you can  click on any photo for a better view!)

Full instructions and products used for this version can be found Here.

My last version is just bright and bold and featured buttons for the floral centers. I love the look of the golden yellow with the brown buttons - reminds me of black eyed susans.  And the orange posies complemented them so well.   On this card, I also added my message to a a sweet little tag on the front for something different.

Full instructions and product list for this version can be found Here.

All the images and sayings for all three cards are from the wonderful Set 391 - Solid Butterfly. Love, love the sayings and style of this set! Definitely one of my all time "go to" sets!!



Well, I hope you enjoyed these cards & it puts you in the mood for some more "Fancy Folds" coming up in the blog hop Thursday!  Don't forget to let me know what you think of these before you hop on by and I'll See you on Thurs. for the Hop!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Farwell 2012 - How fast the time Goes

Well, it sure has been awhile since I've posted.  The holidays have been very busy and start quite early around my place.  (Thus my absence from blogland - both posting & visiting with each of you).  Beginning with my birthday in mid November, running right into my niece's BD, my daughter's BD, and Thanksgiving - whoosh, before I know it we're already into December.  And then things get even crazier.  I'm sure most of you know what I mean - the shopping, the decorating, the preparations.  And in our case, there's always several hand crafted gifts; so Santa's workshop has been in full operation throughout Dec. too.  My, it all sure can get overwhelming sometimes.  And then it goes by fast!

So, here we sit, so close to the end of 2012.  Wow, that happened so fast.  It's been a year full of ups & downs and marked by the loss of three dear loved ones for me. While left with empty spaces that are/were so hard to get past; we continued to move forward & be better people taking the best of each as a part of us.  A never ending ambition, I've tried to learn, grow, and share as much as possible.  And in doing so, I have much to be thankful for and so much more yet to accomplish.

So, as I look toward next year; I hope to continue and improve in each of these - learning - growing - sharing as much as possible.  And like each other year, I'm really looking forward to getting back to a more normal schedule after the busy holidays.  With the cold winter months ahead, I'm hoping I can catch up on the blogging I missed out in December.  I have many fun things waiting on the back burner to share.

Many wishes to each of you that your New Year is healthy, happy, and all that you hope for and more!!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Sparkle N Sprinkle Winter Wonderland Blog Hop

Welcome to your first stop on the hop!  We're so glad you are joining us!!  

Since this is the first stop on our hop; you're definitely in the right place!  But if you haven't read all the details about how to participate in this hop or checked out what great prizes will be given away; you might want to hop back to the Sparkle N Sprinkle home blog and read all the details first.  If you're ready to hop on, grab nice cup of hot chocolate or perhaps some eggnog and nestle in for an enjoyable trip through our Winter Wonderland!

Today I have another great Michelle Perkett digital image for you!  Meet Buddy the Christmas Pup!  Isn't he adorable?!  Buddy makes such a great holiday card, but would work just as well for a thinking of you or even a winter birthday card.  He's just so cute and versatile in his cute little sweater!

click any photo for "closer" view

I decided on a holiday card.  So for my card, I did Buddy up in some beautiful blues; taking my cue from the fun SNS saying Cool Yule from the Gothic Snow Set 347.  I thought the saying felt very wintery & well.....blue lol.


Recently, I've really been into making a lot of my main images dimensional so I printed out Buddy three times.  His sweater was colored and cut out separately.  And even though I attached it right on top of him with Tearific tape; you still get some added dimension by placing it on top of him instead of just coloring it right on the main image.  On the third image I printed, I colored and cut out Buddy's head and this time I did pop it up off the main image for lots of dimension!  Then I fussy cut my whole Buddy image and layered it onto a Spellbinder Floral Motif circle.  Again, I could have just cut out the Spellbinder circle with Buddy on it; but I thought it just gave the image more definition to cut him out first and then layer it onto the circle.


For extra holiday sparkle, the Cool Yule saying was embossed with the super sparkly Tinsel Embossing Powder onto beautiful SNS Adriatric Blue Color Coordinates cardstock.  And our awesome new velvet glitters in Reflection (sparkling silver) were used to jazz up the snowflakes on his sweater!

The card was finished off with a pretty textile print background paper, a couple paper accent dots, and a beautiful white and silver bow to tie in all the sparkle.  I wish you could see all the sparkle in person!  Full instructions can be found in my section of the SNS Art Gallery Here.



One more quick project for you today.  Don't forget all the simple pleasures - SNS glitters make the most beautiful glittered pine cones.  So simple and so beautiful.  Roll the pine cone in Brushable glue and then sprinkle on the glitter to resemble the beautiful look of snow tipped pine cones you'd find outside .  I used a 50/50 mix of Sparkling Snow (extra sparkly,semi-transparent) and Bridal (opaque white) glitter on mine.  They're perfect for ornaments, package decorations, or just home decor.  Even the kids can help with this one - they're fun for everyone!


I really hope you enjoyed today's projects.  Don't forget to leave a comment - I always love to hear what you think (and leaving comments also qualifies you for the prizes too!)  Then hop on over to Shanna's blog to see what she has in store for you.  Have a great time on the rest of your walk (hop) through our Winter Wonderland!!  And Thanks again for stopping by!

Until next time,

***Julie***

Creative Thinking - Getting the Most from Stamp Sets

Did you get a chance to see my Spotlight Hummingbird card in the previous post?  If not, scroll down to the previous post or click here to take a look.....   Today's card uses the same Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp set.  But for a completely different look!

When I work with a stamp set, often my mind starts to wander.  And before I know it; I start thinking about all the "more unique" uses for different parts of the set.  If it's a dog set - I see parts that can be used for cats, a Christmas set - I see birthday card potential; and so forth.  Sometimes it's not a real stretch, but other times; it's way out there.  But it's always about getting the most out of each set - which is always a great idea!  So I let my mind go - make sure you let your mind go too!  (And no, don't tell me your mind's already gone....mine is frequently too - that's not what we're talking about here - he he!)

So anyway, with the Hummingbird set I used for the last post; you would immediately see - well, hummingbirds obviously, nature, beauty, and some lovely words.  What did I see - cupcakes! When I saw the words, I immediately saw a fun banner with a cupcake!  What do you think of my creative use?

click any image for better view

This time I used the Cappuccino and Cappuccino Star embossing powders from SNS's Tuscany Line  for the sayings & the cupcake.   Shamrock, Rosy Red, and Blue Jewel glitters give the banner extra color & lots of sparkle!  (It's even more sparkly in real life than the pics show!  But do click on the photos to see the sparkle a bit better.)  Papers are both from a 6pad from Studio G and are shaded around the bottom edges with two different distress inks.  The rick rack trim is some I bought in the sewing dept.

I think this makes a really colorful & fun birthday card.  Or maybe even a great card to send just for the fun of it to a friend with a sweet tooth or that's a chocoholic.  Lots of sparkle - lots of fun.












Here's a look at the full set:
What different uses do you
think of?

 

I hope you've enjoyed the two very different uses I chose for this set!  Leave a quick comment & let me know what you think!  Full instructions for this card can be found in the SNS Art Gallery here.  Don't forget.....Always think creatively - always try to get the most from your stamps!

Until next time,

***Julie***

PS - Don't forget to stop back on Thursday for SNS's Ghosts & Goblins Fall Folic Blog Hop!  As always, we'll have some fun projects & great prizes to share.  See you then!!