Witchy-Poo!
5
Category Archives: glitter
Balloonabella…
Pretty In Pink…
Cameo Appearance…
I’m not sure if it is a common affliction among crafters, but I’ve long been fascinated by color and bling since I was a child. If it sparkles or glitters, chances are I have to have it. Even before I fell in love with cardmaking and crafting, I’ve been a student, collector and creator of jewelry. From vintage deco to modern pop art pieces, the combination of geometry and symmetry with the sparkle of gemstones and crystals puts me in a trance. It actually began with an admiration of Russian Czarist history in high school. That led to collecting and devouring books about the works of Peter Carl Faberge and the Imperial Easter Eggs. Then came my collection of eggs. Then came a fascination with Coco Chanel, Jean Schlumberger and others. Then came my jewelry collection…and well, you get the picture. Suffice to say, that a lot of my crafting projects are influenced by gemstone colors and their fiery brilliance. Today’s project, in one such example.
I fell in love with these wonderful raw chipboard cameo sets from Maya Road. They come with several different shapes, styles, and profiles that are perfect for customizing to your own color scheme and fancy. When I decided to make one a card focal point, I thought it would be interesting to do so against a very neutral palette. So, I chose to used blacks and grays in papers and inks. The cardstock is True Black and Sahara Sand from Stampin’ Up! I used Tsukineko Memento inks and a sponge dauber to ink my cameo pieces. The floral spikes were created with double-sided adhesive and Martha Stewart glitter in White Gold. The pearls are from Stampin’ Up! The sentiment plaque was created using a decorative label punch (also from SU!). The sentiment stamp is from a SU! set called ‘You’re A Gem’. The decorative frame stamp is from an upcoming Stampin’ Up release called ‘Four Frames’. It will be available in the new Summer Mini Catalog starting in May 2011. The inner journaling block is from Pink Paislee’s ‘Queen Bee’ collection.
I’m In The Mood…
{Featured Stamp Set: Stampin’ Up! “Valentine Defined” Clear Mount (#123057, $18.95)}
Life Is All About The Gumballs…
Today’s card is a tip of the hat to the days of our innocence. I had so much fun putting it together, I felt like a child (which of course is an accusation I’ve faced previously). There is something about gumball machines that just makes a person happy and gives you one of those perma-grin smiles. When I was exploring the handbooks for the latest batch of Cricut cartridge releases, this image just jumped out at me. I used the “Wrap It Up” cartridge and my Cricut Imagine to create the layered image. This is one of the first times I’ve experimented with using the built in color palettes that come with each Imagine cartridge to “color” my image layers (as opposed to using various colors of cardstock). Using the print and cut function, I ended up with the colored layers that were quite easy to piece together. As I was putting the image together, I had a thought about the gumballs themselves. Of course, the cartridge prints out different colored circles to lay out as your gumballs with this image. But, I wanted a bit more pop and interest with the overall look. So, I rooted through my stash of mini round head brads and found some sparkly “gumballs”. I used a paper piercer to punch through the layered image and attached each brad. (The back looks like an accident in a dental brace factory!)
The base cardstock for this card is Stampin’ Up! in Brilliant Blue. The decorative paper (which recalls the gumball theme) is from American Crafts. The ribbon is from Papertrey Ink’s “Enchanted Evening” collection. For my sentiment, I created a scalloped badge out of felt (also from Papertrey Ink). Inside the card, I used a piece of decorative paper from Crate Paper that looks like those pages we all learned how to write on (Big Chief, anyone?). I thought this paper echoed the whimsy of the gumball machine–and I think the stains and smudges in the print are simply charming.
As a further note, I should add that I highly recommend the Cricut “Wrap It Up” cartridge. If you are one who tries to limit your cartridge buying (i.e. NOT like me, lol) to necessities, this is one to add to the “must-have” list. There are some terrific images, the layering is fairly simple and the artwork is highly versatile for many different events and uses. This is also a great cartridge for a Cricut Newbie.
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Here’s another card created with my Cricut Imagine and the “Imagine More Cards” art cartridge. The base cardstock is Stampin’ Up! in Blushing Bride. The decorative paper for the card mat is from American Crafts gorgeous Botanique Collection. The image is layered using Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Dimensionals and a piece of SU! ribbon in Chocolate Chip completes the look.
My Pink Stamper Design Team 2011–Challenge & Submission
This is something totally new and foreign to me. But, I figure the New Year should be about taking on new experiences and challenges.
By now, if you are a crafter, enthusiast, and/or Cricuteer for any length of time, you’ve surely heard of My Pink Stamper–Ms. Robyn Cardon. I’ve long been a fan of her instructional videos, Cricut expertise, and bubbly personality. Her site is so popular that she’s developed her own product lines and has design team showcasing them. I’ve always read many sites that have calls for design team members, but I’ve never really been motivated or brave enough to attempt a submission. For some reason, I’ve always held back on putting myself or my work “out there”. But, this year, I want to try and promote my blog and myself a bit more–and in doing so, hopefully provide encouragement and inspiration to other crafters the way My Pink Stamper inspires me.
So, for her design team call, Robyn asked submitters to “make a card, scrapbook page, or other Cricut project with your favorite cartridge using my favorite colors……pink, green, brown, and (other optional color of your choice)”. For my project, I chose to work with my Cricut Imagine and the suggested color palette inspired a tropical theme to my card submission.
My base cardstock is from Stampin’ Up! in a color called “Early Espresso” (5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″). The card mat is a piece of American Crafts glitter cardstock in “Lip Gloss” (4″ x 5″). I used my Zutter Round-It-All 1/2″ to cut all four corners of the base and mat cardstock. I used Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in “Snow” to print and cut my images with my Cricut Imagine. I used artwork from two of my favorite Imagine art cartridges to design this card: “Imagine More Cards” and “Better Together”.
The parrot, branch, and greeting are cut at 4″ from the “Better Together” cartridge. The rose layers are cut at 3 1/2″ from the “Imagine More Cards” cartridge. I used Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Dimensionals to layer all of images to create depth and visual interest. The final touch was a piece of Stampin’ Up! ribbon in “Chocolate Chip” (using the My Pink Stamper “cheater” method). Overall, I think the artwork and color palette evoke the feel of a bright sparkling evening sunset on a tropical isle. All my little parrot friend needs is a little drink with a tiny umbrella served in a cocunut cup. Or maybe I’m projecting?
I want to take a moment and thank My Pink Stamper for the challenge and opportunity. It was a lot of fun–and more importantly a chance to step outside my comfort zone.
Winter Wishes
I want to take a moment and wish all my readers and their families a Happy Holiday season. Whatever holiday (if any) you celebrate, I wish you and yours a peaceful time with family and friends. May love warm your hearts and the season stir your spirit. I wish you love and much joy…and I’ll “see” you again after the holidays.
I have one more of my Christmas cards to share with you today. I think I’m really going to miss making Christmas themed cards as we head into the new year. I tend to create in seasonal moods, so I probably won’t return to Christmas cards again until next Fall. But, soon we’ll have the New Year and holidays beyond until Spring awakening. Keep warm. Keep happy. And as always, keep crafting. xox, A.
Joy
Today’s card project came together after playing with some of my Sizzix dies from Tim Holtz’s Alterations line. For those of you not familiar with the line, you can find some information here. I particularly love the Movers & Shapers dies, as you have more control and creativity over where your designs are situated on the materials you are working with.
The basic layer for this layered card is a die-cut note shape called Baroque. I’ve had the Bigz Baroque die for a while now and recently added the miniature version of the die (Mini Baroque) to my collection. Using both dies together allows you to create some custom frames and designs. I also used the new Hope Movers & Shapers die from Mr. Holtz’s latest Sizzix release. I should also add that you can use this dies with most die-cutting systems out there (and not exclusively Sizzix machines). I prefer to use my trusty and reliable Cuttlebug (as opposed to the Big Shot) to cut my shapes out. (The dies simply sandwich between two “B” plates.)
Here are the basic pieces for putting this card together: the cardstock base is Papertrey Ink in Pinefeather (5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″), the solid Baroque die cut in American Crafts glitter cardstock in Evergreen, the Baroque frame from the same cardstock (created with both the large and mini Baroque dies), and another Baroque die cut with the “Joy” cut-out done with decorative cardstock from Joann’s “Peppermint Forest” collection (from last year).
The main objective was to create a window look using the Baroque cut layers. Using the solid glittered cut as the base and layering the decorative “joy” cute between it and the glittered frame.
After I adhered the layers of my window frame together, I decided that I wanted to use another piece of tree print decorative cardstock to create a mat on my cardfront for continuity of design and theme. So I used some left over from my die-cutting and cut a 4″ x 5″ piece for matting.
Now it was just a matter of choosing the right finishing touches and embellishments for my card. In the end, I chose to continue the Christmas tree theme out with a small layered tree decorated with a bit of flocking and various gems. For the inside of the card, I used another scrap piece of the tree cardstock as a backdrop for my sentiment block. I also used some Tim Holtz tissue tape from the Tidings collection. All in all, I was really pleased with the way my “playing” turned out.
It’s hard to believe that we’re in the final stretch leading up to Christmas festivities. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has literally seemed to fly by. I hope you are all well, warm, and close to “wrapping” up your holiday plans. I’m waiting on one more straggling package from my on-line shopping and then my Christmas list will be completed. I have to say that in addition to allowing us to share ideas and projects, the Internet has revolutionized my shopping modus operandi. Each year, I’ve relied more and more on on-line shopping to complete my gift list. With the exception of a couple of items, I think this year 95% of my retail therapy was done on-line. This cyber thing is an amazing place.
