THIS WEEK'S "MONDAY MAILER"

I'll tell you one thing . . . it's nearly impossible to capture the true sparkle of a glittered object! The glittered heart was a plain chipboard shape that I colored with Rose Red Craft ink. I don't think it was necessary to color it--I thought it might look better. I then covered the top of the heart with Crystal Effects and then poured Chunky Glitter on top. BTW, the Crystal Effects has been the best adhesive I have tried when using Chunky Glitter on a shaped object. Take a close look at that bow. I used SU's brand new Poly-Twill ribbon! Now, I know there are parts of this project that aren't all that great, so I just won't mention them, okay?

THINKING AHEAD TO EASTER

It seems that by the time holidays arrive, I'm surprised they haven't already passed because I start working on them so far in advance. Easter, I'm sure, will be no exception, plus it's really early this year! This morning, I decided to make a little Easter treat! You can probably tell from the picture that I used textured card stock . . . I think it makes stamped images appear as though they're stamped on canvas. Of course, I had to use some glitter on my project, but this time I used Heat & Stick powder to hold it. Heat & Stick is a tricky product but, when used correctly, it works like a charm! The glitter, in real life, isn't as dark as it appears in the photo, and it is SO SPARKLY!!!! I had a bear of a time getting a decent picture today. Where is the sun when you need it???? How to make this cute project? I used a 4" x 11.5" strip of Pretty in Pink textured card stock, scored at 4-1/2" and 6-1/2". On the 4-1/2" panel, I used the Coluzzle to cut the oval window. A small cello bag (which SU sells) was used to hold the Hershey's Kisses, and the bag was stapled to the back panel of the project. The topper is a piece of 3" x 4" Old Olive card stock, folded in half, and I used the Corner Rounder punch to create the scalloped edge. The butterfly and "Easter Blessings" images were stamped with VersaMark ink, Heat & Stick powder was sprinkled on top, and then I heated the powder just until it melted. A Q-tip was used to apply the glitter, and I then re-heated to set the glitter. The tulips and stems ("Never-Ending Joy" stamp set) were stamped with Pink Passion and Old Olive Classic ink. I used the Crop-a-Dile to punch two holes in the topper, which was glued onto the top of the treat holder, and then put the Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon into place. This project was finished off with a cross charm!

MORE "BOHO BACKGROUNDS"

This is a rather large card . . . 5.5" x 5.5" and, as you can see, I used the medallion image from "Boho Backgrounds" and, again, layered it by using a couple of punches. Aren't you LOVING this set????? Two other images from Boho Backgrounds were used on this card . . . the dotted background (they're actually tiny flowers, not dots) on the bottom of the Bashful Blue card stock and the floral background on the Wild Wasabi "carousel." Speaking of carousel, the semi-circle on the left side of this card is from a product that will be available in the "Occasions" mini catalog next month . . . "Carousel Notes." SU products used to create this card include Scallop Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, "Smarty Pants" stamp set, Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/8" Circle Punch, Celery Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Bashful Blue card stock, and Carousel Notes (Wild Wasabi).

GLITTER, GLITTER EVERYWHERE!

I've been playing with glitter and LOVE that stuff! I'm having to learn as I go, but I can tell you a few things:

1) It's best to NOT pour the glitter onto your project (unless it's a huge project) because when you go to pour the leftover glitter back into the container, you end up losing (wasting) some of it because of its static tendency. I like to use a Q-tip (for lack of a better solution, yet undiscovered) to just drop a small amount of glitter where I want it and then just "sweep" it around onto the adhesive. Always remember: a little bit of glitter goes a looooonnnnnggggg way!

2) Which adhesive to use? Well, I've used mini glue dots for small glittered circles, and you want to be sure you don't handle the dot too much or it will lose its tackiness. SU's new Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive works wonderfully! You can also sprinkle glitter onto Crystal Effects (you might can even stir it into the CE and brush it wherever you want it), and 2-Way Glue is always good. Sticky Strip is yet another option. Speaking of Sticky Strip, I will show you two projects I did using SU's brand new "Sticky Cut Letters." If you can imagine two 12x12 sheets of Sticky Strip that have been die cut with letters, numbers, and a couple of shapes, then you can imagine what the Sticky Cut Letters product is all about. They're awesome because all you do is choose the one you want, apply it to your project, peel off the red liner, and glitter, glitter, glitter!

3) Glittered projects are HARD to photograph, but that sparkly stuff REALLY takes a project to a new, exciting level!

In the photo above, I used the "Nursery Necessities" stamp set, and glittered the edge of the moon with Light Blue glitter from the "Fine Cosmo" stack. The punched star was also glittered, but I used Dazzling Diamonds and 2-Way Glue for that. BTW, the moon was adhered to the project with Stampin' Dimensionals, and the sailboat was outlined with a Going Gray marker.

The heart on this card came from the "Sticky Cut Letters," and I decided to try something different by using two colors (Orchid and Celery) from the "Fine Cosmo Glitter" stack. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! The sentiment is from the level 1 hostess set, "For a Friend" and the heart in the center of the flower was glittered with Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive. This card also features Rhinestone Brads (Ice, square) and "From the Garden" (level 1 hostess set). I used a brayer to ink that huge floral background image and then placed the portions of the card that I wanted stamped directly onto the stamp.

The "b" on this card is another one of the "Sticky Cut Letters" that I glittered. I used the Turquoise glitter from the "Fine Cosmo" stack, and it is a BEAUTIFUL blue!!!! I can't say that I love this card, but I do love the "b".

So . . . if you learned anything from this post, it's that you can add glitter to your stampin' supplies, and you have choices of how to use it! As I make other discoveries or hear of other uses, I will be sure to pass them along. BTW, the ribbons used on this card are Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain and Kraft Taffeta, but the Kraft color is an almost exact match to Sahara Sand.

SCALLOPED FLORAL SNOW BLOSSOM

What does this card need???? I wasn't sure what to do with the "flowers" I created this morning, so I put them on the white panel. It was boring, of course, so I added some "doodling." It still wasn't exciting, so I added the red photo corner. I came home this afternoon and thought it still looked boring, so I added the "make a wish" sentiment . . . and then I added the three brads. It still seems to need something, but I'm afraid whatever it needs is something that should have been done before the doodling--maybe even before the flowers were put in place. Argh!

How did I make this card? I began by punching the Snow Blossom on three pieces of card stock (Real Red, River Rock, and Soft Sky). I then centered that punched out portion in the Scallop Circle punch, and added some doodles to the flowers. I used three pieces of Xyron tape (cut to size) on the backside of the flowers, and then sprinkled them with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. A mini glue dot was used to adhere the small buttons to the flower centers. Can you see how sparkly the flowers are?

I like the flowers, but the overall card design doesn't do them justice. I'll have to go back to the drawing board with this one. ;-)

IT'S A POINSETTIA THIS TIME!

It's another tag punch creation, although this one didn't get to be a snowflake. When I started on this one, my plan was to make two of them, emboss them with Iridescent Ice, and use them as a snowflake just as I did on the previous card. All was going well until I started pouncing the VersaMark ink on the first one. I had dropped the ink pad, which landed upside down, so I just lifted the bottom and started pouncing it on the first flake. OMG!!!! It was a metallic gold ink pad!!!! Yikes! I tried to wipe the gold ink off the snowflake, but it was still somewhat discolored. I wasn't sure what to do with the other half of the snowflake until I remembered that one of the Wintergreen designer papers had a poinsettia design! And this half of my snowflake, all glittery and ready to go, was a perfect fit! Unfortunately, my picture neither portrays the sparkle on this card or the true colors of the paper. BTW, "Merry Christmas" is silver embossed. I was hesitant to use the silver embossing powder on that light green paper, but it actually turned out well. The rhinestone brads, in my opinion, turned out to be a perfect finishing touch on this card! I would like to have added some ribbon, but I couldn't decide where to put it.

TAG PUNCH SNOWFLAKE

Can you say "COOL BEANS?????" This is my very first snowflake created with Stampin' Up!'s tag punches, and I'm quite pleased with it. Although it was quite easy to make, it was somewhat tedious and time-consuming. The blue snowflake in the center was cut with a Sizzlits die, and the embossed snowflake background was created with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. Stampin' Up! products used to create this card are: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, and white Vellum card stock, Antique Brass brad, Crop-a-Dile to set the Antique Brass eyelets, white Mulberry paper, and the jumbo "Snow" wheel. Dazzling Diamonds glitter was applied to the edges of the white snowflake with 2-Way glue.

Village Christmas

The "Painter of Light" (Thomas Kinkade) has found a new (more affordable) way for me to enjoy his art . . . with rubber stamps! For years, I have wanted a piece of Thomas Kinkade's art in my home, but I've never been able to bring myself to choose just one--or pay for it. Not too long ago, I stumbled upon a web site that sold Thomas Kinkade rubber stamps, and it just so happens that one of them . . . Village Christmas . . . is one of my most favorite!!! So, I couldn't just carry on, day in and day out, as though the stamp didn't exist. This particular card is the first one that I've made with my new stamp. Granted, it's a bit lifeless, but I tried to dress it up with touches of silver glitter and some lighting. I definitely wanted it to look cold, but I wish it had more of a late evening look. I guess I'll have to keep practicing with this one! When I placed my order for this stamp, something made me get another one . . . The Forest Chapel. It's gorgeous, of course, but I don't dare attempt all the coloring for that one just yet.

On this particular card, the ovals were created with a Curvy Cutter, and the stamped layer is adhered to SU's Night of Navy card stock. Night of Navy ink, Whisper White card stock, and silver glitter are also Stampin' Up! products.