Freestyle Fridays - Black and White

WOW this week has gone by fast!  It was only this morning that I realized it was Friday.  Having a lot of time off can make you lose track of time. I hope that you all have had a safe and Happy Holiday.

 

A friend of mine is celebrating her birthday on Sunday so I thought I would surprise her with a set of all occasion cards since she is a fan of my work.  This is going to be the actual Birthday card.  I haven't decided if I'm going to add a sentiment to the front.  I just might leave that for the inside.

 

 

It's been a long time since I've done anything with Black and White which is why I chose these two neutrals. And, I've had the Silver Glass Glitter since it came out and decided it was about time to use it. Although I used it a little too much I still think it was a good first attempt.

 

The flower is from Field Flowers which was stamped with Memento Black 4 times on a piece of scrap, then cut into squares and added to each corner on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock.  This was all ran through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  In the center, a strip of Basic Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon was added.

 

The center flower and stem was all put together, including the black layer and sticky strip, prior to adding the glass glitter.  I put a blob of Glossy Accents in the center of the flower and then sprinkled the Glitter all over it and let it dry overnight.   Next time I try this I'll be a little less heavy handed with the Glossy Accents but still happy with the end result.  

 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

 

Regina, this is your last mission of the year.  Can you believe it?!?!  Your mission this week is to use only black and white to create a project.  You can embellish with silver or glass glitter if you like. 

 

Be sure to come next week and see what fabulous creation Regina has come up with.

 

Happy New Year!

 

See Ya Next Year!

Freestyle Fridays - One Background

Regina is up this week and what an extraordinary job she has done.   

Her mission was to follow the layout from last week and apart from a sentiment she was to only use one background stamp. You'll learn from her post here how she came about to complete yet again another successful mission. 

 

Happy Holidays!  Stay safe out there.

 

See Ya Next Week!  

Freestyle Fridays - Welcome to the Office

At my full time job I am the official welcome committee.  The is one of the cards that I've made for that occasion. 

 

 

I started with Old Olive and added a layer of Perfect Plum first stamped with Basic Gray. I believe the background stamp to be Floral. I then stamped it again on Very Vanilla, again using Basic Gray Classic Ink. Did little panels with Old Olive and "squared" the Very Vanilla to fit onto them.  Needed to add a little bling of course.   Unfortunately the photo does not do it justice.

 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

 

Regina, your mission this week is a sketch one.  So follow the layout and let your creativity guide you.   The tricky part, you can only use one background stamp for your image.  You can do it!

 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - No Layers for Regina

Hello Blog people!  Hope you are all warm and cozy.  It's still fall in this area and it feels like its been winter from months......

 

Regina has made us a stunning card this week and fulfilled the mission like no other.

 

To get all the details on this little beauty go to Regina's post here.  You may find a new to you technique too!  Please take 10 seconds to leave a comment!

 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - No Layers

Every now and then I enter a challenge.  The card for this week happens to be a recent entry.  The challenge was no layers with a simple tutorial to follow. 

Using the negative of a Spellbinder Heart Die I sponged Cajun Craze in a circular motion on GKD Ivory 120lbs cardstock.  The flowers and sentiment are from a GKD set called Wild Flowers. The flowers were stamped in Memento Black, stems and sentiment in Old Olive.  The ribbon and gems are from my stash (unknown source).  I really like using this method for a no layer card.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

The mission: create a card with no layers. The shape and size are at your discretion.  The color(s) is also your choice.

If you'd like to join in on these missions, please let us know.  We'd love to have you play along.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - You Don't Have....

HearYe HearYe, you heard it first folks.  The Andari Craft Store is out of Naturals White Cardstock!!!!!  You read that right, there is something missing in the store.  When I heard this over the phone earlier this week I couldn't believe my ears and my jaw is still sore from dropping so quickly!  From the sneak below it appears that the mission was successful nonetheless.

 

In Regina's post here you can see the full picture and the product and  procedure she used to complete this week's mission. My mission going forward will be to find another product that the Store does not carry, which will be quite challenging as the inventory over there is HUGE. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all south of the border and Have a safe Black Friday.

 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays

I found myself in need of making a sympathy card this week so decided to feature it for this week's Freestyle Fridays.  The card is quite large 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 since over 20 people will be signing it. 

 

The base is a full sheet of Naturals White scored and folded at the half way mark.  The sentiment is from Thanks for Caring.  I rarely get rid of a sentiment stamp.  As I was looking around the craft room for inspiration I fell upon the texture plates and thought, Wow, I haven't seen something done with these in quite sometime.  When I was finished with the card and looking for the official name of the plate is when I realized why I haven't seen them used recently, Stampin' Up retired them.... Oh the official name, Texturz Plate Perfect Details, Pattern 1 - ran through the Big Shot with Bravo Burgundy. 

 

On Basic Black, the flower from Blooming with Kindness was embossed in Silver then ran through the Big Shot with a Labels die.

 

 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

 

This week Regina your mission is one of color - Naturals White with Bravo Burgundy.  The design and project type is up to you.  And, as an added bonus you can add an extra color.  As always the main objective is to have fun and to keep the chaos in the craft store down to a minimum cause you know you are going to be stuck to clean up after yourself.

 

See Ya Next Week!

It's Regina's turn this week and from the looks of the sneak she sent me she's made a birthday card. Wonder if it came out square......

Head on over to her blog post here to find out.  You'll also find out which colors she used and a new outlook on one of the In Colors.  Be sure to leave her a little comment while visiting.

 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Three Layers + Three Colors

I've seen a lot of three layer cards lately and wanted to give it a try.  The technique is simple enough - layer 3 pieces of white cardstock on top of each other and stamp your design.  To make it secure adhere with repositional tape.  To add variety to the process I used a two step stamp set with two different pinks.

 

On the white cardstock I started by creating a background with the flourish stamp from Creative Elements.  Using the Stamp-a-Majig three roses were added, stamping the darker of the pinks first. These were all layered on Pool Party cardstock.  The thank you sentiment was created with the Modern Label and Word Window punches adding a delicate pink pearl for a little feminine touch. 

 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

 

Regina this week you can make a square card..wooohooo!!!!!  For your mission you are to make a tiered card like above using your favorite set and color(s).

 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Trick? OR Treat?

Regina has answered the call of the last mission and from the sneak below we are either in for a Trick or a Treat.

 

 

It seems that green was the proverbial big red button as green was a forbidden color to use this week so head here to see how Regina faired with the mission.  There seems to be a lot of detail work so be sure to leave a little comment while you're there.

 

See Ya Next Week!  

Freestyle Fridays - A Little Spooky for Oct 31

The days are getting shorter and the temperature is cooler.  That can only mean that Halloween is around the corner.  Once I took a picture of the card below and added it to this post I realized that most of the items used to create it are retired!!!  As most of you know, I don't subscribe to the "it's retired, don't use it" philosophy. 

The base is Crumb Cake stamped with the Print Pattern background stamped in Basic Black.  I didn't want this stamp to be too too dark so I didn't add a lot of ink prior to stamping it.  I punched out some spiders with an MS punch using Basic Black Cardstock.  Dimensionals were used to adhere to the Crumb Cake.  The new Marvellous Squares by Spellbinders was ran through the Big Shot with Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait.  I went into the scrap bin to get these two pieces of color.  The image from Dark and Dreary was stamped with Basic Black ink on Peach Parfait and then again on Pear Pizzazz just catching the 31 to punch it out with the 1/2" circle punch. Layered all that together and attached to the Crumb Cake with mounting tape to give it some dimension. Are the spiders making your skin crawl.....

********REGINA'S MISSION********

This week Regina your mission is to create a card using a background stamp and making it a Halloween theme.  To make it a little more challenging, no green is allowed!

See Ya Next Week! 

Freestyle Fridays - Add a Little Pink

Regina is up with another successfully completed mission to use Pink and add as many layers as she wished.

 

Head on over to her blog post here to get a full view and all the details.  It's sure to brightened your day before you head out into cooler weather if you happen to be in an area where the northern wind had come in with a vengeance.

 

See Ya Next Week!  

Freestyle Fridays - Sorry It's Been So Long!!

I was only suppose to be gone two weeks!  Three days after I got back from summer vacation in August from the beautiful and wine filled Okanagan Valley in B.C.,  I felt all this tingling up and down my left side, from fingers to shoulder.  Fearing the worse (heart attack) it ended up being Carpal Tunnel preventing me from doing a lot of typing among other things.  It is much better now with the help of a custom made brace.  What a relief this has brought and now have use of my thumb, index and middle finger.  The other two are mending but slowly. 

 

I've been busy doing a wedding (invitations, menus, seating places, programs...) which has taken up most of my spare time.  We did a little shower for the bride and below is a bag that held a gift certificate for her to have  manicure/spa treatment the day before the wedding.

 

Her colors were Very Vanilla and Blushing Bride for which I was thankful that I had "supplied up" before it retired.  Sorry the pic is not so great.  The bride and sentiment are embossed.  From my stash I had the perfect pink pearls to match.  Plenty of die cuts on here and the image from Flowering Flourishes was stamped several times on Very Vanilla Cardstock.  Pretty simple really thanks to the Big Shot.

 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

 

You must be ready for a challenge right about now Regina!  Your mission this week will be to create using Pink since I rarely see you using this color.  And, as an added bonus, do plenty of layers.

 

See Ya Next Week! 

Freestyle Fridays - Masculine

Regina's mission was to create a masculine card.  She come thru for us again as this sneak can attest.

Looks like she's added several layers and creatively used some designer paper. And, she's added a little contest so be sure to check out her post here and enter.

This side of Freestyle Fridays is taking a little summer break. Make sure you check on Regina and see what she's up.

See Ya on the 17th!

Freestyle Fridays - Manly

My friend Ron's birthday is coming up next week. So it was time to come up with a masculine card.

The color combination is Early Espresso, Pacific Point and Naturals White.  The Pacific Point layer was put through the Big Shot with the Argyle Embossing Folder.  On the layer of Naturals White the frame from Papaya Collage was stamped with Pacific Point Classic Inc.  The sentiment is from Word Play and that was stamped with Early Espresso.

For the inside

the birthday hat from Papaya Collage was stamped with Pacific Point.  Plain and simple and super easy to put together.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina this week you are missioned to make a masculine card.  The theme can be of your choosing; birthday, graduation, happy engagement......

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays

Good Friday to you from an area that is in a heat wave that has brought on "rolling" power outages, lightning and thunder storms, flash flooding and hail like golf balls.  Oh my what a time we are having.  Regina's creation this week is sure to cheer us all up!

As an added bonus Regina has used products from the upcoming Stampin' Up Holiday mini catalogue.  Head on over to her post here and see for yourself what can be done with dies and embossing powder.  Especially when you get inspiration from someone as artistic and creative as Regina.  Thanks for another awesome completed mission Regina! You never fail to succeed.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays

I was in the middle of making a card for today when my husband called to inform me that the mother of a woman he works with had passed away suddenly and could I make a card for all of his co-workers to sign.  I quickly changed the theme to a sympathy card. Sometimes I find these harder to make than a masculine card.

Sorry folks not much Stampin' Up today, except for the cardstock, as I just placed my first order from the recently released annual catalogue.  The base is Whisper White with a layer of Blushing Bride added, first ran through the Big Shot with the Sizzix Folksy Circle embossing folder. Then I stamped the Inkadinkado Floral Woodcut stamp with Black Craft Ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I made a couple of die cuts (don't know which set this is from as the frame was on my table calling out to be used) with Pear Pizzazz, cut it in the middle of the design and used it to frame the image.

For the inside:

I stamped a sentiment from a My Favorite Things set called Clearly Sentimental using Basic Black ink.  This was stamped on Blushing Bride and punched with the Large Decorative Label Punch.  Placing it on the left of the card allowed  plenty of room for all co-workers to sign on the right.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina your mission this week, and as always, should you choose to accept it, is to create using embossing powder with a die cut or two.  Can't wait to see what you come up with.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Regina's WOW Crayon Resist

Have I told you lately how AWESOME Regina is!!!  She has completed another successful mission as this sneak can certainly attest to that fact.

Her blog post here has all the details.  The background she created, the layout and the color combination all scream creativity at its finest. Be sure to have a look and be truly inspired.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Crayon Resist

Did I struggle with this card!  I was the victim of over thinking and got myself into trouble choosing a color combination.  Time was running short to post for today's feature so I ended up settling on Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze and Summer Starfruit.  You will find this combination behind Summer Starfruit in the Color Coach which I keep at hands reach on my craft table.

I had  tried  Crayon Resist quite some time ago and wanted to revisit it in the hopes of coming up with a really WOW creation.  With regret, my over thinking got the better of me.  On Glossy cardstock I stamped the flower from Fabulous Florets with Black Stazon several times.  With a white crayola crayon I went around all the edges of the flowers.  Then I brayered all that with some Summer Starfruit classic ink.  The ink "resisted" on top of the crayola. That piece was then put through the Big Shot with a nestabilites layered on top of two fancy flourish die cuts.  (Jacoline, this is the die that Frankii sent you for your birthday.) OH, and the Baja Breeze layer was put through the Big Shot with the Swiss Dots folder. Sooo, that's it, that's all for this week.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina for this week you are missioned to try the crayon resist technique.  I have discovered that the crayola need not be white, as long as it is a light color it will work fine. I wish you the best results!

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays -

It's Regina's turn this week and she was to use the sponging technique and add ribbon.  Looks to me by the sneak below that yet again she came through with flying colors. 

This color combination is just awesome. Regina took the mission a step further by adding an embossing folder and sanding. For a complete picture and a step by step on how this came about click here to go to her post.  You are sure to be impressed and learn a thing or two or three as Regina is super generous in sharing her talent. Please take a moment to let her know that.  She would appreciate it and encourage her to share even more.

See Ya Next Week! 

Freestyle Fridays - Add a little Ranger

I've been "collecting" Ranger distress inks and thought it was just about time to unwrap them and give them a try.  With this card I went with Tumbled Glass, Iced Spruce and Black Soot.  A note on the Black Soot - it doesn't dry quickly! which was one of those live and learn and it could have turn into a big 'ole mess and thankfully it did not.

I used a lot of retired product so please don't cry or moan.  Have to use it up one way or another.  The base is Blue Bayou with a layer of Basic Grey rounded at the top corners.  On a piece of Whisper White I sponged Tumbled Glass and Iced Spruce until I was satisfied with the color combination.  With the Black Soot I stamped the flower from Love & Care 3 times.  The sentiment is from Fabulous Florets also stamped with Black Soot. 

The Basic Gray satin ribbon was sprayed with fabric starch and ironed until it was nice and stiff.  I ran it through the Big Shot with an embossing folder and wrapped it around the bottom of the Whisper White cardstock.  I love this technique which I learned quite sometime ago somewhere off the Internet.

And, on the inside, with Basic Gray I die cut the Tim Holtz Butterflight and measured it exactly to fit.

The cut was adhered with two way glue and fit perfectly.  I made two of these and sent one off to a friend in Quebec.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Now for Regina's Mission.  What to do, what to do.......  Since you love ribbon let's go with that and add some sponging with 3 colors.  You can use as much or as little ribbon as you would like.  But most of all, HAVE FUN!  I know it will be creative.

See Ya Next Week!  

Freestyle Fridays - Is the shape a square??

Regina's card was a mystery to me this week as we send each other a sneak peek throughout the week and we each wait in anticipation to see the whole project on Friday.  Regina was a little sneaky (pun intended) this week as I was sooooo sure she would make a square card, an all time favorite of hers.

The mission this week was to make a shaped card and I was so sure it would be a square, I would have bet the house on it.  Sure glad I didn't - wink.  click here and be as surprised as I was that it is not.  While there have a look at Regina's new banner, it screams summer.  Let her know how much you like it! She would love to hear from you.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Shaped Card

I love Wednesdays simply because of a new tutorial being posted on SplitcoastStampers. And this Wednesday was no exception.  I followed the tutorial here to make this card.

I took it a step further and made the hinge part in two colors - Perfect Plum and Going Gray (sadly long retired).  I took a side view photo so that you could see both colors.  Here it is full frontal.

The Stampin' Up retiring list has been out for quite sometime now and a lot of stamp sets will be gone forever at the end of the month.  One of my favorites is Baroque Motifs.  I've used it in many different ways and will continue to do.  Here, I stamped the image with Versamark on Whisper White cardstock and embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then I took a sponge and inked with Marina Mist.  Once the color was to my liking I wiped it with a paper towel to make the embossed image shine.  With a small daisy punch I made three flowers and added a silver self-adhesive pearl to the middle. Oh, and the whole base of the card was made with a scalloped Nestabilities.  It's one of those cards that is more striking in person. 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina, this week, it's a square card!!! Wooooohoooooo! your absolute favorite.  Your mission is to make it a hinged one and let your creativity take it from there. 

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Tri-Color Embossing by Regina

Regina's Mission this week was to use embossing powder. And, Man Oh Man she really hit the mark on this one.  Not only did she use embossing powder, she used 3 different colors. 

Go to her post here and you will see that she also used coordinating cardstock AND ribbon.  There is also a picture of what she did to the inside of the card which was an added challenge.  The creativity and use of products is just outstanding.  Well done Regina!

See You Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Embossed Flowers

Hello and welcome to yet another Friday!  Is it beginning to look like Spring where you are?  Trees are starting to bloom here and it is sure a welcomed site. For this week's card I went with Calypso Coral (a very rare used color for me) and Baja Breeze.  I must say I like the combination of these two colors.

I first embossed the flowers from Fabulous Florets in gold on Calypso Coral then took a sponge and applied Calypso Coral all over that layer to get a softer effect.  Then, rounded the corners with a corner rounder punch and applied it to a base of Baja Breeze, rounding the right corners.  Using a Nestabilities die cut, did one with Baja Breeze with the same image stamped in Versamark.  You can see it ever so slightly.  The Hello was just simply embossed in gold on Calypso Coral and applied that using Dimensionals.

On the inside Versamark was used again fully using the image on the left and then partly on the bottom of the right. 

Pardon the bad picture.  I'm having mobility issues due to a slipped disc in my lower back and working hard at getting back to normal. I hope you find some inspiration with the above.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina this week you are to create using powder embossing.  Should you choose to make a card an added mission would be to add a little something on the inside.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Regina's Faux Patina

It's Friiiiiday! and it's Regina turn this week.  And my oh my it's a jaw dropper!

Regina's mission was to use the new to her Faux Patina Technique. Sounds like we both had the same results on our first attempt. I'm glad she tried it again because this card is worthy of publication and award winning. Hop on over to her post here and get all the details.  You'll be just as amazed as I was at first glance.   I'm so proud to call this amazing talent a Friend.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Faux Patina

For this week's project I used this tutorial from last week's Weekly Inkling on www.splitcoaststampers.com.  I used the exact same colors as described and the Finial Press Embossing Folder and the Thanks for Caring stamp set.

My first attempt came out with way too much Gold Embossing as I was too heavy with the Versamark.  Upon reading the tutorial again I realized that the instructor had indicated to apply it "lightly".  So I tried it again and was much happier with the result above.  On the inside I added a piece of Natural White and a bit of embossed flowers. 

The main color of the card is Early Espresso.  The sentiment was added with mounting tape to give the whole card some dimension. This technique is now a favorite. 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina this week you are to try your hand at the tutorial provided.  The colors and shape of the project are to be of your choosing.

Make sure your come back next week to see what the amazing Regina creates for us.  It's sure to be A-MA-ZING!!

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays

Regina is delighting us this week with her version on what to do with wax paper.  If the sneak peek below is any indication of what this woman can do with a smidge of a description, the full version has to be amazing, and it is.   For a how-to and a full version of her card head on over to her blog. 

What I love most about Regina's "how-to" is that she shares her trials and errors and shares on what to do when it just doesn't go quite the way you want it.  And that in itself is the best way to learn and inspire.  Take time to leave her a comment! She would sure appreciate it.

See Ya Next Week! 

Freestyle Fridays - Wax Paper

I have to start by saying that I am really pleased with how quickly and effortless this card came to be.  I've seen quite a few cards made with the wax paper technique lately and decided to re-visit it.  It's quite simple really.  Cut some wax paper to fit inside an embossing folder, and once ran through your Big Shot or other embossing machine, place the wax paper between two sheets of white cardstock and iron with hot iron with no water using firm pressure.  Let it cool and then apply ink using the direct to paper technique, wipe with a paper towel and Voila! you can create something like this.

Here's what the other piece looks like, to be used at a later date.

On the inside I inked up the same image as the front on Very Vanilla by first stamping it off twice to give a watermark look and ready to have a note written over top.

Products used to create this card were:

Cardstock: Concord Crush, Whisper White and Very Vanilla

Ink: Concord Crush and Peach Parfait

Stamp Sets: Fabulous Florets and Elementary Elegance

Embossing Folder: Vintage Wallpaper

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina your mission this week is to create using Wax Paper in a manner you so choose.  And, yes, if you decide to make a card it can be square :)

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Regina's favorite die cuts

Regina's mission this week was to create using some of her favorite die cuts.  I can tell you that she was eager to get at it as she sent me the sneak below lickity split.

The project was also to be made on a landscape image.  Be sure to go to Regina's blog for a tip on how she accomplished that awesome flower coloring and a full view of her card.  And, she also offers a tip on what to do when you stray from a described project.  From her helpful advise you're sure to want to leave her comment.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays -

I received several new dies in the last week and I wanted to take them for a spin.  I started with a piece of Bashful Blue (a rarely used color in my repertoire).  A piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP was put through the Big Shot using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, unfortunately not very well seen here. 

To that, a Small Window die in Bashful Blue was attached with mounting tape.  The flowers were made with a Fancy Blossom Die.  To make them curl up a bit I used a stylus with a small tip and applied a light circular motion to the center and the petals magically curl up.  To the center a small rhinestone from Jewels Basic Rhinestone was applied.  I find it easier to apply these with the tip of an Xacto knife.  Works like a charm.  I strategically cut the Nestled Bird to ensure that the little stars would be in the middle of the DSP.  The hello is from a ProvoCraft die cut in Riding Hood Red. 

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina this week your mission, and as always if you choose to accept, is to create using several of your favorite dies.  The catch is to make your layout landscape like above.  I can't wait to see what you come with up!

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Regina has completed another mission

Look at this awesome sneak peek that Regina has created for us this week!

You can get the full details by going to Regina's blog post here.   She used one her favorite techniques and the Everyday Enchantment Designer Paper as missioned last week.  She's added a few extras so you're in for a special treat.  Take a minute to leave a comment won't you please. 

My apologies for posting so late. I'm in the midst of returning from one business trip and getting ready for another. 

See You Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays

Friday has come around again and it seems to have done so at a super fast pace. Is it due to the time change or the rapid speed the snow is melting?  Maybe it's just age! Regardless, I'll be welcoming Spring with open arms.  I'm tired of wearing a winter coat and boots. 

In honor of the beginning of a new season next week I came up with this card.

When I first started out I had nothing!  Not an ounce of creativity was coming to me.  Even leafing through an inspiration book that I've made with favorite layouts and cards didn't help.  So I went to an old stand by, the Stampin' Up catalog.  I wanted to use a product that had been neglected and came upon the Fun Flowers Bigz XL Die.  All it took was the tiny little photo on page 214.  Then I grabbed some Everyday Enchantment Designer Paper from this year's Sale-A-Bration and set to work.  The base is Always Artichoke.  An inside layer of Very Vanilla with the edges sponged a little with Always Artichoke would make a nice finishing touch.

I ran the paper through the Big Shot with the Houndstooth Folder.  This is actually the DE-bossed side.  For the flower I layed all the pieces together with some mounting tape to give some dimension.  I did curl the edges with my bone folder before doing that.  The  bottom piece was also ran through the Big Shot with the Sizzix Loops and Rick Rack decorative strip.  I think this die will soon become a favorite.

The flower is such a major focal point I didn't feel the need to add a sentiment or even a stamped image.  Sometimes it's not necessary.  Hope you agree.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina since Sale-A-Bration is coming to an end at the end of the month now would be a perfect time for you to create a project using the Everyday Enchantment Designer Paper since we probably won't ever have it available again.  And, you should use it alot, not just a little. And as always, have fun doing so.  No need to use the vacuum this time :)

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Regina's Glittered Stain Glass

Regina is Amazing!!  You give her a one line mission and this is what she can create with it.

The picture above is just part of what she did.  Go to her Regina's blog, click here, to read the technique and products she used.  It's a jaw dropper.   This talented woman never ceases to surprise and amaze.  If you've been considering leaving her comment for some time please make it today.  

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Engagement Congrats

A coworker got engaged last weekend and I thought it would be a good opportunity to play with some glitter.  My number one fan Jacoline (waving) had recently posed a question about Heat and Stick so off I went to experiment.  And Experiment I did!!  Oh my, the glitter that flew all over the place, and I mean all over.  I really entertained myself with this one.

The main diamond on her ring is pink so I tried to match the color.  I must have asked her to see her ring everyday for about a week.  When I gave her the card I said to her "now you are going to see why I've been asking you to see your ring so much".  We both laughed and I'm pleased to say she really like it. She commented "on this pink is so pretty maybe I should use it for my wedding invitations"  Er, no, Honey, you don't!! 

For the large heart, cut with a die cut, I started with some Versamark and Heat and Stick.  Heated that up until it glistened then added some Dazzling Diamond Glitter and heat it again until it was set good and firm.  Let it dry a bit before I put through the Big Shot.  Ok, so far so good, experiment is going well.

Now the pink heart was a challenge.  I tried several brands of glitter but it all flew off in a shower all over the floor.  All the while I was laughing hilariously while Frankii was looking on wondering what the heck was up.  I could sense he wanted to join in on the fun so I had to tell him to "stay".  That's all I needed was a dog shedding a pound of hair a day with glitter added to the mix.  NO Thank You!  Fortunately I've got this dog trained good.  I settled on some Martha Stewart glitter and to make sure it stuck I did a few layers of Heat and Stick and glitter and used my heat gun quite a bit.  All cardstock is Shimmery White and the congratulations is from Well Scripted stamped with Black Stazon cut with a Sizzix die cut I believe called Labels something or other.  Sorry I don't have the exact name.  The layer behind it all is an Embossing folder by Tim Holtz's.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

For this week Regina, you got it, GLITTER!  But try not to make a mess like I did and if you do have the vacuum handy.  You just might need it!  

See Ya Next Week!