Inkyheart

The Real {Glimmer} Thing...

What you see is what you get.  Programmers and techies call this WYSIWYG (pronouned wizzywig).  As if we needed an acronym like that.  But the concept applies to so many things and is an important feature of any product. 

• If what you see on the viewscreen of your camera doesn't represent the photo you've taken - that's troublesome.
• If what you type on the screen didn't look like that when you printed it out - troublesome.
• If what you see in a bottle of colored spray isn't what it looks like when you spray it onto something - troublesome.

Well I encountered the last scenario in a couple of ways over the last few weeks.  On Halloween night I was NOT happy to have to spray hair color I purchased which was CLEARLY advertised on the lid and labeling as a bright cherry red, to come out in in a wimpy and dismal attempt at giving me any color to my hair at all.  Let's just call it cherry fizz-led.

And more applicable to you, my dear readers, last weekend I was up in Indiana teaching workshops and came across a competitor Glimmer Spray product.  I'm not going to name it, but suffice it to say that it looked like *BAM* in the bottle but went ~FIZZLE~ on the project.  Definitely NOT WYSIWYG. 

So I went on a mission to find out the why Glimmer Mist DOES work as well as it does as compared to some of the newcomers I've seen on the shelves recently.

In the interest of full disclosure I do not work for Tattered Angels.  I am not paid by Tattered Angels and I am not currently on their design team, although I was until my term ended at the end of October.  I do teach classes with their products; which is why I intend to know as much about the product as possible.  I'm all about quality and working with the best product possible in my classroom.

So let's talk about what makes Glimmer Mist a better product in my opinion:

Behind the Scenes

First - take a look at the bottle.  The top of the bottle, where there is no liquid does not look crystal clear.  There is a reason for this - and it is because there is so much gorgeous dye in this product that the bottle itself gets stained.  It isn't watered down so that the packaging looks clear - it's chock full of color. 

If you want a good representation of what the mist in the Glimmer Mist looks like, there is a sprayed label on the back of the bottle that will give you a great idea of what color you get.  WYSIWYG!  So take a look 'behind the scenes' and don't let other product's first impressions fool you.

What Lies Beneath

The second thing you should look for is the glimmer.  Take a look at the bottom of this bottle.

 
Unlike the competition, Glimmer Mist is much more than just white pearlized powder in there.  These colors are mixed to give you beautiful combinations of the glimmer and the mist.  They don't just give you a colored spray over a white pearl glimmer.  Sure, they have a Pearl color of Glimmer Mist -- and it is one of the products I use when I don't want to change the color of my project but just add glimmer.  The rest of the colors are more specialized and customized to give you an amazing combination on your finished project.  This picture is of the bottom of the bottle of Pashmina Glimmer Mist.  This is the glimmer. 

And that is why I tell my students to look at both the color of the mist and to look at what lies beneath to see the color of the glimmer.  Blended together, they create the subtle glimmer and punch of color that makes Glimmer Mist such a great product.

The Jack-O-Lantern Glimmer Mist, for example, has a terracotta mist and a green/gold glimmer.  How much more WYSIWYG could you get?

What You See Is What You Get

Glimmer Mist is water-based, archival safe, acid-free, and non-toxic. Glimmer Mist is safe for and adheres to all types of materials including paper, acrylic, metal, and fabric.

If I spray a piece of white paper, a Glimmer Chip (light cream in color to start) and a Prima Flower - I will get three items that coordinate beautifully together.

This Prima Flower is not sprayed with Glimmer Mist yet.  For the purpose of my project I chose a flower that had some light green petals and stamens.  I want to make these Pashmina in color to match my project.

 

And take a look at the same flower with Glimmer Mist in Pashmina applied.

 

The cardstock and "Glimmer Chip' show their contrast against the torn edge of the paper and the unsprayed center of the alphabet frame.  Look at the difference in the flower, with color applied over its original color.  Glimmer Mist is translucent, so it doesn't cover the flowers original hues completely, but the light colors now have a Pashmina overlay to them.

My camera simply cannot capture the beauty of the glimmer.

The Gift that Keeps on Glimmering

My birthday was yesterday, and eleven years ago Brianna was a lovely present...

She is just the Energizer Bunny when it is her turn at goalie.  Non-stop action.  And yet such a girly-girl.

So while she and her sister went with Daddy to a 'Me and My Guy' hayride last night, I wrapped some birthdy presents for her.  And because you can get such lovely results against a white backdrop, I added some Sweet Pea, Patina and Sunflower to her packages from the roll of recycled paper that we use for drawing to make a pretty, glimmery gift wrap for her presents.

 

So when you see this product, take a closer look and know that you are getting a quality product that will give you not only the color you expect but a glimmer that goes beyond the pearl and color that is vibrant and truly as advertised on the label.

 

Happy Birthday, B.!  I look forward to celebrating some more after goalie practice tonight.

:) SL

Flipping it over and ruffling it up a bit...

Rusty Things

I attended a workshop with the fabulous Keith Lo Bue at the Art Is...You retreat in Connecticut this past weekend.  It was not unlike my prior workshop experience with Michael deMeng; another artist whose style doesn't suit me -- but oh, are the techniques a blast.  Now don't get me wrong - I can appreciate what these fine, fine artists make.  I would run to take another workshop with either of these men.  I will post more on that experience later -- when I actually finish the piece.  It has really good beginnings - but needs more work.

I just look around the room at the varied and sundry rusted items being utilized in the art works and know that I prefer to take new things and make them look old or antiqued rather than start in the rubbish bin or 'found objects' discarded at the town dump.  That in itself is a good discovery.

Ruffled Things

But I do get the discarded fabric sample books from my local upholstery shop.  They give them to me whenever they discontinue carrying a line.  The objects aren't old, per se, but they are 'found'.

Combine that with the thing that Keith got through to me the most was to PLAY with your objects.  Turn them over in your hand and look at them from other perspectives and let them sing to you.

It's amazing how that one idea affected today's card project!

I received inspiration from the Moxie Fab World (Paper Crafts Magazine) blog to work with ruffles today.  http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2009/10/moxie-fab-world-challenge-not-your.html

I took out a gorgeous sheet of stitched mulberry paper with trim from Prima.

And proceed to flip it over and inspect if from other angles.  Lo and behold, the stitching on the reverse really appealed to me too.  It provided great contrast to the stitched elements on the front.  And the trim?  Gotta have it for this card.

So I cut off the trim with about a 1/4" bit of paper on the side.  I trimmed out a piece of the mulberry paper where the stitched design of a single flower and stem would remain intact.  Then I chose another section, flipped it over and trimmed out a layer for my card from the reverse.

The reverse-flipped paper is a gorgeous cream mulberry similar to the color of the stitching.  I took the edges of this piece and dipped them in Glimmer Mist (Old Lace) and ripped the edges to expose that wonderful mulberry edged look.

I took one of my fabric sample books and found a lovely cream eyelet piece.  I ripped this out of the book and proceeded to the sewing machine.  Now folks, I cannot sew.  Or more accurately, I'm simply not taking the time at this point to do more than hit that foot pedal and make a straight(?) line.  But I do know that if I don't knot my ends (which I never do), I can pull on the loose threads at either end to ruffle it up a bit.  This, in combination with FABRITAC (which is known as 'Fabritaculous' in this household) - will give me a ruffled effect for my cardfront and a base for the card.

So I glued down the fabric and layered on my piece of sequined, ruffled trim over the top of my poor-girl's ruffles.  On top of this goes the reverse mulberry (cream) and then the silhouetted stitched flower from the 'right' side of the paper.

To the stitched flower stem I added two Say It In Crystals centers.  Gosh, they are gorgeous.  A chipboard corner, a little wire word (Fabritaculous again) and some bridal floral pieces from Michaels to embellish.  And at last a little Old Lace Glimmer Mist over the top and it's done.

A perfect card for a true friend.

Copic Things

Texas in December

And now I must return to the administrative portion of my day.  A quick shout-out to all who are applying to attend the Copic Certification Class in San Antonio, Texas.  We added a second day AND I moved the event to a larger venue.  So keep on applying...be open to Sunday (12/13) or Monday (12/14) -- and remember that I will be teaching consumer classes at Stamp Antonio Arts on Saturday (12/12) as well, if you would like to take advantage of these.  One or more of these will be Copic: What? How? and Wow! and an airbrushing-centric class -- so make it a weekend with me!  More even funner (I can't get my kids to stop saying that, so I'll just join them!) details to come.

South Carolina in November

Those who are looking to apply to attend the Copic Certification Class in W. Columbia, South Carolina - the consumer workshops have been posted and are already 2/3rds full - so hurry, if you want to take advantage of them as well.

Indiana in October

For next weekend, the Certification Class is full, but there is still limited space in the three workshops I am teaching with Paper Chase Paper Arts, in Princeton, Indiana.

Because my flights in and out are a bit wonky, I've added a Copic Demo and a workshop at The Doodlebug, in Jasper, Indiana also.  This was filling up fast - so contact them both if you wish to attend.

NYC - um NOW!

Ok, actually tomorrow.  I'll be doing Copic demos at Lee's Art Shop in Manhattan at noon and 3pm tomorrow.  Stop on by!

Some Fun News

As of today I have been working full-time for Prima Marketing, Inc. for a month.  I'm the Director of Special Projects, which means I get to dabble in the far-flung and fantastic so you will be seeing a lot of fun things coming forth from now and leading up to CHA-Winter in Anaheim.

I continue to work with Copic, Ranger and Tattered Angels as an endorsed/certified educator - so from the travel-teaching perspective - nothing has changed.  After all their stuff works so nicely with our stuff.

And that's it for today.  See what happens when I don't post for 14 days?  Goodness!

Brought back to life... to haunt our home

Because I teach on the road all the time, I tend to re-use the boxes that my purchases come in to ship out the class kits and supplies.  Some boxes make two or three trips and get colored on and climbed into by all three kids before they finally get delegated to the recycle bin.

Packaging in all forms can have many uses too, way beyond its original display and protect purposes.  Often I have my students using the packaging for a chipboard alphabet as a faux craft sheet or misting mat, for example.  Clear 'backings' can be used for windows and wherever you would want a transparency.  There are lots of ways to use packaging rather than throwing it away.

Prima has so many clever packages.  Who doesn't have 'milk bottles', round tins and other packaging now used to organize miscellaneous supplies?

So today's project is a re-use of the packaging (I think it's called clamshell?) that came with my Juliette Flowers.  Not only is it durable, but it has a tree limb and birdies on the package.  A fun place to start!

The first thing I did was to take the packaging and spray the surface lightly with Glimmer Mist in Cinder.  This dries in 3-5 minutes on a non-porous surface, depending on how heavilly it is applied.

Second, I did the same with a 4" x 4" piece of Artful Cardboard.  This is my base for the inside design. 

I stamped the pumpkin with green ink and colored it with my Copic markers.  I punched a few holes for arms and leg charms, which were colored with Copics and attached with waxed linen thread.  I then attached it to the base with dimensional adhesive.  I punched a couple holes in the packaging to poke the legs through so they would dangle.

I adhered the owl to the outside of the packaging with Fabritac (works so great for non-porous surfaces!), as well as the chipboard letters.  Finally, I was rummaging through my Halloween folder, and came across a foam stamp that I had NEVER liked.  It just doesn't leave a good impression.  I have a thing about foam stamps - and that is, 'they aren't my thing'.  So I decided rather than chuck the unfortunate foam stamp, I peeled it off the clear mount and adhered it to the package as well.  I used Fabritac to adhere, and then dripped and pulled it around, making use of the 'strings' to make a spider web.  It's so cool -- hard to see here!  But it is clear and flexible, just like a web.

I then attached a brown 'devines' self-adhesive felt, placing leaves here and there under the swirls to adhere. 

I topped it off with a bow (also a reuse from a package of Big Box Blooms) a couple of smaller ribbons and a princess-cut Build a Bauble gem in this great amber color.

And so here is the final decoraton.

So please look at all manner of packaging to see if there is something you can do with it besides putting it in the trash bin.  You never know if it could come back to haunt you!

Just a shadow, a glimmer and some techniques

Having been plagued with problems with my laptop since the airport in ATL, I finally got it all backed up (in multiple places) and out the door to the HP 'mother ship'.  Hopefully it will return to me fit for active online duty.  Until then, I"m a shadow of my former self - with just web access to e-mail and a 'baby laptop' that is no fun to run Photoshop on.  I gave up and de-installed it a little while ago.

But not before I uploaded and wrote this week's technique post on the Prima Endorsed Artist-Educator blog.  Check it out!  Lots of Glimmer Mist and Copic airbrushing to create a haunted entrance hallway piece of home decor.

Enjoy.

And I hope to see you online bit by bit for the next two weeks.  But all the same - I have a couple projects and deadlines anyway.  So it's probably a good thing!

P.S. Check out page 45/151 of the Autumn edition of Somerset Memories for a fun digi/hybrid acrylic scrapbook page (printing directly on acrylic!) and featuring little Miss Courtney.

CHA Projects + Copic and Donna Downey at the Prima booth

One of the fun, and lighter moments of working the CHA show is the cooperation between the different manufacturers.  Prima generously donated product for two of my CHA classes for Clear Scraps; and in return, they asked if I could snag some Copic Multiliners for Donna Downey to use during her Make n Take. 

I think she likes them!  Funny lady put one behind each ear, is chewing upon one (told the attendees that she was keeping that one since it had her saliva on it), and one in hand.

 

And this is the super cute project that she was making during the show:

 

Multiliners are sort of the unsung heroes of the Copic product line.  They are acid-free, archival pigment ink, so great for memory book and art journaling as well as fixing partially stamped images -- because the key is they are 'Copic-proof'.  They won't budge when you color over them with your Copic Markers.  Genius!!!

The Black goes great with Memento Tuxedo Black.  The gray coordinates with Memento London Fog.  And the Sepia color coordinates with Memento Potter's Clay.  So go grab several point sizes and have some fun.  As this project is showing you, Copic Multliners work great over these watercolored tags.  Attendees used them to outline the heart and write in the wording on the heart.

You can see Donna in action on her blog making this mixed media tag.

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/2009/08/mixed-media-tag.html

and btw - she was using the 0.5 size of Multiliner.

And because I mentioned the two classes -- here are those projects.

Clearly Capable, with an acrylic Mix It Up waterfall style album (and loads of Prima!)

 

and Clearly Hybrid, featuring the XL Deco shape, Prima RFH and Tattered Angel's new Marshmallow Glimmer Mist (to die for opaque white!)

 

Yes, Glimmer Mist works on Clear Scraps acrylic.  Takes about 5 minutes to dry -- but oh so worth the wait.

Tattered Angels and Graphic 45 - so great together!

Tattered Angels has teamed up with Graphic 45 to do a pre-CHA blog hop.  Today is the last day and I get to share what fun I had woking with the products by these two fabulous companies with you!

Graphic 45 and Tattered Angels both have some great vintage-inspired products that work so well together!  I had the great fortune of receiving the Botanicabella collection.  When paired up with Tattered Angels' newest stamps, screens and calling cards as well as gorgeous colors of Glimmer Mist -- the project just flew together.  Here is a 5x7 card I created.

I used the Tattered Angels *new* Graceful Journey stamp set and the coordinating screens.

I heat embossed the dragonfly stamp with white detail powder onto vellum.  I tore the velum along the right edge.  I used a waterbrush to 'paint' the back of the dragonfly wings with a bit of the *new* Glimmer Mist color, Pashmina.  I then placed the small dragonfly screen in the negative space between the stamped images and screened in the image using Glimmer Mist in Tuscan Sun.  I let this dry and placed it under a heavy book to flatten the vellum.

The Antiquity paper from the Botanicabella Collection had this great dragonfly specimen, which I used as a focal point in the center of the card.  Once again, I used a waterbrush to 'paint' the dragonfly wings with a bit of the *new* Glimmer Mist color, Pashmina.

I took the dragonfly 'Calling Cards' from the Outdoor Bingo Boards set and layered three colors of Glimmer Mist from top to bottom, starting with Tuscan Sun (golden yellow), Pashmina (plum) and then Pinecone (brown).

I used both sides of the Dragonfly Duet paper from the Botanicabella collection as the layered card base.  I silhouetted the postage stamp image on one side so that I could layer the vellum piece and other embellishments underneath it.

Now there is no way I can leave that glorious leftover Glimmer Mist just sitting there on my Misting Mat.  So I took all the torn-edged pieces and dragged them through it.  On the card base, I used a makeup wedge and sponged the Glimmer Mist around the edges.  And finally, I placed the Glimmer Glass dragonfly, face down in the mess and lifted it off and set it aside to dry while I assembled the card.

Here is a closer look at the edges and Glimmer Glass embellishment.

Please feel free to click on the images for a larger view. 

I finished off the assembled card with some organdy ribbon (which has a lovely sheer sparkle to it) and some brown lace ribbon from Prima.

Thanks for looking and be sure to run on over to the Graphic 45 Blog and the Tattered Angels blog to see some of their latest goodies and leave a comment (there!) for your chance to win a fabulous prize!

I'm leaving for CHA on Sunday - so I'll type to you soon, from the greatest show on earth!

SL

Rinse. Spin. Repeat. And a GLIMMER Giveaway!

OBX

A day in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Nothin' much to do but relax, play, eat, nap...  I'm relishing the absense of cell phone signal.  At the same time, I do like the cable modem.  After all, no internet connectivity might put me into convulsion.  But no traveling going on right now, lest in pursuit of fresh seafood or rum.

We started off the morning with sketching in the sunrise.  Cameron and I both like this little nook.

 

RINSE: Head to the ocean and play in the waves.

 

SPIN:

 

Refuel at the oceanside deck with some burgers and smiley fries.  Result?

 

A bit of shuffleboard with Daddy.  Yes, I beat him.  LOL.

And then they napped.  Me too.  The nap is a glorious thing.

Now the sun-kissed trio is busy.  Courtney is buying groceries with Daddy, Cameron is back up in the nook sketching with me and Brianna is reading a book.

Daddy is in the mood to make something seafood and wine-oriented for our dinner.  I have requested rum.  The kids will have soft tacos.

Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  For as many days as possible.

At the same time, at home, our housesitter and official dog petter is receiving many deliveries from Fedex and UPS with my name on them.  There will be creativity crunch Pre-CHA when we return home.  But who can complain about that?  Also my best friend is now officially the dog's BFF.  She is tiring HIM out with all the playtime.

And they've already got the TV in some mode where it's only showing four channels.  LOL.  I left instructions!

Giveaway

And of course I cannot leave a Fourth of July weekend post without something sparkley to share.  Glimmer Mist has a new look.  And although change is really good, we don't want the product to be overlooked when you are looking for the former packaging on the shelf of your favorite store.

So create a post on your blog or website with the picture of the new bottles and the phrase,

Glimmer Mist is the same great product with a Fabulous NEW Look!

E-mail a link to your post to: liz@mytatteredangels.com and she will verify and add their name to the list for a prize drawing. Tattered Angels will randomly pick 3 winners who will win a six pack of the brand new, never released WINTER 2009 colors. They are not on the market yet, and these winners will be the first to receive them!

Remember, the product has not changed.  The price is the same.  And they are proudly made in the USA.

What better way to add some Glimmer to your Fourth of July weekend?

LAYOUT: You Were Meant to be Mine

I've been wanting to play with Prima's Artful Cardboard product for a while - so I took some time while the kids were doing their homework yesterday afternoon, to experiment.

I love this picture.  Bri was just 8 months old and at that perfect giggly, grab her toes and chunky little wrists stage.  Neil and I couldn't have been more over the moon with her at this point!  I always reflect on these first year pictures and think about the long struggle we endured to have children.  It may not look so on the surface - but my gaggle of gigglers took years of TTC and IVFs.  We are truly blessed.

I really liked using the Artful Cardboard as a basis for this page that featured both my husband and my (then baby) daughter.  The texture is just enough to offset the pink and make him like the page too.  LOL!   To roughen it up a bit more, I traced the large frame that is printed on top with an exacto knife and peeled it up at the edges a bit.

I used my Copic Markers to color the metal heart embellishment.  It started off a more pewter color.  I added RV25 / RV29 to the heart and BG07 / BG78 to the wings.

  

I cut out the words from a Prima Watercolor Paintables sheet and brushed on Patina, Creme de Rouge and Sweet Pea Glimmer Mist to mimic the lighter pattern in the Prima Flirty Little Secret paper. 

I also used this combination on the large white dotted swiss patterned flower in the upper right.  What a difference a little Glimmer Mist makes!

I used the packaging border strip as a template for cutting out a light pink version from my cardstock and layered these two on top of a torn strip going horizontally across the page.

Finally, I layered some Essentials flowers that match Flirty Little Secret with Artful Collage Leaves and Build a Bauble gems.

I'm going to be prepping for classes for the rest of the day as I'm flying off to OHIO tomorrow to teach workshops and a Copic Certification Class hosted by Toyrifix in Smithville this weekend.  The Certification Class is full, but there are still a few seats remaining for the two Copic 101 workshops and the Glimmer Mist / Prima Card Buffet on Saturday.  Contact the store at 330-669-3737 to register for the Saturday workshops.

I'm looking forward to doing the random drawing this evening for the Atyou Spica Glitter Pens Set A.  The response has been tremendous!!!  If you haven't done so yet, leave a comment at the Blogiversary post (http://inkyheart.typepad.com/weblog/2009/05/copic-blogiversary-bring-on-the-bling.html) for your chance to win!!  I'll be online at midnight and posting the winner before I go to bed!!!

Have a sparkling day.

Tattered Angels / Cosmo Cricket Blog Hop!

During the month of May the Cosmo Cricket and Tattered Angels design teams are teaming up to show you how to use their great products, together!

Personally, this was a lot of fun to work with, because I've been a fan of Cosmo Cricket for quite some time.  I was on their design team in 2007.  So it was delightful when I received a Paper Crafting Kit to work with called 'EverAfter'. 

Now, this line is obviously intended for Wedding / Anniversary themed pages.  But I tend to design completely away from whatever theme was intended.  Call it showing off versatility, or simply how my crazy mind works - but the first thing I thought of was a tomato.  You read that right.

The red color in the patterned cardstocks swirling around with the light blues and yellows made me think of a picture of my daughter, Brianna, proudly holding the first tomato she picked from our garden.  So I went off in search of the pictures.  And then I returned to the kit to see what I could possibly use to tie my pictures' theme in with the paper kit's themed quotation strips.  It just took a minute - before I spied: 'I Picked You'.  You see?  It really is a gardening paper kit.  LOL!

 

So since these pictures are outdoor, messing in the garden - I decided to rip up and distress the papers a bit.  I wanted a tattered, rolled and vintage-looking type of distress.  So first, I selected my Glimmer Mist colors:

• Frost (blue)
• Honey Dew Mist (green)
• Burnt Red (*tomato!*)
• Tattered Leather (brown)

For under the focal point photo, I distressed the edges of the papers with a Tonic Paper Distressor.  You can also get this look by running the edges over the blade of an open pair of scissors.  Once the edges were distressed, I sprayed some Glimmer Mist onto a Misting Mat and used a makeup sponge to gently color the worn edges of paper and get the Glimmer Mist onto the border of the paper.

I also used this technique on the larger paper squares that I tore and placed for a layered base.  Once your paper edges are colored the way you want, you can take advantage of the fact that they are wet to further rip and roll the edges and expose the color on the other side.  I made a niche for the adorable vintage-looking children cardstock sticker that came with the paper kit.  I also used an exclamation point cardstock sticker for my title border strip.  I placed a scalloped cardstock border sticker along the bottom of my title, running the width of the page.

I used Tattered Angels' new Bingo Boards set, 'Outdoor' with my chosen colors of Glimmer Mist.  I also painted the scrollwork and dragonfly's wings printed on the calling cards, that are included in the set, with a waterbrush, dipped into Glimmer Mist on my Misting Mat.  Who could resist using 'Favorite Finds' and 'Field Notes' with this prized tomato page? 

And to make that tomato really stand out on the page, I sponged and sprayed Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist onto an outer frame from one of the Framed Fonts Regal Chipboard letter sets and overlayed it with a spyglass piece from the Glimmer Glass Nature Cocoa set.  I took a few Glimmer Glass leaves, and made them peek out under the torn edges and placed a butterfly in the corner as well.

Finally, I layered the entire border with Cosmo Cricket's scalloped velvet ribbon.  I used all of the brown velvet ribbon from the Everafter collection as well as a bit of green I had from the Vintage Palette trimmeries set I had on hand to complete the border.  But not to make it too girly (husband is on the page too!) I used a stapler and created 'x's to attach the papers to the trimmed base in each corner.

Ok, we've proven that Everafter can be about a girl, a boy and a tomato (why do I feel like singing, "That's Amore" and seeing Moonstruck?)

Now let's go more 'on theme' and use it for a card.

My parents are celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary this month.  WOW!!  So it was easy to take these elegant papers and make something suitable for the occasion.  I especially liked how the image sticker (ring in box, bottom right), had a yellow antique feel to it.  As if the piece had been through the years together with them.

Once I'd assembled the paper layers, I placed a Glimmer Screen flourish from the Designer Series on top and sprayed Huckleberry Glimmer Mist over the top.

My mom really likes blue - and so I wanted to make a focal point that would work with the pretty blue/grey/patina strip of paper.  Problem is, I didn't have a color of Glimmer Mist that would match.  So I did a bit of Glimmer alchemy.  I took a nearly empty bottle of Patina, and added some Denim Blue to it.  Then an equal amount of Huckleberry.  And voila - a blue/grey/patina color of Glimmer Mist!  There probably is a color that matches this already - but it wasn't in my craft area (and that is saying something) - so I made my own. 

I used Grey ink to catch the embossed areas on the butterfly and then gave it a heavy coating of Patdenblerry.  (That's my new color's name.)

Once the butterfly was dry, I tied a bow, using ribbon from the Everafter collection through the antennae holes and placed it on my project.

Ok, quick notes - always make sure your Glimmer Mist is throughly mixed before pouring into another container.  Also label your concoction with the colors and the ratio / formula you used to create it.  Otherwise you are TOAST if you want to recreate that color.

And finally, when Glimmer Mist runs out - save that bottle!  It's good to use, not only for mixing new colors, but for getting SPLATs of color.  Yes, I like those!  I specifically place a fraction of Glimmer Mist into an empty bottle so I'll get random, air-mixed-in, chunky spurts of color and glimmer on my project where I want them.

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today.  Please be sure to check out the following links this month of the design team members for each company:

TODAY May 11: Danielle Layton, Maren Benedict, Michelle Jackson, Sally Lynn MacDonald*
May 18: Melissa Phillips, Michelle Van Etten, Yukari Takanashi
May 25: Debbie Olsen, Leah Killian, Liz Hicks, Vicki Chrisman

Tattered Angels website
Tattered Angels blog

Cosmo Cricket website
Cosmo Cricket blog

And prior postings for this month's blog hop are here:

May 4: Cheryl McAdam, Natasja Verbeek, Trisha Ladouceur

Glimmering Ideas Journal

Did you ever get excited about office supplies as a child?  I remember a couple of weekends where my Dad had to work at the office and I went along with him.  Oh, the joys of the typewriter!

I see that same sparkle of excitement from my young children when my husband comes home from a business trip with a notebook or journal in hand from his business meetings.  The pages where notes were taken were carefully removed beforehand - and placed into their hands a blank canvas for ideas to be written down.

Truth be told, I get just as excited about those blank canvases.  And on a recent trip he came home armed with one for me as well.  LOL!  Ahhhh, white chipboard covers and lined notebook pages.  What could be better.  I’m easilly pleased, I guess!

So I set about to decorate this journal with all these thoughts running through my head.

Overview

The quotation seemed apropos, “the world is a wonderful place when you’re young.‘ – e.b. white

First, I selected the colors I wanted to work with.  I’m a big fan of pink, personally.  Brown goes nicely with that of course.  And perhaps some blue and green.  So I chose:

• Sweet Pea
• Frost
• Olive Vine

And I always work with some metallics, to upgrade the look of the elements I’m working with.  I chose:

• Dew Drop
• Graphite

I printed out my sentiment on vellum paper using a laser printer.  Then I sprayed Dew Drop lightly over the top - voila!  I had shimmering, pearlized vellum!

a very vellum improvement

Next, I worked on my title letters.  I chose the Regal Alphabet Framed Fonts.  These are initially a light cream color.  I pressed them onto the misting mat, lightly sprayed with Sweet Pea Glimmer Mist.  This placed the color on the raised, embossed areas of the letters.  I also dipped a makeup wedge into the leftover mist and colored the edges of the letters.  Once this was dry, I sprayed them with several light coats of Graphite Glimmer Mist.  I love the end result.  They look like tooled metal letters - and it took no time at all to achieve this look!

faux tooled metal

Now with all that gorgeous Graphite laying around on the misting mat, I decided to dip the edges of my book, and decorative papers in - for an added richness to these elements as well.

Graphite Edging on corners

And at the same time, after I stamped and heat embossed an image in brown embossing powder I took a waterbrush and painted inside the image with my Glimmer Mist colors.  I edged it in Graphite and once dry, sprayed over the entire piece with Dew Drop.

Graphite edges and painting of stamped image

I sprayed a couple of white Festive Flowers from Prima with my Glimmer Mist colors and embellished the center with a Glimmer Chip fleur de lis in Regal, Creme de Rouge.  I also placed a photo corner from this set at the top right.

And finally, a few birds from the Glimmer Glass, Nature - Cocoa set came to nest on the cover as well as felt and satin ribbon, a few punched leaves, which were highlighted with their coordinating Glimmer Mist for ‘veins’ and a twig from outside my front door.

Glimmer Glass bird

So now that my journal is done, I intend to take it on the road with me - to jot down little glimmering ideas and see what they turn into.  I hope you’ll join me in making a project that will help rekindle the simple joys that we so often forget  while we go about our everyday lives.   Thank you for reading.