Tag Archives: Shimmer Paints

Starting to think about Christmas

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I generally object to any kind of Christmas marketing before about the middle of November, but when it comes to crafting I have to make an exception.  Cards, tags and decorations take time and planning.  Leave it too late and they just don’t get done.  I go through a lot of paper, ink and accessories in the process of choosing our annual family card, and I need time to let the ideas and examples simmer before I make my final selection.

This won’t make the cut – literally – with those hand-cut pines.  Sure are cute, though!

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  • Patterned Pines and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set
  • Handsome Hunter and Real Red Classic Stamp pad; Champagne Mist Shimmer paint
  • Kraft, Handsome Hunter, Whisper White and Glossy White cardstock; Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper (retired)
  • Kraft Taffeta ribbon
  • Modern Label punch, Stampin’ Sponges, Sponge Daubers
  • Metallic eyelets and Crop-a-dile

This concept actually began as the embellishment on the top of a box for A-2 cards.  The tutorial is HERE and don’t miss it – the first box is two pieces, base and lid.  Scroll down to the bottom and look for the dimensions for the pizza box.  That’s what I made.

Pattern_Pines_box_crop

Cute, isn’t it?  And easy as can be.  But please don’t ask me about that evergreen garland.  It’s a retired wheel.  Use Soft Holly (112968) instead.  It’s better.  Really.

And no Christmas Carols in the stores until after Thanksgiving, OK??

Why you should invest in Ink Refills Part II

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Ink refills plus an Aquapainter equals simple watercoloring.  A drop or two in the lid of your stamp pad and you are good to go.  Mix in some Shimmer paint and you won’t be able to stop yourself!  I’m no Monet, but this is really fun.

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  • Sweet Stems stamp set
  • Mellow Moss Classic Stamp pad; Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, and Barely Banana re-inkers
  • Barely Banana, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla and Pink Pirouette (retired) cardstock
  • Scallop Square, Scallop edge and handheld rectangle (retired) punches
  • Very Vanilla narrow grosgrain ribbon
  • Aquapainter and Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

I didn’t think I’d use these stamps much.  Crystal (middle name Give) gave them to me when she realized she had a duplicate  set.   Turns out they’re just the thing for a sweet little card.  She  gave me the layout, too.  I played with it a little – added the scallop on the edge and a little Shimmer to the pink – but it’s her design.  She’s good, no?

A Medallion Tri-fold

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It’s rare that I see a completed card in my head before I start it but that was the case with this card.  Some of the details came along as I worked, but I saw that Medallion on the front of the tri-fold and knew it would work.

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  • Medallion, Wonderful Favorites, and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze Classic Ink pads (ret’d); Champagne Mist shimmer paint
  • Kiwi Kiss textured card stock, Baja Breeze and River Rock card stock, andDesigner Series Papers, all sadly retired
  • Vanilla Hodge Podge Hardware; Circle Ice Rhinestone brads; Flower Fusion II (retired)
  • White gel pen; ticket corner punch; Circle Scissors Plus

I free-hand cut around the Medallion, then adhered it to the Baja Breeze Designer Series paper and cut a border.  I know, I know, it’s kind of ridiculous, but it had to be done.  I stamped the center again in Baja Breeze and cut it with the Circle Scissors Plus, then stamped it one more time in Kiwi Kiss, sponged it with Champagne Mist (my go-to product of the moment!) and punched that with the scallop circle.  The rest of the embellishments are fairly simple because I wanted the Medallion to really pop.

I really miss these colors.  I think last year’s In Color collection was the absolute best and if I had to choose colors to bring back, Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss would be at the top of the list.  I’ll eventually get over it.  Eventually.

Make a card, send a card

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Today is World Card Making Day.   I would hasten to add that I don’t need a designated day to make a card.  It’s something I enjoy doing (I know, News Flash!) and it’s something that I especially enjoy teaching others to do.

If we’re brutally frank about the matter, World Card Making Day is  a marketing idea.  It’s a great idea, but in my opinion, there should be more to making a card than selling cardstock, ink and paper.  Everyone makes cards for different reasons and with different motivations.  Some make cards for their own pleasure, satisfied with participating in the creative process.  Others make a card with a recipient in mind, carefully selecting colors and images that are designed to bring happiness, comfort or inspiration to a special person.  Some people may even choose to make a card simply because it’s more economical, although if you were to inventory my card making supplies you might question that premise.

In the end,  it doesn’t matter why you make a card.  The important thing is that the process satisfies you.  It’s a very forgiving craft, with near-infinite options.  The basic materials are inexpensive enough that if you finish your card and you really don’t like it, you can let go of it.  It’s just paper.

Your hand made card, whether simple or complex, holds the potential to bring you to someone else.  Make a card – and send it.  A card is really just paper and embellishment until it is given away.  Then it becomes a message of love and caring straight from your heart to another.

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  • Inspired by Nature and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White card stock
  • Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink and Rose Red Classic Ink pads
  • Sponge daubers, Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Champagne Mist shimmer paint, and Stamp-a-ma-jig

Happy World Card Making Day.

Maybe I’m not cut out for Mojo…

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I dunno…I’m finding these Mojo sketches really challenging.  I guess that’s the idea, but sometimes it’s a little tough on my ego.

I confess, that’s Wild Wasasbi Designer Series Paper from a couple of years ago.  It’s true:  I hoard paper.  Scraps, sheets, even the odd package or two.  I’m trying to use it up, so when you see it, think creatively!

Mojo 106

Mojo 106

  • Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip cardstock; retired Wild Wasabi Designer Series Paper
  • Summer Sun, Wild Wasabi, and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin’ Pads and Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Wings of Friendship and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp sets
  • Champagne Mist shimmer paint
  • Clear Embossing powder, heat tool, Fire Rhinestone Circle brads, double rectangle punch
  • Big Shot and Scallop Circle #2 Bigz

Maybe I’ll give the Mojo another week.  Can’t hurt.

Snow Globes

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Here on Maui, a Snow Globe is about as close to winter as we get.  Oh, once about every 10 years or so we get a dusting of snow at the top of Haleakala.  It looks really pretty against our beautiful blue sky, but it doesn’t last.  Honestly, if it gets down to 70° here at sea level, we’re all digging in our closets for our “mainland clothes”.

As a result, I don’t do a whole lotta snowman, snowflake, or wintery cards.  But when Crystal spotted the little snowmen in the snow globe on the back cover of the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog, we both fell in love.  How could you not love a snow globe card?

Shimmery Snow Globe Snowmen

Shimmery Snow Globe Snowmen

  • Bashful Blue, Whisper White and Soft Suede cardstock
  • Bashful Blue, Soft Suede and Basic Black Classic ink
  • Frost White Shimmer Paint and sponge daubers
  • The More the Merrier Level III Hostess set, Season of Joy, and Many Merry Messages stamp sets
  • Soft Suede Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon
  • Colored pencils
  • Card template

That card template is a Stampin’ Up! demo perk.  Our demo website has a library of ideas, patterns and templates to make us each look like a creative genius to our customers.  If you ‘d like your own copy of the template, leave me a comment and I’ll make sure you get one.     The template is now available HERE.  The card fits in a regular A2 envelope (the kind you use for a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card).

Shimmery Dasher

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Are you ready for another Christmas card?  I know it’s early…but I like to get thinking about these things.  I like to simmer a bunch of ideas on the back burner and let the best one come to the surface.

This card uses the awesome Champagne Mist shimmer paint again.  I can’t get enough of this product – there are so many ways to use it.  I inked the Dasher stamp in Old Olive and then used a dauber to add a very light coat of shimmer on the antlers.  I stamped it on the ivory panel, then inked it again but didn’t add the shimmer and stamped it on a second piece of cardstock.  Finally, I used a dauber to add a very light layer of shimmer over the entire image.  This leaves messy edges, so I cut out the Dasher and layered it over the first image.  Finally, I used the Aquapainter with a little more shimmer to give Dasher a shimmery pool to stand in.

Olive Shimmer Dasher

  • Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Basic Black and Very Vanilla Cardstock
  • Old Olive and Encore Gold ink, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
  • Dasher and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Old Olive 1 1/4″ grosgrain stripe ribbon
  • Aquapainter, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana

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Did I mention that Crystal makes an absolutely divine banana cake?  Some of you who were at our class on Saturday obviously think so, because I’ve had multiple requests for the recipe.  Without further ado…

Crystal’s Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 box instant banana cream pudding
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup mashed bananas (3 – 4 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Combine all ingredients and pour into pan.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

This recipe got me thinking about chocolate and bananas, which is a very dangerous thing for me to be doing.  To remove myself from the kitchen, I headed for the Chocolate Chip and Barely Banana cardstock and ink.  (Yes, I know, it’s a very cheesy connection.)  Of course, with all this food on the mind I immediately pulled down my Crazy for Cupcakes stamps.  However, this was NOT a “before you know it the card was done” kind of creation.  I did a lot of fussing and fiddling which does not show in the final product, but the one thing that does show is my Amazing Discovery for Today:

Chocolate Chip with Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

Chocolate Chip with Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

Can you see the shimmer?  It’s hard, I know, but imagine a gorgeous bronzed look with a little sparkle.  This is equal parts Chocolate Chip Classic ink refill and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  When I mixed it together I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I used my Aquapainter to brush it on.  Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone – I seldom can – so I tried the same combination using Barely Banana Classic ink refill.  You be the judge:

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes

  • Very Vanilla, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip and Naturals Ivory cardstock
  • Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Barely Banana, and Sahara Sand Classic ink
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
  • Texture Jumbo Stampin’ Wheel (run through the Sahara Sand ink pad)
  • Versamark ink, Clear Embossing Powder and Heat Tool
  • Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker
  • Big Shot and Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate
  • Double rectangle punch and Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon

My faithful but not very sophisticated little point-and-push does not do justice to these colors.  You will have to use your imagination to appreciate how glorious this is!

Somehow, the entire thing reminds me of an ice cream parlor.  This is not the best thing for someone who needs to stay out of the kitchen and away from the chocolate chips and bananas (oh, all right, it’s just the chocolate chips.  we knew that.)  Hope you enjoyed the card.  I’m going for a long walk!

Stamping with friends is double the goodness

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Christmas Cards with In Color Style

Christmas Cards with In Color Style

Yesterday was my annual Christmas card list with my wonderful upline, Crystal.  It’s really fun to run a class with her – she has great ideas and her view of the world matches mine pretty well – a good mix of “just right” versus “whatevah”.  She also makes an absolutely divine banana cake (you can’t go wrong when you put chocolate chips in banana cake) and between that and a pot of Peet’s coffee we were guaranteed a great day.   Add great stamping friends and some pretty fine cards (well, hers were fine as could be) and it added up to a perfect day.

We didn’t have any glitter but we did have the fabulous new Shimmer Paints from Stampin’ Up!  If you have Glitter Issues in your house the way I’ve got them in my house the Shimmer Paints are an excellent solution.  Plenty of sparkle that stays where you put it!  If you can stand another Christmas card, this week I’ll post one with the Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint that will convince you of the exalted status of Shimmer Paint.  I love a little sparkle, but my wonderful husband doesn’t appreciate finding glitter embedded in the finish of the kitchen table, or even worse, on his cycling shorts.  Glitter on the cycling shorts is absolute blasphemy.  We have to be very, very careful with glitter in my house.

  • Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Breeze, and Whisper White card stock
  • Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Breeze, and Old Olive Classic Ink
  • White Craft Ink
  • Delightful Decorations and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Old Olive narrow grosgrain ribbon
  • Ornament and Scallop Edge Punches
  • Clear Rhinestone Brads and 1/16″ circle punch
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by.