Sneak Peek Frameabilities WINNER and an Altered Journal

Doing the Spellbinders blog Sneak Peek was so much fun and I want to say "Thank You so much for visiting my blog, entering the contest and all of the wonderful comments". I love working with Spellbinder products and being on their Design Team!! If you are new to Spellbinders products or if you have been using them since the beginning, I hope you are finding lots of inspiration in all of the sneak peeks!!

I am happy to announce June Susmarski is the lucky WINNER of my blog Sneak Peek!! June will receive the new Frameabilities "Decorative Frames" die (S5-005) that was featured in my blog Sneak Peek. CONGRATULATIONS JUNE!!!!

Today's Sneak Peek is over at Michelle Klomp's blog Caffeinated Thoughts. Michelle did a great tutorial so be sure to hop on over there and check it out! Also if you missed the Sneak Peek yesterday you can see it on Ellen Hutson's blog Simple Dreams.

I wanted to share with you an altered journal that I recently made for a gift. I love to alter journals! They make wonderful personalized gifts. I happened to find this journal at Michale's in the $ bins but you wouldn't know that to look at it now.
I started by removing the front and back cover. I used designer paper from Fancy Pants to cover the front and back covers of the journal. Then with Coffee Bean Brilliance ink I stamped the flourish images from Fancy Pants, Bella Brush stamp set. Using the same ink I also inked the edges of the covers. The journal already had a circle cutout in it so I added a family picture. The sentiment was printed out with the computer, then I cut out and oval and a scalloped oval for a matting using the Classic & Scallop Oval Nestabilities (S4-110, S4-111) by Spellbinders. The shells were made using the Shells die (S4-016) from Spellbinders. I cut, embossed and stenciled each of the shells. The stenciling was done using the Copic sketch markers and the Copic ABS. I used Zip Dry adhesive from Beacon to adhere all of the pieces as shown in the picture and then I added a yummy chocolate satin brown ribbon.

Thank you so much for stopping by & I hope you have enjoyed today's post!! Congratulations again to June Susmarski!!!
I hope you all had a Happy and safe 4th of July!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders Pre-CHA Sneak Peeks #4!!

Today is day four of the Spellbinders Nestabilities Birthday Party Sneak Peeks!! What do you think so far? Are you drooling over the new dies? Do you want them all? Let me tell you, I have seen them all and I want them ALL!!

I am SO excited to be sharing one of the NEW Spellbinders die sets that will be released at Summer CHA!! Don’t forget to check out the “official rules” for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Party Drawing at the end of this post!! Entering all the drawings will make you eligible for the GRAND PRIZE – a new raspberry Wizard and $500 in Spellbinders dies!! WOW what a Fabulous Prize!!! But even if you missed some of the first ones, enter for a chance to win “my” Sneak die.

The die set I am sharing with you is the FIRST in the new Frameabilities line “Decorative Frames” (S5-005 MSRP $19.99). This die set comes in three pieces, one large piece (4 3/16" x 6 3/16") that will emboss a large frame and cut two different shapes, a smaller frame (2 3/4" x 4 9/16") and a decorative edged solid piece (1 1/2" x 2 1/2"), the two other pieces in the die set are decorative corner elements (1 1/8" x 1 7/16", 1 1/16" x 1 3/8"). The Decorative frame dies are so beautiful with all of the flourishes and swirls, the detail is AMAZING!! I know you’re going to LOVE IT!!

I have created four projects to share with you using the Decorative Frames die set so grab a cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage) & enjoy!

The first project I made is a 6" x 6" girlfriends card. Who doesn’t love a great Girlfriends card! I wanted to showcase the smaller frame and one of the corner elements in the die set. The frame and the elements are cut and embossed with the Wizard using metallic gold Bazzil cardstock. The embossing is so beautiful on the metallic cardstock! If you like the “patina” look of the frame and corner elements I will be doing a tutorial on this technique in a couple of days (after the holiday) so be sure to stop back. I had the perfect picture in mind to use in the frame—my grandma, in b/w swimsuit, and one of her girlfriends at the lake. This is one of my favorite pictures of her! I also used one of my favorite Nestabilities, the Classic and Scallop Circle dies (S4-114, S4-115) to make the girlfriends tag. The designer paper is from Basic Grey (Stella Ruby) and the brown and green cardstock is from Prism.

For the second project, I made a window card using the large die. To make the window you place your spacer plate and the die on the inside of your card with the cut edge face up. Run it through the Wizard and then remove the spacer plate and place the tan embossing mat onto your cardstock and run it through again to emboss it. So your “sandwich” to cut will be—white mat, spacer plate and the die on the inside of your card, white mat. To emboss it will be—white mat, die on the inside of your cardstock, embossing mat, white mat. Doing this will emboss the large frame into the card front and leave you with a window. Using the die as a stencil, I colored the embossed areas using a sponge and three different colors of Ranger distress inks: Antique Linen, Burlap and Lipstick.

When the card is closed it appears to be all one piece but when you open it you see the window and the smaller frame is on the inside of the card.

Here’s a little trick to help you line up the smaller frame, close your card and start in one corner, line up your die and press it down. Easy-peasy!! It lines up perfectly every time!!

What do you think about the tiny little butterflies? Aren’t they so cute! The butterflies were made using one of the decorative corner elements. I cut and embossed the corner elements two times a piece just add a little adhesive down the center and pop the wings up. (Try this: First, adhere the bottom piece, than add the top piece using a little adhesive down the center. Pop up the wings.) The cardstock I used is Cryogen White and Deep Mostly Mauve from WorldWin. The stamped images are from Fancy Pants-Bella Brush.

What do you think so far? Are these frames gorgeous or what?!? I would love to hear what you think!!

The third project is an altered jar. My mom is always saving jars and any other any other thing she thinks I might be able to alter. This cute little jar came out of the box from my mom.

The tag on the front is from the very center of the larger die. It works perfectly! Again using the die as a stencil, I did a little bit of air brushing using Copic markers.

To cover up the lid, I cut out a Petite Scallop Circle (S4-115) from gold metallic Bazzil cardstock. I love to make three-dimensional flowers and one of the corner elements makes a beautiful one! I cut, embossed and stenciled the corner element six times and then layered them. To get the flower to hold the three-dimensional shape, I used some clear silicone adhesive under each flower. For the center of the flower I used a center from a silk flower. The fern leaves are from the Fern Foliage Edgeabilites die (S4-098). I cut, embossed and stenciled the leaves and then cut them apart to make three leaves. I also used the clear silicone adhesive under each leaf. When the jar was all done I filled it up with some yummy Vanilla Sugar body scrub. I think this would make a really great little gift!

Are you still hanging in here with me? I know it’s a long post but I hope you are enjoying the projects!!

Here is my last project. I made a pendant for a necklace using one of the corner elements. It was cut & embossed using a piece of brass from Amaco. Look at all of the detail!! With the 3000 lbs. of pressure from the Wizard it cuts and embosses foils, brass and copper, so beautifully!! To make the pendant, I cut and embossed the top piece and filled the backside in with Dazzle Tac Jewelry Glue from Beacon. Then I cut another shape with the brass and also a piece from lightweight chipboard. Once the glue was dry on the top piece, I added the chipboard and the other piece of brass to finish off the back. After the entire piece was dry I punched holes in it using a 1/8" punch. Then I added the Swarovski crystals.

One of the greatest things about Spellbinders is their dies are so versatile, with the ability to cut, emboss & stencil, the only limit to your creations is your imagination!!

Do you need help with your die cuts or do you have questions on how to layer the mats? Here is a link to some fantastic tutorials on YouTube that show you how to use Spellbinders dies in a variety of die cut machines.

Check out the links in my sidebar at the right (right under my profile) for a complete schedule of blog “sneak peeks” continuing through July 13. If you missed the earlier sneak peek be sure to go back and have a look! Debbie Olson (June 30), Jennifer Ellefson (July 1) and Wendy Weixler (July 2).

Please leave your comments on this post, I would love to hear what you think of the new dies and the sneak peek projects!

If you have any Questions about the contest, E-mail kim@spellbinders.us for “official” clarifications.

Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Party Drawing Information

Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each of the 14 Spellbinders Sneak Peek Blog reveals as stated in the “Rules”.

This name will be drawn to receive the die being revealed on said blog. These entries must follow all rules stated below to be valid for the drawing.

Entrants visiting all 14 Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peeks Blog reveals and correctly entering their information into the 14 separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a new RASPBERRY WIZARD and a $500 retail value die package!

Rules

Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek die give away must adhere to all of the following rules:

1) Participant must click on the provided drawing link on blog to enter each individual drawing on sneak peeks between June 30 and July 13.

2) Participant must type in the subject line the name of the die or dies being revealed.

3) Participant must send their entry for this blog before 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on July 4.

4) Participant is only allowed to enter each of the 14 Spellbinders sneak peek blog give away drawings one time per sneak peek. Participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry.

5) Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawing.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Grand Prize drawing, must enter the drawing from all of the 14 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:
*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.
*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.
*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communication other than to contact the winner.
*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage and sign up: www.spellbinders.us

Click here to enter Drawing **NOTE-The drawing for this die has ended. Thank you!**
If you use an e-mail client that does not work with this pop-up box, you may copy and paste this address to send your entry to: NewDierelease@spellbinders.us

Thank you so much for stopping by today & I hope you have enjoyed the Sneak Peek!! Ellen Hutson will be featuring tomorrow's (July 4) Sneak Peak so be sure to check it out!!

I hope you have a great holiday & HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY!!!!

Smiles!

Heidi

Nestabilites , Nestabilities, Nestabilities--what can I say I LOVE THEM!!

Since we are celebrating one year of the Spellbinders Nestabilities I thought I would share a couple projects I made a while back using the Nestabilities. Both of these projects were made for one of my mom's friends. My mom & her friend had worked together for many years & my mom wanted to make her something really special for her retirement. We made a scrapbook for her, it had a few pictures in it but mostly it was filled with notes from co-workers (past & present). We made cards for them to write on and then my mom made sure everyone got one and wrote a little something. Then we made a scrapbook LO for each of the cards. It turned out really neat and it was fun to read what everyone wrote! I was really proud of my mom, she hasn't ever done any scrapbooking and I know she kept saying she didn't think she was much help but she pretty much showed me what she wanted for all of the LO's and then I put them together. I told her sometimes the hardest part about scrapbooking is coming up with the LO! I know I had a lot of fun with my mom and making the book together!! I think we did close to 30 page in the book.

Here is a picture of the front of the album.I started out with a piece of designer paper from DCWV and I adhered it to a piece of heavy chipboard. Then I added the brads. The center was done using the Classic and Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilites dies (S4-114 & S4-115). I cut out, embossed & air brushed the roses using the Rose Blossom Edgeabilites die (S4-044) and Copic sketch markers. The font that was used for the word friends is called Mystic. To finish it off I added stickles to the designer paper outlining all of the flowers and then also to the roses and around the edge of the scallops.

Here is a picture of the card that I made for my mom's friend. This was a really quick and easy card to make, some beautiful designer paper from Basic Grey (Stella Ruby-I Love this paper!!), a few terrific die cuts from Spellbinders and some ink, ribbon and a brad! The sentiment was cut out using the MegaNestabilities Classic and Scallop Rectangle dies (S4-142 & S4-143). The beautiful butterfly was made using the Butterflies 2 die (S3-146). I did a little bit of air brushing on the sentiment and butterfly using Copic sketch markers. Inked up the edges of the designer paper and added the embellishments. I also brushed over the entire card with gold perfect pearls from Ranger.

Thanks again for stopping by!! I really hope you are enjoying the Nestabilites Celebration and GUESS WHAT? Tomorrow (July 3) is my SNEAK PEEK!!! I can't wait to show you what I have been working on!!

Smiles!
Heidi

More Sneak Peeks!!

What do you think so far of the Sneak Peeks? Do you love the New Spellbinders Dies? Do you want them all, at least the ones you've seen so far? Let me tell you I have seen them all & I want them ALL!! *wink*

Day 3 for the Sneak Peeks--(July 2) Check out Wickedly Wonderful Creations by Wendy Weixler! Hop on over to her blog and she what she has to show you & don't forget to enter the drawing!!

If you missed Sneak Peek # 2 then you have to go and check out Created From Paper by Jennifer Ellefson.

Believe me you don't want to miss out on any of the Sneak Peeks!!

Don't forget to stop back by here July 3rd--that's when I'll be doing my Sneak Peak!! I am so excited & I can't wait to share my projects with you!!

Hope you are having a great week!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Just a friendly Reminder

Sneak Peek #2 is being done by Jennifer Ellefson so make sure you stop by her blog Created From Paper (July 1st) to see what new dies she has for her Sneak Peek and what she has designed. Don't forget to sign up for the drawing on her blog!!

Debbie Olson did the first Sneak Peek on her blog Thinking Inking. If you missed her Sneak Peek make sure you stop by her blog to see the new dies and enter for the give a way on her blog and also for a chance at the Grand Prize Drawing you have to stop by each blog listed in the Sneak Peek and enter the drawing. The complete Nestabilities Birthday Party Schedule can be found in my side bar right under my profile.

Hope you have a great day & Good Luck!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders Star Nestabilities~Celtic Goddess Wand

Spellbinders has so many wonderful Nestabilities shapes--circles, ovals, squares, hearts, paisleys and we can't forget about the STARS. Since tomorrow is the beginning of the Nestabilities Birthday Sneak Peek Celebration I thought I would share one of my Spellbinders Design Team Gallery Projects with you.

Celtic Goddess Wand~
As soon as I seen the Celtic Goddess stamp from RubberNeckers I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!! One of the great things about the Wizard-Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System from Spellbinders is all of the different kinds of materials you can cut, including lightweight chipboard. I cut out several stars from chipboard in all of the different sizes and started to build the wand from there. Here is a picture of the layered chipboard stars. Here is a picture with the stamped image.All of the stars were covered with cardstock. The largest star was edged with gold embossing powder and then an eyelet was put in one of the points on each star for the crystals to hang from. For the medium stars I edged each one of them with a gold leafing pen from Krylon and put a rhinestone in each of the points. I layered two of the tiny stars and put a rhinestone in the center. For the doodles I also cut those out of lightweight chipboard, covered with cardstock and and then did the Adhesive Masking Glitter Technique. Click HERE to see a tutorial on the Adhesive Masking Glitter Technique. The stamped image from RubberNeckers was stamped on to Cryogen White cardstock using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and colored using Copic sketch markers and the Copic air brushing system. For the handle of the wand I used a dowel, spray painted it gold and attached it to the back with eyelets and wire. To cover up the eyelets & wire I put another star on the backside. I also added some ribbons and large rhinestones. Here is a close up of the wand.Supplies~
Paper~WorldWin--ColorMates-Terrific Teal, DCWV-Blue Pearl, Bazzil--Metallic Gold
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Stamps~RubberNeckers--Celtic Goddess Celestial Dreams 1107SO
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Geometric Stars 5 (S4 092), Doodle Parts (S4 121), Copic--Air Brush System, We R Memory Keepers--Crop-A-Dile
Other~Copic-Sketch Markers 0, B00, B12, B23, BG45, BG75, R29, Rv17, V17, V01, Yr21, E00, Krylon-Gold Leafing Pen, Glue Dots, Beacon-Gem-Tac, Xyron Adhesive, We R Memory Keepers--Eyelets, Scotch--Foam Tape, Joann's--Rhinestones, Birds and Beads--Swarovski Crystals, Jump Rings, Headpins, Walmart--Large Gems, Dowel, Ribbon


Thank you so much for stopping by today!! Don't forget tomorrow is the BIG DAY--The kick off to Spellbinders Nestabilities Birthday Party!! Debbie Olson will be having the 1st SNEAK PEEK tomorrow (June 30th) so make sure you stop by her blog Thinking Inking!! Hope you are having a Wonderful Weekend!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Nestabilities Birthday Party *+* Spellbinders Sneak Peek *+* & So Much More!!!

Are you ready to PARTY? I mean I am talking a Mind Blowing, Super Fantastic Birthday Party with Spellbinders Paper Arts!!! You know who they are. The one and only makers of the Nestabilities!! The Spellbinders Nestabilities are turning 1 and to celebrate Spellbinders is having a party for two weeks!!!

The Designers for Spellbinders will be giving daily "Sneak Peeks" for the new dies being released at Summer CHA for the next two weeks!!

But wait there is MORE---a Sneak Peek will be posted each day on a different Spellbinders Design Team Member's Blog AND if you click on a Special Drawing Link that will be available on the day of the sneak peek you will have a chance to win the die that is in the sneak peek!!! You can also share your thoughts with each Spellbinders Design Team Member by leaving a comment on the blog post. We would LOVE to hear your thoughts!!

NOW FOR THE BEST PART!!! ARE YOU READY FOR MORE EXCITING NEWS? If you visit all of the blogs on the SNEAK PEEK list and leave a comment you will have a chance to win.........

Are you sitting down? If not you should be!!!

You will have a chance to win the NEW RASPBERRY-Colored WIZARD AND $500 WORTH OF DIES from SPELLBINDERS!!!!!

Below is the list of Design Team Members and links to their blogs. The Celebration starts June 30 and goes until July 13. I hope you take the opportunity to visit all of the blogs and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!! More information can be found here on the Spellbinders website.

The only thing left to say is.....

LET'S PARTY and GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

June 30: Thinking Inking by Debbie Olson July 01: Created From Paper by Jennifer Ellefson July 02: Wickedly Wonderful Creations by Wendy Weixler July 03: Embellished Dreams by Heidi Blankenship July 04: Simple Dreams by Ellen Hutson July 05: Caffeinated Thoughts by Michelle Klomp July 06: Linda's Works of Heart by Linda Duke July 07: Mish Mash by Michelle Wooderson July 08: Inky Heart by Sally Lynn MacDonald July 09: Cookies for Breakfast by Beth Pingry July 10: PaperFections by Sharon Harnist July 11: Today's Creations by Holly Craft July 12: Donya Schroeder by Donya Schroeder July 13: Follow Your Bliss by Trudee Sauer

Relax on a Summer Day

A great way to spend a hot summer day is to kick back and relax and sip on a nice cold glass of lemonade. But if you'd rather be stamping and paper crafting how about a fun summertime card. Here is a card that I made for one of my Spellbinders Design Team gallery projects.
We were given a challenge to use a die in a different way on one of our projects. Do you see the cute little slices of lemon, they are really the wheel (cut in half) from the Wheelbarrow Die (S3 136) from Spellbinders! Click HERE to see a card made with the Wheelbarrow die.

The card is a 6 x 6 and I used WorldWin-Luscious Lime Rich DoubleMates, Meri-Gold Vivid and Georgia Pacific White Card Stock . I used the Small Classic Square Nestabilities from Spellbinders for the stamped image and the matting. The stamped image is the Vintage Garden Chair (2083) from Lockhart Stamp Company. The image was stamped using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and colored in using the Copic sketch markers and the air brush system. The sentiment on this card is very simple just the word Relax. To make the tag I used the Tags 5 die (S4 081) from Spellbinders and bubble sticker letters from Joann's and then airbrushed a little yellow and green. I used some light green ribbon, a yellow brad and some hardware from Creative Impressions to attach the tag to the card. I also added a little sparkle using a Spica Glitter Pen (05 Lemon) from Copic on the lemons and the glass of lemonade.

Supplies~
Paper~WorldWin--Luscious Lime Rich DoubleMates, Meri-Gold Vivid, Georgia Pacific--White
Stamps~Lockhart Stamp Company--Vintage Garden Chair 2083
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Small Classic Square Nestabilities (S4 128), Wheelbarrow (S3 136), Tags 5 (S4 081)
Other~Copic--ABS, Sketch Markers-Y00, YG00, G24, B00,
B21, B23, YR24, E15, C1, T1, Spica-05 Lemon, Creative Impressions--Green Ribbon, Yellow Brad, Hardware, Kokuyo--Tape'n'Roller Adhesive, Joann's--Bubble Letters, Xyron--Adhesive

I hope you enjoyed the card for today and thank you so much for stopping by!! Tomorrow is my little guy's Birthday!! I can't believe he's gonna be 6 years old!! I hope you have a Wonderful Day!! Also don't forget to check out the Spellbinders Design Team Gallery, new projects are being posted!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Butterfly Gift Box

Back in May for my birthday I received a Wonderful Surprise package in the mail from my dear friend Ema! Ema and I met a few years ago on a message board and we became really close friends. We have never met IRL, maybe someday. But for now we share emails, phone calls and lots of laughs!! One day we were talking about some crafting things we both wanted and one of the things that came up was the Scor-Pal. Well GUESS WHAT I got for my birthday!! Yep you guessed it--a Scor-Pal and I LOVE IT!!!! I can't believe all of the amazing things you can make with one of these little babies!! Plus you can go to the Scor-Pal website and they have tons of ideas and templates for all kinds of projects. I'm sure there is a ton of you out there that already have the score pal and love it. It was just one of those things that I wanted but I wasn't sure how much I would really use it and now that I have had it for a while I use it a LOT! I sometimes wonder what I ever did with out it!!

Here is a butterfly gift box that I made for my mom, I found the instructions for the box on the Scor-Pal website. For the top of the box I gave it a little peek-a-boo window with a butterfly. The butterfly is a die cut that was made using the Wizard and Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders.On the underside of the lid I added a piece of acetate for the window. Then I cut & embossed the butterfly and colored it using Copic sketch markers and the Copic air brushing system. I adhered the butterfly to the acetate using zip-dry from Beacon. I sponged the edges of the lid with Orchid Pastel ColorBox chalk ink and then with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink from Ranger. I added the trim and dew drops around the side and top edge using zip-dry from Beacon. For a finishing touch I layered two Prima flowers with a little ribbon, added a button to the center and then added stickles to the edges of the flower and the butterfly.Supplies~
Paper~DCWV--The Luxury Stack (lid), Prism--Iced Pink
Ink~ColorBox--Orchid Pastel , Ranger--Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing System, Flying Beauties (S4 123), Scor-Pal
Other~Prima--Flowers, Ranger--Stickles, Copic--Sketch Markers, ABS, The Robin's Nest--Dew Drops, Joann's--Button, Ribbon, Trim, Beacon--Zip Dry, My Stash--Acetate


Thanks again Ema!!! I am still loving my Scor-Pal!! Also don't forget to check out the Scor-Pal website for TONS of great ideas!! These little boxes are so quick and easy to make I think I might make a few of them to have on hand!

Thank you so much for stopping by today--I can't believe it's already Friday!! I hope you have a Fantastic day and a Wonderful weekend!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Movie Night

Do you ever have movie nights with friends or do your kids? Here is a great card that you could use for your next movie night or it would also work great for a birthday invitation too. This is a card that I made for one of my Spellbinders Design Team projects. For this card there is no stamping involved! Yep that's right--no stamping! Almost hard to imagine isn't it--LOL! The sentiment was printed out on the computer, the stars are felt cut outs from Fancy Pants and the rest of it is done with die cuts made using the Wizard and various dies from Spellbinders.Guess what die the Popcorn is from? It's not a popcorn die--try thinking out of the box.

Here is a close up of the die cut.~I used Iced Yellow CS from Prism and then I edged each piece with a yellow Copic sketch marker. Are you still thinking? Any guesses yet?To blend in the yellow I used the Colorless Copic Blender. Did you guess the right die? It's the Flower Creations 3 die from Spellbinders. The Flower Creations 3 die is a great one to have, you can make several different styles of flowers by layering the different shapes and as an added bonus you can also make Popcorn. *wink*

Once I had all of the popcorn pieces done then I started to assemble the card. The Film Strip die works great to go with the movie theme. I used a Oval Nestabilities die to make a back drop for the popcorn. Then for making the popcorn container I used the Sm. Scallop Square Nestabilities, I cut the sides at an angle and then made the stripes and outlined the container using a red Copic sketch marker. The sentiment was printed out and then cut out using one of the Tags 5 dies. To finish it off I added the felt stars, a little black ribbon and a red brad.

Here is a picture of how I used one of the Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities to make a backdrop for the popcorn. To do the popcorn first I put down all of the pieces that would be flat on the card. Then I added the popcorn container. The rest of the popcorn was put on with pop dots.

Supplies~
Paper~Prism
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Flower Creations 3 (S4 109), Film Strip (S3 026), Oval Nestabilities(S4 110), Square Nestabilities(S4 129), Tags 5 (S4 081)
Other~Copic--Sketch Markers, Fancy Pants--Felt Stars, My Stash--Ribbon, Brad & Pop Dots

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you enjoyed the card. I hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Butterfly Garden Card

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is visit the Butterfly Garden at the Minnesota Zoo. I don't know what it is about butterflies, maybe the fact that they represent hope and a new beginning, whatever it is they are some of the most amazing little creatures around! Their wings are so beautiful and delicate. The picture of the Monarch butterfly on the card is one that I took last summer.
The beautiful butterfly die cuts were made using the Bugs (S4 008) die and the Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders. Each butterfly was cut, embossed, stenciled and air brushed using the Copic air brushing system and Copic sketch markers. To add the white dots I used Perfect Pearls from Ranger. The stamped image of the butterfly wing is from RubberNeckers and was stamped on paper Cryogen White CS using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then the coloring was done with the Copic ABS and Sketch markers. Then I covered the entire piece with a dimensional glaze. Once that was dry I distressed the edges and then added some copper accents with the Copper pen from Krylon. I love the krylon pens--they can add so much to a project! The butterfly picture and the sentiment were cut out and then matted using the MegaNestabilites Long Classic & Scallop Rectangle from Spellbinders. The sentiment is also from RubberNeckers. To add more copper accents to the card I did copper gilding around the edge or the card, added a couple pieces of hardware, a HOPE charm and also some dew drops. I finished off the card by adding flourish, it's a piece of grunge board that I airbrushed with the Copic markers and then added some stickles and a few prima flowers.

Supplies~
Paper~CutCardStock.com--Cryogen White, Prism
Stamps~RubberNeckers--Wing(1311 SO), Sentiment(2000 10)
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Bugs (S4 008), Flying Beauties (S4 123), MegaNestabilites Long Classic & Scallop Rectangle (Classic-S4 142, Scallop-S4 143)
Other~Copic Sketch Markers & ABS, USArtQuest--Copper Gilding, Krylon--Copper Pen, Prima--Flowers, Ranger--Flourish Grunge Board, Stickles, Perfect Pearls, The Robin's Nest--Dew Drops, My Stash--Hardware, Ribbon, Butterfly Picture

Thank you for stopping by today and where ever you are I hope you have some sunshine in your day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and also to my husband Eric. Both of them are Terrific Dads!!

This is going to be a really quick post. I just wanted to share with you the cards that I made for Father's Day. The first card is the one I made for my Husband from the boys. Our oldest son just got an electric guitar and all of the guys in the house like to play the guitar--guitar hero, rock band or the real deal. So I thought it would be fun to do a cool card with the boys and the guitars. Here is what I came up with.~I think the picture turned out great!! The boys had fun taking the pictures and knowing that it was going to be on a card for Dad made it all the more fun. The circles and the corner elements are various pieces of chipboard. The skull and crossbones is a piece of grunge board. The letters from Dad are the Mystic font from Spellbinders. U Rock was printed on the computer. I also added some eyelets for embellishments.

The card that I made for my Dad was done using the Copic sketch markers and the air brush system. Almost the entire card was airbrushed. I used the markers on the mountain and on the grass. The stamps are all from CTMH. On the lake I added some clear dimensional glaze to give the look of water. I also added a little ribbon, buckle and brads for embellishments. Here is my Dad's card.~
Thank you so much for stopping by today & I hope all of the Dad's had a wonderful day!!
Happy Father's Day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Rose Blossom Bird Feeder

Do you ever see something in a store that you could alter and instantly get an idea? Well that's what happened to me when I was in Joann Fabrics one day and seen this little bird feeder. It was cute and had kind of a shabby look going on but I wanted to change it up a bit. I decided to use the bird feeder for one of my Spellbinder Design Team gallery projects.
I started out by cutting and embossing ArtEmboss soft metal sheets (it's like a crafting foil) from Amaco using the Rose Blossoms Edgeabilities die (s4 044) from Spellbinders. If you haven't ever used the metal sheets it is really easy to work with and it works great in the Wizard. It comes in a variety or colors (with a silver back) and also in copper, brass and pewter. The colored foil can also be sanded, doing this really makes embossed images pop! I cut out enough pieces to go all the way around the top edge of the bird feeder. I wanted the foil die cuts to hold the raised embossing so I filled the back of the die cut with clear household silicone which also works great for an adhesive.

Here is the backside of the foil die cut. ~
You want to make sure you completely fill it in as shown here.~ Then I started placing the foil pieces around the top edge of the bird feeder. I let a little of the foil hang over the edge to give the bird feeder a little more dimension. Here is a close up of what the foil looks like once the top is done.I also wanted to add some foil around the bottom and on the hanger so I cut and embossed several pieces of foil using the Doodle Parts die (S4 121) from Spellbinders and following the same instructions as above I adhered the foil.

Here is a picture with the foil Doodle Parts around the bottom and on the hanger.~Once I had all of the foil pieces adhered I let the bird feeder sit over night so the adhesive would dry and the silicone would firm up. The next morning I took the bird feeder apart so I could start painting it. I used Coffee Bean (brown) acrylic paint from Plaid for the first two layers of paint. You can just use a sponge brush to apply the paint. I wanted the bottom layers of paint to be dark so once the bird feeder was sanded it would have distressed or "shabby" look. After the brown paint was dry then I put on two coats of Parchment (ivory) acrylic paint from Plaid. Once all of the paint was dry then I lightly sanded all of the metal pieces.

All of the coloring was done using the Copic sketch markers. Here is a close up of the top once all of the coloring was done.As you can see from the pictures I also added a doodle and a butterfly to the cylinder part . The doodle was done using the Doodle Part (s4 121) die and Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders. The doodle part was done exactly like the other foil pieces. For the Butterfly I made two die cuts, one was using the foil and it was cut and embossed and the other was just a die cut that was cut from brass. I did this so the butterfly would be more sturdy. On the foil piece I filled in the back with the silicone and then placed the brass die cut on the back. Once the butterfly was dry I painted, sanded and colored the doodle piece and the butterfly. Then I used an adhesive to adhere the pieces to the acrylic cylinder.

Here is the finished bird feeder.~To see another beautiful and very inspiring project done with foil, be sure to stop by another Spellbinders Design Team Member's blog Paper Fections by Sharon Harnist. Sharon designed and altered a beautiful Herb Garden using the foil technique.

Supplies~
Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing System, Rose Blossoms Edgeabilities (s4 044), Doodle Parts (S4 121), Flying Beauties (S4 123)
Amaco--Cerulean Blue Foil, Light Brass
Beacon Adhesives--Fabri-Tac
Copic--Sketch Markers-V01, V04, B21, B23, BV04, G24, YG95
Plaid--Acrylic Paint-Coffee Bean, Parchment
Joann Fabrics--Bird Feeder
Loctite--Clear Household Silicone
Other--Sponge Brush, Sanding Block

Using the Spellbinders dies and the foil you can take something that is ordinary and turn it into extraordinary!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you are having a fantastic week!!

Smiles!
Heidi

As promised--better late than never Mother's Day cards

I bet you were beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get these posted! LOL!

The first card is one that I made for my Mom. I started out with the stamped image from RubberNeckers and colored it with Copic markers. Then I started looking through my paper & I thought the image went perfectly with this designer paper Sultry from Basic Grey. On the flourish chipboard first I air brushed it using Copic markers and then I added Crackle Accents from Ranger. Just a Note ** adding the Crackle Accents on top of the Copic markers will give you a deeper color. The Flourish started out the same color as the dress on the stamped image. I used the Long Scallop Rectangle MegaNestabilities die (S4 143) from Spellbinders to cut out a rectangle in the BG paper and sponged the edges with brown ink. I used the ATC Card (S4 073) die from Spellbinders to make a corner accent on the rectangle and also on the flourish chipboard. The tag is a die cut from the Tags Trio (S3 150) die from Spellbinders and I did the Reverse Stenciling technique on the tag. The Reverse Stenciling technique can be seen by clicking HERE. The edges of the BG paper were distressed and then sponged with brown ink. For embellishments I also added some perfect pearls, trim, flowers, brads and a button.

Supplies~
Paper~Iced Kiwi, Intense Kiwi--Prism, Sultry--Basic Grey, Solar White CS
Stamps~Embrace Text (165SO), Brigette (237-07)--RubberNeckers
Ink~Coffee Bean Ink--Brilliance
Tools~Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Long Scallop Rectangle MegaNestabilities(S4 143) , ATC Card (S4 073), Tags Trio (S3 150)--Spellbinders Paper Arts
Other~Copic Sketch Markers, ABS--Copic, Pink Trim--Creative Impressions, Perfect Pearls--Ranger, Flowers-Prima & CTMH, Tiny Rhinestones, Flourish Chipboard, Button--My Stash

This next card is one that I made for my mom to give to my Grandma. My Grandma loves purple and lavender so I thought these papers would work wonderfully. Here is a view of the front of the card when it is closed.
Here is a picture of the inside.~I know it might not look like it but this card was actually very quick and easy. I used my Score Pal (thanks Ema!! *wink*) to quickly measure and score the card base and then I used three panels of K&Company designer paper to dress it up. I mounted the card onto a larger base using two different colors of CS, purple 6 x 6 and lavender 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 and then I stamped a flourish image on each side & added some touches of glitter using stickles. I cut, embossed & stenciled the butterflies using the Flying Beauties (S4 123) & Butterflies 2 (S3 146) dies from Spellbinders. To do the stenciling I used Copic sketch markers and the Copic ABS. I also added a little stickles to each of the butterflies. For the sentiment I stamped it using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then I cut out the sentiment using the Large Classic Oval Nestabilities (S4 110) from Spellbinders.

Supplies~
Paper~Majestic Purple Light, Majestic Purple Dark, Iced Pink, Frosted Teal--Prism, Purple Butterfly Glitter Paper--K&Company
Ink~Graphite Black Ink--Brilliance
Stamps~Sentiment--Hero Arts, Flourishes (retired) --SU
Tools~Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing Tool, Large Classic Oval Nestabilities (S4 110), Flying Beauties (S4 123), Butterflies 2 (S3 146)--Spellbinders Paper Arts, Score Pal--
Other~Copic Sketch Markers, Copic ABS--Copic, Stickles--Ranger, Rhinestones & Ribbon--My Stash

Thank You so much for stopping by!! I also wanted to say Thank You for all of the wonderful comments and personal emails from my last post!! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! I always love hearing from all of you!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Sorry for my absence...

I know I haven't been around for awhile but life has just been throwing us some real curve balls lately. Last week our long time friend and neighbor passed away, he had a massive heart attack and we were with his wife through the whole thing. It was very heartbreaking. They had been married almost 51 years. Then on Saturday my Dad was in a car accident, he is ok--thank God!! But the car was totaled and to make matters worse the people who caused him to have the accident never even stopped to see if he was ok!! I just can't believe some people!!! On top of all of this I have been having some problems with my arthritis. At my last doctor's visit the doctor told my that my arthritis has moved on to the next level and I now have rheumatoid arthritis. My inflammation markers keep going up so I have had to be on higher doses of some medications which has now started to cause some other problems. Last week I started a new medication which is an injection that I give myself. So far I haven't seen any changes but the doctor said it could take up to a month or month and a half before I might notice any significant changes. I am hoping for some positive results!!

In my last post I promised to show you some cards that I made for Mother's day and I will still do that but for today I would like to keep this post sweet and simple. I would like to leave you with the sympathy card that I made for our neighbor.

Remembering Andy~Andy and his wife Donna were like another Grandpa & Grandma to our kids. Andy was a true kid at heart, having water fights with the kids on hot summer days, always giving them treats and he loved to tease & joke. Andy will be greatly missed but we have many wonderful memories that we will always hold close to our hearts. In loving memory...

Thank you for stopping by today! I will try to get back to a more regular posting very soon. Take care & I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
Smiles!
Heidi