Dimensional butterflies!

Hey there! I have a fun technique to share with you today! If you know me well.....you will know that I have a "thing" for butterflies. I think almost every LO has at least one......somewhere. It is a slight obsession I have. Don't know what to put in that corner? Plop a butterfly there! LOL! This LO of my sweet 90 year old Gram uses several of these cool, embossed butterflies and the Sweet Sue kit. (only 4 left!) One is a larger version and two are somewhat tiny....so you have to kind of look for 'em!

Here is a close up! In real life they are quite shiny and sparkly!

Want to make some of your own? OF course you do! : ) I used this old set by PC where it comes with the die and embossing folders. But you don't need these to do what I did. All you need is to die cut your butterfly from ANY System and then find a cool embossing folder you want to use!

You will also need clear embossing powder and Versamark.

Be sure you have already die cut your butterflies and set them aside. Open you embossing folder and Versamark one side of it. Slip your diecut butterfly inside and crank it through your BigShot or Cuttlebug machine......whatever you have!

Open up the folder and take the butterfly out. It will have the Versamark on only the recessed areas! This will serve as a sort of "resist" when we Glimmer Mist it in a bit! You can also try it the other way where the raised parts grab the Versamark.

Dump your clear embossing powder on top and shake excess off. Heat it up.

Now the butterfly is shiny on the recessed parts of the embossing.

Ooopps! Forgot to insert the picture of my Glimmer Mist!!! OK GRAB YOUR GLIMMER MIST!!!!! (or something comparable to it!) Spray away until you reach your desired colors!

Dab excess off with a Kleenex. (Yes, we are very high tech around here!)

Once your butterfly has dried, you can shabby it up a bit by inking the edges a bit in brown.

Dress up your butterflies with buttons, gemstones, pretty stick pins and such!

Here are a couple of little wall plaques I created. You can see how different embossing folders give it a different look!

I would love to try this technique with letters for a title, or other die cut shapes!

I hope I've inspired you to try something new today! Have a fabulous week!

Dyeing Your Own Scrunchy Ribbon

Scrunchy ribbon is all the rage these days! I love the look of it on cards and scrapbook pages! It has that imperfect vintage feel to it! So here's the scoop on what you'll need...............Glimmer Mist, Seam Binding, used wet coffee grounds, and bowls. If you interested in purchasing seam binding, E-bay is a great place to buy it!

Step One: Cut seam binding to desired length and place in bowls.

Step Two: Spray and scrunch seam binding with Glimmer Mist. (The scrunching is necessary so that parts of the seam binding will be dark, other areas will be light!)

Step Three: Dump used WET coffee grounds over the wet seam binding. Scrunch again, let it sit and dry.

Step Four: Take the binding out of the bowls and put on a plate because it will dry faster that way. (Unless you have unlimited time.....then leave 'em in the bowls overnight!)

Step Five: After it is dry, shake and remove coffee grounds. This will be your beautiful end result! I love how there is variation in the colors and an aged look from the coffee grounds!

Here is an example of a candy package I created using my scrunched seam binding and Noel's Lemonade Stand kit. And yes.......I did pick out the correct colored M & M's so as not to clash with the papers! (Sick, I know! LOL!)

Thanks so much for stopping on by! Have a great week!!! : )

Creating "Dirt!"

On the message boards many of us gals participated in a Project Runway challenge hosted by Greta. We were to provide our partners with a sketch and they provided one back! My partner was Mia. She provided me with a fabulous sketch (Which apparently, I lost due to my computer troubles......) that this LO was created by! (Thanks Mia!) I chose these pics of my pup getting caught digging in the backyard. Instead of getting mad.....I grabbed my camera!

I wanted to emulate the mud that he had allllllllllll over his white furry body.....so I played with some supplies to recreate the look of mud.

Here's what ya need.......

This could also be great for creating "chocolate" for a chocolate inspired LO!!!!

One of the things I love about art...is the constant experimentation it provides! And sometimes you stumble across something wonderful!

For all of those muddy dogs, kids, husbands.....let me some LO with some "dirt" on em! : )

Making Your Own Embellishments

Sometimes it's the little things in life that really make our days special, right? Well, I feel the same way about scrapbooking. As I am scrapbooking I get the "fundamentals" down....but often need a little "somethin" "somethin"...if you know what I mean? Usually I reach for those embellishments that are already made for me and add 'em to my page.......But not today. Today, I made my own. I drew my inspiration directly from the photo. I recreated my son's little snowman guy he made.

Circle punch? Check. Red & orange felt? Check. Buttons? Check. Seed beads? Check. Mica Flakes? Check. One adorable snowman??? CHECK!

So the next time you are stuck on what embellishments would add just the right touch.......maybe try making your own!

Creating a Rainbow Background with Copics and Airbrushing

I created this lil' birthday card for Noel's birthday using the Prima stamp from the Paper Doll kit. I stamped these gals with black Momento ink. I had this brainstorm to create a rainbow behind them.......

Here is how I did it! The ovals were cut using a Spellbinder's die. But an oval punch would work as well.
Ok.......I used an airbrush system.....but markers, paints, colored pencils would work too......
Just in case you needed a reminder of the colors of the rainbow......... : )
Leave just a sliver of paper showing and.......
Now, I am just using the "negative" space oval......

Here is a close up of the rainbow........

I hope that makes sense! You can create "rainbows" for your scrappy pages too.....or do this on paper and then die cut your letters...or shapes.........just sayin! : )

Happy Hump day!!!!

Vintage Snowflakes

I love anything vintage or shabby and many people have asked me how I create my "vintage" snowflakes. So today, I am going to show you! They are simple to make and something you can make ahead of time.

Here are a few examples of past projects I've made using these glittery snowflakes.

Here is what you need to make 'em! Some type of glue......in my example I used Paper Glaze, walnut ink, Diamond Dust, and of course some type of snowflake die cut. (Mine are by Sizzix!)

First cut out your die cut shapes.

Then spread your glue on the snowflake......I use my finger to spread it evenly.

Sprinkle the Diamond Dust on top of it. Coat it generously! Let the snowflake dry. Sometimes it takes an hour or so.....depending on how heavily you applied your glue.

Once the snowflakes are dry put them in a pizza box or an old tray, in my case I used an old plastic tray that is gunky and icky! (Perfect for this messy project!) Spray the walnut ink on the snowflakes. Spray a few times for darker snowflakes, only once or twice for lighter ones.

You can dab a bit at the snowflakes with a tissue if it gets a bit too dark in one area.

After you get the desired darkness, let the snowflakes dry. Then you can embellish them with ribbons, buttons, flowers, rhinestones.....whatever you like! : )

Fun right? : )

Here is one more card!

I hope you decide to give these a try! Thanks so much for stopping by!