Snow Thanks

With so many seasonal celebrations and get togethers at this time of year, a quick seasonal Thank You card is always de rigueur. Today, I am sharing just such a simple sparkly card over on the Magenta blog.

Supplies: Snowflakes mask and Thank You stamp (Magenta), Tim Holtz Cracked Pistachio Distress Ink (Ranger), Silver Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Imagine Crafts), VersaMark ink (Tsukineko), silver glitter emboss powder (Emerald Creek), Assorted Moonshine sequins (Simon Says Stamp) 

Head on over to the my blog post here to find out how to make it.

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

Snowflakes Mask

Thank You - Extra Large

Winter Magic

Today, I am up on the Magenta blog with a simple wintery magic card. It has been so frigid, where I live of late, that my card was inspired by the beautiful effect of frosted snow crystals creeping up the corner of the window pane in my craft room.

Supplies: Snowflakes mask, magic sentiment and Cerulean Blue Nuance powder (Magenta), texture paste, watercolour paper, Jet Black Archival ink (Ranger), Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Imagine Crafts), vellum (The Paper Company)

While it is hard to see in the photo, I just love the beautiful sparkle effect of the Imagine Crafts Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz on top of the texture paste. Pure magic!

If you would like to learn how to make this card, a simple step-by-step can be found by visiting the Magenta blog here.

I am entering this card into the More Than Words December "Us" Mini Challenge. Details on the challenge can be found here.

Wherever you are this holiday season, I hope you are enjoying some wintery magic!

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

MC05

07.807.I

MNU011

Simple Seasonal Card

I am up on the Magenta blog with this simple yet effective seasonal card.

I created two slightly different colour variations of the card but both start out the same. 

On a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 natural paper coloured cardstock card base, I stamped the large Autumn Oak Leaf stamp using Wild Honey Distress ink and slightly spritzed it with water to activate the ink in some areas allowing for some variation in colour. Next, I splattered the card with some of the ink left on my craft mat mixed with water. Once dry, I stamped the Carpe Diem sentiment with a combination of StazOn Saddle Brown ink and Gold Delicata ink making one darker and one lighter. Next, I splattered some Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz on each and once dry, I inked the edges of the darker one with Vintage Photo Distress ink and the lighter one with Gold Delicata ink.

Such a simple yet effective card.

    

Magenta products used:
Produits Magenta utilisés:

42.214.N

07.754.G

TTFN,

Coffee Filter Flowers

Hi crafty friends! I am over on the Magenta blog today, sharing one of my favourite flower techniques that I taught at Creativation this year. Using coffee filters to make light, airy, and easily shaped flowers is far more forgiving than using tissue paper and perfect for novice to intermediate crafters alike. Colouring them with Nuance powder gives a beautiful intense watercoloured effect. I used my finished fussy cut flowers on this Feel Better Soon watercolour card.

    

For step-by-step instructions on how to make the flowers and this card, head over to the Magenta Blog here.

TTFN,

Magenta products used:

14.655.P

MNU018

85.017.O

TM66

07.967.G

'Tis the Season

It has been awhile since I have had the opportunity or the inclination to create. With Christmas holidays upon me, it brings some much needed respite and time to try to get back to some semblance of my prior norm. Even with oodles of ideas and projects already on the go, it was hard to get at it and focus; so I decided to try to get myself into the spirit of the season and just play in an art journal.

I wanted to start with something of a manageable size and just allow for some freedom to play. Thus, I chose my Moleskin journal with its' 8x10 double page size.

Supplies: Joy stamp and Script & Postmark stamp, Mini Holly flower and Holly Border stencils, patterned paper and Red Nuance (Magenta), Cloudy Sky StazOn, Gold Delicata ink, Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Tsukineko - Imagine Crafts), Warm IV Grey, Green and White STamper's Big Brushes (Faber-Castell), glass bead gel, gesso (Golden), clear gesso (Liquitex), Glue N' Seal, Distress Micro Glaze, Distress Inks (Ranger), tissue paper (misc.) 

I wasn't feeling this one at times throughout the process but as I kept adding things and going away to mull my next creative step or choices, it started to feel better. Truth be told it took several days in short periods to complete but it did eventually evolve into something that I like.

As for the process...
- I stamped the Joy sentiment from Magenta with grey StazOn onto white tissue paper and adhered it to the journal pages with gel medium and then muted it with white gesso then gave it tooth with clear gesso so it would work better with Nuance watercolour effects.
- Then I stamped the background with my fav Magenta Script and Post stamp using Delicata Gold.
- Using glass bead gel, I stenciled the poinsettia multiple times to create the base for the wreath.
- Once dry, I pre-wet the areas around the flowers where I wanted the red to go and sprinkled the red Nuance onto those areas.
- I used some of the saturated red coloured water from the project on my brush to splatter around the page
- Once dry, I set the colour with Ranger's Distress wax and then used Lime Citron and Peeled Paint to stencil in the leaves of the wreath.
- It just needed its' title, which I cut from Magenta patterned paper using my Silhouette Cameo and then sprayed the cutout with gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz. - A few grey shadows and some white highlights and it was done.

This one does bring some joy... not only of the season but of a sense of accomplishment. 

TTFN,

Magenta products used:

TM124- Mini Holly


TM130- Holly Border


07.413.F - Joy stamp


95.085.M - Script and Postmark stamp


MNU015 - Red Nuance

ME237 - Tranquility Patterned Paper 

Magenta December Challenge

I love snowflakes and since we didn't seem to be getting any anytime soon from mother nature in my neck of the woods earlier, I created my own for my DT contribution to this month's Magenta Winter challenge.

On 140 lb. pre- cut watercolour paper, I pre-wet my paper to start the activation process for the Nuance powder. Adding more water and powder until I achieved a desired look. Once dry, I placed the snowflakes mask down on the paper and traced the outline with a white Signo pigment pen.

I heat embossed the sentiment onto vellum, used a punch to cut it out, and then sprayed it with glimmer Sheer Shimmer Spritz. Using the overspray left on my craft mat, I brushed it onto some of the snowflakes too. A ribbon bow, a metal snowflake charm, and some foam tape to adhere it to the card base was all that was needed to call my winter snow blizzard card done.

There is still time to join us in this month's challenge. Find out all the details and check out my fellow DT members' creations based on the Winter theme here.

TTFN,

Grad Night

I am up on the Magenta blog today in the August challenge reminder with this layout.

This month's challenge is Anything Goes so it was total creative freedom and I had fun with it.


Here is a look at my layout in progress where you can see the background that I created before all the other layers were added.

I began by covering the background patterned paper with clear gesso. Then, I went in with white gesso in the areas that I wanted to focus my design. Next, I stenciled the damask using whipped spackle and then went back over the design areas with the stencil and Imagine Crafts irRESISTible in Wedding Dress White. It provides a gloss sheen that resists so that I could whip away some of the Grape Jelly and LuLu Lavender Fireworks sprays that I used to add colour. While the Fireworks colours were still wet, I loaded the Ornamental Pattern stamp in them and then stamped along the outline of the white areas. Once all was dry, I used black StazOn for the Script Postmark and the Diamond stamps.  Some Firework mists mixed with gel medium was used to add the purple splatters and the a mix with acrylic paint for the black ones to finish the background off.

The distressed the cut up stripes of the Purple Night patterned paper using a sanding block. Initially, I had tried using gesso, which you can see on the left corner ones but then elected to go with the sanding as I liked the look and colour better.
Magenta has been a maker of wood veneer pieces long before it was a trendy item and I love how these bird themed pieces work with this layout.

Lots of layering, including silver metallic thread under the photos. It adds a nice touch that compliments the glimmer of the Firework sprays.

I used a variety of different flowers ranging from fabric, taffeta, crochet and paper that all worked together to add the right balance and clusters of interest. 

Here you get a closer look at some of the stamping with the Fireworks spray. The photo just can't pick up and do justice to the subtle glimmer that is all over the page in the sprayed and stamped areas.

My daughter loves this one as a memento of a milestone event. It will spend some time in a frame before it makes it's way to a scrapbook album.

There is still time to get an entry into this month's challenge. With the theme of Anything Goes, it makes it pretty easy to enter. Check out the challenge details here as well as other inspirational creations by some of my fellow Magenta teammates.

TTFN,

Magenta products used:

TM46 - Damask Background

95.085.M Script and 
Postmark Stamp

29.051.E - Geometry
Small Diamond #1

35.078.K - Ornamental Pattern

KDL20 - Birds & Cages

KDL21 - Fly Like a Bird Kit 

 ME215 Delicate Posies

 MLE03 Purple Night

CB638 - Mini Alphabet