Friday, February 26, 2010

Spring Bloom by Brenda Wampler


Stamp image of your choice using waterproof ink onto water-colored paper. Use water-colors to color in your stamped image. Once dry, it is time to add the glass shards. Starting at the top of flowers, add glue, then shards to the petals. Let dry. Next add glue and shards to the bottom of the flower heads. Let dry. Work your way down the piece, so that the shards do not mix with another color of shards all ready added to the piece. Once glittering is complete and dry, trim your image. Ink edges of a tag and edges of the glittered piece. Glue image to tag. Add gems and typed words, eg. “Bloom”. Lastly attach colorful ribbons and yarn to the tag. This piece can be used as part of a tag book, a card, or just a beautiful piece to display.

Vintage Glass Shard colors used for this piece are Pink Coral #913, Rich Gold #914 and Peridot #909. I tried to pick colors that matched closely to the water-colors that I had used. Enjoy!


DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

Monday, February 22, 2010

Music of the Spheres by Debrey Taylor

Debrey is blessed with the wonderful opportunity to get secondhand frames and moldings from her husband’s frame shop. This beautiful piece was first covered with gold metal leaf and then treated with a crackle paint finish.

Next she layered various clippings of music paper, photos, glitter lace paper and an old image. Then she embellished with Art Glitter’s Large and Small Solar Beads and bugs made from Fantasy Film.


But the most exciting technique here is the glitter that was added to the center image. She made thin lines of Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, smeared them with her finger. Then put her glue finger into the Ultrafine Opaque #65 Old Gold glitter and smeared it onto the wet glue. Making beautiful wispy accents of glitter.

Thank you Debrey for another innovative technique for applying glitter!

Tip: this technique does not work with Microfine glitter. To see how to make glitter lace paper and the film bugs click on the links above. Enjoy!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Mixing Mediums and Faking Metal by Anam Stubbington


If you iron multiple layers of the film together on their own, then put it over a stamp and iron again – the films take on a sheet metal like quality with a touch of melted magic.


In these two cards, I have added Fibers between layers of cardstock and then made the main embellishment a multi layers and multi ironed stamped image.



Supplies:
Art Glitter Fantasy Film Waterfall
Art Glitter Fantasy Film Mother of Pearl
Art Glitter Fantasy Fiber Cotton Cloud
Art Glitter Fantasy Fiber Cameo Rose

Rubber Stamps & Permanent Ink
Household Iron & Parchment or brown paper. Make sure your paper is bigger than the stamp as the film will melt to your iron.
Card blanks (mine have been embossed with cuttlebug folder dies)





DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

Monday, February 15, 2010

Glittered Flower Embellishment by Brenda Wampler


Use paper or silk flower pieces for this technique. Add glue to top and edges of flower petals of varying sizes. Sprinkle glass shards onto glued areas. For this flower I used four different sizes of petals, and used Vintage Glass Glitter Shards – Blue Topaz #904, and Silvery Moon #900. Let glittered petals dry before assembling. Once dry, use a brad to pierce through the center of the petals, layering from the smallest size to the largest. Once through the petals, slip on a #10 sized washer and press the brad open. This is an easy and great project for those that love to add a lot of bling to their various art pieces. And if you want, you can always glue a pin back to the piece and wear it!




DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

For the love of coffee by Shelly Hein-Simmons


Lately I have been obsessed with making “coffee cozies”. You know those little corrugated bits of cardboard to wrap around your paper cup of coffee so you don’t burn your hand? I have been turning out little personalized felt versions.

And frankly, isn’t everything just a bit better when you add a little glitter?

Since we are closing in on Valentine’s Day, I created this little cozy for my niece in shades of pink and white with a dash of red glitter hearts!

This project is so easy and fast, you will be able to recreate this item in less than 30 minutes. This reusable cozy is also a very “green” item – just another small way you can reduce the amount of trash that is produced in our world!


Supplies:
Disposable cardboard coffee cup cozy from your fave coffee shop or convenience store to use as a pattern.
Art Institute Glitter in the color of your choice (I used #291 Fire Engine from the Noel Pee Wee Kit)
Felt (2 or 3 colors and at least 3 pieces – felt is sold in most big box craft stores in 8 X 10 sheets for around .30 cents per piece)
Embroidery Floss
Velcro
Fabric Glue
A clear drying adhesive

Scissors or Pinking Shears
Optional: fixative spray from art supply store
Optional: Sewing machine


Directions:
Layer 3 pieces of felt; I used a white/pink/white combination. Pin your cardboard sample on top of the layered felt to use as a pattern and cut out with scissors or pinking shears for a decorative edge.
Using a ¼” (approximately) seam allowance; sew around complete outer edge of your layered, cut-out shape with a contrasting thread color. You may machine sew, or hand sew with embroidery floss.
Cut your Velcro into a thin strip, glue to outer edge of each end of cozy on opposite sides using good, strong fabric glue.
To embellish your cozy, free-hand cut hearts, lips, stars, circles, letters, etc. from a coordinating piece of felt (I used red to cut out funky hearts).
Pour a small amount of Art Institute Glitter onto a paper plate or into a glitter tray. Cover the front of your felt cut-outs with clear drying glue and then dip these pieces into your Art Institute Glitter and let dry. Also consider embellishing with buttons dipped in glitter!
(Optional) Spray your glittered felt shapes with a spray fixative.
Attach your glittered embellishments with either fabric glue, or hand stitch with embroidery floss.


Be prepared to be asked where you got your coffee cozy!


DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Carding with Fantasy Fiber by Anam Stubbington


I adore the Art Glitter Fantasy Fibers – they have that translucent shimmer quality – like mermaids in the sea. And they can do anything!!


Supplies:
Art Glitter Fantasy Fiber: Cotton Cloud
Art Glitter Fantasy Fiber: Cameo Rose
Rubber Stamps & Permanent Ink Pad
Household Iron & Parchment or brown paper. Make sure your paper is bigger than the stamp as the fibers will melt to your iron.
Card blanks (mine have been embossed with cuttlebug folder dies)


(note if you use acrylic stamps, be very very careful as they have a tendency to either melt or get soft under the iron)


The basic instructions on the pack work wonders: ink up your stamp, add the fibers on top of the stamps. Then a piece of brown paper and then iron for a few seconds.


I don’t like to iron the fibers completely flat at the edges so i can pull off any loose fibers and give it a feathered look.





DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2