Stars And Stripes

The patriotic side of glitter ... Hi! Linda here and I wanted to share these adorable little glittered patriotic stars I've created.

 

The star shapes are cut from corrugated cardboard using the Sizzix Stars, Primitive die. I then coated them in Claudine Hellmuth Gesso, ran them through my Xyron 5" Create-a-Sticker then sprinkled them generously with Art Glitter No. 27 Navy Ultrafine Opaque, No. 500 Ruby Red Microfine Opaque and No. 533 Mini Pearl Microfine Pearlescent glitters.

I think they'll look adorable hanging about the house from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July!

Visit my blog for the tutorial to create these for yourself!

http://linda-neff.com

 

Clipping Refridgerator Messages

 

For years we had child-made magnets and notes on the fridge. But, the kids have been gone for several years now so I decided it is time for a fridge update.

These magnets are made using a clip clothespin from Canvas Corp. as the base. Then I raided my stash to create the gorgeous toppings.

The floral magnet is created using the Sizzix Flowers, 3D die. 

I cut and assembled the flowers, gluing them together with Designer Dries Clear.

 Then I added Art Glitter #305 Goldenrod Ultrafine Transparent Glitter to the edges. To do this I use and a small detail paint brush to apply Designer Dries Clear to the edges.

Then I either sprinkle on the glitter or sometimes dip the flowers right into the jar. Gently tap off excess.

When the glitter and glue is set, use the Designer Dries Clear to adhere the glittered flowers to the top of the clip clothespin.

 

The magnet is finished off by adding three green gems by Hero Arts to add a bit of extra detail. Flower stamens are also added to the flower centers and Xyron Magnetic Tape is added to the bottom of the clothespin so it sticks to the fridge effortlessly!

 

I've created another fridge magnet from the Sizzix Primitive Heart die and corrugated cardboard. Click on over to my blog to take a gander at that one and for another tutorial so you can make your own!

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

Swapping Glittery ATC's

Howdy! Linda here to share my glittered ATC with you.

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

I belong to a very casual stamp club that meets monthly to share ideas and techniques. Our recent demonstrator opted to share varying techniques with us this month for creating ATC's (Artist Trading Cards). We enjoyed the techniques and information so much that we decided to hold an ATC swap at our next meeting in April. This is a sample of my ATC that I might use for the swap.

I started by stamping with Tim Holtz ATC - Urban Tatoo. I don't know what it is about the heart explosion but I just love it! I used a waterproof black ink to stamp my image on heavy-duty white cardstock. Then, using my Designer Dries Clear with Fine Metal Tip I started to outline parts of the stamped image and sprinkled on Art Glitter Cupid #735 Microfine Transparent Glitter. I love the microfine glitters due to their more vintage look rather than lots of sparkle.

When the heart was all glittery I moved on to the other designs. I used a darker pink for the stars from the Monochromatic Pink Mixed Pee Wee Kit.

 

The curly-cue designs running down the one edge were glittered with Art Glitter Elfin #705 Transparent Microfine Glitter.

 

When I had all the glittering done I added some Crackle Accents to the heart center and sprinkled on a pinch of a pink from the Monochromatic Pink Pee Wee Kit used on the starts. I set it all aside to dry while we fixed and ate dinner (it's nice to have a chore or project to do while waiting for a piece to dry, otherwise I'm usually tempted to rush it along and that's never good)!

When it was dry I simply colored it with a gently coating of Ranger's Distress Inks. One down, 12 more to go!

 

Fluttering Into Spring

I just felt the need to create something with a little Spring feel about it and just kept playing around until I came up with this design. Spring is in the air today here in Michigan. Birds are singing and sun is shining. Before you know it the butterflies will be fluttering around the garden.

I just received new colors of Transparent Microfine glitter from Art Glitter and wanted to use them on this project. So here's how I started.

Supplies:

• Cupid #735 Microfine Transparent Art Glitter
• Raspberry #740 Microfine Transparent Art Glitter
• Elfin #705 Microfine Transparent Art Glitter
• Designer Dries Clear (DDC)
• Art Glitter Gold Metal Leaf
• Rose Bud Fine #623 Vintage Glass Glitter
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Butterflight On-the-Edge 
• Distress Inks Dusty Concord, Crushed Olive, Broken China, Vintage Photo & Walnut Stain
• Archival Inks in Coffee and Jet Black
• heat tool 

I began by inking my tag so the butterflies would have some background color. Then I sprinkled some water onto the inked tag and waited about 20 seconds then heat set.

I originally had intended to cut the butterflies and use disconnected from the background tag, but once the images had been cut into the tag I liked the way they look and they could be propped up a bit.

To create texture and dimension on the tag I inked the large background stamp from Papillon CMS106 from Stamper's Anonymous and folded the butterflies forward (this way, they were not stamped) then stamped the tag background. I inked several different butterfly stamps and stamped onto the butterfly images. I used Coffee Archival Ink for this part so the lines would show slightly beneath the glitter when it is applied.

Then I used my paintbrush technique to paint the DDC onto each butterfly wing - one at a time - and then sprinkled with the glitter. The DDC dries very quickly when applied in this manner so work in small areas at a time.

I alternated the glitter colors among the butterflies and used Rose Bud Fine Vintage Glass Glitter on the butterfly bodies in the center of each.

It seemed a bit flat to me when I finished so decided to add a pop of gold. I used the Gold Metal Leaf for this. I squeezed a very small amount of DDC onto my non-stick craft sheet and smudged it on my finger and then smudged it onto the tag. I pressed the Gold Metal Leaf into the smudged DDC and let it set for a minute to dry, then brushed away any loose particles.

To finish it off I added the stamped sentiment and a pretty ribbon.


Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

Visit my blog to catch a look at another Art Glitter project I worked on recently.

Glittering Mosaics

Linda here with a cute little technique for glittering mosaics. Using scraps of pattern paper I cut 1-inch squares with my paper trimmer. These could be easily punched as well with a 1-inch square punch.

After all the squares were cut I ran them through the Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker to put adhesive on the backside. Then I flipped the Xyron sticker sheet over and ran it through the machine again so the adhesive would be on both sides of the squares.

For this project I used Art Glitter Desert 266 and Goldenrod 305 Ultrafine Transparent glitters. I had several colors out but then opted to use only two contrasting colors. It was easy to put the glitters on the squares by simply pouring a good amount of each glitter into bead trays and using tweezers to dip the squares enough to coat one side.

I then placed them evenly apart on a background piece of paper and cut it down to fit an A2 card front when done. I actually started this as a scrapbook page (above) but it wasn't working for me so I switched over to a greeting card. I matted the mosaic paper and wrapped it with a pretty May Arts ribbon before adhering it to the card.

It still needed an embellishment so I reached for my good ol' corrugated heart stand-by and roughed it up a bit before brushing on some Designer Dries Clear and sprinkled it with some of the same glitters.

 

Sparkle On!

Linda

Glorious Glittered Goodness

It's February and I'm in the Pink! Pink mood that is ...

Linda here and I'm going to show you how I recycled last months Art Glitter project. Remember the little candy jars I made to put Valentine candy in last month? I converted it to reuse as a small vase.

Recycled jar used to hold glittered 3-D flowers.

I'm ready for Spring and flowers so I used my Sizzix Flower, 3-D Wrapped die to cut several layers of pattern paper and coordinating cardstock. Truth be told, I've owned this flower die for about two years and have never used it. I quite like it!

Coordinating pattern paper and cardstock but with Sizzix Flower, 3-D Wrapped die.

After I had them all cut, I inked the edges with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and randomly stamped images on the cardstock to help create texture. I followed the directions that came with the die to wrap and adhere the flower layers. Instead of a skewer I used a thicker black wire and stuck them in a wine cork.

Flower layers inked and ready to assemble onto a wire stem.

The flower layers are rolled and adhered to the wire. I used Designer Dries Clear Adhesive  (DDCA) to glue the individual layers together because it sets up so quickly. The flower layers are stacked alternating pattern paper and cardstock to mix them up a bit. I let them set up a bit while I went for dinner.

Rolled flowers attached to wire. A ribbon is knotted to the flower center.

The glue was totally dry when I came home and they were ready for me to add the glittery goodness. I applied DDCA around all the edge layers of the flowers with a detail brush. Working quickly I sprinkled the flower with Tea Rose Ultrafine Opaque glitter and tapped the excess off into a catcher tray. I did this to all three flowers. Then I pierced a hole into each of three corks and inserted the gloriously glittered flowers!

Gloriously glittered 3-D flowers.

I didn't know what to set them in, then I spotted the Valentine candy jar I made last month with the corrugated glittered strip around the center. It was a perfect little vase for these perfect pink flowers once I tied a pretty pink ribbon around the cardboard.

Glorious glittered 3-D flowers in an up cycled jelly jar.

Want to see even more uses for Art Glitter products, then skip on over to my blog to take a look.
-- Linda Neff

Glittering Candy Jars

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and if you're looking for an easy-peasy craft, I think I have something for you. These are two recycled little jars with lids that I dug out of my recycle bin and ran through the dishwasher. I love using corrugated cardboard so decided to make jar wraps and some more those adorable little hearts to use for this project. I started with a square of corrugated cardboard cut from a plain old box I found in the garage. Cut two strips using a metal-edge ruler and craft knife. Die cut two hearts from the cardboard as well. Spritz the strips and hearts with water and let set for a minute or two. This softens the top layer and makes it easier to peel it off, exposing the corrugated board beneath. Do this to all four pieces. Lay them all out on a non-stick craft sheet and haphazardly paint them with gesso - leaving a lot of the cardboard exposed; set aside and let dry (it doesn't take too long). Paint both lids as well. When dry, lightly spritz the back side and wrap around the jars and secure with a rubberband. This helps to make the stiff board conform to the roundness of the jars. Let this set for a few minutes then remove the rubberbands and take the strips from the jars. Pour some Designer Dries Clear onto a palette and use a wide paint brush to randomly brush some glue onto one of the strips. Sprinkle with Tea Rose 11 Ultra Fine Opaque glitter onto the glued areas and tap off excess and return to jar. Use the brush to add more DDC onto some of the open areas on the strip then sprinkle with Antique Silver Fine 611 Vintage Glass Glitter; tap off excess and return to jar. Do this to both strips. Brush DDC over the hearts (do one at a time) and sprinkle on Briar Rose 923 Vintage Glass Shards; tap off excess and return to jar. Brush DDC on the lids (one at a time) and sprinkle with the Tea Rose glitter. Set all pieces aside to dry thoroughly. In the meantime, print 'Be my Valentine' and 'Be mine' onto white cardstock, trim out and ink edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Now, it's time for assembly. I run a strip of repositionable adhesive down the inside of the glittered strips before wrapping around the jars. Add a few small dabs of DDC to the strips where the hearts will sit (where the two end meet) and a few dots on the back of the hearts and press into place; hold for a few seconds for glue to set then carefully wrap with the rubberband to hold it in place till thoroughly dry. When dry, remove the rubberbands and fill with some delicious Valentine candies - then save your diet and give it away! If you like this project, hop on over to my blog and take a look at a cute little Valentine gift box I made in under two hours!
 

Gift Bags for All Year Round

These are little gift bags I made to share some homemade peanut brittle with some friends and co-workers during the Christmas holiday. The word on the ornaments can be changed up to fit any occasion or theme for any time of the year.

I started my making the heart ornaments from corrugated cardboard cut on my Vagabond using the Sizzix Hearts, Primitive die. I love this die and use it quite often in many of my projects. There are three size hearts on the die so it works perfectly as an ornament, scrapbook page element or a decoration on a card. I distress the hearts by spritzing with water and letting it soak for a minute or two to soften the paper covering. I chew up the edges with an Exacto, scissor blades or edge distresser and peel back some of the covering, exposing the corrugated layer beneath. I then paint it briskly with Gesso and set it aside to dry. When the gesso-ed hearts are dry I put them through my Xyron Creatopia face-down. This puts a layer of adhesive on the front. I peel off the Xyron backing and sprinkle with Art Glitter Microfine Transparent Winter White glitter. Tap off the excess and set aside while finishing the rest. When they're all glittered cut a 5-inch to 6-inch strip of cream or white tulle and tie a knot in the middle. Use Designer Dries Clear adhesive to attach the tulle to the center of the heart and clamp with a clip clothes pin till the glue is set. While the glue is setting up, cut and ink the edges of words or phrases that have been printed on white cardstock. Gather a few vintage buttons, bells, pearl gems or any other little embellish you wish to add. Once the hearts are decorated you'll want to pierce two tiny holes in the top and attach a thin white wire for hanging. The gift bags were purchased at Michael's Arts & Crafts. There are 16 bags in the package for about $3. I love the natural craft color of the bags but wanted to dress them up a bit with a lacy strip. I used the faux lace technique from the Art Glitter blog. It's easy and does the trick. I used a 2-inch wide strip of double-sided tape and cut it to fit the width of the bag. It's taped to the front side of the bag and the top protector peeled back.
  I lined up a strip of Lace Pattern and gently pressed it in place over the tape. I sprinkled one color of glitter over the tape with the lace pressed in place (Boysenberry Microfine Transparent) and gently rubbed it in with my fingers. Tap and brush the excess off then gently peel off the lace revealing a beautiful pattern but still open with some sticky areas. Then I sprinkled my second color (Sand Ultrafine Opague) over the partially-covered tape and gently rub the second color into the tape; use a glitter brush to remove any glitter that is not stuck down. And, you end up with these beautiful glittery gift bags!

linda-neff.com