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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Challenge #96 Sketch Card

Happy last Tuesday before Christmas! Last week was our "get ready" time...wrapping gifts, decorating cookies, and working on a special project (that's a whole other post). Which would explain how I forgot to add the link tool to last week's challenge (oh geez, how embarrassing!) But if you added a comment with your link, I've added you to the challenge. And now it is time for another weekly challenge at SweetStamps.com (complete with a link this week! LOL). Our challenge theme is...
Sketch Card
We'd love to see your creation using the sketch above, so join in the fun! Remember to use a SweetStamps image on your creation to get an extra chance at winning  $20 of rubber stamps from SweetStamps.com. Rules are listed in the sidebar and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

Check out these beautiful creations from our Design Team sweeties this week:



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WIN FREE STAMPS! 
Join our weekly challenge
You can use any stamp on your challenge entry, but if you use a SweetStamps image, you will get two entries into the giveaway! To enter the challenge, please add the URL to your actual blog post or online gallery to the InLinkz at the end of this post. Please do not link to your main blog; we want to be able to find your post to leave you comments. Also, please link back to our blog.

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Remember, you can only enter the challenge one time, use a SweetStamps image to get an extra entry in the challenge. Please limit the amount of challenges to 10 (including ours).  You must link back to us in your blog post.

Please turn off word verification so we can leave comments on your challenge entry!

Next Tuesday is Christmas and we will have a Sweet & Simple Birthday Card challenge!
Hope you'll join us.

Happy Stamping! Have a super sweet day!

P.S. Our Monthly Technique Challenge: Cracked Glass runs through January 14th and a new technique challenge will begin January 15th

Sparkle & Bling Winner

The winner of SweetStamps.com's challenge #95 Sparkle & Bling is...

Cheryl Ann First
Congratulations!

Please contact me for your winning prize of a $20 shopping spree for rubber stamps at SweetStamps.com.

Thank you to everyone who joined in on the challenge, we hope you had fun and will join us again — we have a new challenge every Tuesday, and also a monthly technique challenge!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Making a nativity story wind chime


Hello and happy Monday! Arin here and I am thrilled to have this be my first tutorial project as a design team member for Globecraft &Piccolo! In the spirit of the season I decided to go with a nativity themed project. I wanted to do a project that carried more tradition and told the story of Christmas. When I spotted the Globecraft & Piccolo Nativity ornaments, I knew exactly what I was going to do!

This project was very enjoyable to make, but does have its fair share of steps that I am going to walk you through. Now let's roll up our sleeves and get ready to play with a lot of sparkle and shimmer and build a project that can dance in the chilly winter breeze greeting your guests with a sweet ring of telling the Christmas story.  

Arin Flynn
A Piece of Life's Pie
Materials List:
  • G&P Nativity Single Layer Ornament
  • G&P Three Wise Men Single Layer Ornament
  • G&P Trumpeting Angle Single Layer Ornament
  • G&P Enamel/Embossing Powder Adhesive
  • G&P Glastique Matte Finishing Glaze
  • G&P Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel
  • G&P Napthol Red 3D Enamel Gel
  • G&P Cobalt Turquoise 3D Enamel Gel
  • G&P Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter
  • G&P Siam Silver Embossing Powder
  • 6-inch Floral and Craft Ring - Three Ring Circles
  • Christmas garland - Cerebrate It
  • Christmas bells (25mm) - Art Minds
  • Split Key Ring (1 – 1 ¼”) – Silver Creek Leather Company
  • Small drill
  • Heat gun
  • Sand paper
  • Fishing line
  • Dry small paint brush
  • Measuring ruler
  • Scissors
Step 1:  Base for wind chime - Calculate the spacing that is needed to drill the holes big enough to support the material being used to hang the ornaments and garland from. In this case, I used fishing line and drilled six holes in the middle of the craft ring at 2 1/4 inches apart. Mark, drill and sand down the rough edges of the around the drill holes. 

Then cover one side of the craft ring and inside edge using Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive. Dust with Siam Silver Embossing Powder, shake off any excess and set with a heat gun. Once it is cool and set, repeat on the opposite side.


Once cool and set on both sides, pour Piccolo Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter on a sheet of paper and apply Glastique Matte Finishing Glaze on the outside edge of the craft ring.  Roll through the glitter and set aside to allow to dry. This really adds some bling-pop to the base of the wind chime!


Step 2: Ornaments - Moving right along to making the three ornaments. First, start by setting up an assembly line in a row and apply Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive to the outer borders and stars. Dust with Siam Silver Embossing Powder and shake off excess to all three. Use a small dry paint brush to clean up any loose or unwanted powder along the edges. Set with a heat gun and once cool and set, repeat on opposite sides.


Now it is time to add the bling to the ornament! Start with applying Glastique Matte to the angel wing and the two stars. Dust with Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter and shake off any excess and set back up in a row of three to get ready to start applying the 3D Enamel Gel. Keep Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter handy, because there will be a tad bit to come shorty!


This is my favorite part of the project!  Working with the 3D Enamel Gels is so much fun and easy! I did each color in stages starting with Cobalt Turquoise 3D Enamel Gel, then to Napthol Red 3D Enamel Gel, and finishing off with Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel. I just love the blue and red color combo! I dusted the mangers and the three kings with Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter to add just a little more sparkle to some key aspects of the ornaments. Set aside to set and dry for a few hours and then repeat all the steps on opposite side of the ornaments.


Step 3: Assembly of wind chime - Once both sides are completed and dry, it is time to start assembling the wind chime using the fishing line, key ring, garland, and bells.


First start by cutting three separate sections of fishing line. Cut it at about 30-plus inches for each section (there is going to be waste, but more length to play with the better). At one end of the line, run through the three bells to form a cluster. Then attach the ornament at the base of the bell cluster and double knot securely and trim excess line. Repeat with additional ornaments.


Once all the bells and ornaments are attached, run the opposite end of the fishing line through the craft ring and from the top of the bells to about 10 inches and tie a double knot. This will keep the ornament in place while hanging. Repeat the same steps for the other two ornaments, evenly spacing the three for balance and aesthetics. Balance out the base and ornaments by grouping all three lines and securely tie a knot about 8-9 inches above the craft ring/wind chime base. Then tie the key ring above the knot, trim excess line and hang. I also added some garland around the top of the wind chime to hide the knots securing the key chain.


Lastly, add the garland to the additional drill holes on the craft ring/wind chime base. Cut down the garland to desired lengths, run through holes and tie a knot to secure garland.


TAH-DAH! It is now finished and you can hang this on your porch to add a festive traditional Christmas story for all to enjoy!


Head over to my blog to check out another fun and festive holiday project I have come up with using some of these amazing Globecraft & Piccolo products that I used in this project!

Happy Holidays!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Jazzing up a Journal


Good morning, Steph here. Creating gifts for the upcoming holidays can be both rewarding and fun.  Following up on our recent blog hop, I thought I'd jazz up a journal for a friend.

Since the journal was rather plain, I stamped the image on white cardstock and used that for the focal point of the journal.

Steph Ackerman
Live Laugh Scrap with Steph
Supply list:
  • Globecraft Memories Products:
  • Enamel Powders:  Mermaid Tears, Brownstone, Gilded Rose
  • Piccolo Card Decor set #1, set # 11
  • Enamel Powder Adhesive
  • Glastique Gloss
  • Stamp: Penny Black
  • Dies: Spellbinders
  • Ink: Clearsnap, Ranger
  • Markers: Zig
After adding some color with Zig Markers, I added little butterflies from Card Decor #11.

I coated the butterflies with  Mermaid Tears and Brownstone. A light coat of Glastique adds a little shine to the butterflies as well as adheres them to the journal.


Using elements from Decor Set #1, I coated them with a combination of  Mermaid Tears, Gilded Rose, and Brownstone. I placed a heavier coat of Glastique on each element to make them strong enough to stand up to constant handling, and also used it as an adhesive. 

There you have a quick and easy gift for a friend that looks like you spent hours on it.



Thanks for stopping by today.

Monthly Challenge: CRACKED GLASS

Hello and welcome to our monthly technique challenge! Our monthly challenges run from the 15th of the current month to the 14th of the next month. This month's theme is...
CRACKED GLASS 
There are two ways to achieve the look of cracked glass on your stamped images: wet (using clear embossing ink) or dry (using heat embossable double sided tape). Either way you do it, you will also need a heat gun and some Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Enamel. Here's a tutorial on this technique.
Join us for this challenge and your chance to win $20 of rubber stamps from SweetStamps.com

Get an extra chance to win when you use a SweetStamps image on your creation. Rules are listed in the sidebar and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

Check out these awesome cracked glass creations from our DT Sweeties:




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WIN MORE FREE STAMPS! 
Join our monthly challenge
You can use any stamp on your challenge entry, but if you use a SweetStamps image, you will get two entries into the giveaway! To enter the challenge, please add the URL to your actual blog post or online gallery to the InLinkz at the end of this post. Please do not link to your main blog; we want to be able to find your post to leave you comments. Also, please link back to our blog.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Remember, you can only enter the challenge one time, use a SweetStamps image to get an extra entry in the challenge. Please limit the amount of challenges to 10 (including ours).  You must link back to us in your blog post.

**Please turn off word verification so we can leave comments on your challenge entry!**

The monthly winner will be announced January 15th, along with our next monthly challenge. Good Luck and have fun!

Suspension Card Monthly Challenge Winner

The winner of SweetStamps.com's Monthly Technique Challenge Suspension Card is...

Eret

Congratulations!

Beautiful job on that technique! Please contact me for your winning prize of a $20 shopping spree for rubber stamps at SweetStamps.com.

Thank you to everyone who joined in on the challenge, we hope you had fun and will join us again — we have a NEW technique challenge every month, along with a weekly challenge each Tuesday!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Framing a holiday Nativity



Good morning!Chrissy here, and I am so excited to be a part of the Globecraft & Piccolo team. My first project tutorial for you is a Nativity scene globe ornament. This project was fun to do.

See? Isn’t it just cool? 

This tutorial is pretty involved. The photos are of the completed steps. Are you ready to dive in and get messy? Let’s get started.


Christina Colón
The Twisted Muse

Supplies: 
  • Classic Fancy Rectangle Bubble Frame
  • The Christmas Story Accents
  • Mossy Glen Enamel Powder
  • Gilded Gold Enamel Powder
  • Piccolo Enamel/Embossing Powder Adhesive
  • Honey Mustard 3D Enamel Gel
  • Napthol Red 3D Enamel Gel
  • Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel
  • Metallic Silver 3D Enamel Gel
  • Metallic Gold 3D Enamel Gel
  • Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel
  • Fine Tip Applicator
  • Art Anthology Sorbet, Imperial
  • Folk Art Acrylic Paint, Navy Blue & Scintellement
  • Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Iridescent Gold
  • Doodlebug Sugar Coat Glitter
  • Proflora Sheet Moss
  • Recollections Pearl Accents
I started with our G&P, The Christmas Story Accent pieces. I used my 3D Enamel Gels to color each piece and sprinkled glitter onto the gel while it was still wet then set the pieces aside to dry completely.

 
For the manger, I used Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel on the frame and the manger scene. For the roof, I wanted some texture. To achieve the right look, I applied the enamel powder adhesive to the roof. While the adhesive is still wet, sprinkle some Mossy Glen Enamel Powder. Using a heat tool, heat the powder until completely melted. You want the smooth texture of a complete heat set.

 
When your Piccolo pieces are dry, here is what they will look like.


Now it’s time to work on the frame. I used the large Classic Fancy Rectangle Bubble Frame, but you can use any of the large bubble frames. I recommend the large frames because the nativity scene will fit in the globe nicely without being overcrowded.

I wanted the base piece of the frame to have a starry night kind of look. I painted a couple coats of navy blue acrylic paint onto the piece. Once it dried, I applied two coats of glittery acrylic paint over the top of the navy blue.


The next step involves the layer that goes beneath the fancy frame. I applied a couple coats of Art Anthology sorbet. I like rich color so I used Imperial. Once I was happy with the coverage, I used my foam brush and dabbed the frame while the sorbet was still wet. This adds a nice texture and a velvety look. When the sorbet dries, spray with a light coat of glimmer mist. I used Iridescent Gold.


The last two layers of the frame are heat embossed the same way I did the roof of the manger. The last rectangle layer is embossed with Mossy Glen. The fancy frame is embossed with Gilded Gold. I also added some pearl embellishments to the frame.



By this time, the gel pieces are dry. Now it’s time to set the scene! 

You can use any material for the flooring of the globe; I used sheet moss from the craft store. I applied a good amount of clear-drying adhesive and just started globbing the moss on. Once the adhesive dries, use scissors to trim the excess and shape it the way you want. Glue the manger and the wise men onto the moss using the same adhesive.


I placed my star and two angels onto the blue painted base piece using the same adhesive. When all of the glued pieces have dried, glue the globe onto the blue base piece.


We are just about finished! Now time to put the rest of your frame together. Simply build the frame and glue each layer according to package directions. The finishing touch is your hanging wire or string. I used a silver twine and glued it to the back of the ornament.


Stop on over at my blog, The Twisted Muse, to see another G&P project I've been working on!