Nativity Tile

Do you remember a few years back when these tumpled tiles were all the rage in the stamping world? They were everywhere!! Well, with our new Shimmer Paints, they are back! I am sorry that my pictures are just not doing this tile justice! I will work on getting a better picture...

I got the idea for this tile from fellow demo, Andrea Walford. She posted a similar tile made with the Angel stamp. She also posted how she used the shimmer paints mixed with re-inkers to paint it. Well, I knew when I saw that, that I had to do it! So, into my basement I went, to find the tiles, I knew I had!

To make this tile, I wiped the tile with a cloth (a.k.a. my jeans) to get off any dust or residue. Next, I took out a paper plate to use as my paint palette. You DO NOT need a lot of paint to get good coverage. I worked with one drop of Frost White Shimmer Paint (item #116854) for each color that I needed. Then, I mixed in 1 drop of Re-inker to the paint. For the darker colors like Bravo Burgundy, i used 2 drops of Frost White to 1 drop of reinker. Otherwise, it would looked too dark. Then, I simply painted the areas on the tile carefully and used a very little bit of paint. Also, when I finished painting the picture, I used the Champagne Mist (item #116806) to paint around the outside of the picture.

The classic reinker colors I used were: Blush Blossom, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke and Summer Sun. I also used a little of the Platinum Shimmer Paint (item #116807) mixed with Frost White and Bashful Blue for the Baby Jesus' wrap. If you paint something that you do not like, you can wipe it away with a little water. One part of mine came out a little too dark to start so, I just added some water to the brush and lifted some of the paint off. Make sure that you seal these coasters with some clear sealant spray that you can find at one of those big craft stores or a hardware store. You can finish the back by glueing on some felt to protect your table.

I think a set of these coasters would make a great Christmas gift!!

Color Challenge 11-17-09

So I finally had the chance to participate in another color challenge! It felt so good to do this again! It was like seeing an old friend again after being away for awhile. I know corny... but ya know it is the little things in life right!!!

The colors for this week were Blush Blossom, Ruby Red and Close to Cocoa. I find that I never use Blush Blossom unless it is in one of these color challenges and when I do, I actually like the way comes out! Who Knew?!

For this card, I started with a Close to Cocoa card base. Next I added the Ruby Red Layer. For the top layer, I used Blush Blossom. I stamped this piece with the flower from Season of Joy (item #110384) in Blush Blossom ink, followed by Ruby Red, and then Close to Cocoa. I tied the White Satin Ribbon around it. Don't you love that Satin ribbon?? Next, I punched out the Five Petal Flowers - 1 from each color of Card Stock. I layered these together and added 3 silver brads in the center. The flower is attached with Dimensionals. Finally, I stamped "Merry Christmas" in Close to Cocoa on Ruby Red and cut it out. Then layered it on Close to Cocoa and cut it out again.

I hope you like it! I am so glad to be back into doing these color challenges. Hopefully, I will be able to stick with it again!

Also, I have a few more posts that I am setting up right now so check back again soon to see a great gift idea!

Decor Elements and a New Challenge!!

So, if you have been following my blog, you know that I enjoy our weekly color challenges and try to do them as often as I can. (Lately, not so much)... Anyway, the challenges have really helped me to be a more creative stamper. They take me out of my comfort zone sometimes and really make me think out of the box. So, I have now started posting a new challenge for my group called(for now), the Creative Challenge! This challenge will be just about anything goes! This week it is to use Decor Elements on anything but the walls! There are so many uses for these things!! See this post for my Countdown to Christmas board.

Now here is my newest creation! This one was a little more involved! I used the bulk Decor Element vinyl that Stampin' Up! sells along with my Sizzix Big Shot.

The Trifle bowl, I found at Walmart. It was about $8.00 or so. I used the Santa and Sleigh Decor Element in Real Red. This is the small one.

Quick Note: Be careful when putting this on this bowl. Try to work from the middle out to the edges. Otherwise, it may not lay right and may go off the edge.

Next, I cut out some little snowflakes with my Big shot and the Bulk vinyl. Although not hard, I had a little trouble with the Sizzlits cutting all the way through the Vinyl and had to get out my Hobby Blade to help with some of the smaller areas. I will tell you a little more about that in a minute!!

Here is another picture from the back with a little more detail on the snowflakes. Also, I added a piece of Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon on the bottom for a bow and to dress it up a bit!

I also, made another one of these bowls as you will see below with just snowflakes. The larger snowflake is one of the big shot dies. However, this one is a Bigz die and goes through the vinyl much more easily!! The bigz dies are a larger die with deeper blades. I also made sure that when

I made this second one, that I used my Shims. What are Shims, you ask?? Well, these are very thin pieces of plastic that come with the Premium Crease pad. They help to give the dies a little more resistance when going through the machine so you get better cuts. I find this especially helpful with the more detailed dies.

On this bowl, I used some of the striped ribbon from the Holiday Mini to make the bow.

Keep in mind that you can order of the products I used here by going to my website and clicking "Shop Now" in the top right corner.

Enjoy!

2 Color Challenges

HI Everyone,

Ok, so last week's colors were Bravo Burgundy and Creamy Caramel. I actually had this card done last Tuesday, but just didn't have a chance to get it posted. I hope you will forgive me!! So here it is.

I used the stamp set Scandinavian Season for this one. This set is in the current mini catalog. I stamped the tree in Silver Encore ink on Bravo Burgundy CS and embossed it with silver EP. Next, I added a half pearl from the Pretties kit with a glue dot on the tree. I stamped the Snowflake from the set on the Creamy Caramel card front in Caramel ink. Finally, I added a strip of Whisper White CS and a piece of Burgundy grosgrain ribbon with some silver brads. Quick and Easy!! Those are the ones I like for the Holidays!!!

This next one is the challenge for this week. The colors are Chocolate Chip, Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke. You need to look carefully to see the chocolate chip on this first card - but it is there I promise.

For this one, I pulled out my Season of Joy set. I was so happy to see that this set made it into the new catalog from last year's holiday mini. I stamped the flower 3 times in Burgundy ink on Very Vanilla CS. Then, I stamped it again on a scrap and cut it out to place over the middle image on the card. I used the scallop edge punch on some Artichoke CS for the layer. The "Merry Christmas" was stamped with Artichoke ink and punched out with the extra large oval punch. Then I used the striped Alpine ribbon (this is where I got the chocolate chip in!!).

I even went all out and decorated the inside of this card! I have been really inspired by Beate to work on the insides of my cards as well! So here it is!

Finally, I have more for this week. While the card stock and such was out on my desk, I decided to use of the new TechniqueJunkie techniques called Cuttlebug Highlights.

I used my new ornaments embossing folder and ran it through my Big Shot on Bravo Burgundy CS. I highlighted it with my Silver Encore pad and then layered it on an Always Artichoke card. The greeting was stamped in Artichoke ink on Very Vanilla. I sponged the edges of this with Burgundy ink and then tapped the edges on the silver pad for a little more definition. Finally, I tied a piece of the Chocolate chip Alpine felt ribbon around it and attached it to the card with Dimensionals.

I hope you enjoy these cards! The top two will be part of my 10 card class on Wednesday. I will share more of those cards in the next two days. If you would still like to jpoin me for that class, just let me know. If you would like to order the kit from the class, I will have a limited number of those available too!

Countdown to Christmas!

So not too long ago, I placed an order for some of the new Decor Elements. I wasn't esactly sure what I was going to do with them... But I had to have them. Well, I finished a few projects. Most of my inspiration for these projects came while I was walking through Target and Walmart.

This board I found at Walmart for about $7.00. The top part is a white magnetic board and the bottom is a bulletin board. I applied my Countdown to Christmas Decor Element to the top. Next, I cut CS for the 25 numbers. This was very tedious!!! But, I made it! On the back of each of the numbers, I put a small magnet. The Magnet I used comes in a large sheet and you cut it to fit your project. I found this at one of the craft stores. Next, I made a little box to hold all of my numbers and I attached it to the top of the bulletin board with Sticky Strip. I also added an envelope on the bottom for my receipts.

I was thinking about adding another envelope for coupons or gift lists. I might even add a "To-do list". I also think I am going to add some stamped images on the magnets o that you can see on the top just to spice it up a little. Aside from the numbers, this project cam together pretty quickly and I think will be helpful in keeping me somewhat organized this holiday season!! If you would like more instructions or would like to order the products to make this project, just let me know!!

I will share another project or two in the next day or so! So check back soon!!

Enjoy!

Color Challenge 11-04-08

Well, I finally got this one done. The colors for this week were Night of Navy, Handsome Hunter and Blush Blossom. This was a bit of a challenge. I very rarely use Handsome Hunter or Blush Blossom so this was very tough. But I am always up for a challenge.

I knew that I wanted to use my new set called Season of Simple Grace.

I kept it simple!! My card base is Handsome Hunter. I stamped the Holy Family and the star with Night of Navy ink on the Blush Blossom CS. The Wise Men and the shepherd were stamped with 2nd generation Hunter ink (I stamped off on scrap paper first.) I also masked the Holy Family, just in case I moved the other stamps over too far. I then highlighted a few areas with my white gel pen and sponged the edges with Night of Navy ink. This piece is layered on Night of Navy CS. Finally, I added the "Merry Christmas" in silver ink and the silver bow.

I also wanted to make the inside look nice, so I stamped the sentiment and just the lamb with Hunter ink on a scrap of Blossom CS. The shepherd is stamped in silver ink.

If you too are looking for a challenge, give this one a try!! Don't forget to check out the blogs of the other "Color Girls". You can find the links in the side bar on the right.

Enjoy!