Welcome to the New Products Blog Hop! You should have come from Gina's blog. The hop is a circle, so no matter where you start, keep going until you get all the way through. If you get lost along the way, hop over to Melinda's blog for a full list of participants.
In addition to featuring some of the new stamp sets, I wanted to show you a fun technique with the Shimmer Brushes. Now...to be honest...I figured I could gerryrig my own shimmer with paint and a waterbrush. And you can. But it's not the same. I mean, it's REALLY not the same. I'm now sold on these little gems and am adding to my collection with each order. The Jan-Feb catalog introduced two more colors, which I'm featuring on the last card.
For now, here's an example of what can be done with just the Clear Shimmer Brush:
I sponged the background in Lagoon ink, adding more color in the center and fading out as I got to the edges. I then squeezed the Clear Shimmer pen until I got a small drop of product on my All-purpose Mat (which is AWESOME for this technique because the coating doesn't absorb the shimmer before you can pick it up again). Using the shimmer brush, I dipped it back in the little puddle of shimmer then tapped the brush with my finger to splat product all over. The small circles under and to the top right of the bird were done by touching the pen to the background for larger circles.
I also stamped some snowflakes and little white dots (which are in the Spruced Up - Cardmaking stamp set shown) in White Daisy ink. When the background was dry, I ran it through my Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts and mounted it to a card base. I stamped, colored, and die cut my focal images. I added a bit more of the snowflakes and white dot images in White Daisy, then (after letting the pigment ink dry for a long time) glued and foam mounted them over my base. The sentiment is from Say It In Style, which is featured in the Core Catalog that lasts all year.
This background was done the same way except I used Lemonade ink for the sponging and splattered Mint and Ballerina Shimmer. I made my own Ballerina shimmer by swiping Ballerina ink on my All-purpose Mat (that thing is PRICELESS!), squeezing my Clear Shimmer Brush until a dollop of shimmer dropped into the ink, and using a separated small paint brush to pick up the colored shimmer before flicking it onto the card base. The stamp set is Your'e Not Old, which is my absolute favorite set of the entire Jan-Feb Catalog! Isn't she just fabulous!
I colored her with Copic markers (which are the same as the Tri-Blend markers, I just purchased Copics before CTMH came out with the Tri-Blend ones). I also added some white accents with a White Gel pen I got from Hobby Lobby.
This last one uses Mint, Raspberry, and Sapphire Shimmer pens over the entire card after it was assembled. I used the middle-size Stitched Bracket Thin Cuts to create my little band behind the sentiment (also from You're Not Old). I cut two pieces from the Celebrate Today paper, folded one over the left side of the card and tucked the other under the circle cut with the Shaker Thin Cuts. I could have filled the inside with confetti and/or sequins, which is how that thin cut is designed to work, but I wanted to let my shimmer brushes be the star of this card instead of sequins. Before adhering the two bracket cuts of paper, I punched two small holes and weaved a long piece of Sapphire Crochet Thread through the holes. Getting the thread through before gluing down was critical. Tying the bow after the paper was glued down was essential.
If you can only get one shimmer brush at this time, I highly recommend the Clear one...and then get the All-purpose Mat so you can create your own colors as described in the second card. The mat is an investment, but I'm tellin' ya...SO worth it!
Now you're off to Krista's blog. Again, be sure to hop all the way around to see oodles of inspiration. As always, please shop with your personal consultant. If you don't have one, I'd be honored to be yours.
Until next time,
Becca
Love these cards and like you I love our shimmer brushes, especially the clear one.
ReplyDeleteLove all of these - the backgrounds make such a big difference. My "You're Not Old" set arrives today and you have inspired me to play right away!
ReplyDeleteOh, Becca...LOVE all of these!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, love your cards & thank you SO MUCH for explaining exactly how you created them!! I haven't splattered my Shimmer in a while, and your post wanted to make me go crafting right away! :) :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat awesome cards!! I love the first one... your background is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE all of these cards! WOW on your coloring and use of various techniques to make them so wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards! I really love the card with the bird - the color contrast is striking!
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