Spring Bling Glass Glitter Tutorial

Hello crafty friends! Well, can you feel it? Ahhh, the sun is getting warmer and burning off the chill in the air. Can you hear it? The trickling sounds of melting snow up north and the trees bursting into leafy song down south. Can you see it? Daffodils, crocus, hyacinth all wearing their spring finery.

I'm in Maryland, smack dab in the middle of all the seasonal changes. The lawn at my in-laws in southern North Carolina has already been mowed twice, mine is starting to "green up" and dear Kimm up in northern Pennsylvania still has mounds of snow. Still, yesterday was the first official day of Spring 2011. Yay!

Before I get into this tutorial, I want to remind you of our current challenge - make a project using a Spring theme, enter it into the challenge and you're automatically entered into our Birthday Bash giveaway! We've got 5 prizes to give away to our challenge players - check out all the details HERE.

German Glass Glitter Tutorial

Today I'm sharing a how-to on our German glass glitter, along with my newest spring-themed card.

I couldn't resist Echo Park's Springtime paper collection. How sweet is this?! I knew I wanted to bling out blank chipboard letters, and just *had* to cut out the sweet little trees. Add a few puffy white clouds et voila! -- an easy, springy card!

I love altering the blank letters - either chipboard or grungeboard. Here's my first step today - drip Ranger Alcohol ink on the letters to let them soak it up and dry. The ink matches the glass glitter I'll be using, and will blend right in if I have any thin spots.

Now that my letters are dry I assemble my supplies.

• Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter in Lime-Green
• Glue - any white glue will do
• Tweezer Bee Precision tweezers
• Pointy instrument - any kind will do - it's to use as a teeny tiny extra finger for moving wet gluey, glittery things around
• Tidy Tray or large piece of paper that you can make into a funnel to pour unused glitter back into the bag

Now that you've assembled your supplies, bring out the bling! Add a thin layer of glue to the entire surface, keeping it off the sides (if you get it on the sides you can use the pointy thing to wipe it out - it's handy!).

Next, plop the letter down into the little pile of glitter on your Tidy Tray or paper work surface and give it a little smush all over to work the glitter all over the exposed glue. Lift it up with your tweezers and give your tweezer hand a tap or two to let go of the loose glitter pieces.

Here's a quick view of the tree glittering action - I used a pointy thing (an embossing tool) to dab glue onto the leaves, then smushed the tree into the pile of leafy, glittery goodness. :)

The last step is clean-up! Pull the plug off the tray and pour the glitter back into the bag. It's helpful to use a cup to hold the bag up.

Ok, so that's just like using the plain old plastic glitter, right? Yes! You definitely have to have your sensible cap on and take care with the glitter - it *is* glass, after all. It's best not to brush it off your work surface with your hand. It will do more damage to your table surface than your hand! After the glue has been sitting for a while but not quite dry, I use my fingers to push the glitter down and smooth edges as needed. Once it's bone dry I brush my fingers over to dislodge any stragglers. I haven't had any problems with this kind of handling *at all*. 

What's the payoff for using German glass glitter over plastic glitter? Sparkle and bling! It shines and reflects light unlike any other glitter and is beautiful! Thanks for reading this tutorial. I hope it inspires you to give our German glass glitter a try - you won't regret it!

Card Recipe

• Paper - Echo Park Springtime; Bazzill Basics - 50% off!
•  Embellishments - Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter; Trees and clouds cut from EP Springtime "Spring Border Strips" 12x12 paper; letters are TH grungeboard; lace and ribbon from stash
• Medium - Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Lettuce; Distress Ink in Broken China, Bundled Sage and Dusty Concord; Stickles in Fruit Punch, Waterfall, Yellow for tree flowers
• Adhesive - Scor-Tape; 3-D Dots; Fabri-Tac; Ranger Matte Accents
• Tools - Scor-Pal; Honey Bee scissors; Tweezer Bee tweezers

Thanks for visiting today! check back all week for more Spring theme projects using our fabulous German Glass Glitter!

Cheers,
Susan

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring to you! I hope wherever you are, a little bit of sunshine is finding its way to you. Here in Idaho, it's very wet and muddy but the birds are out and singing so I know spring is on its way. Of course, we probably will have another snowstorm or two, that's just a normal spring here but at least winter is on the way out!

To celebrate Spring and our big Birthday Bash here at The Beary Scrap, I hope you will enter your project in our current Spring challenge, create anything spring related and enter it here for your chance at winning one of our 5 incredible birthday presents!

My first spring project to go along with this challenge is a quick and easy Easter treat that would be great for kids' classes, teachers, your neighbors or anyone you want to bring a smile to!




To make my treats I started by filling a 4 x 6 open top plastic bag with some Easter candy (I love Sixlets, aren't the spring colored ones cute?) Then I cut a piece of double sided designer paper from the Echo Park spring collection-- check out the Springtime Collection Kit which includes 12 - 12" x 12" double sided papers, one 12" x 12" sheet of alphabet stickers and one 12" x 12" sheet of element stickers for only $11.20!!! It's an awesome deal!

I punched one edge of my paper with a Martha Stewart border punch and cut a strip of satin ribbon about 15 inches long (more or less). I laid the ribbon underneath the designer paper, folded over the top of the bag with candy and laid it over the designer paper like this:

I then stapled the ribbon onto the back of the paper, making sure to catch the edges of the plastic bag so it would be secure.




Then I folded the top (the border edge) over to cover the top of the bag and tied the ribbon around the front.




Last I added just the heads of some Tear Bear critters-- Bella Bunny and Charlie Chick-- to the front along with a "Hoppy Easter" saying. Treats are ready to go!



I can't wait to see your Spring creations, so take the challenge and join us! And don't forget, I am also celebrating the one year anniversary of my craft blog and I am offering some Birthday Candy so if you'd like to enter for your chance to win, hop on over to my blog to see how. Thanks for looking!

A Sincere Thank You

Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like everything is going really smoothly, your happy with whatever your working one and then suddenly something comes to your mind and you realize you're actually an idiot? Well, I had one of those moments this morning when I started taking pictures of the card I've been working on, looked up at my bulletin board and thought "Hmm-- what is that sketch for again?" Oh, duh! It was the one I was supposed to use THIS WEEK and I FORGOT! Thinking about this week with a Thank You theme, I knew the perfect card I wanted to make-- I made it, took lots of pictures of the process so I could show you all and completely forgot I was supposed to be using our Challenge Sketch! So, my apologies to you all, but here is my card anyway!

I really was excited to make this card to share-- I just recently learned how to make these Slider Cards and I think they are so fun! I originally learned how to make these from Nancy Keller, check out her fabulous blog and a video tutorial here.

And here's my own version of a Beary Sweet Thank You Slider Card!

1. Cut a piece of cardstock or heavy designer paper 12 inches x 5.25 inches.

2. Score this piece at 3.5 inches, 7 inches and 10.5 inches. This will leave you 3 equal sections and then a small 1.5 inch section at the end.


3. One the 1st scored section, trim each side down .25 inch


4. This will leave you with a shape like this that is the base of your:


5. Now, you will need a plastic shopping bag (it doesn't have to be Walmart, that's just what I have!) Cut a two inch strip from the bag.

6. Wrap the bag around the section of your base that you trimmed down. Wrap the bag fairly loose, this will be the "sliding" part of the card. Tape the bag with scotch tape firmly to itself-- make sure that you do not tape the bag to any part of the paper, only to itself as it will need to move. Trim off any excess plastic.



7. Next, cut two pieces of designer paper that are 4.5 x 3.25 inches. These are your slider tabs.



8. Place the first slider tab over the section with the plastic bag taped on and line up the top of the tab with the top of the neighboring section.


9. Tape the bottom of the tab to the plastic bag, again, make sure the tape doesn't touch the base of the card just the plastic bag so that it will slide freely. Also, make sure it is taped firmly so it doesn't pull off.


10. Now flip the base over and repeat with the second slider tab, lining it up with the top of the neighboring section and taping it firmly to the plastic bag. The slider tabs are ready.


11. Now, on the third section (the one next to the small 1.5 inch end), create an indentation to show the hidden tabs-- you can use a circle or scallop punch, cut a rectangle or triangle, anything to show off a little of what's hiding beneath. I chose to have my indentation on the bottom of the card but you could place it on top.



12. Now go ahead and fold your card and adhering the small tab to the back to hold it all together.


Now you have something that looks like this:



And by pulling carefully you 'll have two tabs that slide out for more fun space to embellish and add your message (don't pull too quick or too far, it's really hard to get the tabs back in if they are pulled too far, I have done this!)

And there's your card, so embellish away! I used the Echo Park's Little Girl collection papers plus diecut stickers and tags, many of which I cut apart and used differently than originally intended. I popped up some with foam dots added Lavendar and Glam Pink (brand new!) Stickles and then attached my Tear Bear on the front. Here is my finished card showing the inside tabs.


Now, finally, I am to the bottom of my post and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you all a huge THANK YOU for supporting The Beary Scrap during the last year-- we owe all our success to our wonderful customers and followers! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

ps-- I am also celebrating the one year anniversary of my blog and am offering some birthday candy, here is a sneak peek--



--please visit my blog for your chance to win and don't forget to enter our Beary Sweet Challenges this month for more chances to win one of our 5 Birthday Presents!

Something Sketchy, Something New

Here is my version 2 of our current Beary Sweet Challenge Sketch, this time with something "NEW" added to keep it interesting. This was a great sketch to work with and perfect for my daughter Lindsey's 7 year old portrait (isn't she cute? I know, I am biased!)

Last week I showed you the new My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy True Blue line and this week I used the other side of the line, Tickled Pink, and I love these papers just as much as the boy ones! The colors are really bright and fun, plus they have that little bit of brown that is my go-to color. The embellishments include chipboard stickers and borders, awesome trims, brads, gems and the darling layered stickers (check out that bird in the upper left-hand corner, so cute!) This is a collection you just have to have-- girl or boy or both!




For my something "NEW," I have used some fabric on my layout. This is not something I do-- I do not like sewing very much and do not even have very much fabric so this was definitely new for me! I decided to make some "Yo-yos" to put on my layout and even though I know these have been around forever, I still want to give you a few instructions on how to do it, in case this is "NEW" for you too!



First, cut out a circle that is about double the size of what you want it to be when you are done-- you can trace a circle template onto fabric but trust me, it does not have to be a perfect circle because you are going to gather up all the edges anyway. So I just free hand cut mine and it worked great!


Next, use a needle and thread (a good strong thread that won't break when pulled) and take a running stitch all the way around the outside of the circle, working on the right edge of the fabric, with the back side facing down.



Now you pull your thread to gather in all the edges, it starts to look kind of like a tiny shower cap. Pull the thread tight until there is not a hole in the middle and then tie it off.





Finally, press the center of the "yo-yo"down flat with the now closed up hole in the center. Embellish the center with buttons, brads, jewels or whatever else you can think of!


That's it! Now you have a cute flower "yo-yo" to place on any layout or card. Adhere it with a strong adhesive such as Alene's Tacky Glue.

I hope you liked my sketch plus something new, be sure to take a quick minute and leave me (or any of the other DT members) a comment about our projects this week. We LOVE hearing from you and want to know what you think about our creations.

I have LOVED seeing your interpretations of our sketch and all the lovely projects you have been creating. You still have a little bit of time left to join our challenge, so link up your project by 11:59 EST TONIGHT for your chance to win a voucher to The Beary Scrap! And just a reminder, Kimm still has some awesome deals in her clearance section so take a peek and see what you need for your stash!

Snow Hugs and a Layering Tutorial

Hello dear friends! I hope you had a great weekend. We had a crazy busy one and as I write this Sunday night I am exhausted. (But in a good way!) As you read this Monday, it is a new day with new challenges and new crafty projects to conquer!

Today I am sharing my layering technique. It is now just about the only way I can make a stamped image "work" for me. When I look at new stamps or digital images I automatically start layering them in my mind. :)

Ok, so here is my card based on our current Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge. The design team will take it a little further this week and add die cuts to our cards. You don't have to have a die cut in your challenge entry, just be sure to follow our simple rules and enter your project by the end of the day on December 14th. You could win $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Don't you just love these Bo Bunny "Midnight Frost" papers? Oh my goodness, I am in love! I've added loads of texture with embossing folders and used embellishments from the Midnight Frost collection. I'll add all the "card ingredient" details after the tutorial. This layering takes a lot of patience, and if you choose not to tackle it I hope you can find something useful for your projects! Thanks for looking. :)

Susan's Layering Tutorial

Step 1: Materials

• Stamped images - I usually have 3
• Layering plan - see the top left
• Layer 1 - base
• Layer 2 - clothing, hats, Snowy's buttons
• Layer 3 - broom with handle, Tilda's left arm
• Coloring medium - I use Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils
• Sharp scissors - can't say enough about Cutter Bee - perfect!; also use Fiskars finger cutter and gray Helix mat for interior cuts
• Black marker with brush tip - I love the Marvy Le Plume but haven't tried any others
• 3D adhesive - I usually use silicone because I can control the thickness. I've also used Glue Dots with good results *and* I just learned of a new 3D adhesive that might replace my silicone. I'll let you know how it tests out when I get my hot little hands on it!
• Round ended implement (in photo below) - can be paint brush handle or anything that has a small round end... this will make sense later. :)
• Foam mat (in photo below) - cushions while you use the round ended implement

Step 2: Color, Cut and Edge

Left - right: Base, middle and top layers

As you can see here, I have colored,embellished and cut all my layers. It's important to let your liquid embellishments (Stickles, glossy Accents, etc) dry completely before edging with the black marker. Otherwise the marker will bleed into the Stickles or other medium you use. It's not pretty.

Carefully run the edge of the black brush marker along the edge of the image. Always come from behind because you *will* touch the image with the tip of the marker accidentally. On the back it's no big deal! The very tip of the marker will get into the small spots - just be careful to keep your pen moving; otherwise the ink will soak into the paper.

Step 4: Rounding the Edges

With gentle pressure, "draw" little circles around the edges to create a light curve. The small accessories have all been done. I have been using the round end of a paint brush handle and recently found this blue glass swizzle stick with a slightly larger ball on the end. In the Step 2 photo above, you can see both this swizzle stick and the paint brush handle; the larger ball makes smoother edges. The foam mat absorbs some of the pressure and allows for clean edges.

This Cryogen Irridescent paper shows the circles well:

Step 5: Stick 'Em Together

If you refer back to the original photo in Step 2, you'll see that my base layer is stamped on the patterned paper. We'll save that for last. Here I have squeezed out silicone on my top layers. I know how much to put on so it doesn't ooze out, but I suggest you start with the less-is-more philosophy and add more for more height as you become more familiar with it. Cleaning the oozing parts is messy and you have to be fast.

I use tweezers to apply the layers *very carefully*. You may need to put a small amount of pressure to align the parts and give the adhesive a chance to grab. I will fiddle with the pieces for a minute or two with slight pressure at all times to make sure my lines match up.

Here are those two layers. (The Cryogen paper is really reflecting the light!)

Step 6: Add the Final Layer

The layer stamped onto patterned paper includes the original snow outline at the bottom. I've filled it in with puffy snow stuff and then dotted the dry snow stuff with Stickles Star Dust. From here, you can finish the card as you like!

Thanks so much for reading through this tutorial. I hope it inspires your images to pop off the page! If you have any questions please feel free to email me. I will do my best to help you out!

Card Recipe

• Stamp: Magnolia "Snowy Hugs"
• Paper: Bo Bunny Midnight Frost line in the 6x6 pad; Bazzill Basics; other
• Medium: Copic for skin tones (E000, E01, E11, R20); Prismacolor pencils with OMS; Stickles Frosted Lace and Star Dust; Glossy Accents; ColorBox Fluid Chalk in Chestnut Roan; Stampendous Detail Clear Embossing Powder (round sentiment); Glimmer Mist Pearl on the striped panel
• Embellishments: Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Wraps (blue seam binding ribbon that I got wet then scrunched up until it dried); Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Layered Chipboard (die cut snowflakes); lace, pin and wire from stash; LOTV round sentiment - embossed
• Adhesive: Scor-Tape; Glue Dots - 1/2" (actually 1/2" wide x 1/8" tall)
• Tools: Scor-Pal; sewing machine; Cutter Bee scissors and tweezers; Cuttlebug embossing folders

Wow, that's it. :) I hope this is useful to you! Hey, there's plenty of time to give this technique a whirl and enter it into our Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge. I would LOVE to see your layered projects!

Cheers,

Susan

Flower Tutorial with Gini

Have you noticed how big banners are? They are everywhere! Banner stamps and papers - really cute seasonal banners? I love them! And this week the Beary Scrappy Gals are being inspired by banners. If you would like to play with along with our challenge, it's still Anything Goes (you don't have to do anything with banners).

I made a layout today featuring my sweet nephew Will. He has taught me so much about unconditional love...He makes my heart happy. I used this wonderful sparkly banner paper from MME Lost and Found - Union Square. You may also notice that fabulous Dusty Attic chipboard - Did you know that Beary Scrap will soon be selling Dusty Attic -yay!!!!

Do you like my flower? Would you like to learn how to make it? Here you go!



I have been having so much fun making this hand crafted flowers, I just had to share with you how I do it! For these flowers I used Heartfelt Creations Innoscents Flowers 1 and 2, and Spellbinders Blossom 2 Nestbilities. I just bought some cheap white satin at Walmart for $1/yard.


You will want to stamp a couple of each flower size onto the satin using Staz-on inks.


After you have all of your flowers stamped out, cut them with your nestabilities. I have found if you are trying to cut fabric, it works much better if you put a layer of cardstock underneath it. It gives the die a little more to grab onto.




You may still have to trim just a little, if it doesn't cut all the way through.



You can choose any color to make your flower just by spraying them with Glimmer Mist. I used Fully Purple and Dewberry.




To speed the drying, I use my heat gun. I love laying out my flowers on my magnetic precision mat and holding them in place with magnets to dry. This keeps me from burning my fingers.



Next, you are going to melt the edges of all the flowers over a candle flame. You don't have to get it too near, or you will have some little fires to tend to!


Sometimes I will curl the petal as I melt it to help shape it.



For some of the top layers, I cut away the bottom flower layer - or sometimes cut into the petal to make it deeper. You can play around with it for different effects.


Here are all of the flowers shaped by the flame. I also cut some plain bronze organza and melted the edges of that for a different layer.



You are going to sew the layers together, but cut a little square of felt to put between the layers to space them.


Add beads or a button to the center of the flower.



After my flower was assembled, I painted a thin layer of Platinum Stickles over the top.


I hope you will try these out - I'd love to see what you come up with!