2017 #14 Glitter: Xmas Ornaments with ESC {By Raquel Burillo }

2017 Topic 14: Glitter

Another glitter-averse PaperArtsy blogger nails it with a glamourously glittery idea! And shows us how to make a flat stamps 3 dimensional to boot!

Hi everyone! Raquel from scrapcosy.com here. 

Today I come with a project which involves a very unusual (and unused) supply for me, which of course is: glitter! I haven’t used glitter (pure glitter, that is) for the past couple of decades perhaps… I think this is because when I think of glitter, I can already imagine the mess that I will get on me and on the area around me once I finish! 

However, after seeing the project that Alison Bomber did on her last release, that lady stamp (The fire of the frost) and the video of it, OMG! I felt the urge of getting THAT type of glitter (glass crushed glitter I believe), heavier and perhaps less messy than its plastic sister, and with a finish that just astounded me! So as usual, on my first shopping chance I had, I went crazy, and in Ally Pally I bought around 7 colours of that glitter. I couldn’t find the one Alison used, but still, I was happy with my shopping.

I had a project in mind: using it to create my own handmade Christmas tree ornaments using my new stamp set ESC08.

 Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Set 08

Initially I wanted to create 4 big ornaments using different colours of glitter, but instead of that I thought I would do a different thing: Just one stamp, the star, and 9 different techniques using all the glitter (and glitter-like, shimmer) supplies I had on my stash (most of them were presents gifted to me that I’ve never used) in 2 colours each, gold-like and copper-like. I have made a video will with all the steps shown below. There are many more videos on my YouTube channel and my blog.

I enjoyed so much doing all these stars and experimenting with my supplies! And I love the fact that the star can be folded to actually create a 3D ornament. 

It's really easy, and believe me, after 10 stars stamped, cut and folded, you get the hang of it and you can do it even with your eyes closed :)

Crushed glass glitter - I just love the type of shine you get with this glitter, it seems to me real and proper shine. What do you think? 

I found that using 3D Matte Gel by Prima over my stamped 3D shaped star and pouring the glass glitter on top was the best approach for this technique (all thanks to Lauren who introduced me to this in Ally Pally. You can't imagine the joy of pouring the glitter to the star and see all the shine on it. I really had fun!

Classic glitter - Although I hate the mess this type of glitter gives you, I fell in love with this one. The glitter is so fine that it perfectly lets you see the shape of the star and the creases. I love it!

Glitter embossing powder - I had some glitter embossing powder in bronze by stampendous and some in gold by ranger. First I used Infusions Golden Sands for the gold version and Infusions Rusty Car for the bronze/copper version to watercolour my paper and then I stamped and embossed. I’m really pleased with the gold version, but I don’t feel I’ll repeat the brown version with that background, I would perhaps colour that star into a more brown darker colour, with perhaps Rocky Road instead of Rusty car.

Distress Oxides and ZIG - It was hard to get a distress colour for “gold”, I chose Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide, I find the star ended up too bright. However, for the copper/bronze I went for Vintage Photo Distress Oxide (I know, not very coppery, but It’s my fab colour!) and I really like the result. The idea of this version is: you stamp with distress oxide, smudge with a sponge dauber or a piece of cun-n-dry foam and then you use the ZIG wink of stella glitter pen to add that shimmer. Since that pen is water based, you get an extra reaction on your distress oxides! I love it the combination! This micro-glitter is so fine...

Then I moved to less glitter and more metallic finish, still shimmering though. And I used in all cases the same base of infusions, again: Golden Sands and Rusty Car and then I used a different supply on each technique.

Bonding powder with foil - I love this one! I think I would love to have my xmas tree decorated just with the rose gold foil start. Don't you think it's gorgeous?

Fresco gold and copper mixed with glaze - I used Fresco Finish Satin Glaze mixed with some fresco paints for each star (Gold and Copper) to create a more translucent paint so I didn't cover entirely my stamped image. It's a nice soft shimmer, more subtle than using glitter, but still festive :)

Perfect medium and perfect pearls - This one was more shiny before, but after touching the stars so much with my fingers to glue them together it became a bit dull or matte. There is still shimmer although the pictures can’t reflect that. I would say I gave with my hands an extra distress vintage look to it, which I find pretty interesting.

Gold and Copper embossing powders and ZIG pen - This one is also a nice metallic effect, but after using other techniques I would say it’s not my favourite.

Kuretake watercolours - for this one I didn’t use infusions as a base, I just stamped and then painted with the watercolours. It's a pity that I can't capture the shine of it. Again this one is a matte distress look on a star. Next time I would perhaps add some colour to not get so bright white at the back, although for a simpler look it's a good option to leave it as is.

I'm really pleased with all my experiments for this Challenge. Perhaps it's not a finished project as such for the challenge, but it was a good exercise and it lets me get my hands on supplies that otherwise would still sit in my drawers.

So tell me, if you had to decorate a Xmas tree, which option would you choose? Which one is your favourite among the above? Or would you dress up the tree with all these 18 ornaments which are all different? I think I may do that :) 

And the other option: what if instead of ornaments, you use them as a label or a hanging for your gifts? Using some tissue paper and twine to wrap the present and then hanging the star from the twine. You would choose the technique for the star according to the person you'll give the present to.

That was all for today! If you want to stay in touch and see more, here are all my social media contacts. Thanks very much for reading and stopping by! See you soon! 
Raquel

Blog: https://scrapcosy.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/scrapcosy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/scrapcosy/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Scrapcosy

I think your tree will look amazing with all those co-ordinated stars across it! It's amazing how we can use elements we already own to create such a wide range of glitter effects! As soon as Raquel's video is ready we will drop it into this post, and alert you on socials! ~Leandra

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 14:Glitter will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 15th October 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

2017 #14 Glitter: Happy Halloween with HP {by Corrie Herriman}

2017 Topic 14: Glitter

BOO! Mwahahaha...well the witching hour is upon us at the end of this month, and Corrie has pulled out all the spooky solutions with some holographic glitter, drips and drops and more!

Hi everyone, it's Corrie (www.MadeByCHook.blogspot.nl) with you today, and for this glittery topic I have created three tags with a Halloween theme. I am so happy to be back on the PaperArtsy blog and I can't wait to share my makes with you. I must say it was a bit troublesome at times as some of my attempt to use glitter failed and I had to start again! And there is glitter everywhere, no, really everywhere ! 

I have mostly used holographic embossing powder and some glitter glue. These products make adding glitter to a project so easy. I also have tried to add loose glitter but that is not so easy to glue down... 

I have really enjoyed making these tags, even though Halloween is not really celebrated in Holland where I live. I normally don't use glitter in my projects but I like the result on these tags so I might actually start using it more often. I think it adds a nice accent. 

This is how they started life. Two of the tags were painted with Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics; {Zucchini}, {Granny Smith} and {Tinned Peas} for the green one and {Vanilla}, {Pumpkin Soup}, {Tango} and {Autumn Fire} for the orange one. This is still my preferred way of colouring my backgrounds. What can I say, I simply love acrylic paint! The middle tag has Distress Inks in Carved Pumpkin, Seedless Preserves, Faded Jeans, Wild Honey, Vintage Photo and water on it. I particularly like how you can change the appearance of the paper with just water ! I inked the edges on all three with Archival Ink in the colour {Sepia} because it makes them look old.

This is the finished tag, I love all the glitter on it, especially on the edges. Unfortunately glitter is notoriously difficult to photograph so I have made a couple of close up photos: 

On the corners of the sentiment is a little loose glitter which a attached with a glue pen. I do prefer to use the holographic embossing powder (by Ranger) though, looks fabulous and so much easier to get on the paper. The web has a little glitter to it too but was done with a 'Black Glint' embossing powder by WOW. 

This tag was made much in the same way but I used Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics for the background. I used Copic Markers to colour those fantastic pumpkin stamps. Again I used the holographic embossing powder by Ranger for the background stamping (see detail pictures below). I found out that this works fantastically well with the new Distress Oxide Inks by Ranger. As the powder is clear with glitter in it, it takes on the colour of the stamping underneath and because the Oxides stay wet for a long time they are ideal for heat embossing. 

These skulls and bones were stamped with the Distress Oxide {Peeled Paint} and heat embossed with the Ranger holographic embossing powder. When it is melted it looks like green glitter ! Love it !

The sentiment on this tag is stamped on acetate because I didn't want to cover up that fabulous background stamping. I used Jet Black {StaZon} Ink for that and when dry I added a bead of green glitter glue and added the acetate with staples to the tag. I think that just adds a nice little detail. 

For the last tag I did much the same as before; painted the background with Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics, inked the edges and heat embossed the background, this time using {Wilted Violet} and {Peeled Paint} Distress Oxide Inks and the holographic embossing powder by Ranger. I did add some loose orange glitter to the edges of the sentiment but ended up with glitter on the floor and in my hair ! lol. 

Again some detail photos to show the shimmer of the glitter. The eyes of the skull have 'Stardust' Stickles (glitterglue) by Ranger on them. 

And that concludes my post for today; all that's left to do is tell you which stamps I used today. All stamps come from two sets of Hot Picks {HPHW02} and {HPHW03}. 

 
Thank you so much for coming along and having a look today ! As I already mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed making these tags and encourage you to have a go too. I know a lot of people dislike glitter because of its 'spreading' qualities but if you use glitter glue or embossing powder it really isn't too bad. The effect, especially for Halloween crafting is fantastic I think ! You could even try to mix your loose glitter with a clear glue like glossy accents or gel medium for instance, that way you would contain the spread. You could also mix glitter with clear embossing powder; as the powder melts it will trap the glitter. 

Thanks again for stopping by today; please come and see me at:

www.MadeByCHook.blogspot.nl or

Instagram or

Pinterest or

on Facebook

The wicked side of me really loves it when someone (like Corrie) blogs with products they would not normally use - I cannot think of a time when that person hasn'tt liked what they made!  It's creative magic. So perhaps we should all attempt something that we normally wouldn't this week and see what happens!! ~Leandra

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 14:Glitter will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 15th October 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

2017 #14 Glitter: Glitter Three Ways with EKC {by Nikki Acton}

2017 Topic 14: Glitter

I'm getting the feeling as we work through this topic that most of the PaperArtsy bloggers are not massive glitter fans! They all seem to be finding subtle ways with it! Nikki is up tonight, and she uses a lovely autumnal colour palette and has some tricks for keeping your sparkles under control!

Hi everyone, it's Nikki from Addicted to Art with you today, and I'd like to share with you a glittery Christmas card featuring the wonderful Christmas stamps from Kay Carley.

When I think of glitter I think of mess and those cheap Christmas cards you buy and open the packet or envelope and the glitter goes everywhere! But I do love a bit of sparkle and have realised there are ways of using glitter where it doesn't keep coming off.

I have used glitter in 3 ways on this card and thrown in some gilding flakes for extra dazzle and used stamps from both EKC10 and EKC11.

Eclectica³ {Kay Carley} Set 10

Eclectica³ {Kay Carley} Set 11

Both sets of trees work wonderfully for the simplest or more layered, mixed media style cards. I have used the snowflakes / stars and branches to add interest to my backgrounds.

The gilding flake and glitter backdrop to the frame is Sue Wilson's 'Fire and Ice' technique - gilding flakes on one side of a double sided adhesive sheet (clear) and glitter on the other. I used Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels. The technique really does produce a wonderful glimmer and sparkle that is hard to see on the photographs.

Layered die cut frames were painted with Snowflake Fresco Chalk Paint before being covered in matt medium and clear glitter added - I used Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Glitter here. The stamped tree has gold coloured glitter glue added - eg Stickles.

The Christmas Wishes greeting on EKC11 is on two lines but I really needed the words on one line so out came the post it notes! Mask one word, ink, remove the mask and stamp and then repeat with the other word. I find it can take a couple of attempts to get the words lined up so I always make sure I have spare of the card I am working on.

As the glitter is hard to photograph here is a 20 second video that shows the sparkle!

While perhaps not my normal style I really love the gilding flakes and glitter together. I will have to make some more of my Christmas cards with this and some of Kay's other trees with the snowflakes in the background this time. I am pleased to say after a few days the glitter is not coming off at all! 

Nikki

Blog: Addicted to Art
Pinterest: NikActon

So that's how you show sparkle ...film a short video!! Of course! Wonderful piece Nikki! ~ Leandra

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 14:Glitter will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 15th October 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

2017 #14 Glitter: Star Frame with VID {by Sue Carrington}

2017 Topic 14: Glitter

We love it when Sue works her magic with coloured metal, and the layers in this piece are pulled together beautifully!

Hi everyone, it's Sue Carrington here with you today, and I'd like to share with you a project that came together really well (in my humble opinion!) and not only does it include glitter but also another favourite of mine, metal !

Using glitter in my projects is not something I'm prone to do, but looking through the stamps I was going to use the star on VID07 is where the inspiration for this piece came from. The thought of glitter and star together led to filmstar and that's where the story in my head started.

 

Whenever I start a project I always need to have a reasonable idea of what the final piece will look like, this gives me the direction to travel, otherwise I sit staring into space ! Having chosen the star the main image from the same stamp set was the obvious choice, the sideways glance just says filmstar from a bygone age to me. The sort of postcard image young girls pin on their walls and dream of being like. 

I've kept the glitter subtle, and used black glitter embossing powder. Trying to capture the light on the glitter is really difficult on a photo but everytime you walk past there is a glint as the light catches it. I've not used Versamark ink but Jet Black Archival Ink as I wanted to still see some of the lovely script on the star. Using the Versamark ink  let the embossing powder have too good a contact and obliterated the text.

I needed a little more glitter for some balance so used a piece of Washi Tape that I've painted with black Gesso then used my Versamark ink pad, sticky powder and finally Distress Glitter. The sparkle from this strip I felt really brought everything together and grounded the main image.

The frame is made from 8x8 Grey/White board and rather than paint it or add texture paste, in line with my filmstar story it had to be more glitzy, so I chose black coated aluminium metal and used an embossing folder. The black rubs off the raised, embossed areas and because the pattern is quite busy gives a shimmery, almost, glittery appearance. I almost managed to match the pattern but the eagle eyed among you will have spotted the join ! 

Some sprinkles of Black Knight Infusions gave the touch of vintage I was after for a frame that is loved very much, so often touched, possibly before going to sleep and dreaming of being a filmstar. The filmstrip I felt was the perfect piece to be the backdrop against tissue stamped with the postcard stamp from VID04. All aged with Stone Fresco Finish paint and Squid Ink Fresco Finish paint. 

The word Dream seemed to be another obvious choice and using the alphabet stamp from VID04 the letters were masked, stamped and mounted onto small pieces of the Grey/White Board left over after mitring the corners for the frame.

Although I am really happy with how the project came together the part I'm most pleased about is how the frame stands up ! I recycled an old calendar from work, it's really thick card which is already scored. Painted with black Gesso and glued to the back of the frame it stands up perfectly. 

Although glitter isn't something I would use in large amounts I think a subtle touch really does lift a project and adds light. It's made me think how I could use it in future projects and with Christmas fast approaching it's the perfect time of year to do some dabbling.

Hope you've enjoyed some subtle glitter !
Sue

Blog:www.stampingsuestyle.com
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sue.carrington.5815
Twitter:Ink_and_me

Wow Sue this is stunning! I really loved the subtle glitter, like you, wish that it were easier to photograph it! ~ Leandra

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 14:Glitter will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 15th October 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

2017 #14 Glitter: Christmas expects glitter!! {by Jo Firth-Young}

2017 Topic 14: Glitter

The day I was allocating Topics for the end of the year, Jo happened to clock onto the fact that 'Glitter' was a topic, and sneakily booked herslef in waaaaay ahead of everyone else! I think after reading this you will see why - she has a LOT of glitter and she's not scared to use it!! She may need some glitter therapy!

Hi everyone, it's Jo Firth-Young with you today, and the project I'm sharing with you today has a VERY festive theme and it seemed appropriate because Christmas expects glitter!!

I bought a wood advent calendar a while ago with the purpose of up-cycling it.  It's a really cute little substrate, and its wood construction made it perfect to alter with paint and glitter .. did I mention there would be glitter?  To be honest with you when I started the project I didn't really expect there to be so much glitter but then how much is too much?? 

Here is the advent calendar in its (almost) original state. I felt the colour scheme was designed to appeal to children and I wanted to give it a more 'grown-up' scheme (because adults like advent calendars too!! lol).The (3.5 x 3.5cm) cubes originally had little wooden knobs but I removed these to make decorating the cubes easier. I used the original holes as a guide when adding new handles...

There may be 7, yes SEVEN, types of glitter on this project but I didn't want it to be 'gaudy'.... some of the glitters are quite subtle.

I designed sets of cubes.  Each set has its own design (this means cubes next to each won't be the same): different colour way, different handle... this makes the advent calendar more interesting.

The calendar is decorated with lots of my 'favourite' items - cardboard, buttons, tags, ribbons, stamps... and glitter!!  I chose quite a neutral colour palette of off-white, kraft, sage and metallics (golds and vintage silver) - a palette that could easily be altered in future years by repainting the sage cubes a different colour such as aqua (or red for a traditional christmas colour scheme).

This was the first of the cubes I decorated - there had to be corrugated cardboard somewhere (its so useful!) I dragged the ridges with glue and dipped it in glitter (Glitter No 1: Ranger Vintage Platinum Distress Glitter Dust) - I really like the contrast between the cardboard and the glitter. The handles are made from ribbon and the tags have been stamped with the cube number.

This set of cubes was painted in a mix of Sage and Winter Green Fresco Finish paints - creating a lovely, almost Eucalyptus, colour. I used JOFY mini (JM07)

... to create a pattern. A great little stamp (not too busy for this small space) and perfect for decorating the cubes.  Stamped in Snowflake and detailed in Metallic Glaze (Glitter No 2).

  
The handles are buttons wired on and secured at the inside and covered with a piece of paper tape. I used this method to secure the handles on most of the drawers.

Book text covered cube with a handle made from a die cut snowflake which has been embossed with WOW Metallic Platinum Sparkle Embossing Glitter (Glitter No 3). This was die cut from a cardboard box and I found that one layer wasn't strong enough to work as a handle and so I had to glue two layers of snowflakes together for strength.

I stamped a sheet of vintage ledger paper with the text collage from HP1501

I stamped in  Archival Olive (second generation to lessen the intensity of the colour). I then embossed it with WOW Sensational Sage Embossing Powder (Glitter No 4).  I like the subtle glitter on these cubes.  The handles wired on beads.

This cube is completely covered in glitter paper (Glitter No.5) - fabulously glittery & sparkly - from my paper stash. The die cut numbers stick very securely to this surface because the glitter is sealed.  This cube doesn't need a handle because its sits in its own compartment at the top of the advent calendar.

I needed small numbers for the cubes so I looked through my Ink & the Dog stamps as I remember there were lots of numbers and alphabets in the collection... Words Plate 4  had exactly what I was looking for! I cut up the small numbers from the alphabet (bottom right) and used these on all the cubes (really useful alphabet - very happy to have rediscovered this!!)

I covered the outside of the calendar with corrugated cardboard and wiped the ridges with Matte Medium and then scattered Prima Finnibair Pearl Glass Glitter (Glitter No.6) over the surface to give a frosty look.  I also dragged the ridges with Metallic Glaze.  To embellish the calendar and add to the glittery wintery feel I die cut and embossed several snowflakes using Ranger Distress Stickles in Rock Candy (Glitter No.7).

Each of the little cubes/drawers is big enough for a chocolate or other treats.  It will look lovely on a fireplace at christmas.

This project was a lot of fun! ... and the glitter is EVERYWHERE! lol but not to worry, it was worth it.  It was fun to rummage through bead boxes and button tins to find the different bits and pieces to decorated the cubes. And then to work out the best way to attach and secure them (would they work, were they strong enough); revisiting wire work to attach the handles; and the best glue to secure glitter?!!?  (That last question is still unanswered! lol)
I also rediscovered a stamp set which is always good - if ever you are stuck for the 'perfect' stamp - take a look through your existing stamps you might find a gem (or two) in there!

I hope this has inspired you to give an object a festive makeover in time for christmas.

Take care

Jo

Blog:  jofirthyoung.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoFY.JoFirthYoung/
Twitter: @jofyjo
Instagram: @jofyjo

Here are the workshops I'll be running before the end of the year - all with a festive theme! Hope to see you there!
14.10.17  Birds in the Barn, Marks Tey, Essex (www.birdsinthebarn.blogspot.co.uk)
04.11.17 & 18.11.17  Loobi Crafts, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire (www.loobicrafts.co.uk) 

I've always wanted to tackle one of these advent calendars! And what a beauty! And yes...we get it..glitter is deffo a must at Christmas! LOL ~ Leandra

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 14:Glitter will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 15th October 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.