Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions Grand Opening Hop

For my Challenge and Giveaway at Do More For Less, click HERE

For the Second Week of the Prima Doll Blog Hop, click HERE

Welcome to the Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions Grand-Opening Hop!

As you hop along each stop will be showcasing items that can be found in the NEW Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions online store.

The Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions store focuses mainly on brads and eyelets. However, it does have a few other crafty notions that you can't live without, along with being very proud to carry May Arts ribbon.

I used several products from the Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions store for my projects.

The paper for the card is from my stash. All of the edges were inked with Tim Holtz Festive Berries Distress Ink. The notebook page was cut with a Spellbinders Office Supplies die. The letters are a Sizzix Wingo Dingo font. The gorgeous ribbon and twine are from Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions, as are the sparkly brads on the corners.

The circles are Spellbinders Beaded Circles dies and Standard Circles Small dies. The adorable apple brads are from Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions. The stickers are from my stash.

I just love the huge paperclip from the Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions store. The circles are Spellbinders Beaded circles and Standard Circles Small dies. The adorable apple is a Spellbinders Assorted Fruit die. It was inked with TH Festive Berries and Peeled Paint Distress Inks. The adorable face is a Peachy Keen Critter Faces A stamp. The awesome glasses brad is from Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions, as is the ribbon.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Craft It Up & Link It Up - Back to School
2. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - August Anything Goes
3. Sunday Funday - August Linky Party
4. Just B Creative Crazy - Just Because Linky Party

Enjoy the Grand-Opening Sale 8/15 - 8/18. Save 10% on all purchases plus FREE shipping on all orders $10.00 and up.

!!! PRIZE ALERT !!!

And what is a hop without a prize?

One Lucky Hopper will win a sampler pack of May Arts ribbon.

May Arts ribbon sampler includes one-half yard of each pictured.

PRIZE RULES & ENTRIES

1. You must comment on every stop of the hop.
2. Share on FB and be sure to tag Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions. +1 entry
3. "Like" Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions on FB and say hi on the page to get your credit. +1 entry
4. Be a follower of the blog. Comment separately on hop post to get your credit. +1 entry

Thanks for stopping by! Here's the full line up in case you get lost along the way.

Sparkly Sweet Blog ~ http://sparklysweet.blogspot.com
Jessica E ~ http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com
Pam ~ http://alljazzed2create.blogspot.com
Jessica B ~ http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
Lisa ~ http://indymermaid.blogspot.com/ < YOU ARE HERE
Donna K ~ http://createdbydonnak.blogspot.com/
Migdalia ~ http://craftingwithcreativem.blogspot.com/
Beckie ~ http://justbcreativecrazy.blogspot.com

Shaped Card Tutorial

Reprinted from Do More With Less

My favorite technique is making shaped cards using Spellbinders dies as the base. This technique is pretty simple once you get the hang of it and you can create a variety of unique and beautiful cards.

Step 1
To create the base of the card, fold a piece of paper in half and place it over the die of your choice. I am using a Decorative Labels 8 die. For dies with intricate edges, you may want to use a piece of wax paper between the die and paper so that the paper will release easily. Also, since the paper is doubled over, you may have to run the die through the machine a couple of times to make sure the pieces cut all the way through. Now make sure you move the paper below the top edge of the die so that the fold does not cut. Run the die through your die cutting machine.

It will look like this after you run it through your machine a couple of times. You do not need to emboss it since this layer will be covered up.

Step 2
Remove the paper from the die and punch out any cut pieces. you will have a card with the fold intact, but it doesn't look complete since the top edge has been cut off.

Step 3
Your next step is to cut a single piece of cardstock with the die as you normally would and then emboss it. Now you want to adhere this piece to the base. With intricate dies, I've found that the easiest way is to attach it is to use sticky dot sheets, but you could also use a Xyron or glue.

Step 4
Adhere the top piece to the base to cover the fold. With the cut edge covered you have a unique shaped card base.

I love to layer Spellbinders to create different looks. I used paper from Prima's Nature's Garden stack for this card. On top of the base, I adhered a Labels 8 die cut. The next layer is a Spellbinders Floral Oval die.

Another technique I like to use is to make the card interactive. The Floral Oval die is attached to the base with a brad to reveal a hidden sentiment.

A Fancy Framed Tags 2 die was used for the JustRite sentiment. The butterfly is a Winged Things die, cut twice and popped up with foam tape for dimension. Rock Candy Stickles was added to the top for a subtle sparkle.

Do More With Less Guest Designer, Challenge and Giveaway!!

For the Prima Doll Blog Hop Week 2, click HERE

I am so honored and excited that my sweet friend Yvonne has asked me to be a guest on her blog Do More With Less today!! Yvonne is an amazing crafter who takes upcycling to the next level!! Her projects are so unique and creative - they are full of color and texture and I guarantee you will be inspired!! If you haven't visited her blog, you must!!

Yvonne has asked that I share a project and favorite technique. As all of my regular followers know, I can hardly make a project without using at least one Spellbinders die, so of course my favorite technique has to do with Spellbinders :)

For all the details on how I created this card which features a secret message, along with a tutorial on how to create the shaped base, please visit Yvonne's blog HERE. Also, I am hosting a challenge where you can link up your cards using the technique I've shared. You could win BLOG CANDY!!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. JustRite Friday Challenge #103 - Things With Wings (Musical Notes Labels 20 stamp)
2. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make the Cut
3. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - August Anything Goes
4. Sunday Funday - August Linky Party
5. Just B Creative Crazy - Just Because Linky Party
6. Inspire Me Friday #115 - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for visiting!! I really hope you will play along with the challenge!! You have until 11:55am (EST) on Friday, September 6th to link up. I can't wait to see what you create :)

Prima Doll Blog Hop - Week 2 Summer

Happy Tuesday and welcome back for the second week of the Prima Doll Blog Hop!!

We are in the second week of a four part HOP and the rules are very simple. Each Tuesday throughout the month of August we will be sharing creations made with a variety of these fabulous Julie Nutting Prima doll stamps to inspire you.

All you will need to do is hop to each of our blogs (links are below) each Tuesday in August and leave us a comment. Be sure to include your email address because on August 30th we will EACH BE GIVING AWAY A PRIZE. We will be sharing what our individual prize packages are on our blogs.

REMEMBER … you will need to comment EACH TUESDAY to qualify for the prize! AND … if you share our hop info on your blog, your name will go in twice towards the prize. WAIT THERE’S MORE! If you become a follower/subscriber you get a THIRD CHANCE!!

For my Spring project, click HERE. For Summer, I decided to follow along the same theme and create a mixed media canvas.

I started with another 8x10 canvas and adhered torn pieces of paper from  K & Company's Happy Trails paper stack with Claudine Hellmuth's Gel Medium. Acrylic paint in aqua and sea blue were scraped on the background. Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso was applied through a Crafter's Workshop Cosmic Swirls template. The banner was created with Spellbinders Nested Pennants and Nested Lacy Pennants dies. The letters are from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Alpha Parts. For the boardwalk, I basically created a box to attach to the bottom of the canvas. The paper was embossed with a TH Wood Grain embossing folder and inked with TH Gathered Twig Distress Ink. Lollypop sticks with twine hot glued to them were used for the rail. The arrow is a Spellbinders Nautical Frames and Accents die, inked with TH Salty Ocean and Gathered Twig Distress Inks. Boardwalk is from Artistic Outpost's Boardwalk stamp set.

The tag is from We R Memory Keepers Down the Boardwalk stack. The sentiment is from Paper Wings Productions Sea Melange stamp set.

Olive was stamped on an old book page (my favorite thing to use for the doll stamps). You can't tell in the pic, but her top is peach with sparkles - so pretty!! She was popped up with foam tape and then outlined with first a white charcoal pencil and then a black one.

And I couldn't help but make a summer tag, too :)

My summer tag celebrates Independence Day. The paper is from DCWV's Summer Days stack. Stars & stripes, July 4th and the flag were cut from the same paper stack.

The doll was stamped again on old book paper. Her outfit is from the DCWV Summer Day stack. Her sunglasses were cut from the paper in the We R Memory Keepers Down the Boardwalk stack. She was popped up with foam tape.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - August Anything Goes
2. Sunday Funday - August Linky Party
3. Just B Creative Crazy - Just Because Linky Party

Blog candy!!

If you remember from last week, I'm giving away one of Julie's newest doll stamps, Mia, but I said I might add something else...well, this week I'm adding a Prima Mixed Media Tag Pad!! These tags are the perfect size for all of your doll projects :)

All you have to do to be eligible to win Mia and the tag pad is leave a comment on each Tuesday post (4 total). Click HERE for last week's post. If you share info on our blog hop on your blog or facebook, you get another entry. And if you are or become a follower/subscriber, that's another chance to win. You can count these every week for extra entries...but be sure to leave a comment for each additional entry. And be sure to stop back next week...I may add a little something more to the giveaway :)

The next stop on the hop is the amazing and talented Diane of Nellies Nest. Here's the entire line-up in case you get lost along the way or want to revisit anyone:

Dar - Dar's Crafty Creations

Mary - Primitive Seasons

Lisa - A Mermaids Crafts <YOU ARE HERE

Diane - Nellies Nest 

Mindy - Mulberry Mindy

Joyce - Scrap For Joy

Thanks so much for joining us today!! See you next Tuesday for our fall doll projects :)