Flamazing!

Hello! Alison Heikkila here. I've got a full panel shaker card to share today for Doodles Paper Playground. I combined two beautiful Sparkle Blends for this card, and the end result is beautiful. I am a huge fan and collector of flamingos. I just love them. But for some reason, I just hadn't gotten around to using the "You're Flamazing" Sparkle Blend yet. So I pulled out a fun stamp set from Hampton Arts and got to work. I had been wanting to make a full panel shaker for a while, as it's been a long time since I made one.

I created my background using 2 stamps from Stampendous' Jungle Greenery set with 2 colors of VersaColor Inks. That layer came out pretty soft, so I used one of the leaves from my Flamingo stamp set from Hampton Arts with Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide on top. I love how it looked, so I stopped there. Then, I added adhesive tape to the back, and wrapped packaging from a stamp set around the background. I adhered 3 sides only, so that I could drop in my Sparkle Blends from the 4th side.

All of those lovely shades of pink sequins are from the "You're Flamazing" Sparkle Blend, while the green and whites are from the "So Matcha Fun" Sparkle Blend. I love those 2 combined, and it really ties the entire card together. I inked up the flamingo with Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Worn Lipstick, and Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide. I used Kitsch Flamingo around the edge of my card base too. I used the fantastic "Dude" from Simon Says Stamp, with some Spring Green foil and the Deco Pen from Therm O Web, and a sentiment from Lawn Fawn.

Full panel shakers are so much fun, and they are pretty simple to make...no foam or dies required! Plus, you get a ton of movement! I love the tropical vibes from this card, plus pink and green are one of my favorite color combos. Please visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Etsy to see the entire new collection, plus some new goodies that Amber has added to the shop! And make sure you join the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on FB to always get fantastic inspiration on how to use those Sparkle Blends. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

CAS Sunset Shaker

 Hello! Alison Heikkila here. Did you catch my latest FB Live for Doodles Paper Playground? I decided to make a Clean & Simple (CAS) Shaker card using the Curve-Tastic Circle Die from Your Next Stamp. I thought it would look cool to give it a sunset effect, so that's what we did.

I pulled the same Distress Inks Rhiannon chose for my Fairy Grotto card's sunset: Kitsch Flamingo, Mustard Seed, and Ripe Persimmon. I used Kitsch Flamingo around the edge of the card base too.

In the shaker window, we used a combination of four Sparkle Blends! Orange Creamsicle, You're Flamazing, Pineapple Garden, and Hey Chickie. These 4 Blends go together so well, and created the perfect sunset vibe. The viewers chose the "You Are Incredible" die from Erin Lee Creative for the sentiment.

I don't do CAS Shakers too often, but with all of the "busy" and layered things I have been making lately, it was nice to do something sort of plain, but still cool. Have you made a CAS Shaker with your Sparkle Blends? Share it in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club! I'd love to see it. And if you didn't catch the FB Live from Thursday, click HERE to check it out. Please be sure to visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Esty to see the all of the available Sparkle Blends. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Triple Shaker with Bunnies!

 Hello! Alison Heikkila here. Last Thursday I made this cute shaker card over on the Doodles Paper Playground FB Page during a FB Live. We combined products from a bunch of companies and we created an adorable card with sherbet colors and 3 different Sparkle Blends. I say "we" because i never make all of the decisions about how we make a project. I love when the viewers chime in with suggestions or opinions on the choices I give them. So we're essentially all making the project together.

*Links to all products used are in Alison's Blog Post. 

I had pre-colored and cut out the bunnies (from Mama Elephant) to save a little time during the FB Live. I had also pulled out the Houndstooth background stamp from Erin Lee Creative and 4 colors of Distress Ink. We used Spun Sugar, Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, and Abandoned Coral. I cut my windows easily with the circles from Your Next Stamp's Peek a Boo Trio die.

For our Sparkle Blends, we decided to use Grapefruit, Lemonade, and Candy Corn. The colors went really well with the bunnies and the Distress Ink colors. Look at how many different items are in each of those little windows! I didn't even use all of the components in each of the Sparkle Blends. I used a piece of Lawn Fawn paper for being the shaker windows. My sentiment is a the Painted Hello die from Simon Says Stamp, which I used Therm O Web's Adhesive Pen on, and then foiled with Peach Princess Deco Foil. I also added a "shadow" layer using another piece of Lawn Fawn cardstock. The card base was rimmed with Rustic Wilderness Distress Ink, which was the perfect match to the Lawn Fawn paper.

I think this card came out adorable. I love the colors...the Sparkle Blends are a happy surprise inside those circles...and those bunnies are adorbs. If you didn't get a chance to catch the FB Live, you can check it out HERE. It would be great if you were with us for the next time! They're always on Thursdays at 8PM EST on the Doodles Paper Playground FB Page. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day! 

Bird of Paradise Shaker

 Hello! Alison Heikkila here. Hello! Today I am sharing a card that was created by my husband Gene for the June Sparkle Blend release from Doodles Paper Playground. He really liked the "Go Bananas" Sparkle Blend, so he decided to go with a rainforest vibe on his card.

He found an old Bird of Paradise stencil that he liked a lot, so he used a couple of embossing pastes and applied it to cardstock. After they dried, he inked it up a bit to give kind of a blurry, jungle background. Using some dies from Stampendous for his window and the foliage around it, he created his shaker. He inked the foliage a bit by tapping on some Distress Oxide Ink. This gave the leaves a lot of texture.

His window is quite large, so he wanted to use a lot of the "Go Bananas" Sparkle Blend in the shaker panel. Instead, I offered him some of my beloved (and retired) "Broken Glass" Sparkle Blend to fill in the window, while still allowing you to see what's inside. In the photo above, you can see the clear and opalescent sequins....that's from "Broken Glass." Everything else is from "Go Bananas," so look for the little banana slices, the monkey heads, the various shades of yellow in different styles of sequins, and even 2 styles of full sized bananas! There are a lot of great elements in this Blend, and I really love the surprising pops of bright pink and bronze.

For his card base, Gene did a bit of ink smooshing with the same colors of Distress Oxides that he used behind the shaker window. I believe the colors were Rustic Wilderness, Twisted Citron, and Cracked Pistachio.

This card gave him a bit of trouble. It's not easy to use different colors of embossing pastes on such small areas, especially since they were from different brands with very different consistencies. But in the end, I really love how his card turned out. There is so much movement in his shaker window and those Sparkle Blends are really on display. Please visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Etsy to see the entire new collection, plus some new goodies that Amber has added to the shop! And make sure you join the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on FB to always get fantastic inspiration on how to use those Sparkle Blends. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day! 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Sunday Everyone! If you are like me then you never seem to have enough Happy Birthday cards on hand. So I am working on some with the amazing new release from Sparkle Blends! If you haven't seen it, OMG go look!!!! It is fabulous! And I have been eagerly waiting to purchase the new release from Clearly Besotted. It went live yesterday and we are talking cuteness overload! I am playing with some of their most recent past release stamp sets for this project while i wait for my order. Have a look at what I created!

I am using the new blend called Subtle Rainbow. You all know I totally have a thing for rainbows and of course I HAD to use this one first! I am also using from Clearly Besotted called Brighter Days and Freshwater Friends. I am also using a fabulous die from Spellbinders that I finally got and have been wanting from the moment I saw it! The dot for the I is actually attached to the rest of the word so you don't lose your dot, which of course, I always do!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Gawrsh!

Hey Sparkle Blends Fans! Are you getting Goofy this weekend? I am with this card that features a Goofy hate along with  So Matcha Fun Sparkle Blend. I am using the  Queen and Company  Magical Characters Kit 1 which really is a perfect blend for So Matcha Fun. I have also used a combination of Lawn Fawn dies in my stash for my layers. Have a look!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Sip, Sip, Hooray!

Hey Sparkle Blends Fans! There are so many reasons to celebrate so today I am bringing you a card that does exactly that! I am playing with So Matcha Fun Sparkle Blend. I am pairing it with Bottoms Up Drink Kit from Queen and Co. along with some of their foundation dies as well as a few Lawn Fawn dies. This blend just works so perfectly and makes this card just pop! Have a look!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Happy Birthday To You

Happy Saturday Sparkle Blends Fans! I don't know about you but I never seem to have enough birthday cards on hand. So I have this fun one for you today. It is featuring a Sparkle Blend called Amber's Birthday Bash Sparkle Blend. This is such an amazing blend and I am finding it goes with so much! I am using a cover plate die from Taylored Expressions along with an older Lawn Fawn Frames set and stamps for both the presents and the sentiment from Taylored Expressions. I did my stamping with Versafine Ink and then heat embossed using my Gina K. Clear Fine Embossing powder to make those elements pop a bit. Have a look!

 

 

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Vellum Birthday Shaker

 Hello! Alison Heikkila here.  I wanted to share the vellum shaker card I made during last night's FB Live for Doodles Paper Playground. I had a lot of help from the viewer's and my daughter Rhiannon during the Live and collectively, this is what we came up with. If you would like to watch the replay, you can check it out HERE.

I won't get into too many details here since you can watch the whole process in the FB Live, but here's the info on the products I used.

Flutter By Butterfly Sparkle Blend: Doodles Paper Playground
Mandy's Flowers Stamp Set: Simon Says Stamp (appears to be no longer available)
Vellum with glitter: Paper Company
Birthday Blooms Stamp Set: The Greetery
Birthday Blooms Die Set: The Greetery
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens: Kuretake
Salvaged Patina Distress Ink: Ranger
Points of Interest Stencil: Picket Fence Studio
VersaFine Clair Ink in Monarch: Imagine
VersaFine Ink in Onyx Black: Imagine
Foam Tape: Pear Blossom Press

How perfect is the Flutter By Butterfly Sparkle Blend with the rest of this card? The colors are absolutely perfect together. And as you shake the card, you can see a few of the butterflies floating around in there. This is such a pretty Blend.

I always enjoy making shaker cards, of course, but it becomes more special when I get to create a card with suggestions from the viewers. They get to help me make decisions and the results are always fabulous! Please be sure to visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Esty to see the all of the available Sparkle Blends, as well as joining the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook. Use my discount code, “ALISON10” to save 10% off of your purchase, not including Bundles. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

You Quack Me Up

Today I am bringing you some more magic! I was looking for a Sparkle Blend with a blue mix of sparkle and I landed on Baby Shark Sparkle Blend. I am pairing this with with my Magical Characters Kit from Queen and Company. From this set I have used the Donald Duck hat dies and foam shaker, along with the paper packand sentiment that is included in the kit. I then added some solids to pull my layers together.This is such a perfect combo! I just pulled out the little sharks from the mix and presto, Donald Duck!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Using Stencils to Make Shakers

 Hello! Last month during one of my FB Lives for Doodles Paper Playground, I shared a technique on how to use stencils to create shaker cards. I like to have at least one sample ready when I do Lives, so that I can share the concept of what we'll be making, so the card below was my sample. We didn't make this card during the FB Live, rather, we did a completely different style, but the idea was the same. This card uses the "Spill the Bubble Tea" Sparkle Blend, which went perfectly with the colors I had in my background.

*Links to the other items I used can be found on my personal blog post HERE.

I went through my stencils and came across this one from The Crafter's Workshop called, "Two Hearts." I liked the idea of one heart being solid, as intended, and the other heart being a shaker. I found a "roll off" monoprint that I had made, and I really loved the soft, watery colors on it with a bit of texture, so I decided it was perfect for the grungy look of the stencil. I applied Nuvo Glimmer Paste in Plum Spinel across my entire background (even the heart I was cutting out), and let it dry.

Look at that gorgeous color! While the paste was drying, I die cut my "Painted Hello" die from Simon Says Stamp several times from Kraft cardstock, and applied Distress Ink in Vintage Photo directly from the pad, gently on top of the word. The texture of the pad leaves fantastic markings on the die cut. I stacked my sentiment and let it dry. After the panel was dry, I cut out the heart on the left with an X-Acto knife. I kept the heart to use at a later date.

You can see how pretty the colors are from the "Spill the Bubble Tea" Sparkle Blend. I love those clear caviar beads, the chocolate colored "sprinkles" and the watery tones of the sequins that work so beautifully with my roll off print. I backed the window with a teeny houndstooth print from Doodlebug. I used an ivory card base (white was too stark) and I dipped it into Vintage Photo Distress Ink, which I applied to my work surface and sprayed with water. It gives a cool, drippy look to the edges of the card.

I think this is a very grown up and funky take on a shaker card. A lot of times shakers can be really cutsie, which is great, but it's certainly not everyone's asthetic. This version is a little more artsy, in my opinion. How can you change up your Sparkle Blends to give them a different vibe? Is that something you want to try? I'd love to know your thoughts. For now, please be sure to visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Esty to see the all of the available Sparkle Blends, as well as joining the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Have A Magical Day!

I don't know about you, but one of my most favorite holidays of the entire year is National Scrapbook Day! So many companies are celebrating with all kinds of giveaways, challenges, contests, etc. So for me it truly IS a magical day. I am playing with Amber's Birthday Bash Sparkle Blend today along with my Magical Characters Kit from Queen and Company. From this set I have used the bow die as well as the foam shaker, along with the paper pad that comes with the kit and the outline die set which is sold separately. Additionally I have used some solid papers from Beach Bound Solids and Winter Wonderland Solids 6x6 Paper Pads. I am using one of the Queen and Company sketches for the Sketch Challenge they have posted for NSD. Amber's Birthday Bash is truly THE perfect blend for this project! It totally works with all the pieces and all the colors and I love how it all just comes together!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. and grab your favorites!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Salutations and Oh Hollo

Greetings! Alison Heikkila here. Today I have a cool shaker card that uses the "Oh Hollo" Sparkle Blend from Doodles Paper Playground. As you might be able to guess from the name, this Blend is filled with gorgeous, holographic sequins. Plus, I got to use one of the many images I've colored for The Daily Marker's 30 Day Coloring Challenge. I've accumulated so many of these, and I am always happy when I get to use one on a card.

I colored this beautiful gal from A Day for Daisies with Copic markers. Even though she's a little disheveled, she's still so glamourous. The colors in her gown worked really well with "Oh Hollo."

Look at the colors in that Sparkle Blend! I have always loved all things holographic, so this is a new favorite of mine. I love the mix of patterned sequins in it too. They're all very different from each other, but they work together really well. I happened to have a background that was gray cardstock with Pink Quartz Deco Foil and Sassy & Crafty's Bouncy Path stencil that worked perfectly. I cut a skinny oval into the piece and backed it with a fun patterned paper scrap that was in my stash. Around the edges of my card base, I applied VersaMark Ink and Rose Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder from Stampendous, It gave that extra bit of sparkle that the card needed, while tying everything together. My sentiment is from the Salty Ladies stamp set from CZ Design and Simon Says Stamp. I gave the stamp a curve when I inked it up to go with the curve of the dotted line from the stencil.

I love the quirkiness of this card. The expression on the gal's face, with the swooping (and shiny!) dotted lines of the stencil, plus the sequins? It's definitely a fun card. Please be sure to visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Esty to see the all of the available Sparkle Blends, as well as joining the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Believe

Anything Is Possible If You Believe. I absolutely love this sentiment. And what goes better with a sentiment like this? Rainbows, clouds, unicorns, holo, and you guessed it, a shaker!

For my project I am using Cloud Stencil from Lawn Fawn along with Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Blueprint Sketch, and Wilted Violet. For my blending I am using the pretty rainbow colored Blending Brushes by Taylored Expressions. I am using a stamp set from Visible Image called Believe In Unicorns. I stamped the sentiment and image using my MISTI and stamped with Versafine Onyx Black Ink and then used Gina K. Embossing Powder in Fine Detail Clear. I then created the infinity shaker with acetate and Oh, Hollo Sparkle Blend Sequin Mix! I adore this mix for so many different projects!

I really adore how this came out!

Head over to the Sparkle Blends Shop. Grab your favorites and be sure to check out the whole new release for April that is amazing!!!!!! And as always, take a look on the Doodles Paper Playground blog, Facebook page and in the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook to see all the fun things going on!

I do hope you enjoy this project and can't wait to see what you create!

Hugs!

Judy

Using Empty Space on Stamps to Make a Shaker

Greetings! Alison Heikkila here. Today I am sharing a card that I made on my latest FB Live for Doodles Paper Playground. I decided to show how to take a stamp that has a good amount of empty space and turn it into a shaker. If you'd like to see the entire process, as well as some additional stamp examples, please go HERE.

The "Never Let Go" stamp set from Sassy & Crafty was the inspiration behind this tutorial. That heart is the perfect spot for a shaker, and I think it looks so pretty in the end. I looked through my Sparkle Blends and decided to go with Judy's Royal Shine, because I didn't want this to be a romantic card. The colors in that Sparkle Blend helped me decide what colors to use for the rest of the card. My background was done with Sassy & Crafty's "Lipstick Squiggle" stencil, clear embossing powder, plus Worn Lipstick, Salty Ocean, and Twisted Citron Distress Oxides.

Look at how pretty those colors are! I did pull out the large crowns and the clay bows from the Blend, as I didn't think they worked with this card. But that means I'll have plenty for a different card. Using the colors from Judy's Royal Shine keeps this from looking like a romantic card, which, as I mentioned, I wasn't going for. The hands were colored with Copics. My sentiment was pieced together using Sassy & Crafty's "Wet Noses & Sloppy Kisses" and "Just Chillin."

I really enjoy looking at my supplies to see what stamps I can turn into a shaker. It doesn't always have to be circles or rectangles....really look at your stash and see what has a good amount of space that can be cut away to make room for sequins. This heart was a great size, but you can definitely go bigger or smaller. Please be sure to visit the Sparkle Blends Shop on Esty to see the all of the available Sparkle Blends, as well as joining the Sparkle Blends Fan Club on Facebook. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!