FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-GLIMMER GLAZE

Hi there bloggers!

This week's fabulous find is from the folks at Tattered Angels.

If you have not heard by now they have a couple of new additions to their Glimmer Mist family.

Glimmer Glaze is the one I am featuring in today's fabulous Friday find.



This stuff is just as gorgeous as glimmer mist but with a few more bonuses.
It comes with an attached brush instead of a spray mechanism allowing you more control with the application of the product.
You can also remove the brush and pour it on. You can use this as you would glimmer mist on your projects, embellishments, chipboard, paper, cardstock,glimmer chips, fabric, etc...
It is water based & works wonderfully with glimmer mist to give you a multitude of blending options.

You get the same beautiful shine & color with a versatile way of dispersing it.
You can achieve a matte or glossy finish depending on your application method.

I for one can't wait to get my hands on some.

You can pre-order Glimmer Glaze at cropstop.com. At the time of this posting, the price was $5.25 but please keep in mind that is subject to change.

I hope you guys find this as fabulous as I did.

Have a great weekend!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" MULTI-DETAIL PUNCHES

Hi All!

This week's tool is brought to you by the folks at Tonic Studios.

It is their multi-detail punches.
These punches don't actually punch the image out completely. They actually lift the image off the page providing fabulous dimension to the image. You can still easily snip out the image if you want to but once you see how terrific it looks you may just want to use it as is.

Here is what one looks like:


And here is the result once you have used it to punch:


Doesn't it look beautiful?

You can cut out the butterfly if you want to but I love how the butterfly becomes one with the paper. You can really appreciate how intricate the wings look especially with cardstock in the background. Talk about taking your projects to the next level!

Tonic Studios does carry a couple other shapes at the moment like the heart & the star. There are some online retailers carrying the punches like Amazon & Paperwishes.com.
Price points vary.

I hope you enjoyed this week's tool.

Until next time...Happy Crafting!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#47) RECYCLING REVOLUTION

Hello there & thanks for tuning in today.

I hope your weekend went well.
This week's tip is inspired by the "going green revolution".
What I mean to say is...we are recycling, upcycling & going full cycle by revamping our cards.
I don't mean the ones we make, I mean the ones we get.
There are a couple of ways you can accomplish this recycling revolution.
Here are a few ideas I have for giving them new life.
1- Make gift tags out of them using a die cut pattern or tracing a tag you may already own.
2- Use your punches or your die cutting machines to cut certain parts of your cards in different shapes that you can use to build another card.
3- Cut out the inside phrases of the cards and adhere them on to coordinating cardstock then use them for the sentiment in your own hand-made cards.
4- Make a mini card album for each year where you use all the cards you have received & saved & add a photo of the sender.
5- If you don't want to part with them or disect them, simply wrap beautiful ribbon around a stack of cards & place a handwritten tag with the year on your ribbon & display on a coffee table or place in a keepsake box.
I hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing.

Have a great week!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-MOSAIC SCRAPBOOKING

Hi Bloggers!

This week's find is brought to you by:Tami Potter.

She shows us her innovative way of Mosaic Scrapbooking & I am so glad I found her.

I did get to meet her at the Creating Keepsakes Convention this May where she demonstrated her method of mosaic scrapping & I must say I was impressed. She made it look easy & fun.

I wanted to share her technique with you so here she is in action.
I hope she inspires you to try this fabulous technique which yields such wonderful results.



You can also go to tamipotter.com where she shares lots of know how on the subject of mosaic scrapping in more detail. Tami does sell a kit which contains a mosaic mat & grid paper. Go to snapncrop.com to check it out.

I hope you enjoyed this Friday's Fabulous Find.

Happy Weekend!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" THE i-ROCK

Hello!

This week's tool is the I-ROCK.

It permanently affixes rhinestones, jewels, pearls, or mirrors to paper, fabric, or wood.

Here is what it looks like:


Here's a little tutorial on how it works:



This tool looks like a lot of fun to use. It is great that Imaginisce made it cordless. It is battery operated.
Imaginisce also made some coordinating rhinestones called glam rocks, they have stencils & other accessories to go with this fabulous tool. Check out the Imaginisce website for more details.
It is currently being sold by many online retailers. The retail price is $12.99 but many online vendors are selling it for less.

I hope you enjoyed this week's tool time segment.

Happy Crafting!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#46) PREP YOUR SURFACE PRIOR TO EMBOSSING/GLITTERING

Hello Bloggers!

This week's tip is designed to help in your embossing & glittering endeavors.

If you do not currently own an embossing buddy there is something else you can use that you may already have on hand to help remove static cling during your crafting process.

It is a DRYER SHEET!

Remember that one of the reasons we use dryer sheets is because it helps to reduce static cling.
When we emboss or use glitter the small, fine particles sometimes tend to go in areas we don't want them to. Using something that helps eliminate that static cling makes these two techniques easier to execute.

If you find yourself in a pinch where you don't have an embossing buddy or can't find where you put it, try a dryer sheet.

It will ensure that next time you are embossing or using glitter on your images the embossing powder and/or glitter only sticks to the surface you embossed or placed your glue on.

A little side note, if you want to remove embossing powder or glitter from a surface after the fact just use a thin paint brush & gently brush it away.

Happy Crafting!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-SPRAY ADHESIVE DUO

Hello Bloggers!

This Friday find is brought to you by Crafters Companion.

It is their terrific spray adhesive duo known as the: Stick Away Adhesive Remover and Stick & Stay Temporary Adhesive.


Now there's a quick & simple way to bring back the stick factor to your die cutting mats and prolong their use.

No concoction necessary.

Step 1
Lay down newspaper or any other disposable surface material. This will be used to catch any excess adhesive or remover during the renewal process. Make sure it is at least twice the size of your electronic cutting mat. Lay down your cutting mat onto this surface.

Step 2
Spray a generous layer of our Stick Away Spray Adhesive Remover onto the mat. Be sure to get the entire surface wet. Let this sit for about 30 seconds.

Step 3
Grab an old credit card, membership card or rigid material with a straight edge and scrape down the entire mat. You’ll notice the old adhesive peels off easily during this proces. Go over the entire mat as you push any of the old adhesive buildup to one end and off the mat. Repeat step 2 and 3 if necessary until all adhesive buildup is gone.

Step 4
Wipe down your mat with a paper towel or cotton rag to remove any last bits of adhesive or Stick Away Spray.

Step 5
Apply masking tape or similiar to cover any part of your mat that does not come in contact with paper during normal operation of your die cutting machine. Basically, any part of your mat that does not need to be sticky.

Step 6
Apply a thin layer of Stick & Spray over the entire surface of the mat. You should notice that it is hard to see where you have sprayed. You should not have a thick layer of spray on your mat, as only a thin layer of temporary adhesive will do the trick. Let this dry for about 5-10 minutes and then peel off the masking tape. Your mat is ready to use!

Money Saving Tip: When it comes time to renew your mats again, you may repeat steps 5 through 6 for a few uses without the need to remove the excess adhesive. Once you notice a buildup of adhesive it is recommended that you complete all of the steps to completely renew your mat once again.

The Crafters Companion website offers a bundle price of $15.95. Considering that this will save you have to buy mats for far more than its' combined price I would say it is a great investment.

Have a great weekend!

Leaving you with a few of my Layouts

For the Gypsy in You

I am off to Florida for a bit & in the spirit of traveling I thought I would share this little tease from 7 Gypsies.



I have pre-scheduled posts so that the weekly content you have come to appreciate will keep coming.

Again thank you for your kind support.
I am going to miss blogland & if I get the opportunity to do so you better believe I will.

Isn't it interesting how once you start this way of communicating & connecting you realize that it is an important part of your life?

I don't take any of you for granted.

Happy Crafting & oh...All the best & crafty goodness!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" BUTTON SHANK REMOVER

Hey there!

Remember yesterday's alert for today's tool time segment?
Well the time has come to share this week's tool.
It is: a Button Shank Remover.

The Button Shank Remover is a great tool for cutting the shanks off the back of buttons to create a smooth back for use in scrapbooking, craft projects, jewelry making, card making, and so much more.

It looks like this:


The reason I chose to highlight this tool is because there are many vintage and antique buttons that only come with metal shanks and if you want to ever use those one of a kind, gorgeous buttons on your projects in a flat way, you are going to need to remove their shanks.

Currently, Webster's Pages has a stunning line of buttons called sparklers. You may get 6 in a pack but the price is not cheap.
If you follow yesterday's advice chances are you may find some glass buttons that look very similar to the Webster's buttons while antiquing. No doubt you will get many more than 6 but they will most likely have shanks.
Be prepared.
Get a button shank remover to get these buttons ready for your creative endeavors.

It is easy to use. There are currently no videos available on how to use the tool but believe me it is only because the written instructions will suffice. If you can use a pair of scissors, this will be a cinch. It is a great investment.
You can find this handy tool at Joann's & A. C. Moore or any fabric/sewing store should carry it.
I am sure you can find it online as well. By the way, the button shank remover can also be used to snap off/remove the little legs off your brads if ever you want to use your brads without the prongs.

I used mine to actually remove some buttons off a few pieces of my daughter's baby clothing to use on a scrap page. Sadly, that page along with many others were destroyed in a flood we suffered in our basement in October of 2009. I do have some other baby clothes left so I am going to try the technique using buttons from baby clothing again at a later time.
In the meantime, I will hunt down antique glass buttons & use my button shank remover on those.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Crafting!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#45) GOT BUTTONS?

Happy Monday Bloggers!

This week's tip offers a way for you to get a high quality, dimensional look on your crafting projects with something that has been around for many, many years.

That something is buttons.





Buttons come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

You can use buttons as centers for your flowers, as a dangle or bauble to thread through twine/ribbon or as a cute embellishment for cards. No matter what your use you can't deny the power they have to turn your layouts, cards & home decor into wonderful, dimensional works of art from the heart.

Buttons are readily available in all craft stores. They carry those that come with shanks and those without for the flat effect and better adhesion to your card & paper crafting projects.

You can easily find buttons at thrift stores, antique shops and garage sales for super low prices. Those are jackpot finds because often times there are some vintage, unique, one of a kind buttons that you just cannot find anywhere else.

If you find buttons that have shanks that you need to remove for your project there is a tool out there to help you do just that.

Stay tuned for Tool Time Tuesday to see what it is & find out how it works.

Hope you gather up an impressive button collection for your next crafting extravaganza. Make sure to check out the antique shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army and garage sales near you. They are bound to have a bagful at the right price.
You can save lots of money purchasing them this way.

Happy Crafting!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING KIT

Hello & Happy Friday to You!

This week's fabulous find is: Collect-A- Kit.com brought to you by the folks at Digital Scrapbook Experts.com.

If you have ever wanted to try your hand at digital scrapbooking or hybrid scrapping this is a great way to start.

Sometimes digital programs can be difficult to understand or pricey to purchase.

Collect-A-Kit.com offers you the ability to get those digital photos scrapped in a simple, fast & easy way. If you find that once you are done scrapbooking them digitally that you want to add traditional embellishments you can do so easily.

When you sign up at Collect-A-Kit.com they will send you a free digital scrapbooking kit piece by piece everyday directly to your e-mail until you have an entire kit.
You simply open up the e-mail and download what you receive. Save it on your computer in its own folder & when you have all the pieces you can create a digital scrapbook with all your digital delights.

What have you got to lose?

It's FREE, FAST & as you will soon discover FUN.

I hope you try this out.

Have a great weekend everyone.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" TEXTURED BOUTIQUE EMBOSSING MACHINE

Hello there!

Today's tool is the Sizzix Textured Boutique Embossing Machine.

It is an adorable, purse shaped embossing machine that can add dimension and texture to your scrapbooking and crafting projects.

You can use Cuttlebug embossing folders with this machine too.

Here's how it works with the Sizzix texture plates:


Here's a video showing how it works with your Cuttlebug embossing folders:


Hope you enjoyed this week's featured tool!
Have a great day.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#44) MAKE YOUR OWN GLASS PEBBLES

Happy Monday Bloggers!

You know those beautiful pebbles that Prima & other companies have recently come out with for crafting?

Well, I have found an alternative way to make them. Not only will they be less expensive but customizable.

Here's what you need...flat decorative glass stones that look like this:


They should be flat on the bottom & rounded on top.
Michael's carries them as well as A. C. Moore. I do believe some dollar stores also carry gem stones. The key with this is getting the ones that have a flat bottom. That way you can make them customizable & adhere them to your projects.

I was fortunate enough to pick up a bag of aqua colored ones for .25 cents at a local antique store. At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with them but I am obsessed with glass and could not pass up a deal like that for anything.

Here are a few ways you can turn these gems into beautiful, decorative pebbles for your pages & cards or use them as a center for your gorgeous flowers:

-You can tint them with your alcohol inks
-You can adhere a flat embellishment to the bottom with spray adhesive or a strong clear wet adhesive rendering the embellishment visible on the other side
-You can adhere patterned paper/cardstock
-You can color the flat bottom with stickles & let it dry, when you turn it over you have a sparkly gem
-You can adhere an index photo, cut to size
-You can stamp an image with Staz-On solvent ink
-You can use a snippit of an old music sheet & adhere it on to the bottom of the gem

Anything you adhere or do to the bottom of the glass gem is going to be revealed at the top so you can totally customize your pebble to match your project.
When you are done tailoring the gem you can use glue dots to adhere them in place.

I used waterfall Stickles on one gem & the other I actually adhered a traced & cut image from a vintage paper bag that I really liked.When they all dried I adhered them to flowers and here are the finished products.





I still have lots left and as you can see even though mine were aqua colored I was still able to get a nice effect with the treatments I chose to apply to the gems.

I saw a pack of Prima Pebbles for $3.69. I love Prima & would not hesitate to buy their stuff but what happens when we run out or have a crafting bonanza at 1am?
Now you don't have to worry about running out of them or running to get them.
Just make your own.

I love this idea & I hope you do too!

Happy Crafting!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-FREE CARD MAKING.COM

Hey there!

This week's fabulous find is: Free-CardMaking.com

An awesome website that allows you to download hundreds of free card making projects.

There is no cost to join and it is easy to sign up.

So what ya waitin' for?

Head on over & see for yourself what they have going on.

Have fun.

Have a great weekend!