Using and storing Glitter

Hi all, WOOO HOOO our son got the trainee-ship at Express coaches Bus building and were so proud of him!! congrats Ben it's so good to know where you'll be heading now for next year we know God will bless as you learn a new trade XX,
I'm also having so many problems with my movie making programs that its not funny anymore, one reason why i haven't posted too much lately please let me know if anyone can suggest a good program. Any how Ive been playing a bit with all my new Martha Stuart glitters I bought and love them! I wanted to show you how I use and store my glitters. We went through a phase here in Australia using kindy glitz or some of you would know this as stickles or the wet glitters and they were good but i don't think it leaves you with quite the same effect as using crystal effects with dry glitter. The wet glitters tended to warp and change the colour of the card where as using the crystal effects then applying dry glitter didn't and left the overall project a little raised and nicer looking and you know the nicest people are the ones with glitter on their faces ;) ...ones less messy though.... anyhow I guess it comes down to your needs as well. So this is how i store my dry glitters...

decor has these great little containers which are approx 2-1/2" across x 2" high they come in packs of 6 for a bit less than $1 each container from the grocery store.... Woolworth's here for all the Aussies. I tip my cylinder of glitter in and its so much easier getting the glitter back into a larger container. So then I went looking for some spoons.....and found exactly the right size in these puddings from the cheap shops (crazy Clarks) and now each colour glitter has its own spoon and the lid will close with them stored inside, cool hey! :))

So stamp your image, silhouettes work best and slowly and carefully go over only the image with crystal effects, sprinkle over your glitter and with a fine craft knife you can take little pieces back off where you may have gone over before it drys just to touch it up.

A close up and some examples


Now check the video :)
Blessings to you

and a last thought

We have to remember that each day is a gift.
If we choose to focus on what’s wrong,
we’ll miss the beauty that each day has to offer.
“Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalms 90:12

inexpensive ways to colour your stamps

I really enjoy finding ways to colour your stamps in an inexpensive way. Here is a card i made recently and id like to show what i used.

For this tutorial you will need:


regular Crayola pencil
regular water colours
staZon ink pad
water colour brush

heres some pics of the ones I use. I can grantee you'll race off to the kids room and pull out those supplies you thought were only for the kids!
I use the SazOn ink as it is a permanent ink and wont run when you use the water colours. Stamp on your background in a random fashion.

next use the white crayola pencil to colour santas hat. Remember these pencil are a wax base and depending on how much pressure you put on them is how dark they will come out. Its good to experiment with that. I pressed these colours quite hard to get good coverage in circle motions. A tip i use the white pencil to mark my darker cards when making projects it handy to have.




Now you could leave it like this but i decided to colour the rest of the hat red even though the card was red it still had a great effect. The red just stands out that much better.

With the water colours i used a watery black and a scrap of paper as a pallet i could wipe off the excess darker paint. Go around the outside of each of the hats blending the colour out. This will make the hat pop out at you off the card.

and the finished background with added glitter.....

So really you don't have to have to use all the expensive fang dangle pens and colours to achieve a great result just learn to use what you may already have.
heres a couple more cards i make with the same water colour pallet.


I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and my find some some ways to take a few financial short cuts........Valita

and a last thought

But God's truth stands firm
like a great rock, and nothing can shake it.
It is a foundation stone.
2 Timothy 2:19

up in the clouds, stencling Tutorial and fold pattern

Hi all, wow a week has almost gone by of the kids school holidays....its been great to see them during the day and just relax together especially having Dave home on some holidays as well....a huge blessing to us all. Ive enjoyed having a play around with this cloud stencil not a new technique but a pleasing one....but be warned you will have very inky fingers and want to stencil clouds on everything LOL :)
This first card is a corner fold Japanese crane card a very quick card to make up and to make it that bit more special i stenciled the cloud background ...all patterns will be below.Note that Ive drawn 4 different cloud shapes on the one pattern for you to utilize ... so here's how i created the background.

you'll need:
a stencil...see below
Ink
a sponge
and card stock


First cut out your cloud on card which can be used for other projects. Now starting at the bottom of your card front lay the cloud in a random fashion holding firmly in place with one hand. Ink up the sponge and and sponging off in the direction shown here away from the cloud.

don't get fussy with buying expensive sponges i just use off cuts from my puppet making and they work fine. Once you have the colour depth you want move the cloud to another different random angle and sponge again.

take advantage of the 4 different cloud shapes as you go moving the stencil each time to a different shape and that will help get that natural random cloud formations.

here's the finished background....

It can take practice but you will be pleased with the results. This second card was done the same way but embossing the swirl cuttlebug folder over the finished background to give the appearance of a windy day. The kits was just folded down the middle and inked to get that black line.

and the patterns.........


I hope you have a go at these i found the stenciling a very rewarding technique and the ink dose eventually come off LOL.... until next post...Valita

and a last thought

"In Him we live and move
and have our being."
Acts 17:28

Oil Pastels on embossing

Hi all, I wanted to show you how oil pastels go on the embossed card. I did this with the ladies in my Monday classes and it's just another way to colour and use different mediums of art and that great cuttlebug!!!!!

My oil pastels are just cheap ones and they work just as well. Colour over the embossed pattern...you don't have to cover it completely. Next use your finger and a little firm pressure in circular motions to spread the colour out and over the embossed area.

Notice that what you missed when you first applied the colour is now covered.
The heat and natural oils from your finger help to blend the pastels out.Here's a close up pic of it finished.

I love the vibrant colours.....a similar effect to chalks but they can be alot more subtle. Any how have a go it was fun just playing around with it....you'll end up with every finger a different colour :) LOL.....and i had to show you this....as you know the seasons have just changed, for us its now spring YAAAAA! so for all you over seas readers this has bought out the Blue tounges in our back yard from their hibernation. and our dogs let us know about it. Don't worry they don't harm them their too chicken !! the dogs just do alot of barking and the poor bluey's do a whole lot of hissing!

This one was a big fella, he looked really shinny, clean and beautiful markings. As the summer goes on they get ticks around their ears and my son catches them to get the ticks out as this can really slow them down. They eat slugs, snails etc so they are really good to have in your garden. But they will bite. when our dog Pepsie seen this one it was making its self flat to look bigger and hissing and snapping. heres a close up of it's face and you'll see why they are called blue tounges.

He was hissing and snapping at me in this shot.....and he was pretty warmed up by the sun so he was moving fast. Isnt he beautiful! how could their not be a creator God!....and another thing, pop over and see my 2 new posts in Valita's Kitchen they are 2 yummy Dairy free recepies.....enjoy and until next post....Valita

and a last thought

O Lord what a variety you have made!
and in wisdom you have made them all!
The earth is full of your riches.
Psalms 104:24