My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Turquoise Snowman and Blog Candy

Hi, everyone! Here in central Florida we have been enjoying our usual April and May style weather all winter long. But Sunday and Monday mornings are supposed to be in the 30s, so here is a Snowman in hopes that we can enjoy some "more appropriate" seasonal temperatures.

In the meantime, I've become addicted to that Cloud Nine Velvet Glitter by Sparkle N Sprinkle, and cannot stop playing with it. Those who know me can attest that my "fumble fingers" find coloring difficult. But stamping and shading are so enjoyable on this glitter. You'll likely be tired of seeing how much I use this technique. My favorite way of coloring on this glitter is with a Dove Blender pen and watercolor crayons because they are so forgiving and extremely easy to blend. This card only has a slight dab of color.


To see this snowman's brother, please click here.


The three delicate snowflakes are from Impression Obsession's new die line.

The die cuts were cut from white cardstock, coated with VersaMark ink, and heat set with Sparkle N Sprinkle's glistening Cosmic Ice Rink embossing powder (EP408).


The easy techniques for using Velvet Glitters are found on the SNS Site:
Copics on Velvet Glitter - coloring on Glitter
Staz-on Ink and Velvet Glitter (several tips in one tutorial)
(and there are even more techniques for velvet glitter if you'd like to take a look!)


I stamped on top of the velvet glitter with Rubber Cottage's Snowman inked in Azure Blue Staz-on ink. The shading was accomplished by pulling the color off Lyra watercolor crayons with a Dove Blender Pen, and applying directly to the glitter. Easy to manage the color. Easy to blend and shade.

TIP: the Dove Blender allows you to control how much moisture gets on the glitter so the underlying adhesive is not affected.


The snow flake on the top right has been cut through to the center, so that part of it is behind the white layer, and part is in front, to create visual interest and depth.

The velvet glitter is applied with Super Adhesive Sheets (double sided hi-tac adhesive). Burnishing the velvet glitter onto the adhesive enlivens the glistening power.

BLOG CANDY: Three Sparkle N Sprinkle Stamp Sets to the winner whose name is pulled out of the hat. Just leave a comment stating what your favorite card colors are to use on a snowy card. If the winner's e-mail address is available through their blogger account, I will notify them, so you do not have to become a follower :-) Deadline is February 28.



Sparkle N Sprinkle Supplies:


Other Supplies:
Rubber Cottage Snowman
SB Grand Labels Twenty-Three
MS Swirling Lace punch
IO Snowflake die cuts
White, Navy and Teal cardstock
Lyra Watercolor crayons
ribbons, lace, rhinestone snowflake

This card is submitted to the following challenges:

Holly Jolly Christmas - (Feb 12) Two Dies and/or Punches (2 punches, 6 dies)
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - #25 Anything Goes
Winter Wonderland - (Feb 15) It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Crimbo Crackers - #35 Shaped Card
Through the Craft Room Door - (Feb 12) Anything Goes
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - #3 All Tied Up - (organza bow, dotted grosgrain and lace)
Tuesday Throwdown - #134 Anything Goes
Christmas Card Challenge - #11 Scallops (3 scallop dies, and scallop lace punch)
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - #3 - Snowflakes (3 snowflake dies, rhinestone snowflake)
Charisma Cardz - #6 Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by. I always enjoy sharing with my on-line friends.



59 comments:

Dawn said...

Hi Donna, Your card is stunning! The glitter is so beautiful and I love the way the turquoise just pops. Gorgeous die cuts and borders too.

Hugs, Dawn

Debi said...

This is gorgeous Donna. Love all the blue. And I know what you mean about coloring on that velvet glitter. You don't want it too cold down there in FL- isn't it about strawberry time? I think we might be in for some more snow tonight. I'm ready to see some spring flowers, like on the top of your blog.

Debi said...

Sorry, forgot to mention that my favorite card colors for a snow card are light blue, lavender and white.

Margaret said...

Breathtaking colors and design. Thanks for joining us at Tuesday Throwdown for this challenge.
Margaret, DT

Monica said...

Hello Donna,
You are such a wonderful follower, you know, your visits are always so full of genuiness. Love your real comments. And yes, in Indonesia, they eat cup cakes like crazy - the sweeter the better.
This technique that you use is such heavenly - so delicate like pixy dust. Love the gentle colours and that snowflake is like a jewel.
Much love,
M

Unknown said...

Gorgeous card Donna and love the sparkle, gosh I just love to use white and light shade of blue, similar to the colours here and that's about it...luv aNNIe

Penny said...

Donna, this card is just beautiful! Love the wonderful colors and sparkle, the great image, and the fabulous die cuts! Thank you for sharing this with us at TTCRD. Hope to see you again soon! :^)
Hugs, Penny

Jenny said...

Das ist eine sehr schöne Karte. Die Farben sind toll.
Danke für deine Teilnahme bei CSAYL. Liebe Grüße Jenny

downrightcrafty said...

Beautiful Christmas card thank you for sharing it with us at the Winter Wonderland
Hugs Kate xx

Lynne in NI said...

Beaatiful card, love your sparkly scarf! I like blues on my snowy cards too - thanks for the chance to win your goodies :)

chrissy xx said...

JUst Gorgeous! What FABulous Frosty colours..A lovey little scene...
Thank you soooo much for joining us this week at C.S.A.;Y.L.
Chrissyxx

pam said...

hi Donna, another beautiful card, love the soft colour and fab design. pam

Carol Hurlock said...

Donna this is spectacular. I just love how it sparkles and that image of the snowman is so sweet. I was checking out the Stamping Convention in Orlando in May and saw that they are having some classes using this glitter. I just might have to check it out. We are having the same weather as you. One morning this week I went to work and it was already 72 degrees-this morning it is cold...lol Have a happy crafting weekend.
Bear Hugs,
Carol

Heather said...

This is so pretty! Love the colors you chose and all the sparkly glitter. Tough to say what my favorite frosty card colors would be, but probably blues since they are my fav colors anyway. Thanks for playing with CSAYL.

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Hi Donna, your sparkle snow creation is stunning, love it ! Also love the turquoise shades, perfect for a winter scene. I wouldn't mind a little warmer weather, here we have tons of snow, but the sun is starting to come out ! Yay! Enjoy the warmth, Shirleyx

Shona Erlenborn said...

Another gorgeous creation Donna. I can imagine how glitterific the little snowman is in real life. I'm going to try the Dove blender instead of the waterbrush next time I use this technique, to see if I find a difference. Thanks so much for sharing. Apart from monochromatic white, I think you chose the right color for your winter scene!

Sylvia said...

What a beautiful snow scene, Donna! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving sweet comments. Have a fun Saturday!

Verna Angerhofer said...

What a gorgeous wintery card. You are so talented and I love what you did with the overall look. Lots of lovely dimension to it.
Although I am tired of snowflakes in person, I sure do love what you did on your card. I tend to go with blue shades, silvers and white for my snowy works of art. And, if I look out my door, when the sun hits on the snow banks, it shows them shaded here and there in tones of gray but with a sparkle too. It sure helps to know how to color things when you have a first hand view.

Hazel (Didos) said...

Oh WOW this is amazing, whata stunning card, I love the sparkle you have put on it. Thanks for playing on Sparkles Christmas Challenge this month, Love Hazelxo

Brenda said...

So gorgeous!!! What a beautiful filled with fabulous elements card!

creativearts said...

Amazing card, De! Love the snowman with all of that glitter! You have done a marvelous job with coloring on the glitter!

Christina Hicks said...

Gorgeous card! Blue and white are my favorite snowy card colors.

Judy McKay said...

Beautiful card - great design. Thank you for joining us at Holly Jolly this week.

Debby Kuster said...

very pretty card
thanks for palying allong at CSAYL

hugs Debby

Sheryl said...

Wow this is gorgeous, love your use of colour and glitter. The design showcases the image perfectly.
Thanks for joining our anything goes challenge at Charisma Cardz.
Hugs Sheryl xx

Fabiola said...

thanks to play with us at CSAYL this week with your nice and élégante creation, hope to see you soon, biz

Anne Temple said...

Stunning snowman (as well as his brother)! Love the colors and the blending with the Dove blender. Fabulous design too.

Audrey Hiltke said...

Hi Donna - this is a breathtaking masterpiece!! Serious gorgeousness going on here - from the wonderful diecuts and PATP, to the amazing image and fab coloring. Love the sparkle too!!!!
Blessings my friend,
Audrey

Rachel said...

Fab snowflakes card! Soooo pretty!

Thank you for sharing at Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month! Wedgie xxx

NanaConnie said...

Donna, This is stunning! Love all the sparkle. I think soft blue-grays and turquoises are my fav colors for snowy cards. Now, I need to put on my DT hat and thank you for entering out Tuesday Throwdown challenge this week. Good luck in the draw, my friend.
NanaConnie DT
PS Love your new blog header! I'm getting tons of fun comments about my new header, too. :-D

Bernardine Cuttino said...

DE, firstly, love your header, I am also a nut about flowers, in additions to the fur babies. Your creation is simply beautiful in blue.
Hugs

Bernardine Cuttino said...

Me again, I have the Epson 725 Series, love this printer, can do anything. I love Eureka products. Hoping one day to be on their DT
Hugs

Sue from Oregon said...

Hello Donna! Thanks for stopping in to say hello this weekend! Love your pretty snowman card along with the lovely dies. It is still cold here-freezing, but very little snow this year,so no snowmen for me! I love to use greys, lavenders and blues for my winter cards. Of course they have to have glitter too, so your card is right up my alley!

Sue said...

Donna, love your sparkly snowman card. He is one of my favorite snowmen, but I love them all. Beautiful embellishments and dies too. And my favorite color is blue, so this one is perfect to me!
Love everything about it.

Hugs
Sue

Karalee said...

Donna you are always amazing! Love this card.

Linda D said...

Amazing Donna! Love all of that snowman! You did a wonderful job coloring him, and the glitter is perfect :) hugs

Mrs A. said...

Both your blue and Lilac snowman are gorgeous. Just been looking at the links you provided (many thanks) and you now have a convert!!! Found one English site that stocks the products so off to have a good look. hugs Mrs A.

Carolyn said...

Hi Donna,
Your card is gorgeous!!!! I haven't tried stamping and colouring on glitter.....it must have been something new at Stampfest.

My favorite colours are soft muted or neutral colours for Christmas cards.

Carolyn

Lorraine said...

A gorgeous Christmas card. I love the snowman and fab colours.

Thanks for joining this weeks challenge at Winter Wonderland.
Lorraine x

Amy Martin said...

Oh my...This one is wonderful. I love all that sparkle and the different color makes it so lovely. This is my favorite color too so that really brought my attention to it. My favorite colors to use on a snowy card are: Blues and Teals.

shaz earl said...

Fabulous card!

Thanks for joining in the fun with us at Sparkles Christmas

Hugs Shaz x

Inger Harding said...

What a gorgeous winter card!!
Super cute snowman!

♥ Inger

Eret said...

Donna, your card is absolutely stunning. I really love the technique you used and the snowflakes are fab too. It looks so beautiful.
Blue is my favorite color, so I like to use it on all occasions including snowy cards :)
Thank you for the links how to use Velvet Glitter.
Hugs,
Eret

Shea said...

Donna! Your beautiful post today is surely a feast for the eyes, starting with those lovely pink tulips as your blog header! This card, like the wonderful lavender version, is out of sight GORGEOUS! I'd heard about velvet glitter a bit on other blogs, but YOUR post inspires me to go check it out as I can't imagine coloring on top of glitter. Like you (the girl after my heart that you are), I love love love glitter and try to use it as often as I can. You've also inspired me to check out the SNS site for other items as well. I'd say you're good advertisement for them! Thank you so much for this lovely inspiration - it's always a treat to come visit you!

Shea said...

Donna! Your beautiful post today is surely a feast for the eyes, starting with those lovely pink tulips as your blog header! This card, like the wonderful lavender version, is out of sight GORGEOUS! I'd heard about velvet glitter a bit on other blogs, but YOUR post inspires me to go check it out as I can't imagine coloring on top of glitter. Like you (the girl after my heart that you are), I love love love glitter and try to use it as often as I can. You've also inspired me to check out the SNS site for other items as well. I'd say you're good advertisement for them! Thank you so much for this lovely inspiration - it's always a treat to come visit you!

Shea said...

I completely forgot to say my favorite colors to use on a snowy card, and they would be ice blue, or black for drama. Actually, any super pale pastel looks great with snow. Or black. Or deep, deep blue. Hmmm...so typical, can't narrow down my color choices to just one or two. Ha!

April said...

Donna, this is so pretty! I love the dies and sparkle! You have done a great job as always!

Renate said...

Lovely card!
Thanks for joining us at Charisma this week. :)

scrapsnsuch@gmail.com said...

Glittericious! Worthy of a new word :>) Thanks for joining us at CSAYL!!

Glennis F said...

I love the effect of colouring on this glitter, and yours is beautiful.
I would go for pale icy blue or pale turquoise for snow themed cards.
Thanks for the chance to win

Carol Hurlock said...

Hello Donna:
I could not find an email contact for you so I just thought I would leave you this here. You are so sweet my friend and leave me the most wonderful comments. My head is so big I don't think I can get out the door....lol What a treasure you are. Thanks for befriending me and giving me such wonderful praise. It surely makes my day!
Bear Hugs,
Carol

Terry said...

Donna, what a stunning card! Love the frosty feel and such a cute snowman! Glad you are enjoying warm weather, we are cold here in CA!

Julia Aston said...

what a beautiful glittery scene! love all the pretty framings as well!

Pysselbus said...

Ohhh my gosh!! What a delightful and sparkling card!!! Love the color combo as well!! Thank's for playing with us at CSAYL- hope to see you again!

Hugs
Linda

Karen Petitt said...

Hi Donna - I'd never seem this technique before - will have to try and get some of that velvet glitter - it's such a fab technique.
Thank you for the chance to win - the colours I'd use the most on this would be pinks and blues - so thank you for the chance hugs Karen x

Laura Love said...

Wow! This is gorgeous! I bet it is a real jaw dropper in person with all that glitter! looks like a fun technique! For snowman cards I love pastel pinks with browns or any shade of blue. those are my go to colors :) Thanks for the chance to win!

Sharon Field / Inky A*Muse-ment said...

what a great snowman image... and you've done it justice PLUS!! great card, love the layers and die cuts!
Hugs,
Sharon

Shannon White said...

Ohh I Love Snowmen Donna!! And this one is no exception! What a fun snowy image! Just makes me smile! 8-) Love the super pretty glittery affect too! Wow!! and your blingy snowflakes are such Perfect touches too! Love this Lady!

Hugs
Shannon

Unknown said...

This is gorgeous, love the style and al the shine and glitter. Thank you for joining us at Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month and good luck xx