Twinkling H2Os are coming back! Better than ever!!!

Creative Imaginations has picked up the Twinkling H2O line of mica paints along with the mica daubers and the Radiant Rain spritzers. That is good news - however, what I heard from Leslie (the creator of these wonderful products) is that they have been reformulated and are BETTER than they ever were! Creative Imaginations has financially backed using the highest grade mica available and they are now using 2 different size mica granules, which give the product more sparkle than ever before. As Leslie described to me last night at an event "It's like Twinks on steroids!" The color palette has been reduced to about 36 colors and that is more manageable from an inventory standpoint. In addition, they have put the Radiant Rain in new spritzer bottles from Germany that are GORGEOUS and work wonderfully! Hopefully the Twinks will ship very soon with the new daubers and Radiant Rain to follow. The picture shows how Twinks can be painted directed to a red rubber stamp and then spritzed lightly - this will produce up to *16* images with one application! Unfortunately, the lighting in the ballroom where I took this was not good and you cannot get the full effect of the new mica, but trust me, it is GREAT! As soon as the Twinks are out, we will have them!

In addition, I watched Leslie make this INCREDIBLE background paper using paper sandwich wrap (like you get in a deli) and the spritzers. It was gorgeous and so easy to do! Now we just need to find a restaurant supply place and buy some!

Tilda with Puppy Easel Card

I had some fun with easel cards a little while back and this is one I made with the Magnolia stamp "Tilda with Puppy." Tilda is sitting on one of the Spellbinders pendant dies and flanked with a couple bows made with Midori double-face satin ribbon. If you're looking for high quality double-face satin ribbon, Midori's is the best I have ever used. It comes in a rainbow of colors and widths. I also used an EK border punch. Buttons work great for holding the easel portion of the card. In this case, I tied a piece of forest twine through the button before attaching it to the base card.

Whippersnapper stamps!

A new shipment of adorable Whippersnapper stamps just arrived! These are some of the most adorable stamps on the market. Come in quick for the best selection! They always sell fast - especially once we start using them in classes.

Real Wood Paper

Creative Imaginations is releasing a new line of real wood paper. There are 2 thicknesses and the picture shown here (a company sample) shows how the thin wood can be embossing with one of the popular embossing folders out there. The addition of some Distress Ink by Ranger adds some great dimension to the wood. There are 2 color tones of wood. This product is different from one that was released a long time ago, in that there is a lightweight paper backing to the wood, making it more user friendly. Look for this product in the store soon!

Tying a bow to wrap around a card layer...

I have always preferred to tape a knot or bow behind a layer of cardstock instead of trying to wrap ribbon around a piece of cardstock. It's hard to get the length right and the ribbon likes to slide off if you don't use an adhesive. Knots are easy and you can tie them "in the air," but bows are more tricky. I have found that tying them around something round, is just the trick for bows. I start by finding something round that is the right size for my project. Glass jars and drinking glasses work very well. In this first picture, I used a Stazon cleaner bottle, though I don't recommend using bottles with liquid in them.






Next, I slide the piece off the bottle, so I have a bow with a loop:


I then cut the loop with a straight cut (as opposed to the angle cuts of the bow ends) - which I will use to wrap around the card piece.




Now the straight ends are wrapped around the cardstock and taped in the back. This allows you to get a nice, tight bow and ribbon. This layer is then added to the card base:






This is a GREAT way to create a "wrap around" bow on your project.