Sunday, January 31, 2010

Life Lessons Project with Shimmerz Spritz

Today I'd like to share a project that I created using some fabulous Shimmerz Spritz colors: Bed of Roses (my favorite) and Eucalyptus.

I confess that I've been coveting one of those great 7 Gypsies artist painter's tray for a while now, but my local scrapbooking stores didn't have them in stock. So I resorted to finding something similar at the craft store. Well, I found a long wooden display frame which I painted black and then created the dividers with black cardstock. Here's how the completed frame turned out:


Each section has either a pocket or envelope where I've placed my journaling - the "hope" section has a stitched pocket made from glitter paper, the "love" section has a mini envelope made from vellum, and the "peace" section has a handmade cardstock envelope.

I sprayed a combination of both Bed of Roses and Eucalyptus Spritz colors onto the piece of doily in the first section titled "Life Lessons" as well as the cardstock envelope in the "peace" section. I also sprayed the chipboard letters with Shimmerz Spritz to get the neat speckled effect on the chipboard letters that spell "life", "hope" and "peace". You can get the same effect by quickly drying it with a heat embossing tool.



The next time you'd like to try something different with your chipboard alphas, give them a little spritz! You'll probably love the result just as much as I did!

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you have a wonderful week!



Saturday, January 30, 2010

Green grass and blue skies


One thing I love to do with Shimmerz Spritz is create an outdoor background for my layouts. For this hot air balloon layout, I started with white cardstock and sprayed the top half with Sea Foam Spritz (the sky) and the bottom half with a mixture of a couple of the green Spritz colors (the grass).

This layout features pictures of a hot air balloon ride my husband and I took over the Masai Mara in Africa years ago. The funny thing is that I've always been EXTREMELY afraid of heights, but for some reason the hot air balloon ride didn't bother me at all -- even knowing that if we went crashing to the ground, we would most likely be eaten alive by wild animals. Luckily that didn't happen.

Here's a close-up of my Spritz'd background:

Have a fantastic weekend!!

-Stacy Cohen

Friday, January 29, 2010

Story book tales

This is my first ever project as far as playing with Shimmerz. I know, I know, I work with it alot so why don't I ever play with it? It makes no sense I know. Tee-Hee-Hee!

I went to the new Hobby Lobby store here in town and bought a sketch book and made a new storybook filled with my own favorite story.



On the top flower I used Fire Engine Red Shimmerz and spayed the little flower with the new Vibez. (You'll see those soon!)

And the little flower I painted with December Sky Blingz.

Now like I said, I'm a total newbie at this so it'll take me sometimes to get into my groove (;

Stamping with Shimmerz

There is one thing I really have come to love lately, and that is stamping with paints, which also means that opens up so many possibilities of "stamps" you can come up with household objects. For this most recent layout I made, using the Scrap for a Cure January Mini kit, I wanted to give some more texture to the already beautiful Kaiser patterned paper which is my background. I grabbed my bottle of Shimmerz Spritz in Licorice, and spritzed my Shimmerz directly onto the bubble wrap I used and really got it saturated with color. I then went ahead and "stamped" my paper with the bubble wrap. One thing that really is great about using paints on the bubble wrap is that you can "stamp" multiple times and create a lighter version of the first and so forth but really still packs a punch on your page. For the upper left corner of the page, this was my original stamp and then the lower right corner was my third and fourth time "stamping" on the page, but you can see, I still got a lot of great color on the page from this effect.

Next, I went ahead and decided to grab a rubber stamp of mine, which I love to use quite often. It's actually a coffee stain stamp that I got from Club Scrap many years ago, but it's "messy" enough to work on boy pages. I went ahead and grabbed my Shimmerz and a paint brush and I "painted" the color Mossy Stone (which has become on of my favorite colors of Shimmerz) onto the stamp. I then went ahead and stamped on the page and again, used it multiples with the same dose of color. I did "repaint" my stamp one extra time, because I needed to get a little bit darker spot on the brown pattern paper, and in order to have it show up, I needed to know that I would have a lot of color on the stamp.

Stamping onto your page with paints really adds a lot of great texture to a page, and I love texture, therefore, it really packs a punch to my layout. I really love the way this turned out, and I think I would be safe to say that this is my favorite layout thus far for the new year. The Shimmerz just gives it the right amount of "bling" even on a boy page!

So next time you want to stamp on your page, try stamping with your Shimmerz and a "found" object. You can really get creative with this. Some things you may want to use as your "stamp" could be an empty roll from toilet paper or paper towels. Saran wrap, bubble wrap, sponges, the bottom of a shoe for the pattern, or even a flower. The possibilities are endless!


Have fun creating!
-Deanna

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Vibez and Glitz.....a perfect match!

Hi, Shimmerz fans, Lucy here, just back from CHA. I was able to shoot a video of the wonderful make and take that Glitz Designs taught in their booth during CHA. All of the customers in the booth were loving the new Vibez!! Glitz new papers are gorgeous and a wonderful match with Shimmerz!! Hope you check them out!

Now you can make your own! Check out this fun and fabulous idea!!



A close-up of the shimmer!



The Glitz booth.....our very own Jeni had several layouts showing off their products!




See you soon, Lucy

Pearlz vs Shimmerz



Can I tell you how much I'm loving Shimmerz Pearlz? They are absolutely gorgeous! Since you probably haven't seen them in stores yet, let me tell you how they differ from the Shimmerz Paints that you already love.

Here's a picture of the new Pearlz...



Pearlz are a little thicker and more opaque than Shimmerz Paints. Pearlz are perlescent while Shimmerz are iridescent. Pearlz have a luxurious feel. They are kind-of like a light cream consistency on paper. Shimmerz paints are more like a light body gel on paper. Do you follow?

Here's another analogy. Pearlz have the shimmer that can be found on the inside of a seashell while Shimmerz have the shimmer that can be found on a butterfly wing.

And now a picture of the old stand-by Shimmerz paints...



Pearlz and Shimmerz paints are alike in that they are both non-toxic and water-based. So no worries if your 2-year-old accidentally licks some or if you spill a drop or two on your carpet. Oh, and you don't need to worry about messy hands either because they wash off with regular soap and water.

Enough of the lecture...let's get onto to a few of my projects, okay?

The first one is a layout that I did using Shimmerz Pearlz and My Little Shoebox papers. I used Grey Flannel to paint my background circle and the chipboard stars. I also stamped using bubble wrap and Pearl.



You can see the Pearlz better in my close-ups. Can you see why I compared the shimmer to a seashell? Isn't it beautiful?



Here is another picture of the shimmer. The chunks of silver is embossing powder, just so you know.



My next project is an art journal page that I did using Pearlz as my background.



I'll show you some close-ups of the shimmer. I apologize for the slightly blurry picture.



Did you see the smidge of yellow just above the "N"? That's a quick spritz of Chickadee Spritz. While the Pearlz was still wet, I did a little Spritz to add a little more color. The result is really cool. I highly suggest experimenting more with combining these two products. You can bet I'll be!



My journaling was a little too bold for my taste so I literally dipped my finger into the Pearl Pearlz and smooshed it onto my text. Now it is obscured enough that I feel comfortable posting on the web. (giggle)

I can't wait to see what you do with Pearlz. You're going to love them!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Christmas Memories


I created this for a challenge to create a layout with journaling that sums up our holiday season. The background paper is sprayed with Bed of Roses Shimmerz Spritz. My journaling is tucked inside this little kraft envelope. The envelope is sprayed with Bed Of Roses and Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz.

The chipboard house is painted with ivory white paint and Mossy Stone Shimmerz paint. I used a mini comb for the house texture while the paint was still wet. I found the comb at our local craft store. It is made out of rubber and has four different ends/textures. You can use a regular old comb or old toothbrush. Play around and see what you get.


It doesn't take much to add a little sparkle and interest to your layout.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Shabby Chic With PEARLZ On Top!





I am absolutely loving these new Teresa Collins Pearlz! They are thick and creamy and more opaque than regular Shimmerz, with a pearly finish. The colors are very "Shabby Chic" to me and I used several of them to create this card. Here is a list of supplies as well as a step by step:
  • White cardstock
  • Swirl background stamp
  • Brown stamp pad
  • Shimmerz Spritz
  • TC Shimmerz Pearlz
  • Vintage lace
  • Decorative tape
  • Embellishments for collage (i.e. fabric scraps, tulle, ribbon, charms, pins, images)
  • Adhesives

Cut your white cardstock 8 1/2 x 5 1/2. Score and fold at 4 1/4. Stamp background with Swirl stamp using "Vintage Photo" colored Distress Ink. Spritz with "Bed of Roses" Shimmerz Spritz and dry with embossing gun. Use a dauber or a paintbrush to paint the edges of card using TC Pearlz in "Crafty". Next embellish with vintage lace and decorative tape. Use a paintrush to paint over the entire background, including lace and tape, using TC Pearlz in "Pearl". Cut a heart out of music paper and paint over the top with TC Pearlz in "Morning Mist", wrinkle and flatten. With what is left on your paintbrush from that "Morning Mist", dry brush a few edges and top of card again. Add heart and various other embellishments in a collage like fashion. Happy Sunday!

Lori S.


Saturday, January 23, 2010

Shiny Cupcake Flowers

I've had the BEST time playing with and discovering FUN ways to
use the Teresa Collins Pearlz.  An idea popped in my head while
strolling through the aisles of Hobby Lobby.
Then back at home...
I got all the necessary items I'd need together for my
idea of shiny cupcake flowers:
















and went to town creating:






















I laid out the cupcake holders and cinched them together
by using my Tim Holtz tiny attacher (a mini stapler)
One cupcake flower I did using 2 holders.
The other flower was just a single holder
that I punched holes around (just for added dimension).
Next I barely sprayed Ruby Spritz and dried using
my  heat gun.

Then I painted Ballet Slipper Pearlz on both
and also dried using my heat gun.
The last step to my flowers was to put a center in them
and glue them to my layout:
































On my layout I also used red heart doilies I found.
One one I left solid red, the other I painted using
Ballet Slipper Pearlz.

And I also added the Ballet Slipper around the edge of my photo
as a frame. I LOVE doing this. Really adds great texture
to photo's!
On my matte, I used Tim Holtz Grungeboard
that  I first sprayed with Ruby Spritz, let dry..
next with Bed of Roses Spritz, let it dry...
and topped with Ballet Slipper.
I added Grey Flannet Pearlz around
the edges of the grungeboard.
It's REALLY shiny and gorgeous!
Pearlz makes a statement.

I love how this layout turned out.
I hope you are enjoying the new Pearlz release!
They are GORGEOUS and SO FUN to work with!!
Have a wonderful day!
Thank you for letting me share with you today...

~Leslie



Friday, January 22, 2010

Pearlz Technique Video

Just wanted to share my new technique video on the Shimmerz Ed Team Blog - Monoprinting with Shimmerz Pearlz!

Here is a little preview of what to expect:




A close up of all of the pearly goodness!



Thanks and hope you enjoy!!

Lucy

Thursday, January 21, 2010

So Lucky...to be using Pearlz!

I have been enjoying all of the different Teresa Collins Pearlz on my projects lately, and this happens to be a recent card that I made for my husband to celebrate our anniversary:


I used some yummy Teresa Collins Friendship paper (houndstooth pattern) along with her new Shimmerz Pearlz in Pearl and Morning Mist. The Pearlz coordinate so well with this collection!


I used a water brush to paint the Pearl Pearlz onto the center of the doily and Morning Mist Pearlz for the outside border of the doily. I also painted the flowers with Morning Mist Pearlz so that they would coordinate with the colors of the card. I wanted to add a bit of a distressed look on the glittered letters so I brushed a little bit of Morning Mist along the edges, and I thought it worked out well. I think I'll try that again on future projects!

I hope you all have a chance to work with these wonderful new Pearlz products, and thanks for visiting today!


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Ballet Slipper and Morning Mist

I just love those names for our new Shimmerz Pearlz. Here is a little card I created using both of these beautiful colors.
I painted the chipboard butterfly with white paint. After it was dry I painted it with Ballet Slipper Shimmerz Pearlz. For the polka dots, I used a toothpick to "drop" Morning Mist Shimmerz Pearlz onto the butterfly.
The flower is made out of tissue paper that was painted with Ballet Slipper Shimmerz Pearlz using a sponge. If you would like to make these flowers check out my tissue flower tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by!

Frost Your Layouts!

Are you getting ready for Valentine's Day? I love seeing all the reds, pinks, and whites hit the store shelves and I'm getting the urge to make some pink frosted sugar cookies with my kids.

In the meantime, I will "frost" my pages with some pink-hued Shimmerz products. :)



On this page, I used the Cuttlebug Heart Blocks embossing folder to create a subtle background piece to balance out my single photograph. I used Bed Of Roses Spritz by Shimmerz Paints to spray my embossing folder (NOT the paper) before embossing. I love the way the Spritz pooled into the deeper areas of the image creating a variety of interesting shades of pink.



Thanks so much for coming by!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Shimmerz Pearlz: Pearl & Morning Mist

Hello, friends! :) I have a Shimmerz Pearlz page to share with you today using the brand new Teresa Collins Pearlz.

I painted some Maya Road chipboard hearts using the Pearl and Morning Mist Shimmerz Pearlz. I love the subtle pearly effect . . . not too much, not too little. :)

LOVE - by Jana Eubank
(Click on photos to view larger)






Thanks for coming by! :)

The little mermaid

I was so excited to play with the new Pearlz!!  They are a great addition to the Shimmerz family of products!

Here's a little ocean-themed card I made:

I painted the edge of each little ocean wave with 'Pearl' Pearlz.  Pearl Pearlz . . . try saying that ten times fast!  Betcha can't do it!    

You can get a great look by mixing Shimmerz paint and Pearlz.  I first used Tickle-Me-Turquoise Shimmerz on the chipboard flourish.  Once it was dry, I added a little Pearl Pearz to the edge of the chipboard and rubbed it in with my finger for a more subtle Pearlz effect. 

I discovered another fun use for Shimmerz and Blingz.  I made the little mermaid out of shrink plastic . . . you know . . . the Shrinky Dinks we all played with when we were kids?  I first colored the plastic with colored pencils and then I added a touch of Shimmerz (green and blue) before baking the plastic.  When you bake the plastic, the Shimmerz crystallizes and flakes off a bit, but it leaves a lovely texture and color behind.  After it was baked, I simply added a little Stickles glitter glue on top of it to seal in the texture.



Hope your day goes swimmingly!!!!

-Stacy Cohen

Monday, January 18, 2010

Blending and painting with Pearlz

Do you know what is so great about using Shimmerz Pearlz and Shimmerz Paints??? They blend so well together and the final look is flawless and beautiful. For today's layout, I went ahead and used my new Teresa Collins Shimmerz Pearlz to color my chipboard, flowers and some of the open spaces in my stamping. I really love being able to recolor the plain white flowers that Prima offers, and in this case, I used my Grey Flannel, Crafty, Morning Mist Pearlz and Olive Branch and Terra Cotta Shimmerz Spritz for the main colors on the flowers.


With the flowers colored with the color Crafty Pearlz, I went ahead and smeared on some of my Pearl Pearlz on top to give a little bit of a distressed look.


With the chipboard, I had previously used this piece as a mask for other projects, and therefore it was originally spritzed with my Shimmerz Spritz in Concrete, Mango Madness and Rock-a-Fella Blue. I wanted to add some more dimension to the colors and therefore went ahead and added to it my Shimmerz Pearlz in Pearl, Crafty and Morning Mist. The results were just beautiful!
There are just so many things you can do with your Teresa Collins Pearlz Shimmerz and with other Shimmerz products that you could just keep on creating over and over and over. I hope you'll try these fun products, and then share your projects with us as well!
-Deanna

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Stamping with Pearlz

I've had so much fun creating with Pearlz. The possibilities are really endless. I just had to share with you some recent creations. I decided to use one of my favorite stamps to create a soft, romantic background for both of these projects.
On the first project I used Ballet Slipper, Grey Flannel, acrylic, a wooden script stamp, and a sponge. I used the sponge to daub the background of the acrylic using Ballet Slipper. Creating a soft textured sponge look. Once that dried, I used a paint brush to brush the color (Grey Flannel) onto my wooden script stamp. Stamping off/onto the acrylic creates a two tone soft textured background. It's even more beautiful in person. Some of the Background color (Ballet Slipper) came up when Stamping creating a antique aged look. I really love the way it all turned out. If you are not into the aged look, just sponge more of the background color onto your acrylic.














On this project I used the same wooden script stamp, and Morning Mist Pearlz stamping onto black cardstock. Once it dried I embellished the rest of the layout. I love the way the Pearlz added an elegant, feminine, soft touch to my projects. Just think of all the fun things you can do with Pearlz and your stamps. I hope you give them a try and have tons of fun in the process.