Shimmerz Featured on the CT Publishing Blog -- Art Quilt Tutorial

This weekend, Bethany Kartchner was caught using Shimmerz on the CT Publishing blog!

You'll need the following Shimmerz products for this project.

• Shimmerz paints (Sunny Side Up, Sky Blue, Pink)
• Shimmerz mists (Cotton Candy, Tuscan Sun, Blue Jeans, Pop Art Pink)

All the materials and directions to make this adorable spring art quilt can be found here.

If you like this project, you'll love Bethany's free monthly newsletter, A Bit of Whimsy from Creative Ruminations. It is filled with tips, tutorials, inspiration and creativity! You can subscribe to it here. (Don't worry, your email will NEVER be distributed!)

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Happy Creating!

Shimmery Backgrounds

I love combining basic acrylic paint with Shimmerz Vibez and Spritz to make gorgeous shimmery backgrounds.

I developed this technique on my Chore Chart.

You see those cool dots in the close-up? Yep, those were made with Blue Jeans Vibez spritzed through a Heidi Swapp mask.

In order to do this technique, paint your background with basic acrylic paint. (I use the cheap-o stuff). Allow it to dry, then spritz on the Spritz or Vibez. You can use a mask (or not). In order to blend the Spritz, I simply use a baby wipe to erase any harsh edges. It's as easy at pie!

Have fun experimenting with this!

Happy Shimmering!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Combining Shimmerz and Vibez

I was so inspired by designer Lori Renn a few months ago when she posted the idea of combining Shimmerz products to create your own custom colors. What a genius!

So I did just that and created Cool Cats.

 Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, Shimmerz Spritz (Olive Branch), Shimmerz Shimmerz (Magenta), Shimmerz Vibez (Grape Escape), Tim Holtz masks, 7 Gypsies ribbon, Sakura gel pens

I really wanted my Petaloo flowers to match my older daughter's sunglasses so I first painted them with Magenta Shimmerz then I spritzed with Grape Escape Vibez.

The result is this beautiful color. Thank you Lori for your inspiration!

(By the way, I spritzed the background with Olive Branch Spritz to add a little interest to my negative space.)

Happy Shimmering!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Kitchen Plate Masking with Shimmerz Spritz and Vibez

Instead of purchasing pre-made masks, why not make your own mask using a kitchen plate? That's exactly what I did for my Jugglers layout.

 

Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, Shimmerz Vibez in Sunset Strip and Shimmerz Spritz in Caribbean Sunset

I simply took a piece of scrap paper, traced my kitchen plate and used the resulting circle to mask off the center of my background paper. I spritzed using Sunset Strip Vibez and Caribbean Sunset Spritz. To make my masking stand out more, I sewed around the edges using white thread.

Have fun with this technique!

xoxo

Bethany Kartchner

Shimmering Blooms

Isn't Spring wonderful? All the flowers in the garden make my heart sing. It is also blooming here at Shimmerz! I've really enjoyed playing around with my Shimmerz and Petaloo flowers. In my video, I show you how to decorate a metal frame that I purchased at Target using white Petaloo flowers and Shimmerz Spritz and Pearlz.

The technique is very simple, but the results are stunning. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that the girl in the pic is adorable...giggle...)

You can see the detail in the following close-up shots.

In the video, I used the following Shimmerz products that you can purchase here.

Baby's Breath Spritz (on flowers)
Snow Storm Vibez (on flowers)
Ballet Slipper Pearlz (on flowers)
Gold Glimmer Blingz (on flowers)
Pixie Dust Blingz (on frame)

Happy Shimmering!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Let it Drip with Shimmerz Vibez

Are you ready for a new easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy technique using Shimmerz Vibez? Come on over to the Shimmerz Vlog for some inspiration!

I'll see you there!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Blingz on Wearables

 You know those really big beautiful Prima flowers?

Yeah, ones like those. I have serious issues using those flowers on layouts that will be shoved into an album almost never to be seen again. They are so pretty and so expensive, I just can't justify it.

So, I came up with a brilliant plan. I glitter them up using Shimmerz Blingz in Pixie Dust (clear colored) or Gold Glimmer (gold colored), glue a safety pin to the back, (I've used tacky glue, but E6000 would be better. And I suppose you could use a better pin designed for this purpose too) and pin them to a cute hat. (Target has a bunch of very cute hats for very cheapy.) Then I walk around town looking so stylish. (You can see the Shimmer on the flower pictured above. Gorgeous!)

Happy Shimmering!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Personalizing Muslin with Shimmerz Vibez and Spritz

I've got a huge stash of white and cream colored muslin hanging around my studio. (In case you aren't familiar with muslin...it is a very inexpensive fabric that is used in quilting, linings etc.) I love using it on cards, scrapbook layouts, art journal pages and mini art quilts. One of my favorite things to do is to to use my stamps, StazOn ink and my Shimmerz Vibez and Spritz to take transform my plain-jane muslin into something exquisite!

If you stamp your muslin first using StazOn ink (it won't run when it gets wet), then spray, the stamp will take a back seat to the color of the Spritz/Vibez. If you reverse the order and spray first then stamp, your stamp will take a more prominent role. Play around and see what you like.

On my dress form mini-art quilt, I first stamped with a script stamp, then spritzed with Olive Branch Spritz. Once it was dry, I sewed on my dress form. (The dress form was cut with my Silhouette SD out of plain white copier paper then sprayed with Rolling in the Hay Vibez.) The heart is another small snippet of muslin that I sprayed with Red-y-Or-Not Vibez. The entire process is very simple, but the results are stunning!

 Materials: Silhouette SD dress form image; muslin, Judikins stamp; StazOn ink; Shimmerz Vibez, and Spritz

If you are interesting in learning more about this technique, leave me a comment and I'll get a video in the works.

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

Coloring Die Cuts with Shimmerz Vibez and Spritz

I recently acquired a Silhouette SD digital cutting system and I'm absolutely thrilled! One of my favorite things to do is to cut shapes out of basic copier paper and personalize them with Shimmerz paints, Vibez and Spritz for my projects.

I made the flower and the swirls for this card using plain white copier paper and Shimmerz Vibez in Razzle Dazzle Berry (pink flower) and Olive Branch Spritz (swirls). I'm totally in love with the way it turned out!

After I spritzed the flower, I followed up with a coat of Pixie Dust Blingz for a little added punch of texture.

Materials: Copier paper, Silhouette SD flower image and flourish, SRM sticker, lace and plastic heart "ribbon," Judikins stamp, StazOn ink, Shimmerz Vibez, Shimmerz Blingz, Fashion Jewel, muslin, black cardstock

 

Happy Creating!

xoxo

Bethany Kartchner

Art Journaling with Shimmerz: Making Backgrounds with Waste Paint

I hate to waste paint especially when it is Shimmerz paints! To use every last drop of Shimmerz, I always keep my art journal near my workspace. When I've finished painting a project, I "clean" my brush by wiping it randomly on a page in my journal. This creates fun backgrounds for my pages. I'd say I do this for about 90% of my art journal pages.

Take a look at my sample page below. If you look at the borders and the green drops, you'll see evidence of Shimmerz brush clean-up as well as drops from Shimmerz paint errors.

I also painted my doodle lion with Mello Yellow, Key Lime and Sky Blue Shimmerz. (His hair is December Sky Blingz.)

You can see the beautiful shimmer in the sunlight.

Next time you're done painting your project, don't just clean off your in the sink, swipe it across a few pages of your art journal (or any paper for that matter!) and use it in your artwork!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany Kartchner

New Shimmerz Pearlz and Vibez Video

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to let you know that there is a new technique video on the VLOG!

It is all about the newest Shimmerz products...Vibez and Pearlz. I hope that you enjoy it!

xoxo
Bethany

Black on Black with Shimmerz Vibez

Amazing things can happen when you use Before Dawn Vibez Correction: Licorice Spritz on black cardstock...

 

(Pattern papers are My Little Shoebox)

Just check out that gorgeous Shimmer!

 Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Shimmerz Vibez v. Spritz

Can you tell which tag has Vibez and which one has Spritz?

Confused about the difference between Vibez and Spritz? Just watch this video here and you'll be a Shimmering expert!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

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

Children's Fingerprint Tree with Shimmerz

I'm in charge of the 2-3 year old Sunday School class at church and since Christmas is right around the corner, I wanted to do an easy and inexpensive ornament craft with them.

I came up with this Christmas tree.


Each "dot" is actually a finger print. I used Shimmerz paints because they are totally and completely safe. If my daughter licked her finger, I wouldn't worry a bit. When crafting with many little ones, it is important to know that they will survive the experience, right? (giggle)

Lyssie (just turned 3 y/o) is very proud of her handiwork (or should I say fingerwork?)

If you are interested in making this craft with your sweeties here is what you'll need.

Materials

1. One 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of white cardstock

2. Royal Red and Celery Shimmerz

3. Brown paint (I used acrylic because that is what I had on hand.)

4. A star of some sort. (I used a brad, but a punched star would work too. Or you could even do a yellow fingerprint for a star.)

5. Ribbon for hanging

6. Pencil, eraser, hole punch and triangle template

Directions

Prep-Work

1. Cut 1 ovals out of your cardstock. I used my Creative Memories oval cutters. This made it really easy.

2. Trace a triangle very lightly in pencil (this marks the boundaries of your fingerprint tree.)

3. Paint your brown trunk.

4. Punch a hole and thread your ribbon through the top.

With the Children

1. Paint one finger with Celery Shimmerz and stamp it inside the triangle. Repeat until you have the look you want. You can manually stamp the child's finger, or give them more freedom to do it themselves.

2. Paint one finger with Royal Red Shimmerz and add ornament accents.

3. Add a star (if desired)

4. Write the child's name and date on the back. Erase your pencil triangle.

5. You're done! Wasn't that easy?

Happy Shimmery Crafting!

xoxo

Bethany Kartchner