Oh-So-Ca-uuuute Peekers are Back and a Tutorial!

Welcome back my lovely friends!  I sure have missed you...  I think I'm gonna be needing to come see you soon since I've been out and about this crazy summer and haven't spent much time on the computer.  I do have a phone which allows me internet access, but two things are annoying about that.  First is the size... have you tried to view a gorgeous card, but can't really see the detail?  When I zoom in, I can see better, but I have to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to every part of the card lol!  The next annoying thing is the phone battery.  I can't use it for very long connected to the net before it starts moaning about wanting more power!  Ugh!  Hence, I haven't visited many of you in probably months : (  How can I ever make it up to you?  Hint Hint...

On another note, my blogoversary is coming up next month - yay!!!  AND... on top of that, I have a sweet friend who has given me LOADS (and I do mean LOADS) of ribbon.  Hmmmmmm... I wonder if some of that delish ribbon wants to go home with you? 

Indeed... it must soon be CANDY time!

So... haven't the sneak peeks of the Peekers these last five days been awesome?  Girls, you ROCK!  And wasn't Crystal's Peeker FABULOUS today? (You should have come from her blog).  I am so very grateful to be a part of the SCACD DT.  Speaking of the Design Team, we have a new someone who is very talented and is joining us today.  Please help me welcome Lorraine!  Yay!!!  We are sooooo happy to have you join our SCACD family : ) BTW, Lorraine is your next (and final) stop of our Inspiration Hop.  I'll remind you again later!

But that's not all...

We also welcome two guests today:  Susana Boyd and Janiel Corley.  Such amazing talent!!!  Thanks for joining us ladies.  Your work is very inspiring!

And now for a little inspiration from me, courtesy of The Peekers 2 Collection by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.

Ta Da!!!  Mama's Purse Peeker

What!!!  There's the purse, but where's the Peeker?

 Peek-a-boo...

 There she is!

 See the purse embelly?  I have a tutorial below!

A thick coat of Diamond Glaze on the purse really makes a BIG difference in the richness of the color.  I LOVE this stuff!

Products used on this project:

Mama's Purse Peeker - Exclusive stamp from SCACD

Pink DP - Be Mine by Echo Park

Black/Gold CS - Stash from Local Shop
Coloring - Copics/Gold Atyou Spica Pen
Sparkles - Stardust Stickles
Shine - Diamond Glaze
Mold Putty - Mold-n-Pour
Purse Embelly - Transparent Crystal Gel/Acrylic Paint
Flower Embelly - Pearl Rose Modeling Creme/Acrylic Paint
Sentiment - Stampin' Up!
Rose - Wild Orchid
Lace/Velcro - Stash
Purse Template - The Scrapbook Lounge

***Not in the US?  Never fear...  Elaine at Quixotic Paperie will be happy to help those in Europe/UK!

...and finally... the tutorial!

Cute buttons I found, but they weren't the colors I wanted...

This button is layered and could be disassembled, so I did!

The molding compound is VERY easy to use.  You take equal amounts from each container and knead together until blended.  Roll into a ball and 'squish' the item you want to mold into the compound.  I like to level the top as much as possible because it's easier when using Crystal Gel or Modeling Creme.  You'll have to work rather quickly because the compound sets in about 3 minutes.

   

I use a plastic spatula to fill the molds

This is the back side of the flower pieces to show the Rose Pearl Modeling Creme I used.

I happened to have these acrylic paints, but my FAVE paint is Precious Metal by Viva Decor.  It is truly one coat coverage... LOVE it (but I didn't have the colors I needed, so...)

Voila'!  Now this color works much better with my project...

Need a refresher?  Here it is again with the purse!

This time I wanted to try Transparent Crystal Gel...

This is what it looks like wet.  You don't have to worry about the excess on the mold - when it's dry, it peels right off!

After drying overnight and popped out of the mold.  I had another color in the mold... you can see 'stains' but that's not a problem cuz I'm painting it.

 

 Black and Pink... perfect : )

 The finished embelly glued onto my project!  See how well the mold picks up the details?

I hope you've enjoyed my project and tutorial.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (email on sidebar).  I'd love to see what you create!

Now... if you are still awake lol... head on over to see the beauty Lorraine has cooked up for ya!

I love you, my friends ♥

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Peeker Fever Preview Day Three and Candy!

Welcome back my sweet friends!  It's been very quiet here lately... so much going on in my life right now!  Actually, when isn't there something going on in each of our lives???  Just sometimes, it seems more intense... This is another season of change for me.  My 'baby' moved out on Saturday (waaaaaaaaaa).  I'm excited for him, but also sad :(  As a mom, don't you just want to hold onto your children forever?  I wouldn't mind lol!  BUT, I have good news!  I'm gonna have a new craft room!!!  I try and focus on that instead of missing my son.  Most times it works, but then something comes up and I get this pain in my heart (waaaaaaaaaaaa).  Enough blubbering!  Let's move on to something FUN...

If you haven't heard, Susana has announced the New Outbreak of Peeker Fever!  Oh my!  Did you love the 'old' Peekers?  Well, get ready for the BEST Peekers ever!  I don't know how Elisabeth Bell does it, but she keeps getting better n better!!!  I can't even tell you a favorite in this New Release... you'll definitely want 'em all!  There are still two Peekers you haven't seen, so you'll want to check out the Designers showcasing those Wednesday and Thursday (see Store Blog).  AND... there are even two more which won't be shown until Release Day on July 29.  So many adorable stamps Oh My!

Today's Sneak Peek is Bubble Bath Peeker by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.  I'm tellin ya... I sure could use a spa day - not to mention a good soak in the bathtub!

Except for the flip flops, I've gone Crystal Gel crazy again : )  Need I repeat myself and say, "I LOVE this stuff!!!"  The 'bubble' button on the bow and the rubber ducky started out as buttons.  I created a mold for each one and filled them with Transparent Crystal Gel.  When dry (I usually let it sit overnight) I popped them out of the molds, trimmed the excess (very easy to do) and painted them.  Ta Da!  Unique embellies that I can make over and over and paint any color I want.  How great is that?  I'm tellin ya... I am having a BLAST with Crystal Gel and mold making.  I also have quite a few colors of Modeling Creme that you'll soon be seeing as more unique and personalized embellies. Oooooh, I can't wait for you to see the embellies I've made for Release Day!  I can hardly believe I made 'em...  Check back here on the 29th - I may be able to get a mini tutorial together for you by then.  If you love molds, you won't want to miss this!!!

Splish splash... so many bubbles lol!  Liquid Applique makes fabulous bubbles : )  Everything is wet in this adorable image... even the shiny bathtub!  Diamond Glaze does such a great job making things shiny - LOVE it!  DP is from the awesome Be Mine Paper Pad by Echo Park.  Another LOVE it hee hee...  For a little sparkle, I've outlined the inner panel and edges of the doily (which is actually cs cut with a die!) with Viva Decor Glitter Liner.  I only used a little, but it sure does have a BIG sparkle!  The flower centers on the flip flops and the black 'pearls' in the corners are Granite Paper Pen - yay... I finally got to use black : )

I hope you've enjoyed my card as much as I enjoyed creating it!  And now... it's CANDY time : )


Candy Alert:

How would you like to get your hands on this cutie?  Just leave a comment on this post for your chance to win and also on Alex's Peeker Post for a greater chance to win! Then check the Store Blog on July 28 after 11:00 pm EST to see if you've won.

So happy to be back... I've missed you!

Have a fabulous day ♥

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Gorgeous Perfume Bottles and Flower Children

Greetings all!!!  It's been waaaaay too long since I've been around...  Lots and lots has happened since our last visit.  One of the most important changes is that my hubby has a job (seasonal until October).  I have conflicting emotions - he's been at home for the last 15 months...  I'm excited for him cuz that means he'll have somewhere to go every day lol!!!  Along with that though is that I'll have to take up some of the things he was doing like grocery shopping ugh.  Well... at least he'll keep busy until October AND he'll be getting experience driving truck.  This is something that he's wanted to do since he was a little boy : )  So... say a little prayer for him cuz he's gonna need it!

Today I have a SURPRISE for ya!!!  The SCACD girls are having a 'Just Because' release party!  Susana has decided (in one of her 'Just Because' moments) that 2 amazing Perfume Bottles designed by Victoria Case and 2 Flower Children designed by Elisabeth Bell could not wait to be shown!!!  So... without further ado, here's one of the From the Vault releases, Tall Perfume Bottle by Victoria Case for SCACD!

Don'tcha love the vintage feel to this card?  I LOVE the Perfume Bottles!  Just wait until you see the other one...  They are both GORGEOUS!!!

Copics used:  E59 E55 E53 E51 E50; RV34 RV32 RV11 RV10; G17 G16 G14 G12.  Diamond Glaze on the stopper thing-a-ma-jig hopefully helps to make it look 'clear.'  I have fallen in love with my Viva Decor PEARL pens again.  I think that I've finally got the hang of making pearls so they don't have those funny peaks...  I've used Ice White here.

OK... so I'm not sure I like this embellishment, but wanted you to see (good and bad) so you can learn from my mistakes lol!  This rose button was created beginning with a mold I made using this cool textured button and another from a rose button which I glued on top.  I simply filled the molds with Pearl Rose Modeling Creme.  I let them dry overnight and then painted them. I wanted the vintage look but I'm not sure how well I did... maybe I just made a mess lol!!! I used E59 and E55 then smeared Pearl White acrylic paint and Gold Glitz Glamour Dust Paint on top.

All embellishments were made as noted above.  DP is a combo of my stash and Botanical Collection by Prima.  Edited:  Oh... sorry, I see that Susana is out of stock on the Botanical and will not be getting more in.  Distressing was achieved using Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink - including distressing the seam binding which was creme colored as I'm sure you can tell hee hee.

The next 2 cards are from the awesome designs by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.  The first one I'll show you is Daisy Doll, also in the From the Vault section.

This one's a fun and fresh card!  I had sooooo much fun making the bees and the watering can.  If you've already read the post above, you'll remember that I've been making my own molds and then using the molds to make my own embellishments.  NOTHING escapes my eyes without first considering it for a mold lol!  I just received my order from Susana which included a TON of Crystal Gel (by the way, the Transparent and Hologram are back in stock) and Modeling Creme in (almost) every color!  I can not wait to dig my hands into it all : )

Here's the lil' cutie!!!  She's colored with copics:  RV34 RV32 RV11 RV10; G17 G16 G14 G12; E55 E53 E51 E50.  Lots of Stardust Stickles to highlight that gorgeous daisy head!

An adorable watering can : )  Most times I find a plastic button I like and use it for a mold as I did here.  You can still see the Pearl Rose Modeling Creme color in the indentations by the leaves and stem - but don't look so close!!!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Precious Metal paint by Viva Decor!  I am not kidding... this the BEST paint I've ever used!!!  It is ONE COAT coverage!!!  I've covered the rose colored watering can with Silver Precious Metal paint (only 1 coat).  The flower took a few globs of paint to get the intensity I wanted...  The flower petals were painted with Metallic Rose acrylic paint and Celebration Pink Glamour Dust Paint on top; the leaves and stem were painted with Peridot Extreme Glitter, but Susana carries Limelight Glamour Dust Paint which is very similar (in fact, I'd rather use the Glamour Dust Paint because it has ultra fine glitter instead of the heavier glitter in the Extreme Glitter...)

 

These are teeny tiny bees lol!  I tell ya... NOTHING escapes my molds!  Even the smallest details are picked up by the Pour n Mold.  I am totally addicted... just thought I'd mention it in case you were wondering ha ha.

So these bees were also made using Pearl Rose Modeling Creme (because that's all I had and I knew I could alter the look).  The wings are painted with Pearl White acrylic paint with Ice Crystal Glamour Dust Paint on top;  the body is Gold Glitz Glamour Dust Paint and I used a Black Sharpie pen for the stripes - easy : )  I've been missing my Rose Paper Pen, so I snuck some in between the bees!

... and finally... the last one for today.  Here's Hydrangea Hugs by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.

This sweet flower kid is also colored with copics:  B24 B23 B21; V17 V15 V12; G17 G15 G14 G12; E35 E34 YR21; E11 E21 E00 R20.

Stardust Stickles accent the gorgeous Hydrangea cap she's showing off!  The top edge of the flower pot also received a generous coat of Stickles.  Not sure you can see it here, but the purple bow has a nice shiny coat of Diamond Glaze...

DP is a mix of Lime Twist - Happy Go Lucky by My Mind's Eye and Pixie-Licious by Cosmo Cricket.  I picked up these awesome Hydrangea dimensional stickers on sale at Jo-Ann's last week... LOVE 'em : )

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted LOL!  That was quite a post, huh?  I suppose I was trying to make up for lost time...

Now don't forget to check out the Store Blog for further inspiration (you'll find links there) and also for those of you in Europe/UK, you can find these NEW stamps at ***Quixotic Paperie***.  Elaine will be more than happy to help you!!!

Thanks for sharing in the fun with me today.  I'm always SO HAPPY when you come to visit!  Have a wonderful weekend - I'll see ya soon!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Sweet Meets Sassy #2 Available Now!!!

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Welcome back!!!  Did you enjoy the Designer Showcase Days for the NEW RELEASE by Victoria Case for SCACD?  Aren't they ADORABLE?  A little bit sweet... a little bit sassy...  Have you checked the store blog to see if you are one of the lucky WINNERS?  Yesterday, Dianne and I showcased the lovely Lola.  I couldn't help but take a peek myself to see who won her!  Congratulations... WINNER... hee hee!  Congratulations also to the other 4 WINNERS - yay!!!

Today is the final reveal of the 'last' 3 stamps in this FABULOUS collection, Sweet Meets Sassy #2 by Victoria Case for SCACD.  You can find the final three lovely ladies on the store blog Here.

Before you go... I'd like to show you my take on Femme Fatale.  I hope you like her!

Doesn't she scream elegance?  She's definitely ready for a special night out!!!  Can a person be jealous of a stamped image? LOL!!!  Just checking... hee hee...  She's GORGEOUS!  I wanna go out looking like her : )

I stamped Femme Fatale on Cryogen White with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored her with my MOST FAVE copics:  B29 B28 B26 B24; E49 E59 E25 E53.  I 'colored' the oh-so-sparkly BLING on her gloves, shoes and earring with Viva Decor Glitter Liner.  I knew right away that the Glitter Liner was perfect for this image.  Don't you love it?  I also LOVE how the Diamond Glaze gives her beautiful eyes even more dimension and shine.  It really makes them stand out!

 

Do you think I could do a card without some HOMEMADE embellies?  Not yet...  I'm tellin ya that this is the best thing since sliced bread lol!  I am having waaaaaaaay too much fun to stop now!  This time, however, the pearls are store bought *gasp*  You can find them Here.

Some of you may have the metal corners from Wild Orchid and have already recognized them.  No, these are not metal.  However, I did use about 5 of the metal corners (stacked on top of each other) to make a mold.  I haven't placed my order for more Crystal Gel yet, so I'm still using Modeling Creme in Pearl Rose which works great too!  

Homemade Embellies 101:

First is the mold.  Quick and easy, it's like very soft clay which hardens into a flexible mold.  I like to place my object flat on a craft-able surface and place the molding material over it.  This way, when I turn it over and fill it in with Modeling Creme or Crystal Gel, I can 'frost' it without all the lumps and bumps.   It needs to sit for a number of hours to dry (depends on thickness of mold, temperature, etc.).  Once dry, I peel it out of the mold, clean up the edges and cover the piece with Perfect Medium and brush on Perfect Pearls or Mica Powder.  Then it gets a quick spray of Krylon Fixatif so the powder doesn't rub off.  I hear that you can also use hair spray...

There are many other ways to change the color of the Crystal Gel or Modeling Creme, so you are not stuck with one color!  If you saw my post yesterday, I made an ADORABLE puppy using Pearl Rose Modeling Creme and painted it white with black eyes and nose. 

For this card, I changed the color of the corner embellishments from Pearl Rose to True Blue using Perfect Pearls and topping it off with a coat of Diamond Glaze.  For the glittered dots and diamond shaped design, I sprinkled blue glitter in the mold and then filled in with Blue/Green Crystal Gel.  I LOVE how the glitter sticks to the Crystal Gel - it will NOT come off!

Well... I hope that you've been inspired to try something new today!  Come back and tell me where to find your project so I can take a peek : )

Thank you so much for visiting... I always love to see you, my sweet friends ♥

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Designer Showcase Day 5 - It's Lola!

Happy Thursday to you, my friends!  I am gearing up for a little trip to Yosemite tomorrow - yay!!!  It's been awhile since we've been there, so hubby and I are headed out early in the morning to pick up our friends who will be joining us.  I can not wait!!!  I know that the falls will be overflowing and beautiful with all the melted snow from the mountains... the rivers will be very fast and full (we will not be in any of them, thankfully!).  Oh, the weather will be in the upper 70's which is perfect.  I will show you some pictures when I return : )

Today is Designer Showcase - Day 5 for the soon-to-be-released "Sweet Meets Sassy Collection #2" by the enormously talented, Victoria Case for SCACD!!

I am so excited to share my card with you which features the ADORABLE new image... Lola.  She's soooo sweet in her chic outfit while walking the oh-so-cute puppy dog!  I hope you enjoy my creation!

I just LOVE this whole NEW Release!  I'm sure that you will love them too... They are sooo sweet and sassy :)  DP is a combination of Echo Park Summer Days and from my stash...

 Of course, Lola is colored with copics:  R29 R27 R24 R22; B04 B02 B01 B00; E35 E34 YR21 YR20.

  

More HOMEMADE embellishments!  Susana carries Mold-n-Pour Here.  You can make your own molds too : )  Yep... this is from a mold I made from a puppy dog button I had stashed!  I've already gone through my Crystal Gel (I've made a TON of fabulous items) so I dug out my Viva Decor Modeling Creme.  I have Pearl Rose and Pearl Light Blue... neither of which are dog colors, so after it dried, I used white acrylic paint, black for the eyes and nose and covered the whole thing with Diamond Glaze.  It's not perfect, but I kinda like it : )

 

These three buttons and decorative backing are made with Crystal Gel in Blue/Green.  The buttons were covered with Perfect Medium and Turquoise Perfect Pearls, then coated with Diamond Glaze.  I already had the button mold, but Susana has some FABULOUS button molds you'll LOVE Here.  The glittered backing was made by coating the bottom of the mold I created from another button with fine glitter and filling it in with Crystal Gel.  The glitter is held tight with the Crystal Gel!  I really like this technique... it's so much cleaner than gluing and glittering after!!!

 

This ADORABLE doggie bone was made the same way as above.  I made the mold from a button, put glitter on the bottom and filled the rest with Crystal Gel...  Isn't it cute???  And there's a Viva Decor Pearl in Ice White I snuck in the photo!

Now... today you have a chance to WIN this fabulous image... all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post, and go over and visit my very talented DT sister, Dianne, and leave her a comment too. We will be drawing one random winner from our comments, how awesome is that????

Thanks so much for taking a peek!  Don't forget to leave a comment here and also at Dianne's!!!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum...

Land Ho!  Are you ready for an adventure?  It's time to set sail once again and travel to uncharted territory!  Curious yet?  Find out more below...

Today, I have the privilege of showcasing two of the Make It Crafty stamps!  You'll also want to check out a few of my DT sister's blogs because they also are showcasing some of the Make It Crafty stamps which are NOW AVAILABLE at SCACD!!!  You'll find the links to their awesome creations at the store blog.

Here's Alvida the Pirate and Treasure Chest...

I LOVE these papers... 6x6 Be Mine by Echo Park (except for the map which I had in my stash).  The cool pirate ship is from The Cutting Cafe : )

Challenges Entered:

Crafts for Eternity - "R" (round, aRRgh)
Creative Friday - Black White Pink
Pile It On - Metal (faux metal)
Southern Girls - Anything Goes
Simon Says - Bingo (Buttons, Pearls, Shape)
Top Tip Tuesday - Open Challenge
Simon Says Stamp and Show - (faux metal)
Paper Variety - Mixed Alphas (Arrgh/background text)
Totally Stampalicious - Something Old (alpha mold) Something New (stamps)
Bearly Mine - Anything Goes

Colored with copics and accented with the following products: Viva Decor Glitter Liner for the blade; Celebration Pink Ultra Fine Glamour Dust Paint on pearls/jewelry; Gold Glitz Ultra Fine Glamour Dust Paint on coins.  (If I get time later, I'll edit with the copic colors I used).

One of the embellies I made with Crystal Gel.  I used Blue Green and painted the blade with Precious Metals Paint in silver.  The handle is a wee bit distressed with Gold Perfect Pearls.

More homemade embellies!!!  I have an alphabet mold and filled it with Crystal Gel (blue green).  When it dried, I had to yank it out (honestly, it did NOT come out with ease).  Silicone molds are definitely the way to go!!!  I used Perfect Medium and Gold Perfect Pearls to cover the blue/green color.  I was amazed at how well it took on the color!

The 'coins' are tiny buttons I found which I also made a mold of.  To make the mold, I found Amazing Mold Putty.  This stuff is incredibly easy to work with.  If Susana doesn't carry a particular mold and you happen to have what you're looking for at home, why not try making your own mold?  Crystal Gel works perfectly with the Amazing Mold Putty!  It is very light weight, so you're not adding so much weight and bulk to your cards.  Again, I covered the blue/green Crystal Gel with Perfect Medium and Gold Perfect Pearls.  Voila'... cute lil' coins!

Dimension, but not the weight : )  I am sooooo in LOVE with molds and Crystal Gel!!!  I'm having so much fun, I only have 1/2 the jar left (and it's a HUGE jar!).  You'll be seeing lots of embellies with Crystal Gel coming up... hee hee

Don't forget to check out the store blog and see what crafty goodness my DT sisters have come up with!

As always...

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~