Colorful Butterfly ATC

I am in love with Globecraft & Piccolo’s Embossing Enamel.  The colors are amazingly vibrant, colorful and each one is blended by hand in the USA.  The color combinations are incredible! Trust me when I tell you the pictures cannot capture the true beauty of this powder.  

Plus, you get a huge amount of powder for your money!  In the photo below I used a bottle of Distress Paint to illustrate how large the containers of the Embossing Enamel are:

Lots of yummy color!

I recently got some new colors and I always want to use my new goodies as soon as I get them, so I decided to make an ATC (artist trading card).

What I used to make my Butterfly ATC:

Frame from A157 VintageCorner Flourishes 

LA103 Large ButterflyAccents 

Embossing Enamel Deep Blue Sky, Royal Sterling and Ruby Red Slippers 

Embossing Fluid 

3D Gel Mars Black 

Decorative Paper

ATC blank

Crafters Pick Glue 

The first thing I did was use the Mars Black 3D Enamel Gel on the frame.  I just used it right out of the bottle.  The funny thing is the black comes out looking like a dark gray.

But it turns to a shiny deep black once it dries.  I set my frame out overnight covered with an extra bubble I had so no cats, or cat hair would get into it. I love how these frames are the perfect size for ATC's!

Then I took my butterfly blank and used a paintbrush to paint where I wanted the Embossing Enamel to adhere.  I use a paint brush so often that I actually poured some of the Embossing Fluid out of the bottle into a small, air tight container so I wouldn’t have to keep popping the top off of the applicator.  I brushed the fluid onto the butterfly blank and shook some Deep Blue Sky enamel onto the blank and heated until done.  I only used one layer of Enamel and I still got this awesome result:

Then I edged the butterfly in Royal Sterling Enamel, again using my paintbrush and embossing fluid.  When you use the fluid with a paintbrush you don’t have to re-dip the brush each time you use it- the brush retains a good amount of the fluid.  For the body I used Ruby Red Slippers – the butterfly is SO sparkly, I tried to capture it but it is very difficult.

See that bubble on the body? Popped it with a toothpick - POOF!

For my ATC I used a piece of cardboard from a mailing box.  You can get a lot of ATC’s from one box and they are sturdier than using just paper.  After I covered my cardboard with the decorative paper (I used a handmade paper in navy blue with little silver sparkles in it) I glued my frame and then my butterfly in the center.

I love the look of the multiple embossing enamels and I think the frame sort of holds it all together.  I hope you are getting some warmer weather where you are; I’m keeping an eye out for the real butterflies!

Thank you for stopping by ~

Blessings!
Christi

Vintage style French Bubble Frame

Morning everyone, Tracy here. 

Have you been and checked out the new Spring release ? there is some fantastic items in the release, so if you haven't checked it out, then what you waiting for ! 

Onto what I have been creating this week. 

I have used one of the fab Bubble Frame kits, the one I have used is the new French Oval Kit, and it is beautiful ! 

I wanted to go with a vintage/shabby style with it...

What do you think ? I was really happy with how it turned out. 

On the actual frame I have painted it with Off white paint, and then used a Crackle glaze, once dry I used Distress stain, which i rubbed all over and then buffed off. 

The edges of the frame and French oval I rubbed some gold wax. 

Inside the Bubble I have used the new Stacey's stacking flowers, which are brilliant and so versatile ! I used Aged White Embossing Enamel & Copper Kettle Embossing Enamel on the flowers and trimmed them so they sat around the edge of the frame, I also "lifted" some of the petals to give some dimension to them.

I have also used one of the butterflies from the Butterfly Accents set and one of the flourishes from Medium Flourish Accents set, i embossed these using Bahama Aqua Embossing Enamel

Here is a closer look at the butterfly...

You can also see the crackle and the beautiful frame better in this picture. 

I hope you like what I have been creating this week, don't forget to check back everyday and see what the rest of the team have been creating, and why not head on over to our Facebook page and share what you have been creating too. 

Happy crafting. 

Hello Sunshine Mixed Media Sign

I love finding ways to repurpose something that is no longer needed as is. I found a Halloween sign in the clearance section of a fabric store for $.50 and decided it needed a Spring makeover...using items from our new Spring Release!

The new items that I'm using on today's mixed media sign:

3D Enamel Gel Daffodil Pearl
3D Enamel Gel Satin Rose (also a pearl gel!)
Butterfly & Flowers Accents A153
Stacey's Stacking Flowers LA106

Other supplies used:
Enamel Powder Adhesive Fluid
Distress Ink Vintage Photo
Fine Line Applicator Tip
3D Enamel Gel Mars Black
3D Enamel Gel Titanium White
Enamel Powder Aged White
Archival Ink Jet Black
Dylusions Ink Spray Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest, Vibrant Turquoise
heat gun
type stamp
sentiment stamp
oil pastels
gesso

Let's get started! Begin by applying 2-3 thin coats of gesso using an old plastic card. (I have found this to be The Best Way Ever for applying thin coats of paint and gesso!) Let each layer dry.

Spray with Dylusion Ink Sprays and then spray lightly with water to move and diffuse the ink. Use a heat gun to dry the ink as you go along. This helps to leave light texture and interesting patterns.

Once dry, use the Archival Ink and your type stamp and randomly tap the words onto your sign.

Isn't this new butterfly so pretty?! Using the fine line applicator tip and the 3D Gels (be sure to rinse the tip between colors or make sure to have a few more on hand) to color the butterfly wings and body. Let dry.

There are *4* different sizes of flowers in the Stacey's Stacking Flowers package (and you get a total of 24 flowers). These flowers are fabulous! They have detailing on the petals and *you can even bend them up to give them more dimension.

*I brushed on a thin coat of the 3D Gel in Titanium White to strengthen the petals. After they dried I held the flower by the center and gently pushed the petals up.

I used a smattering of Aged White Enamel on the petals, too.

Under the flowers and butterfly are scrap circles of white cardstock that are hand-torn. After gluing the circles down, I used various oil pastels to color the edges and traced over it with my finger to soften the color. Draw stems and trace over with your finger.

All that is left is to stamp your sentiment with the Archival Ink. Well, there you have it, my crafty friends - a beautiful Spring Mixed Media sign to brighten your day!

Be sure to visit daily to see more wonderful projects made using the new Spring Release!

Inky hugs,
Angi

Frame Card

Hiya all, Tracy here. 

I wanted to show you how beautiful the Piccolo Frames look when used on a card. 

Here is what I have created: 

And here is how I created it.

First of all here is all the items you will need-

Cardstock cut to 10x8" and folded in half for your card blank, and a Piece of watercolour card cut to 4x3"

Tall Grassy Flowers Stamp from Sweet Stamps

Satin Silver 3D Enamel Gel 

Butterfly Flurry Florishes Piccolo Set

Enamel & Embossing Powder Adhesive Fluid

Mermaid Tears Embossing Powder

Aged White Embossing Powder

Paper & Ribbon of your choice

Inkpad for Background & Stamping

Cut your card blank, and also make sure your piece of water colour card fits well behind the frame. 

Using blue Distress ink cover your Watercolour card, you want this too be patchy as represents the Sky. 

A good tip I use is to give a light spray of water over the top of the card, this helps "soften" the distress ink and makes it look more sky like. 

 Take your frame that comes with your Butterfly Flurry Flourishes Piccolo Set and give a nice layer of  Enamel & Embossing Powder Adhesive Fluid

Apply a nice thick layer of  Mermaid Tears Embossing Powder...I love how this picture shows all the beautiful colours in this powder. Tap off the excess & set with your heat tool. 

Take the butterflies from the Butterfly Flurry Flourishes Piccolo Set and emboss with Mermaid Tears Embossing Powder

Take the Tall Grassy Flowers Stamp and stamp up your card. 

I used Green Distress ink for this. 

Once stamped I then used Aged White Embossing Powder on the heads of the flower grass and sprainkled some across the bottom, heat set this from underneath your card. 

Glue your frame and butterflies to your watercolour card. 

Assemble your card using your paper, ribbon & frame.  Here is a closer look at the Flowers & Butterflies. 

Finishing touch is done using the brilliant Satin Silver 3D Enamel Gel , put 3 dots in the corner of your card. 

And here is the finished card again. I do hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial. 

Don't forget to head on over to Globecraft &Piccolo Facebook Page to share your creations, and pick up some inspiration. 

Butterflies and Bubbles

Sandy here with you today.  When I started my Globecraft Piccolo project, I had in mind that I would make a 5 x 7 inch card.  But I liked the look of it so much, I decided to add it to a frame for display in my house.  I began my creation with the new A2 Bubble Background Piccolo, embossing it with Aged White Enamel.  The corner vine pieces are from a discontinued set but I spoke to the owner, Stacey, and she said we will be seeing them again in several sizes.  I embossed them with Shamrock Dreams Enamel. 

Next came the Large Butterfly;  using a paint brush, I applied Enamel Powder Adhesive Fluid so I could add Bahama Aqua Enamel to the top wings and Royal Sterling Enamel to the bottom wings.  I used Vintage Black Enamel for the body.    For the small butterflies from the Butterfly Charm Set, I first trimmed off the hangers with scissors and then embossed them with Vintage Copper Enamel.   Be sure to click on the pic above for a larger view of the beauty of these embossing powders.

Lastly, I added some Mars Black 3D Enamel Gel to the bodies of the small butterflies and as "eye spots" on the wings of the large butterfly.  The bookboard is flexible enough that I could mold the wings up a bit for some added dimension. Be sure to stop by each day for more inspiration from the Globecraft Piccolo Design team.