Birthday Blooms Stained Glass

I revived an old technique for this card, but with a twist. The Stained Glass technique usually involves heat embossing vellum, and then coloring the back of the vellum with markers. But for this card, I used the Stampin' Blends alcohol markers on the front, and the colors are so much more vibrant!

A huge advantage to using the alcohol markers is, if you accidentally get ink on the embossed lines, or even outside the embossed lines, it is incredibly easy to clean it off with the Color Lifter. I mean like "piece of cake" easy! I did cheat a little with some contraband - the cut out in the center was made with a Spellbinders Nestabilities Deckled Rectangle die. It was so much easier than trying to tear it!

If you click on any of the photos and zoom in, you can see how it really does look like stained glass. I deliberately made it streaky to give it depth and texture. I could have easily laid down smooth color, but really wanted the stained glass look to look like.... stained glass. Make sense?

Product List

Birthday Blooms Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Rose Wonder Photopolymer Stamp Set

Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' Pad

Versamark Pad

Embossing Buddy

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

Heat Tool

Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

Stampin' Blends Color Lifter

Big Shot

Rose Garden Thinlits Dies

Whisper White 1/8" Sheer Ribbon

SIX YEARS!

Today marks my sixth blogaversary. Wait, what? Six years? Really?! It doesn't seem that long, at all. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or where I would be going when I started this blog. I must say, though, I've thoroughly enjoyed the learning process, and most of all, the new friends I've made (both my e-friends, and the ones I've actually had the pleasure of meeting!).

There was a lovely surprise from Stampin' Up! in my mailbox today, too -- my Five-Year pin along with a nice congratulations letter from Shelli Gardner! I love being a part of this wonderful company!

So, to celebrate six years of blundering along fabulous, creative content, I'm giving away some blog candy. Just leave a comment telling me which project you liked the most, or how I've inspired you in some way, and you will be entered in the drawing. Because postage makes shipping outside the U.S. cost-prohibitive, I'm sorry I must limit the winner to a U.S. address. (But if you're outside the U.S., I'd still love to hear what inspired you!)

So, what is the candy? It's the clear-mount Summer Silhouettes stamp set and a roll of Lost Lagoon 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon!

Also, the Holiday Catalog launch is this Thursday, and I have Mystery Hostess party that will close Sunday Aug. 31st. If you want to be in the drawing to be the Mystery Hostess and receive the hostess benefits, just place an order by Saturday night, and use Hostess Code EJFSCUB7. Even if you don't win, I'll still send you a little thank you for your order!

Winners of the Mystery Hostess (for placing an order using the Hostess Code) and blog candy (for leaving a comment on this post) will be picked Sunday at 9:00 AM Pacific and contacted. Winning hostess has until 9:00 PM Sunday to let me know what she wants to spend the hostess dollars on, or winnings will be forfeit. I need to place the order that night, so I can't wait!

STAMP: Sweetbriar Rose
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, White Vellum, Silver Glimmer Paper (retired)
INK: VersaMark, plus Melon Mambo, Old Olive, and Daffodil Delight Blendabilities Assortments

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Stylish Stripes folder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin’ Pierce Mat, Candy Dots Brad Bases, Pearls Basic Jewels, Glue Dots, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Nativity Candle Holder

After doing the Halloween tea light luminarias, I thought about doing something for Christmas and had several ideas, but this is the first one to actually get finished.  There was some difficulty getting the vellum to stick, because it had curled a bit from being sprayed with shimmer spray*.  I found out, after I had assembled it with Sticky Strip on the seam, that Tombow Vellum adhesive is worthless for this application.  Within minutes the vellum had peeled off, so then I tried squeezing my hand in the assembled luminaria and adding Glue Dots.  That didn't work either, so I ended up disassembling the whole thing and starting over.  Sticky Strip to the rescue!  That sucker isn't going to fall apart now.

I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to position the windows and images on the vellum.  After stamping them with StazOn, the back side of the image was colored with Stampin' Write Markers and then cut it out, leaving about 1/4" - 1/3" extra for adhering.  The windows were stamped on the Shimmery White cardstock with VersaMark and heat embossed with gold EP.

Although I carefully cut out the windows by hand, Jan Tink has a terrific video tutorial for using the Movers and Shapers dies to make windows in luminarias.  Check it out - she's so stinkin' clever!!!

Note: This luminaria uses one whole sheet of 8½ x 11 cardstock.  Place the long side of the paper against the fence of your scoring tool and score the short side at 2-5/8", 5-1/4", 7-7/8" and 10-1/2". Rotate the paper 90 degrees and place the short side against the fence, then score the entire 11" length at 2 5/8".

*Fill a small mist sprayer bottle with about 1/2 oz. rubbing alcohol and add 3 drops Champagne Shimmer Paint.  Shake well and use to add shimmer on cardstock, flowers, ribbon, etc.

Stamp: Holy Triptych (110370)
Cardstock: Shimmery White (101910), White Vellum cardstock (101856)
Inks: Jet Black StazOn (101406), VersaMark (102283) 
Various Stampin' Write Markers  
Accessories/Tools: Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Heat Tool (100005), Paper Cutter with scoring blade (104152), Eyelet Border Punch, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (109129), Sticky Strip (104294), Stamp-A-Ma-Jig (101049)