Ann's lesson

Ann Clack here with a lesson for all of you!  I USED to have a ton of fun making backgrounds from the newsletter and just throwing them into the background 'box' where I could use them later.  Well....I USED to never make any notations on the piece to tell me what technique it was.  Well......I don't do that anymore BUT the two cards below were just asking to use a couple of background pieces that I had made in my "never mark it" era.  So........the first with the Halloween girl is made with Black glossy paper and Luminarts paints.  The second with the Pumpkin man is quite dark orange and you only get a hint of the metallic when you move the card.  I photographed it at an angle so you could see some of that metallic.    It could be dabbed shimmers.

So.......I hope you have all learned your lesson and mark your pieces!!  HA!

Ann's Glimmer Bird

It's Saturday!!  Ann Clack here, hoping that your weekend is wonderful!  Here is a sweet little card for you today.  I wish that you could see this card with real eyes instead of a camera eye.  The naked eye sees a lot more brown on the background than the camera.  The background is a technique called Dabbed Shimmers from the February 2010 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter.  I just got the sweet little sparrow frame stamp from the Portland Rubber Stamp Convention.  The bird is from RubberStampAve. 

I thought I would try something different by putting some of Ranger's Crackle glue over the image.  I attached the paper (just a little) to the desk so it wouldn't 'walk' away while drying.  When I came back.......HORRORS!........both pieces were all curled up.  I was able to dampen the back and flatten them a little.  Maybe next time I need to use a little less of that stuff!!  I should have used the TJ technique for crackle instead!!  The bird and it's surrounding background were colored with copic markers before covering with the Crackle glue. 

The Dabbed Shimmers background has sooooo much glitz and glam!  I really love it.  I also used some paper that had a shimmer to it from the Paper Temptress.  It was just perfect for this card, don't you think?  You can really see the shimmer of the background and the paper on the closeup picture. I had the metal letter brads in my stash for a long time but they were pewter and I really needed a different color.  So, I colored them with my copic markers and am pleased with the result.  I hope you are inspired to try this technique......it is really quick! 

Springtime With Dabbed Shimmers

Happy Friday, Junkies! This is Shelly today, and I don't know about you, but after our cold winter, I am desperate for Spring to come. Here in Mississippi, daffodils and forsythia are blooming and all the trees are budding out. What better time to announce, 'Spring is Here!'

My card today was created using the Dabbed Shimmers technique from the current newsletter. After my background was dry, I ran it through the Cuttlebug to give it a bit more texture. This is such a gorgeous technique - you really need to see it in person to appreciate it!

Such a soft, romantic background lent itself perfectly to these Springtime stamps from Artistic Outpost's Birds of a Feather collection. Vintage ribbon and lace tie it all together and add to the feminine feel.

Have a fantastic weekend - try to fit some art time in!

Shelly Hickox

Sneak Peek - Dabbed Shimmers!

Hello Junkies! I hope you're all doing well today. Here in Mississippi we are in the middle of an ice storm - what better time to play around with ink, paper, and a fantastic new technique?

My card features the Dabbed Shimmers technique, which will be appearing in the February/March newsletter. I had never even heard of Shimmers before I received this assignment. Now I don't think I can live without them! It is always so hard to capture techniques that have any sort of shine or shimmery quality to them....especially when it's dark and dreary outside. Trust me when I tell you that this has an incredibly beautiful glow. You are definitely going to love this technique!

After creating my background, I ran it through the Cuttlebug to give it a little extra dimension. My new stamps from from Artistic Outpost's Birds of a Feather collection were the perfect complement to such a Spring-y color palette.

I can't wait to see what you all create with this wonderful technique!

Shelly Hickox