by: Jennifer Willis, Artistic Guide

Low Dimensional Bling

There is a popular embellishment many stampers have discovered that is used to add dimension to images, especially flowers - this is the first technique I will share.

The second is a way to create bling without adding to the bulk of your cards, a great way to insure your mail will not need to be hand canceled and to keep your envelope from being torn.

Fluff

Sweet Pea Stamps

Supplies:
Inks:
Russet Dye Archival Ink Reinker (Ranger)
Pearl Violet Lumiere Reinker (Jacquard)Lava Chroma Spray (Stamp Zia)
Other elements:
Styrofoam Balls (Unknown)
Snack Bags (Ziploc)

Directions:

1. Working over a sandwich bag, rub the two Styrofoam balls against each other to turn them into a dust-like consistency.



2. Place the dust into a snack bag.
3. Add a drop of ink and toss the dust until well covered, adding more ink as needed.



4. Allow to dry.

For my fluff, I experimented with three different forms of color. I found the Lumiere to produce results I liked the best. Being an acrylic paint it dried a lot quicker, however it did not cover as well as the dye ink. The spray covered quickly and pretty good, but was slow to dry. The dye ink, which is the recommended way of coloring the fluff dried slowly but provided the most complete coverage in color. I recommend experimenting with the inks you have at home to discover which way is the best for your projects.

Bling

Sweet Pea Stamps

Supplies:
Other elements:
Glitter Glue (Sulyn Industries)
Crop-A-Dile (We-R-Memory Keepers)
Sticker Maker (Xyron)
Wax Paper (Reynolds)

Directions:

1. Working on wax paper, squeeze the glitter glue into a 1" strip about 2" long, a paper clip can be used to smooth out and ridges.



2. Allow to dry about 24 hours.
3. Remove the dried glitter strip from the paper and run through the sticker maker, smooth side down.



4. Using the hole punch, cut holes from the strip and catch them as they are created.



5. Peel the backing and attach to your projects as needed.

This technique will help you create a low profile bling embellishment. I picked up a 3 ounce bottle of glitter glue for less than $3 at a major mass merchandiser. This bottle will make many glitter dots! Besides using a hole punch, I had great luck creating shapes with punches. I recommend creating your shapes within a day of drying out the glue, as it tends to become wavy with age and harder to punch.

I also tried several other ways of creating my bling. The first was Stickles by Ranger - this was not a good idea, it crumbles too easily, which is too bad since there are so many wonderful colors available.

The next attempt was using Diamond Glaze by Judikins with glitter, which actually turned out more pliable than the glitter glue and opens up endless possibilities in color choices. For this method, create the ribbon of glue on wax paper and  generously cover with glitter before allowing to dry. Don't forget to tap off any excess glitter before picking up (mine didn't have much left over).

I hope you will find these tips to be helpful in your creations and as always enjoy sharing!!