LOOK WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS!

Again, the past few weeks have been filled with lots of fun activities. Most of my time was spent hauling my dear daughter back and forth from rehearsals. Her choir, Choraliers and the rest of the Madison Youth Choir, put on an extravaganza! All the choirs sang and danced wonderfully!!! [Dear daughter is the blonde with the bangs!]

Now on to the good stuff!! I went to Milwaukee Regionals and had a BLAST! I am amazed by how many new techniques and ideas I came home with! The first card is a CASE from a swap card. I needed to make several thank you cards for some generous parents at my school. The swap card used Groovy Guava as the main color but I decided to use Soft Sky (my favorite!!). Didn't it turn out great!

New babies... don't you just love, new babies!?!?!? This next card I made for my teachers aide who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this week! This card incooperated a technique I saw at Regionals in Milwaukee, the packing tape technique. The woman that demonstrated the technique said it worked beautifully with Cosmo Glitter (pg. 186, 108796, $13.95). Well, I thought if it worked with the Cosmo Glitter that it may work with the Bead Duo (pg. 192, 6 different colors to choose from; $9.95 each). Here are the directions....

1. I stamped the star image from the In The Star set from the Occasions Mini, (pg, 8, 111502, $28.95).
2. Using the 3/4" circle punch, punch out the star from the center of the image.
3. Cut the background away from the star.
4. Place a piece of packing tape on the backside of the original stamped image, 3/4" circle missing from the middle. (I used the setting mat from the Crafter's Took Kit so I could peel the tape off the surface.
5. Using the tweezer from the Crafter's Tool Kit (pg. 189, 104310, $39.95) I then placed the star back onto the original image with the packing tape on it. The sticky side of the image/packing tape is now ready for the micro beads.
6. Place the image into the Powder Pal (pg. 187, 102197, $19.95) and pour the micro beads onto the image/tape. Press the beads into the tape.
7. THIS NEXT AMAZING TRICK I LEARNED AT REGIONALS!! Cut a piece of card stock, Brilliant Blue, into a 3" x 3" square.
8. Take the Round Tab punch (pg. 180-81, 108340, $15.95) and punch into the middle of the square.
9. Turn your cardstock 90 degrees and punch (in the middle) again with the Round Tab punch. You will now have a large circle! Isn't that neat!?!?!?!
10. Take another piece of packing tape and put it over the large circle opening.
11. Place the original stamped/beaded image onto the sticky side of the packing tape.
12. Place the entire square into the Powder Pal and sprinkle and press the beads over the entire project.
13. Then I took a 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" square of Bashful Blue and used the Coluzzle Cutting System (pg. 184, 102264, $29.95) and cut a circle 1/4" larger than the Brilliant Blue circle.
14. I finished up the card by using the Corner Round punch (pg. 180-81, 106047, $6.95), Bashful Blue Striped Ribbon (pg. 191, 110717, $7.95), and two brads from the Hodgepodge Hardware in Styled Silver (pg. 7, 111325, $29.95) in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Did it not turn out great!!!! I love this new technique! It almost makes me want to use glitter all the time!!!!!