Up & Away with Beautiful You

This week’s Theme Challenge at Global Design Project is “Sparkles/Bling.”  I’m not one to add lots of sparklies to my cards, but I took this theme challenge as a challenge.  How could I make something sparkly but keep the overall feel simple and understated?  I decided a shiny hot air balloon with the Up & Away Thinlits Dies would do the trick and decided to mount it against this most-beautiful pattern from By the Shore Designer Series Paper.  Here’s my sweet-and-simple-and-yet-sparkly-and-blingy-card:

Beautiful You, Up & Away Thinlits Dies, By the Shore Designer Series Paper, Stampin' Up!, Brian King

And here’s the banner for the challenge that inspired my card:

GDP083Doesn’t it look like the balloon is floating over the mountains in early morning?  I know this page of paper from By the Shore (retiring at the end of May – or while supplies last) is a sea landscape, but it sure looks lovely as a foggy mountainside to me.

Tips, Tricks and Reminders

  • Lift Me Up Bundle.  While the Lift Me Up stamp set and Up & Away Thinlits Dies are both carrying over to Stampin’ Up!’s 2017-2018 Annual Catalog, the bundled savings (10% off the purchase of both together) will soon be gone.  I’ve loved this bundle from the very start – and even if you don’t yet have it, I know it’s pulled at your heart strings, too.  I don’t want you to miss out on the 10% discount, so be sure to pick it up before this catalog period ends in May.  I only used the Thinlits for this card, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be without the stamp set.  Here’s a look at the bundle:

    Lift Me Up Bundle, Stampin' Up!

    Lift Me Up Bundle, Stampin’ Up!

  • A Little Touch of Sparkle.  I know, I know.  You are still on the floor that I’ve used glimmer paper – AND you’re super-impressed that I used so much.  I get it.  I’m thrilled with myself but now have to power-wash the entire Fungeon.  Despite my dislike of everything glitter (and my fear that I’ll lose my eyes to this horrible substance), I have to admit that it’s quite beautiful.  Photographs don’t quite capture the shine and simmer of these cutouts, so I’ve included a quick picture here at a different angle (still doesn’t quite do it justice):Beautiful You, Up & Away Thinlits Dies, By the Shore Designer Series Paper, Stampin' Up!, Brian King
  • Cutting Glimmer Paper.  If you’ve ever taken a cooking class or watched Ina Garten on the television, then you know there’s only one way to cut tomatoes and bell peppers.  You have to start from the smooth, outside surface and cut into the pulpy middle of the vegetable- your knife won’t nearly cut as well if you slice from the inside (I think the knife gets confused and thinks “this is easy!” and then stops working when you get to the smooth surface).  The same goes for Glimmer Paper.  To crop this balloon, I put a piece of Gold Glimmer Paper (horrifying glimmery-side down) on a Big Shot Precision Base Plate and placed the cutting side of the die on the white, flat backside of the paper.  Easy to cut.  I then threw away my Precision Base Plate, Big Shot and everything in that section of my craft room.  I mounted the balloon on two cutouts of Thick Whisper White (using the backside of the cutout so that it lined up perfectly with the Glimmer Paper cutout).

Stamp Sets:  Beautiful You  Papers:  By the Shore Designer Series Paper, Gold Glimmer Paper, Dapper Denim, Very Vanilla  Inks:  Dapper Denim  Accessories:  Up & Away Thinlits Dies, Precision Base Plate, Die Brush, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I hope you’ll pop over to the Global Design Project site to see the cards by the design team members (it’s quite an amazing display of sparkly goodness) and to play along with this week’s challenge.

Be careful out there – especially when working with glitter!  🙂

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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Retiring List.  Stampin’ Up!’s retiring list was announced this past week – you can see all the items that will soon go away here:


IN WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW.  In conjunction with the Retiring List, I’m excited to share my very own promotion from now until the middle of May.  When you spend at least $50 with me and add your order to the current Hostess Code (TF2V6MNU), I’ll happily send you:

  • A printed copy of the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog (I send them to all of my current customers) AND
  • A Free Product from the Upcoming Annual Catalog.  I’ll send you an incredible, new accessory from the upcoming catalog when it’s released in June.  While I can’t yet tell you what it is, I’ll tell you it’s valued at $5, and you’ll love it!

If your order is over $150, I hope you’ll use all of the Host Rewards you’ve earned.  Otherwise, I’d love for you to add your order to the current Hostess Code (TF2V6MNU).

 

27 Comments

  1. Thanks, Brian, not only for sharing this lovely card, but also for giving me at least 5 giggles at various phrases about glitter.

  2. Love the glitter comments – I can sympathize! Great card too!
    Kate

  3. Hahahaha, you’re so funny! Love the card – it packs a punch – a real WOW!

  4. I love your card. And I agree on the mountain like DSP. Did you clean all day on the Fungeon? ?

  5. A great card – love that DSP as the background:-). I hope you didn’t get a rash from all that glittery goodness?

  6. You are so funny, Brian. I love your comments about using glitter. The card is very sparkly and I love how you used that DSP as mountains, the beautiful hot air balloon and the sweet sentiment from Beautiful You. I’m going to CASE this card with your helpful tips about cutting it with white side up on the glimmer paper and adding extra white layers to the balloon. Thanks so much for sharing today and the laughs along the way. Have a great week.

  7. Love the card. That DSP sure does remind me of those “Smokie Mountain” mornings when we vacationed there. Love how you took the challenge and tried something “out-of-your-comfort-zone” and came up with a beautiful project.

  8. Thanks for the laughs and the inspiration today! It’s good to get out of the comfort zone once in awhile. I do love glimmer paper… but hate the little glimmer messes it leaves behind. A baby wipe usually does a pretty good job to clean it up, I find.

  9. I almost fell off my chair laughing at you this morning Brian! That is probably because my friends call me the Glitter Queen. LOL I love the glitz and shine and go through more glitter then embossing powder. Love the card, love your sense of design and love your sense of humor!

  10. Lovely, and entertaining post!! I hope someone digs your Big Shot and Precision plate out of the trash!

  11. Bahahahaha! Such entertaining reading! Oh and I love the card too! xx

  12. divine bling with the background paper!

  13. Brian your card is gorgeous, and the water does look like mountains. I’m so proud of you for using the glimmer paper, overcoming one’s fears is a good thing. Now where exactly did you throw your precision plate and Big Shot?

  14. Thanks for the Monday morning giggles with coffee! Great tip as well! Oh and by the way, gorgeous card.

  15. I’m hope you have a week of glimmer. Lol

  16. Have you recovered yet from cutting glimmer paper?

  17. Love your post! I too have the same love/hate relationship with glitter and glimmer! I find using the same process as hazardous remediation companies do for clean up gets my craft area fairly clean of all hazardous glitter. Safety Glasses are a must have!

  18. What away to start the week with a fun card and lots of laughter!

  19. I’m fully with you when it comes to glittery/glimmer. Not a fan! Enjoyed your funny blog today and am going to try the Global challenge. Fortunately my craft room needs a good cleaning so will wait until I finish my card before I try to clean.
    Have a good day!

  20. Love the card. LOL The ONLY time my Pomeranian wants to be in my craft room is when I use glitter or embossing powder. Last time with embossing powder she went & sat in front of the heater and embossed herself. She was convinced she was gorgeous!

  21. Glad you dealt with your “glitter phobia” (I’m sure there is a scientific name for it.) It was well worth it. Great card. And yes, the DSP does look like mountain sky.

  22. Your card is outstanding, but most of all, you made me laugh.

  23. Beautiful card! Love that you actually used glitter paper! You could have contained the flyaway glitter by putting it face down on a dryer sheet to protect everything while using the Big Shot.

  24. “I then threw away my Precision Base Plate, Big Shot and everything in that section of my craft room” Hahahahahaha! You crack me up (because I would want to throw everything away too!) I don’t know why I ever got that packet of glitter paper during SAB. I can’t stand to take it out of the cellophane, let alone cut it and have glitter everywhere!

  25. You’ve designed a great card, Brian!

  26. Sitting in Atlanta airport looking at your cool cards! I know how you are about bling! Hee Hee. You added just the right amount! Going to Albany NY! See my new grandson, Ryland! Hey, figured out Atlanta airport had a train to get you between concourses! Boy, I cannot believe how big this airport is!

  27. *faints* that’s A LOT of glitter for you Mr King! I am super super impressed 🙂 this is an awesome card! Love your work xo

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