Holiday Mini Night and Day

I don't know about you, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Holiday Mini! I love the holidays, and especially fall and winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas! One of the first sets I added to my wish list was Serene Snowflakes. Next came Shimmer Paints, Sweet Centers, Specialty Designer Papers... the list just grew and grew! Well, when the box arrived, first things first! I needed a wedding card, and I needed to see how those Shimmer Paints would work.

The hardest part of design for me is the layout, so I tend to CASE a lot or work from a sketch, especially if I'm short on time and it seems like I am always short on time! If you're looking for a sketch, Stamping 411 is a great site, full of information for beginners or experts and the design team includes many of my favorite bloggers. Using their sketch from Friday, August 14, made creating this wedding card a snap! You may not be able to see the beauty of the Platinum Shimmer Paint in this picture, but when you try it, you're gonna love it! I chose the Night and Day Specialty Paper first, then added the other colors of Real Red, Brushed Silver Metalic, and Basic Black. The largest image from Serene Snowflakes, the sentiment from Kind and Caring Thoughts, Filigree Brads, and Fire Circle Brads add to the "bling" created by combining the shimmer paint and irridescent ice embossing powder.

The Shimmer Paints come in three colors and are just what they say they are - Paint. You can apply them with a variety of tools. They need to be shaken before they are used. Once you've shaken them, remove the lid, and all the paint you will need is in the lid. Some are translucent, some transparent, still they take a very small amount to cover your image or area. I used a sponge dauber to apply the paint from the lid to the stamp. They dry within minutes, but since I embossed with irridescent ice, my heat tool took care of the drying time.

I posted the finished project to my blog and also to Stamping 411, then mailed it off to the bride and groom. Hope they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it. If you look at the links on 411 for the other cards made from this sketch, you'll see all sorts of interpretations. Several flipped the sketch. I tried that too. Here's the result. I think I like the first one best. How about you?