Sunday, January 5, 2014

GOT THE BLUES?

Happy Monday and again, Happy New Year!

Have you got the "blues" after all of the joys of Christmas and ringing in the new year?  This time of year is sort of a "let down" to a lot of people.  The holidays are over and the cold of winter is upon us.  

So, at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, we're helping you beat the holiday blues by challenging you to create something using BLUE!

Now that the Christmas rush is through, I've had some time to pull out my new Tim Holtz Luminary die cut and have some wintry fun!


I've created this sweet little luminary, complete with tea light to give off the warmth of a candle's flame flickering through the "frosty" windows.


I began by cutting the pieces of the luminary out of manila cardstock that had been covered with metal foil sheets.  That not only gave them strength but also gave a bit of a metallic look peering out through the Fresco Finish paints I would later dab on top.


Next I ran all of the pieces through my Vagabond using one of Tim Holtz' Textured Fade designs.  I love the texture that it gave to the luminary frame.  I did not want this to be a metallic luminary frame but wanted bits of the silver to peek out.  So, I used my finger to lightly smear some of Wendy Vecchi's White Embossing Paste all over the pieces; not filling in the low areas but just giving a light covering of the paste.  This gave the frame some "tooth" so that the paints I would add on top would better stick and it also gave a bit of a pottery look to the finished piece. 


Next I dabbed a mixture of Fresco Finish Mermaid, Snowflake and a bit of water over all of the pieces to create a soft blue finish. When I had transformed all of the pieces into a wintry, frosty blue, I laid them to the side to dry while I created my frosty windows.  As a final touch on all of the blue pieces, I add some Silver Stickles around the windows and randomly smeared them lightly over the surface of each piece.  The addition of the shimmer those little silver glittery pieces from the Silver Stickles adds is amazing! 


I began with strip cut from a Wendy Vecchi's Clearly For Art Clear sheet.  Then I painted Glue 'N Seal over the strip.  It only took a few minutes for that to dry.  


Then I gave a generous coating of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint to the surface by dabbing the brush onto the surface.  I wanted the windows to have a fairly heavy "frosty" appearance and you can better achieve that by dabbing the brush over the surface rather than smoothly brushing it on.  When the windows were dry, it was time to add them to my luminary.


Here you can see that I added the windows using Glossy Accents to hold them in place. This also gives you a look at how using Glue 'N Seal followed by Rock Candy Distress Crackle creates that very cool frosty effect.  I'd love to take credit for this technique but the first time I actually saw it was from a very talented and creative Wendy Vecchi of Studio 490.
You can also see that I've added 1/8" Scor Tape to the "tabs" on the luminary to attach it together. I also added 1/4" Scor Tape on the inside of where those tabs would be placed, just for double "stickability" and holding everything together.


Each side of the luminary is scored so that you can fold it into its proper position before attaching them together. In this photo, you see a better look at the layers of texture, metal, color and stickles that create the exterior of my luminary.  I love the frosty windows, too!


Once my luminary was all put together, it was time to do some embellishing! 


I used Kraft cardstock to die cut several pinecones using Tim Holtz' Tattered Pinecone die cut.  It also has a wonderful pine branch that I used.  I die cut those out of Manila cardstock that was first painted with a Silver Paint Dabber.  I sprayed the Kraft pinecones with a Walnut Ink Spray.  If you don't have the spray, you can make your own using the Walnut Ink Crystals and mix them with a little bit of water.  Love the deep, rich pinecone brown!


I formed the pinecones and edged them with Silver Stickles.  Then I smeared Silver Stickles on the already painted silver pine branches to give them that extra sparkle when the light catches them. Finally, I had a little piece of white snowflake plastic trim that I transformed into silver by adding Silver Paint Dabber to it.  These piece would be all I needed to decorate my little luminary.

And here is a closer view of the assembled top; in all of it's glistening frosty goodness.
Now it's your turn to kick the post holiday blues and create something fun using BLUE!  Then enter our challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our 

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/servlet/StoreFront

$50.00 credit voucher give away.  If your entry is voted one of the best of the week, you could be showcased in our 



Designer Spotlight ... a very nice recognition for all of your creativity and hard work!

So good luck and shake those blues with us!

Here is a list of all of the products I used available at Simon Says Stamp to create this sweet little snowy luminary:

31 comments:

  1. A beautiful luminary Candy with fabulous texture and frosted windows. I love the gorgeous decoration you added on the top too.
    Thank you for your lovely comments recently and I hope you had a great Christmas and happy new year.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  2. Candy, this luminary is fantastic!! Love the embossed metal for the sides and what a great idea to use the rock candy crackle technique for the windows! The pine cone and everything on top of the luminary are so pretty. I didn't think of placing anything on top of the two luminaries I made, now I wish I had!

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  3. Stunning! Love the frosty windows. You've created another amazing piece, my friend. Love it!

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  4. Beautiful texture candy and a great start to the crafting year. The perfect shade of blue to compliment the metal showing through.

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  5. Such a beautiful creation, dear Candy! Love the frosty windows:-)

    Thank you for your nice comment and your congratulations on my blog-birthday. I have thrown your name into the big lottery pot:-)
    Hugs Martina

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  6. WOW!!! Beyond amazing!

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  7. Love your lantern Candy! It looks amazing in foil. The cracked glass is a must for this one. I have such a hard time with the top part though! Drives me insane!

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  8. With today being called 'Blue Monday' this is so appropriate! And with the temps well into the minus column, never mind the windchill, looking at your wintry, frosty art makes my heart warm, no matter how cold it really is! Gorgeous!

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  9. Christmas may be over, but winter will be with us for a good long while yet - but with frosty loveliness like this, I don't mind at all! Your luminary looks just wonderful - love the icy panes of glass, and the pinecones on the top - simply gorgeous!
    Alison xx

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  10. Beautiful! And THANK YOU for showing how to create that gorgeous frosty glass effect. It's magical!

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  11. Hi Candy, I love your snowy/frosty luminary, the icy colour works so well especially for winter, the perfect way to showcase the challenge. Love how you added the glass pieces, they work so well, very creative and I love the pine ones added to the too. Absolutely gorgeous piece which should have pride of place in any home. Tracy x

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  12. A stunning luminary Candy. The colour of blue is perfect for those frosty mornings. TFS for sharing the how to and I adore the pinecones too

    Best Wishes

    Annie x

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  13. Wow o Wow, Candy! Your wintery lantern is gorgeous! What a piece of eye candy! Love it! It's so elegant and pretty! Again, wow! Hugs, Sandra

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  14. Oh wow Candy, this is another absolute winner!!! Who would not love a luminary like that to keep them cozy in winter! I love the effect of the blue paint on the metal and the window treatment is definitely inspired. Wendy may have thought of it, but you certainly knew how to apply it, -it looks fantastic. The frosty pinecones just finish it off to perfection!!! So, so gorgeous, I love it!!!

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  15. Ooh, such a pretty project, Candy! I LOVE the frosty effect on the window panes, so effective and such wonderful texture you have managed to get on the sides, making your little luminary look metallic! It always amazes me the number of processes your projects go through for the finished result, but it's always inspiring! Hugs, Lisa x

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  16. wow I love this little lantern, such fab textures and colours, also love the beautiful pine cones and flowers you've added. Happy New Year, hugs Annette x

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  17. Candy, this luminary caught my eye big time! What a gorgeous creation right down to the frosted windows! Love all the details! Have a wonderful 2014!

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  18. Gorgeous luminary, can't wait to give it a go. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Gorgeous lantern and I love the glittery pine cones!!


    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

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  20. This is gorgeous Candy! I have to get my die opened up and play with it. I got it right when the Christmas bustle settled in so haven't made anything with it yet.

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  21. Wow Candy! What a STUNNING project! I love the pretty blue luminaria and the beautiful windows! All the shimmery goodness and beautiful pine cones are to die for! Thanks so much for the inspiration and for sharing your creative process!

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  22. I love your piece, that crackle adds a perfect finish! ( I just had to tell you that my girl isn't a stamp, I hand painted her, the crows at her feet are stamps however. ) Thank you for visiting me :) waving hi from the hills of North Carolina ♥

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  23. You are awesome. You keep to amaze me all over again with your creativity and inspire me with your originality. I really love your luminary, all of it. Thank you for such a great tutorial and thanks for stopping by... :))

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  24. Stunning luminary! Beautiful icy feel with the frosty windows, the blue metallic hues. What a beautiful decoration for the winter nights.

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  25. Oh... Candy, this is such a gorgeous project! I really love the beautiful colors, glitters and textures. Such a stunning design! :)

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  26. Beautiful Lantern Candy. Looks as though its been in a real blizzard. Love it.!! Karen.x

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  27. Absolutely stunning piece! I love the lantern but this is iincredible! your tutorial is totally wonderful! Love the color and the textures you've added !!!! your works are always incredible!!! BArbarayaya

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  28. I love those frosty window panes! Amazing!!!! Again, your attention to detail and imagination merged to create a magical work of art. The tutorial is wonderful, Candy...and I know how much work that is to do. I would want it to be winter all year long, just so I could keep this pretty piece out to enjoy.

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  29. This shade of blue makes me absolutely drool (not in a bad way) and I am always wow'd by your ability to create amazing textures. I just shake my head and the before and after and sincerely feel like I'm in the presence of a genius every time I view your blog! Beautiful, as always!

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  30. Just doing a bit of catching up and I had to land on this Candy. The embossing and paste idea is such a great one for getting that frosty look and I love those crackled windows. Of course the pinecones are the frosting on the top and help towards making this so incredibly special. Jenny x

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I am so happy that you stopped by my blog! I truly appreciate your time and thank you for leaving a comment! Have a wonderfully blessed day!