Vivienne on the Beach with Video Tutorial!

Hello friends! Summer is in full swing over my way and the temperature is typical for August which is hot! So of course who wouldn’t love a nice relaxing sit at the beach with a cool iced drink on hand! Happily continuing with my guest design spot, I have another fun creation for you today using this really cute Summer image from Digi Doodle Studios:

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Vivienne Beach Girl is all decked out in her cute navy blue beach outfit holding a sea shell in one hand and a cold drink in the other! Sounds like a great idea to me! I had so much fun coloring her in!

I have been asked by several people how I go about doing the ink blending on certain cards that I’ve made in the past. It’s somewhat difficult to type up exactly what I’m doing when I blend and sometimes it tends to be a bit different depending upon what background and colors I’m creating with as well as the type of scene that I’m making. So I thought it would just be easiest to create a video tutorial on how I’ve achieved this particular beach scene background:

(To view the video on You Tube, CLICK HERE or watch below)

I didn’t show the coloring of this image in the video, but let me know if this is something you’d like to see in a video from me by leaving me a comment or message somewhere. It always helps if you let me know that you are interested in something!

So here’s a closer look at this adorable image and how I’ve colored her with my Copics. I fussy cut her out and went around the edges with a black marker to hide any imperfections I may have had. As seen in the video, I’ve attached her to the background and added some shimmer to her sunglasses with a glitter pen, added some liquid glitter glue to her cup and glossy accents on her ice.

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To add details to the card, I’ve used the Lawn Fawn stamp set Life is Good by stamping a couple of sea shells, coloring them in, fussy cutting them out and attaching to the scene. I took a sentiment from the set and white heat embossed it over a navy strip and cut it into a banner. I also took a bird and stamped it in the sky twice with black ink. I’ve layered the beach scene onto a piece of navy cardstock that was cut with the MFT Blueprints 27 Die-namics die. I then attached these layers onto a white top folding A2 sized card base.

Lastly, I’ve added some Crystal Clear Confetti from Studio Katia with liquid glue.

Thanks for dropping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Crafty Friends – Summer Colors
Through the Craftroom Door – Anything Goes
Creatalicious – Anything Goes with optional “Distress It”
TIME OUT – Relaxation with optional 1 layer card
Cardz 4 Galz – Summer fun
Pearly Sparkles – Something beginning with ‘B’ (beach)

It’s Masculine at Cute Card Thursday!

Hello friends! Hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! I’m ready for this rain to end over my way and would love to send it along to those that need it! June is a hop-jump and a skip away, so I’m hoping that Summer will dry things up.

Speaking of June, Father’s Day will be coming up shortly for us here in the U.S. so the new challenge at Cute Card Thursday is a very timely one to have! We’d like to see your “Masculine” creations this week! Here’s what I’ve come up with:

LOL!! Our sponsor this week is Bugaboo Stamps! I have used this hilarious image called Gus Tidbits Unconsciousness. He’s a really good one to use for not only masculine, but humorous creations too!

For the card, I’ve printed out both the image and sentiment together and then cut out the panel with a stitched rectangle die and then layered a piece of Stampin’ Up! Soft Suede behind it. Before attaching these pieces together, I’ve sponged some ink around the edges of it.

The checkered paper that I’ve used on my design came from a My Favorite Things paper pad collection. I die cut a piece to layer over a top folding A2 sized white card base with another stitched rectangle die and then placed the image panel over top it on the card.

I also cut out a banner with the same papers and added it to the upper right image panel and then added on a chipboard clock button from my stash with some twine ribbon tied around it and placed it over the banner with some foam tape. I’ve added a wooden button in the center of the bow.

Here’s a better look at the coloring on Gus. You can see on his eye glasses where I’ve added some glossy accents. It was a really fun and simple card to create!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my masculine creation today!

*P.S. Here is another update on the bird nest…we have a baby!!

If you remember, there were 3 blue eggs in the nest. We can’t tell for sure, but it looks like just one baby bird in there. As you can see, there is one egg in there. We see what looks like a crack on it, but it hasn’t hatched and we’re not sure it will. We have no idea where the other egg/bird went to! There is nothing on the ground. With all of these severe thunderstorms and rain, I can imagine they’re having a hard time out there. It shouldn’t be too much longer that this little guy will be taking flight! So we’ll see if we can keep track of what’s going on from here! 🙂

Challenges I’d like to enter my card for:

TGIF – #TGIFC213 All About That Gingham
Papercraft – For Men & Boys
Watercooler Wednesday – WWC223 Anything Goes
Simons Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

It’s Easter at Cute Card Thursday!

Yes! Hello friends! Easter IS on the way, isn’t it?! I remember many Easters ago of hiding the eggs for the kids and then forgetting where I hid all of them myself, so I had to join in the Easter egg hunt too! LOL! Do you have any fun Easter memories?

So since it’s Thursday, it’s time for a fun new challenge at Cute Card Thursday! Obviously, the theme this week is “Easter“! We look forward to seeing what Easter makes you’re making this week, so come join us! Here’s my card:

Vicki-CCT577-SSSEgg-stra Sweet Easter

I had a lot of fun creating this card! I couldn’t help myself, I had to snatch up that Simon Says Stamp Limited Edition Egg-Stra Sweet Easter card kit. (Sorry, it’s sold out, but you can still purchase the stamp set, Background stamp, egg dies, and stencil separately from the kit though. I have actually used all of those items on my card today too!

For the background, I took the jellybean background stamp and clear heat embossed it and then while I was cutting it out with a stitched rectangle die, I also took one of the eggs dies and cut out the center of the yellow card panel. I cut a piece of white cardstock the same size as the yellow layer and then used the stencil and the Nuvo mousse that came in the kit and sponged it over the white panel. I layered this piece along with a black heat embossed sentiment over vellum on a strip to wrap around the yellow panel along with a piece of black cord at the top. I took some foam tape and mounted these pieces onto a white A2 sized top folding card base. Lastly, I’ve added some clear sequins filled with some Nuvo glitter drops in the centers.

Here’s a closer look at this sweet little Easter bunny that I’ve colored in with Copics. I fussy cut it out and then decided to line up the bottom of it and cut it out with the same stitched die that I used on the yellow background panel. I kept his ear out of it.

I took the glossy accents that also came in the card kit and covered the jellybeans with it. I also took a couple of metallic gel pens to make some dots on a few of the Easter eggs and center of wheel. Up close, you can see some of the shimmer from the Nuvo mousse in the white background egg that I stenciled on.

Vicki-CCT577-SSSEgg-stra Sweet Easter-flat

Lots of fun little details going on in this card, but that’s what I love about Easter…so many colorful and happy things going on!

Thanks so much for dropping in today! I will see you soon!

challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – No Designer Paper
My time to Craft – Easter or Hedgehogs
Brown Sugar – Spring or Fall
Creative Craft – No Patterned Paper
Crafty Cardmakers – Easter
Crafty Gals Corner – Easter is on its way
Crafting By Designs – Easter Challenge

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – You are my Happy

Hello friends!! Happy April Fool’s Day! 🙂

Well, there’s “no fooling” here today as I bring you a post to share the creation, I’ve made for a new challenge over at the 2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge Blog! Since it’s the first of April, we have a new challenge starting with the “Anything Goes + critter” theme in mind! Hope you will join us with your critter creations!

We are being sponsored by Digi Doodle Studios and this is the card I made for the challenge this month:

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Our sponsor was kind enough to share this very sweet image called Mia which I’ve used for my card today. This is my first experience with these images, and I must say they have some really cute ones in their store, so hop on over and check them out!

I’ve colored her up with Copic markers including drawing extended lines for the grass and coloring it up all the way across and down. I cut it out with a cross stitched rectangle die and then used a sun ray stencil to ink some yellow behind her by taping off the grass edge, so I didn’t get any on that part. I then stamped the sentiment in black ink over top of that.

To continue on with the yellow color theme I’ve got going on, I cut out a piece of yellow glitter cardstock that was cut out with a scallop rectangle die (retired from Lawn Fawn) and attached it to the back of the image panel. I took some plaid papers for the bottom portion of the A2 white top folding card base and then attached some yellow grosgrain ribbon across the top and then attached the image panel and then added a yellow ribbon bow along the edge. Lastly, I finished it out with some yellow rhinestone crystals.

Here’s a closer look at the coloring I’ve done on the image. I took a black gel pen to color in the eyeball’s circles. I wasn’t sure how to go about coloring the eyes, but this is the way that made the most sense to me. I also went around the edges of the butterfly with the black gel pen. I took a glitter brush pen and went over the liquid in her cup.

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I have to add that this image really got me thinking about past memories with my sweet little Mocca and how we would go out on nice Spring days like this. She certainly was always “my happy” for sure and I still miss her like crazy. I’m sure any of you that have lost pets understand what I’m saying. It’s great to have the memories we’ve shared after all this time!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate it so much!

challenges:

Crafty Friends – Spring
Crafty Gals Corner – Spring is Here!
Krafty Chicks – Coffee, tea or hot cocoa
As You Like It – Favorite Coloring medium – Copic Why? It’s my favorite “go to” coloring method and I love the way the markers blend together for shading and highlight effects.
Creative Knockouts – Outside Fun
Allsorts – Use Yellow
Digi Doodle Studios Challenge – #15 Anything Goes

Celebrate for a Hoppy New Year!

Happy New Year friends!! Here’s wishing for a very HAPPY, HEALTHY and CRAFTY 2019 to you all!!

So… to be festive and join in on the celebration everywhere, I’ve decided to make a special card just for the occasion! 🙂

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I’ve used this really fun digital stamp called Max and I have used my Prisma Color pencils to color him in with over some Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel paper. I cut him out with a circle die and then ran some glue around the edges with a Nuvo Medium Tip Glue Pen and sprinkled some Copper Jewel Glitter over it. I mounted another circle behind it that I’ve cut out with some Tonic Burnished Rose Mirror Cardstock.

For the background of my card, I’ve used some Adhesive Sheets that I’ve cut out in different sized circles and then added some of the same glitter that I’ve used for around the frog image panel. I cut a few more circles out with the same mirror cardstock as well.

Before attaching the circles, I’ve heat embossed the sentiment over the A2 sized top folding black card base with some bronze Rose embossing powder, which I think matches up beautifully with that mirror cardstock! Right underneath the embossed sentiment, I added some 1/4″ Tear Tape and sprinkled on some more of that pretty glitter that I’ve used all over this card. Then I added all the circles in the background including the frog image panel and cut off the circle part sticking over the edge on the right side.

Taking a closer look at the “party Max frog”, you can see better how he’s colored in and a few other details that I’ve added to him. For the olive shine, I’ve used some Nuvo Morning Dew Crystals Drops and for the “liquid” glass he’s sitting in, I’ve taken the Nuvo Medium Tip Glue Pen and sprinkled some Waterscape glitter over it. I’ve also used the Nuvo Gold Coast Glitter Drops to add a bit of sparkle around Max’s head. (I’m assuming that it’s a bit of “champagne pops” from the glass! Tee Hee!)

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Just like Max here, I’m just as happy to dive right into the New Year in 2019!

Thanks so much for dropping in!! Enjoy your first day in 2019!

Celebrating 10 Years of Whimsy Stamps!

Today kicks off a weekend of fun to celebrate Whimsy Stamps 10th birthday! Yay!!! If you’ve been following along with me for a while, then you know that I have been a design team member at a few different times throughout the 10 years and I’m honored to be a part of the team again to help celebrate their 10th birthday!

I also wanted to share my birthday card inspiration:

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So what could be more fun than this little Doggie Ice Cream digital stamp to help celebrate with! I have printed him out twice (I’ll explain below) and colored him up in the following Copic markers:

Doggie body: E27, E25, E23, E21, R20 (cheeks) and white gel pen
Doggie bib: BG78, BG75, BG72
Ice Cream bowl: C8, C5, C3 (Used C3 for ground shadow under image)
Ice Cream/bottom scoop: R85, R83, R81
Ice Cream/top scoop: E53, E51
Cherry on top: R39, R37, R35

I have taken some older Whimsy Stamps paper packs (this one no longer available called “It’s a Party”) to use for the background of my card design…he has to have a party scene after all, right?!

I then took a thin strip of black card stock to go along the edge of the paper to give it a nice finishing touch. I also took another piece of black cardstock and white heat embossed the fun sentiment from the Whimsy Stamps Bold Statements clear stamp set and then cut a banner and attached it alongside the black strip. Lastly, I’ve added some fun matching Whimsy Stamps “It’s a Party” enamel dots to finish off the design.

A closer look at my image, you can see that I’ve added some glossy accents to the cherry on top of the ice cream as well as the pup’s nose. I’ve used a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen to over the ice cream scoops and then I took a liquid glue pen and sprinkled some more glitter under the pup image before attaching him to the paper.

The reason I printed out this pup twice is because I wanted to add some dimension to it. I colored and fussy cut out the entire image and attached him over the glitter ground. I took the second image and only colored his head/bib and the ice cream images. I fussy cut those out, then turned them over to rub a tool over which make it curl around the edges a bit. I used some foam tape to attach them directly over the image and it gives a nice dimension to it.

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Here’s a peek of what that dimension looks like underneath. Because the edges curl, you don’t see much sticking out, but it gives a nice dimension to your image.

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Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and I hope you take part in the celebration with us at Whimsy Stamps in any way you can! I also wanted to thank each of you for the kind support you’ve given me with my Whimsy Stamps creations, it means so much!

Enjoy your celebration weekend and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Addicted to Stamps & More – Make Your Mark
Crafty Creations – Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown – Anything Goes
Watercooler Wednesday (WWC200) – Occasions
CRAFT – Anything Goes

Embossing at Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! It’s time for another Cute Card Thursday challenge this week! We would like to see some “embossing” on your creations this week! You can make it heat embossed, dry embossed or I would say embossing paste would work too! Or you could challenge yourself and try to combine more than one kind! 🙂

We are sponsored this week by All Dressed Up Stamps, so be sure to enter the gallery for your chance to win a prize!! Here’s what I’ve created for this week’s challenge:

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This is such a cute and fun image! I thought it would make a really fun “New Year’s” type of card, so I created with that in mind. This image from All Dressed Up is called Season to Sparkle. I colored her up with Copic markers and then used a gold gel pen to color in her crown. I’ve also taken the Spectrum Noir clear glitter brush pen and colored her dress with it. The sparkle on her wings are liquid glue and loose glitter.

I’ve cut the image out with a Zig Zag circle die and then layered a piece of gold mirror cardstock cut with a circle behind it. I attached the circle image panel over a dry embossed black card front panel that I’ve also wrapped some gold ribbon around and attached the bow to the front.

I also heat embossed the sentiment with some gold EP and cut out a banner strip to pop up over the circle image panel. I cut the tail end to match the card front. This card front panel was layered onto an A2 sized white top folding card base.

Here I wanted to show you a closer look at the image panel and the close-up details of the frantage embossing powder over it. (This is such a fun embossing powder to play with! You have to heat it up from underneath.) You can also see the gold embossed sentiment too. I did take some gold tinsel Stickles and added a few drops around the image for more sparkle.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and thanks so much for stopping by and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

All Dressed Up – Anything Goes + All Dressed Up image
Creative Fingers – Anything Goes
Pammie’s Inky Pinkes – Anything Goes (PIP1849)
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes (232)
Little Red Wagon – Black & White + one additional color (GOLD)

We’re Recycling at Cute Card Thursday!

Hello friends! I’m back to share our new challenge for Cute Card Thursday this week! I have to say that I enjoyed this challenge, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with for this one. We would like to see some “Recycling” on your projects this week! There are so many different ways you could go…do you have a box full of “trash treasures” waiting to be used? Now is the time to pull it out! 🙂

Here’s what I’ve come up with for the challenge:

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I haven’t made these for a couple of years, but I like to save those Crystal Light plastic containers and decorate them and use them as “gift holders” or like I have here for some “polar bear/snowman soup” containers!

I try and keep the decorating somewhat simple, but I enjoy adding ribbon, glitter, etc. just for the fun of it! I’ve used an oldie but a goodie and my fave set from My Favorite Things called “Cool Day“. I’ve used both of the polar bear images and colored them in, fussy cut them out and attached to the containers. I’ve also white heat embossed the sentiments from the set and cut them out with a banner die for them to stand on. I found some matching ribbon that I’ve wrapped around the top of the container and then added the bow. Although I didn’t take a photo of the top of the lid, I’ve also cut out some matching pattern paper to decorate the top of the lid. I’ve used some liquid glue to add some faux snow at the bottom of the containers and then some glitter under the polar bears feet.

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This is actually the first time that I’ve done polar bears for these. I usually use a snowman with the snowman soup poem, but since these were polar bears, I sort of changed out the wording to make it work with my design. LOL. I’ve just printed it up on the computer and added a coordinating mat behind it and attached it to the back of the containers. It slightly sticks out on each side, but I could always trim it down more if I wanted it to fit, but I was fine with it.

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I just wanted to share a photo of the original packaging of these containers. I have my family save these up for me and I will create with them each year. I have about 10 of them saved up for now. As a crafter, we always keep our eyes peeled for something we can save and create with! 🙂

And here’s a closer look at the details of the polar bears. I used my Copics to color them. For the green one, I used the pointillism technique to create the look on the sweater. I also made the elbow pads and the circles on the mug. I covered the mug with some glossy accents. I added some glitter to the top of the hat on the red one.

Thanks for stopping in today! See you soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter:

Always Fun – Anything Goes
Christmas with the Cuties – Anything but a Card
Use Your Stuff – Mood board (inspired by the sweet treats, mugs and red/white colors!)
Double Trouble – Thing 1: My sweet treat is inside the containers! Thing 2: I used the mood board above from “Use Your Stuff” challenge! Thing 3: I used lots of “sprinkles” with faux snow and glitter!
Crafty Card Makers – Anything but a Card
Artistic Inspiration – Just for Fun Challenge – Anything Goes

Snow One Like You

Hello friends! Stopping in to share a card I’ve made with an adorable Whimsy Stamps image and to remind you of the December challenge going on over on the Whimsy Stamps Inspiration Facebook Group. If you are creating with any of your Whimsy Stamps products, I hope you will stop by and add your creation to the gallery!

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This is the really adorable Penguin Coffee Break Digital stamp set by Crissy Armstrong…always LOVE using her adorable penguin images! 🙂 You actually get THREE digital images within this set. You get the penguin alone like I’ve used on my card here, you also get one with the winter scene background behind him as well as just the scene by itself! Pretty nice deal for one low price if you ask me!

I’ve made this a pretty simple card by printing out the image, coloring it up with Copics and then for the “snowflake” on the penguin’s shirt as well as the sentiment and the sparkly snowflakes in the background, I’ve pulled out the Whimsy Stamps Snow Flurry Clear Stamp Set. I have heat embossed the smallest snowflake on the penguin’s shirt with white embossing powder and then I heat embossed the snowflakes in the background with some Sprinkle Embossing Powder and lightly ink blended some Tumbled Glass distress ink over top of it. I wrote the “snow” letters over the cup with a white gel pen and then stamped the sentiment from the Snow Flurry stamp set underneath the cup. I’ve cut this panel out with a cross-stitch rectangle die and then layered it over some red cardstock and then mounted this onto a top folding A2 sized white card base.

Upon a closer view, you can sort of see the sparkly embossed snowflakes in the background as well as the coloring details. For coloring up my penguin, here’s the Copics that I’ve used:

hat/scarf/mittens: BG78, BG75, BG72
sweatshirt/hat & scarf trimmings: R39, R37, R35 for trimming: C3, C1, blender 0
Penguin Body: C8, C7, C5, C3, C1 for feet/beak: Y35, Y21, Y11 cheeks: R00, R000
Cup: W9, W7, W5, W3 liquid/steam: E29, E25, E50
Snow/shadow around and under penguin: B00, B000, B0000

I’ve also covered the trim on his hat along with the trim on shirt with a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen. I added a dot of Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter Drops to the center of the snowflake on his shirt as well as the liquid in his cup.

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It’s hard to capture the shimmer on his white hat trimmings, but you can see the sparkle in his cup and the center of his snowflake. I was thinking of all of the things that you could add to his shirt besides a snowflake…so that would be fun to play with too!

Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today! Thanks for dropping in! I’ll be back soon!

Here are some challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

CAS Colors & Sketches – color challenge:
Fab ‘N’ Funky – With an Animal
4 Crafty Chicks – Snowflakes
QKR Stampede – Anything Goes #322

Gingerbread Christmas Tag

Hello friends! It seems like it’s been a while since my last post! I have been feeling a little under the weather for a few days and I’m trying to get myself back on track…so hopefully I’m getting there! Thank you to all who’ve left comments and a big welcome to my new followers! So happy to have you here and hope you enjoy the postings!

I have a cute Christmas tag to share with you today using an oldie but a goodie Whimsy Stamps digital image:

Vicki-Oct24-Gingerbreadman Tag

This sweet little Gingerbread Man was so much fun to color and “bling up” a bit with some accents! I have him colored up with Copic markers in the following:

Body: E39, E37, E35, E15, E13 (Cheeks 0blender, R20 and frosting BG000 in certain areas.)
Candy Cane and circle candy: R39, R37, R35, R32, C3, C1, C0
Nose and arm accents: G16, G09
Outer Edge of image: BG10, BG000

I used a manila tag and got out a zig zag image from an older Whimsy Stamps clear set called Basic Backgrounds & Borders (retired) and stamped it on the tag with Rusty Hinge Oxide Ink. I also used that color along with Tea Stain and Vintage Photo Oxide inks to sponge around the edges of the tag. I used a water spritzer to add some drops and then blotted it with a towel to get the watermark look.

The gingerbread man panel was cut to fit the tag and I used some Tumbled Glass Oxide ink to stamp a few snowflakes around the gingerbread man from the Whimsy Stamps Snow Flurry stamp set and then sponged around the edges of this panel with the same brown oxide inks listed above. I also stamped a sentiment at the bottom of the tag from the Whimsy Stamps Penguins Winter Adventure stamp set with Archival Jet Black ink. I then added a strip of black washi tape from Tim Holtz Ideaology Christmas collection and then added some “faux snow” flakes at the bottom of the gingerbread man panel with some liquid glue.

For the ribbon, I used some seam binding ribbon and sprayed it with distress ink sprays in the same brown colors as inks that I’ve used, crinkled up and let it dry. I added that to the top of the tag along with some tinsel ribbon. I thought it went well with the snow!

A closer view of the gingerbread man and you can see the added extra details that I’ve added to him. For the candy cane and circle candy on his head, I covered them with a Spectrum Noir Glitter Brush Pen. I’ve added some Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter Drops to the green dots and then some Nuvo Clear Crystal Drops to the frosting lines. (You can see how it shines in the photo!)

Thank so much for stopping in today! Hope you’ve enjoyed my tag and I’ll be seeing you very soon!! 🙂

Challenges: