Guest Designer - Heather Mills

We're back with another project from a talented guest designer. Today we're sharing the work of Heather Mills of Wire Wrapture. Heather created a beautiful summer themed card featuring sunflowers with fun sparkly centers! I love how she paired her image with the wood grain embossing folder - perfect combo!

Here's what Heather says about putting this lovely card together:

"I started out with some white co'ordinations card stock (which of course, I cut using my Fiskars paper trimmer!) for my base and scored it with my scor-pal as a top folding card.  For my next layer, I used the Darice Woodgrain embossing folder to emboss another piece of co'ordinations card.  Then I used my Ranger mini ink blending tool to ink the edges of the embossed panel with Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress ink.  I use Spectrum Noir markers to color my image twice, so I could cut out the two larger sunflowers and pop them up with some foam tape.  Then I used Ranger Cinnamon Stickles to dot the center of the flowers.  I love the sparkle it adds.  I matted the image panel with some My Favorite Things brown card stock and then layered that on some My Favorite Things patterned paper.  I heat embossed my sentiment with white embossing powder on a scrap of the same MFT card stock and added 3 tiny rhinestones.  For adhering things together, I use my Tombow permanent adhesive runner for most things.  I used it to adhere the image panel and the mats together.  But whenever I adhere embossed panels, I like to use scor-tape as I feel it gives a stronger hold.  In the picture below, you can see more of the sparkle from the stickles."

Now it's YOUR turn! Stop by our current link party and showoff any project that includes a product or two from one of the companies Cropstop carries in the store. 

Guest Designer - Stephanie Wright

It's time for another guest designer spot here on the Cropstop blog. Today we're sharing the work of Stephanie Wright of Sasha Belle Designs.  Stephanie has created a beautiful spring step card to share with our readers, and has also included a great tutorial!

Here's what Stephanie says: "I am so honored to be Guest Designing for the Crop Stop blog today. I found a simple Step Card tutorial by Loll Thompson on Pinterest and used that for my card base. I decided to make this a birthday card for a friend who like purple and also likes butterflies. I really like this step card design because it still allows room to write a message on the interior.
 

After following the tutorial to make my card base, I cut solid cardstock slightly smaller to mat patterned paper. I inked the edges of the patterned paper with Distress Ink for extra dimension. The green patterned paper strip across the bottom front of the card was embossed with an embossing folder. After inking the edges of this strip, the embossing was also highlighted with ink to really help it pop. 

The sentiment on the right side was stamped with Versafine black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. A Spellbinders circle die was used to die cut the sentiment which was then matted on a Spellbinder Picot Edge Circle die cut. After adhering these to the panel, the circles were embellished with clear bling. The sentiment on the left was stamped directly on the patterned paper and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The small butterflies were punched from dark purple cardstock with a Fiskars punch. The centers of the butterflies were accented with Stickles. The large butterfly was die cut with a Momenta die from cardstock and then from vellum. The vellum layer was also embossed with the coordinating embossing plates. The vellum layer was adhered to the cardstock layer only in the middle. After adhering the large butterfly to the card, it was accented with clear bling."

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill (dark purple for butterflies), Taylored Expressions Vellum, Unknown {Pealized (cardbase), Lavender}
Patterned Paper: Recollections
Stamps: My Sentiments Exactly clear stamp set (Inspirational Birthday Innies & Outies)
Ink: Tsukineko Versafine (Onyx Black), Ranger Distress Ink (Dusty Concord)
Tools/embellishments: Scor-Pal scoring board, Scotch ATG gun, Fiskars (Trimmer and Butterfly punch), Mementa Butterfly Die, Spellbinders dies (Standard Circle Small, Picot Edge Circles), Bling (The Paper Studio, Gina Marie Designs), Simon Says Stamp embossing powder (Clear), Star Dust Stickles

Now it's your turn....stop by our CURRENT LINK PARTY and showoff any projects that include a few products from companies Cropstop carries in the store! I'll look forward to seeing your work appear in the gallery! 

Guest Designer - Marsha Drain

Time for another guest design spot here on the Cropstop blog. Today we're sharing another lovely card created by Marsha Drain of Gramma's Room. This time Marsha created a bright and cheery birthday card in pinks using designer paper as one of her main elements.

Marsha says: "The sparkly embossed flowers are part of the designer paper but I added Liquid Pearl centers. I added Stickles to the little bow die cuts on either side of the paper flower.  I used scor tape to adhere the two papers (embossed spots and dots and the designer paper) together as well as under the ribbon. I used Bow Easy, to create the bow and the  Cuttlebug Spots and Dots Embossing Folder for the embossed top." 

 Thanks for sharing your talent with us, Marsha!

Now it's your turn....stop by our CURRENT LINK PARTY and showoff any projects that include a few products from companies Cropstop carries in the store! 

I hope to see YOU there!

Tim Holtz' Distress Inks and Stickles - Review

Product Review - Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Distress Stickles
By Gloria Stengel

Tim Holtz Distress Inks have been around for a long time, but have gained popularity again in the past few years. A large portion of the new “buzz” about these inks has to do with Tim’s amazing website and blog where he freely gives advice and posts product workshops, demos, and video tutorials. Couple that with new ink colors and companion products which have been released recently by Ranger (Distress Stickles, Crackle Paints, and Embossing Powders), and you get amazing products that are fun to play with! There are 24 inks, 12 Stickles glues, 28 crackle paints, and 24 embossing powders in the Distress line. 

Let’s talk about the inks. What’s so special about them? ....

WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THEM?  GO CHECK OUT OUR FORUM FOR THE REST OF THE REVIEW.

GET the entire collection of Distress Stickles for only $24.99 a $42 value!!!!  ONLY at CropStop.com you will find these awesome prices!

It's Touchy-Feely Friday at 365 cards

The challenge is to incorporate 3 different methods of adding texture to a card. Using products like Stickles or Liquid Pearls will be perfect, since those definitely add texture/dimension. People have until midnight on Saturday the 28th to complete the challenge. Everyone who enters the challenge will be entered into a random drawing for a CROP STOP Gift Certificate (woohoooo!!!), which will take place on Sunday.

Wanna play? Follow the link to 365 cards Challenge blog!!!!

CropStop's Class Schedule

The school is in session ladies!  Go check out what you have been missing.

• Jan.5th - Magnetic calendar
  

• Jan.12th - Adding texture to your pages
  
• Jan. 19th - Stuck on stickles
  
• Jan. 26th - Mini class, Post It Notes/Q&A Session
  
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• Feb. 2nd - Stamping with baby wipes
  
• Feb. 9th - Stamping/embossing on flowers
  
• Feb. 16th - Date Reminder Flip Book
  
• Feb. 23rd - Mini Class, Restaurant Survival Kit/Q&A Session