The Ton and Chibitronics Blog Hop!

Good Morning! Welcome to the Blog Hop for The Ton's collaboration with Chibitronics! You should have arrived from Eunji's blog and your next stop is Mayline's blog. 

My hubby is an electrician. He is pretty much awesome with anything with wires and circuits and lights... And I most certainly am not. I will be the first to admit that I am a bit of a dunce when it comes to anything electronic... My smart phone is most certainly smarter than I. (I know, I know, I'm a milennial, so I"m supposed to be more capable than this with my electronics.) So when the collaboration between The Ton and Chibitronics was announced to the Design Team, I was just a tiny bit (ahem, A LOT) nervous that I wouldn't be able to figure it out. I thought to myself  "oh, I will just ask my electrician hubster for help if I need to," which helped me relax quite a bit. BUT! I just sat down with the handbook that comes in the Chibitronics Starter Kit, watched a few videos, and just played with it, and I was able to figure it out all by my lonesome. Yippee! It sounds so intimidating, but the manual really breaks down the technical terminology into useable bits that actually make sense. I am all for dumbing things down in when it comes to technology LOL!

Anyway, my project for the collaboration is one that I've had in my head (albeit without the nifty little lights) since the Bokeh Burst: Star was released a few months ago. You saw my bokeh card with the Sparklers Alpha from the release countdown a couple of weeks ago... this card uses the same technique. I started by heat embossing my sentiment using silver embossing powder, then blending Soft Orchid, Plum Wine, and Grape Crush inks on an A2 panel of card stock. After getting the blending the way I wanted it, I used the solid circles from Bokeh Burst: Round to create the bokeh effect by stamping random circles in all three shades of purple, plus a few stamped with Delicata Silver ink. I used that fabulous star image and stamped it in three spots using silver Delicata ink to create a visual triangle around the sentiment. I knew that I wanted my lights to be in the center of the stars, so I poked three holes in the center of the stars and stopped messing with my card front before I messed it up. (Really, I needed to stop procrastinating and get to the technical part of the project...)

I created the circuitry based on the instructions found in the book that comes with the Starter Kit. I used the holes in the front panel as a guide to determine my placement of the LED lights. It took a couple of practice tries, but I finally got the copper tape in the right spots to create my circuits! The key (for me anyway) was that I needed to keep my tape closer together to make certain that the LED lights could touch the positive and negative tapes on both top and bottom of the LED stickers. After I made certain that the lights would actually light (YESSSS!), I cut up some fun foam to use to pop up the card base so the battery wouldn't be an unsightly lump at the bottom of the card haha. 

The final step was to carefully place the card front over the LED stickers and pray that I had eyeballed them well enough that all three would fit. (YESSS again!) 

The finished product with the lights on:

  And with the lights off: 

Isn't it so awesome? It kinda twinkles! Can you imagine this with a Christmas card? Gah! I was so intimidated, but now I can't stop thinking of new ways to use these fabulous little lights! (And I don't even need to bug my hubby to help me haha!)

So, have you tried any Chibitronics yet? They seem so intimidating, but I promise, if I, a technologically inept milennial can figure it out in only ONE naptime, you absolutely can figure it out!!! Here are the rest of the hop stops:

The Ton

Vera

Eunji

Emily (that's me!) 

Mayline

Giveaway - One starter kit to a lucky commenter. To qualify, you must leave a comment on each blog. Comment period will end on Saturday, July 2 at 11:59 pm EST

I'm sure you are going to have an absolute blast checking out all of these fun projects! Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to leave a comment on each blog for your chance to win one of these super fun kits! :) 

The Ton Summer Release Blog Hop

Well, hello there! Welcome back to The Ton's Summer Release Blog Hop! All week, we've shown you the fabulous new products that Effie has designed, and now, we get to end the week with a treat.... a blog hop with some absolutely fabulous guests! Here is the hop order:

The Ton

Vera Yates

Amy Tsuruta

Emily Midgett <------ you are here! 

Lisa Harrolle

Eunji Jung

Laura Sterckx

Mayline Jung

Laurel Beard

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Ruby Naz

Stephanie Klauck

Keeway Tsao

Kymona Tracey

Michelle Short

You should have arrived from Amy's blog, and your next stop is Lisa's blog. Be sure to leave all of the blog hop participants some love on each of their blogs, because you will be entered to win one of FOUR $25 gift certificates to The Ton Stamps!

Now, on to my projects.

My first project was inspired by this darling watercolor print that I found on Pinterest:

And here is my interpretation of it:

I used the absolutely adorable Darling Flamingos stamps, as well as the sweet pineapple image from Stand Tall, in conjunction with a palm frond from Mini Wild Florals to stamp a pattern on a simple A2 card base. I stamped the flamingos with the Ruby Collection, the pineapple in gold Delicata ink, and the palm frond in Bright Fern. The greeting from Basic Labels was stamped in Noir ink, then fussy cut. I triple cut the Fabulous die from black cardstock, layered all of them together for a dimensional die cut, and adhered it at an angle, then popped up the labels with dimensional adhesive at a wonky angle. 

My last card for the release is a shaker. It wouldn't have felt like a release from The Ton without a watercolored floral background turned into a shaker card. To start, I heat embossed the stunning new Cherry Blossom Garden background using White Satin Pearl embossing powder onto watercolor card stock. I then painted the image using a pink, black, and gray color scheme with my Zig markers and a wet paintbrush. To create the shaker, I simply die cut some of the silver glitter paper using the largest two dies from the Stitched Rectangle set to create a frame. I filled my shaker with a variety of pink, charcoal, white, and silver gilding from the store. The greeting was from the Lucky Tulip set, white heat embossed on a strip of black card stock. The final touch was to add a few single blooms from Wild Cherry Blossoms that I'd watercolored with the same Zig markers.

Well, that's all for me today! I hope you've enjoyed all of the projects that I and the rest of the team have put together for you. Your next stop on the hop is Lisa Harrolle! Be sure to leave comments on all of the blogs so as to be entered the maximum amount of times for the giveaway! The comments will be open until 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, June 18. Good luck! Happy hopping! :)

The Ton Summer Release- Day 3

Good morning! We are back today for the final day of The Ton's Summer Release countdown! All of the fantastic new products that we've been showcasing are available for sale NOW at The Ton's website! Today we are presenting to you the final four stamp sets being released: Darling Flamingos, Sundae Bar, Ice Cream Party Background, and Stand Tall. I have three projects to show you, so let's get started! 

Up first: Darling Flamingos. Flamingos are eeeeeeverywhere. They're so hot, and so very adorable. The detail on these birds is incredible; the layers just really help them pop off of the page and look super realistic. I started by stamping one of the flamingos with the inks from the Ruby Collection and the legs with the Pewter Collection. I stamped the super sweet and encouraging sentiment with sticky ink on a strip of black card stock, then heat embossed it with white embossing powder. The background was stamped with the new Minor Stripes background using Noir ink, then die cut with one of the Stitched Rectangles. I popped up the striped die cut and the flamingo using foam adhesive, then added a few Glass Slippers and Strawberry Margarita sequins. I added a sliver of silver glitter paper behind the sentiment strip and adhered it to the card base. 

My next project showcases the fantastic new Ice Cream Party Background. I wanted the color to be very muted and subtle, like wall paper in an ice cream parlor or, in this case, wrapping paper, so I used my Distress Inks instead of my Zig markers. With the Distress Inks, I can dilute the color down with water, then add more dimension and shading if necessary. I colored the background, sticking with chocolate, vanilla, mint, and strawberry colored ice cream, then die cut it using one of the squares from the Stitched Squares die set. I thought the pattern would be cute for a card for a gift bag, so I used the Grand Bows set to create a gift bow, stamped using the lighter two inks from the Ruby Collection and fussy cut it. To create the "ribbon," I trimmed a couple of strips from the Mint foil papers and crossed them at the center of the card, then popped up the bow. The final step was to add the "Happy Birthday" from the Labels collection. Cute, right?

My final project showcases a few of the individual treats included in the Sundae Bar set. I stamped them along the edge of a panel of watercolor card stock using sticky ink, then heat embossed them with the new Rose Gold embossing powder available in The Ton's store. I then used the "you are" and "so" stamps from Thanks a Bunch, then used the Sparklers Alpha to stamp "COOL." I love the versatility of this alphabet set... it's such a simple font that it pairs beautifully with the flourish-y calligraphic fonts that are in so many of the other stamp sets. I colored the treats with shades of pink in an ombre color scheme, then I dropped in some dark turquoise color around the images and greeting to help them stand out even further. A few strips of magenta glitter paper from my stash helped to mat the watercolor panel. I butted it up on the corner of my teal top-folding card base with some dimensional adhesive, then added a few sequins in shades of pink (Pastel Pink, Queens Pink, and Princess Pink)

That's all for me today! Be sure to leave a comment here and on The Ton's Blog to be eligible to win prizes! Comments close at 11:59 on June 16, 2016. Good luck! See you back here tomorrow for the fantastic blog hop! 

The Ton Summer Release- Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of The Ton Stamps's Summer Release! Today we are debuting Vogue Skies, Sparklers Alpha, Minor Stripes Background, Floral World Map, Haute Books, and Haute Stacks. I have three projects for you, so let's get started! 

My first project uses the fantastic new set Haute Stacks. The large size of the stack of books makes it great for a quick and easy focal point on a card. I've chose to heat emboss the books onto some watercolor card stock with Versafine and clear embossing powder. I then added some color with my Zig markers, sticking to a blue and pink color scheme. The vase and layered bouquet are also included in the set... aren't they lovely!? I stamped the flowers using The Ruby Collection of inks from The Ton. I fussy cut all of the images and then turned my attention to the card base. I stamped the Rose Terrace background using Blue Diamond ink on a pale blue card base to create a sort of wallpaper in the background. I assembled my stack, then popped all of them up with dimensional adhesive. The sentiment (also from Haute Stacks) was stamped on a strip of white card stock, then notched at the end to create a flag. The final step was to add some pretty coordinating Bermuda Blue sequins. 

This next card is quite possibly one of the simplest cards I've made... but I absolutely love the clean look. I stamped that fantastic silhouette image (adding the London Eye and sentiment as well) from Vogue Skies using Versafine ink, then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I did this because I knew I wanted to watercolor a sky behind, and so wanted the image to be completely waterproof. I used my Dr. Ph Martin's watercolors to create a sky and water background. Make sure you use really good watercolor paper when doing a "bleed" technique, because your paper will need to absorb a lot of water to make the colors blend well. You could probably also accomplish this with Zig markers, but I wanted to try to use more of the watercolor mediums that I just *had* to have. ;) I use my Zig markers all the time...

My final project for today might be my favorite for the whole countdown... I have a love affair with bokeh, and the new Sparklers Alpha set lends itself so well to a festive bokeh background that I couldn't resist. To start, I used the Minted Collection and a foam blending tool to create a blended background. To make my blended backgrounds, I always start with three colors: light, medium, and dark shades of the same color. I blend the lightest in three spots (always remember your rule of three!), then blend my darkest near those light ink spots. I then use the middle shade to blend them, so that it looks fairly seamless. I then stamped the solid circles from the Bokeh Burst: Round stamp set with those same inks, taking care to look as random as possible. (Which is absolutely an oxymoron, but it seriously took me forever to make sure it didn't look patterned at all lol.) The last step for the background was to use Perfect Pearls Medium and Perfect Pearls to stamp the large "burst" circle.  

For the greeting, I stamped the large calligraphic "happy" from Brushed: Happy on some vellum using sticky embossing ink, then heat embossed it with silver embossing powder. I fussy cut it and then turned my attention to the new Sparklers Alpha! I heat embossed the letters using silver embossing powder first, then stamped the "sparkler" part of the sparkles using some white and silver sparkle embossing powder in my stash. The last step was to stamp the little handles in black! I used some clear dimensional adhesive to pop up the "happy" that I'd previously fussy cut. 

A different angle to show the Perfect Pearls and sparkles on the sparklers a little better. I love subtle little details like this. They may seem insignificant, but I think they make a huge difference in the overall feel of the card! This card took a bit of time, but it was totally and completely worth it. So festive and fun. 

That's all for me today! I hope you've enjoyed my projects. The rest of the Design Team has come up with some smashing examples. I hope you're enjoying the new products and inspiration! Now, for the giveaway details... Effie has generously given each Design Team member a $10 gift code to randomly draw a winner at the end of the release countdown.... Leave a comment on each blog each day for maximum chances to win! Effie will also draw the winners of the three $15 gift codes from The Ton's blog, so be sure to comment there, too. The comment period will end at 11:59 pm EST on Friday, June 17. 

Good luck! See you back here tomorrow for the last day of projects from the Design Team. The Summer 2016 release will also be available tomorrow morning at 7 am, EST, so prepare your wallets! 

The Ton Summer Release- Day 1

Hellloooooo! Welcome to Day 1 of The Ton Stamps's Summer Release. We are showcasing some stunning new floral stamps today: Wild Cherry Blossoms, Always Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossom Garden Background, Graceful Rose, and Lucky Tulip. I have three cards to show you today, so let's get started with some flowery goodness! 

My first card is quite traditional in it's color scheme and composition. I simply heat embossed my Cherry Blossom Garden Background stamp onto a piece of watercolor card stock using gold embossing powder. (Tip: when heat embossing large solid images onto watercolor paper, such as the solid flowers in this background, it is handy to have a Versamark pen. If your images do not emboss perfectly on the textured paper, you can simply go over them with your Versamark pen, add more EP, et voila!) I colored the pretty flowers using a very pale, peach-y pink Zig marker, adding in a lovely contrasting turquoise background. After giving sufficient time to dry, I die cut the panel with the largest of the Stitched Rectangles die set. The warm gold embossing lent itself very well to some of the new Copper foil in The Ton's Gilding section, so I die cut the "fabulous" die from it and some regular card stock and glued them all together to make a dimensional die cut. The "have a" and "birthday" were stamped in Aspen Cocoa ink and fussy cut. Some Peach Whisper sequins finished it off. 

My next card goes in completely the opposite direction. Deep purple blooms are juxtaposed with pale gray leaves and darker gray branches. I began by heat embossing the branches from Always Cherry Blossoms in a cascade down one side of a panel of watercolor paper using silver embossing powder. I colored the image using my Zig markers and a wet paintbrush. A strip of purple foil along the opposite edge of the florals was the only embellishment needed for this card. Love how this one turned out! 

My final card for today uses the absolutely stunning bloom from Lucky Tulip. If I'm honest, this might be one of my new favorite images to color. Its petals are large enough that you can really add quite a bit of depth to the shading. Someone with Copic skills that exceed my own would really be able to recreate some of those neat dotted tulips. Alas, my skills are nowhere near sufficient. Anyway, back to my project. I simply heat embossed the gorgeous bloom onto a sheet of watercolor card stock, then colored it with my deepest pink Zig marker, but also using a fuchsia-y purple color to add even more depth and shadows, while also using a wet paintbrush to really get a nice blend of colors. I fussy cut the entire image. I used some of the new matte gold foil papers to die cut the Geometric Lattice cover plate. Let me tell you, that stuff cut like butter on this fairly intricate die. Plus, it's super thin, so when you lay it on the paper, it lays practically completely flush with the card stock. I popped up the tulip on the background, then added the sentiment (also from Lucky Tulip) that I'd heat embossed in that same warm gold onto a strip of black card stock. A few sequins (Glass Slippers, Queens Pink) were the final finishing touch.  

I hope you all have enjoyed these projects. This release is going to be fabulous! So many fun new goodies coming out! Now, Effie has generously given each Design Team member a $10 gift code to give away on each personal blog, as well as three $15 gift codes for comments left on The Ton's blog! All you have to do is comment on each blog to be eligible to win. Comment once per day on each blog for maximum chances to win!! The comments will close on Friday, June 19 at 11:59 pm EST. Let us know what you think of the sets being released! We love to hear your feedback!

Have fun looking at all of the rest of the Design Team's projects. Some serious eye candy for you... :) See you back here tomorrow with more goodies! 

Thanks for being a friend...

Thank you for being a frieeeend.... Yes, sung to the Golden Girls theme song.

Since receiving some lovely happy mail from Jessica and Ruby, I've been trying to make more cards to send to crafty friends. I made this card oh, three weeks ago? But I've had sick kiddos for almost two weeks straight, one right after another, so the blog post just never got written. Looks like we're on the mend, fingers crossed, so I felt human enough to write a blog post today. 

So this color combo is seriously one of my absolute favorites. It's so unique, but it's still so feminine and coral peonies are ranking right up there with pink peonies for me these days. To start, I stamped the Floral Border background from The Ton Stamps using White Satin Pearl embossing powder from Hero Arts, then watercolored it using... yep you guessed it: my trusty Zigs and a wet paintbrush. I just really love that pop of color the lilac gives to the background. Kinda unexpected, but so, so pretty. 

Another new favorite? Gray leaves. I can't get enough. Neutrals as leaves are going to be my new thing. 

And... this foil paper. It's new from The Ton. It's super, super thin, so it looks like it was foiled with a Minc machine, but it cuts like a dream with your dies. Go get some. You need it. And Effie has like a gazillion colors, so be sure to get some of them ALL. I can't stop using it. Just look at that incredible shine! It's like a mirror! Loooooove! 

That's all for me today. I'll be a busy little bee in my craft room for the next couple of weeks, and you'll soon see why... *wink, wink* Keep your eyes on my IG feed next week! I'm @eamidgett if you want to come follow me. :)

Have a fantastic day, friends!