Do you have a love like a fairy tale? Do you just love the idea of “happily ever after” or wishing on a star? Then you just have to join us at Festive Friday this week! Anything from dragons, unicorns, and fairies to armor and sparkle counts for this week’s challenge! If you don’t have anything that fits the bill, just add some stars to your design and you’ve got the “or” option covered! Put it all together and you’re likely to have a bling-a-licious creation to share!

Looking for ideas – here’s a few:

• CASE one of the DT projects and add your own twist to our designs. Of course, if you blog about it, we would love for you to mention the Designer as your inspiration for your project.
• Explore the idea of paper punch art to make some fun fairy tale characters!
• Look to the seas for a mermaid inspired design, or pop a crown on a cute froggy image. Fairy tales happen everywhere!
• Looking for something different? Make up a fun stars-themed decor to get your house ready for an Oscars party!
• Focus on stars and wishes, or the celebration of someone’s stellar success!

Here’s my take:

I’m totally seeing stars and had a great time exploring Distress Inks to create this nighttime design! Of course, this one is going to the DH for V-day. (Shhh! Don’t tell!) Check out the party plan to see how it’s done!

Stamps and Paper and Inks … Oh, My!

(Affiliate shopping links are listed at the end of the post)

Stamps: Upon a Star (Lawn Fawn),
Paper: 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ – Solar White 110lb (Neenah), 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ 80lb Solar White (Neenah), 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ Black Licorice CS (Lawn Fawn), 4″ x 5 1/4″ – Black Licorice CS (Lawn Fawn), 4 1/4″ x 3″ Silver Glitter Paper (Kaisercraft) 3″ x 3″ 80lb Solar White (Neenah)
Inks: Unicorn White (Hero), Versafine Clair Nocturne (Tsukineko), Distress Inks (Ranger/Tim Holtz) – Chipped Sapphire, Mermaid Lagoon, Seedless Preserve, Black Soot, Aged Mahogany, Picked Raspberry. White Gouache (Windsor &Newton)
Accessories: none
Other: Heat Tool (Hero Arts), Big Shot (Sizzix), Stamp Positioner (Tonic/Tim Holtz) and/or acrylic blocks, Anti-static powder bag (Ranger), Super Fine White embossing powder (Ranger), Upon a Star dies (Lawn Fawn), Starry Skies dies (Lawn Fawn), Simple Grassy Hillside edgelits (Lawn Fawn), Distress Blender (Ranger/Tim Holtz), Blender Pen (Tombow)

Party Plan

(your step-by-step guide to CASE-ing this design)

1. Score your card base at 4 1/4″ and set aside. Tack down the 80# piece of Solar White to a hard board or piece of cardboard using painter’s tape. This will keep the panel still while we blend.
2. Add an evenly blended layer of Mermaid Lagoon ink to the cardstock.
3. Then, blend Chipped Sapphire working from the outer edges towards the center, leaving the center lighter than the edges.
4. Blend with Seedless Preserve next. This will give the effect of twilight.
5. Lastly, blend again from the outside edges with Black Soot – it’s finally time for a starry sky!

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  blend

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  blend

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  keep blending

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  blend it all!

6. Spritz the panel with water to activate the Distress Ink and leave water spots for depth.
7. Then, mix some white gouache with a bit of water on an acrylic block. Flick it on to the panel with a paint brush.
8. Allow the gouache to dry and then remove the panel from the hard board and trim to 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″
9. Set up the sentiment on a stamp positioner or acrylic block and stamp in Unicorn White, then heat emboss with Superfine White.

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  spritz water

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  flick gouache

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  trim

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  stamp & emboss

10. Diecut the stars from the Starry Skies die set around the left side of the sentiment.
11. Flip the panel over and diecut the stars from the back so they are a mirror image of the already cut image.
12. Add tear tape around the edges of the glimmer paper and firmly attach to the back of the sentiment panel.
13. Adhere the finished panel to the card base.

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  diecut

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  reverse diecut

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  add glitter

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  adhesive suggestion

14. Stamp the larger animal stamps in Versafine Clair Nocturne. Heat set to dry.
15. Blend a light layer of Black Soot Distress Ink over the characters. This will make them look like they’re in the dark!
16. Add highlights of Aged Mahogany with a blender pen to the left side of the fox. Add Picked Raspberry to the rabbit’s nose.
17. Use watered-down white gouache to add highlights to the bunny’s ears, face and tail, and the fox’s tail and ear points. It will start off more white and blend into the dark. Add another coat if necessary.

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  stamp

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  highlight

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  white highlight

18. Diecut the finished characters.
19. Diecut two sections grass in Black Licorice.
20. Adhere the more arced piece of grass to the card base – offset so the hill peaks to the left.
21. Add the two characters to the right so they peek over the grass.
22. Add the more flat piece of grass to the card, over the characters.
23. Trim any excess grass from around the card edges.

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  diecut

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  diecut

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  assemble

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  complete

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