FEBRUARY 7 - DAY FIVE, WEEK THREE

Friday's Here! That means tomorrow is the drawing for our weekly challenge. Did you know you can check the status of your entries in the tab above?

If you were unable to create a bingo “card” prior to the deadline, you may still play and become eligible for one of the weekly prizes. Click here for how to play without a card (see No Bingo Card? And Weekly)

Velvet Sparkle EP

As designers for Sparkle N Sprinkle, we find the most difficult part of our job is to capture the sparkle and shine with our cameras. The Velvet Sparkle EP above is actually more glittery than regular Sparkle EP.

The past few days we have been discussing velvet glitters, how to use them, and that they do not "fly around" as much as regular glitters.

Velvet Glitters can be added to embossing powders, too, as shown below. After shading my mermaid with Copic Markers, I felt her "mermaid outfit" was not textured enough. With a VersaMarker, I scribbled on her body in certain areas and heat set with Velvet Sparkle EP. In real life, she is very sparkly in those areas. The clear EP mixed with the velvet glitter enhances the shading below it. That is because Velvet Sparkle is a SEMI-TRANSPARENT product. The pretty colors under the EP show very well through the new textured finish. The same technique was done on both white die cuts where the distress inks were applied. VersaMarker was swished around on the desired areas, and then heat set with Velvet Sparkle EP.

The good thing about this particular technique is that it does not have to be "perfectly applied". The VersaMarker is loosely swished. The EP sticks wherever the VersaMarker left its ink. This "glitter" will never come off because it is adhered with the embossing powder.

TIP: VersaMark Ink and Clear EP actually cause the colors beneath them to darken or enhance. These two products can help you "shade" images and cardstocks. This allows crafters to "shade" with VersaMark ink and any embossing powder which has a "clear" base.

Velvet Sparkle EMBOSSING POWDER used as a texture on top of colored images and ink distressing.
Card details here. Large close-up to better see the Velvet Sparkle EP details.

The reason this is one of my favorite technique is I cannot make a mistake with it. It does not matter if an embossing buddy (anti-static bag) is used. It does not matter if little "flecks" go astray. All the EP and technique do is make my card look more dazzling.

Today's Words Are:

#94 Design Team

#13 Geraniums

#67 Apples

#191 Dimensional Glue

#40 Twinkling Clouds

#33 Congratulations

#145 Wishful Thinking

Velvet Sparkle EP on pale aqua cardstock.

TIP: For all powdery products (like EP, Glitter, mica powders), I always shake the container thoroughly before opening it - every single time I use it, I shake it up. This keeps the powders well blended, and differently-sized particles are blended with the other sized particles.

More examples of "antiquing" or "distressing" with Velvet Sparkle EP are shown in Karalee's card below. Again, the photo is enlarged and cropped to show details. Karalee smooshed VersaMark Ink on salmon colored cardstock and heat set with Velvet Sparkle EP. The glitter will not come off. Next Karalee dry embossed a brown panel of cs by running it through an embossing folder. She carefully applied VersaMark ink across the raised areas of her embossed area, applied Velvet Sparkle EP, and heat set. Even if she "missed" some areas, or applied the VersaMark too heavily in other areas, it would not matter because the Velvet Sparkle EP is semi-transparent, meaning all the detail can be seen beneath it. This glitter will never come off because the EP holds it in place permanently - and it is acid-free.

Karalee's card customizes salmon colored cardstock, and distresses the dry embossed areas
of the brown cardstock - both accomplished with Velvet Sparkle EP. There is no to
make a mistake with either of these techniques.
NOTE: the gold EP is opaque - it cannot be seen through. But the Velvet Sparkle EP  is
Semi-Transparent and easily lets us see the details beneath it.

There are a total of 15 opportunities to have your name submitted to Random.org on Saturday. Be sure to send an email to SNS_Bingo@tampabay.rr.com with your name in the Subject Sentence followed by the date of the challenge questions.

1. (1 entry) When using Velvet Sparkle EP, why will the glitter never come off?

2. (1 entry) Can embossing powder completely cover an entire piece of cardstock? 

Anit-Static Bags (aka "embossing buddies") are helpful for detailed heat embossing,
but are not necessary when distressing or covering an entire piece of cardstock.

3. (1 entry) Is it necessary to use an "embossing buddy" when applying embossing powder for distressing, or to cover an entire piece of cardstock?

4. (1 entry) is Velvet Sparkle EP acid-free? 

5. (up to 4 entries) Can objects colored beneath Velvet Sparkle EP be clearly seen?
   a) if yes, why?
   b) if no, why?

6. (1 entry) Can Velvet Sparkle EP effectively create texture on your colored images while allowing all your hard work in coloring the image to show through?

7. (1 entry) True or False: Velvet Sparkle EP will cause your colored image to deepen (or enrich) in coloring beneath the EP.

8. (up to 5 entries) explain why #7 is true or false.