Sunday 12 March 2017

Guest Designer at Pixie's Snippets Playground


Hello! I am delighted to be Guest Designer over at Pixie's Snippets Playground with the lovely Di and Parsnip! It is one of my favourite bloggy places - very friendly and encouraging. It is also great for snippet-busting, although like the Magic Porridge Pot my snippet pile seems to be ever expanding!

As snippet-busting is the name of the game, I have chosen the Sunburst or Starburst technique as a fun way of using small pieces of left-over patterned paper. I'm lucky enough to be on the DT of Christmas Card Throwdown and we featured this very technique a short while ago. I love it, as it reminds me of that popular 1930s design feature - my Mum rented a garage which had a sunburst window over the doors! I decided that I would create a spring version for the Playground.

I blanched slightly when I saw the original challenge as I'm not very good with techniques that require any mathematical workings out or precision. My crafting friend, 'Too Much Glue' Sam and I always like to describe our crafting as 'organic' (ie. messy). Indeed, Di and Parsnip enjoyed the story of when I got gold embossing paste on my slipper and trod it all over the bathroom floor and up and down the stairs! However, although this technique looks as though it may require some arcane equations, it really doesn't and is super-easy! Here is my Christmassy version.


 There are many tutorials available for this lovely technique. I used a very straightforward tutorial by my talented friend Patricia. You can find a link to the pdf at the end of the first post here.

My Easter card uses snippets from a Designer Series Paper Stack called Serene Scenery. I combined the sunburst design with Bermuda Bay and Daffodil Delight cardstock. The cute little chick can be found in the Little Cuties stamp set. He was stamped in Delightful Dijon and then coloured in with SU watercolour pencils. To add a bit of bling I have included a snippet of Bermuda Bay Glimmer Paper and a couple of sequins. I hope you like it - I think he looks a cheeky little chap!

I do hope that you will join us over at the Playground. There are always the most amazing cards and craft creations to be inspired by, but also the most friendly and kind group of crafters (and a cheeky, little white bear!) Happy crafting! April x

26 comments:

  1. Mwah! Delighted to have you as this fortnight's Guest Designer April. Love your card - and the little white peril sends squishy hugs!

    Love

    Di xx

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    1. Awww! Thanks for having me Di. Big hugs to you and special squishy hugs to my favourite bear! Xx

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  2. Congratulations on your Guest Designer's spot over in The Playground. I love your gorgeous card and I'm so pleased you've put a link to the instructions as I'll be trying out this technique. As you say, it's much simpler to make the sunburst than it looks, but the finished look is so effective. xx

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  3. What lovely cards, a surely good way to use snippets. I love that you made a Christmas and an Easter version!

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  4. Wonderful cards and a fabulous use of snippets. Saw your card over at Di's and thought I would stop by to say hello!

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  5. Hi April, a wonderful card, the starburst effect always looks brilliant, one I'm yet to try, I'm off to Patricia's to download the PDF thank you for the link and inspiration at the Playground... have a wonderful week... Megan

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  6. Thanks for being the Playground Guest Designer, April! Your pretty Easter card is really a fabulous use of snippets and I love your Christmas version, too!! Hugs, Darnell

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    1. Thanks Darnell! It was a lot of fun :-) Xx

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  7. Hi April thanks for bringing your gorgeous Easter card to the playground in your GD spot. Such a fab technique! Hugs xx

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  8. A lovely cheery card for the playground this time - brightens up a dull wet morning here

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    1. Thanks Aquarius! It was all sunny and blue skies here this morning, but cold and rainy now! Xx

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  9. HI April . . . congrats on your GD spot over at the Snippets Playground with this brilliant card and technique. TFS.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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  10. Such a lovely card, I'm just off to the pdf, my snippetts need this technique! My Nellie sends love to Spot, she wants to know how to pull the curtain down, no matter how hard she tries the curtains wont fall down-lol.

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    1. Thanks Andrea! Spot sends his love to Nellie and says he just needs to dangle his incredibly hefty frame off the curtain and down it comes! He is the weight of a dog though!! :-) Xx

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  11. Well done on your star spot. I agree about anythng precision, too tricky, but I found this technique very easy too. You've done a great job here. The day I stopped dying may hair was the day I dripped some dye on the bathroom floor and then trod it back and forth, I think gold embossing would have looked much nicer. :)

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    1. Thanks Alison! Ha! Yes there have been a few hair dying incidents here too. I leave it to the professionals now. It's a fetching shade of violet at the mo :-) Xx

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  12. First Congratulations April on your Guest Designer spot in the Playground. It's one of my favourite places to join in too. I love your Easter card and it's a great technique for using up snippets. I made a couple of cards myself after having read your earlier post using this technique. Your little chick looks really cute and the papers are very pretty. Barbxx

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  13. great work April such lovely snippets creations.. huge congrats on your very worthy GDT too :D
    Thanks so much for sharing your inspiration!
    Shaz in Oz.x

    {Shaz in Oz – Calligraphy Cards}

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  14. Just saw your gorgeous Easter sunrise chick over at Pixie's, and popped over to say how much I like it. A terrific use of snippets to form a lovely sunrise to celebrate Easter, and the little chick is the perfect focal point on your design. Also loving that you did the design for a festive Christmas look as well. TFS & Hugs(and congrats & thanks for being a GD at Pixie's!)

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