This is Friday...I think!

I have to rant. I absolutely! positively! withoutadoubt! HATE dialup internet access. That said, I'm glad I have a laptop so I can at least drive to a library to access the internet using their free wi-fi service. Still, it's so very, very inconvenient. I live in a part of West Virginia where cell phone service is very poor (only one bar) and both Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all have told us we cannot use their internet doohickey thing on our laptop. And don't even get me started on satellite access - what's the sense of that when you have to pay exorbitant prices to get it!!! Still, my DH and I both know that moving just for the sake of internet accessibility is not an option. So, I'll deal with the driving to the library. At least it's only 5 miles from my house. Oh, yaay. Thanks for letting me rant.

Anyway, I do have a technique I want to share with you today. It's called "Faux Diamond Dust" and it is a pure sparkler, especially with the holidays. I LOVE the Christmas holiday and I'm going to show this technique with a holiday card I created several Christmases ago.I scanned this picture in this morning and was not completely happy with the result, but here goes.

Create a card using any cardstock (I used Night of Navy, Whisper White and Bordering Blue). Stamp a focal point on your Bordering Blue cardstock and color the image if necessary. Cover the entire surface of your stamped and colored Bordering Blue cardstock with a Versamark pad using the Direct-To-Paper method. Once you cover the entire surface, sprinkle Heat and Stick powder over the surface. Be liberal here. Use a heat gun to melt the powder (be careful and don't burn the powder). Immediately sprinkle Diamond Dust glitter on top of the powder. Shake off the excess and reheat to set. Mat the completed Bordering Blue with Night of Navy; mat that with Whispering White and then mount this to your card. Pretty, isn't it!! This is the card I learned to use the heat and stick powder and DTP methods. I love the card so much that I made it my holiday card for that year! The lesson is to use the H&S powder liberally and take care not to burn the powder. If it's burned, believe me, you might as well start all over - yeah, I learned that one the hard way. Try it (not the burning part!)! I'd love to see your creations!

Tip of the Day:
Those little Gerber baby food containers are the perfect size for storing your buttons, brads, small diecuts, glitter dust, and embossing powder. So, if you don't have a baby in the house, find someone who does!

Thanks for stopping by!
Mel