I'm just about to head out on vacation, but before I do, I thought I'd blog about a simple little flip flop card I did this week. We do so many really cool techniques here with our dies that you'll see over time as you keep visiting us. But this card shows just how a great color scheme and plain cardstock straight out of the Big Shot can look awesome. I inked the edges of the flip flop to add a little pop, and that's it. A cute button and patterned paper, and you've got yourself a card in no time flat! Hope your summer is going great! See ya when I get back from vacation!

I’ve had some fun with shrink art today … it’s not just for kids anymore. This project was really fun and easy to do. I like the funky/elegant way it turned out. I bought this plain necklace at Target (on clearance for added bonus) and let the chain dictate the color scheme. The main piece is a Bigz Fleur de Lis die, cut out of shrink plastic. Tip: Sand your plastic first. Once cut, I used a "scripty" rubber stamp and permanent brown ink to stamp on the front of the design. Next I punched a hole in the top of the Fleur de Lis – this is so I could add a jump ring later to create the charm. Now shrink. Take it slow and don’t let it get too hot or it will stick together! To add color to the charm, I used a variety of alcohol inks and permanent ink pads on the back of the charm. Once I was happy with the color, I added the jump ring and attached it to the necklace. Last, I added some matching beads for weight and extra sparkle.