NBUS Challenge #5 - HLS is sponsoring!

Hi everyone! I am very excited today for a number of reasons.

It is the start of another NBUS challenge hosted by the amazing and brilliant Darnell of djkardkreations. We all know about this challenge and love it!

I am a sponsor of this challenge and was honoured that Darnell asked me to be a part of this :)

If you don't know or haven't participated in this challenge before here is a little something something about our hostess:

Like most crafters, Darnell found she was purchasing new product faster than she was using it, especially when she put it away and then forgot about it! So she coined the acronym "NBUS" to stand for "never-before-used schtuff" and every time she used a virginal item, she called it NBUS on her blog djkardkreations.

The NBUS acronym caught on in Blogland and now you'll often see crafters comment that they used a "NBUS" product on their creation. To thank her followers and to encourage others to use their NBUS, Darnell started her challenge in 2014. This current challenge is the fifth NBUS Challenge and it runs from September 8-18, 2016.

I am offering 2 stamp sets of your choice from the Happy Little Stampers shop if you are one of the winners of Darnell's challenge.

If you have already purchased stamps from me, you will be given the option to check out the New Release stamps that will be available in the next few weeks!

If you comment on my blog, you will go into the draw for a MYSTERY PRIZE

Last weekend I went on a bus tour to visit local craft shops. We all had so much fun and of course I now have lots of NBUS to share with you :)

My first card combines HLS Butterfly Birthday with an Emboss-it Dabber (NBUS) and Shabby White Embossing Enamel (NBUS)

My next card uses something that has been on my wishlist for some time now. Gelatos!

Using HLS Butterfly Birthday once more, I applied the gelato stick directly onto the stamp. I misted it with a little water and pressed it straight onto my watercolour paper. Once it had dried, I added some more gelato using a wet brush straight onto the stick and then onto the paper just to define the outline a little more. Then I misted a little more water over the butterfly to allow the gelato to run down the panel. 

To create my small specks of pink, straight from the stick again I took a wet brush and once loaded with some paint flicked it over the panel.

I added some liquid pearls but squished them down with my finger to give them more of a grungy look.

My next card is using gelatos again and I went CRAZY this time. You should have seen the mess I made but I had a lot of fun.

To begin with I slapped (and I mean slapped) some gloss gel medium all over an already sized piece of cardstock. 

Once it was dry, I used the gelatos like regular crayons and just coloured randomly over the dry gel. I used my fingers to blend and spread the colours. 

Then I did something really crazy. I scrunched up the whole panel and opened it back out again. It was looking very cool!

Because I didn't use water with the gelatos, you only had to touch the panel and you would end up with colour over your fingers - back to that later.

I used a chevron stencil with ink and a sponge down the left hand side. Next I used the Big Bold Birthday set from Happy Little Stampers in Archival Ink straight over the top .

The stamping was never going to look perfect because there was a lot of texture on the panel. I do like how it turned out, though :)

I am hoping you can see the texture!

Now, remember I said that the colour would just come off if you touched the card? I grabbed a can of glossy sealer and sprayed the entire panel. This was perfect for this mixed media card. It sealed in all the colours and made everything even more vibrant.

I hope you have enjoyed my post today and have encouraged you to get out that NBUS and join in with Darnell's challenge.

Here is a recap of the products I have used from Happy Little Stampers:

         

Thank you so much for popping over. Don't forget to have a chance to win a mystery prize then you must comment on my blog.

Thanks so much for looking xx