Love in the New Year!

How did this happen????? Where did the last few months of 2010 go??? Where did all of 2010 go?? I really thought that after we sold our business that I would be a woman of leisure, but that hasn't happened. Between teaching classes, golf outings with my daughter, college searches, family trips, helping injured family members and joining the Dreamweaver Stencils Dream Team, I seem to have kept myself busy! How did I ever have time to run a store? Oh well, it's been a fun year.

Here we are at another Dream Schemes Thursday Challenge. This week's theme was "Love in the New Year", which , of course, gets you thinking about Valentine's Day that is right around the corner! This darling new Lovevirds Heart stencil (LL3011) from Dreamweaver Stencils is the perfect image for our challenge this week. I've paired it with one of Dreamweaver's older background stencils LJ833. This card moves away from the traditional red and pink of Valentine's Day to a beautiful combination of Glossy Blue Embossing Paste and Wisteria Ultrafine Glitter (very pale purple). Photos never do justice to glittery cards, but hopefully you get the picture! The shimmer ribbon adds to the over all sparkle of the card.


How did I do it...easy! Tape down your stencil on white linen cardstock, apply Glossy Blue Embossing Paste, remove your stencil and immediately sprinkle with the glitter. The larger palette knife works great on the background stencil.

Here's a close up of the new Lovebirds Heart stencil. The detail in it is just wonderful, and makes it easy to use.

Don't forget to hop on over to all the other Dream Team blogs. Just click on the team member names on the left side of my blog, and the DREAM it UP! blog too!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Year!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Merry Christmas!

It's hard to believe it's almost Christmas! So much has been happening lately, that it is easy to forget why we celebrate this glorious season. This card was inspired by one of my very favorite Christmas carols. Can you guess which one?
This week's Dreamweaver Stencils Thursday Dream Schemes was Designer's Choice, so I wanted to share this beautiful angel stencil with you and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
The angel is Dreamweaver's LJ871 and uses the Pearlescent Embossing Paste on white cardstock. After it is dry, cut it out and mount it on beautiful background paper, add some pearl gems to the halo and across the card to compliment the pearl finish of the paste. So easy!

D0n't forget to stop by all the designer's blogs to check out more great ideas, and, as always, hop on over to the DREAM it UP! blog.

Merry, merry Christmas,
Louise

Thursday's Dream Schemes

I can't believe it's Thursday already! The weeks seem to fly by, but especially so at this busy time of year. But it is so important to take the time for friends and family. That's why this card is so perfect! It is simple, fast and a beautiful way to pay homage to this glorious season. The colors are fit for royalty.

Our Dream Team challenge this week was to create using the Glossy Blue Embossing Paste. I used two Dreamweaver Stencils (LM2007 Hallelujah, LL554 Nativity Scene), Glossy Blue Embossing Paste, and Metallic F/X powder Purple Satin FX14.

Here's how its done:

Tape both stencils to white cardstock, butting the edges together. This will take a little extra tape to make sure all the seams are covered. Apply the Glossy Blue paste and sprinkle with the Purple Satin F/X powder but don't cover up all the blue paste. Remove your stencil, let it dry, then polish away the excess powder with a soft cloth. You end up with a blue and purple marble affect. Here's a close up to help you see what I'm talking about:

You can do each stencil separately if you prefer, but I'm always looking for shortcuts! Hope this inspires you to try this on your own. Truly it couldn't be easier.

Don't forget to stop by the other Dream Team blogs too. They are all filled with "Blue-tiful" creations. Just click on their names on the left hand side of my blog. And, of course, you won't want to miss the DREAM it UP! blog.

Happy Creating,

Louise

Any Occasion

This is one of those designs that can truly be used for any occasion. Make several of them at a time, leave the inside blank, and then pull one out when you need a last minute card for virtually Any Occasion! Here's how it's done:

• Tape Dreamweaver Stencils LG625, to dark brown paper
• Apply Glossy White Embossing Paste
• Remove stencil and immediately sprinkle with Crystal Glitter
• Let dry and cut out image along the right side of the design only
• Mount into a beautiful card!

Another simple creations with wonderful results. Don't forget to stop back on Thursday for our Thursday's Dream Scheme ideas. This week we have been challenged by Lynell to create with the Glossy Blue Embossing Paste, so the results should be Blue-tiful!

Happy Creating,
Louise

Black and Gold

As promised, here is another wonderful idea for Dreamweaver Stencils LG625 stencil. I just love the beautiful washi papers by Hanko Designs, and the black and gold branches running through this beautiful paper were my inspiration for this combination. The cut edges on each side of the flower just seemed to blend perfectly into the oriental theme. While this looks a little more complicated than my Christmas design, it is not. This card is a standard A2 size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") perfect for any occasion. Here are the steps:

• Tape your stencil to white cardstock (3 1/2" x 4 1/2")
• Apply Glossy Black Embossing Paste
• While the stencil is still on, use a small brush to pick up some Metallic F/X Gold Dust powder and tap the brush over the black paste so the powder falls randomly over the design. Keep doing this until you have as much gold powder on as you think looks nice
• Remove and clean the stencil
• When the paste is dry, use a 3/4" stencil brush to brush off any excess powder
• Measure in 1" from the bottom right corner and make a little mark. Do the same at the top right.
• Place a ruler over the design at the two marks and use a pencil to draw a light line from the bottom or top along the ruler until you reach paste.
• Cut away all the white paper along the right side following the paste outline (be sure to leave a little white edge)
• From the new bottom right corner, measure over 1 1/2" and make a mark, do the same at the top
• Now cut away the extra white on the left side of the design
• Cut a piece of black cardstock 1 5/8" x 4 5/8" and adhere it to the cut out flower
• The decorative washi paper was 2" x 5", with a black mat of 2 1/8" x 5 1/8"

A nice black mat under a colored layer always helps the layer really stand out. Hope you'll give this a try. The Metallic F/X powders can be sprinkled on, mixed it, or brushed on to any of the paste products...Mix 'n' Match!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday's Dream Schemes

Here it is, the card you've been waiting to see! This week's challenge was Designer's Choice. We could use whatever stencil, products, and layout we chose. I love the versatility of this particular stencil. It is Dreamweaver Stencils LG625. Isn't it gorgeous. I believe Lynell calls it a peony, but I say it is whatever you want it to be depending how you use it. Today, I want it to be a Christmas flower! This is an amazingly simple card. Here we go:

• Tape the stencil to white or light colored cardstock
• Use stencil brushes to add color to the design (I only used Brilliance Rocket Red, Thyme, and just a touch of Ivy)
• Clean and dry your stencil and tape it over the colored design
• Apply Translucent Embossing Paste
• Remove and clean your stencil, and let the paste dry
• Mount on coordinating layers and beautiful background paper

That's it, I told you it was easy! This is a 5" x 7" finished card, perfect for the Christmas season. Check back on Saturday for another simple idea for this great stencil.

Don't forget to check out all the other designer's blogs by clicking on their names on the left hand side. And of course, you won't want to miss the DREAM it UP! blog as well.

Happy Creating,

Louise

Is it Thursday already????

Not quite, but here's a little sneak peak of the card I'll be posting on our Thursday's Dream Scheme challenge this week. Be sure to check out the DREAM it UP! blog for chances to participate, and of course all the other team blogs. See you Thursday!

"Thursday's Dream Schemes"

Welcome to "Thursday's Dream Schemes"! This week the Dream Team was given a sketch challenge to use for inspiration. For those who aren't familiar with a sketch challenge, it means we are given the basic layout for the card and are free to use any colors, papers, images we want to create a card in the format provided. Here is this week's sketch


As you can see, it just provides the basics for you to use as inspiration for your design. I'm still trying to design my Christmas card so I chose a simple Christmas design for this week.


I started with Bo-Bunny's beautiful Noel Holly paper for my background. The reverse side of the holly paper is just as gorgeous, so I used that to paste emboss the Dreamweaver Stencils Holly Flourish (LG731) with Glossy Red Embossing Paste and set that aside to dry. The reverse side has some areas with pine boughs which worked perfectly to use for the Season's Greetings (LS91) sentiment also done in Glossy Red Embossing Paste. When both pieces were dry, I put the clean stencil back over the red paste and used a sponge dauber to apply Palette Stamp and Stick to the surface of the paste. I then used a small paint brush to apply Dreamweaver's Metallic F/X Rose Berry (F/X 08) over the image. This helped to take away some of the brightness of the red paste so the image matched the Holly Paper better. Next time, I think I will put the powder in the paste before I apply it, so I can control the color even more. The dark green layer is also from Bo-Bunny, it is Noel Stripe using the reverse side. Use the Tonic Dual Corner Punch to punch the ticket corners on all the layers. I don't like white edges of paper showing, so I used a COPIC marker to edge all my layers (G29 Pine Tree Green). Adhere the Holly Swirl to the dark green layer, then to the background holly paper. Add a ribbon down the right side and adhere to the front of your card. Use foam mounting tape to apply the sentiment to the left side of the card front. Very simple, but elegant.
Don't forget to visit the other Dream Team members today to see all the beautiful projects. Just click on their names on the left side of the blog. And don't forget to stop by every Thursday for more great ideas from the Dream Team.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is here already! I love the tradition of this day. No worries about what to make because it is always exactly the same! Once in a while we'll add a new dish to see if it's worthy of the day. Some are, some aren't. One we kept is a cranberry, apple oatmeal casserole that fits in perfectly and is ideal for breakfast the next day. We use my Mother's recipe for bread stuffing (simple but delicious), and my husband's Mother's recipe for wild rice casserole. Other than that, its the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes and corn. Talk about carb loading! But of course, the best part of the day is being with family and friends.

Another great tradition is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year the Dream Team is hosting our own version of a Thanksgiving Parade with a parade of Christmas card "floats". Lynell has challenged us to create Christmas themed cards in non-traditional colors. So be sure to visit all the Dream Team blogs to get lots of great ideas.

I decided to create an Advent card, which is actually very traditional, but uses colors you would not normally choose for a Christmas card.

I started by taping the Candle Trio stencil (LM119) to white paper, then used small stencil brushes and Distress Inks to stencil color into the openings of the stencils. Mustard Seed on the flames with a little brush of Fired Brick near the base of the flames: Victorian Velvet and Worn Lipstick on the center candle and bow: Dusty Concord on the purple candles; Pine Needles on the holly leaves; and Fired Brick on the berries and to highlight the bow. Remove and clean the stencil and tape it back over the colored image. Apply Translucent Embossing Paste over the image, remove stencil and sprinkle the wet paste with crystal glitter. Let dry. Mount onto a layer of dark purple paper cut 1/4" larger than your white layer.

This close up of the candles shows how your colors will really shine through the Translucent paste and glitter when the paste dries clear.

The pink candle in an Advent Wreath represents Joy, so that's the word I chose to describe this beautiful season. While the candles are drying, take a larger piece of pink paper and center the word Joy near the bottom using the Love & Joy stencil (LG693). When you tape it to the paper, make sure you tape over any opening in the stencil that may get in the way (this is very easy). Apply Glossy White Embossing Paste over the Joy, remove the stencil and sprinkle the wet paste with crystal glitter.

When everything is dry, mount the layers together for a beautiful card that pays homage to the season without being red and green.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and don't forget to finish "watching" our Dreamweaver Parade! Just click on the links below for the other team members "floats".

Deborah March

Georgia Sommers

Kim Parkinson

Kristi Van Doren

Laura Drahozal

Lee Kellogg

Liz Martin

Pam Hornschu

Terrece Siddoway

Wendy Jordan

and last but not least Dream it UP!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Well, we're in the final countdown to Thanksgiving Day. The Dream Team is putting together our own version of a Thanksgiving Day Parade that you won't want to miss. Stop by on Thursday to see beautiful design after beautiful design as you "float" through all the Dream Team blogs viewing our tribute to our favorite Dreamweaver Stencils Christmas designs.
Then continue to check back every Thursday for our "Thursday's Dream Schemes" and more wonderful Dreamweaver samples.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Class Cards

I never tire of working with the beautiful stencils from Dreamweaver Stencils. Here are the cards we'll be making at my next class at The Cottage Stamper, in St. Charles, IL on December 7th. This is stencil LG625, Flowers and Leaves, and as you can see, it is amazing how different it looks depending on the technique. I'll have more details on these after the class.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Bow Challenge

Do you love the look of a nice bow on a card, but just can't seem to get yours to sit right? You're not alone, many people have trouble with bows. Today, Lynell Harlow of Dreamweaver Stencils challenged the Dream Team to help fellow crafters beat the challenge of bow making!
I follow the following 12 step program:


One: Start by placing a small amount of adhesive in the center of the back of a piece of cardstock.

Two: Using a piece of ribbon between 18" and 24", attach the center of the ribbon to the adhesive (so an equal amount of ribbon comes off both sides).

Three: Turn the cardstock over with the ends of the ribbon coming out both sides.

Four: Place the left end over the right side of the ribbon and then down behind it so the end of the left ribbon is now coming out from under the right side.

Five: Pull the ends tight and perpendicular (up and down).

Six: Place a glue dot under the twist in the ribbon to help hod the ribbon in place while you do the loops.

Seven: With your right hand bring the bottom ribbon up to form the first loop.

Eight: With your left hand, bring the top ribbon over your loop.

Nine: Push the ribbon behind the first loop and back through opening you made.

Ten: Push it through until you have your second loop.

Eleven: Pull each loop to tighten the center knot.

Twelve: Adjust the size of the loops by pulling on the tails, and re-tighten by pulling the loops again. You may need to do this a few times to get the loops the right size. Trim the ends.
I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it is really a pretty easy process. Practice with ribbon that is about 1" wide, then use smaller or larger ribbon once you understand the process. If you make your bows this way you will always have a nice center knot and both ends will lay nicely.
Good luck!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Upcoming Class

Crackle Paste

Shadow Technique

Glitter Technique

Isn't this a beautiful stencil! This great Holly Sprig (LL3005) is another wonderful Dreamweaver Stencils design. We'll be featuring this stencil in my class at Stampology Chicago on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm. As usual, I will teach three techniques with one stencil to feature the versatility of these easy-to-use products. So if you are in the Chicagoland area, give Donna at Stampology a call to register for this fun class. The great thing about Dreamweaver classes is that it doesn't matter if you've never used a stencil before, you will create three beautiful cards and the stencil is yours to take home, so you can keep on creating!

For a chance to win some Dreamweaver Stencils, my fellow Dream Team member Wendy Jordan is hosting a Dreamweaver Challenge on her blog, Paper Therapy. Just click on the link to learn how you could win some great stencils.

Happy creating,

Louise

Autumn Days

It has been another beautiful fall day here in Illinois. The air is crisp, the sun is shining, the leaves are falling....aahhhh... who could ask for more. Autumn is my favorite time of year, except for the shorter days! Here's another card using the beautiful fall borders stencil (LJ874) from Dreamweaver Stencils with the Autumn Stencil (LM295). Paste the pumpkin corner with Black Matte Embossing Paste and let it dry for about 10 minutes. Carefully place the Autumn stencil in the upper right corner and paste that with the Black Matte as well. When dry place the pumpkin corner back on the black paste and use a soft brush to brush on Metallic F/X powders (I used Ivy Garden, Amber Glow, and Cocoa). Do the same with the Autumn stencil. Mount the image on black linen, then on to a 5" x 7" card and embellish with buttons. Sigh with happiness at your beautiful creation!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Class Samples

Sorry I haven't posted more samples yet this week. My daughter was in play offs for girls golf this week. She placed 5th in her regional out of 73 girls!! On to sectionals next week. I've also been busy this week teaching at The Cottage Stamper, in St. Charles, IL. If you ever get the chance, stop in, they have a wonderful selection of the latest and greatest stamps and stencils, plus lots of other great products. Here are the cards we did in class this week.








This is the new coiled tree stencil from Dreamweaver Stencils (LG729). The first card used the Metallic Copper Embossing Paste, let that dry, then apply Stamp and Stick Glue with a finger dauber. The glue has to sit for a few minutes to get tacky, then apply a sheet of gold leaf, using a 3/4" stencil brush to pounce the leaf onto the paste. Don't forget to save the gold leaf scraps!


The blue card uses Glossy White Embossing Paste with Metallic F/X Navajo Blue powder mixed directly into the paste before pasting over the stencil. Let dry and embellish as desired.


The shadow technique used on the last card is one of my favorites. Tape your stencil down to the paper and use a small stencil brush to add your color (I used Brilliance Thyme and Galaxy Gold). Clean your stencil and place it directly back over the image. Move the stencil up and to the right about 1/16" to 1/8". Tape your stencil down and use the White Matte Embossing Paste over the image, remove the stencil and immediately sprinkle the paste with Crystal glitter.


Fun easy cards, but don't forget...the right papers and embellishments are what really finish the card.

Happy Creating,
Louise

And the winner is.....

Congratulations Maggie! You were the lucky random comment on my blog and will win that beautiful Black-eyed Susan stencil, the glossy red paste AND the Pink Poppy Metallic F/X!!!! Just go to the DREAM it UP! site for instructions on how to receive your prize!

Thank you to everyone who left comments for our first ever Dreamweaver Stencils Blog Hop. It was a lot of fun and we really appreciated all of your positive feedback. It inspires us to keep creating with these wonderful products. Congratulations to all the winners!

Maggie said...
Louise, these are just amazing! You make me almost excited that it's fall. The Black-eyed Susans are gorgeous. You do amazing work and I am so happy that I live near you and can take your classes. I like the Black-eyed Susan stencil and the Branch and Berries, glossy red paste, and Pink Poppy metallic F/X. (fingers crossed)
October 2, 2010 5:29 PM

Happy Creating,
Louise

Autumn in the AIr!

Day two of the Dreamweaver Stencils blog hop! Hopefully you hopped to the four blogs in yesterday's hop and left your comments for those fabulous creations! Today you should be hopping here from Liz's blog.
Do you recognize the image above from my sneak peek? It is Dreamweaver's beautiful Fall boarders stencil (LJ874) and the new Thanks stencil (LS1006) used to create a simple fall thank you note. The pumpkin corner was pasted with White Matte Embossing Paste. When the paste dries, you place your clean stencil back over the paste and use small stencil brushes to add color on top of the paste. Don't forget to use an edge of your Picasso (LL332) to add the veins on the leaves. Details count! Place the thanks stencil above the pumpkin and use a stencil brush to color that. Cut the edge with a deckle scissors, edge with a brown marker and mount into a great card. Supplies: White Matte Paste, Brilliance Inks - Sunflower Yellow, Pearlescent Orange, Rocket Red, Pearlescent Thyme, Pearlescent Ivy, Pearlescent Chocolate, COPIC Africano (E27), natural linen cardstock, fern green cardstock.

I love how versatile the Dreamweaver Stencils are when you are creating. In my classes we use one stencil and learn three techniques, otherwise we tend to keep using it the same way every time we pull that stencil out. This card highlights the other corner of the Fall boarders stencil, the beautiful oak leaves corner as well as the Autumn stencil (LM295). Again I simply used the white matte paste on the leaves, let it dry and put the stencil back on to color it (same Brilliance inks as on the first card). When coloring the acorns, I used openings in the Picasso to help keep that dark brown ink off the leaves. Don't forget the veins in the leaves too! After I colored the leaves, I used Memories Mists Bright Gold over the paper (even over the colored leaves). It gives a wonderful gold shimmer to the whole background. Stencil the Autumn with the Pearlescent Chocolate, and use that small stencil brush to sweep in some brown on all the edges. Mount that on dark brown cardstock, add a ribbon and one of Dreamweaver's new Embellishment Pins (I used a gold one and colored it to match my design with a COPIC marker, YR07). Mount that onto a burnt orange cardstock for another beautiful fall creation!

Last, but not least, this card uses both corners along with the Autumn stencil to really give that look of Indian Summer! This card is a little more work, but is worth the effort. Paste one of the corners with the white matte embossing paste and let it dry. Then paste the other corner with the white paste. Color with the Brilliance inks and stencil brushes using the Picasso to help with the details. Stencil the word Autumn in a "rainbow" of colors to match the rest of the design. Use a large stencil brush (at least the 3/4" brush) to brush brown in around the edges and into the background. I like to use a really large brush to do this, a No. 12. Most craft stores have these. Mount on brown and rust for another beautiful design.

Three stencils, one paste, endless possibilities! I will be posting some other ideas with these stencils next week so be sure to stop back and see some other techniques using these.

To purchase these wonderful products, you can find a retail store near you by going to Dreamweaver's Where to Buy page.

Don't forget to leave a comment here for another chance for a prize. Just link to the Dreamweaver Stencils site, choose your favorite stencil, paste and F/X powder, and tell me why you chose those. I will be selecting a random winner on Monday, October 4, 2010 from everyone who leaves me a comment. I'm the last hop of the day, but you can start again tomorrow at the DREAM it UP! blog for another inspirational day and more chances to win!

Official Blog Hop Info

We want you to have the chance to win your favorite stencil, embossing paste and Metallic F/X powder. For each comment you post along the hop, you need to choose a stencil, paste and powder you like best, identify it to us, tell us why it's your favorite and how you think you might use it. Be sure to comment on each blog along the hop!

Blog Candy - How to get it!

For each comment on the different blogs, you need to choose a different stencil, paste and Metallic F/X color...in case you win more than once! At the end of the three days, each member of the Dream Team will choose a random entry to win and post it on their blog by midnight of Monday, October 4.

Another Opportunity to win!

In addition to commenting on each designer's blog, you have another opportunity to win by becoming a follower on the DREAM it UP! blog. After you become a follower, leave a comment on that blog saying you have done that. With eleven designers and this, you have TWENTY-TWO chances to WIN!!! All winners will be selected by Random.org and posted on each designer's blog by midnight Monday, October 4.

Blog Hop Schedule

It is not imperative to follow this schedule, but different designers will be posting their creations on different days, so take one last look on Sunday to make sure you've taken advantage of all your opportunities to win blog candy! Here's the schedule

Friday, October 1st

Deborah

Georgia

Kim

Kristi

Saturday, October 2nd

Laura

Lee

Liz

Louise (you're here!)

Sunday, October 3rd

Pam

Terrece

Wendy

Happy Creating,

Louise

Sneak Peek!!!

The Dreamweaver Stencils Blog Hop starts today! Hop on over to DREAM it UP! to get all the details and start hopping! My hop is Saturday, October 2nd and this little sneak peek will have to do until then. But don't miss out on today's participants for four chances to win PRIZES!!!!!!!!!! Check out these DREAM TEAM blogs, but be sure to leave a comment so you are eligible for all the great prizes!!



Friday, October 1, 2010

Deborah

Georgia

Kim

Kristi


Have fun on the hop and Happy Creating,

Louise

Blog Hop Update

Just a little correction to the dates of the Dreamweaver Stencils blog hop. The hop will start on Friday, October 1 at the Dreamweaver Blog and will continue for 3 days. Each day a different group of Dream Team designers will be featured, so be sure to come back all three days to check out all the beautiful ideas! Don't forget to leave a comment on each of the blogs featured each day to be eligible to win PRIZES! There could be some sneak peeks on some of the blogs tomorrow, you never know.
See you at the hop!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Get Ready to HOP!

Do you hop? Blog hop that is. Well, if not, get ready to learn because starting on September 30, 2010 Dreamweaver will be sponsoring a blog hop with lots of beautiful samples, techniques and, best of all, PRIZES!! Stay tuned for more details as we get closer.

In the meantime, to help you get excited here is another Dreamweaver sample that I recently sent to Lynell featuring the new large branch with berries stencil (LJ900).
I started by using Cut 'n' Dry foam to rouge Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky) onto 90 lb. watercolor paper. Place your stencil at one side and use a small stencil brush to stencil the branch with Distress Ink Chipped Sapphire. Flip the stencil over and do the other edge so you have branches coming in from both sides. Clean your stencil and gently tape it down over the two stenciled images so it overlays each of them a little. Paste with Glossy White Embossing Paste, remove the stencil and immediately sprinkle with Crystal Glitter. When the paste is dry, brush some Chipped Sapphire around all the edges of the image. Layer and embellish with coordinating papers and ribbons. I added one of Dreamweavers new white pins that I colored with COPIC markers to match my color scheme. (B32, B97, B37)
Don't forget to watch for more details about the Dreamweaver Blog Hop coming soon!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Holiday Fun

I'm participating in my first ever blog hop this week at Simon Says Stamp and Show (see the September 8, 2010 posting) and this is my entry. The theme is Holiday Fun and we could do any type of card, page or project for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love all those holidays, so it was hard for me to decide which to focus on for my project, but Christmas won. I just love doing these mirrors, they look completely different every time you make one. I've made them for the different seasons, for gifts, baby showers, "Up North" themes, the list goes on and on.

Start with a mirror from IKEA (they have great things there!), they come natural, black, or red. I used Wendy Vecchi's background words from her "Art of marking it Merry" set (LCS007) and stamped the words in the top left corner and bottom right corner of the mirror using Archival Ink Jet Black. Let that dry well. Using the flower from the same set, I stamped the flower six times with the Jet Black on Tim's Grungepaper and used Distress Inks to color them (Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany and Walnut Stain). I cut out three whole flowers, and three center flowers, and used Glossy Accents to glue the smaller section in the larger flower. Add a large drop of Glossy Accents to the center of the flower and sprinkle with Gold Glass Beads (do this over a coffee filter or container to catch the extra beads). Set aside to dry. The leave are from Wendy's "Ticket to Art" set (LCS001). Stamp them three times and use Distress Inks to color them (Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Pine Needles). Cut them out and I cut them apart to make them fit in my design better. You can add some Distress Stickles too if you like that (I used Pine Needles).

Next I used Grungeboard and Tim's Elegant Flourish die cut for the branches behind the flowers, and his Caged Bird die to create the wonderful birdcage and bird. Used Distress Inks to color (branches and cage were Rusty Hinge and Walnut Stain with Antique Linen Distress Stickles, bird was Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany with Ruby Slippers Stickles). I cut a piece of holly paper to fit behind the cage so the bird would show better. Hung some embellishments from the bottom with jump rings and added a bow and flower at the top to finish it off.

The scrabble tiles for the Merry Christmas came out of my stash that I have collected over the years. They come in very handy for projects like this!

The wood flourishes with the holly at the top are from KaiserCraft. I used the Distress Inks again, then added Pine Needles Stickles to the holly leaves and Ruby Slipper Stickles to the berries. These were a little thicker so I had to let them dry for quite a while.

So I'm off now to add my link to the "HOP". There have been a lot of great submissions so far, so go check them out!

Stop by the list of submissions from all over the world at the Challenge site and click on the names to see all the beautiful entries!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Holly Craze!

The new Holly stencil from Dreamweaver (LL3005) is so versatile. I don't know which techinique is my favorite with it, so I will show you several that I have created so far.





















The first was done with Blue Glossy Embossing Paste, with Crackle Paste over it after it dried. When the Crackle Paste was dry, I used Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy and Rocket Red to color the image. I just love the nice crackling you get in the open area of the leaves.

This one is the faux Cloisonne technique. Paste the holly with gold embossing paste and let it dry. Place the clean stencil back over the gold paste and use pigment inks to color the image. Remove the stencil and sprinkle UTEE over the design. Tap off the extra embossing powder and heat gently to set the powder. Repeat with another layer of color and UTEE if you want a smoother finish.












The shadow technique does not work well with every stencil, but it is beautiful with this Holly sprig. To get the shadow effect, tape your stencil to your paper and use small stencil brushes to color your image (I used Brilliance Thyme ink on the whole image, including the berries). You want to shadow with a fairly dark color to get the best effect. Clean your stencil and place it back over your colored image, then carefully shift it up and to the right about 1/16" to 1/8". Tape your stencil back down and use the Regular Embossing Paste (white matte) over the image. Remove the stencil and immediately sprinkle the paste with Crystal glitter. Let dry. Place your clean stencil on the dry white paste and carefully color the berries with red ink and use your picasso (LL332) to add some veins on the leaves. The red pin in the ribbon was originally white. I used my COPIC markers to color it to match.

Hope these inspire you to try a technique you haven't done before, or forgot you knew how to do!

Happy Creating,
Louise

Crafting Fun

Last Saturday I got together with a group of friends for a day of crafting. It was so much fun and very inspirational. Each of us brought a project for the group to do, and spent the day being creative. It was relaxing and wonderful! Here's what we created.
The little frame was stamped and colored with PrismaColor pencils, then a little Distress Inks rubbed in the background.
The pumpkin was glittered with glass glitter shards and ultrafine to fill in. The leaves were 2 fabric leaves glued together with a wire in between, and the tops glittered, and some gold wire coiled for tendrils. When it was dry, we used a craft pick to make holes and glued in the leaves and tendrils.
The sunflowers are made from grungepaper, with grungeboard for the stems., colored with Distress Inks, the centers are chip board colored and stamped. Everything was assembled with a hot glue gun with bamboo skewers to create "pics" , arranged in a great tin pot, and embellished with ribbon and a tag.
The notecard folder has little pockets inside to hold 4 notecards and envelopes. It is so easy. Cover two pieces of lightweight cardboard with pretty paper, adhere them to some contrasting paper for a spine, leaving about a 3/4" gap, cover the inside with coordinating paper and create matching notecards.
Every project turned out great. Thank you to my friends who made the day so much fun!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Go Green!

It seems like the trend lately is to try to be "green", which is a good thing of course. We definitely need to be aware of our impact to our surroundings. In that line, Lynell created a great background stencil called "Go Green" (LX7000), well that's what I call it, but you can see why. It is an extra large background stencil that easily fits a standard A2 size card front.
In the true spirit of "going green", the card with the Hawaiian image was made from an old travel magazine that I knew I was saving for a reason! I ripped out a page that had a beautiful beach scene for the background, ran that through my Big Shot to emboss the Go Green stencil, then sanded it gently to accentuate the words. The image and mat layer were from the same magazine. It could be a great Bon Voyage card, or an all occasion card for someone who loves Hawaii (is there someone who doesn't!). The little card above that uses gold paste and the little gecko stencil, and just one of the Go Green word sets cut out with some green ink brush on it.
The other card really showcases the whole stencil. I ran kraft colored cardstock through the Big Shot, then brushed ink over the raised area to give it a "distressed" look. Embellish with old string and a rusty old coin and you end up with another great all occasion card.
On another note, the go green theme can definitely be applied to Christmas cards as well. Lynell had a great sample of a Christmas tree shape using this stencil. If we ask her nicely, I bet she'll get that posted on her blog soon!
Happy creating,
Louise

Hallelujah!

This beautiful new Hallelujah stencil (LM207) from Dreamweaver will be perfect for your Christmas cards. Here are two samples to get you inspired!

This first card was done using White Glossy Embossing Paste on a turquoise colored Tsugumi cardstock by Hanko Papers. After removing the stencil, sprinkle the wet paste with Crystal glitter. When the paste is dry, deckle the edge and mount on a black mat that has been edged with gold Krylon pen. The background paper is one of Hanko's beautiful washi papers also edged with the gold Krylon pen. It is a little tricky edging the washi because it is lighter weight and

has a fiber texture, but the result is so beautiful it is worth taking the time to learn to do it! Mount the background paper to a cream colored base card and use foam tape to add the Hallelujah image.

The other sample was done using the Pearlescent Embossing Paste on the inside of one of Dreamweaver's long oval window cards. Working quickly, leave the stencil in place over the wet paste and use a brush or Q-tip to pick up some Metallic F/X powder and sprinkle it over the wet paste (I used Kimono Red F/X15 and Gold Dust F/X01). Remove the stencil and place in water. Gently tap the back side of the image to make the powders "jump" around and help spread them

over the image. Let dry thoroughly. When dry, use a clean soft stencil brush or a swifter cloth to remove any extra powder. Brush the outside front of the card with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on a No. 12 Stencil brush (very large), being sure to place a piece of scrap paper inside the card to protect the image in the opening. Embellish with strips of coordinating paper and a brad or charm.

Happy Creating,

Louise