Thursday Dream Scheme

Welcome to another Dreamweaver Stencils Thursdays Dream Scheme! This week was a designers choice so I am sharing these ATC's I created for an ATC club that I belong to at The Cottage Stamper in St. Charles, Illinois.  Don't know what an ATC is?  Well you are in for lots of fun and challenges!

ATC stands for Artist Trading Card and can be a way for artists to exchange ideas and information with each other.  Everyone loves to get new ideas right!  ATC's have just one rule, the finished size of the ATC must be 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Usually a group chooses a monthly theme, and you meet once a month to exchange the cards with the group. Our group chooses a whole year of themes at a time so you can be creating ahead of schedule (like that ever happens!)  Everyone is free to interpret the theme using whatever products and techniques they choose.  It is a lot of fun to see what you can create in such a small space!  Better yet, they are easy to store using sports card page protectors and a 3-ring binder.

Stencils are great to use on ATCs.  Here are three examples of ATCs I have done using Dreamweaver Stencils:

The Chameleon, LM186, was done for a "Green & Gold" theme.  He was so easy, Metallic Gold Embossing Paste on dark green cardstock, then layered onto a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of brushed metallic gold cardstock.  I thought the little red brad for the eye was a nice finishing touch.

The glittered trees were for a "Winter Wonderland" theme.  I didn't have a stencil small enough, so I used a small part of the Bare Trees, LJ849, stencil.  Pearlescent Paste on white linen cardstock, sprinkled with Crystal glitter while the paste was still wet.  After it dried, I wrapped a 1/4" white sheer ribbon around it and tied a knot, then mounted it on silver mirror paper.

The clover ATC was for a "Clover/Shamrock" theme and is similar to my St. Patrick's Day card but scaled down to sizes appropriate for an ATC.  For the Clover stencil, LS58,  I used Glossy Green Embossing Paste on white cardstock, sprinkled with Rock Moss Microfine Glitter while the paste was still wet.  After it dried, I cut out around the clover leaving about 1/16" of white paper around the image. Color the edge with a green COPIC marker to make the image stand out more. The shamrock vine was a stamp I had and the green gingham is from A Muse Artstamps (sadly, no longer available except through home shows).

We tend to always use a certain stamp or stencil the same way over and over again until we get tired of it and stop using it.  What a waste of all our great products!  Think outside of the box to make other creations besides cards and scrapbook layouts.  It is amazing what you can create in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. We're hindered only in finding enough time to try it all!

Be sure to check out all the other great ideas this week starting with the DREAM it UP! blog and all the other Dream Team members too.

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday Dream Scheme

Here we are at another Dreamweaver Stencils Thursday's Dream Scheme.  This week we have a sketch challenge designed by me. This design challenges you to create a card with a center opening rather than the standard side opening. Here's the sketch I challenged our Dream Team with:

And here's what I created for the challenge:

Can't you just feel that warm summer breeze!  I just love this Flamingo stencil (LM182) from Dreamweaver! First, use stencil brushes and pigment inks to color the design. Clean your stencil, place it back over the design and apply Regular Embossing Paste (Matte White).  Remove the stencil and sprinkle with Crystal Glitter.  Let the paste dry, while it dries it will draw some of the pigment ink into the paste creating a pastel effect.  Place the stencil back over the dry paste and add a little more color if you want the color a little brighter. To create this card I started with white cardstock cut 7" x 10".  Score in 2 1/2" from each side and use a bone folder to crease the flaps really well.  Add decorative paper to each flap. Ticket punch the corners of the flamingo layer and mount on a coordinating piece of cardstock. Adhere the flamingo to the left flap of the card  For the grass at the bottom, I used a QuickKutz Grass die cut. But the fun is just beginning, the inside is just as much fun as the outside! Open the flaps on the front of the card to this:

 

Stencil the "Happy" part of the Happy Birthday stencil (LM150) first, clean the stencil, then stencil the "Birthday" below that. Stencil a Flamingo on each flap of the inside of the card. Your Picasso stencil (LL332) will help you keep your colors where they belong, especially the black for the eye.
Hope you've enjoyed this week's challenge, give it a try. Now check out the DREAM it UP! blog for another great idea along with all the Dream Team blogs, just click on their names down the left side of my blog.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome to the Dreamweaver Stencils Thursday's Dream Scheme challenge.  This week is a designer's choice, but of course, most of us will use a St. Patrick's Day theme.  I love any excuse to send cards to family and friends, but with a last name of "Healy", I have to send cards for this special day! I don't send out quite as many as I do for other holidays, but it's always fun to come up with a green card.
This year I kept it very simple, using Dreamweaver's Clover (LS58) stencil, green embossing paste, glitter, and a COPIC marker for edging. Here's my card:

I was lucky enough to still have some of Dreamweaver's Green Glossy Paste, but if you don't, you can add a green acrylic paint to the translucent paste for the same affect.  After I took off the stencil, I sprinkled the wet paste with Moss Green Ultrafine Glitter, then let it dry thoroughly. I wanted it to really pop off the white cardstock so I used a lighter green marker to edge around the clover image.  Mount it on green gingham edge with the same marker and use foam tape to pop that off the card.  This is a small card (4bar size) and is stamped on the inside with "have a lucky day" (A Muse Artstamps). The May Arts ribbon was the finishing touch.  Here's a close up of the clover:

Now it's time to leap on over to the DREAM it UP! blog to check out the great design that Lynell came up with for this week's challenge.  To see all the Dream Team samples, click on their names along the left side of my blog.

Hope you have a "lucky" day today too!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Hello!

Thanks for joining us for another Dreamweaver Stencils Thursday Dream Scheme.  This week we were given a color challenge from Dream Team member Kim.  We had to work with blue, brown and cream. These three colors are so pretty together. Here's what I did for the challenge.

 I chose to use Dreamweaver's Tall Vase stencil (LM196) as a starting point. Dry emboss the vase on cream cardstock, leave the stencil in place and brush some color around the edges of the embossed vase.  I used two colors of blue (Brilliance Sky Blue and Mediterranean Blue). With the vase stencil still on the embossed image, I added the Tree of Life stencil (LG690) over the vase, taped it down and applied Regular Embossing Paste (matte white) just on the part over the vase.  Remove and clean both stencils. When the paste is dry, place the vase stencil, then the tree stencil back over the design and brush brown ink (Brilliance Chocolate) over the paste. Use a craft knife to cut a small slit across the top of the vase and a guillotine cutter to cut some fine strips of brown paper for the branches in the vase. Use a larger stencil brush to rouge some brown ink around the edge of the background.  The "hello" stencil (LS96) was stenciled with the same two blues as the vase. Mount the vase layer onto brown cardstock, then two shades of blue.

Here's a close up of the vase:

I hope you've enjoyed today's challenge. Be sure to stop over at the DREAM it UP! blog and the other Dream Team member blogs to see what they came up with for this fun challenge!  You are always welcome to play along on the DREAM it UP! blog.

Happy Creating,

Louise

Spring is in the Air!

The days are getting longer,

The sun is getting stronger,

It won't be much longer,

'Til spring is here at last!

I can't help myself! I really need it to be spring! So when this week's Thursday Dream Scheme from Dreamweaver Stencils was Designer's Choice, I knew I had to show something springy.  This is a card I recently created for a Lunch Card Exchange Club I go to each month. It gives me hope that nice weather is right around the corner.

I started with Dreamweaver Stencils LM257, Heliconia Butterfly, on the inside of one of their Long Oval White Window cards.  Tape the stencil in the upper right corner making sure it is centered in the window. Use small stencil brushes to add color to the butterfly.  I used several different Brilliance Inks to create a little shading on the wings.  Let that dry well, or use a heat tool to set the ink.  Place a piece of vellum (cut the size of the front of the card) over the stenciled butterfly. Place your clean, dry stencil back over the image (on top of the vellum), then shift it just a little up and to either side.  Tape the stencil in place and spread Regular Embossing Paste (Matte White) over the stencil. Remove the stencil and carefully sprinkle the paste with crystal glitter. Let dry. Adhere the vellum piece to the inside front of the card so the pasted butterfly shows through the window with the colored butterfly behind it. Add a pretty ribbon, and maybe some pearl strips around the window (several of the ones I did for club had pearl strips around the opening and it was very pretty, but I ran out).  When your lucky recipient opens the card, they'll see a beautiful, glittery butterfly on the outside, and a lovely, springy butterfly on the inside.  Give it a try, it's easy!
Check out the DREAM it UP! blog, as well as all the other Dream Team blogs for more inspirational samples!
Happy Creating,
Louise