Spring Clean (& Simple)

Our final posting for the Dreamweaver Stencils March challenge is here already. Don't forget you have a couple of more days to link your Clean & Simple (CAS) creation on the DREAM it UP! blog to be eligible to win a prize. We have lots more fun coming up in April that you won't want to miss. The second week of April the Dreamweaver Design Team will be doing a week long blog partnership with the team over at Stampendous.  We'll be combining our products and theirs into our creations that week so mark your calendar, you won't want to miss a day of it!
The weather here in  northern IL has been unseasonably warm this month. Our spring season usually lasts several weeks with something new in bloom every week. This year it seems like it has all been crammed into 2 weeks with everything in bloom at once!  While it is lovely, it is pretty hard on the sinuses, and will be over much too quickly.  As I was going through my samples trying to decide what to share this week, I came across this beautiful sample of the newly re-released Plum blossom shape (LM219) that I don't think I've shared with you yet. This card reminds me of all the beautiful cherry blossoms we used to see when we lived near Washington, D.C., they were spectacular.

I used a modified version of the double glitter technique to create this card. Here's how it's done:

• Hold the stencil on a piece of Dreamweaver Double-sided Mounting Paper and do a rough cut around the design coming out about 1/2" to 3/4" from the stencil (you are cutting it slightly larger then the actual design)
• Cut a second piece the same way as the first
• Remove one side of the release paper and stick the mounting paper to a piece of white cardstock
• Repeat for the second piece
• Use Dreamweaver handmade Hawaiian Soap to lightly coat the back of the stencil, use a larger stencil brush to brush off any large flakes, especially in the openings
• Remove the remaining release paper from the first piece of cardstock and place the stencil, soap side down, in the center of the sticky paper making sure you have a border of sticky paper all the way around the stencil
• Cover the design with black fun flock and use your fingers to rub it into the openings and around the edge of the stencil (you can rub pretty hard) making sure you get good coverage in all the openings
• Use a larger stencil brush to brush off all the excess, then wipe across it with a Swiffer cloth to get the last of the loose flock
• Turn the design upside down on a clean piece of paper and carefully remove the paper from the stencil (be sure to keep the stencil flat)
• Sprinkle pink glitter on the exposed sticky paper, use the release paper to help rub it in a little
• Trim around the design leaving about 1/8" of black flock all around the edge
• Check the back of the stencil to make sure there is no black flock stuck to the soap, if there is, wash a dry the stencil and reapply the soap, if not,  just see if you need a little touch up of soap
• Working with the second piece of cardstock, remove the release paper and place the stencil soap side down on the sticky paper
• Sprinkle with Opaque Gold glitter, using the release paper to help you rub it into the openings and around the edge of the stencil
• Brush off any excess
• Turn it stencil side down on a clean surface and remove the paper from the stencil
• Sprinkle with Opaque Black glitter, rubbing it in with the release paper
• Trim around the design leaving about 1/8" of gold glitter all around the design
• Emboss the Art nouveau flourish (LJ919) on pink paper (either by hand or with a machine)
• With the stencil still in place, use a small stencil brush to add a deeper pink ink on the design
• Mount the pink layer on a black card
• Adhere the black and gold flower near the upper left corner, above the flourish
• Use foam mounting tape to add the pink flower below the black flower

I hope you've been inspired to try this technique, it is so easy and always looks wonderful. Now stop over at the other team members blogs to see what they have created this week.

DREAM it UP!

Pam Hornschu
Laura Drahozal
Wendy Jordan
Terrece Siddoway
Kristi Van Doren
Georgia Sommers
Lee Kellogg
Liz Martin
Cyndi Bundy
Cherylynn Moser
Jessie Hurley

Happy Creating,
Louise