Artfully Articulate: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Day 3 Dreamweaver and Stampendous

Welcome to day 3 of the Dreamweaver Stencils and Stampendous Blog Hop. We have seen some great ideas so far on how to combine your stencils and the wonderful products from Stampendous. I'm sure today will be no exception.

It's fun in the sun time again with another collaboration between Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils! We'll be playing together all of this week, with a fabulous hop on Friday, August 2nd, featuring a slew of amazing talent from both teams, and of course...prizes!!!

Two prize packages will be given away for the comments left on posts Monday-Thursday, July 29th - August 1st, and one prize will be given away for comments left on the hop day, Friday, August 2nd. Winners will be selected randomly and announced Thursday, August 8th. (Note: USA addresses only, please, due to shipping costs.) Here's what you could win:


Stampendous Surfer and Sandcastle Kiddos • Dreamweaver Hot Air Balloon, Ice Cream Cones, Summer, Mosaic Swirls, Bird Words, and Sandcastle stencils

Here's what I created:

LL447 - Fleur de lis (new release)
LJ841 - Fleur de lis (background)

Close up of LL447

Close up of LJ841

Steps:

Tape LL447 Fleur de lis to Aqua cardstock with removable tape
Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply Matte Black Embossing Paste
Sprinkle with Stampendous Teal Mica Flakes (from EJK06 Encrusted Jewel Teal Kit) and press them into the wet paste carefully
Sprinkle the whole thing with Sky Blue Embossing Powder (also from EJK06), it has some glitter in it too
Remove the stencil and place in water
Heat set the powder, be careful of the mica flakes, pull back if they start to smoke!
Trim, and mat on a small black mat
Repeat the steps for the background except only use the Sky Blue Embossing Powder
Trim and mat with strips of black on two sides
Mount onto a coordinating card
Use foam tape to attach the larger Fleur de lis

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but this has incredible texture to it, and a lot of sparkle!

Now, hop on over to the next in line. Don't forget to leave some love for a chance to win, and just 'cuz it's nice!

Louise Healy (you're here)

Lyn Bernatovich
Tobi Crawford
Asia King

Happy Creating,
Louise

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Day 2 Dreamweaver and Stampendous

Welcome to day 2 of the Dreamweaver Stencils and Stampendous blog hop! We hope you enjoyed the creations from day 1! If you missed them, click here to go to my post from yesterday for the list of participants.


Stampendous Surfer and Sandcastle Kiddos • Dreamweaver Hot Air Balloon, Ice Cream Cones, Summer, Mosaic Swirls, Bird Words, and Sandcastle stencils

Here's what I came up with for today:

Dreamweaver Stencils new LX7021 - Floral corner
Stampendous SSC1158 - Thoughtful Wishes

This is one of the newly released stencils from Dreamweaver Stencils.
Steps:

Tape the stencil to light green cardstock with removable tape
Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply Dreamweaver Embossing Paste (the regular Matte White)
Remove and clean the stencil, let the paste dry
Tape the clean, dry stencil back over the dry paste
Use 1/4" stencil brushes and the Picasso tool (LL332) to apply ink to the flowers (I used Splendor Ink Pads - Circus and Magic)
Let the inks dry or heat with a heat tool
Trim the floral layer a little and mount onto a small black mat
Adhere to the front of a coordinating color card (the picture shows the card as much more purple than it really is in person)
Stamp the saying from Stampendous Thoughtful Wishes cling set (SSC1158) with Archival Jet Black ink on white cardstock
Use a deckle scissors around the edge and mount on a small black mat
Adhere to the upper right corner with foam tape

Here's the list of today's participants. Be sure to leave them a comment for the chance to win a prize!

Louise Healy (you're here!)

Jessica Griffin

Tenia Nelson

Pam Hornschu

Happy Creating,
Louise

Monday, July 29, 2013

Dreamweaver Stencils and Stampendous Blog Hop!


Stampendous Surfer and Sandcastle Kiddos • Dreamweaver Hot Air Balloon, Ice Cream Cones, Summer, Mosaic Swirls, Bird Words, and Sandcastle stencils

Here's what I created:

Dreamweaver Stencils LL393 - Weathervane
this will be available soon, it was just re-released for summer CHA

Steps:

Cut a piece of Dreamweaver Double-sided mounting paper slightly larger then the stencil in each direction
Apply Dreamweaver Handmade Hawaiian Soap to the back of the weathervane stencil
Use a large stencil brush to brush any soap flakes out of the stencil openings or off the surface of the stencil (front and back)
Remove the release paper from the double-side mounting paper and center the stencil, soap side down, onto the sticky surface
Use the release paper to press the stencil down, making sure all the small bridges of the stencil are adhered well
Sprinkle all the exposed sticky surface with Stampendous Aged Teal Embossing Enamel (from the Encrusted Jewel Teal Kit EJK06)
Tap off extra powder and return it to the container
Heat the enamel to set it
Sprinkle the background with Crystal glitter
Mount onto a lime green mat (Bazzill Basics Two Scoops Mint Chip)
Make a card with a lime green front and add a piece of coordinating paper (Bazzill Basics Santa Barbara Beach Bum) leaving about 3/4" of the lime green showing at the bottom
Place 5 glue dots in a row across the bottom area
Sprinkle with the Aged Teal Embossing Enamel and heat set
Add the weathervane to the front with foam mounting tape

Don't forget to leave me a comment for a chance to win, and just 'cuz it's nice! Then hop on over to the next in line.

Stampendous

Lea Kimmel

Happy Creating,
Louise

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Summertime, Sparklers, S'more!

Hello everyone. Today I am on my way up to northern Minnesota to celebrate Christmas in July with my husband's family. We have been doing this for many years now and it is absolutely wonderful! No hassles or guilt at the holidays themselves, and no snow! We have traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas food, presents, games, bonfires, boating, fishing, it's four days of family fun!
But I wouldn't leave you high and dry with no Thursday inspiration. Thank goodness for technology, it gives us a lot of freedom to share ideas no matter where we are, or aren't! This months Dreamweaver Stencils theme is Summertime, Sparklers, S'more and this week I am sharing another re-released stencil with you. This one I saved especially for this week because it reminds me of the cattails around the lakes in northern MN and it's sparkly!

LL3035 - Cattails Scene
LL517 - Cattails

Steps:

Cut a piece of Dreamweaver double sided mounting paper the same size as the stencil
Cut a light brown mat 1/4" inch larger in each direction than the stencil
Remove the release paper from one side of the mounting paper and center it on the mat
Use Dreamweaver's Handmade Hawaiian soap to apply a light layer of soap to the back of the stencil
Use a large stencil brush to remove any crumbs of soap from the openings of surface of the stencil
Remove the top piece of release paper from the mounting paper and center the stencil, soap side down, over the sticky surface
Use the release paper to press all the bridges of the stencil down to the sticky paper
Use a cut straw to apply Ranger Distress Embossing Powders to each opening
I used a combination of Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick for the sun, Weathered Wood and Broken China in the water, Walnut Stain in the cattails and birds, and Frayed Burlap, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint in the leaves
Press the powders down with your finger or a piece of release paper
Use a stencil brush to gently brush away any extra powder
Turn the image face down on a paper towel and carefully peel the paper off the stencil, being sure to use your other hand to keep your stencil flat on the table
Use a heat gun to heat set the powders
Sprinkle the background with Crystal glitter (the "Sparkler" part of the challenge!)
Mount on a darker brown mat
Use kraft cardstock as a cardbase
Tape the Cattails stencil (LL517) toward the left edge and use a 1/2" stencil brush and Memento Rich Cocoa ink to stencil color through the openings, repeat a couple times across the card ( I moved the stencil down a little to extend the stems to the bottom of the card before I move to the next grouping)
Mount the Cattails Scene in the lower right corner with foam tape
A GREAT guy card, especially if they are the "outdoorsy type"!

Check out the other team member's creations this week.

Dream It Up!

Wendy Price

Lea Kimmel

Louise Healy (me!)

Stacey Rumsby

Terrece Siddoway

Caroline Duncan

Pam Hornschu

Cherylynn Moser

Next week we will be having a blog hop with the team over at Stampendous.

It's fun in the sun time again with another collaboration between Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils! We'll be playing together all of next week, with a fabulous hop on Friday, August 2nd, featuring a slew of amazing talent from both teams, and of course...prizes!!!


Stampendous Surfer and Sandcastle Kiddos • Dreamweaver Hot Air Balloon, Ice Cream Cones, Summer, Mosaic Swirls, Bird Words, and Sandcastle stencils

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Summertime, Sparklers, S'More!

Welcome back to our Dreamweaver Stencils Thursday challenge. This month our theme is "Summertime, Sparklers, S'More!", which leaves a lot to the imagination. We hope you will join our challenge and create your own fun summertime card. You can either link it on the DREAM it UP! blog through the linking tool, or email a photo and description to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com and she will post it for you (well, probably, Pam will post it for you!). We also have a guest designer this month, Wendy Price. She is very talented and we have enjoyed seeing her creations.
Lynell and her team are leaving for Las Vegas and the summer retailers show, so that means NEW RELEASES! We are so excited to about the new designs and several designs that have been re-released due to popular demand! The design I'm showing this week is one that has been re-released in a different size. To me it just "crows" hot summer morning! Don't you agree.

LG753 - Lg Crowing Rooster

This is the Lg Crowing Rooster (LG753). He just seems so happy and proud of himself, it makes me smile! This would be a great design to Zentangle too. Mmmm....maybe coming soon to a blog near you!
Here's how it's done:

Tape the stencil to white cardstock with removable tape
Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply Matte Yellow embossing paste
Remove the stencil and place in water for cleaning
Let the paste dry thoroughly (about 20 minutes, but I wait 30)
Place the clean, dry stencil over the dry paste and tape in place
Use 1/4" stencil brushes and inks to apply color to the design (I used Splendor Ink pads in Circus and Magic for this, these are great because you get lots of colors in each set)
Remove the stencil and let the inks dry a little while you prepare the card
I trimmed the rooster image a little, mounted it on a black mat, then a slightly larger yellow mat
The background paper is from Graphic45 (gotta love their papers!)
The base card is yellow cardstock, matching the layer behind the rooster
Use foam tape to apply the matted rooster to the front of the card
I think this would be cute to send to someone who just got promoted or graduated and say "now that's something to crow about!" or "crowing with delight at your good news", you get the picture

More great summer ideas are waiting for you at the team blogs. Leave me a comment then head on over to seen their creations this week!

Dream It Up!

Wendy Price

Laura Drahozal

Lyn Bernatovich

Pam Hornschu

Heidi Erickson

Louise Healy (that's me)

Jessica Griffin

Cyndi Bundy

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Summertime, Sparklers and S'More!

*correction to instructions add 6:00 pm, sorry!

Welcome back to the Dreamweaver Stencils July challenge. The rain has finally stopped here in northern Illinois and it is now our normal hot and muggy summertime, which fits our challenge perfectly! Congratulations to our winners from the Dreamweaver/Ranger blog hop! Don't forget to contact Lynell for your prize.
I'm continuing my beach theme this week with a card that just screams "hot summer day at the beach!". Of course, a hot summer day at the beach is fine with me, I wish we were there!

LR502-Sun and LL3033-Sandcastle

This is the same technique I used on my home decor piece on June 13th, if you missed it click here to check it out. It's a fun technique that shows a lot of dimension.

Tape the Sun (LR502) stencil to yellow cardstock with removable tape onto a piece of copy paper
Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply Matte Black Embossing Paste over the Sun
With the stencil still in place, carefully sprinkle some Distress Embossing Powder in Mustard Seed and Spiced marmalade over the wet paste, tap it gently in place
Lift the whole copy paper and turn it over to tap off any extra powder (be careful!)
Gently remove the stencil from the image trying not to let any move powder fall through the openings (the goal is to keep the edges black)
Place the stencil in water for cleaning
Heat set the emossing powder, set aside to let the paste dry completely
Repeat the process with the Sandcastle (LL3033) stencil but using blue cardstock, and a mixture of Distress Embossing Powders Antique Linen, Peeled Paint, and Fired brick
Heat set the embossing powders and let it dry thoroughly
Cut out the Sun leaving a small yellow edge all the way around
Use the Picasso (LL332) stencil to put some clouds in the sky above the sandcastle. When you do this on blue paper, you first use a 3/4" stencil brush and white ink to make some areas white (I like Brilliance Moonlight White), then use the edge of the Picasso and a 1/2" brush with a light blue ink to create the "cloud" at the edge of the white areas
Use a 1/2" brush to add some brown ink at the bottom of the sandcastle
Use foam tape to apply the sun to the sky

I hope you are enjoying your summer and the summertime creations the team has been showing. Be sure to check out what they've created this week for you!

Dream It Up!

Wendy Price

Lea Kimmel

Louise Healy (me!)

Stacey Rumsby

Terrece Siddoway

Caroline Duncan

Pam Hornschu

Cherylynn Moser

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Summertime, Sparklers, and S'More!

Happy 4th of July! Welcome to the new Dreamweaver Stencils challenge for July. Our new theme for this month is Summertime, Sparklers, and S'More! Sounds like a lot of fun and sparkle to me! We are also welcoming a guest designer for July, Wendy Price, and can hardly wait to see what she created this week!
Thank you for all your wonderful comments from last week's Dreamweaver and Ranger hop, it's always so inspiring to read them. You'll want to check out the DREAM it UP! blog to see if you were the winner of one of those great prizes!
I have spent the last week in Cincinnati visiting my beautiful little granddaughter. She keeps me hopping, so I don't have a lot of time for other things while I'm here, but I wanted to share a fun, summertime card that I recently posted on my Pinterest board. It fits our summer theme perfectly.

Faux Tile - LG609 and LM163

This was done in the Faux Tile technique. If you've never done this, be sure to give it a try, it's easy!

Dry emboss the Tiles stencil (LG609) with a light box and stylus, or through a die cut machine
Leave the tile stencil in place and put the Lighthouse over the tile stencil and tape in place with removable tape
Use small stencil brushes to add color
Remove the stencils, wipe off the tile stencil with a soft rag and re-position it over the image
Use a finger dabber to dab VersaMark (clear embossing ink) over the whole image
Remove the stencil and sprinkle with Clear Embossing Powder, tap off extra
Heat set the embossing powder and cool
Return the tile stencil over the image and apply another coat of VersaMark and powder
Heat again to create a smoother finish to your tiles
Mount on summer paper and embellish as desired!

Here are some more wonderful designers bringing you great summertime creations.

Dream It Up!

Wendy Price

Laura Drahozal

Lyn Bernatovich

Pam Hornschu

Heidi Erickson

Louise Healy (that's me)

Jessica Griffin

Cyndi Bundy

Happy Creating,

Louise