Quick and Cute Challenge!

In a flurry of a hurry? This month the Dream Team are all about the Quick and Cute...whether that be cards, gifts, wrapping, or tags...we have sleigh-loads of ideas! Play along by posting your creations using the Inlinkz tool on the Dream It Up! blog, for a chance to win the stencil of your choice, and a possible bonus stencil for using Dreamweaver products in your Quick and Cute project! Here's what fun I've been up to this week:

Pine cones embossing folder - FG675, Merry Christmas stencil - LS92

FG675, LS92, LS25, Distress Inks - forest moss & gathered twigs,
Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Archival Ink, scraps of decorative paper, jingle bells

  Easy steps:

• Put the top part of the tag in the embossing folder and run it through your die cut machine
• Use foam applicators to lightly apply color to the pine cones and branch
• Tape the Merry Christmas stencil near the bottom of the tage
• Use a stencil brush and ink to add color to the words
• Rouge more green ink in the background of the tag
• Apply a small strip of decorative paper above the words (I went through my scrap buckets and found one)
• Decorate the back too, using the To/From part of LS25
• Embellish with jingle bells and May Arts ribbon!

The back is as beautiful as the front!

I have LOTS of scraps to choose from!!

I'd love to receive a comment from you before you head on to the rest of the "B" team:

Dream It Up!

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Gill Wilson

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

Happy Creating,

Louise

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy HallowThanksMas!

Can you tell that sometimes Dream Team's "Fearless Leader", Pam Hornschu, has a hard time deciding on monthly challenges? Since the team will be taking turns all month with the Smeared and Smudged 31 Days of Halloween (see the DREAM it UP! blog for details), and we are doing a Christmas collaboration with Stampendous and Core'dinations the 13th - 17th, the confusion should be understandable. Therefore...happy HallowThanksMas! As usual, we'd love for you to play along with the challenge and link your creations to the Inlinkz tool on the Dream It Up! blog. Just in case you are wondering...NO, YOU DO NOT NEED TO POST SOMETHING WITH ALL THREE HOLIDAYS ON IT! However, you get bonus points for actually using Dreamweaver stencils and product on your creations! And bonus points might actually earn you an extra stencil as our monthly winner...just sayin'!

Here's my creation for today:

LL3043 Oak leaf done in the Molten Magic Technique
DX7020 Leafless tree die

I just love the new oak and maple leaf stencils that were just released! They are perfect for a variety of techniques and make fabulous fall cards. To recreate this, follow these simple steps:

• Tape the oak leaf stencil (LL3043) to cream colored cardstock with removable tape
• Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply a coat of Metallic Copper Embossing Paste
• Remove the stencil and place in water for later cleaning
• Sprinkle a variety of Metallic F/X Powders over the wet paste
• Tap off excess powder and heat the image with a heat tool until the paste is bubbly all over
• Let image cool before using a Swiffer cloth to buff off excess powders
• Rouge the edges with Distress Inks in fall colors
• Rouge the edges of a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" card front with the same colors
• Mount a piece of wood grain paper on the card front
• Die cut some branches out of black cardstock using DX7020 Leafless tree die
• Arrange them coming out from the left side of the card front and adhere in place leaving most of the branches loose
• Use foam mounting tape to add the Oak Leaf image over the branches
• Add a little jute string bow (May Arts) as a finishing touch

A great card for an Autumn birthday, anniversary, really, any occasion, or Thanksgiving! 

I hope you've enjoyed my creation today. Remember to visit the rest of the team, as confusion takes rein...could be interesting!

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

Happy Creating,

Louise

An InLinkz Link-up

Dreamweaver Flora and Fauna Week 4!

The Dream Team is ready to inspire you with some extra fun this week! Not only are we posting with the Flora and Fauna challenge, we are introducing you to our THREE NEWLY RELEASED DESIGNS...our Owl Buddy, the Open Sheep, and the art nouveau-inspired Heron, which you had a sneak peek at two weeks ago on the Dream It Up! blog. Three lucky commenters on the Dream Team's posts will receive one of these designs to be announced on the Dream It Up! blog next week. Tell us in your comment which technique YOU would use with your favorite of these new designs.

One of our stores in La Crosse, WI (Stamp 'N Hand), had requested a sample of the Paddle fan (LJ826) from me so I decided to incorporate it with the new Heron (LG757) for week's creation so it could do double duty! (I was going to say "kill two birds with one stone", but that just seemed cruel considering our theme this month!) Here is what I created this week...

Paddle fan (LJ826) with Heron (LG757) overlay
this is the one I sent to Stamp 'N Hand

Paddle fan (LJ826) with Heron (LG757) overlay
I kept this one as my sample

These were created following the same steps:

• Dry emboss the Paddle fan on white cardstock using a die cut machine and rubber embossing mat
• With the stencil still in place, use 1/2" stencil brushes to lightly add some color around the edges of the fan, and on the handle (I used Distress Inks - scattered straw & spiced marmalade in the "sky", salty ocean & faded jeans in the "water", and vintage photo & walnut stain in the handle)
• Wipe any ink off the fan stencil and tape back in place with removable tape, use removable tape over the handle opening so no paste gets on the handle
• Lay the Heron stencil over the fan area and tape in place
• Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply Matte Black Embossing Paste over the design
• Carefully remove both stencils and let the paste dry about 10 minutes
• Use a soft brush to gently apply Metallic F/X powders on the paste (I used Kiwi on the leaves, Cocoa on the tree trunk, Navajo Sky on the water, and on the top one Moonstone on the Heron - then used a pin to scrap a little eye, the lower one I left the Heron black) 
• Let the paste dry completely then use a piece of Swiffer cloth or a soft rag to gently wipe off any extra powders
• Mount on a black mat, then onto a colored card. I love how different they look just based on color selection!

By this point I was on a roll, so I decided to use the same color scheme and stencil to create my cards for a monthly lunch club card exchange group I belong to, but using the required technique instead. Here's how that turned out:

Masking Tape ink transfer technique in the background,
LG757 Heron in Matte Black Embossing Paste w/FX powders

Close up you can see the lines of color transferred on the tape, I used
1" green painters tape

Ready for more ideas? Check out our this week's team players:

Dream It Up!

Lyn Bernatovich

Lynn Mercurio

Jamie Martin 

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Lea Kimmel 

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

Gill Wilson

Laura Drahozal 

Happy Creating,

Louise

An InLinkz Link-up

Dreamweaver Flora and Fauna Week 3!

Welcome to the merry month of May! The Dream Team are challenging you this month to a "Flora and Fauna" theme! Considering most of the Dreamweaver designs incorporate both of these in the huge variety of stencils, you should have no problem playing along with our challenge this month! As usual, link your creations at the end of the Dream It Up! blog post, or at the end of our posts where it says, "Add Your Link".

My dear friend, Pam Hornschu (our team leader) was here last week to help me with the Dreamweaver Certification class. After class was over, we were able to spend Friday shopping in downtown Geneva, IL and the outlets in Aurora. It was a real treat to just be together. In one of the shops in Geneva, I saw a lovely framed picture of two moths. I loved the colors and composition of it, but, of course didn't buy it because "I can make that!"  So here's what I've been playing with this week to "re-create" piece I saw...

LM257 and LM255
bkgd LJ807

Close up of the stenciled butterflies

The beautiful Scallop butterfly (LM255) and the Heliconia butterfly (LM257) worked perfectly together to create a wonderful piece of wall art and it was so easy!

• Cut a piece of natural cardstock 3 3/4" x 5 1/2"
• Use removable tape to hold the two stencil to the paper
• Stencil in color with 1/4" stencil brushes and Distress inks (I used broken china, faded jeans, brushed corduroy, and gathered twigs), use the Picasso (LL332) to help with color placement
• Remove both stencils and use a 1/2" or 3/4" brush to rouge the gathered twig ink around the outside of the images
• Mount the butterflies on a brown mat cut 4 1/4" x 6"
• Cut a piece of blue cardstock 5" x 7"  and distress with the gathered twigs ink
• Use foam mounting tape to add the butterflies to the blue mat
• Cut a piece of natural cardstock 8" x 10" and distress lightly with gathered twigs and broken china inks
• Lay the Angles stencil (LJ807) in one corner of the background paper and hold in place with removable tape
• Stencil with gathered twigs, move the stencil over, lining up part of the design and stencil again, repeating all around the edge of the paper until completely around the edge
• Adhere the matted butterflies over the background design, and put it in a frame

The nice thing about pieces like this is that you can make them any color you need them to be to match your decor.

See what our other team members have created today!

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

Happy Creating,

Louise

An InLinkz Link-up

March Madness Week 2!

MAD I tell you! We're all going MAD! That is...MAD for Dreamweaver Stencils! Lol. Welcome to week 2 of our "March Madness" challenge! Anything goes, and the more outside-of-the-box, the better. This year, we're aiming to play with non-traditional challenges whenever possible. So, break out all of your I-never-quite-knew-what-to-do-with-these-products stash, look at your Dreamweaver stencils in a whole new creative light, and get crafting! Oh, and don't forget to link those creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog for one of THREE chances to win the stencil of your choice!
PLUS, you won't want to miss your chance to join the Dreamweaver Design Team. Here's the link to find out how you can become a DREAM TEAM member too!

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DREAM TEAM call for new members!!! See the DREAM it UP! blog for details!
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This week I am in Cincinnati visiting my darling granddaughter and celebrating my son's birthday. It was sunny and warm Tuesday afternoon when I arrived, a welcome change from the winter storm warning I left behind me in Illinois! But unfortunately, I brought the cold weather with me and it has been rainy and cold since Wednesday morning! Oh well, it still feels like spring here.
Today I am sharing a project I created a while back. If some of you have seen, sorry, but it never hurts to see it again! Our challenge is to use our stencils in unusual ways this month, so this project incorporates stencils, distress products, and a plain wooden birdhouse. Here's my personal act of madness:

How to do it:

• Use Distress Stains and inks to add color to a natural wood birdhouse
• Let it dry or use a heat tool to dry it
• Stain 3 6"x6" pieces of Tim Holtz's grungepaper with peeled paint Distress Stain
• Let dry or heat dry
• Place the Leaves stencil (LX7007) on one piece of the green grungepaper and trace all the openings using a Micron 01 Black pen
• Repeat on the remaining two pieces of grungepaper
• Cut the Leaves out, leaving them connected just in the very center
• Stain a small piece of grungepaper with Distress Stain worn lipstick
• Use just the one whole flower from the Dogwood stencil (LG668) and outline the flower 3 times on the pink grungepaper
• Cut out the flowers
• Use hot glue to attach one whole set of leaves over the top of the birdhouse
• Cut the remaining two sets of leaves into 4 fronds each, set two aside
• Glue the individual fronds around the roof of the birdhouse, staggering them in between the leaves on the top
• Place the two fronds you set aside under the perch near the opening of the birdhouse
• Add the three flowers
• Put some Distress Stickles mustard seed in the centers of the three flowers and dry well

That's all there is to it! A great little decoration for those bird lovers you know.

Need some more crazy ideas? Check our "B" team

Dream It Up!
Lea Kimmel
Louise Healy
Stacey Rumsby
Terrece Siddoway

Wendy Jordan
Pam Hornschu

Happy Creating and Happy St. Patrick's Day (a little early)!

LS58 - Clover - Dry embossed and lightly brushed with green ink
LJ909 -Cathedral windows small - overlayed and brushed with more green ink

Louise

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! I hope you are able to be with loved ones or dear friends today. I know I am thrilled to have all my family home together counting our blessings.

The Dreamweaver Stencils design team is creating everything but a card this month to show you how truly versatile these beautiful stencils really are. We hope you will be inspired to create something of your own and join our challenge this month. Just link your creation at the DREAM it UP! blog using the linking tool or email a photo and description of your project to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com, you may win a prize!

This month we are also using the wonderful adhesives from Beacon Adhesives in our work. It's true, the right tool for the job makes it much easier, and the different products from Beacon allow you to work with virtually any media.
Today I am showing a couple of pieces from the past that you may or may not have seen before. Both projects use the Lotus stencil (LG720) that I featured as part of my decorative mirror last week. Two more great gift ideas for the holidays!

LG720 Lotus and leaves from LG625 Flower and leaves stencil

The pin was made by staining grungepaper with Distress Stain worn lipstick, outlining the Lotus stencil (LG720) with a Micron pen in multiple times to create layers, cut out and glued together with ZipDry by Beacon Adhesives. Stain a small piece of grungepaper with Distress Stain peeled paint and outline the leaves of  the Flowers and leaves stencil  (LG625) cut them out and adhere behind the flower. Use Beacon Adhesive Gem-Tac to attach a small pin back. Decorate a shawl or purse with your beautiful pin!

LG720 Lotus, LJ825 Jungle leaves, LJ896 Large flourish

This wall hanging was so easy!. This is a 10" black frame that came with a white mat that has a 4" opening. I used a large stencil brush and Distress Ink forest moss to stencil the Jungle leaves (LJ825) all over the mat. The beautiful Large flourish stencil (LJ896) was paste embossed with Matte Black Embossing Paste in one corner of the mat. The Lotus was paste embossed with Regular Embossing paste on white paper and left to air dry. After the paste is dry, place the stencil back over the paste and use small stencil brushes to add color (you can match it to any decor), I used Distress Inks broken china and faded jeans. Pounce a layer of Distress embossing ink over the color, remove the stencil and sprinkle with clear embossing powder. Tap off the extra powder and heat emboss. Trim the Lotus to fit on a black mat so that when you put it in the opening a small black mat shows around the flower. I thought all the backgrounds were too white, so I used a larger stencil brush (1/2" or 3/4" work well) and distressed the whole thing with Distress Ink vintage photo. Adhere the flower in the mat opening and place in the frame.
A huge thank you to Linda Neff who has been our guest designer this month. Her creations are inspiring! Here are the other team members creating for you this week:

Dream It Up! 

Linda Neff (GD)

Lea Kimmel 
Louise Healy  
Terrece Siddoway 
Pam Hornschu 
Cherylynn Moser

Happy Creating,
Louise

Holiday Celebrations Week 1!

Ready to be festively distressed once again? The Dream Team have been playing with Ranger's Distress Paints, and are ready to inspire you to be distressed as well...paint distressed that is! Dreamweaver Stencils are the perfect choice to mix with all things festively distressed, as nothing shows off color and texture better than great designs. By following our hop and leaving love along the way, you have the opportunity to win a great prize package including five Ranger Distress Paints and five Dreamweaver Stencils! Here's the lineup for today, including our November Guest Designer:

Dream It Up!

Linda Neff (GD)

Cyndi Bundy

Lyn Bernatovich

Terrece Siddoway

Wendy Jordan

Heidi Erickson

Cherylynn Moser

Laura Drahozal

Louise Healy (you're here)

Stacey Rumsby
Pam Hornschu

Lea Kimmel

This is also our first posting day featuring our new monthly challenge, "Holiday Celebrations", and for the entire month we will be demonstrating ways to use Beacon Adhesives' entire line of products with Dreamweaver to create special projects in home decor and gifts of love. Here's mine:

To create this Holiday decoration I started with a 4" x 4" x 1" canvas, Distress Paints, and Dreamweaver's  Holly Swirls stencil (LJ891). 

I held the stencil in place on each side and used a foam applicator pad to apply a combination of iced spruce, bundled sage, and peeled paint Distress Paint, heat setting each side as I went.

I used the same combination of colors to stencil the front of the canvas, then heat set it.

Next I add several colors of Distress Inks over the entire piece. (wild honey, festive berries, vintage photo, walnut stain) I misted the whole thing with a little water and dried it with a heat tool. The paint resists the inks so it looks like it is sitting on top of the colors. 

In order to paste emboss the Skates stencil (LL3016), I put a small stack of paper squares in the center opening on the back of the canvas, this kept the center from pushing in while I applied the paste.  I taped the Skates stencil to the front of the canvas at an angle and applied Metallic Silver Embossing Paste using a palette knife, removed the stencil and carefully sprinkled just the shoe part of the skates with Crystal glitter, and set it aside to dry.

While the skates were drying, I stenciled the holly leaves and berries from the To:From holly stencil (LS64) with a 1/4" stencil brush and Distress Ink pine needles five times, cut them out, and edged them with vintage photo ink.

Once the silver paste was dry, I used Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry to apply the holly leave clusters where I wanted them. It dries pretty quickly so I was able to add the ribbon all the way around the canvas using Beacon Adhesives FABRI-TAC. I gave that a few minutes to dry before adding three antique buttons to each side using Beacon Adhesives GEM-TAC.

Here's how it looks from the side:

To finish off near the top so the ribbon wouldn't pull apart, I added some of Tim Holtz's Tinsel twine that I first pounced with Adirondack Mushroom Alcohol Ink and heat a little (it makes it look a little more antiquey...yes that IS a word!)

Next I wanted to finish off the back of the canvas, so I cut a square of Manila cardstock to fit it, stenciled the Holly swirls(LJ 891) with Distress Paint pine needles using a foam applicator and heat set it. I applied Distress Ink over the  paint in the same colors as the front, misted it, and dried it with the heat tool.  The Skate stencil (LL3016)  was placed on at the same angle as the front image, but this time I used Distress Ink festive berries on a foam applicator to color the image. I just love how the Distress Paint comes thru the ink so it ends up looking like the skates were put on first and then the holly.  I distressed the edges with vintage photo and walnut stain inks, and adhered it to the back of the canvas with Zip Dry from Beacon.

Back side of the ornament

Last, but not least, I added a little Distress Paint pine needles along the edges and wiped it with a soft cloth while it was still wet to soften it a little, then added Distress Stickles fired brick to the berries of the holly

Ranger products used:
Distress Paints, Distress Inks, Distress Stickles,
Adirondack Alcohol Ink, Foam Applicators, Felt Applicator

Dreamweaver Stencils products used:
LJ891, LL3016, LS64
Metallic Silver Embossing Paste, Stencil brush

Beacon Adhesives products used:
Zip Dry, FABRI-TAC, Gem-Tac

Leave me a comment for a chance to win a prize, then hop on over to the other designers' blogs to see what great projects they've created for you!

Happy Creating,

Louise