March Madness Week 1!

MAD I tell you! We're all going MAD! That is...MAD for Dreamweaver Stencils! Lol. Welcome to 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!
Ever since its release in January, I have been "mad" for the new Zen Flower stencils (LX7024). It is a very large stencil (6"x6") so using all of it can be a challenge, but it is so beautiful that you want to use it every way you can think of when you're creating! I have been wanting to create a layered version of this flower and just had not found the time, until now. Mirror projects are one of my favorite "non-traditional" go to projects, so this week I created one using this wonderful new stencil and the three new leaf die cuts (DD003 Leafy Branch, DD002 Monstera leaf, and DM2001 Petite fern).

Here's my personal act of madness:

Start by tracing the Zen flower stencil on patterned paper with a Micron pen,
repeat the tracing using less and less of the stencil each time until you have several layers

Cut the layers out and use a coordinating ink to add a deeper color to every other layer

Edge each layer with a black marker and use foam tape between the layers
Make several flowers in various sizes.

Die cut the three different leaves in various shades of green

I painted a square mirror from IKEA with several colors of Distress Paint and let that dry
before adding my layered flowers and the die cut leaves.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use a ribbon to hang it with or just the hanger it comes with, so for now it doesn't have either, and is sitting on an easel (that's good too). The photos really can't do it justice. It has such depth and texture in person, you'll just have to take my word for for it! By the way, I was able to create all the flowers for this out of ONE 12" x 12" piece of decorative paper with enough left over to make one more small flower. That's MADNESS! what an easy, fun, beautiful way to use up a piece of left over paper! Oh, I almost forgot, I put it all together with ZipDry from Beacon Adhesives. 

Need some more crazy ideas? Check our "A" team, and our very special guest designer and Certified Dreamweaver teacher...

Georgia Sommers

Dream It Up!
Laura Drahozal
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Heidi Erickson
Louise Healy 
Cyndi Bundy

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