Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is here already! I love the tradition of this day. No worries about what to make because it is always exactly the same! Once in a while we'll add a new dish to see if it's worthy of the day. Some are, some aren't. One we kept is a cranberry, apple oatmeal casserole that fits in perfectly and is ideal for breakfast the next day. We use my Mother's recipe for bread stuffing (simple but delicious), and my husband's Mother's recipe for wild rice casserole. Other than that, its the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes and corn. Talk about carb loading! But of course, the best part of the day is being with family and friends.

Another great tradition is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year the Dream Team is hosting our own version of a Thanksgiving Parade with a parade of Christmas card "floats". Lynell has challenged us to create Christmas themed cards in non-traditional colors. So be sure to visit all the Dream Team blogs to get lots of great ideas.

I decided to create an Advent card, which is actually very traditional, but uses colors you would not normally choose for a Christmas card.

I started by taping the Candle Trio stencil (LM119) to white paper, then used small stencil brushes and Distress Inks to stencil color into the openings of the stencils. Mustard Seed on the flames with a little brush of Fired Brick near the base of the flames: Victorian Velvet and Worn Lipstick on the center candle and bow: Dusty Concord on the purple candles; Pine Needles on the holly leaves; and Fired Brick on the berries and to highlight the bow. Remove and clean the stencil and tape it back over the colored image. Apply Translucent Embossing Paste over the image, remove stencil and sprinkle the wet paste with crystal glitter. Let dry. Mount onto a layer of dark purple paper cut 1/4" larger than your white layer.

This close up of the candles shows how your colors will really shine through the Translucent paste and glitter when the paste dries clear.

The pink candle in an Advent Wreath represents Joy, so that's the word I chose to describe this beautiful season. While the candles are drying, take a larger piece of pink paper and center the word Joy near the bottom using the Love & Joy stencil (LG693). When you tape it to the paper, make sure you tape over any opening in the stencil that may get in the way (this is very easy). Apply Glossy White Embossing Paste over the Joy, remove the stencil and sprinkle the wet paste with crystal glitter.

When everything is dry, mount the layers together for a beautiful card that pays homage to the season without being red and green.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and don't forget to finish "watching" our Dreamweaver Parade! Just click on the links below for the other team members "floats".

Deborah March

Georgia Sommers

Kim Parkinson

Kristi Van Doren

Laura Drahozal

Lee Kellogg

Liz Martin

Pam Hornschu

Terrece Siddoway

Wendy Jordan

and last but not least Dream it UP!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Well, we're in the final countdown to Thanksgiving Day. The Dream Team is putting together our own version of a Thanksgiving Day Parade that you won't want to miss. Stop by on Thursday to see beautiful design after beautiful design as you "float" through all the Dream Team blogs viewing our tribute to our favorite Dreamweaver Stencils Christmas designs.
Then continue to check back every Thursday for our "Thursday's Dream Schemes" and more wonderful Dreamweaver samples.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Class Cards

I never tire of working with the beautiful stencils from Dreamweaver Stencils. Here are the cards we'll be making at my next class at The Cottage Stamper, in St. Charles, IL on December 7th. This is stencil LG625, Flowers and Leaves, and as you can see, it is amazing how different it looks depending on the technique. I'll have more details on these after the class.
Happy Creating,
Louise

Bow Challenge

Do you love the look of a nice bow on a card, but just can't seem to get yours to sit right? You're not alone, many people have trouble with bows. Today, Lynell Harlow of Dreamweaver Stencils challenged the Dream Team to help fellow crafters beat the challenge of bow making!
I follow the following 12 step program:


One: Start by placing a small amount of adhesive in the center of the back of a piece of cardstock.

Two: Using a piece of ribbon between 18" and 24", attach the center of the ribbon to the adhesive (so an equal amount of ribbon comes off both sides).

Three: Turn the cardstock over with the ends of the ribbon coming out both sides.

Four: Place the left end over the right side of the ribbon and then down behind it so the end of the left ribbon is now coming out from under the right side.

Five: Pull the ends tight and perpendicular (up and down).

Six: Place a glue dot under the twist in the ribbon to help hod the ribbon in place while you do the loops.

Seven: With your right hand bring the bottom ribbon up to form the first loop.

Eight: With your left hand, bring the top ribbon over your loop.

Nine: Push the ribbon behind the first loop and back through opening you made.

Ten: Push it through until you have your second loop.

Eleven: Pull each loop to tighten the center knot.

Twelve: Adjust the size of the loops by pulling on the tails, and re-tighten by pulling the loops again. You may need to do this a few times to get the loops the right size. Trim the ends.
I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it is really a pretty easy process. Practice with ribbon that is about 1" wide, then use smaller or larger ribbon once you understand the process. If you make your bows this way you will always have a nice center knot and both ends will lay nicely.
Good luck!

Happy Creating,

Louise

Upcoming Class

Crackle Paste

Shadow Technique

Glitter Technique

Isn't this a beautiful stencil! This great Holly Sprig (LL3005) is another wonderful Dreamweaver Stencils design. We'll be featuring this stencil in my class at Stampology Chicago on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm. As usual, I will teach three techniques with one stencil to feature the versatility of these easy-to-use products. So if you are in the Chicagoland area, give Donna at Stampology a call to register for this fun class. The great thing about Dreamweaver classes is that it doesn't matter if you've never used a stencil before, you will create three beautiful cards and the stencil is yours to take home, so you can keep on creating!

For a chance to win some Dreamweaver Stencils, my fellow Dream Team member Wendy Jordan is hosting a Dreamweaver Challenge on her blog, Paper Therapy. Just click on the link to learn how you could win some great stencils.

Happy creating,

Louise

Autumn Days

It has been another beautiful fall day here in Illinois. The air is crisp, the sun is shining, the leaves are falling....aahhhh... who could ask for more. Autumn is my favorite time of year, except for the shorter days! Here's another card using the beautiful fall borders stencil (LJ874) from Dreamweaver Stencils with the Autumn Stencil (LM295). Paste the pumpkin corner with Black Matte Embossing Paste and let it dry for about 10 minutes. Carefully place the Autumn stencil in the upper right corner and paste that with the Black Matte as well. When dry place the pumpkin corner back on the black paste and use a soft brush to brush on Metallic F/X powders (I used Ivy Garden, Amber Glow, and Cocoa). Do the same with the Autumn stencil. Mount the image on black linen, then on to a 5" x 7" card and embellish with buttons. Sigh with happiness at your beautiful creation!
Happy Creating,
Louise

Class Samples

Sorry I haven't posted more samples yet this week. My daughter was in play offs for girls golf this week. She placed 5th in her regional out of 73 girls!! On to sectionals next week. I've also been busy this week teaching at The Cottage Stamper, in St. Charles, IL. If you ever get the chance, stop in, they have a wonderful selection of the latest and greatest stamps and stencils, plus lots of other great products. Here are the cards we did in class this week.








This is the new coiled tree stencil from Dreamweaver Stencils (LG729). The first card used the Metallic Copper Embossing Paste, let that dry, then apply Stamp and Stick Glue with a finger dauber. The glue has to sit for a few minutes to get tacky, then apply a sheet of gold leaf, using a 3/4" stencil brush to pounce the leaf onto the paste. Don't forget to save the gold leaf scraps!


The blue card uses Glossy White Embossing Paste with Metallic F/X Navajo Blue powder mixed directly into the paste before pasting over the stencil. Let dry and embellish as desired.


The shadow technique used on the last card is one of my favorites. Tape your stencil down to the paper and use a small stencil brush to add your color (I used Brilliance Thyme and Galaxy Gold). Clean your stencil and place it directly back over the image. Move the stencil up and to the right about 1/16" to 1/8". Tape your stencil down and use the White Matte Embossing Paste over the image, remove the stencil and immediately sprinkle the paste with Crystal glitter.


Fun easy cards, but don't forget...the right papers and embellishments are what really finish the card.

Happy Creating,
Louise