Thursday, April 5, 2012

April Showers bring...

May flowers!  The new Dreamweaver Stencils April challenge is "Bring May Flowers!". I don't know about the rest of you, but in our area (northern IL) we are experiencing one of the earliest springs on record. Yesterday as I sat at my craft table working on today's post, I enjoyed the beautiful view out my window of my crab apple trees in full bloom. We have two whites and two pinks and they are breathtaking right now. Normally they are just coming into bloom the last weekend of April! They were my inspiration for today's post using the Cherry blossoms (LG644) stencil.


This is a very easy card, really a "back to basics" card. Here's how you do it:
  • Tape the stencil to light green cardstock with removable tape
  • Apply Dreamweaver Embossing Paste (DEP) to the paste spreader (LM2010) using a palette knife (DPK).
  • Spread the paste over the stencil
  • Remove and clean stencil, let paste dry
  • Place clean and dry stencil back over dry paste and tape in place with removable tape
  • Use small gold handled stencil brushes to apply color to the paste (I used Brilliance Coral, Coffee Bean, Sunflower Yellow). The Picasso stencil (LL332)  is a great tool for shielding the blossoms from the brown ink
Picasso - LL332
  • Add a pretty layer of pink behind the blossoms and mount to the front of a card with foam mounting tape
  • A beautiful, springy card for a birthday, anniversary, shower, Mother's Day, really any occasion
Don't forget that you can play along with our monthly challenges. Simply create your own version of "Bring May Flowers" and link it on the DREAM it UP! blog using the Mr. Linky tool. If you don't have a way to link it to us, simply email a picture of your design to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com and she will be happy to post it for you. Remember, you have to play to win!
One more card to share with you today, a simple Easter card to wish you all a very Happy Easter!


Now check out the designs from the rest of the team by clicking on their names below:

Happy Creating,
Louise

Sunday, April 1, 2012

One last tag!

I wasn't able to complete all of Day 4's tags from Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz because I didn't have all the supplies, but now I do so here is my last tag from Day 4, custom stamp pad technique. Enjoy!


Happy Creating,
Louise

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Day 10 Tim's Online Class

Well, I'm a day late, but it's not Monday yet so there's still time to post my Day 10 sample from Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz.  It's been ten wonderful sessions and tons of fun playing with our inks and stamps to create 25 beautiful technique tags. Here is the last one, enjoy!


Happy Creating,
Louise

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Day 9 Tim's Online Class

For my weekly Dreamweaver Stencil post click here.

Today in Day 9 of Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz, we worked with Perfect Pearls and Distress Inks to add a little shimmer to our work. The results are beautiful up close and personal, but  not as stunning in photos. But...photos are all I have, so here they are:


Happy Creating,
Louise

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.




Happy Creating,
Louise

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Day 8 TIm's Online Class

This week is flying by, I can't believe we only have 2 more classes for Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz. Each day has been truly unique and even though I have been using Distress products for years, it is amazing what I didn't know! But that is why classes are so important, you pick up little hints that make working with a certain product easier or better or both!
Here are my Day 8 tags:

Happy Creating,
Louise

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Day 7 Tim's Online Class

Three more cool techniques from Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry 101 class. Thank goodness for the scrubbie for cleaning hands because we certainly are getting inky! Here are my samples for Day 7:
Stay tuned for more samples tomorrow!
Happy Creating,
Louise