Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Hop Across the "Pond" and Back with Dreamweaver Stencils!-Day Four


Are you having fun with the "pond hop"? I know that we sure are! So wonderful to see what everyone else creates with the Dreamweaver Stencils line of crafting goodness. Here is the list of bloggers for today:

THURSDAY September 1st
 
Dorothy 
 
Remember to leave comments along the way to possibly win prizes! 
If you missed day one, click HERE.
If you missed day two, click HERE.
If you missed day three, click HERE
 
We'll be hopping through Saturday, September 3rd, so come back for more!
The Dreamweaver Stencils' products that you see on these blogs can be purchased at Woodware UK or in the US, from Stencils with Style.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hop Across the "Pond" and Back with Dreamweaver Stencils!-Day Three


 Can you believe that it's already day THREE of the Dreamweaver Stencils/Woodware UK Hop Across the Pond? Did you see the gorgeous projects that were featured yesterday? If you missed them, you can click HERE for the list of blogs from day TWO, and click HERE for the list of blogs (and my creation) from day ONE. But, before you go here or there, check out my fun lanterns created with Dreamweaver Stencils and the new colored aluminums. They come in a wide variety of colors from Dreamweaver Stencils, and can also be purchased from Woodware UK. I chose the more holiday colors of red, green, and blue. Using the Stampendous pails (small, short, and mini) as the base for my lanterns, I wrapped them in panels of the stencil-embossed and pierced aluminum. Here is the process:
1) Place the desired stencil on top of the colored side of aluminum and tape in a couple places.
2) Use a piercing tool or needle to pierce around various parts of the stencil design.
3) Place stencil and aluminum (still taped) on bottom platten of embossing machine with stencil on bottom and metal on top. Place embossing mat (the rubbery one) on top, and two clear plattens on top of that. (The two plattens will protect your stencil.) Run through the embossing machine, and remove stencil from metal.
4) Sand color from embossed areas of metal. If desired, use one of the Mercart metal tools available through Dreamweaver Stencils to finish the edges in a decorative way before wrapping the pails and adhering in place.
5) For the lids, follow the above process, omitting the piercing, using a die cut circle of the colored aluminum to fit the lid.
When finished, you can insert any of the flameless tea lites or flameless candles inside for a safe holiday glow.
Be sure to check out the rest of the talented ladies blogging today on both sides of the "pond":

WEDNESDAY August 31st
Pam (me!)

 Remember to leave comments as you go to ensure the possibility of winning some fabulous Dreamweaver Stencils!

All products used can be purchase in the US from HERE, and in the UK from HERE.
Dreamweaver Stencils products:
LJ917 Holiday Greetings
LG731 Holly Swirls
LG700 Poinsettia
LL397 Crystal Snowflake
LL398 Southwest Snowflake
LL399 Antler Snowflake
LL459 Village
LG649 Kaleidoscope
AC01 Red, AC05 Christmas Green, AC08 Medium BlueColored Aluminum
ADWD Decorative Wheel Diagonal




Monday, August 29, 2011

Hop Across the "Pond" and Back with Dreamweaver Stencils!-Day 2


Did you see all the fabulous creations between the Dream Team and the Woodware UK design team yesterday? No? Then you need to click HERE to visit the blogs for day one. Here is the list of where to hop for today...day two:
TUESDAY August 30th
Debbie 


Remember to leave comments at each stop along the way to ensure your chance at winning some fabulous prizes from Dreamweaver Stencils. For more info, please visit the Dream It Up! blog. You will find a complete list there of all the blogs to hop to and which days to hop. Six days of amazing inspiration...August 29th-September 3rd.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hop Across the "Pond" and Back with Dreamweaver Stencils!

Welcome to the first Dreamweaver Stencils/Woodware UK Back-and-Forth Across the "Pond" Blog Hop! We've been checking out the talented new Woodware UK design team and thought it would be great fun to party together this week! This is a fabulous opportunity for us to learn from each other, to inspire all of you with some amazing new ideas with Dreamweaver Stencils and products, and bonus...you have multiple opportunities all week long to win some fabulous blog candy.
My post today features my decorative Boudoir Box created from a plain old square paper mache box from the craft store. The lid was covered in a piece of the new Dreamweaver Stencils copper. The metal was run through my embossing machine (Sizzix Big Shot Pro) with Dreamweaver Stencils' "Damask" stencil to create a wonderful panel of the embossed design. I painted over it with Turquoise and Copper Memories Mists, and rubbed most of these away before they dried completely. I used a scrap piece of copper die cut and embossed with the Spellbinder's Shapeabilities Pendants "Lattice". To give it an antique look, I sponged some black StazOn ink over it. I layered a couple of beads in the center for a handle on the lid. The sides of the lid were strips of Core'dinations cardstock that were run through the embossing machine just as previously described. The embossed areas were sanded lightly to highlight to Damask design. A little Copper Memories Mists was smudged around the edges, and some thin aqua velvet ribbon covered the edge. A few rhinestones and some chocolate brown pompom trim finished off the lid. The base of the box was painted with the Copper Memories Mists before stenciling the "Lace Border" around the edges. This was quite simple to do. I just used removable tape to hold the stencil in place. I used dark brown acrylic paint and a larger stencil brush to "rouge" the paint over the stencil. It was easy to line up the pattern around the box. When dry, I smudged some Turquoise Memories Mists around the edges, added some rhinestone bling, and adhered some beads as feet on the bottom of the box. This box is perfect to keep all those little "things" that we women insist on having on our dresser or nightstand, but would also be a perfect Christmas gift filled with a set of gift cards or tags.
Now that you've seen what I've provided for the party, be sure to check out the rest of the talented group posting today:

CazLaura
Pam (me!)

Remember to leave some love in the form of comments at each blog...this will ensure that you have the opportunity to possibly win some fabulous Dreamweaver Stencils as blog candy. If you have any questions on any projects that you see along the way, please feel free to leave your question in the comment along with your email address.
This hop will continue through Saturday, September 3rd, so be sure to take part each day for even more opportunities, and more inspiration for use with Dreamweaver Stencils, and for those of you in the UK, more of the Woodware line of craft products. The entire list of blogs for hopping each day will also be on the Dreamweaver Stencils' "Dream It Up!" blog in case you feel lost along the way.

 

Dreamweaver Stencils Products:
LX7001 Lg. Damask
LL564 Lace Border
AC14 Mercart Copper Metal
MM27 Copper Memories Mists
UV08 Turquoise Memories Mists
TIP Tube Acrylic Paints

Saturday, August 27, 2011

FEELIN' FROSTY!



Here in the High Desert of California, it's been between 105 and 110 degrees F, with a lovely dose of monsoonal flow to make us truly miserable. So, I was feeling the need to cool off, even if only in my mind. This cute little Stampendous Snowbody Frame is the perfect image. You KNOW he only hangs with the "cool" crowd! I kept the feel of this card cool, by Copic coloring with various shades of white, blue, and minty green. I mixed some white Fun Flock with Ultra Fine Crystal Glitter for some shimmery fluff. These darling papers from Little Yellow Bicycle fit with the snowy and swirly theme, as did these fabulous Crystal Clear Class A' Peel Super Swirl stickers. Now that you're in a thoroughly frosty mood, how about checking out what the rest of the cool kids are doing? Here's a list:




Remember, once again we are all offering the opportunity to win some blog candy in the form of some stupendous Stampendous images. Just leave us all some love, and each of us will be randomly choosing a winner. My winner for this week will have a chance to stay frosty through the rest of summer, and into fall and winter with the newly released Cling Jumbo Snowflakes.



This is a fabulous set, full of creative possibilities...cards, tags, home decor, gift wrap and bags, treat containers, etc. Add some great new Fran-tage Elements in the form of Aged Silver, Aged Gold, Chunky White, Shabby White, Shabby Blue Embossing Enamels and/or Pearlized Mica, Shaved Ice, and Silver Glass Glitter. So much fabulously cool textures, colors, and sparkle! For added inspiration with all of these, check out Fran's latest Youtube video HERE.

Wondering who won the prize from last week's post? Congrats to....

Pam

Okay, have to say...great name! Lol. Please send me an email with your address at phornschu@hotmail.com, and your cute Perfectly Clear Yule Penguins will be waddling their way in your direction.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

A SWEET REMINDER...

Have you visited the Stampendous team blogs this week, and commented for your opportunity to win some more blog candy? This week's opportunity ends Friday night at 8 PM Pacific Time...so once you've finished oohing and aaahing over my Dreamweaver post below, be sure to check out my Stampendous post from last week for your opportunity to win. No patience? Click HERE!

AIN'T SHE SWEET?


 We have another free week for the Dreamweaver Stencils Dream Scheme Thursday, so I thought I'd show off my "Little Sweetie" card. This features the newly released Cameo and Houndstooth stencils. The Houndstooth was paste embossed with Glossy White on glossy black cardstock. When you are paste-embossing such a large surface area, the best tool to use is the Paste Spreader. It covers a wider area for a one sweep pass of paste, and a one sweep pass of removing the excess. Less opportunity for error. The Cameo was run through the Big Shot with the new black aluminum, before using a sanding block to remove the black from the embossed surfaces, revealing the aluminum underneath. A few rhinestone stickers were added for a little bling, the Cameo was cut out and adhered over an embossed Nestie die cut Bazzill Bling cardstock panel, matted with a glossy black matching one. The sentiment is part of a Perfectly Clear stamp set from Stampendous called "Hey There Cupcake!" and was stamped on a Nestie die cut Ribbon Banner. The end result is a sharply graphic design, with a feminine feel. So, now you've seen what I've been playing with. More inspiration awaits you from the creative minds of the Dream Team as listed at right, as well as the Dream It Up! blog. Come play along with us and link your creation. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in your comments with your email address, and we will be happy to answer.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

AND THE AUCTION WINNER IS...


Sadly, the Skipping Stones Design Blogs 4 Boobies auction is over. It was soooo much fun while it lasted. I was fortunate enough to have several ladies who were excited over my fun project up for bid. All of you ladies ROCK, and I appreciate each and every one of you and your interest in aiding a fabulous cause. However, the winner is...

slbela59
who commented, 
 "I really want this for my sister, so I will up my bid!"

Congratulations! I will be forwarding your email address to Skipping Stones Design. They will be sending you a Paypal invoice for $50. Once paid, your Bravissimo Box and Brooch set will be shipped by me directly to you. I'm sure that your sister will love it! Please congratulate her on SEVEN cancer-free years, and best wishes for seventy-seven more!

For those of you who feel the need to help with breast cancer research, you can donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation by clicking HERE. Remember...all boobies need support!
 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

BLOGS 4 BOOBIES AUCTION HAS ENDED!


The Skipping Stones Design Blogs 4 Boobies auction has ended. The winner will be announced on my blog tomorrow. Meanwhile, you have until midnight MT to still take part. $2 from every stamp set sold on Skipping Stones Design's website will be donated to the Komen Foundation. So...get shopping!

BLOGS 4 BOOBIES FINAL HOURS...WILL YOU SCORE?

 
Welcome to the last day of blogs 4 boobies!

There is still time to join in on the FUNdraising! 
There are two ways YOU can help:

 1) There is still time to BID on my project. Here is another look at what I have up for auction:


 Auction bid includes hand-painted and hand-stamped box,
Silver-toned pin with five tiny shrink bra charms with rhinestone bling, 
and sentiment attached,
"Bras are like Friends...the Good Ones never leave you Hangin'".
both sets available for purchase on the SSD website!)
 
The auction will end at 8:00 p.m. MT, August 23rd.

The highest bid is currently: $45
To win this item, simply bid more than $45 in the COMMENT section of THIS post.  

YOU MUST INCLUDE your EMAIL ADDRESS with your $bid. (This way we can get in contact with the winning bidder.)
Remember 100% of what you bid will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation! WE pay the shipping! If you are the top bidder you will receive a Paypal invoice for the amount that you bid.

Click HERE for a list of all the participating blogs in the auction!
 

  2)  There is still time to shop at the SSD online store.  Through midnight on the 23rd of August, Skipping Stones Design is still donating $2 (to the Komen Foundation) for EVERY stamp set sold
 
Together we can make a difference!
 
 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

I CRACK MYSELF UP!


 Are you excited? You should be! It's Stampendous Saturday again with yet another opportunity for winning blog candy from the team! More info on that further down, but meanwhile...check out the cool technique I used on my Cracked Glass Reindeer Card for the holiday catalog. It features the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Reindeer Swirls, a gorgeous set for creating a large variety of holiday cards, tags, bags, gifts, and decor. The technique used on here is called "Cracked Glass" and has actually been around for about 8-10 years, but recently has made a comeback and become a "new" technique for the
younger generation of stampers. Cool, huh? The process goes like this:
1) I stamped my images on a Nestie die cut oval of subtly patterned paper (not necessary to be patterned) using Rich Cocoa Memento ink.
2) Then I covered the entire oval with Versamark ink before pouring a thick coating of Deep Impressions Clear embossing powder.
3) Use heat tool to melt EP completely. While hot, pour more EP over the surface and heat again. You can repeat this a few times to build up your "glassy" surface.
4) Allow to cool completely. Then bend in several directions to crack the surface. (The paper underneath may tear a little...don't worry, we'll be repairing that in two steps from now.)
5) Sponge the Rich Cocoa Memento ink over the surface, smooshing it into the cracks.
6) Reheat surface with heat tool to seal off the cracks, but leaving the cracked look.

For this particular card, I also stamped the images on the panel of the same paper. When the oval is adhered over the top, it gives the appearance of a clear piece of cracked glass placed over the image. Not necessarily a part of the technique, but I thought it was cool. The rest of the card is self-evident...inking, distressing, fabulous Creative Impressions' ribbon bow...you get the idea.

Now...want to know what the blog candy for this week's post will be? One of my favorites for the holidays...the Perfectly Clear Yule Penguins:
Aren't they darling? Want to see a couple ideas for these little cuties? Look what Jenn Dove did with them for the July '11 holiday catalog HERE, and what I did with them last year HERE. Just leave a nice comment for me on this post by Friday, August 26th, by 6 PM PT, and YOU could the randomly selected person to win this set of holiday fun. You have other opportunities for blog candy by visiting the other team members who are playing along this week:


 Curious as to who won for last week's post?

Billie Dee!

Billie Dee, please contact me by email at phornschu@hotmail.com with your info, and your wonderful Jumbo Cling Water Lily set will be winging it's way toward you!
 

Friday, August 19, 2011

HINT, HINT, NUDGE, NUDGE, WINK, WINK,...SAYING SOME MORE...


Bidding on this pin for the Blogs for Boobies event ends Monday night at 8 pm MT. To bid on this item, click HERE to go to the original post. Remember 100% goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and shipping is free! It's a win/win situation!

CAS and a Reminder

Quickie post for today featuring a card I did for the CAS (clean and simple) weekly challenge on Split Coast Stampers. I've been trying to play along with this challenge lately because CAS is a challenge for me. I love the look of it...lots of white space, pops of color...but I always want to keep adding something else. This week's challenge was to use partial images. For this card I used the Stampendous Cling Dragonfly Vine (my favorite if you remember) and the Cling Geo Bubbles. Keeping with the circle theme of the bubbles, I stamped the images on die cut circles of teal and lime cardstock. The Dragonfly Vine was embossed in white and embellished (I told you I have to add something!) with rhinestone stickers.
 Really a simple card, and generic enough to be used for most any
occasion. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Stampendous Saturday post with another opportunity to win some fabulous images from Stampendous. Have you taken advantage of last week's offer? No? Then click HERE to go to the post from last Saturday. Be sure to leave a comment on that post for a chance to win. The randomly selected winner will be announced tomorrow on my blog. Hope it's you!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

DON'T BE A BOOB...BID!


Looking for the Blogs for Boobies posts? Scroll down through my Dreamweaver Stencils' post, or click HERE if you are impatient. You know you want to bid on this pin. Remember 100% goes to the Komen Foundation! All boobies need support!

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH KRAFT, RED, AND IVORY?


My good friend and Dream Teammate, Wendy, suggested our colorway challenge for this week...kraft, red, and ivory. Great combo. I'm all over it! Somehow kraft cardstock evokes the thought of simple, so I tried to keep it that way...mostly. I ran my ivory panel through the Big Shot with the newly released "Stockings by the Fire" stencil. Okay, have to admit, my first thought was to airbrush the flames with my Copic system...but, trying to keep it simple here. Sigh. So, I replaced the stencil and rouged gold and brown ink from the Splendor Antique pad softly over the embossed areas. Then I paper-pieced the stockings with some cute gingham paper, and matted the panel with the same paper. The kraft card was distressed with ink and my ragged fingernails (great distressing tools, but not pretty), before wrapping the card with red and white baker's twine. The stockings are "hung by the chimney with care", (actually brad fasteners and bakers twine bows). The sentiment was just an epoxy sticker from Cloud 9 Design. Turned out cute and homey, kind of the sitting-by-the-fire feeling you want during the holidays, but not so much in the middle of summer. Oh, well, a girl can dream...



 So now you have your opportunity to visit the rest of the Dream Team for inspiration before breaking out your kraft, red, and ivory supplies to create something you can link to on the Dream It Up! blog!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

BLOGS FOR BOOBIES...DAY THREE! WHOOPPPEEE!



Finally we are at day three of Skipping Stones Design's annual "Blogs for Boobies"! There have been three days of hopping, complete with fabulous creations by extremely talented paper-crafters available for bidding on. All proceeds from the auctioning of these creations will go directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to aid in research of a cure for breast cancer. Last year the "Blogs for Boobies"  FUN-draiser made over $1,100! This year we are aiming for $1,500, and YOU can help! How? One of two ways:

1) Purchasing any of the fabulous Skipping Stones Designs. For every set sold, SSD will donate $2 to the Komen Foundation. You can shop HERE. How about this one called "Cancer Schmancer"?



Or, you could choose the "Bras #1" and "Bras #2" featured in my project. This creation has a fun charm pin with tiny shrink bras, along with a wonderful satin-lined box to keep it in. A great gift for any woman who's life has been changed by breast cancer.

2) Bid on any of the creations being posted over the three hop days, August 15th-17th. Bidding will continue until August 23rd, 8 pm MT, at which time the highest bid will win that item. Bidding must be done on the blog where the desired creation is located. Leave your bid in the comment section (usually at the end of the post...click on the "Post a Comment"). A $5 starting bid is recommended. Add your email address in this comment as your agreement to the bid. Keep watch, you may need to "up" your bid to win the item. Placing a high bid from the start can help ensure your win. Oh, and bonus...your bid includes your shipping for the item! 

For more detailed info, visit the SSD blog. Here is the list for the day three blogs:

Rae Ann Barthel

Karen Baker

Pam Hornschu (You are here!)

Jennifer Ingle

Ria Johnson

Mel McCarthy

Stephanie Mino

Kandi Phillips

Wendy Price

Julia Stainton

Taylor Usry  

Remember, you have until August 23rd, 8 pm MT, to bid on your favorite projects (including MINE...hee hee) by leaving your comments with bid amount. Keep checking back as sometimes blog comments are moderated by the designer, and do not show up right away. Have fun hopping, shopping, and bidding! Support those boobies!