Thursday, August 9, 2012

More Christmas in August With the Dream Team


Playing along with the Dream Team this month can definitely add to your stash of Christmas cards for the upcoming holiday season, as well as provide the opportunity to win some new stencils for yourself! Just in case you thought your cards would have to be complicated to have a chance to win...well, you're wrong! The best Christmas cards are the simple ones that are easy to reproduce in mass quantities.

My card this week is a perfect example of this. Both the red panel and the smaller green panel were simply machine-embossed. Just be careful with the "sandwich" layering to protect your stencils! Here's how Dreamweaver recommends that you do it:

1) Base plate for whatever machine you have (Big Shot, Big Shot Pro, Cuttlebug, Vagabond, etc.)
2) Stencil facing down (find the item number on the edge and face that down on the base plate).
3) Cardstock face down on top.
4) Embossing Mat (Dreamweaver carries a slightly larger one to cover the LX size stencils).
5) TWO clear plates on top. Make sure these are not warped from previous die cutting. We recommend that you have a designated set of plates for just your stencils. TWO plates on top keep your stencil flat. NEVER have the stencil on the top of the sandwich.

For the red panel, I used the newly-released Christmas Borders background (btw, this matches the Ornate tree from last year!) I spritzed the back of the panel with some isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol) for a deeper impress, but not absolutely necessary.

For the smaller green panel, I used the Small Xmas Tree, and followed the same process. When both panels were embossed, I brushed Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink over the surface to highlight the embossed design. I finished the card by adhering the layers on a kraft card and adding a jute woven trim from May Arts Ribbon and a star brad.

Please play along with the team this month. We love to see what YOU come up with...remember, inspiration can go both ways! Just link your creations to the Dream It Up! blog link, or email pics of your creations to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com. Using predominantly Dreamweaver product gives you the added bonus of having your creation featured on the Dream It Up! blog and/or the Dreamweaver Facebook page. Go check it out, and while you're there...LIKE us! Here is the fabulous newly-released stencil that we are giving away for the August challenge winner:



Here's the list of Dream Team members playing along this week. I bet at least one of them will be using this new stencil design!


 

8 comments:

Liz Martin said...

The gold brushed over the embossed design is the perfect touch for the holidays. Great idea, Pam!

sommrstamping said...

Pam I love the simplicity and elegance of this card. ANd I also love the card you did last week.I was crazy busy last week and didn't get onto any ones blog to comment.

Cherylynn said...

I love the layers of this card. It looks much more complicated than it really is. Great job Pam!

Laura Drahozal said...

I love the layers on this card and the whisper of gold, too! As usual, wonderful work, Pam.

Louise said...

Hey! I used galaxy gold too! Pretty card Pam, love the layering. Liz says hi back, she left for school today:(

Anonymous said...

Lovely card, Pam!

Perhaps it's just my iPad, but the words you've highlighted in pale green on your blog virtually disappear on my screen. Any chance you could use a darker cotrasting color?

Also, perhaps a silly question, but I don't see paper listed as an ingredient in your sandwich, and I am never sure if it goes above or below the stencil.

Scrappychick said...

Beautiful Pam! Very CAS for you :) This would make a fabulous masculine Christmas card!

Pam Hornschu said...

Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for pointing out that I forgot the cardstock portion of the "sandwich"! Ooop. Kind of a necessary ingredient! I've changed it in the post, but you would place the cardstock face down on top of the stencil, and before the embossing mat. Hmmm...I'll take a look at changing the color of my type or lightening the background.