Looking for the Dreamweaver Post?

If you are here for my Dreamweaver post for this week, please scroll down. Enjoy the view along the way...it also happens to be a Dreamweaver design...only for Woodware UK! Aren't I lucky to be able to play with Dreamweaver for so many great teams? Oh, and you'll notice a large smattering of Stampendous goodies on my WW post as well. Fun, fun, fun!

Woodware UK: White on White on White

 Who knew there could be so many shades of white? The Woodware UK team are playing with the basic challenge of using white! Kind of tricky to do in order to capture all the nuances of your design (a really annoying to photograph!). I added a little pattern in the form of some mostly white papers from the g•c•d studios "Carnival Ride" paper pad, and some dimension by machine embossing the Dreamweaver Tree Line and the Open Owl. Layering the wings, and popping him up helped to define him as well. I added texture with some Stampendous Shaved Ice, Cotton Ball Fun Flock, and Multi Crystal Glitter, as well as a "branch" coated in ink and with a sprinkling of Shabby Blue Embossing Enamel. I did step over the boundary and add some Mark Richards Adhesive Crystals in green for the eyes. The sentiment? A Class A' Peel in white, of course! Don't forget to check out what the rest of the Woodware team are creating for the challenge. Hopefully, you won't go snowblind from all of the white!

Dreamweaver Stencils: Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

I've had a bit of figurative rain in my life over the last week. My uncle passed away, and I'm doing a quick post on this before I fly to Minnesota for the service. After losing my father in a car accident in 1973 (I was fifteen), my uncle Lowell was my last tie to my dad. He'd tell me these great stories of he and my dad growing up together. I'll miss that. On a more positive note, this trip back will provide me with the opportunity to see most of my cousins and their families, old family friends, and hear more of the old stories to tuck away into my heart.

Since I have no extra time now to create something new for this week's post with the challenge, "Mists, Drizzles, and Showers", I'm posting one of my favorite cards that fit the challenge. This is my Rainy Day Door card, and I think it's rather clever. The inside panel was paste-embossed in black and features the Birds on Bare Branches stencil. I used a Spellbinder set of Nestabilities dies to create the window and the additional door decor. Behind the window frame is a panel of acetate that was paste-embossed in Translucent paste and sprinkled with Stampendous Multi Crystal Glitter with the Rain stencil. On the front panel of the door, I inked the Lovebirds Heart stencil with a slightly darker red ink, and ran the panel through my Big Shot Pro to emboss the image. The slightly darker ink provides even more pop, without detracting from the "window". I added a fun Queen & Co. antiqued brad for the doorknob, and a fun ruffle elasticized gingham May Arts ribbon as a curtain. All in all, this card was quite simple to create, and super fun to look at.

The Dreamweaver "B" team are posting this week, along with our April guest designer, Alison Heikkila, so check them out. Then break out your stenciling toys and play along with the challenge. Provide an online link to your creation on the Dream It Up! blog linkytool, or email pics to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com, for an opportunity to win this month's prize, plus have your design  featured on the Dream It Up! blog and the Dreamweaver Facebook page. Didn't know that we had a Facebook page? Yes we do, and we'd love for you to join our Fan Family!

Dream It Up!
Lea Kimmel

 Alison Heikkila
Louise Healy
Stacey Rumsby
Terrece Siddoway
Caroline Duncan
Pam Hornschu
Cherylynn Moser

Woodware UK: Playing With the Crafty Cardmakers

 The Woodware UK team are pleased to be playing along with the Crafty Cardmakers this week, the challenge will be open on their blog for two weeks. If you would like to play along with us please check the Crafty Cardmaker rules then use the link on the Crafty Cardmakers Blog to add your card or if you are not a blogger yet you can e-mail your card to Dorothy as usual Dorothy@woodware.co.uk  and she will post it and add it to the Crafty Cardmakers Blog.

 

My post features the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Tiger Lily stamped over the Woodware Recycled Crafty Bag in dark brown dye ink, and the accompanying flourish image stamped in orange dye ink over scraps of textured and printed paper from Canvas Corp. Tissue paper was stamped to match, and a Super Duper Punched Tag was stamped to match. To jazz the tag up a bit more, a panel of double-sided adhesive was added to the tag, and covered in Stampendous Orange Citrus Fun Flock. The excess was brushed off before stamping the tiger lily once again over the flocked surface. Some Stampendous Dot Sparklers were colored orange to match with Identipen permanent markers for extra bling. This bag and tag fits the Crafty Cardmakers challenge, and you can play along as well for the next two weeks. Just follow the instructions above. Meanwhile, don't forget to check out the gift packaging ideas from the rest of the crafty Woodware UK team through the WW blog.

Dreamweaver Stencils: A Moody Mixed Media Post

This week I literally played with the Dreamweaver monthly challenge of "Mists, Drizzles, and Showers". I hauled out all kinds of goodies...the new Leafless Tree stencil, the Rainy Words, several shades of Metallic F/X and Tsukineko Splendor and Versamark ink pads, Matte Black and Pearlescent Embossing Pastes, stencil brushes, palette knife, spreader and the picture in my head. Scary, huh? I had this idea of trying to recreate the look of a rainy day when the sun just begins to peek through the clouds and creates that gorgeous prismatic rainbow arc. Not the happy-dappy rainbow done by a small child with a box of crayons, but that misty unknown mood...will life get stormy again, or will it be a brighter and shinier, more hopeful vision? Waxing a bit philosophical this week, but life is like that...and sometimes you just have to take a step back and reaccess your life and where it's going. Kwim? To achieve the look I was aiming for, this is what I did:

I coated my white cardstock panel with Versamark ink before using a large stencil brush to swipe Pewter Metallic F/X over the panel, predominantly the upper left side. I also used the cloud-shaped side of the Picasso tool to add to the cloudy/stormy affect. Then I used a couple larger stencil brushes to swipe a rainbow of colors from the Splendor ink pads in an arc from the right, and added a hint of the sun at the top corner. I wanted a bit more shimmer and layer, so I swiped similar rainbow colors of Metallic F/X over the inked areas (the ink acts as a fixative to hold the powders). Using another portion of the Picasso stencil, I ink-stenciled a hint of ground and hills. To emphasize the mood, I stenciled several rain inspired words on the side, before pasting the Leafless Tree in Matte Black. When the panel was dry, I stenciled a bit of silver ink through the Rain stencil, and a bit of Pearlescent paste over the top. I removed the stencil, and with a brush, swiped down through the pasted rain to spread it a bit. Once this was dry, I stenciled a few birds in the tree, and I adhered the panel to the card, added some ink-distressing, and scraped along the edge of the panel for more texture. I strung several buttons with some wonderful burlap twine from May Arts (this is not your average cord... it has just the right amount of rustic charm without being too thick and bristley.

Now is your time to head around to check out the rest of the "A" team's blogs, plus our April guest designer, Alison Heikkila, for more of the misty and mystical. Don't forget to leave some love as you go, and play along with us for a chance to win a fabulous stencil prize. Just link your creation on the Linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com.

Dream It Up!
Alison Heikkila
Laura Drahozal
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Heidi Erickson
Louise Healy
Jessica Griffin
Cyndi Bundy
Cherylynn Moser

Still need more inspiration? Check out the Dreamweaver Thursday Tutorials on Paper Craft Planet, and like us on Facebook (pssst...more prize opportunities on both!).

A Quick Sketch and a Get Away!

 My turn with this week's Friday sketch over at the Paper Craft Planet, and keeping it simple once again! I have to say that I cheated a bit here. Instead of creating the sketch and then creating the card, I went the opposite way. I had a pretty card that I had created for the Stampendous October 2012 catalog, and I thought that it would make a fun sketch...plus I got out of making a new card when I have absolutely no extra time right now! It's a girl-escape weekend! Woo hoo!

I created my version with a tent-fold card, so that the stamped banner could fold slightly around the edge. Don't you love the wavy sentiment from the Thoughtful Wishes Perfectly Clear set? Stampendous has a few of these styled in Fran Seiford's own hand-writing. The layered oval has been stamped with Cling Bluebird Branch, colored with Lyra Aquacolor...like crayons, but you can watercolor with them! Just use a wet brush over the colored areas to soften the colors. I hope this card provides you the incentive to break out your creative toys and play along with this week's sketch challenge. Upload yours to the Paper Craft Planet photo gallery with the SK041213 tag. Have a great weekend!

Dreamweaver Stencils: Memories Mists for Mixed Media

If you remember, the Dream Team challenge for the month of April is "Mists, Puddles, and Showers", and any possible spin you can put on that theme. Last week I went quite literal in using the Dreamweaver Umbrella, Rain, and Rain Words stencil designs. This week, I'm thinking misty...as in Memories Mists. Yes, I know, every crafting company out there has a mist, so what makes these special? A huge selection of colors available, including some iridescent and metallic, a choice of extremely saturated color, or less vibrant in hue. They don't get sopping wet. They dry fairly quickly, but not so much that you can't work with them first. I've tried several companies' mists, and I still come back to the Memories Mists. I'm done with the sales pitch, now, lol...so onto the main info...

I've had the jumbo butterfly stencil out for other projects this week, so I thought that I'd incorporate it into this mixed media card. I layered a few papers from the Cosmo Cricket Pixie-licious pad, die cut a couple of them to add on, and then started to play. I misted the butterfly on the right, using Lavender Tea Memories Mists. I mixed up a couple of paste concoctions. Did you know that you can mix various color mediums into the Dreamweaver embossing pastes? Yep. In this case, I used the MMs again. I used a bit of the Pink Lemonade and the Strawberry Daiquiri mixed into the Glossy White Paste to create the coral color that I used to paste the tiny butterflies and the "Hope" sentiment, but the real fun had come when I created the paste mix for the Kimono. I mixed a few drops of the Lavender Tea MM in with some Glossy White paste, just barely swirling the color into the white. I used my palette knife to apply a generous pile of the paste along my Paste Spreader. Of course, I had taped my stencil onto a cardstock panel with removable tape, as usual. Now for the pasting...as I spread the paste (working down the bridge lines, instead of against them), I sort of "serpentined" the motion to get the fabulous swirls of color in the design. I did this once again as I went back over it to remove the excess paste (save this in a covered container or bag for using another time!), carefully removed the tape and stencil (to clean immediately!), and set the kimono aside to dry. When dry I added the butterflies on top. When completely dry, I cut out the kimono and adhered it to the contrasting coral panel which I had machine embossed with the design. I was really pleased with the way the swirled paste had turned out...very marbled in appearance, and easy to do! Boy, do I love these mists! You will, too!

Don't forget to visit the rest of the team's blogs this week. Our "B" group is posting today, so you'll see a whole new spin on the challenge from last week. Once again, our guest designer, Alison Heikkila, is posting along with us as well:

Dream It Up!
Lea Kimmel

 Alison Heikkila
Louise Healy
Stacey Rumsby
Terrece Siddoway
Caroline Duncan
Pam Hornschu
Cherylynn Moser 

Be sure to play along with this month's challenge and link your creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics of your projects to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com. Oh, and by the way, did you know that you can find Dreamweaver Stencils' on Facebook and Pinterest, and our tutorials on Paper Craft Planet? Take advantage of the many social media ways to be creative with Dreamweaver!

Woodware UK: With Vellum, Sometimes Less Really is More!

I love working with vellum in my paper-crafting. It can be annoying to photograph, but the soft, almost misty quality of vellum is just beautiful. That is why I was really looking forward to this week's challenge for the Woodware team...using vellum.

However, for some reason, I really struggled with my creation. I had that vision in my head (you know the one) of exactly how I wanted this card to look, and it just was not happening. So, I took the whole project back a step, and kept it simple. When you are using a stencil design as detailed as this Dreamweaver Butterfly, you really don't need much of anything else. It embossed into the vellum beautifully, as well as the lavender cardstock for the base of the card, so I just showed off those details, and added a beautiful sentiment stamped in purple from the Woodware Clear Magic set designed by Jane Gill, "Modern Spray". The three gingham Card Candi add a bit of dimension and whimsey.

Those of you who really know me, know that doing anything CAS is difficult, but in this case instead of adding more, I took it back a notch to CAS, and was happy in the result.

Remember to check the Woodware UK blog each day to discover the various ways to play with vellum. Want to buy these supplies? Check out your local creative store HERE!

Dreamweaver Stencils: A Shower of Talent with the Dream Team!

Welcome to a new monthly challenge with the Dream Team, and welcome to our new Dream Team! Today's a big day for all of us, as we introduce the wide variety of creative inspiration from our talented ladies...so wide in fact that we've divided our team of twelve into two teams, who'll post twice per month each. In addition, we have a guest designer this month to provide a unique take on creating with Dreamweaver, Alison Heikkila!


The Dream Team, as well as Dreamweaver, are heading off to new challenges and new horizons...all aimed at providing more and more crafters the opportunity to learn and share and experience the art of stenciling in its many forms. Paper-crafting, scrapbooking, home decor...there is virtually nothing in life that can't be made a little brighter, and a lot more beautiful with the addition of some wonderful Dreamweaver stencils and products.

Our challenge, and YOURS as well, is to create whatever inspires you with the theme of "Mists, Drizzle, and Showers". Now, open your minds up to the possibilities! Yes, you can think literally of rain, or you can think of the figurative. Maybe add Memories Mists to your project. Create a misty, drizzly mood. It could be on the edge of creepy, or just that relaxed feeling of a rainy day, curled up with a cup of tea, and a good book. It's up to you. But WE want to see what you come up with, so please post your creations on your  blog, an online gallery, and link it on the Dream It UP! blog, or email pictures of your projects to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com.

My card for today is more literal. I used the Dreamweaver Umbrella, Rain, and Rain Words, in a pointillism technique with my Copic markers. I then pasted Translucent Embossing Paste over the umbrella for more shine and dimension. I inked some "rain drops" over the panel, and paste-embossed in yellow the sentiment on some wonderful May Arts cotton ribbon. For more info on the steps of this card, please check out my tutorial on Paper Craft Planet this week.

Speaking of May Arts...look forward to seeing great quantities of their line of ribbons, and trims, and cords, oh my! We will be working as partners in craft for the next year. This means that WE will get to play with their fabulous product, and their team will play with ours!

Here's the list of our team players for this week including our guest designer:

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

Woodware UK: No, Not Catch 22...SKETCH 22!

Want another fun sketch challenge to add to your collection this week? How about playing along with the Woodware UK team with Sketch 22? Create your own version, and follow the directions on the Woodware blog for a chance to win for the month of April!

My version features a background of g•c•d studios "Cloisonne" paper, mounted on Core'dinations cardstock, with Core'dinations punched circles. The circles were stamped with the Clear Magic Viva La Plume background design by Jane Gill. Then each circle was run through my embossing machine with the Dreamweaver Dragonflies stencil to emboss, and the embossed surface sanded to reveal the design.

I added some fun WW Masking Tape "Stockholm" down the left side, with a sentiment sticker, and a few of Mark Richards Self-adhesive pearls. A bit of ink and edge distressing takes this more to the shabby chic edge of design.

Be sure to follow the rest of the Woodware team as they play with this sketch. It's always fun to see what a different take each of us has on these challenges. Don't forget to leave some love for everyone through the week...we all need the ego boost!