Thursday, December 12, 2013

Dreamweaver Stencils: Naughty or Nice? You Decide...


Did you know that it is Opposite Day? Well, in the land of Pam it is. You see, the Dream Team is supposed to be posting creations for "Holidays in a Hurry"...nice, quick projects that you can whip out in under 30 minutes...in mass quantities. But I really wanted to post my gingerbread house that I created using Dreamweaver stencils and paste...lots of paste. And glitter. If you "hurry" over to your local craft store that carries Dreamweaver, and then over to IKEA (yes, IKEA), then YOU, too, can create one for yourself...in about a week, unless you use real icing. Then it's two weeks. Here's what you'll need:

•IKEA Gingerbread house kit
•Dreamweaver Regular White Paste (large)
•Dreamweaver Translucent and Red Pastes
•Dreamweaver Scales, Stone Wall, and Hawaii Quilt Combo stencils
•Stampendous Microfine and Fine Crystal Glitters
•Clearsnap Mixed Media inks
•acetate sheets
•palette knife and spreader
•Beacon QuickGrip Adhesive
•Krylon Clear Finish Satin
•base (I used a slate plaque from Michael's)
•flameless tea lights
•patience (difficult to find right now, most of the stores are out)


 Here's what I did:

1.  I sprayed all of the pieces with clear finish and let dry.
2.  I flipped the roof pieces over and pasted the Scales stencil on the back as they were the flattest. Then I immediately poured both types of glitter over all and gently patted into the paste.
3.  While the roof panels dried, I pasted the Stone Wall design onto the reversed chimney pieces with red paste.
4.  I broke out several colors of Clearsnap Mixed Media inks, and stenciled the walls with the Stone Wall design using a dauber and a mix of colors. Heat set ink with a heat tool.
5.  I painted red paste around the window frames and the door and set that aside to dry.
6.  I selected one design from the Hawaii Quilt Combo, and pasted six of them in Translucent paste onto the acetate, and sprinkled microfine glitter over the wet surface. And set this aside to dry.
7.  Cut out the dry windows and adhere on the back sides of the walls with Quik Grip.


8.  Here is the "fun" part. Begin adhering the walls together by placing a bead of Quik Grip and paste between each seam. Paste alone will not hold this on its own. You'll need to prop everything in place as it dries, with whatever items you have laying around on your workspace. Paste jars work well for this. A man would built a special jig for just such an occasion. A woman will improvise. Yes, I realize that this sounds sexist. It's a gingerbread house not a skyscraper for Pete's sake...or Petra's sake.
9.  Glue and paste only one roof panel to the house. This is so you can turn your little flameless lights on and off without having to destroy your house.
10. Prop the other roof piece on more paste jars. Using Translucent paste and a palette knife, apply small globs to the edge of roof pieces and pull down slightly to lengthen, creating icicles. Let dry.
11. Using palette knife, apply piles of snow around the base of your house, and sprinkle with more glitter. Add paste to the edges of all pieces to mimic the icing that normal people use on their gingerbread houses. I'm not normal. I never claimed to be. That is why I'm making this house. That is also why YOU are considering making one as well.
12. I stuck ordinary straight pins into the wall of the back side of the house to prop the second roof piece onto while lit up and garnering "oohs" and "aahs" from everyone, or as a nice sharp object for your dog to bite into when he decides your gingerbread house smells like food. You might want to place your house on a really high pedestal to avoid just such an eventuality.


In the long run, I really enjoyed making this project. I'm hoping that I can pack it up carefully and bring it out again next year. Maybe even create a different one next year. Once I began, I realized that Dreamweaver has so many products and designs for creating whatever your heart desires...even if it is not in a "hurry".

Hopefully, I'm the only cheater this week. Let's go see what our "B" team has created:


4 comments:

Louise said...

OH MY GOSH!,,, this is incredible!!! My first thought when I saw it was, " is she nuts, this isn't a in a hurry project!" Then I read your description and discovered I was right. Thanks a lot, now I have to go back to Ikea! Love, love, love how you photographed it with the tree in the background too.

rose s. said...

hi pam - I just read your email and had to comment on your "gingerbread" house. what a great idea - your house is wonderful :) merry Christmas and happy new year.

Lyn Bernatovich said...

What a beautifully created project Pam! I enjoyed your narrative too!

Terrece said...

Again, this is why you are the fearless leader. I'm in total AWWHHHHH!!! I can't think of a word that would put everything in it that I'm thinking....incredible, beautiful, awe-inspiring.