Thursday, June 26, 2014

Dreamweaver Stencils: I've Got the Wedding Card Blues

For my final post of the Dream Team challenge, "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue", I thought I'd go with the more obvious and create a wedding card...with blue.

I chose a simple french blue cardstock and paste-embossed in Glossy White the Large Lace Border. While I still had the paste out, I also paste-embossed the newer, Your Wedding sentiment on acetate, and covered it in Wedgewood Blue Metallic F/X powder. When dry, I used a "Swiffer" dusting cloth to wipe away the excess mica powder from the surface of the acetate. I adhered the bottom portion of the acetate panel to the Dotted Swiss card front, and layered the paste-embossed blue panel over the top...thus holding the acetate in place without having to see any adhesive through the clear panel. A border of crochet lace from May Arts was the only embellishment for this beautifully simple card.

Here's your opportunity to see what the "B" team has created for this final week:




Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Woodware Feeling in the Pink...and the Green!

Here's a fairly clean and simple card for this week's challenge for the Woodware team...pink and green! Featuring the Dreamweaver Cherry Blossom stencil, I've used the Double Glitter technique to create this cheerful, yet soothing, card. The process goes like this:
1. Cut panel of Double Sided Mounting Paper, and adhere to square of  white cardstock.
2. Peel off the carrier sheet carefully to avoid touching the adhesive with your fingers (oils will undo adhesive properties). Set aside carrier sheet.
3. Rub Hawaiian soap lightly over back of stencil. Use soft brush to remove "crumbs".
4. Place stencil soap-side down on adhesive. Use carrier sheet to press stencil into adhesive.
5. Pour green glitter over exposed areas. Press into adhesive with carrier sheet. Brush off and save excess glitter.
6. Turn panel over and place on firm surface. Carefully pull the panel away from the stencil using the carrier sheet to avoid touching the surface with your fingers...not the other way around! This protects your stencil.
7. Pour pink and crystal glitters over exposed adhesive, and rub in thoroughly.

Now that you have done the technique, finish the card by machine-embossing the Dreamweaver Art Nouveau Flourish on the front of the pink card. Apply Palette Glue Pad with dauber through the Thank You stencil on the card front. Heat set slightly and rub in green glitter into the sticky surface. Adhere the glittered panel to the card and embellish with Mark Richards Self Adhesive Crystals.

 

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Woodware: Buttoned Up for Fun!

Sometimes nothing adds that finishing touch quite like buttons! Easy to adhere, colorful, and dimensional, they just scream FUN! For the Woodware Buttons challenge, I've used the Dreamweaver Stencils' Rooster, and "Sludge-Pasted" him. Sludge pasting is when you either have leftovers of small amounts of embossing paste in various colors, and you slightly mix them, or you deliberately mix two or more colors for that mottled and streaky look. In this case, I did the second. Lol. Bright red and yellow pastes, slightly blended created an orange, and a fiery appearance. The sentiment is simple, and simply pasted as well.

The border at the bottom was created by using the Plaid/Stripes stencil...pasting in yellow one direction (let dry), then pasting in the other direction with the red (again...let dry). The colored matting and those fun buttons really added the final punch in creating a happy card for your recipient.

Dreamweaver Stencils: Feeling Old and Blue...in a Good Way!

Wasn't last week's collaboration hop with Imagine Crafts a blast? If you are wondering if you were one of our winners, check the Dream It Up! Tuesday post this week.

This week, the Dream Team is back to playing with our June challenge, "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue"...not necessarily wedding, but creations incorporating one or all of these concepts. My card
today is a bit of the old and a bit of the blue.

Featuring the Dreamweaver Floral with Dots stencil, I ink-stenciled the design in blue and green on kraft cardstock using the Tsukineko Splendor Circus ink pad. As the ink is pigment, I was able to pour Ultra Thick Embossing Powder (UTEE) over the surface and heat in layers, adding clear ink in between each layer until thick enough to make me happy. When cool, I bent the panel to crack the embossed areas. Here's where the "old" comes in.

I placed my cleaned stencil back over the surface of the design, and daubed Black StazOn ink over the surface, pushing the ink into the cracks. Then I took a paper towel and wiped away the excess ink from the surface before removing the stencil. The panel was ink-distressed around the edges and layered over a gorgeous iridescent ribbon from May Arts and a green panel with a crisp white base card.

How would you play with this concept? Show us by linking your creation to the Inlinkz tool on the Dream It Up! blog. Meanwhile, take a peek at what the "A" team has to show this week:






Friday, June 13, 2014

Woodware: Sketch 35 for That Old Chap


I'm gearing up for fun this week with the Woodware Sketch Challenge No. 35...how about you? I've created a fun masculine birthday card featuring the Clear Magic Single "Spiffing Day" designed by Francoisé Read. So fun! I've used patterned paper from Cardworks "Time Flies" 8 X 8 pad...all gears, which goes perfectly with the Dreamweaver Stencils' Steampunk Clock design, simply ink-stenciled with a brush and grey ink. I used a softer touch with the ink over the sentiment panel. A bit of corner rounding, distressing, and a cut out pocket watch from the paper pad, and the card is done! An easy one to make in multiples...for all of the old and young chaps in your life!

Be sure to play along with the challenge, and upload your creations to the Woodware Blog for a chance to win!


Dreamweaver Stencils and Imagine Crafts: Endless Possibilities - Day Five HOP Day!

Welcome to the final day of our first ever collaboration week with Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko! We've shared all of our toys on both sides, so we've presented Endless Possibilities! Three prize packages are available, each containing one set of each of these inks and stencils/dies. Just leave comments on each post of each day this week (June 9th - June 13th) for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 17th!
Imagine Crafts New StazOn Pads from Tsukineko
Stencils and Dies Prize Package
Here's my creation for today:

What an incredible week it has been! Both teams have been wowing with their amazing creations, and it has been so much fun! Today's the final day, so if you've missed any of the previous days, be sure to start back through the beginning lists on Monday, the 9th.

I pulled out all the stops for this post, and decided to add to my canvas collection. This one is an 8 X 8 inch square, a very simple size to work with, and not intimidating like the large ones can be.

My first step was to create the background. I did this by swiping all of the Radiant Neon inks across the background, and layering the blue and green at the bottom. I spritzed this with Imagine Crafts Ink Potion No. 9 to add more depth to the color, and sprinkled this with kosher salt (large granular flaked salt), and then let this sit for awhile. When dry, I brushed away any remaining salt, leaving an interesting mottled surface.

Next, I paste-embossed the new Dreamweaver Sailboat in Glossy White Paste. Now, remember, the outside of the canvas is firm wood framework, but the back is mostly open, and too flexible. I used an acrylic block behind as a brace against the canvas fabric to paste upon. Once I removed the stencil (to clean immediately of course!), I used a bit more paste and the edge of my palette knife to texturize the waves, and spread them out a bit. This was now set aside to dry.

My third main step was using thinned down white paste with an Imagine Crafts sponge to apply paint through the Dreamweaver Large Scales stencil on the left side of my canvas. This dried quickly, and I was then able to ink-stencil the Tall Palm Trees design over this using my DW stencil brushes and Tsukineko Splendor Ink pad as my palette of colors. Over this, I ink-stenciled the Summer word design, and added the Border Flourish design in the right corner. I used my heat tool to set the ink.

My final step was to use a nice art brush to apply Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste over the entire canvas, adding a bit of texture and sheen. While wet, I sprinkled a bit of Stampendous Color Fragments for more texture.

I am thinking now that I need to create three more of these to represent the other three seasons. Any suggestions on what Dreamweaver stencil designs and Tsukineko inks I should use for these? Let me know in your comments below!


Just Imagine the possibilities of what everyone else has created!


Thursday, June 12, 2014

Dreamweaver Stencils and Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko: Endless Possibilites - Day Four

 Welcome to our first ever collaboration week with Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko! We've shared all of our toys on both sides, so be prepared for Endless Possibilities! Three prize packages are available, each containing one set of each of these inks and stencils/dies. Just leave comments on each post of each day this week (June 9th - June 13th) for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 17th!
Imagine Crafts New StazOn Pads from Tsukineko
Stencils and Dies Prize Package
Here's my creation for today:

Back to the Neons again! This time with something NEW (fits this month's challenge at Dreamweaver!) to play with...Imagine Crafts Vertigo sheets...polycarbonate holographic and translucent plastic that take the Tsukineko inks brilliantly, literally and figuratively. I used the new Dreamweaver Stylized Dahlia DIE with this, and I have to admit, it really is a bit too thick for die-cutting. I had to go back at some areas with my craft knife. Next time, I think that I'll try adding a thin shim and running it through twice. However, the end result was cool.

I had Googled this product to see what others have done with it, and noticed that some had molded it a bit using a heat tool. So, I smooshed the back side of the die-cut Dahlia with the Pink and Green Neon inks, and then began to heat it. Yikes! The stem pretty much turned into a limp noodle as it was so fragile, and I was using my Milwaukee heat tool, which is much hotter than most...but...the warmed flower and leaves were simple to maneuver and curve, and stayed that way when cool.

Of course, I had to use the Vertigo panel that I had left over from the die-cut, so I smooshed Pink, Blue, and Green Neon inks over the back of it. I heat set the ink a bit before ink-stenciling in Neon Purple the Dreamweaver Crusade Background. After heat setting this, all that was left was to adhere the panel to my card card using spray adhesive (doesn't show under translucent products), ink stencil the sentiment from the Dreamweaver Birthday Words, and adhere the now 3D flower and leaves. For these, I placed glue dots under the smooshed ink areas to hide them a bit. The end result would be difficult to mail, but worth it!


As a reminder...the Dreamweaver team are playing with their monthly challenge as well, which features "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue", so please link your appropriate creations to the inlinkz at the end of this post or on the Dream It Up! blog for a chance to win the stencil of your choice at the end of the month! Just Imagine the possibilities of what everyone else has created!






Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Dreamweaver Stencils and Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko: Endless Possibilities - Day Three

 Welcome to our first ever collaboration week with Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko! We've shared all of our toys on both sides, so be prepared for Endless Possibilities! Three prize packages are available, each containing one set of each of these inks and stencils/dies. Just leave comments on each post of each day this week (June 9th - June 13th) for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 17th!
Imagine Crafts New StazOn Pads from Tsukineko
Stencils and Dies Prize Package
Here's my creation for today:

I've moved myself away from the Radiant Neons for today, but they'll be baaaaack! Today I'm featuring the brand new Nest stencil from Dreamweaver...slightly larger than the original. I used my Tsukineko Splendor ink pads as a palette of gorgeous colors, and nice Dreamweaver stencil brushes to color the design. When working with several colors in a small space, it's best to have several of the smallest size brushes to avoid muddying up your inks and your project. Another fabulous tip is to use the Dreamweaver
Picasso tool (shown at left), to mask off areas as you work, and to use the small lines and dots to add color in small spaces. As a bonus, this tool is great for creating "clouds", and the sharper notches are great to use as a tool for distressing paper! So...back to the card. Before I'd ink-stenciled the nest, I had placed my kraft cardstock panel in my spraying  box, and used Memories Mists Mango Lemonade color over the panel, actually two panels...one for the nest, and one for the background on the card. These mists dry quickly, so I was able to follow that up by spraying the Imagine Crafts irRESISTbles in Bronze through the Dreamweaver Hexagons stencil on one panel, and just a light spritz over the other. These leave behind a nice shimmer, and a bit of dimension.

Once the nest was ink-stenciled, I added a word from the Bird Words stencil, tore around the edges, and matted and tore a blue panel for contrast. The rest of the card features the other sprayed panel, layered with a strip of May Arts Webbed Weave ribbon, and two of the Dreamweaver Leafy Branch Die-cuts, also spritzed in Bronze. The entire card has been ink-distressed for almost the appearance of having  been found hidden under the shrubbery.


Just Imagine the possibilities of what everyone else has created!


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Dreamweaver Stencils and Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko: Endless Possibilities - Day Two

 Welcome to our first ever collaboration week with Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko! We've shared all of our toys on both sides, so be prepared for Endless Possibilities! Three prize packages are available, each containing one set of each of these inks and stencils/dies. Just leave comments on each post of each day this week (June 9th - June 13th) for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 17th!
Imagine Crafts New StazOn Pads from Tsukineko
Stencils and Dies Prize Package
Here's my creation for today:

I am soooo loving the pop of these Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks from Imagine Crafts, especially contrasted against stark black! This is a super easy card to replicate. I machine-embossed the Dreamweaver Tree Line stencil on a white panel, and then simply swiped each of the neon colors across the panel, and used my heat tool to set the ink. Embossing the design first allows an extra punch of the ink color over the raised areas.

Now I added a popped up Dreamweaver Stencils' brand new Tree Line DIE with foam tape. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see what these colors would look like on black. So...I machine-embossed the Herringbone design on a black panel, and swiped the colors over that for an extra panel on the side. A bit more subtle, but still gorgeous color. To finish off my card, I stamped one of the many Little Phrases from the Woodware Clear Magic set in Onyx Versafine.

Just Imagine the possibilities of what everyone else has created!


Monday, June 9, 2014

Dreamweaver Stencils and Imagine Crafts...Endless Possibilities! - Day One

 Welcome to our first ever collaboration week with Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko! We've shared all of our toys on both sides, so be prepared for Endless Possibilities! Three prize packages are available, each containing one set of each of these inks and stencils/dies. Just leave comments on each post of each day this week (June 9th - June 13th) for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 17th!
Imagine Crafts New StazOn Pads from Tsukineko
Stencils and Dies Prize Package
Here's my creation for today:


Those of you that know me, know that when creating I love the opportunity to work with the positive and the negative of a design. Dreamweaver has just released a DIE to go with the Stylized Dahlia design, and oh, did I have fun with it!

I started with a panel of white watercolor paper. I smooshed three of the Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks over the panel, and then sprayed over the surface with their Ink Potion No. 9 and let it do its magic. When dry, I sprayed over the surface with their irRESISTible Texture spray in Lulu Lavender. This is not just a mist, it actually leaves texture! Very cool, and easy to mix with my favorite Dreamweaver Memories Mists on a project!

I used the new Stylized Dahlia DIE to cut out the design from the center of my panel. Here is where the two cards begin...


Positive Image:
I pasted the dahlia in Matte Black on black cardstock, as well as the sentiment. When dry, I adhered all the parts of the die cut flower on the surface. The paste added to the dimension. I placed the sentiment stencil over the surface, inked with Versamark ink with a sponge dauber, and applied a few colors of Metallic F/X powders. The card base was lovely Bazzill cardstock, machine-embossed with the Dreamweaver Large Scales. Just a couple of scraps of May Arts ribbon, and a few adhesive pearls finished it off.




Negative Image:
Nothing negative about this! The punched out panel still had tons of gorgeous color and speckles that were dying to be used! I sprayed the back with spray adhesive and adhered it to a panel of acetate. This was popped up with foam tape over the top of a panel of DCWV Gauze Paper, and layered onto the card, and embellished with only a few rhinestones. Love the color, texture and dimension!


Just Imagine the possibilities of what everyone else has created!