Woodware: Feeling Distressed? Then this is the week for you!

The Crafty Card Makers have challenged us once again...all of this week the Woodware team have been demonstrating how distressing can be a good thing! My post today features this cute decorative kitchen trivet. The base is a page from a chipboard book which I've ink-distressed with brown and black ink around the edges. A off-white square of cardstock has the Dreamweaver Plaid/Stripes stencil pattern ink-stenciled in red and a fine black line, with the corners rounded.The focal point is a panel of Copper metal, machine-embossed with the Dreamweaver Rooster, and ink-distressed with Black StazOn ink smooshed (technical term) with a sponge dauber into the crevices and around the edges. A soft towel and a bit of cleaner removed the excess. This was adhered along with some ivory lace, and a stamped twill ribbon (Dreamweaver's Fine Feathered Friends), and also distressed with ink. Holes were punched at the top, and hemp cord tied along with a ribbon bow and button to be hung in a rustic-themed kitchen.

If you haven't been checking out the rest of the team's posts this week, I highly recommend that you do so now! Check out the Woodware blog each day, and please leave comments for us!

Dreamweaver: Happy Thanksgiving!

As we officially head into the holiday season, the Dream Team are challenging all of our followers to be especially "Thankful and Thoughtful" during the month of November. We hope that you will link your creations with this theme in mind on the Dream It Up! blog using the Inlinkz tool. Our "thanks" to you is providing you with the opportunity to win the stencil of your choice, and a bonus stencil of our choosing could be yours for using Dreamweaver product(s) in your artwork. I'm posting this for you today:

I'm giving thanks this week that I happened to have this card from a couple years ago that I could use for this post. Lol. Life always gets sooo busy this time of the year. It features the Dreamweaver Cornucopia paste-embossed in Glossy Black on a circle of kraft cardstock. When dry, I ran the piece through my laminator with a sheet of orange-red foil which adhered nicely using this technique. Then I placed the stencil over the top and pasted the sentiment. When dry, I stamped the edges with a crackle design, and ink-distressed around the edges. Over the top of a panel of plaid cardstock, the warm, fall look was complete.

By the way, the Dream Team are very THANKFUL when our followers are THOUGHTFUL enough to leave us a nice comment on our posts! Here's the "A" team lineup for this week, as well as our very special guest designer, Linda Neff!

Dream It Up!
Linda Neff (GD)

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Gill Wilson

Kristi Parker Van Doren

An InLinkz Link-up

Stampendous and Tombow: A Colorful Holiday

The Stampendous gals have really been hopping lately! Yesterday we hopped along with Spellbinders to create some wonderful holiday creations, and today through the 23rd (please ignore dates on banners) we are doing the same with Tombow markers. "Why so much hopping?", you might ask. Because Stampendous products are awesome with everything! Just see what I've created for today:

Those House Mouse Designs® critters are so darn cute, but with some simple coloring of the Rockin' Ride scene with Tombow's beautiful array of colors in wonderful Dual Tip Marker sets, along with their blender pen, you can only increase the fabulosity! And...just 'cuz I can't leave it without some sprinkles...I've added some Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Enamel. You just sprinkle it, and heat from underneath. The larger chunks make the perfect snowfall (even if technically you're not outside, and getting nowhere fast. You have to admit, though, that mouse is really rockin' that reindeer!). I had one spare vellum snowflake left from a previous project that I had die-cut with the new Stampendous Flakes Die set, so I cut it in half and adhered both to the card with spray adhesive.

I hope you've had fun visiting at the Pampered Stamper, and that you'll continue to enjoy the other team members as they play with this great mix of Stampendous and Tombow. The prize package is the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Top Hat Snowman (cute, cute, cute!), a jumbo acrylic handle (need), and a set of Tombow Dual Tip Markers including their Blender Pen (awesome!).

Now is your opportunity to visit the members of our team who are posting for this occasion. Don't forget to leave a comment with each for a chance to win the prize!

Stampendous Blog

Tenia Nelson

Kristine Reynolds

Debbie Fisher

Amy Hurley-Purdie

Melissa Cash

Pam Hornschu

Tombow Blog

Stampendous has a new challenge for the month,  So Thankful! We would love to see your next project in the gallery.

 

Dreamweaver: Thoughtfully Thinking

As we officially head into the holiday season, the Dream Team are challenging all of our followers to be especially "Thankful and Thoughtful" during the month of November. We hope that you will link your creations with this theme in mind on the Dream It Up! blog using the Inlinkz tool. Our "thanks" to you is providing you with the opportunity to win the stencil of your choice, and a bonus stencil of our choosing could be yours for using Dreamweaver product(s) in your artwork. I'm posting this for you today:

It's always fun to add your own personal touch to each holiday. November 27th is Thanksgiving in the USA, a great time for family to get together, eat too much food, tell too many stories, and be grateful to have each other. Since it is mostly a food-centric occasion, it is always a fun time to add your personal touches to the dining table.

I created personalized place cards and elegant napkin rings to my tablescape, featuring the Dreamweaver Leafy Branch, Nesting Frames, and Dual Alphabet Dies. The place cards have a frame die cut with a Leafy Branch die cut from the center, popping up from the green folded card (Bazzill Basics cardstock). The Leafy Branches were then covered in VersaMark from Tsukineko ink and coated with Stampendous Aged Copper and Aged Green Embossing Enamels in layers. These were adhered on top of chipboard die cut leaves for stability, and then adhered to copper wire wrapped and twisted "rings" with Beacon Quick Grip adhesive. Back on the place cards names were die cut from the Dual Alphabet and adhered, and a bit of VersaMark smeared over the leaf cut out, and sprinkled with more of the embossing enamels and melted. Shiny maple leaf brads were added to finish off the cards.

By the way, the Dream Team are very THANKFUL when our followers are THOUGHTFUL enough to leave us a nice comment on our posts! Here's the "A" team lineup for this week, as well as our very special guest designer, Linda Neff!

Dream It Up!
Linda Neff (GD)

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

An InLinkz Link-up

Stampendous and Spellbinders: A Huge Holiday Hop!

Tuesday through Thursday of this week, Stampendous has been collaborating with Spellbinders and other product partners, to encourage everyone to make this a handmade holiday! Prize info and links are below my project for today:

It's always fun to play with new crafting toys, and let's face it Spellbinders has some of the best! Especially, if you are mixing them with all of the great products from Stampendous as well.

My project is an old-fashioned cone ornament, a perfect way to add some little treats on the tree. I've used the die from the Spellbinder's "Create a Cone" die and embossing plate set to cut the cone shape from a piece of kraft cardstock. The Stampendous Cardinal Elements was stamped once on the cone in Rich Cocoa Memento ink from Tsukineko, and twice on a separate piece of kraft cardstock using the Rhubarb Stalk Memento ink. All pieces were ink-distressed with Peanut Brittle Memento ink. The cone was formed and adhered using Beacon Zip Dry Adhesive. I spread Beacon GemTac around the tip of the cone and the top edge, and covered this heavily with Stampendous Gold Crushed Glass Glitter. The second bird was cut out and adhered partially to the cone. The third bird's wing was cut out and popped up with dimensional foam tape.

I created a hanger with galvanized wire, and added a stamped Stampendous Greeting on a Spellbinder Grommet Tag Die, along with a fluffy May Arts ribbon bow. A bit of glittery tulle and some treats complete this sweet ornament gifty.

Now is your opportunity to leave me a comment, and visit the rest of the team's blogs. Remember, for a chance to win the above prize package, you must comment on each link. Full rules can be found HERE:

 Stampendous Impressions Blog

Lea Kimmel

Janelle Stollfus

Kristine Reynolds

Jamie Martin

Pam Hornschu (you are here)

Head over to the Spellbinder's blog to enter separately for a chance to win their prize package. Rules can be found HERE.

Spellbinders Blog

 

Stampendous has a new challenge for the month. So Thankful! We would love to see your next project in the gallery.

Woodware: A Fistful of Fabulous Quick as a Wink!

If you are the type to start your Christmas cards in August, then you've have plenty of time to go all-out on your cards,  each one individual and special, with multiple layers, and oodles of embellishments. However, if you are like most paper-crafters, you will be past the first week of December, and in panic-mode...unless you've been smart enough to check out this week's Woodware team posts with the theme, "Speedy Cards for Christmas". I'm up first this week with four cards, all of which could be completed in five minutes each, and quick for multiplying.

Each uses a color card which you can purchase in packs along with envelopes from any of the shops listed on the Woodware site. Each uses one panel of ivory cardstock, which has been run through an embossing machine (Big Shot, Vagabond, Cuttlebug, etc.) held within one of six of the new embossing folder designs from Dreamweaver. Each folder provides perfect, crisp detail.

Now, simply grab a gold pigment ink-pad and a large stencil brush, and swipe the ink across from top to bottom, and left to right, and reversed, to catch all the edges of the embossing with soft shimmery gold. Adhere those panels to the cards, and you can easily be done there. However, if you feel the need to spend another minute on each, you can quickly add some Mark Richards' Self-Adhesive Crystals or Pearls, some Card Candi, and/or a ribbon bow. Each of these panels could also be adhered to the front of a paper gift bag for a quick and simple festive touch to your Christmas gifts.

Remember to check the Woodware blog each day this week for more speedy inspiration!

Dreamweaver: I'm Thinkin' That I'm Thankful

As we officially head into the holiday season, the Dream Team are challenging all of our followers to be especially "Thankful and Thoughtful" during the month of November. We hope that you will link your creations with this theme in mind on the Dream It Up! blog using the Inlinkz tool. Our "thanks" to you is providing you with the opportunity to win the stencil of your choice, and a bonus stencil of our choosing could be yours for using Dreamweaver product(s) in your artwork. I'm posting this for you today:

Ssssh, don't tell, but I've posted this card before, about three years ago. Since it is appropriate for this month's Thankful and Thoughtful challenge, I thought I'd show it again. Men, too, appreciate receiving a handmade card once in a while, and a bit of thanks is always thoughtful.

The base of this card uses the Dreamweaver Stripes stencil machine embossed in both directions on Core'dination cardstock, and then sanded to reveal the plaid pattern. A large panel was ink-stenciled in  brown on kraft cardstock with the Houndstooth design. I love the houndstooth stencil...in fact, all of the menswear-inspired patterns that Dreamweaver carries...Plaid/Stripes, Houndstooth, and Herringbone.

I used small scraps of Mercart copper-colored aluminum, machine-embossed with the Gears background, sanded, and slightly ink-distressed, to wrap around squares of cardboard as a focal point. Finally, I paste-embossed in Copper the sentiment...this "Thanks" has such wonderful font.

By the way, the Dream Team are very THANKFUL when our followers are THOUGHTFUL enough to leave us a nice comment on our posts! Here's the "B" team lineup for this week, as well as our very special guest designer, Linda Neff!

Dream It Up!
Linda Neff (GD)

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Gill Wilson

Kristi Parker Van Doren

An InLinkz Link-up

Stampendous: Keeping it Quick for Christmas

The Stampendous team are providing oodles of ideas this week for Cards in a Hurry. If you've missed any of them, head back to the Stampendous blog and check out all the links this week.

My card in a hurry, which I've duplicated...er, triplicated...features the Cling Tinsel Tangle sentiment, which always gives me a giggle. I wanted to go with a chalkboard look, so I've swiped white pigment ink over the black panel very lightly. Then I used baby powder as an anti-static medium rubbed lightly over the surface, before stamping and embossing the sentiment in white. Each panel was wrapped in crimped tinsel wire before being adhered over a strip of plaid paper, and onto a kraft card. The sentiment that I've stamped inside was created using the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Holiday Words, and says, "May your Christmas sparkle with laughter", which in my opinion, is one of the best memories of the holiday...laughter.

Stampendous has a new challenge for the month, So Thankful! We would love to see your next project in the gallery.

Woodware: A Cozy Kid's Christmas

The Woodware theme this week is "Christmas for Kids". Personally, I think these cute treats are fun for kids of all ages. They are so simple. The images from Woodware's Clear Magic "Christmas Knits" were stamped in black ink on kraft, white, and/or green cardstock. Some parts were colored or shaded, some cut out and adhered on top, and both designs have cute pompom additions and tartan ribbon. I did back to back ones with the reindeer sweater, and adhered the sleeves so that it could slide over the candy cane...a quick treat for a party or dinner table favor, or even to hang on the tree. The sweater with one arm up was perfect as a tie on tag, with one of the cute sentiments from the stamp set...either "Have a Cozy Christmas" or "It's Chilly Outside". Both gifties could use some help from the little ones as well.

Remember to check the Woodware blog all week for more ideas for a handmade Christmas for kids!

Stampendous: We Really Leaf You!

Love leaves? Then this week on the Stampendous blog is the week for you! All week long, the team have been creating with the many wonderful leaf images that Stampendous has to offer.

My cards feature the Cling Pen Pattern Leaves along with their partners, the Leaves Dies. So simple...stamp the image, place the die over the top, run through your cutting machine, and presto! A beautiful leaf! Since I love to work with the positive and the negative images in my creations, I used the negative portion from the leaf that I cut out of the golden patterned paper (Adhesive-backed Chevron Pack from the Paper Studio). I peeled the backing and adhered the panel to acetate, stamped the sentiment from the Perfectly Clear Happy Greetings set, and popped up the panel over a corresponding stamped leaf on my white card.

The die cut leaf that I'd stamped on the golden paper was adhered over the top of another panel of paper from the same pack, and then adhered to my white card. Another perfect sentiment was stamped using the same set. Super easy to create a batch of cards to have on hand, or give away in packs! And those leaves? Perfect year-round for any occasion!

Be sure to follow our team players from this week by checking out the links on the Stampendous blog!

Dreamweaver: Thankful and Thoughtful Challenge

As we officially head into the holiday season, the Dream Team are challenging all of our followers to be especially "Thankful and Thoughtful" during the month of November. We hope that you will link your creations with this theme in mind on the Dream It Up! blog using the Inlinkz tool. Our "thanks" to you is providing you with the opportunity to win the stencil of your choice, and a bonus stencil of our choosing could be yours for using Dreamweaver product(s) in your artwork. I'm posting this for you today:

I created this card with the idea in mind of making several to send as part of Operation Write Home...a volunteer service that provides handmade cards and gifts for soldiers overseas, as a reminder of how greatly they are appreciated here. They have specific guidelines that should be read thoroughly before creating and sending, which you can find HERE.

Recreating this card is very simple. The base card was cut and folded using Bazzill Basics cardstock. The kraft panel (also BB) was ink-stenciled with the Thank Yous background stencil, using Memento Potters' Clay ink and a small dauber from Tsukineko. The colored panel was created by taking a glossy cardstock panel and swiping with colors of Memento ink (Teal Zeal, Potters' Clay, Peanut Brittle, and Bamboo Leaves. This was cut to fit behind the die cut Dreamweaver Tree Line Die, which has been popped up slightly with foam tape. I've added a yellow ribbon as a throwback to the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" song from the 70's, and the yellow ribbons that you see everywhere as a reminder that these brave individuals are protecting our country and keeping us safe.

By the way, the Dream Team are very THANKFUL when our followers are THOUGHTFUL enough to leave us a nice comment on our posts! Here's the "A" team lineup for this week, as well as our very special guest designer, Linda Neff!

Dream It Up!
Linda Neff (GD)

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

An InLinkz Link-up

Woodware: A Collage of Christmas for Cardmaking

This week's Woodware challenge is definitely not CAS (clean and simple), and yet it can be simple. Working with collage at Christmas is a fun way to use more of all the fun images and products available in your local stores, and at home in your crafting stash for this time of the year.

My card features the Stampendous Snowy Post image, stamped twice, with the second oval piece cut out and adhered over the first. This panel is ink-distressed and aged around the edges before being layered over a panel from the Cardworks Christmas Post 8 X 8 square pad of paper. The "25th" from the "Mixed Numbers" set was stamped in red ink, and again offset in light brown ink over the base and post card panel. The ornament from the Woodware's Clear Magic Little Christmas Bird was stamped on the light blue paper, along with the sentiment, and die cut with Dreamweaver's Nested Ornaments Die. A double-bow of striped twine on the topper, several stamped snowflakes from the Woodware "Nutcracker" set, and sprinklings of additional Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Enamel finished my collage card. This type of design-work is also a great way to use up any bits and pieces that you've saved from previous craft sessions that weren't perfect at the time, but will be now!

Don't forget to see what the team has been collaging all of this week on the Woodware Blog!

What About Me?

I'm Pam Hornschu. For those of you who don't know me, or have read my blog for years, but wanted to know me a bit better, here's your opportunity!

My good friend and Dream-Teammate, Laura Drahozal, invited me to take part in an interesting Creative Blog Hop. Apparently, the premise is that I am to answer a few questions regarding my creative process. For those of you who do not know me, I'm posting the project below that I feel expresses my artistic soul the best:

I've been on several design teams over the years, including the three that I am on now...Dreamweaver Stencils, Stampendous,
and Woodware UK. Each has given me the opportunity to share with others my love of color, creativity, and crafting. This canvas was created for a collaboration between Stampendous and Dreamweaver. I love the challenge of working with various products...stamps, stencils, embossing pastes, paints, inks, papers. This one was definitely mixed media!

Now...on to the questions...

1. What are you working on at the moment?

I have piles of new Stampendous products surrounding my workspace, in preparation for their January 2015 catalog, and CHA 2015 booth. Catalog crunches are always exciting (and yes, a bit stressful), and my head spins with all the ideas and inspiration. You can see these items beginning in January including many of my projects on the Stampendous website. You can see ones that I've just completed on their site now.

I am always working on projects for Dreamweaver Stencils' monthly challenges, and new releases, so look for these as well in January. Woodware is predominantly in the UK, but they are distributors of Stampendous and Dreamweaver in addition to their own vast line of creative toys, so this provides me with many opportunities to create.

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I'm not absolutely sure that I have a specific genre. I love to play with everything...paper-crafting, painting, home decor, mixed media, graphic design. I do suppose that I have a certain "look" to my artwork, but fairly moderate in all...no huge extremes. Probably why I'll never be the next huge crafting inspirer, lol.

3. Why do you create?

I really feel that everyone has a hole in them that needs to be filled, and for everyone the "filler" can be different. I have always loved art, color, texture. It balances me. I have a tendency toward negativity and depression in my personality, but creating provides me an outlet and life's breath to my soul. Sounds sappy, but when I see or can create something beautiful to me, I sigh inside, and everything else falls by the wayside.

4. How does your creative process work?

This depends on so many things. If I am working on a deadline for a catalog or magazine article, etc., there's that bit of panic in me, and this frequently drives my best creations. Creativity on demand used to terrify me, but now it's the best way for me to work. In these instances, there is usually a product or a technique that needs to be focused on. I bring out everything to use, and it comes together. Sometimes, I can think about it for a day or two–even dreaming about it–before the excitement hits, and what I envision becomes a reality.

For next Monday's post in this hop, I've invited Kristine Reynolds to share her thoughts on how she expresses herself as she creates. I'll be curious to read her answers, as she is so creative, and yet the best artist at time-management that I've ever known! I almost think that she's borrowed Professor McGonagall's Time Turner from the Harry Potter Series!   

Meanwhile, please feel free to follow me on my blog at the Pampered Stamper and on Pinterest.