Woodware UK: A Clearly Challenging Clear Challenge!

If you are here for the Dreamweaver post, please scroll down!

 

It should be quite "clear" what the Woodware challenge is for this week's post...acetate! Such a fun way to add dimension and interest to any project. All you need is a few tips to follow for absolute success!

For my card, I started with a white card base, on which I stamped a few of the Clear Magic Mini Flowers in black ink. Then I added drops of bright Dreamweaver Color Solutions Alcohol Inks in Cosmo Pink, Lemoncello, and Pumpkin, randomly over the surface.

I cut a panel of clear acetate, and stamped the Clear Magic Huge Thanks in Versamark ink...but first I used this easy tip...simply wipe the front and back of the acetate with a Magic Anti-Static Pouch, so that nothing sticks to your acetate except for what you intend. In this case, I wanted to emboss the sentiment in Stampendous Midnight Black embossing powder. Pour the EP over your stamped design, and flick the back of the acetate to remove the excess. After heating to melt, and letting cool, just take a slightly damp paper towel and wipe off the excess anti-static medium.

Adhering acetate to your project can be tricky as, obviously, anything shows through. I also wanted the acetate raised up from the surface of the card. So, I used 3D Mounting Pads to adhere to the card, and glued bright buttons to cover them up!

Be sure to take the opportunity to check the Woodware blog all week for more creative uses with acetate!

Dreamweaver Stencils: March Madness Goes Magical

Dreamweaver's March Madness theme has been our way of stepping outside of our comfort zone, and playing with new techniques, new media, and new surfaces. For this card, I decided to play on a new surface...a piece of bark from the birch tree in my front yard. I used the Buck stencil, and ink-stenciled with Clearsnap's Mixed Media inks in Jasmine, Leather, and Vintage. Because these inks have a creamier pigment consistency, I was able to work them into the surface of the bark easily. I used a fine Copic Multiliner to trace the outline, helping the image to pop. I daubed some of the darker shades of the inks in Noir and Truffle, to help this further. The base card was the Bare Trees stencil, ink-stenciled as well, with the same inks, aiming for the colors of dusk. The end result is a bit magical...almost the feeling of Harry Potter's Stag Patronus in "Prisoner of Azkaban".

Have you had a chance to link your own "madness" this month? You can find the info on the Dream It Up! blog! Meanwhile, take the time to visit our fabulous Guest Designer, Georgia, and our B team to see what they've been creating this week!

Georgia Sommers

Dream It Up!
Lea Kimmel
Louise Healy
Terrece Siddoway
Pam Hornschu
Cherylynn Moser

Dreamweaver Stencils: March Madness Goes Heavy Metal

Ready to get brutal? Are the sounds of screaming-in-a-trash-can pummeling your ears? In honor of my oldest son, Bryan, and his penchant for heavy metal music, I'm cranking up the madness to 11 (inside joke from the movie, "This is Spinal Tap"), as it was his 28th birthday last week. I created this card for him (and totally forgot to give it to him!), and really had fun going outside of my comfort zone. I embossed the Dreamweaver Electric Guitar on Red Aluminum using my Big Shot and several Mercart metal-work tools to expand the detail. I sanded the embossed areas to reveal the silver, and grunged it up with some black StazOn ink. I used a pointy tool to scratch the design randomly in the background. Another small strip of metal was embossed and distressed with the Heavy Metal segment from the Guitar Words stencil. These panels were adhered over a black glitter card and one of my favorite ribbons from May Arts.
I have a feeling Bryan will think this card is awesome. What do you think?

We'd love to have you play along with our March Madness challenge and link your creation to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog. How far can you create outside of YOUR comfort zone? Show us!

For more inspiration, here's the rest of the crew, including our guest designer for this month:

Georgia Sommers

Dream It Up!
Laura Drahozal
Lyn Bernatovich
Heidi Erickson
Louise Healy 
Cyndi Bundy

Dreamweaver Stencils: March Madness with Color Solutions

MAD I tell you! We're all going MAD! That is...MAD for Dreamweaver Stencils! Lol. Welcome to our "March Madness" challenge! Anything goes, and the more outside-of-the-box, the better. This year, we're aiming to play with non-traditional challenges whenever possible. So, break out all of your I-never-quite-knew-what-to-do-with-these-products stash, look at your Dreamweaver stencils in a whole new creative light, and get crafting! Oh, and don't forget to link those creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog for one of THREE chances to win the stencil of your choice!

For our second week, here's my personal act of madness:

This card went in a rather wild direction for me, and was never one of my personal favorites...a bit too busy. However, Lynell seems to love it. So...I think this month is the perfect time to finally post it.

This card is a perfect example of several ways to use Dreamweavers' Color Solutions Alcohol Inks. For the background, I applied drops of the various colors over the Large Cathedral Window stencil, and ran it through my Big Shot machine to Letterpress the design into the cardstock.

The smaller, framed panel (machine embossed with the Small Cathedral window), is a panel of acetate in which I laid the Large Cathedral Window on top, and dropped the inks over the stencil...obviously, there was quite a bit of running under the design, which  blurs the pattern, yet the colors are beautifully vibrant.

 Finally, we have the Rooster, which I paste embossed in Metallic Gold. When dry, I applied various Color Solutions over the surface using the Applicator designed for this process. A stitched grosgrain May Arts' ribbon and button add some more punch to the project, and bring it all together.

So, what do you think? Was this mad enough for March? Let me know, in your comments below! Hopefully, it was wild enough to have you jump outside of your comfort zone, and play along with us this month! Meanwhile, here's the B Team to inspire you more:

Dream It Up!
Lea Kimmel
Louise Healy
Stacey Rumsby
Terrece Siddoway
Wendy Jordan
Pam Hornschu