BLOOMIN' with Linnie Blooms Part Two

Welcome to the final hop day of our collaboration with Linnie Blooms! Have you had as much fun as we have? I doubt it...but you could! By the end of today's posts you should be hightailing it out to your nearest craft store or online store and buying up every bit of Linnie Blooms, Stampendous, and Dreamweaver product you've seen this week! Or maybe, just maybe...

YES!  There are prizes!! Three lucky winners will each win a set of Linnie Blooms Fabric Mini File Folders just like they provide for our team. Plus, you'll receive a Dreamweaver Stencil background, and our Vintage Press Perfectly Clear Stamps™ Set. You'll be creating Mixed Media fabric accents in no time! These winners have to have a U.S. mailing address (official rules here), but Aussie Fans - good news! The Stencil Specialists are sponsoring one Australian prize for this collaboration! You could win a Stampendous stamp, an LL sized Dreamweaver Stencil of your choice, a silicone buttons mould, and a Stampendous Embossing Powder (your color choice)... Wow!! Be sure to let us know you're from Australia in your comments!!

Here's what I've created for this fun hop:

Remember how on an earlier post of mine this week, I mentioned how many cool uses you can think of with these Linnie Blooms Canvas File Folders? This week I've done a greeting card, a portable doodling journal, and today...a gift card holder. The outside was painted with black acrylic paint, and when dry, was pasted in Dreamweaver Regular Embossing Paste with the little Bird on a Branch, and the Large Scales. When dry, the clean and dry stencils were replaced over the pasted surface, and inked with the Tsukineko® Splendor Circus palette and large and small stencil brushes. For the large scales section, I left the stencil on still, and stamped the Stampendous Cling Seed Background in Onyx VersaFine ink over the top. A die cut frame was cut from canvas, inked in green, and stamped with a sentiment from the Perfectly Clear Royal Heart Quotes. The back was stenciled with the same designs, but kept lighter and brighter.

 The inside was ink-stenciled with the Dreamweaver Zen Butterfly in deep periwinkle with the Bird on a Branch stenciled on one wing in black, and along the border with the Large Scales again. I created a mask for the butterfly with a sticky note in order to stamp the Seeds Background over the canvas, and the Cling Cosmos image. the petals were colored a bit, I added some doodling with my .7 Copic Black Multiliner. I cut a slit through the canvas, and adhered strips of May Arts ribbon over the edges to prevent fraying. This became a cute pocket for a giftcard. As before, I sewed another large heart  button on the tab to act as a closure, and added a couple of buttons inside for fun. I really think that this folder was my favorite for this week, but all were fun to create. What do you think? Don't forget to leave your comment below before visiting the rest of the team's bloomin' posts!

Stampendous Blog

Amy Hurley-Purdie

Louise Healy

Janelle Stollfus

Wendy Price

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

Laura Drahozal

Kristine Reynolds

Tenia Nelson

Lyn Bernatovich

Pam Bray

Lea Kimmel

Linnie Blooms Blog

Stampendous and Clear Scraps: Clearly Creative

The Stampendous and Clear Scraps teams are having a transparently good time this week, and we'd love for you to visit our blogs for fun inspiration and an opportunity to win a fabulous prize package. We have three prize packages, each of which will include our Cling Jumbo Filigree Stamp Set, a Jumbo Perfectly Clear Acrylic Handle, PLUS a Clear Scraps Mixable Album and some extra acrylic accents! Comment on our blog and each designer’s blog of the day throughout this week of our hop and the winners will be announced Monday, May 18th. Please click the Official Rules for all the info on winning.

Clear Scraps are an amazing product, clearly designed for all of your favorite art media. You can read all about it on their website, as well as find locations to purchase this terrific line of products...and their blogsite is full of suggestions for incorporating these goodies along with products like Stampendous and Dreamweaver.

Here's what I've created for today's post:

This page is the perfect example of how the perfect embellishment can MAKE the project. I created this scrap page featuring pictures of my son, Matt, and his track racing that he loves so much. He also loves to fix things, change things, add things, and always has.
Therefore, using the Dreamweaver Stencils' Gears background was appropriate. This was paste-embossed in Matte Black, and sprinkled with Stampendous Aged Taupe and Aged Bronze Embossing Enamels, and then heated for plenty of texture and shine without looking blingy. The rest of the background was a few stamped images from Andy Skinner's Industrial and Steampunk Cling Sets licensed by Stampendous. Finally, the wonderful Clear Scraps Gears border which I daubed on more of the Matte Black
Embossing Paste, and sprinkled with a bit more of the enamels, and heated slightly. You have to keep the heat tool far from the surface or the acetate border will warp a bit. Once cool, I swiped a bit of Black StazOn ink around the edges. I'm really happy with how this turned out, and hope that he will be, too.

Today's link list:

Stampendous Blog

Pam Hornschu

Clear Scraps Blog

Texturize It With Stampendous, Dreamweaver, and Woodware UK: Day Four

We have a different sort of collaboration for you!

This week we’re going to celebrate with the awesome Woodware Design Team and the Dreamweaver Stencils Dream Team all of the the great Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils products that Woodware makes available to the UK market. This is good news for our crafty friends in the UK because we’ll be offering prizes and our UK friends are eligible to win!! We’ll be offering three prizes in the UK and three in the US. Each prize package will consist of Nathalie Kalbach’s terrific Grunge Mixed Media Cling Rubber Stamp Sets and the beautiful Zen Butterfly Dreamweaver Stencil! Both products are ideal for adding texture and backgrounds to your projects!
Deadline to comment is Sunday, March 29th, Pacific Time. Winners will be picked using random.org and announced Tuesday, March 31st, in the afternoon.
And that’s our theme!! Making Texture. We hope you’ll enjoy the wonderful inspiration that three talented teams will bring you this week! Be sure to visit all the blog links listed and leave your comments! Each comment will count as an entry towards one of the terrific prize packages.

Here's what I've created for today:

Brightening things up a bit today, just to show that mixed media does not have to be a canvas or journal page, and does not need to be dark and moody either. This is a very playful card, and I had joy in creating it for the Stampendous January catalog...

The card base was created with mint cardstock. Then a canvas cardstock panel, swiped over an acrylic paint-coated Creative Palette  before being stamped with images from the Creative Palette Circles using the paint as the "ink". A few images from Nathalie Kalbach's Studio "Marks" set were stamped with black ink over the panel. Sprinkles of Stampendous Color Fragments in Hot Lime, Hot Teal, Hot Orange, and Ivory were adhered with a Zig 3 Way Glue Marker. The new Stampendous Cling The Look's Feather image was stamped on a scrap of a Creative Palette print and a scrap of the mint cardstock, with a sprinkling of the Color Fragments once again (awesome way to add texture!), and finally another section of Palette Print, with a brushing of ivory paint before stamping this wonderful new quote sentiment from Stampendous, the Cling Hope Sings from Emily Dickinson.

Here's the links to the designers that are playing today:

Stampendous Blog

Pam Hornschu

Kristine Reynolds

Lea Kimmel

Woodware Craft Collection Blog

Debs Frost

Dreamweaver Stencils Blog

Lyn Bernatovich

Gill Wilson

Laura Drahozal

Louise Healy

Lynn Mercurio

 

Texturize It With Stampendous, Dreamweaver, and Woodware UK: Day One

We have a different sort of collaboration for you!

This week we’re going to celebrate with the awesome Woodware Design Team and the Dreamweaver Stencils Dream Team all of the the great Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils products that Woodware makes available to the UK market. This is good news for our crafty friends in the UK because we’ll be offering prizes and our UK friends are eligible to win!! We’ll be offering three prizes in the UK and three in the US. Each prize package will consist of Nathalie Kalbach’s terrific Grunge Mixed Media Cling Rubber Stamp Sets and the beautiful Zen Butterfly Dreamweaver Stencil! Both products are ideal for adding texture and backgrounds to your projects!
Deadline to comment is Sunday, March 29th, Pacific Time. Winners will be picked using random.org and announced Tuesday, March 31st, in the afternoon.
And that’s our theme!! Making Texture. We hope you’ll enjoy the wonderful inspiration that three talented teams will bring you this week! Be sure to visit all the blog links listed and leave your comments! Each comment will count as an entry towards one of the terrific prize packages.

Here's my "touchy-feely" project for today:

Another one of my banners that I created to be displayed at the Stitches show in the UK last month. (Pssst, you might be seeing a couple more varieties of these this week...)

Using a half sheet from Woodware's Cotton Canvas pad as my base, I used the pre-gessoed side and followed these steps:

1. Place the Dreamweaver Butterfly stencil on the canvas. While holding down with fingertips, sponge embossing ink through the design, and around the edges. Emboss with Stampendous White Embossing Powder.
2. Using Black Surfacez ink, I added the Stampendous Cling Contract image randomly over canvas.
3. Using Clearsnap's ColorBox Chalk ink colors from the Misty Meadows set, I swiped the pads directly over the canvas as desired, and then used a paper towel to wipe off any excess, especially from the embossed butterfly. Use the same colors to ink the Dreamweaver Quatrefoil design randomly in the background. Heat set inks.
4. Paste a portion of the Quatrefoil using Matte Black Embossing Paste over one area. Sprinkle wet paste with Stampendous Shabby Blue Embossing Enamel, and heat till dry and raised.
5. Spritz a bit of Dreamweaver Memories Mists in Lavender Tea, Blue Martini, and Blueberry Shake; toward the top, and allow to run down.
6. Spritz a bit of the same mists on a couple of Woodware's White Paper Flowers, and stamp one in black with the Contract stamp.
7. Spritz a bit of the mists over the Woodwware's Self Adhesive White Lace, and a strip of Woodware's Cotton Ribbon. When dry, adhere to canvas as desired.
8. Stamp in black and die cut two of the Stampendous Butterflies Matching Stamp Set and Matching Dies sets. Spritz with Lavender Tea. Let dry before adhering.
9. Brush some thinned white glue over butterflies, and sprinkle with Color Fragments.
10. Use Damask patterned Woodware Ribbon tape to accessorize canvas, and use two pieces to wrap over pre-painted in black wood dowel. Add spritzed ribbon tie at top if desired. 
11. Die cut letters for word using Dreamweaver's Dual Alphabet set. Adhere to canvas. 

Here's today's link lists from the three teams:

Stampendous Blog

Janelle Stollfus

Pam Hornschu

Kristine Reynolds

 Woodware Craft Collection Blog

Dorothy Adam

Francoise Read

Dreamweaver Stencils Blog

Lyn Bernatovich

Cindy Groh

Gill Wilson

Alison Heikkila

Stampendous: Happy Houses

The Stampendous team is featuring our fun Perfectly Clear Family Home set, which are the perfect set to create simple notecards, or a fun mixed media piece as I've done here.

My base was a torn page from an old atlas, which I lightly brushed with a coat of gesso. This is a great way to prevent curling and warping, and yet you can still see bits of the atlas underneath. I dry-brushed a bit of acrylic tube paints in cyan and pthalo green, and once dry, I stamped a whole "community" of happy houses. Using a finger dauber from Imagine Crafts, I swiftly swiped some Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks over the houses. I used Onyx Versafine to stamp bits from the Perfectly Clear Happy Words set, as I really believe that what makes a house a home, are the people you love inside. I stamped a few borders from the Nathalie Kalbach Studio Marks Cling Set like little roads running through the town. Finally, I stamped a few more designs over the background with VersaMark ink and embossed them with sprinklings of Shabby Pink and Blue, and Spoonful of Rust Fran•tagé Elements. By the way, a fine black liner pen (Faber-Castell Pitt) is perfect to add doodles and frames around points of interest on your page.

Be sure to visit our amazing artists as they post this week. You can find their links on the Stampendous blog. Today's links can be found HERE.

Dreamweaver: Frilly and Fabulous for February!

Break out the frou frou! For the month of February, the Dream Team are going Frilly and Fabulous! Vintage, retro, or modern, adding extra charm with fun Fran•tagé products from Stampendous, ribbons and lace from May Arts, buttons, crystals, charms, or even creating your own dimensional decor! A snippet or a pile, whatever your creative heart desires! Remember to link your creations using the Inlinkz tool on the Dream It Up! blog for a chance to win the stencil of your choice! Bonus points for using Dreamweaver and/or Stampendous product in your work of heart.

Here's what I've been playing with:

Sometimes in the process of creativity, accidents happen. It's up to you how you view your "oops" moment. I chose to go with it.

This banner was created on a base of cotton canvas paper. One side is pre-coated and ready to create with. I chose to use a palette knife to apply a swipe of Dreamweaver Matte Black Embossing Paste in a thin layer over the canvas. When dry, I placed the Open Heart stencil over the top, and applied Crackle Embossing Paste over the design. Normally, the Crackle works perfectly over the Matte paste, but for some reason, it wanted to crack and peel off, which was quite annoying...until I thought, "hmmm". So, I played some more. I used a dauber to apply VersaMark ink over the surface carefully before sprinkling with Stampendous Deep Impressions Clear embossing powder. After heating this. I spritzed over the entire canvas with Dreamweaver Memories Mists in Pink Lemonade and Mango Lemonade, and let the colors run. I sopped up a bit of the ink with some cotton ribbon, paper flowers, and strips of lace, and set these aside to dry as well. At this point, I still was uncertain as to how my peeling sections would stay put, so I brushed over all with Beacon Fast Finish, letting it ooze underneath and around. After drying (doesn't take long), I stamped the Stampendous Cling Contract and the Follow Your Art sentiment with Black StazOn ink over the canvas and on one paper flower. Holes were punched at the top to allow for the ribbon to tie a painted dowel to the top.  The lace was adhered and brushed with Fast Finish to hold its shape, and the flowers were layered and adhered, with a brad fastener inserted in the center.

Once completed, I was quite pleased with my banner. The cracked and peeling sections added dimension and interest, and let's face it...everyone has had a cracked heart at some point in their lives!

For more frilly fun, visit the "B" team:

Dream It Up!

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Gill Wilson

Cindy Groh

An InLinkz Link-up

Woodware: Playing Along with "The Mirror Crack'd"

For 2015, the Woodware team will receive some interesting new challenges from "The Mirror Crack'd". This week, we are featuring Journal Covers, which are so much fun to create!

Mine was created using a chipboard book base, with rings through the pages which allow each page to lay flat. However, it is easier to create each page and then insert the rings through the sides.
I die cut papers in the same shape as the book, edged each with some ink to distress them, and inked some edges with Clearsnap Mixed Media ink and embossed with Stampendous Aged Gold Embossing Enamel. The edge of the cover page was also treated to a coating of ink and embossing enamel. The blue panel was stamped with the Cling Ornate Border image and embossing in gold as well. Another die cut piece was stamped with the Follow Your Art sentiment in Archival red ink, aged a bit with tan ink, and edged with blue. A little bit of Glossy Accents was applied to adhere sprinkles of Stampendous Color Fragments and Chunky Glass Glitter. A layering of banner cut sections of coarse fabric with lace, twill, and a ribbon tie complete the cover. I hope you'll take the opportunity to play along with this challenge as well. You can find all the details on the Woodware blog as well as the Mirror Crack'd blog.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World of Stencils!

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!

Here's my personal act of madness:

If you follow me on a regular basis, you've already seen this project on my blog this week as a post for the Woodware UK team. Considering how mixed the media is on this project, I figured it also fits into the "MAD" category for the March Dreamweaver challenge!

My base is a wood door hanger from one of the local craft stores, which I slapped on a coat of black acrylic paint over the surface. When dry (just a few minutes), I taped my Dreamweaver Large Scales stencil on top, and spread Crackle Embossing Paste over it, removed the stencil to clean, and set aside the hanger to dry.

Meanwhile, I played with my dimensional elements...

 First, I pasted on acetate the Dreamweaver Scallop and Nautilus shell stencils with Gold and Pearlescent pastes, respectively. Both were sprinkled with various Metallic F/X powders before heating with a heat tool until bubbly and mostly dry. You can pat down the bubbling a bit after it's cooled. These were cut out and set aside.

Secondly, I dripped Color Solutions over a few white paper flowers and set these aside to dry.

Thirdly, I die cut the Dreamweaver Leafless Tree Die out of orange cardstock to mimic coral.

Finally, I stamped the Stampendous Cling Mermaid on tissue paper and colored her with markers. I used a clear medium to adhere her over the now dry and crackled surface of my door hanger.

Now I could really have fun...I added color to the background using a large stencil brush and my Splendor ink pad with all of it's palette of colors. I traced the Zen Fish stencil over the top using a Sakura Micron Pen, and colored with markers. Then I applied Translucent Paste over the surface of the fish, and let dry.

Once dry, I used Glossy Accents to adhere sprinkles of Stampendous Color Fragments, adhered Mark Richards Pearl Clusters, a portion of my die cut "coral", and my Molten Magic sea shells with my bright flowers.

I love projects like this as you never know quite where they'll take you! Play along with the challenge by submitting your March Madness project on the Dream It Up! site. Need some crazy ideas? Check our "A" team first, and our very special guest designer and Certified Dreamweaver teacher...

Georgia Sommers

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

Woodware UK: Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge...All Mixed Up!

The Woodware team are playing along with the Crafty Cardmaker's challenge once again. This time with Mixed Media, and boy, have I mixed my medias for this one!

My base is a wood door hanger from Woodware, which I slapped on a coat of black acrylic paint over the surface. When dry (just a few minutes), I taped my Dreamweaver Large Scales stencil on top, and spread Crackle Embossing Paste over it, removed the stencil to clean, and set aside the hanger to dry.

Meanwhile, I played with my dimensional elements...

 First, I pasted on acetate the Dreamweaver Scallop and Nautilus shell stencils with Gold and Pearlescent pastes, respectively. Both were sprinkled with various Metallic F/X powders before heating with a heat tool until bubbly and mostly dry. You can pat down the bubbling a bit after it's cooled. These were cut out and set aside.

Secondly, I dripped Color Solutions over a few white paper flowers and set these aside to dry.

Thirdly, I die cut the Dreamweaver Leafless Tree out of orange cardstock to mimic coral.

Finally, I stamped the Stampendous Cling Mermaid on tissue paper and colored her with markers. I used a clear medium to adhere her over the now dry and crackled surface of my door hanger.

Now I could really have fun...I added color to the background using a large stencil brush and my Splendor ink pad with all of it's palette of colors. I traced the Zen Fish stencil over the top using a Sakura Micron Pen, and colored with markers. Then I applied Translucent Paste over the surface of the fish, and let dry.

Once dry, I used Glossy Accents to adhere sprinkles of Stampendous Color Fragments, adhered Mark Richards Pearl Clusters, a portion of my die cut "coral", and my Molten Magic sea shells with my bright flowers.

I love projects like this as you never know quite where they'll take you! Play along with the challenge by submitting your Mixed Media project on the Crafty Cardmakers blog site. For more inspiration, visit the Woodware blog to see what our team has been "mixing" up!

Dreamweaver Stencils and Art Glitter: Awesome in Autumn, Week Four

Ready to be sparkly? This month is our annual collaboration between Dreamweaver Stencils and Art Glitter, and we promise double the glitter and double the fun! Follow the trail of bling all of this month on the Art Glitter blog, and the Dream It Up! blog. Play along with the monthly challenge of "Awesome in Autumn" and link your creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! Thursday posts for a chance to win some stupendous stencils and glamorous glitter! As if that wasn't cool enough, Art Glitter is offering a 20% discount this month if you use the code DW20, and the Stencil with Style site is offering a 20% discount this month if you use the code SWS20!

Here's what I've created for today's post:

Yes, I'm back showing off more of my mixed media book. If you've missed any of the previous posts regarding it, you can find them HERE, HERE, and HERE! Lol. This page is definitely multi-layer. The base of the page is canvas covered. I spritzed various Memories Mists over the page...Amaretto, Teal, and Pale Ale. The main panel was done in steps...as the panel is clear acetate, I applied drops of Color Solutions alcohol inks on the back, with a several drops of the Thinner/Cleaner and used a can of "Air Spray" to blow the puddles around a bit. I poured a bit of Glossy Accents over the colored surface, and tilted it in all directions to coat the entire piece. While wet, I sprinkled Bananan, Sand, and White Gold Art Glitter over it, and then placed a section from an old dictionary on top of it, and set it aside to dry. Once dry, I paste-embossed in Matte Black the Dreamweaver Leafless Tree on the front. Once this was dry ( I told you there were many layers!), I added this old torn photograph (actually a print) of my Gran (on the left), her sister Lorna, and my Great-Gran (who looks very much like Glenn Close). This is probably my favorite photo of the three of them. I edged the photo with some White Gold glitter, added punched oak leaves covered in the same glitter to the tree. I wanted just a bit more dimension, so this ruffled piece of green crochet lace from May Arts was the final addition.

Check out this week's awesomeness which includes our super sparkly guest designer and previous Dream Team member...

Kristi Parker

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

Wendy Jordan