Stampendous: Liberty for All

Lady Liberty is the personification of the freedom and liberty that have brought so many to America, including some of my ancestors. Sometimes we lose sight of that in the light of current events, and political dissension. But, as a whole, I really feel that we all can come together for freedom, for liberty, for home.

My post today features the new Stampendous Cling Lady Liberty, stamped twice on mint cardstock, with liberty herself cut out and popped up over a corrugated background. This focal panel is adhered over a matted gray panel stamped with the Cling Stack Art Regal Bird set (background only). A banner with the new Cling Free and Brave sentiment is adhered at the top.

This new image is great for 4th of July and Memorial Day cards, but think how great it will be on your travel journals as well?

Here's the links for today's team posts:

Stampendous Blog

Pam Hornschu (you're here)

Louise Healy

Wendy Price

Lea Kimmel

Patriotic Panache with Dreamweaver and Stampendous

Who doesn't love fireworks? They are definitely associated with 4th of July in the United States, and other national holidays around the world. My post today features the Dreamweaver Fireworks Embossing Folder, machine-embossed into Core'dinations Vintage cardstock in, of course, red and white and blue. Each section was sanded to reveal the design. If you do three full size panels, and cut them in threes, you now have the supplies to create three complete cards. The finishing touch? A layered banner stamped with portions of the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Happy Greetings and the Vintage Lower Case Alphabet.

Here's a link list to those of the new Stampendous/Dreameaver team who are posting today:

Stampendous Blog

Pam Hornschu (you're here)

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila
Amy Hurley-Purdie

Laura Drahozal

Lyn Bernatovich

Woodware: Painting the Pansies with Pinterest

Each month this year, one of the Woodware designers have been selected to choose a theme for one of the weeks. My choice is "Inspired by Pinterest" as it is one of my favorite sources for inspiration. Just take a look at this amazing watercolor below! Wonderful vibrant colors with lovely, watery effects.

Artist Linda Virio on Pinterest

My version is more on the cute side, but I loved the idea of the House Mouse Designs® critter painting the pansies! I figure that magic would have to have a part in the process, as depicted by the swishes of Stampendous Multi Crystal Glitter Mix applied with a glue marker. Before I reached that point, here's how I created the  background...

Using the Stampendous Creative Palette, I placed a few drops of Dreamweaver Color Solutions Alcohol Inks in Cosmo Pink, Iceberg, Lemoncello, and Pumpkin on the surface, added several drops of the blending solution, and used a can of "air" (purchased in an office supply store) to move the colors around. I placed a panel of Stampendous Mixed Media White Cardstock over the inks to pick up the colorful swirl. You need to move quickly as the inks can dry quickly, but you can re-wet them with more blending solution. The solution is also perfect for  cleaning the surface of your palette. There will be staining, but it will be transparent.

Once the panel was dry, the House Mouse Designs® Painting Pansies was stamped in black ink, and a bit of coloring with watercolor pencils and a waterbrush on the design to bring it all together. A fun button and ribbon for embellishment and a quick stamping of the sentiment from the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Life Words complete the card.

Don't forget that the entire team are playing with my theme this week. I can hardly wait to see what they'll come up with! Check each day on the Woodware blog.

Stampendous with Dreamweaver: Honoring the Brave

I created this two years ago in honor of America's Memorial Day, celebrated every year at the end of May. Here's what I wrote...

"In the USA, we honor the service men and women who have given their lives for our country in protection of our freedom and democracy, this time every year with Memorial Day. It's a time where families and friends get together for a relaxing celebration, and between bites of barbeque, fruit salad, and a couple of beers, we try to remember what this day is all about. Because others gave of themselves in the ultimate acts of bravery, we have the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of picnics and parties. To some this may seem frivolous, but as the Bible tells us, "There's a time for laughter and a time for tears...", and Memorial Day is a mix of both.

I created a card in memory of these Americans, as a giant Thank You to them all. Featuring Dreamweaver's Bold Thank You and Star Swirl stencils, I did a marbled pasting of both, with a Joseph's Coat technique on the background panel. Something new which I only learned recently in conjunction with the Dreamweaver Teacher Certification* workshops that were taught last week in the Chicago, Illinois area.

I laid down inked stripes of Ladybug Red and Danube Blue Memento on glossy cardstock. Then I pasted the Star Swirls over the top in Translucent paste. When dry, I applied Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink over the entire surface, before using a damp paper towel to remove the ink from the pasted portions. These previously pasted portions resisted the ink, making it simple to wipe away. I used my heat tool to "set" the ink afterwards. The Thank You was marble pasted, allowed to dry, and cut out to pop up off of the card.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! May all of us remember those who came before us, and work still to provide us with the opportunity for every celebration we have. This is a day of respect and remembrance."

The Stampendous team are honoring our home of the brave all of this week. Please follow along for some patriotic inspiration...

Kristine Reynolds

KLIK, KLIK, KLIK...BOOOO!

Welcome to the final day of the Stampendous/Klik collaboration! If you've missed any of the details, you can read them below. Be sure to check out any of the days that you may have missed this week! More chances to win!

Klik Interchangeable Jewelry from Metal Complex is a fantastic new line of DIY accessory options. With two snap sizes and dozens of settings to snap your creations into, this terrific product is fun to play with for every level of crafter. There are tons of pre-made snaps so you can just “klik and go” to change up your look. But this week we’re playing with the Metal Complex Snap Bezel Blanks so we can craft our own masterpieces of wearable art. Along with this collaboration, we are working with Envirotex Jewelry Resin...an amazing product to easily make the jewelry of your creative dreams! 

Yes, there will be prizes...three random winners will receive a prize package that includes Klik Snap Bezel Blanks and jewelry components, a package of ETI Resin and a Stampendous Eclectic Perfectly Clear Stamp Set. To win one of these awesome prize packages, you need to comment on the Stampendous blog and that of each Stampendous designer in the list provided below. Eligible winners are those comments that provide a valid email and indicate a U.S. Mailing address. Here are the Stampendous Official Rules for all contests. Commenting will close Sunday, May 3rd and winners will be announced the afternoon of May 4th.

Here's what I've created for today:

I was channeling my inner "Alison" for this one, Alison being my good friend and teammate, Alison Heikkila, who loves to think outside the "pretty bonbon box". This first version features the Stampendous Cling Skull Roses, stamped in black StazOn on a 2 1/2" circle of white polyshrink. A bit of talcum was wiped over the front and back before heating to prevent it from sticking to itself, and then flattened with an acrylic block. This was the perfect size to fit inside the large Klik bezel. Using a glue marker, I applied a bit of glue on the flower and sprinkled this with Stampendous Micro Glitter in purple. Two tiny glowing green rhinestones were adhered over the eyes. Now to mix the Envirotex Jewelry Resin...follow the package directions, avoid a really humid day, and pour a small amount into the bezel until it domes. Let it cure 12-24 hours. I placed mine between two pencils since the snap on the back of the bezel prevents it from laying flat. Any tiny bubbles can be softly blown away. Two of the smaller bezels were filled with a mix of Fran•tagé Color Fragments in Trick or Treat mix, and Hot Lime, and Amethyst. More resin was poured over these. If the pieces float to the surface, just poke them back down with the tip of a needle or wire. Once cured, the finishing touches were an attached chain, and black leather cording. The cross and the "jewels" were colored with Copic Sketch Markers. I inked, and glittered a paper flower, and attached a portion of it to the underside of this bezel piece. 

My second interchangeable bezel, was created with the same process as above, but using the Stampendous Cling Tomb Elements image. More of the Color Fragments were added before the addition of the resin, and just as the others, was set aside to cure 12-24 hours.

I have to say that I really enjoyed working with both the Klik products as well as the Jewelry Resin...so simple to create some wonderful jewelry pieces! Now it's time for you to visit the rest of the line up for this final day!

Stampendous Blog

Lea Kimmel

Pam Hornschu

Amy Hurley-Purdie

Lyn Bernatovich

Jamie Martin

Janelle Stollfus

Wendy Price

Tenia Nelson

Metal Complex Blog

A Dream Team Finale, and a New Beginning

 Sigh...

It's been five years since my first year as a Dream Team member, and a wonderful five years they've been. Every member we've had on our team has either stayed or moved on to other creative endeavors, but have remained an integral part of Dreamweaver, and good friends. Lynell became the sister I never had, and I see no reason for that to change as we move forward. I wish her and Wayne the best of everything in the future as they continue to be creative on a less stressful level, and as they welcome the birth of their first grandchild in the upcoming weeks. The Dream Team will also move on in other creative directions, and many of them have been selected to be a part of the Stampendous/Dreamweaver team along with me. We will continue to post on Thursdays, along with many of the regular Stampendous team members, so you'll have quite the variety of inspiration and tips at your disposal.

For my post today, I thought I'd start by sharing my very first card that I posted as part of this wonderful team. Simply featuring a machine-embossed Sand Dollar, and an ink-stenciled Petals Background border, it still works as a card for any occasion...

For this month's "Showers of Showers" theme, I'm once again posting this card from 2011. Kind of perfect...closing one door, and opening another. This card featured the Birds on Branches Paste Embossed in Matte Black on white cardstock, and adhered inside. A piece of acetate was paste-embossed in Translucent with the Rain stencil, and sprinkled with Stampendous Ultra Fine Crystal Glitter, and adhered behind a die cut opening. A die-cut black frame for the window, along with an inset of black framed and machine-embossed Tole Heart, a bit of ruffle and a fancy brad fastener, were the finishing touches.

I hope that you'll continue to follow all of us as we open our respective doors to all the creativity that lays in store.

Dream It Up!

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila
Lyn Bernatovich

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Gill Wilson

Cindy Groh 

Leadonna Kimmel

Laura Drahozal

Jamie Martin

If you haven't already, be sure to join us on the Dreamweaver Stencils' Face Book page, the Dreamweaver Stencils' Enthusiasts page, Pinterest, as well as the Stampendous Facebook page, website, and Pinterest. We've only just begun...

"KLIK" as a Wink or Jewelry in a Snap?

Klik Interchangeable Jewelry from Metal Complex is a fantastic new line of DIY accessory options. With two snap sizes and dozens of settings to snap your creations into, this terrific product is fun to play with for every level of crafter. There are tons of pre-made snaps so you can just “klik and go” to change up your look. But this week we’re playing with the Metal Complex Snap Bezel Blanks so we can craft our own masterpieces of wearable art. Along with this collaboration, we are working with Envirotex Jewelry Resin...an amazing product to easily make the jewelry of your creative dreams! 

Yes, there will be prizes...three random winners will receive a prize package that includes Klik Snap Bezel Blanks and jewelry components, a package of ETI Resin and a Stampendous Eclectic Perfectly Clear Stamp Set. To win one of these awesome prize packages, you need to comment on the Stampendous blog and that of each Stampendous designer in the list provided below. Eligible winners are those comments that provide a valid email and indicate a U.S. Mailing address. Here are the Stampendous Official Rules for all contests. Commenting will close Sunday, May 3rd and winners will be announced the afternoon of May 4th.

Here's what I've created for today:

I'm saving my more elaborate piece for my post on Friday, so be sure to check back. For today, I wanted to show how easy you can create a more masculine look with these products. The basic bracelet is a black leather wrap and snap, with three snap sections on it. The large bezel won't fit on this bracelet, but I wanted a larger focal piece. For the base, I die cut a 2 1/2" circle of clear polyshrink plastic. With black StazOn ink from Tsukineko®, I added the Natalie Kalbach Cling "Mish Mesh" circle design, as well as a couple of the Perfectly Clear Steampunk Gears, and finally my son, Bryan's, monogram using the Perfectly Clear Vintage Upper Case Alphabet. I carefully swiped a bit of talcum powder over the front and back to act as an anti-static medium, used my heat tool to shrink. As soon as the shrink process was complete, I placed a clean acrylic block over the top to flatten completely. I placed this piece balanced on top of a couple of pencils laid side by side, on top of my non-stick craft mat. Following the package directions, I mixed up a small amount of the Jewelry Resin, and poured it over the top of my disc until it domed on top, and dripped a bit over the edges. Then I sprinkled a few of the Stampendous "Trick or Treat" color fragments on the surface, and using the tip of a thin piece of wire, I pressed these under the surface of the resin. If you have a few bubbles, just blow softly over the top of the surface and they magically disappear! Once the resin was cured (12-24 hours), I adhered it to the top of a snap piece with some Beacon Quick Grip adhesive. Two more of the snaps were sponged with StazOn, and heated to set the ink, and two small orange eyelets were glued to the inside of the snap. Remember, you  can create multiple looks with these...just buy and create more snaps and designs!

Hop around and visit the posts for today:

Stampendous Blog

Pam Hornschu

Wendy Price

Metal Complex Blog