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If you are here for the Dreamweaver and Ranger Hop, either scroll down through the next post, or click HERE.

If you are here for the Woodware UK post, scroll down to the next post. Thank you!

Woodware UK: No Paper? No Problem!

The Woodware UK team had a little different challenge for this week, and from a different source...Jill Tuck from The Stampman. The theme for this week is, "No Paper? No Problem!"...in other words, starting from scratch without the patterned papers and pre-made embellishments.

I chose this opportunity to post this creation that I had done for a Stampendous catalog. The base of it was a plain white chipboard frame. I created an easel card base for it from plain black cardstock, with a border punched edge.

I covered the entire frame with Versamark ink, and embossed it with Stampendous White Embossing Enamel, adding a couple of coats. Then I wiped talcum powder over the surface as an anti-static medium so that I could stamp and emboss the designs over the top without having spatters of embossing powder everywhere else.

Using the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Vases set, I created a montage of heights, textures, and shades in black and white embossing enamels, that crossed over and contrasted with the center design. I call this my Beatnik Jugs frame, as it reminds me of the decor from the late fifties/early sixties. I did add a stamped clear tag and ribbon for this to be given as a gift. I have to admit, it is a bit of a challenge, and yet fun to create with only the basics of paper crafting. The entire team are playing with Jill's challenge this week, so visit the Woodware UK blog to see how everyone goes back to the basics.

Dreamweaver Stencils and Ranger's Stickles Dry Glitter...We Just Sparkle Together!

The Dream Team has a big day today! Not only are we into week three of our Pinterest Inspired challenge, we are also playing with Ranger's Stickles Dry Glitter in the mix! We've had so much fun playing with jars of sparkly goodness, that we want to share the fun with two lucky crafters!

 

Just visit everyone on the list below, and leave comments for everyone. Two winners* will be randomly selected and announced Thursday, July 4th...what a great day for a celebration! Each prize package includes a mix of five Ranger Stickles Dry Glitter, a mix of six Dreamweaver Stencils, and jar of Dreamweaver Translucent Paste, and a Palette Knife for spreading. If you want to add to the fun, play along with our Pinterest challenge and link your own creation to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog before July 1st for a chance to win this month's stencil prize. Here's the list of sparkly-Pinteresting players:

Dream It Up!

Cherylynn Moser

Leadonna Kimmel

Laura Drahozal

Louise Healy

Jessica Griffin

Caroline Duncan

Stacey Rumsby

Pam Hornschu

Heidi Erickson

Cyndi Bundy

Terrece Siddoway

Lyn Bernatovich

The Ranger Blog ( post live later today)

Now, let me share my creation with you!

Such a happy color!

You can find my Pinterest  inspiration piece for this project HERE. I love the look of colored glass, glowing from an inner light...in this case, a flameless votive candle. My creation began its life as a Starbuck's Frappuccino bottle, which if you check out Pinterest, is a frequent inspiration for others. I pasted the Dreamweaver Black-eyed Susans stencil in Translucent paste over a couple of acetate sheets. Once dry, I used Q-tip precision applicators to apply Dreamweaver Color Solutions to the designs. I used a glue marker to apply the adhesive that would adhere the Ranger Stickles Dry Glitter to the back side of the panels. These panels can be curled up and tucked inside the bottle, along with some Dew Drops (or glass marbles), and a flameless votive light. I die cut a portion of the panel for the circle on the lid, and completed the look with a Ranger Stickle Dry Glitter embellished paper flower, and gorgeous May Arts ribbons (which by the way, were spritzed with Memories Mists ink through the flower stencil). Quick, easy, and cheap...the perfect housewarming or hostess gift. If you are on Pinterest, and you'd like to follow Dreamweaver, you can view our board HERE, and you can pin your own Dreamweaver creations HERE. If you'd like to follow my creations on Pinterest, you'll find it HERE.

Completed panel ready for inserting

Woodware UK: We Pause for Paws!

Woodware is going to the cats and dogs this week! This provided me with the perfect opportunity to Cattus Librum. "C.L." loves to read, just like me, and he is always amazed by how quickly time goes by when you are in the throes of a great story. Therefore, he has his pocket watch by his side to remind him...Tempus Fugit (time flies)!

pull out one of my favorite cards that I had done for a Stampendous catalog featuring one of my favorite kittehs*...

The panel that he is stamped on is textured, and was sanded a bit first to make the stamped image really pop out. A section of an old encyclopedia is added, portions and sentiments from the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Time Flies set is added to the card, along with the pocket watch being stamped with Black StazOn on acetate, cut out, and attached with a jumpring and old key to a leather cord.
The inside panel is an embossed piece of canvas, the corners have been torn, and the card has been ink-distressed to mimic something you'd find tucked away in an old desk drawer by a previous kitteh*.

Enjoy the week of cats and dogs by visiting the Woodware UK blog daily for more PAWSitively inspiring creations from the team. Remember, you can purchase the products mentioned at your local store or online...links can be found here.

*Curious as to why I refer to my four-legged-furry-friends as "kittehs"? Follow the cat antics daily HERE.

Dreamweaver Stencils: Hang Around for the Fun!

I have been having so much fun with the Dreamweaver Pinterest-inspired challenge this month! I'm thinking that I may just continue challenging myself for one day each week. I love Pinterest, and I can kind of justify the amount of time I spend "pinning", with the fact that my work involves staying on top of trends. One trend lately, is organizing and decorating your closet to suit your own personality. No more ugly shoe boxes and no more boring hangers!

I found several Pins for decoupaging on wood hangers, but the one at the left was my favorite. At first, I thought, "Darn. I just got rid of all my old wood hangers when we moved." And then I was wandering through TJ Maxx (love that store!), and found these awesome turquoise painted wood hangers on clearance for $2! Wow. Five hangers for $2, and my favorite color as well!
I sanded and distressed them a bit. Then I daubed some Ranger White Acrylic Paint Dabber where I intended to place the flowers. I used the Stylized Dahlia stencil with Memento inks on tissue paper. The tissue makes it easy to wrap around objects. I used my favorite decoupage medium...and no, it's not the one that everyone thinks of first...I use Beacon's Fast Finish Decoupage Medium. It is somewhat thin, so I put it in a cup and brush it over the surface to wet it. Then place the tissue pieces on the wet surface and brush more of the medium over it until is smooth and completely covered before setting it aside to dry...which doesn't take long! Maybe 10-15 minutes depending on how much the tissue is soaked. When dry, I used the Small Cathedral Window stencil with Memento Teal Zeal and a stencil brush to add the background details. You could leave it at that, but I did brush another coat of the Beacon Fast Finish over the entire hanger for a little extra shine. Of course, I couldn't just stop there! I added a May Arts Chevron striped ribbon bow, tied with twine and a fun button to the hanger.

Just think of all the fun Dreamweaver designs that could be used to decorate these hangers. They could even be personalized with the Monogram stencils, or the alphabet stencils. They could be a wonderful gift for a bride and her bridesmaids on the big day for those gorgeous dresses (in which case, I would definitely recommend adding that extra coat of the medium so no ink would rub off!)

So, obviously these could be used as garment hangers, duh! But what about a ribbon holder for all those scraps of luscious May Arts ribbon? Check out the picture below! Yep. Think I'm going to need to create some more hangers for all of my ribbon!

 Let's go check out what wonderful inspired pieces the rest of the team have created this week, as well as our amazing guest designer for June, Jennifer Dove! Leave some love for everyone, and then get working on your own Pinterest-inspired pieces. Link your creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog for an opportunity to win the prize for this month, as well as having your project featured on the Dream It Up! blog and the Dreamweaver Stencils Facebook page. Here's the roll call this week:

Dream It Up!

Jennifer Dove
Laura Drahozal
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Heidi Erickson
Louise Healy
Jessica Griffin
Cyndi Bundy

If you'd like to view my complete tutorial on this project, please visit Paper Craft Planet!

Woodware UK: Feeling Blue?

Awwwwww. Are you feeling blue? Well, the girls on the Woodware UK team certainly are this week! Of course, the color blue never makes me feel down, as I love all shades, especially in the aqua/turquoise range! But, I do think it can be a wonderful color for a card of encouragement, like on my tweet card here. I created three background panels from one cardstock panel (it was royal on one side, and sky on the other) that I machine-embossed with the Dreamweaver Stencils' Small Cathedral Window. Cut into three panels, with the embossed and debossed sides alternating, it made a colorful backdrop to the little robin from Francoisé Read's Clear Magic "Tweet Friends" set. I inked the "tweet tweet" portion of the accompanying sentiment, and stamped that on the circle as well. My little robin was colored using a technique that I learned from Francoisé...watercoloring with a Sakura Koi Water Brush and Sakura Glaze and Star pens. Because they stay wet a few seconds longer, you can use a water brush to spread the color for highlights and shading. I used the Clear Magic Jane's Script sentiments to stamp the cute gingham ribbon with Clearsnap Mixed Media Black ink. I've found that particular ink works really well on fabric without bleeding. Give it a try!

You can see what shades of blue that rest of the team have been playing with this week by checking out the Woodware UK blog each day! You can purchase any of the product mentioned above through the stores listed on the Woodware UK website!

Sketch and Hop Info

If you are here for the PCP Sketch Challenge and Crafter's Companion Hop, scroll down or click HERE.

SCS Mix Ability Challenge: Monochromatic Motorcycle

Sometimes it's fun just to create for your own personal enjoyment...no deadline...just to challenge yourself! Today was one of those days. I frequently check out the challenges on Split Coast Stampers and play along with I have the chance. Today I noticed an interesting Mix Ability challenge..."Aack! Black!" There were suggested ways to go with this, and a wonderful tutorial for each of these created by Dina Kowal. I went with the stamped in black and all coloring and shading must be done with black. It was a challenge for someone who loves color as much as I do, but it was fun to concentrate on where the shading and lighting would be. I picked the perfect image for this...Stampendous' new Cling Motorcycle Elements. Stamped in Black Memento ink, heat set the ink, and then smearing some of the same ink on a clear block, I used my waterbrush to pick up the amount of color and wash that I needed. Dina had done this clever thing with ink through a piece of drywall mesh tape for added texture. Since there is always a pile of Dreamweaver stencils on my workspace, I smeared some Noir Mixed Media ink on the clear block, spritzed it with water, and daubed the wash through my Houndstooth stencil around the edges. There was still a bit of mottled ink on the block, so I used that to daub directly around the edges of my panel. I kept with the monochromatic theme that I was going with in my ribbon by May Arts, black and silver grommets, and the black card base.

Paper Craft Planet Sketch Challenge and Play Date

Today the Paper Craft Planet Super Novas are excited to play along with  the Crafter's Companion team for our weekly sketch challenge, and we would love to have you play along too.  Here's the fun sketch above, and you can find more info on the PCP Blog as well!  If you would like to play along, upload your card to the PCP Gallery and tag it with SK061413. Here's my version of the sketch:

Since I pretty much have no product from Crafter's Companion (I think I need to do something about that, don't you?), I chose to break out my Dreamweaver and Stampendous products for this. My layered papers are all Bazzill, the top one machine-embossed with the Dreamweaver Mosaic Swirls, as well as the focal circle with the Orchid Crest design. Leaving the orchid stencil in place, I daubed Palette glue over the surface and heated it lightly until tacky. Then I broke out my tiny stencil brushes and several colors of Dreamweaver Metallic F/X powders to color the embossed design. A few rhinestones and a light tracing with my Sakura Clear Star pen, and I was satisfied. Since this card will end up being a sympathy card for a very close family friend who just lost her mother, I added appropriate thoughts from the Stampendous Friendly Phrases and the Sincere Sentiments set.

Now is your opportunity to check out both teams' sketch versions, and there's a bonus for doing so...
YES ~ there is a prize!!!  For each comment left on the blogs listed below, you will be entered into a drawing for a $20 gift certificate courtesy of Crafter's Companion.  ALSO, if you play along on our sketch challenge, you will be entered into the drawing again (just make sure you upload your card to the PCP Gallery with the tag listed above).   Deadline to enter your comments and/or sketch challenge cards is June 21, 2013 at midnight (ET).

Now here's who is playing along with us today ~ don't forget to leave some love for your chance to win the Crafter's Companion Gift Certificate!

Christiana Reuling -- http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.com/

Denise Coulter -- http://lalasworldblog.blogspot.com

Khristen Foss -- http://khristenscraftroom.blogspot.com

Stacy Harper-Watson -- http://scrapwithstacy.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Severin -- http://ingeniousinkling.typepad.com

Trena Brannon -- http://trenastampinhq.blogspot.com

Kendra Wietstock -- http://kendrawietstock.blogspot.com

Deb Felts -- http://withastampandasong.blogspot.com/

Pam Hornschu -- http://1pamperedstamper.blogspot.com/

Susanna Boyd -- http://www.cardoftheweek.com/

Dreamweaver is Pinteresting, and Pinterest is for Dreamweaving

http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166571483124/

This week I was Dreamweaving a way to create the look of this gorgeous pottery pitcher created by Julia Galloway, that I spotted on Pinterest. Her website is full of amazing and inspiring pieces, but this one is my fave. Love the aqua/teal, the shimmery iridescence, the wonderful shape. Here is how it inspired me to CASE (copy and say everything) it:

Using the Dreamweaver Pitcher stencil, I paste embossed in Matte Black on a teal cardstock panel. Once it was dry, I replaced the stencil over the top and pasted once again, only this time with Crackle paste. As Lynell words it, "This paste is designed to fail", which creates all the lovely crackling...but white, and blah. Yes, I know that my inspiration piece is not crackled, but I was dying to use a new technique that I learned in the Dreamweaver Certification* class in May...Crackle Paste with Leafing:

1. With the stencil in place, apply Palette Glue ink with a sponge dauber over the pasted surface.
2. Use a heat tool for about 10-15 seconds over the surface to make it tacky.
3. Apply Metallic Leafing (I used Variegated Blue) over the tacky surface. Use a soft stencil brush to "rouge" the leafing into the surface, covering all of the area. (Don't forget to save all the bits and pieces of leafing for another project...and whatever you do, don't sneeze!)

What is awesome is how the leafing only attaches to the Crackle-pasted top, so all of the black pasted lines show through. Love that! To complete the card and the look of the inspiration piece, I pasted portions of the Flourishes stencil with Matte Black, and when dry, I brushed Navajo Sky and Forestry Green Metallic F/X over surface. I used this same technique on the sentiment of the card. Oh, and that background design? That was the Small Cathedral Window design ink-stenciled with Copper Brilliance ink. Highlighting the beautiful teal swirls, I added a ruffled ribbon from May Arts.

Everyone knows that I am addicted to Pinterest**, so I can hardly wait to see how all of my teammates are Pinspired this week. You can check them out here:

Dream It Up!

Jennifer Dove
Lea Kimmel
Louise Healy
Stacey Rumsby

Terrece Siddoway
Caroline Duncan
Pam Hornschu
Cherylynn Moser 

Cyndi Bundy

Jessica Griffin

 *If you are interested in becoming Dreamweaver Certified for teaching in your area, please contact Lynell at lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com, or Louise Healy at louisehealy@gmail.net, for a copy of the application, and for upcoming certifications. We still have a few openings in our Las Vegas Certification class in July, right before the CHA Create and Connect Convention.

**By the way, if you are interested in following the Dreamweaver Stencils Pinterest board, click HERE. If you are interested in following My Creations on Pinterest, click HERE!

Woodware UK Sketch 24: A Heart for the Tin Man

Life is sketchy once again for the Woodware UK team...as in Sketch 24! You can see the general layout to the left, and my version at the top. I chose to use the new Stampendous Tin Man Reader, designed by Lisa Hindsley for the focal panel. He was colored and shaded with markers, all in shades of gray, with a pop of purple for his bow tie. Chances are the Tin Man has a bunch of cogs and gears making up the majority of his insides, so I machine embossed a panel of Black Magic cardstock with the Dreamweavers Gears stencil, and sanded the surface a bit to reveal the color core. A thin strip of aluminum was also embossed with the Gears, and some Color Solutions inks were daubed over the surface (and over the die cut heart lock). A little sanding to remove  the color off of the top embossing, and a brush over of Black StazOn ink added more dimension. I didn't have nuts and bolts to attach on the card, but Woodware has these wonderful Screwhead brad fasteners which were the perfect embellishment. Since the Tin Man is reading up on how to take care of his new heart (written by Skip Tabeet...say it outloud quickly! Hee hee, that Lisa, she loves her puns!), I added a sweet sentiment from the Stampendous Clear Friendly Phrases set.

We'd love for you to play along and link your creation on the Woodware UK blog. Remember, one of us post each day, so be sure to sign up for email reminders on the Woodware UK blog.

Woodware UK and Crafty Cardmakers: Gearing Up for Father's Day

We are pleased to again be playing along with the CraftyCard Makers this week, the challenge will be open on their blog for two weeks. If you would like to play along with us please check the Crafty Card Maker rules then use the link on the Crafty Card Makers Blog to add your card or if you are not a blogger yet you can e-mail your card to Dorothy as usual Dorothy@woodware.co.uk  and she will post it and add it to the Crafty Card Makers Blog. 

 My card for this challenge is super simple to put together, with color and texture for added fun. Using the Stampendous Cling Patent Man as the focal point, stamped with Onyx Versafine on a cork panel, he is layered over a gears background (Stampendous Cling Clockwork Gears), with a gear border (Perfectly Clear Steampunk Gears), and the perfect sentiment (Stampendous Perfectly Clear Guys and Gears)!

What have you got planned for that special dad? Need more inspiration? Be sure to visit all of the blog links from the Woodware UK blog, as well as the Crafty Card Makers!

Dreamweaver Stencils June Challenge: PIN-spiration at It's Best

Welcome to week one of our June challenge...Pinterest Inspired! Each of our team members will be posting this month with creations inspired by links on Pinterest, which is so easy to do. Who doesn't become inspired by Pinterest? It can be a huge addiction, but also a great source of knowledge and ideas! I should know...I have 100 boards with almost 7,000 pins on them, including a board of "My Creations", all projects created by me. There is a Dreamweaver Stencils board as well...a group board where our design team posts their creations, and our followers can find inspiration and ideas as well. Feel free to Pin our projects to your boards, and/or to use them as your inspiration for this month's challenge. Be sure to link your creations to the linkytool on the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com.

For my project, I'm not going to share too much info, as it is the featured Dreamweaver tutorial on Paper Craft Planet for this week. All the supplies and instructions can be found HERE. I will, however, share with you the link where I became inspired to create this:

http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166571465946/

The Pinterest version uses stencils created from freezer paper using the computer die cutting systems. My version uses the Dreamweaver Stencils' Electric Guitar, Guitar Words, and Large Cathedral Window.

Check out how our Dream Team A gets inspired this week:

Dream It Up!

Jennifer Dove
Laura Drahozal
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Heidi Erickson
Louise Healy
Jessica Griffin
Cyndi Bundy