Joining the Challenge

Here is a card that Joy H. sent me this morning. I am really loving that some of you who don't have blogs are sending me a picture of your creations via my email. Thank you!


This was Joy's first paste-embossing experience. GREAT job Joy! Then once the paste was dry she stenciled the design. The dark purple color of the die cut embellishment really made the design stand out. 


Your stenciling is beautiful Joy! Love your shading on the flowers and the vein work on the leaves too. Did you use our Picasso stencil shield?


Again thank you for playing along. Hope this is your first of many challenges. 


Be sure to sign up with Mr. Linky below to play along and if you don't have a blog  be sure to email me like Joy did at: lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com Don't forget to scroll down to see last Thursday's post to see what you could win. And....take a look at the other people's postings that have linked for this CAS challenge.

Thursday's Dream Schemes/March Challenge!

This month we encourage you to use any color you wish, although I have to say I did enjoy all those different shades of green. However, you have to keep it clean...and simple! Yep. We are challenging you to create with your Dreamweaver products in a CAS style. 

OK...I know it isn't quite what you expected, but today is special for our household and business. This is my husband's birthday. YAY!!! Wayne is actually the man behind the curtain...he is the one responsible for all the wonderful Dreamweaver Stencils. For more than 20 years we have worked together and we make a great team...but I want everyone to know that without him this business would not exist. He is a wonderful graphic artist and the stencils you purchase from us are sketched by hand and then computer rendered by his perfectionistic hand as well. Thank you Wayne and Happy Birthday too. I wish I could claim that I made this beautiful card, but it was made by my friend and fellow stenciler Elaine Benedict. It is a wonderful example of CAS (clean and simple). Elaine teaches and reps in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin.

     Now you have the opportunity to play along. Create your own Clean and Simple design (preferably with Dreamweaver Stencils' products) and link it to the Dream It Up! blog from your own blog, online gallery, or just send us an email (lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com) of your creation for us to show off on the blog. At the end of March, we will select two winners to win a set of these stencils each:

 LJ889-Lrg. Thinking of You

Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

Two Winners for the Go Green Challenge!

This past month we have had several people join our challenge and we wish to thank all of you! The two categories that we have put forth at the beginning of the year are #1: Best interpretation of the Challenge and #2 Best Usage of Dreamweaver Products. And it was a difficult choice because everyone was so creative!

winner of #1 was Anne Temple...with her Go Braugh AND Green party favor

winner of #2 was Sue Petersen for best usage with Dreamweaver products. 

So please email me:(lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com) your snail mail addresses and I will send you the two stencil prizes.

Hope everyone will play along this next month too...see tomorrow's posting for the March Challenge!

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Go Green or Go Bragh!

I have had a lot of fun with the green challenge this month. As you read this Pam Hornschu and I are traveling in England. We get to spend some time with Dorothy Adam who is in charge of Woodware Craft Collection's blog in the UK. If you have time see what Dorothy has created recently using the heart whimsy stencil (LL599) by clicking HERE.We won't have time to get over to Ireland, but Dorothy is from Scotland and we will be traveling to Yorkshire and doing a demonstration at a store in Preston. I am hoping things over there will be more green than gray at this time of year...so wish us luck.


So in honor of our Scot friend Dorothy I have posted a plaid card today. I used a Kelly green colored aluminum and put it through my embossing machine with the "stripe" stencil (LX7002). Once through I removed the stencil and used a manicure sanding block to sand off the top layer of bright green color on the stripes. Then I turned the metal piece one turn or a ninety-five degree turn and with the "stripe" stencil still running through the machine vertically I ran the metal through the machine a second time and violá instant "plaid". (I did sand these stripes as well, for the light and dark effect of a plaid.) The mushroom stencil (LL3025) was paste-embossed onto acetate using Dreamweaver Glossy White Embossing Paste (DGWP). The acetate that I used is considered  transparency film. I purchased this at a local office supply store...ask for the type that can be photo copied, that way if you are heating it in any way it will hold up well. I often place my paste-embossed pieces onto a pancake griddle (lowest setting) and they dry in less than half the amount of time. Once the paste is dry I reposition the clean stencil onto the design and colorize it with the new Color Solution Alcohol Ink. I dripped several drops of Aspen Leaf Yellow onto a felt applicator along with a few drops of Color Solution thinner and dabbed the color onto the caps of the mushrooms. I then used a cotton swab with a couple of drops of Creme Brulée onto the stems and underside of the caps and on the other end of the cotton swab I used Pine Bough green on the grass. The spots on top of the caps were done with Paprika Red and another clean cotton swab. To do a shaded effect on the stems I removed some of the Creme Brulée color with a couple of drops of the Color Solution thinner on a clean swab. Then I cut the acetate quite close to the design and mounted it onto the metal plaid piece done earlier.

Here is another mushroom card...not quite so green. This card was paste-embossed the same way as the one above, but the back of the acetate was then "sponged" with a felt applicator using the Color Solution alcohol inks. The sky was done with Iceberg and then a few drops of citron was added to that color behind the mushrooms and lastly Creme Brulée was added to the area underneath the mushrooms for the "earthy" effect. I stenciled the caps a bit differently than the one above. I used Paprika Red first and then I put a couple of drops of the Color Solution thinner on a cotton swab and rubbed out some of the Paprika Red color. To finish the card the acetate was placed on a periwinkle blue cardstock and the black frame was mounted on top of the acetate.

If you have time join us this month for our Go Green or Go Braugh challenge in honor of the upcoming month of March! Just link to Mr. Linky below or email me a picture of your card and I will post it for you when I return from the UK. You could win two stencils LL490 or LL542. Also take time today to see what the rest of the team is posting just follow the list below:

Pam Hornschu 

 Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin 

Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

Thursday's Dream Schemes/This month's challenge is green

This month we are challenging our readers to Go Green or Go Braugh in celebration of the upcoming month of March. Today I have taken a very organic spin on this challenge. The first card uses two different versions of the monstera leaf stencil. LG 641 is an open cut stencil that is just a cut out of the leaf's shape and LG 706 is the shape of the stencil with the swiss cheeselike holes to give the design that authentic monstera shape. Why do they call this leaf Monstera?...well, like it's name it is huge and the vase stencil (LG707) here is dwarfed by the leaves on the card, but I love to do the faux cloisonné technique and that was done on the vase to give it that ceramic look. If you are interested in knowing more about that technique email me at lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com and I would be happy to email you the faux cloisonné instructions. 

The second card I am showing you today is a technique called "strié" and couldn't be simpler to do. Here the leaf stencil (LG642) at the bottom of the card was stenciled three times, one on top of the other, the last one a bit darker than the first two. Then the leaves at the top draping down was dry embossed with a stylus. The stencil was then removed and using a large brush I pulled pigment ink across the embossed design. The small thank you (LG691) was done the same way. This is one of my favorite techniques and if you enjoy dry embossing it is a very effective yet simple way to colorize your creation.


Join us this month and play along as we continue to stencil green things onto green paper or metal etc. Just add your link to mr. linky below and don't forget to see what the team is up to this week by following the listed links below:

Pam Hornschu 

 Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin 

Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

Sue Petersen sent me this beauty for the Go Green Challenge

Thank you Sue, for sending this beautiful creation via my email! 


She paste-embossed the dot stencil (LJ804) onto black cardstock using the Glossy Green Embossing Paste (DGGP) and also used the same paste on white cardstock with the damask stencil (LJ907). I love the green crystals and the white roses that were used as embellishments.


Thanks for being the first to do the challenge this week and hope you'll join us again. 


If anyone else is interested in doing the same just email me a photo of your card to: lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com and when I get home from the UK on the 27th of Feb. I will post it on the site to enter you in our monthly challenge.

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Go Green or Go Bragh!

Today I am writing about a couple of the new quilt designs that came out at the end of last year. We really introduced them first in Hawaii, because our customers over there really embrace the beauty of Hawaiian quilting. These designs could have a bit of a Hawaiian flare, but anyone who enjoys flowers or gardening can also appreciate their organic presence. This first design, the fern stencil (LX7007) was stenciled with warmer green pigment ink and then the stencil was shifted forty-five degrees and stenciled with a cooler aqua colored pigment ink. Both colors were stenciled with a very light touch so they look almost transparent one on top of the other, this gives a full feeling to this fern card. The hula dancer was paste-embossed on lime green cardstock using matte black embossing paste (DMBP) and once dry was mounted in the lower corner.

This second quilt design, the bird of paradise (LX7006) was also stenciled with bright colored pigment inks. The Hawaiian thank you word stencil (LM133), Mahalo, was stenciled with a gray pigment ink and then the stencil was shifted just slightly and then paste-embbossed with matte black embossing paste (DMBP). These 6 x 6 inch stencils can be crafted as greeting cards as you see here or they can be used on fabric for actual quilt designs.

Hope you'll join us this month in our challenge of Going Green or Go Bragh! In honor of the upcoming month of March. You could have the enjoyment of winning these two stencils: LL490 the cherry blossom circle or LL542 tall lilies, if you happen to email me a picture of your project I won't be able to post it until the very end of this month's challenge since I will be traveling in the UK until the 27th. But when I get back we will post it for you:

Sign up with mr. linky below and also follow the list of the design team to see how they are interpreting go green or go St. Pat's Day!

Pam Hornschu 

 Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin 

Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley