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