Festively Distressed with Distress Powders/Week Two!

We Have a Winner for Week One!!!

This is the second week that the Dream it UP team are "Distressing" their stencils with Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders. We are teaming up with Ranger for these next three Thursdays. Scroll to the bottom to see what the winnings could be for you ...just for leaving a comment and also a new opportunity that Ranger has added.

At summer CHA design team member, Louise Healy, taught a unique technique and used these wonderful matte powders with the Tree Line stencil (LG745). The card is pictured below. Tim was so generous that he sent my team product to play with and use for our cross-promo...which is the last two weeks of October and the first two weeks of November.

If you would like to know the step-by-step process of how to use the double sticky paper...click HERE to view last week's post. This is a picture of the card Louise did at CHA:

Louise Healy's creation using stencil LG745

You can find the distress products on the Ranger Inks Site. They are taking part in our Thursday promo as well.You have a chance to win some wonderful blog candy just for leaving a comment on the Dream it UP and Ranger's team's blog. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see what else you can win and to follow the hop to my team's blogs. 

And the WINNER is....

This last week's random winner is "Debby" who commented on team member Georgia's blog and she said, "I love the pumpkin stencil. This is a great take on it." Scroll to the bottom for instructions on how to receive your winnings and see what you have won.

We are still running our monthly challenge so if you came here interested in knowing the challenge for the month of October click HERE for all the details and to find where to post your creation on mr. linky. For this challenge you can win any stencil of your choice. Would love to have you play along!

DISTRESSING THE SCARECROW STENCIL

Here is my creation for today, I did a visual tutorial for those of you who are like me and want to SEE how a card is created, today I am using the glossy black embossing paste with the distress powders:

The colors of distress embossing powders that I used on the scarecrow stencil (LG686) are as follows:

Crows: Black Soot 
Jacket: Peeled Paint
Straw: Mustard Seed
Overalls: Faded Jeans
Hat/tie/patch: Fired Brick

Distress ink: Mustard Seed and Vintage Photo

Dreamweaver Materials:

Sunflower stencil (LL429)
Scarecrow stencil (LG686)
Crows in a row (LL432)
Basecoat of scarecrow and crows: Glossy Black Embossing Paste (DGKP)
Palette Knife (DPK)
Paste Spreader (LM2010)


STEP-BY-STEP SCARECROW CARD:

Start by loading a 1/2" Dreamweaver stencil brush (NHB1/2") with the Mustard Seed Distress Ink and pull it toward the center of the card you have cut for the scarecrow and the sunflower background piece. Be sure to keep your bristles flat against the surface and stencil off the edge of the card to get that darker edge all the way around the card.

Place the sunflower stencil (LL429) on this card stock and randomly stencil several sunflowers on the background larger piece and the smaller piece that goes inside the card, using the Mustard Seed distress ink or even a darker ink like Vintage Photo . Again notice that you should keep your stencil brush perpendicular to the surface and use a circular rouging motion for a soft shaded effect.

Tape the scarecrow stencil (LG686) onto one of the now inked pieces of cardstock with removable tape (RMT), being sure to use long pieces all the way around each edge to keep your cardstock clean.  Apply the Dreawmeaver glossy black embossing paste (DGKP) onto the paste spreader with a palette knife (DPK). 

Pull the spreader (LM2010) loaded with the embossing paste gently across the stencil design, but use a firm pressure. If you place your four fingers just like this on the spreader you will achieve even pressure as you lay the spreader down. You may need  a little practice, but the results are worth it.  Rather than "scraping" it across you are actually "laying" it into the design, flattening the spreader as the holes fill up. Try to avoid going across too many times or pressing too hard.

Take the pieces of tape off one at a time, until you get to the last piece. This piece is referred to as your "hinge". Lift the stencil off from the paste-embossed scarecrow just like you would open a hinged door. This ensures that the paste won't get smeared as you remove the stencil. Once the stencil is off, remove the last piece of tape from the stencil and drop the dirty stencil into a pan of water until you have time to clean it. The next part you want to do before the paste dries so you will need to work quickly.

Now the fun part...adding the color!!! I took a thick straw and cut it into two inch pieces at an angle so I would have a pointed scoop. Then I started with the color at the bottom of the  card, which happens to be his straw...you will be using the Mustard Seed distress powder. This next step is important: Be sure to waterfall or angle the card you are holding. This way the powder falls onto the paper below. Next you will give the card a hard tap to remove the excess powder.

Now one color at a time you will move up until you have all the colors where you want them. Be sure to tap off the excess after each color. Don't be afraid to manipulate the card in different directions to achieve putting the colors where you want them. Remember to angle the card so the powder falls away from the wet paste where you want a different color. You will be working from the outside of the design toward the center. So when you are doing his green jacket you will have the card angled on it's sides. The red tie will be the last color to finish.

Remember after each color give the card a tap. So that you don't have to put the powder back in the jar each time you can have different papers set out for each color and just move from paper to paper. This will speed things up. Once the colors are all done set him aside for the paste to dry. Remember the paste is drying the entire time you are working, so you will need to keep moving. This really doesn't take very long...you will work faster than it takes to absorb what I am writing here and before you know it he will be dry and ready to finish.

A wonderful aspect of the distress powders when you use them on the Dreamweaver embossing pastes is that once the paste is dry you don't have to heat the powders to set them like you do on the sticky paper technique that was done last week. So once the paste is dry I stenciled color onto an area which I wanted to be dark brown by using a small stencil brush. If you want to shade on top of the powders with darker inks this is the time to do it.

The crow stencil (LL432) was paste embossed onto the tag with the Dreamweaver glossy black embossing paste (DGKP). The stencil was immediately removed and while still wet the Black Soot distress powder was then sprinkled onto the birds.  The air dry time for this is about 45 min. but you can hasten the drying time by placing it on an electric skillet set on the lowest heat. After this was dry I wrote Thank you on the tag and then finished off the card by tying the tag onto the scarecrow portion of the card using a light weight jute.

Now be sure to follow the list of the Dream it UP team below to see what they have created. You have an opportunity to win these three stencils and three of the distress powders just by leaving a comment. I will choose winners randomly from all of my team's and my blog...Ranger ink is in the mix too, so leave some love on their blog as well.

THE WINNER IS:

The random winner this week is "Debby" and her comment on Georgia's blog was "I love the pumpkin stencil. This is a great take on it." Please email me your snail mail address so we can send you your goodies!  lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com

PRIZE PACKAGE FOR YOUR OCTOBER COMMENTS

Apparently, the wonderful people at Ranger were also excited by the response, and they've decided to "up the ante" in the form of an additional prize package(s) which will include TWELVE Distress Powders each, and a handful of Dreamweaver Stencils to go with! Wow! Just one teeny-tiny detail...to win one of these packages from their blog, you need to create something with Tim Holtz's Distress Powders andDreamweaver Stencils and attach it to the inlinkz on the Ranger blog. Winners will be selected randomly. For more details, head over to the Ranger blog. ....AND IF YOU ARE JOINING THIS CHALLENGE CONSIDER JOINING OUR MONTHLY CHALLENGE AS WELL, MIGHT AS WELL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BOTH OPPORTUNITIES...read HERE for more info.

Now follow the Dream it UP team's blogs listed below to see what they have created with beautiful metal stencils and Tim Holtz wonderful distress materials.

Dream It Up!

Wendy Jordan

Kristi Van Doren

Louise Healy

Lee Kellogg

Georgia Sommers

Liz Martin

Laura Drahozal

Terrece Siddoway

Cherylynn Moser
Cyndi Bundy
Pam Hornschu

Ranger Blog