Meet Theorem Painter (Stenciler), Shirley Day

I met Shirley Day for the first time when I went to a Stencil Artisan's League Convention in Parsippany, New Jersey in the early 90s. At that time I had just released our first brass stencil designs and she still had her Studio in Connecticut. She was selling her theorem stencil line called "Nutmeg Stencilers", at a booth across from me in the retail portion of the SALI show. This was the beginning of a great friendship. Later when I exhibited our stencils at a sewing show in Springfield, MA, Shirley invited me to spend time with her at her home a few miles away in CT and we discovered that we are kindred spirits in so many ways, we both love nature themes...animals and birds and florals and beautiful "stuff"..., I also loved learning many theorem painting techniques from Shirley. (Theorem Painting is an advanced method of stenciling with several overlays of stencils to create an image without stencil bridges showing and it was mostly stenciled on creamy velveteen fabric...this craft was taught to young women who went to "finishing schools" eons ago at the turn of the 19th century...a true early American folk craft.) This year Shirley turns 80 and I hope to see her soon, she just sent me this beautiful card using our iris stencil (LL516) and corner design (LG698) which she dry embossed by hand and notice she did the delicate detail work on the bearded iris with a fine tipped sable detail brush, hard to see because of the limits of computer imaging, but she also sprinkled just a smidgeon of fine glitter on top. Shirley still teaches in her home based studio now in Reading, MA, right next door to the home she grew up in, and her father was born in... and died in at the age of 103, her family's history surrounds her. Her mother was a famous oil paint artist who owned her own New England based greeting card company called Red Farm Studio, it is still in existence and based in Pawtucket, RI. Shirley's students can still learn theorem painting today, as well as bronzing, tole painting and sometimes they even do card making with metal stencils. Wish I lived nearby so we could stencil together more often. I have learned so much from this stenciling friend. One of the things that I hope to pass on to my students, other stencil enthusiasts and card makers is that you don't have to create something in two minutes time, take your time and enjoy the process, for me cardmaking with stencils is a wonderful crafting experience and a time to come together and enjoy with fellow crafters. Although I love the speed at which dry embossing goes through the machines, it doesn't take long maybe just 5 minutes to dry emboss something by hand occasionally. Also taking time to learn to manipulate the stencil brush gives you such an "ah ha" experience, and the feeling once you've learned to shade from light to dark is priceless. It may take a bit of practice, but it is so rewarding too. Thank you Shirley for sharing with us your love of the art of stenciling!

Shirley Day's Theorem Stenciling

Pictured here is one of Shirley's pieces of theorem work that she gifted me with recently and for those of you who want to know more about Theorem Painting:

Rosemary Carsello purchased Shirley's business "Nutmeg Stencilers" and has an online store called "Crafter's Corner". She also sells several other lines of theorem stencils. If you want to learn more here is her URL:www.crafterscornerinc.com/

Elaine's Layering Work

While the Design Team is working on new card designs, I would like to introduce you to some of the teachers and sales reps across the country who have inspired me over the years. Elaine Benedict has been stenciling and teaching for Dreamweaver Stencils from our beginnings in the early 90's. She is from the Chicago area and teaches and reps our products in Wisconsin, Illinois and Eastern Iowa. For this piece she sprayed the background with the Memories Mists...using both the regular mists and the Vivids. The Vivid Mists are highly pigmented and are a bit tricky to use because they are pigment based and can clog the atomizers, but cleaning the atomizer with hot water after usage and shaking them well before usage keeps them spraying and as you can tell they give strong color contrasts for a spray. She then paste embossed the pussy willow (LL3007) to the left of the card using the Dreamweaver Glossy Black Paste. The large vase (LG615) was first dry embossed (by hand using a large tipped stylus and light table) ...since this is a simple design doing it by hand goes very quickly, but you could also put it through your embossing machine with the layering process I mentioned a couple of days ago. When the embossing was finished she left the stencil in place and very lightly shaded around the edge of the vase with a 1/2" stencil brush. Next the mosaic swirl background stencil (LJ901) was placed under the vase stencil and she stenciled a variety of soft green inks using 1/2" stencil brushes. Using these large brushes makes the job go more quickly and leaves a soft mix of the three shades of green pigment ink. Next she stenciled using a jumbo dauber with the Versamark inkpad on top of the green inks. She then removed both stencils and sprinkled on Suze Weinberg's Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, which she then heated with a heat gun. For a sharp crisp look she mounted the vase onto glossy black cardstock and cut it out leaving just a 1/16" border. If you are interested in taking a class with Elaine try one of the rubber stamp or scrapbook stores in these midwest states it will be worth it! She has quite a following of students that enjoy her classes and work.

"Daisies Are Such Friendly Flowers"

That quote from the movie

"You've Got Mail" has been

coming to my mind whenever

one of the Dream Team sends

me a sample using the new

black-eyed Susan stencil

(LJ902). Liz Martin, from

San Carlos, CA dry embossed

this design, then stenciled it

with inks. Then she put glue

in the centers of the flowers

and sprinkled them with the

"Flower Soft" product. She

then mounted it onto a dark

brown cardstock and

embellished it with a soft

green ribbon. Makes me

want to run out and buy

some Flower Soft, I bet they

have it available at the store

where she teaches in San

Carlos, CA. Scrapbook Depot!

Embossing Machines

You've probably been wondering what I have been up to on this "variation" on Pam's card. But I told you when I started the blogsite that if you have questions about a particular technique I would try to help you solve it here on the blog. Recently I was asked about putting the stencils through the embossing machines and what is the process. On one of Pam's recent cards she embossed the LJ819 snowflake background stencil through the machine and someone asked how that was done. When I saw her recent heart card (the one we just posted today) I realized that she had paste embossed every stencil on the card with the glossy black embossing paste... so how would this same beautiful design look if we dry embossed every element of the design on an embossing machine. If you dry embossed every dot and swirl and letter by hand using a stylus and light table...it would take a mega amount of work time. So here it is, done totally on the embossing machine. Now I know several of you have tried to do your stencils through the machines and the result has been a bent or "curled" stencil. The way a couple of the machines are designed there is a roller positioned at the top of the machine and this is the issue...if you place the stencil toward the top of the stack without the protection of a hard plate close to that roller you will have a ruined stencil, so use the following layering process:

1. The thickest plate that comes with the machine should be on the bottom, this is usually a white platen about 1/2" thick.

2. Next place the stencil face down on this thick plate.

3. Spray the back of the paper with alcohol or "Paper Glide".

4. Place this paper face down against the stencil

5. "Stamping Details" rubber mat, this is a slightly thicker mat that you have to purchase separately (we sell it and you can purchase it at your local paper arts stores).

6. Last layer of the stack are two thinner acrylic plates that come with the machine and then roll this all through the machine. You shouldn't have to shove or force it through while cranking the machine. (Forcing could cause a machine breakdown.)

You may need to adjust the layering of the last two plates if you are finding that it is needing to be forced through the machine. You want the pressure to be firm, but not forced. You may need to add "shims" ...these could be one or more pieces of cardboard or chipboard and I would put these on top of the rubber mat and then your clear plates. Some machines have two different thicknesses of the clear plates and you just have to try a variation to see what makes the layers go through your machines the easiest. But... to keep your stencils from curling you definitely want these clear plates to be closest to the roller that moves the layers through the machine. These hard clear plates protect the stencil layer.

Thank you Pam, for this lovely design that can be done so many different ways, you know my favorite saying, "No idea is immaculately conceived." Go take Pam's beautiful card design and give it your own twist. Have a good weekend!

Study in Black Glossy Embossing Paste

This is one of my favorite cards

from designer Pam Hornschu.

Everything was done with a

palette knife or glue. She paste

embossed (using the Glossy Black

Embossing Paste) the dot

background stencil (LJ804)

on the bright pink cardstock,

then she also pasted a pink

cardstock with a lighter

pink dot background using

the heart stencil (LL567)

and once that was dry she

applied the four bright pink

crystals in the center. To finish

the look she added the You & Me

stencil (LS1004), also in the

glossy black embossing paste.

Putting it all together with the

black bow underneath she

layered her creation. The

contrast really makes this

card striking! Check back

later for a variation on this card.

NOTE TO DESIGNER:

HEY! PAM...just noticed that you posted this card on your blogsite yesterday...

great minds and all that...however my mind is about 24 hours behind yours.

By the way I must like "mushy", because this is one of my faves of yours.

Check my blogs here later today, because I hope to do a variation

on this one...hopefully if time permits. And CONGRATS on being awarded

Blog of the Week by Scrapbook.com!

HOPE is the thing with feathers...

Whenever I see this little bird stencil (LS94) 

it reminds me of the Emily Dickinson 

poem called ...

HOPE

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul, 

And sings the tune--without the words, 

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard; 
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea; 
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.

Thank you Lee, for this beautifully stenciled tag!