Metallic F/X ...a Simple Creation

Cherylynn Moser teaches with Dreamweaver Stencils in the state of Oregon. As I end my theme today with Simple Cards for Christmas I would like to tell you that this card couldn't be simpler. I know it looks elegant, but elegant can be easy to achieve with stencils. She paste embossed the Holly flourishes (LG731) using the Matte Black Embossing Paste. After it dried she repositioned the stencil onto the pasted design and then daubed the pasted holly flourish witha glue from a glue stamp pad. Next she took a small stencil brush and loaded the ends of it with the Ivy Garden green Metallic F/X color. Metallic F/X are the Dreamweaver brand of mica powders. To make sure she didn't have too much on the brush she tapped off the excess into the opened jar lid of her color and then stenciled it onto the holly. She used the Kimono Red color of Metallic F/X to achieve the berries. So that the red color didn't get onto the greenery she used a stencil shield called Picasso (LL332). This is a tool used by stencilers that has curves and holes in it so that you can hold it up to the work that you are stenciling on and put color exactly where you want it. The book "New Dimensions in Cardmaking Using Embossing Pastes with Metal Stencils" shows several different ways to use this clever tool. If you don't own this book it is a great reference book for working with the pastes. It was published a few years ago, but the gallery in the back was recently updated with new card designs.

Elegant, but Still Simple...

Deborah March made this gorgeous card. The details in the card...the bow, the nested gold ovals, the gold embellishment pin, the red crystal berries and the layers of paper may have taken a bit of time to put together, but the holly sprig (stencil LL3005) was merely paste embossed with the metallic gold paste. Very simple yet very elegant as well, Deborah. Recently I had a customer ask about how to tie a nice bow, and several of the design team have chatted back and forth about doing a tutorial. Louise Healy did post a step-by-step on her blog. Deborah mentioned that she uses a plastic template called "Bow Easy" which works well, and uses it all the time for her work. As you can see, here are the results of the "Bow Easy". Hop around on the Dream Team's blogs, because you may see some other recommendations over the next few days for bow tying.

Simply ....Merry Christmas!

Theresa Winters made this technique easy as pie...well as easy as paste embossing the LM250 Merry Christmas and LL532 Line of Christmas trees using the regular embossing paste and while it was still wet she added ultrafine glitter. Whew! But wasn't that easy? I also love the corner punch with the delicate filigree, this added card construction turns "simple to make" into a classy creation!

Could be a Christmas card? ...

...or it could be a special occasion card. This simple yet "effective" card by Louise Healy, was done using the pearlescent embossing paste on the Hallelujah stencil (LM2007). One of the things that adds to the beauty of this card is the use of the beautiful paper from Hanko Designs. The background paper has an almost vintage feel to it. But other than the triple mounting that was done to this creation, the time involved is minimal. Great for some of us who lead very busy lives. You could create three or four of these and have them on hand for celebratory moments, like when a special friend has good medical news or when your daughter hears that she passed her boards or when the hubbie gets a raise at work....well you get the idea. It doesn't have to be a Christmas card, but it could.

Simple for a Beginner...

This card is lovely, but really not that hard for a beginner to do. When I choose stencils for a beginner's Embossing Paste Class... I often choose ones that have small stencil openings. This berry branch design (LJ900) is ideal for a beginner. Design Team member Kim Parkinson paste embossed the design with Dreamweaver Metallic Gold paste and once it was dry, she paste embossed the "Season's Greetings" stencil (LS91) using either the metallic silver or the pearlescent paste (they both appear to be silver on dark cardstock, because the pearlescent is semi-transparent and picks up the dark from the cardstock). Instead of putting the thick chunks of glitter on the wet paste right away, she waited for it to completely dry, (this happens pretty quickly...another good reason for choosing a delicate design...fast dry time!) and then she squirted small daubs of glue on the berries for the chunky glitter to attach to.

Continuing the Theme...

I am continuing my theme for the next few days with Christmas Cards that are extremely simple, but very "effective". LOL!!! My friends in the UK often say that and I think it is so true. The combination of simple and "effective" is just what you want when your life is so busy. Marj Marion did this card by paste embossing the bicycle (LJ895) using the Glossy White Paste on red cardstock then adding glitter onto the wet paste after she removed the stencil. Another variation on this would be to use the regular embossing paste and while it was wet sprinkle it with regular or thick embossing powder, then when the paste was dry you could heat the powder with a heat gun for a glossy effect. Don't you love her little clear plastic embellishment that is tied up with ribbon and says "Santa's Cycle"?

Another Classic

This is another classic Christmas card project from Elaine Benedict. And who would have thought that this corner flourish stencil could double as a Christmas tree (LJ896). She pasted the swirly flourish with a glossy embossing paste, removed the stencil and sprinkled it with green glitter while it was still wet. Then she did the ornament on a different piece of paper with the same technique, using gold and red glitter, and once it was dry she cut it out and mounted it on the first card using foam mounting tape. This ornament was from the JOY stencil (LL510), but you could also use stencil LM297 which is another ornament which is on a small stencil by itself.