Thursday's Dream Schemes/The Challenge is "Your Choice"

It's a Free Challenge this Thursday and I am here to tease you with two new designs, the stencil of the "birds on bare branches" (LG733) and "fine feathered friends" stencil (LM2009). These will be available in stores soon. Give us a few days to get them packaged and shipped, then you can visit your local retailer or on-line store and shop.

I loved doing this one with the double glitter technique. It was a bit of a challenge, because each bird was done with a different color of transparent glitter and the tree branches were done with an opaque brown glitter. As I worked I went back and forth between these different colors of glitters. This way you are working right up to one color and then changing to the next color to avoid contamination. I laid out several pieces of copy paper on a table and set out a jar with a different color of glitter on each piece of paper. Then I held my "sticky paper"(to which the stencil was attached to) at a slant above the paper and let the glitter waterfall a bit at a time off the stencil. I started at the bottom of the tree branches and each time I moved to another color I would rub it into the stencil holes and make sure it did not get into the adjoining holes where I wanted to use the next color of glitter. (This is why you angle or "waterfall" the glitter off the stencil.) Then once all the glitter was applied, I pulled out my pigment inks and stenciled bright colors onto the feathered guys using very small 1/8" stencil brushes. For this portion of the technique the "Picasso" stencil shield was used. This tool helped isolate the pigment color to the areas where I specifically wanted the shading to be and helped create the fine detail you see on the birds. A black gel pen was used to add the eyes on each bird. "Fine feathered friends" was paste embossed vertically on the blue cardstock with glossy white embossing paste (DGWP) and while it was still wet, dark blue opaque glitter was sprinkled on the word "feathered". This way the words "fine friends" stood out and makes a statement. It was a bit of a challenge doing this one, but on the other hand it was so satisfying when I was finished.

Again if you are interested in the instructions for the double glitter technique email me at www.lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com My third DVD, which is being edited as I write this, will cover not only this fun technique, but several others. I will be sure to let you know when it's ready to ship.

Also if you get the chance, do play along with us this week. Also I want to challenge you to send one of your creations in the mail this week to someone that you know needs a boost. There are a lot of "shut ins" out there. The weather has been extremely bitter this year, so warm up someone's life with a pretty greeting card!

Don't forget to follow the design team's blogs by clicking on Deborah March's name on the sidebar at the right. Our fearless leader is at the top of the list and will get you going. Enjoy!

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Sketch Challenge

Good morning! Thanks for joining us this Thursday for our sketch challenge. This particular sketch comes to us all the way from Nova Scotia. Deborah March is our design team leader and she has a beautiful blog that is a "must see". Follow the list on the sidebar at the right and starting with Deborah visit our team's blogs to see how they have interpreted her sketch. Also play along and design a creation to share with us.

I used the "double glitter technique" on this fuchsia stencil (LL543) using microfine transparent glitters in a light pink and light green. Then I added brighter colors by stenciling on top of those light colored glitters with pigment ink from the "circus" Splendor ink pad by Tsukineko. Once I removed the stencil I did the background in a transparent crystal glitter by Stampendous. The veins down the center of the leaves was accomplished by using a curved edge of the Picasso stencil shield (LL332) and stenciling off the edge of the shield with a small stencil brush. If you would like me to email you the double glitter instructions email me at lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com. The "thank you" (LG691) at the bottom was paste-embossed with the Glossy Black Embossing Paste (DGKP). The background is a new Striped stencil (LX7002) and I am calling it a "plaidmaker", because you can stencil in one direction and then turn it 90 degrees and stencil in the other direction and create a plaid look. This can be done with inks and a dauber, or the Memory Mists, or even the embossing pastes. I will be sharing more on these techniques as soon as the stencil is ready to sell. We are waiting for our order to come in, but hopefully next week should be the week! In the meantime we are going to tease you with some of the new designs...there are sixteen of them. No, you won't be able to buy them yet, but the design team has been working with them and will give you some great ideas to tease you with. Enjoy your week of creating!

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Post your creation with our Mister Linky...we all look forward to seeing what you do!

Harmony/Ink Transfer Technique

A lot of people see this technique and think it is done with the encaustic wax technique. But it is actually an ink transfer technique done with the Memory Mists sprays. This particular design is done with the colors Iced Coffee and Amaretto. Place the nautilus stencil (LM104) face down onto a paper towel and position this inside a large box. The box will keep the excess spray contained. Spray half of the stencil a couple of times with the Iced Coffee color and spray the other half of the stencil with the Amaretto color. Then have another paper towel set aside outside the box on a hard surface and very carefully pick up the wet inked stencil by it's sides and place it onto this fresh paper towel, (inked side still facing up). Now place a glossy piece of card stock face down onto this stencil that is loaded with the ink. Gently smooth the back of your hand across the back of this paper. During this process, the ink that was sprayed onto the stencil will be transferred to the card stock and any excess ink will be absorbed into the clean paper towel that is beneath the stencil. (Remember, don't press too hard.) Now remove the card to prevent it from sticking to the dry stencil. Violå! The print that you get with this process is different every time. The swirls of ink and mixtures of colors will amaze anyone who receives these impressionistic art cards. Just one suggestion... if you have some prints where the ink seeps under the stencil and you don't like the results...I often reposition the stencil on the dried print and paste-emboss it. If you use the regular embossing paste (DEP) you can stencil with inks on top of the image, or you could stencil with the Metallic F/X powders as well... OR you don't have to add color at all to the paste. The small harmony stencil (LS51) is just paste-embossed with the Dreamweaver Matte Black Embossing Paste (DMBP). To find out where to purchase our stencils visit our site: www.dreamweaverstencils.com and click on "Where to Buy". If you prefer on-line purchasing www.stencilwithstyle.com carries the full line of stencils and Memories Mists.

I also suggest that you visit design team member Louise Healy's blog (her name is on the sidebar to the right). She has done a variation with the sprays using regular cardstock. Always something new to be learned. Right?

PLEASE NOTE: The reason I use the Memory Mists sprays rather than some of the iridescent sprays that are on the market is that the Memory Mists are highly pigmented in comparison and your prints come out much sharper.

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Faux Cross-Stitch

This Thursday's Dream Scheme is what we call a free challenge. You too, can do your favorite technique and share it with us. I used to do lots of needlework, so the faux cross-stitch is a technique I really love. I have discovered that cross-stitch with stencils is a lot faster.

This time I have done it with a bit of a twist. Instead of stenciling directly onto the paper or onto white embossing paste I decided to go for a strong contrast and use black embossing paste. I paste-embossed the thank you (LM222) and the thistle (LL3001) with the Matte Black Embossing Paste, let them dry, and after repositioning the clean stencil onto the pasted image, I then positioned the screen (Dreamweaver's SC) on top of the stencil with a long piece of tape on one side. This hinged piece of tape allows me to flip the screen open like a hinged door to look at what I have stenciled. Next I stenciled the leaves of the thistle with Brilliance metallic gold ink by Tsukineko through this screen. Then I stenciled the upper portion with metallic silver Brilliance ink and the crown of the thistle was stenciled with a lavender Brilliance ink. I left the thank you just matte black for a strong contrast. The lavender cardstock (this is a beautiful paper from Hanko Designs called Tsumugi Purple and comes from Japan-it really pastes beautifully) was mounted onto a metallic gold paper and then this was mounted with several pieces of foam tape onto the darker purple cardstock. The final embellishment was one of the three inch gold pins stuck through three pieces of ribbon (the beautiful gold ribbon was from Creative Impressions) and gold cord. It was pushed all the way into a piece of the foam mounting tape under the lavender cardstock to keep it from poking through the cardstock. If you would like a flyer with the faux cross-stitch instructions just email me at lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com

Take time and navigate to the other Dream Team's blogs. Their names are listed in the sidebar at the right. Enjoy your Thursday!

Our first winner in the "NEW" Year!

For those of you who've been following the blog...Barbara is the winner for counting the correct number of the word "new" in my last post. There were 14 "new" words in the post, two in the title, five in the first paragraph, (none in the numbered items), two in the next paragraph and 5 in the last paragraph. So if you are reading this Barbara, please email me your snail mail address and I will send you one of our "new" stencil designs for 2011. lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com

The technique shown here is called, "One-Step Cloisonné" and will be another technique that demonstrated in our new DVD, that is all about embossing paste. The teapot stencil (LJ864) was first paste-embossed using the Glossy Black Embossing Paste (DGKP) and then the bird stencil (LG686) was paste-embossed on top of the dried black paste with the regular embossing paste (DEP) with both stencils in place. After the "DEP" dried, I repositioned both stencils again and stenciled the bird and flowers with pigment inks. The pigment ink stays wet longer, so I was able to sprinkle the UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder-by Suze Weinberg) on top of the bird design without having to ink it with clear embossing ink. This wet ink holds the thick powder and then I heated it with a heat gun. Makes for a really beautiful effect. And also, because this happens to be a really intricate design, I used the "Picasso" stencil shield (LL332) to create small veins in the leaves and shield out areas that I don't want color on including his small eye and beak.

Thank you to all who are playing along with us on Thursday's Dream Schemes and to those who leave us comments...we love those! This week we will have a free challenge...easy, huh?

"NEW" in the New Year

Today, Jan 1, 2011, holds many new things from Dreamweaver Stencils. I am here to tease you with just one of those "new" things that we have to offer in the New Year. We just finished taping two new DVD's and are hoping (fingers crossed...LOL!) that it will all come together to be released in February. People have had so many questions about embossing paste that one of the new DVD's will just be completely about specialty paste-embossing techniques.

1. How to paste-emboss a wide open design like the large fan (LJ903) above?

2. How do you layer paste like the cherry blossoms (LG644) on the fan sample above?

3. How do I paste my Christmas cards when I have 50 of them? (...this technique is called "power pasting" and teaches you to do multiples without re-taping your stencil every time.)

4. How to paste a large intricate background stencil without having a lot of "oozing" (technical terms like this are covered as well).

5. The metallic leafing (on the fan above) has long been a popular technique and the details will be shown to make your creations successful.

6. Crackle paste has two or three added tips that if you "see" how to achieve them, ...it will give you that "ah ha" experience that reading about how to do it, will never give you.

7. How do you use the "Grab-It" tool?..simple but unique.

The list goes on...and the second new DVD, what is it all about? You'll have to come back later this month to learn what that new DVD is all about.

By the way if you are reading this post on the first day of the new year, you will notice that I used the word "new" several times. The first person to write a comment on my blog and let me know how many times I used the word "new" will receive one of our "new" stencil designs that I am keeping secret for just awhile longer. Happy NEW Year! P.S. Sorry...design team members are excluded.

Giving you a hint....if at first you don't succeed try try again! Don't you love those old adages?

Love in the New Year (Thursday's Dream Schemes)

I like to think that Spring is just around the corner, even though New Year's Day 2011 is only two days away. These beautiful lovebirds (stencil LL3011) were stenciled by Elaine Benedict in the name of Love (stencil LG697). The birds were paste embossed with the regular embossing paste using the hinge technique. After they were dry she repositioned the clean stencil on top of the pasted image and stenciled the lovebirds with a variety of pigment and metallic inks. She started with a yellow green and then shaded with a darker color of kelly green on the lower half of the image. The yellow beaks and black eyes were shielded with the Picasso stencil shield (LL332), so that the the breasts and heads could then be stenciled bright red. The word "love" was paste embossed with the metallic gold paste and while it was still wet just a bit of gold glitter was added.

As we move into 2011 Dreamweaver will be presenting fifteen new designs. These lovebirds and the tole heart I posted a couple of weeks ago are now ready for purchase. Please feel free to play along with our Thursday's Dream Schemes. The sidebar at the right has all of the Dream Team's names so be sure to head out and see what Love in the New Year is posted on their Dream Schemes. And then leave some love in the comments section of their postings, it is what we live for...Love!