Thursday's Dream Schemes/Colorway Challenge- Pink & Black

This week is another colorway challenge...my fave challenge of the month you know! Marj Marion from Art n Soul in Olympia is the creator of this darling bird inspired card. In fact Marj was the one that really encouraged us to do a stencil of "bird words" (LG734) as you see in her sample.  This card isn't difficult...just takes a bit of time, so if you are a beginning "paster" give it a try. She paste-embossed both the bird words and the fine feathered friends stencil (LM2009) with the Dreamweaver Glossy Black Embossing Paste (DGKP) and the bird cage (LL3012) was paste-embossed with the Pearlescent Embossing Paste (DPP). The two black birds on the cage were little die cut birds as were the to white birds on the right...these embellishments were die cut on a glossy card stock and then glued onto the card.


As I was trying to decide on what to post this week I discovered that I have several cards done in pink and black, so this week I am going to try (operative word here is "TRY") to post everyday for a week with pink and black....and as I do so I will leave you some encouragement to try out for the Dreamweaver Design Team.  We will be putting out a call in another week with details on what we need from you.


You are probably wondering what it means to belong to a design team...when I put out my initial call over a year ago, two or three of the people who answered the challenge didn't even know how to blog. But they came on board and became bloggers. YAY!!! They are  proof evident that it can be done. LOL!


If you are interested in playing along this week with our colorway challenge sign up on Mr. Linky below, or email me one of your pink and black creations and I will post it this coming week. Be sure to visit the rest of the design team listed on the sidebar at the right for more pink and black inspiration.

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Our Canadian Friends

This Thursday is a free challenge week and today I am honoring our Canadian neighbor's Thanksgiving holiday. This year October 10 is their Thanksgiving (the date changes yearly just like ours) and I actually wish we celebrated this same day for ours, it just makes so much sense. It is before the weather turns cold for one thing, so the "over the river and through the woods" drive to Grandmother's house is much safer and the scenery much more Fall-like. Also we would have a bit more time to enjoy that holiday, because it is separated by more than two months from Christmas. Let's advertise this idea on facebook to everyone we know and see if we can get things changed. SERIOUSLY!

Today I have featured a simple dry embossed card using the pumpkins stencil (LL514) and the happy thanksgiving stencil (LM251). The greeting was even more simply done by just stenciling it with pigment ink. After the pumpkins were dry embossed I stenciled them with pigment inks as well. Next I took a large stencil brush and added just a touch of green pigment ink at the edge of the white cardstock by stenciling in a circular or rouging motion all the way around the card. Sometimes simple is elegant.

Speaking of elegant, the second card I am featuring is done by Canadian card artist and teacher Fran Holt. I met Fran at CHA and she was kind enough to send me a card recently. I love it when I can post YOUR creations on the blog...feel free to send them to me anytime. Now I have to admit I don't know how she did the background, so Fran...if you are reading along here let us know by writing us a message in the comments at the bottom of this post. Well here is what Fran emailed me as an explanation as to what she did for the damask background:


Hi Ladies,

Thank-you so much for your kind words about my card. My background was made using an ink transfer technique - so easy to do with Lynell's Dreamweaver stencils. Here are the steps that I followed.
Place your stencil on the flat bottom of a cardboard box.
Spray it with 4 - 6 sprays of at least 2 different colours. I used my old LuminArte Radiant Rain sprays: Sky Blue and Bronze Medallion. (I had the best results when I used opaque sprays that laid down solid colour.)
Place a piece of watercolour paper over your sprayed stencil. I used Canson, 140 lb, Cold Press.
Run your fingers over the paper, without moving it, to press it into the ink. When you're satisfied that you've transferred the colour, lift it off.
That's it, easy and simple. Have fun and enjoy!






I do have an instruction flyer with the above technique called "ink transfer technique". If anyone wants this please email me and I will send it to you. lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com The cameo stencil (LL3017) was paste-embossed with the Pearlescent Embossing Paste (DPP). The damask background stencil is (LX7001). This is a fairly new size of stencil for us and measures six by six inches. I made these LX stencils a size that would go through the Embossing Machines, both the Big Shot and Cuttlebug. Just FYI we also have a new size of rubber embossing mat (REM) that fits these stencils made by Stamping Details. For those of you that may be interested in taking a class from Fran, she teaches at a store in Pointe-Claire, Quebec called Bonnidee. Take time to visit them.


If you would like to play along this week remember it's our free week, so anything you want to show us. And I do love getting your cards in the mail as well if you don't know how to blog...I know you're familiar with snail mail.

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Sketch by Deborah

Sketch by Deborah March

Two days ago the hot weather finally broke and I felt that perhaps Fall was on it's way. With this positive thought I am going forward with a more seasonal attitude to my card making and blogging. I do love this time of year, even though Southern California is usually somewhat behind the rest of the country with it's Autumnal weather. 

Our challenge today is a sketch by our own fearless leader Deborah March. I am presenting a card done on metal and colorized with new alcohol inks that will soon be on the market called "Color Solution". These artist grade alcohol inks are highly saturated and stay wet just a bit longer, giving you more time to work with the colors.  

First I paste embossed the spider stencil (LS28) onto a piece of acetate using Pearlescent Embossing Paste (DPP) with the Goldfinch Metallic F/X mixed into it for a golden coloration. I set this aside to dry and then moved on to embossing the spider's web. I started by putting the spider web stencil (LJ816) through my embossing machine with a piece of aluminum. 

The method I used to stack the plates:

1.  A thick white plate or "platen" first

2. The stencil face down

3. Next the piece of metal to be embossed

4. Thick rubber mat (REM)

5.  And finish with the two acrylic plates ...(if you are using the Cuttlebug then use 2 "B" plates).

...I also can't stress enough that for this step #5 if you usually use one of these acrylic plates for die cutting it could be warped and it could warp your stencil, don't put a warped acrylic plate close to the stencil or rubber mat. 

Just FYI...I show how to do this stacking method in my new DVD Tips and Tools.

Once this was finished, I placed the embossed aluminum face up on my work mat, then I dripped several Color Solutions on the metal directly...Darkest Brown, Thistle, Citron and Gourd Green and then once it started drying I applied several drops of Gourd Green and Iceberg onto a piece of felt with just a few drops of thinning or blending solution and daubed it on top of the other already drying inks. This method of working a wet mixture of ink and thinner on top of the dry alcohol inks creates the puddling of color that you see in the finished "web" (LJ816). 

A few minutes later when it was completely dry I sanded the embossed spider web with a fine grit sanding block so the web would stand out. I then cut the web into four rectangles and mounted the spider I had previously pasted onto acetate directly in the middle of the web.

Celebrate the F/X of Autumn!

Hi, Pam here once again. Lynell should be travelling back from Hawaii today, and therefore was unable to write the blog post for this week. Since it was a free week again, she suggested that I post this gorgeous card from our terrific sales rep in Illinois, Elaine Benedict. You've seen some other fabulous creations by Elaine on the Dream It Up! blog. Personally, I think we need to add Elaine to our Dream Team! What do you think? I love how she very softly stenciled the large LJ916 Butterfly stencil in the background of this card. I'm not precisely sure whether she used the Paintstiks or one of the Splendor Ink Pads with the stencil brushes, but either would achieve this effect. Then she went on to paste-emboss in Glossy Black the LJ906 Maple Branch before setting aside to dry. When paste-embossing a larger stencil like this one, we recommend using the new Paste Spreader. It works sort of like a "squeegee" to spread the paste evenly and helps to remove evenly as well. Once the paste was dry (approximately 45 minutes, or 20-30 minutes if placed on a low-heat electric pancake griddle, or the top of your toaster oven), she applied various shades of the Metallic F/X Powders. These leave a wonderful shimmer of autumn colors. One of my favorite parts of this card, is how even through the paste and powders, you still see the great textural lines of the cardstock base...and of course those beautiful butterflies! Now is your opportunity to see what the Dream Team has been up to for this free week. Please take advantage of the free week, to create your own piece of artwork and link at the bottom for us to see as well!

Dreaming in Lime and Gray

Hi, there, it's Pam here once again. Lynell is off to Hawaii to teach some wonderful Dreamweaver Stencils' classes. Poor thing! Don't you feel sorry for her? Lol. So I'm here with the honor of creating two items with Lee Kellogg's colorway challenge of LIME and GRAY! Yes, two, as I needed one for this blog and one for my own. Really unique color combo, but actually fun to work with. I kept the techniques simple on this card. Mostly using my embossing machine to add texture to all the elements. The card base was created from Core-dinations cardstock, and was run through the machine with the Herringbone stencil, and the embossed areas were sanded to highlight the pattern. The bamboo panel was created with the ink transfer method of inking the Bamboo stencil itself, running it through the machine with a strip of watercolor cardstock spritzed with rubbing alcohol. The spritzing helps to break up the ink a bit, creating an almost pointilism look, as well as enhancing the embossing. The final addition was the squares of Mercart aluminum run through the machine with the small Dragonfly stencil, off the edge for added interest. The Dream sentiment was simply ink-stenciled directly on the card. I love the contrast pop of the shades of lime green against the foggy gray color. If you have any questions regarding this card, or any of the Dreamweaver Stencils' line of products, please leave your question in the comment section, or email us at lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com. Now do the hopping thing around to the Dream Team blogs and see what creative processes have been at work with them as well. Don't forget to create your own version of this week's colorway challenge, and use the Mr. Linky tool at the bottom of this post. We can hardly wait to see what YOU come up with!

Thursday's Dream Schemes/Glass Fusion

Several days ago when we began our blog hop I posted a piece of glass fusion by Shirley Parlin. We were showing how you can do so many different home decor projects with stencils. Several years ago Shirley got interested in doing stained glass and as her glass art evolved she began doing glass fusion. Here is her explanation of how it works...in a nutshell:


"Fusing glass is just what it says, fusing two or more pieces together. For glass you need a lot of heat and this can be accomplished with a kiln that is especially made for glass firing (which is easier to operate) or you can use a regular ceramic kiln, which requires more "watching" or monitoring. Also, you must be sure that the pieces of glass are compatible, but using the stencils is somewhat simplified because you are using a glass powder referred to as "frit".


To do the background I started with a round piece of clear stained glass for the base, cut another piece of compatible glass just a bit larger of the blue and layered it on top of the clear. Then I used the geese stencil (LG687) for the design. I positioned the stencil where I wanted it, stenciled some white glue to the area and finished it with a sifting of black glass powder, the material known as "frit". We moved the stencil for each placement and proceeded with the same application of the black "frit". Then it was fired in our kiln and violá!"


Here are a couple of smaller pieces that I made with Shirley and use as coasters, the tulips stencil (LL444) and the wave crest stencil (LL477):

HOP ACROSS THE POND AND BACK/DAY FIVE

Quilt Block by Barbara Alama from Honolulu, HI

We have a winner!!! I used random.org to choose a winner for this posting. 


The winner is #8 of 8 Janine and her comment was: "very elegant". 


So, Janine, you can email  me your snail mail address to: lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com and I will send your your blog winnings.

We are continuing our blog hop with our friends from the UK. This year Woodware Craft Collection, Dreamweaver's exclusive UK distributor, has begun a blog and design team. Don't hesitate to visit their blog to ask questions and get information by communicating with their talented designers. They are great sources for technique and can even give guidance on where they may be teaching or where you can find Dreamweaver Stencils or Woodware's other great products.

In just a few days I will be flying to Honolulu, Hawaii  to do a consumer show at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Joining me will be long time friend, quilter and Hawaii resident Barbara Alama. She stenciled this beautiful quilt block with an oil based paint and for a finishing touch she glued a myriad of gold, pearl and silver beads for some added bling. Barbara teaches quilting at one of the local stores in Honolulu and her students also enjoy stenciling as well. 

To achieve the intensity and shading that you see here she started by placing the kimono stencil (LG634) in the center of a piece of muslin and taped out the edges to keep the fabric clean.

To keep the fabric from moving and shifting as she stenciled, she placed a piece of fine grit sandpaper underneath the fabric. 

There are several fabric inks and paints out there that can be used, but Barbara often stencils with oil based Paintstiks. People often see the large crayon looking Painstiks and think that you use them directly on the stencil. But after peeling back the dry paint skin you actually stroke the creamy paint onto a palette and next pick up this color with a stencil brush to apply it to the stencil. The base color she chose for this kimono was Prussian Blue (a well known pigment that is favored by many artists in their palettes). Using a 3/4"stencil brush she started at the outer edge and repeatedly layered the color on the kimono stencil. Remember that if you are stenciling a wall hanging and it isn't going to be laundered it is OK to stencil with any pigment based ink that you would use on your paper creations.

Next she layered the cherry blossoms stencil (LG644) on top of the kimono stencil. Leaving the kimono stencil in place keeps the area beyond the kimono design clean. This time she didn't shade from light to dark, she just stenciled the blossoms quite heavily with an Alizarin Crimson Paintstik (another favorite artists' pigment) and then used a brown color for the stems. Whether you are creating on a box, a frame, a piece of furniture or working on a piece of fabric like Barbara's creation you can use stencils in a hundred different ways. So enjoy and when before this HOP is over be sure to sign up as a follower to keep up with the latest stenciling trends.

For the next "HOP" on this magnificent blogging tour, visit the blog of Pam Hornschu:http//1pamperedstamper.blogspot.com Remember to leave comments on every blog. This will give you more of a chance to win goodies in the form of Dreamweaver Stencils.