Fast and Easy Christmas Card

For those of you who would like to do a fast Christmas Card this one that Elaine Benedict made is so simple. Silver embossing paste is applied to the Coiled Christmas tree stencil (LG729) and then as soon as you take the stencil off ...throw some silver glitter on the paste. The holographic stars add just that something extra to make this a true Elaine Benedict card design. Like Louise she also teaches throughout the Illinois and Wisconsin area, if you live there look for a class at a store near you.

Classy Classes in Chicago

Louise Healy, from the Chicago area, has taught many stenciling classes. And on November 6, she will be teaching at Stampology in Chicago. She takes one stencil, which the students receive with the class and then you learn three different techniques. Although there are three different techniques displayed here you will have to click on her name and go to her site to find out what you will really be learning. But I can guarantee it will be interesting. This first holly leaf is done with matte black embossing paste as a base for the crackle to be done on. The second card is a shadow technique and then the third card is a technique called Faux Cloisonne'. Our other design team members also teach classes, so click on their names and travel to their sites to learn where they are teaching. Also right now Wendy Jordan is running a challenge that could win you 5 free discontinued Dreamweaver stencils. Yes, that's right, they won't be manufactured again for some time. So click on her name and find out all about how to win.

Foiled Again!

Have you ever gotten rid of some of your craft materials because you are doing something totally different and you don't use that particular technique anymore? Then you discover a new technique using that material and there you are, without that special element you are needing that will make all the difference ...ahhhrrrgh!!! Well Pam Hornschu sent me these two beautiful cards in red, black, white and gold, using a "foil film" that I know I had given away because I no longer used it. Now I am desperately trying to find some of that material so I can try the technique myself. She started with a red cardstock and...

#1. Sprayed the front of it with a spray adhesive.

#2. Next she placed the "branches with birds" stencil (LL526) ...or the (LJ900) Berry branch as shown in the first sample, onto her thick white platten of her Big Shot embossing machine and anchored it with very small pieces of removable tape (so the stencil will not shift or curl).

#3. She crumpled a piece of gold foil, (the size of the red cardstock) and smoothed the back of the foil onto the front of the red cardstock which has been sprayed with adhesive.

#4. Next this gold foiled-red cardstock piece is placed gold side down onto the stencil.

#5. Now she places her rubber mat for embossing onto the back of this red cardstock layer.

#6. She layers the two clear cutting mats that come with the machine onto the rubber mat.

#7. Now is the time to run these layers through the Big Shot Embossing Machine.

As it rolls through the machine it cracks and spreads showing the red cardstock through the gold foil. I can tell I am going to be in love with this new process...now if I can only find some of that gold foil....hmmm.

And of course if you are reading this Pam, you are welcome to make corrections in the comments. Thanks for this fun technique!

Metallic Embossed Purse

This beautiful embossed metal and paper purse by Kathi Anderson was embossed on pewter metal from MercartUSA. Kathi travels and teaches in New Mexico and has an upcoming class at China Phoenix in Albuquerque on November 6, so if you are lucky enough to be in that area ...that is where it is happening. (She also reps my stencils in Missouri and Western Texas.) She used the new flower stencil with the flourishing vines and leaves (LJ902). Although the pewter is somewhat pricey, Kathi says that she is able to put the metal with the stencil through the Big Shot embossing machine. Then she adds more detail work with tools that she reps from MercartUSA. If you have more questions she will be staying tuned with your comments and will make a point of answering any questions.

Sleighs were made of Wood!

You have to give this sleigh a double take...yes Laura actually made this sleigh from wood that is so thin you can use it like paper. She cut it out and even stenciled (LG731) the holly flourish onto it, outlined it with glitter glue and paste embossed the runners and season's greetings with silver paste. Puffy glue for the snow Laura? You'll have to correct me in the comments Laura if I'm off base, but I'm thinking that is what it is. It was all created on a metallic blue cardstock for a stunning effect. Fun!

Victorian Christmas!

OK, it is warm again in So Cal, but I am still finding wonderful Christmas Card samples from the Dream Team to share with you. These particular delights are from Kristi Van Doren who hails from the "Show Me" state of Missouri. She has used the embossing paste with the metallic leafing technique and then embellished with gorgeous ribbons and colored her creations with everything from the Metallic F/X, Pan Pastels, Dye inks, pigment inks, and the list goes on. If you want to see more of her creative spirit just click on Kristi's name under the Dream Team's listing. Kristi's creations always have something new for me to try. One thing that I love about these victorian treasures is that you can actually take the new stencil designs and use some materials from your past Christmas decor...wrapping paper, vintage post cards, ribbons etc. That "Go Green" mantra could be used in many ways when it comes to creating with your Dreamweaver stencil supplies and I never realized that so many of our designs could create this kind of vintage flare, thanks Kristi for creating these.

Stencils used Top left: LG695 Partridge in a pear tree, LL534 Partridge on a branch, LL563 Large pear,Background LJ900 Berry branch/ Top right: LG731 Holly Flourish / Center Card:LL3005 Holly with swirls and LM134 Merry Christmas/ Bottom Card: LL3005 Holly with swirls.

So Many Beautiful Cards!

The Dream Team has sent me so many beautiful creations and I haven't had enough time to show them and tell about them in the detail they deserve. So what I would like to do is show some of them here and if you have questions on how they are done please hop on over to their site to learn more. Here are two of Louise Healy's creations. I know she has posted about these techniques recently. Remember when you are working with the crackle paste to put a base coat of the matte black or any of the other pastes down first and let it dry before you use the Crackle Embossing Paste on top. This will ensure that the paste will be flexible and won't crack off of the card stock. Also note that the embellishment pin used on the first card was originally white and Louise used alcohol inks to color it. More about that card on her site...

Hallelujah!

This first card is done very simply. Matte black embossing paste was used on the LG731 holy flourish and then the ivy garden Metallic F/X was stenciled once the paste was dry. Next the red crystals were glued into place. The holly punch and bow embellishments really make this card shine. Season's Greetings was paste embossed with metallic gold embossing paste from stencil (LJ904).

The mother and child Christmas Card was also stenciled by Deborah March. The image in the center was rubber stamped and then the crystals were placed to add a very classy embellishment. The Hallelujah stencil (LM2007) was paste embossed and then the Metallic F/X (color ivy garden) was sprinkled onto the wet embossing paste. She also sprinkled a thick embossing powder onto the stamped image and then heat embossed it for a shiny effect.

We're having Christmas Card making weather today!

Finally the weather in So Cal has cooled off. No guarantees that it will stay that way, but for now it is putting me in the Christmas card making spirit. These three Christmas cards (going clockwise from the left) are by Kim Parkinson, Laura Drahozal and Georgia Sommers. I posted them today because someone wanted to know specifically what was new at Dreamweaver right now. The embellishment pins are new and really fun to add a festive touch to your creations. When I mount my card I try to use foam tape on the back of some of the mountings and then it is easy to push the pin down behind the mount and into the foam tape. This protects the card from damage when you mail it and hides the tip from view. Kim's Poinsettia stenciled (LG700) card is done with the Faux Cloisonne technique, Laura has used the metallic effects on black polymer clay using the open ornament (LL470) and layering the holly leaf stencil (LL3005) on top of it...(and she has offered to do a technique sheet for us so we can all now her special tips on the metallic f/x and the poly clay) and Georgia used the JAC paper technique on her CHRISTMAS, then mounted it with some printed scrapbook paper (or even wrapping paper would embellish this beauty). I love the bow made out of netting Georgia!

Still Hopping...I mean HOPING!

Thanks again for your support. All of the hoppers have turned in their names and addresses and the items will be shipped on Monday, October 11. Thanks for your participation and don't forget to come back and comment on future postings. Some of the design team will be hosting their own challenges with blog candy offered, so keep in touch to see what's going on and where. Hoping to hear more from you.

Here are a couple samples from store owner and design team member Lee Kellogg. She owns Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps in Santa Fe NM and everything she sends in is very clever. I love how she has used these backgrounds for a very altered Christmas. Great recycling ideas too!

The weather here in So Cal has turned very cool and I am thinking Christmas cards, so I am going to post of few of those over the next few days. Tralalalalahhh lala la lah!

Celebrating the Winners of the Dream it UP site:

Well it just goes to show that is pays to follow the suggestions and comment on every site... as I visited all of the blog winners on the Dream Team's blogsites I noticed that two different people won twice. Random choices can be amazing. Because there was some confusion on our part I decided to choose one more winner from our site for the Blog Candy of your choice: Random.org chose....

Marijane said...

What a blast! Three days of fun and great ideas. I will now re-visit them all just to reinforce the inspiration. Thanks for the opportunity! I will leave my days favorite choices here (wasn't quite sure where to do it):

Rhinestone tree LG711

White glossy paste

Moonstone FX

I must say the past few days have given me a LOT of new favorites!

All 22 winners of the blog hop have been in touch. 11 won on the individual design team's sites and then 11 won here on the Dreamweaver Blog.

This sample card is done by Laura Drahozal with the Berry Branch stencil (LJ900). Silver or Pearlescent embossing paste was used and then when it was dry she embellished the berries. If you are listening Laura we would love a comment on what you added to those berries. I also love the Hallelujah stencil (LM2007) it also could have been done with Silver or Pearlescent. One reason I love the Pearlescent is that it is semi-opaque, so when you use it on dark card stock it can appear silvery. Also because it is semi-opaque you can add the Metallic F/X to it to colorize it and it still has a shimmer to it.

BloP Hogging for Glob Candy can be Fun!

...well you know what I mean, this blog hopping is not for the faint of heart, whew, lots of work for our fearless blog hop leader, Deborah March...so a very special thank you to her! And thanks to those of you who visited our blog hop and left such lovely compliments. Then hugs to the Dream Team designers who spent many hours making these lovely creations. Each creation is sooo unique... (the cards were unique too)!!! Today I am off to Buena Park to try to convince the retailers in So Cal that they can't live without our stencils in their stores, so I will be back in the evening to discover who has won and work out the details of getting the product to you. My email is on my web-site, www.dreamweaverstencils.com ...so to those of you who have won, please feel free to email me any questions you may have ...about your winnings, where you would like your goodies shipped etc. Each design team member will post the winner on their site by midnight on October 4 (some have already posted, but others may be traveling etc.) and I will have some winners to post as well when I arrive back in the office. Then you will have another 24 hours to contact me with your mailing information, so we can get your Blog candy mailed to you ASAP.

For those of you who are interested in purchasing other products or stencils... you can find information on "Where to Buy" listed now on our website. Also for those of you that hopped to Lee Kellogg's blog, she has a store in Santa Fe and is happy to sell to you as well. She is listed on our Where to Buy list on the site. Some of our designers work or teach in stores all the way from California to Nova Scotia...and some of you discovered that Kim teaches classes on line. So there are many resources out there for learning about stenciling, and we are here to answer questions as well, feel free to leave comments or ask questions at any time. A special welcome to those of you who have joined as "followers" to my blog. Thanks again!!! Here is my email: lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com

LAST DAY TO HOP

I can tell that you hoppers are getting into the groove. To win the blog candy ...you need to tell us your favorite stencil, your favorite embossing paste and your favorite metallic f/x. If you don't you will end up getting my favorite choices for you. Each Dream Team member will be awarding this little kit randomly, so it pays to visit every designer's blog on the route. Today is the last day and you will have the opportunity to visit Pam's, Terrece's, and Wendy's blog sites. Then tomorrow after midnight October 4 each designer will post the winner. Be sure to check back ...if you do not claim your candy within 24 hours a different winner will be selected.

Aren't these sleighs that I have been posting unbelievable? All except one were done by the design team. It goes to show that you can take one stencil design and do it numerous ways. If you want to know how some of them were done just visit the designer's blogs and dig into their older posts. Most of these sleighs have been posted with a bit of description on how to make them. Enjoy hopping!

Remember if you are just starting be sure to visit the first and second days designer's postings as well. Gives you more chances to win and for one more opportunity sign up to be a follower on my blog and your name will be chosen randomly for another chance to win.

Here is the SCHEDULE again:

OCT 1ST

Deborah

Georgia

Kim

Kristi

OCT 2ND

Laura

Lee

Liz

Louise

OCT 3RD

Pam

Terrece

Wendy

OCTOBER 2nd...THE FOUR L's

It's the second day of our blog hop and here is another sleigh from one of the Dream Team members...could one of the Four L's have designed this gorgeous sleigh for Santa? Yep, today you are going to travel to see Laura, Lee, Liz and Louise's Blogs. Don't forget to comment on each blog as this will give you the chance to win big ...because each designer is randomly picking a winner from those who leave comments on their blog. Choose your favorite stencil (giving me the stencil number is helpful...because if you just say bamboo stencil that will confuse me because we have 3 different bamboo stencils , at least, so be sure to go to my web site www.dreamweaverstencils.com to find the actual # of what you like). Choose your favorite embossing paste...(we have more than 10 kinds...for instance we have both glossy white and our original matte white), so be specific because if you're not, you might get my favorite kind. LOL! Then choose your favorite Metallic F/X color ...there are 18 to choose from! This type of Blog Candy is low in calories, but yummy too, so enjoy! And if you are just getting started with us today...after you visit the 4 L's whose links are above...do Deborah, Georgia, Kim and Kristi. Their links are listed on the right. They were the start yesterday, but we want you to hop there too for more opportunities to win.

Last Minute Instructions for the BLOG HOP

Please make sure you comment on each and every blog all along the way, from the first (the Dream it Up blog) to the last! Each design team member will be giving away a blog candy kit...so if you only comment on the first blog you have decreased your chances of winning on the subsequent ones.

If you sign up to be a follower on the Dream it UP Blog...let us know in a separate posting to ensure another chance of winning.

If you are interested in purchasing Dreamweaver Stencils there is a "Where to Buy" button on the Dreamweaver Stencils site that will inform you of the online stores and brick and mortar stores closest to you!

Refer to yesterday's posting for the posting schedule of the Blog...start with Deborah and you are on your way! Enjoy...