Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Black Cats, of course


Well, you can't have a blog named Black Cats Studios without having black cats and, of course, Dreamweaver Stencils has just the thing – three cats (LM266)! It's just perfect. The stencil is embossed with matte black embossing paste on card stock cut with the Tim Holtz Baroque die. When dry, I gave the kitties a little bling by adding pearl and ribbon collars. Before matting, I punched holes on either side with a horizontal slot punch (Stampin' Up) and added more ribbon (can you tell I like ribbon?). With all the mats attached, I turned the ribbon ends to the back of the pink mat and adhered it to the white card base.

Now it's your turn . . .
Wendy, another of the very creative members of the Dream Team, has a fun, two week challenge going on at her blog, Paper Therapy. Check it out for the details and then get to work making a cool card, scrapbook page or altered item using Dreamweaver Stencils. . . whatever strikes your fancy. Just be sure you don't miss the November 4 deadline!

Monday, October 4, 2010

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

. . . Lucky Number 22

Thanks for the tip to use embossing paste on the back of a dry embossed stencil to preserve for mailing! Pretty projects! I like the sanded Core'dinations paper too. If I win I'd love to have the plum royale metallic f/x, the glossy red embossing paste and the LM250 Merry Christmas plate. Thanks!

Congratulations, Cindi. You have until midnight Tuesday, October 5, to claim your prize, so make just one more hop to the Dream it Up blog for instructions.

And a big THANK YOU to all who joined us on the first Dreamweaver Stencils Blog Hop. I enjoyed sharing my projects with you and hope that you'll continue to check in on each of our blogs as we work with Lynell's beautiful designs to bring you more ideas and inspiration for your own projects.


Note: just in case there's any confusion, adding embossing paste to the back of a dry-embossed stencil is necessary only if you're using craft metal. The metal bends easily and the embossing could be damaged going through the postal mailing machines. Dry-embossed paper is not a problem, and holds up very well.

Happy crafting,
Liz

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Welcome to Day 2 of the Dreamweaver Blog Hop

I hope you've been enjoying yourself as you've moved from blog to blog. Here's what I've created for you.

Dream
weaver stencils are extremely versatile and pairing them with Core'dinations paper is just one of the many ways to achieve a different look. For this card I dry embossed the stocking stencil (LL 499) twice using my Sizzix Big Kick, once with Core'dinations red paper and once again with green. Both papers were sanded to allow the white paper core to show through. The stocking top was cut out of the green paper and adhered to the red with pop dots. Brads were added to the fringe and a stocking "hanger" was cut from a strip of green paper and adhered to the edge.





I've had a piece of copper craft metal in my stash for some time just waiting for the perfect stencil, and what a "joy" it was to use it for this Christmas card. I embossed the metal using my Big Kick, and trimmed the edges. Then using Copic markers, I colored the raised design to give it added dimension. Before adhering the metal to the card, I applied white matte embossing paste to the back. This preserves the image as it goes through the mail. You can find the stencil (LL328) here.

Edit: Applying embossing paste to the back of the dry embossed image is necessary only if you're using craft metal. The paste provides support for the raised image and keeps it from becoming damaged. Dry embossed paper holds up beautifully when sent through the mail and pasting the back is not necessary. Hope this clarifies my earlier post.








Many times, but especially around the holidays, I've needed a quick gift wrap or tag and wished I had something made and ready to go. Now there's no excuse because, again, Dreamweaver Stencils have come to the rescue! I love the candy cane (LL555) and am getting a lot of use out of it as a bottle hanger, gift bag and tag. In each case, I used glossy red embossing paste. For the bottle hanger, I applied translucent glitter while the paste was still wet. For the tag, I pasted only the bow. Now I just need to make more!






I hope you've enjoyed your visit. As reminder, please be sure to leave a comment below with your favorite stencil, paste and Mettalic F/X color to be included in the drawing. If you haven't already done so, visit the Dreamweaver blog, Dream it Up! and leave a comment there for another chance to win. Then, hop on over to Louise's blog, Artfully Articulate, to see her work and leave your comment there.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Today's the Day . . .

. . . for the first-ever Dreamweaver Stencils blog hop, and are you in for a treat. The very talented ladies on the Dream Team have been working their magic and have beautiful cards, tags and altered items for you to look at. And, in addition to the eye candy you'll be seeing, you will have a chance to win BLOG CANDY! Here are the details:

You will have a chance to win your favorite stencil, embossing paste and Metallic F/X color. Each time you post along the hop, you need to leave a comment on the site where the newest creation is offered, then go to the Dreamweaver site, choose the stencil you like best, identify it to us, tell us why it's your favorite, and how you think you would use it. Just be sure to comment on each blog along the way to increase your chances of winning. But only one comment per blog, please. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

Each time you comment on a different blog, you need to choose a different stencil, paste, and Metallic F/X color, just in case you win more than once. At the end of the three days, each member of the Dream Team will choose a random entry via random.org and post it on their site by midnight on Monday, October 4.

Blog hoppers are encouraged to comment once on each designer's blog throughout the hop. Each time you do so will give you an extra chance to win. For an additional entry, you are invited to sign up to be a follower of the Dream it Up blog.



Different designers will be posting on different days, so check back on Sunday to be sure you've left a comment on each blog. That's all there is to it, so sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy the hop. Start here at the Dream it Up blog and follow the links to each designer's blog.

Thanks for stopping by. Please be sure to leave a comment as I enjoy hear from you.

Happy crafting,
Liz