Wednesday/Thursday Multitasking

Today's post is a two-for-one special!  Dreamweaver Stencils is this week's sponsor at Cardabilities and the Dream Team's Thursday Challenge is a turquoise/brown/kraft brown/neutral color challenge, so I decided to bring you a sketch and colorway challenge a day early.  Have I confused you yet?  Don't worry, it's pretty easy and a lot of fun.  Here's a way to really get the creative juices flowing. 

Here's the sketch                                                    and the card

I began by dry embossing the Big Dots background stencil (LJ 804) and the cupcakes (LL551) on white cardstock.  Before removing the cupcake stencil, I colored them with Shiva Artist's Paint sticks (Winter and Spring iridescent tri-color sets were used on this card).  I haven't used paint sticks in a while and I had forgotten how much I liked the subtle shimmer of the iridescent sticks.  They are a nice touch for a more masculine card without going overboard.  I think they'd be great on the Easter egg stencils (LG685 and LM253).  The dot background was cut to size and edged with the chisel point of a coordinating Copic marker.  

Bonus:   There are three cupcakes on this stencil, so change the colors and sentiment to suit your needs and you'll have three cards ready to go.

Ready to play along?  Check the Cardabilities  and Dreamweaver blogs as well as those of the Design Team and get to work.  We're looking forward to seeing what you can do!  Keep in mind that some members of the Design Team are posting different projects today and tomorrow and some of us are multitasking, so be sure to check back tomorrow for more inspiration.

I'm off to the Craft and Hobby Association's trade show this weekend to meet many of the Design Team members and spend time in the Dreamweaver booth.  Until next week, 

Happy crafting,

Liz

Thursday Dream Scheme

For today's Designer's Choice, I chose a sweet treat.  And what could be better than a cupcake?  Well, three of them, all in a row, sounds pretty yummy to me.  

I started with the Cupcakes stencil (LL551) and dry embossed it using a Sizzix BIGkick.    With the stencil still in place, I inked the bottom of the cupcake using the two browns from the Hazy collection of Splendor ink by Tsukineko.   I repositioned the clean stencil over the cupcakes and covered the inked portion with a post-it and used a bit of removable tape to cover the chocolate kiss, cherry and candle to keep them clean while I applied a product called Mudd Puddles into which I added glitter to give it a little sparkle.  Before removing the stencil, I took off the tape and colored the chocolate kiss, cherry and candle with Copic markers and applied a layer of Diamond Glaze for added interest.

Be sure to check the other Dream Team members' blogs (see the sidebar on the right) and don't forget to stop by Dreamweaver Stencil's DREAM it UP blog to see what's on hand for today's Thursday Dream Scheme.

Happy crafting and see you next week,
Liz

Dream Schemes Sketch Challenge

Welcome to our Thursday Dream Schemes Sketch Challenge.  After checking out the Dream Team's creations (see the side bar on the right), stop by the Dreamweaver Stencil's blog and show us your take on the sketch by using Mr. Linky.  We'd love to see what you  can do!

Here's the sketch                                               and here's my card

 

OK.  So I can follow directions . . . sometimes.  I like to think of it as creative license. But what I really love is the "ah hah" moment, the  light bulb that shines above your head when the ideas jell and you know exactly what you're going to do.  I fell in love with the glossy blue paste when we were working on the December 23rd challenge, and I pasted a lot of stencils, not knowing how I would use them. The baby buggy (LL541) was a perfect match for the Theresa Collins paper (I did leave off the sentiment because there was too much going on in the background).  And, while the ribbon looks almost black in the photo, it is the same color as the glossy blue paste!  I used Nestabilities Labels Four for the image and mat, and there you have it – card to welcome the precious little bundle of joy.

I hope you're enjoying visiting each Dream Team member's blog and don't forget to link your card via Mr. Linky.

See you next week,

Liz

 

Thursday Dream Schemes Designer's Choice

It's a new year with new beginnings and a blank . . . well, almost blank . . . calendar in front of me.  One of my goals is to schedule crafting time, much like I do everything else, rather than trying to fit it in piece meal.  So far, so good for week one!   Here's what I've done. 

In keeping with the Valentine's day theme, I wanted to experiment using the same stencil and technique, but varying the products to achieve different looks.  I began with the heart background stencil (LJ833) and applied ink to the back of the stencil.  I then placed the stencil on card stock, inked side down,  taped the top and bottom with repositionable tape and ran in through the BIGKick.  Carefully removing the tape, I set the card aside to dry, and cleaned the stencil.

For the card on the left, I repositioned the clean stencil and taped all sides before applying pearlescent embossing paste.  For the card on the right, I applied white embossing paste.  When that dried, I repositioned the stencil and taped just the top and bottom to keep it in place while  I applied glue (Palette Stamp and Stick Gluepad) with a dauber and then brushed on Pink Blaze Metallic F/X.  I think this is my favorite as the metallic F/X over white embossing paste gives it a shimmery velvet look. 

I have a few more ideas to work on, so please stop by in the coming weeks.   But before you leave, be sure to visit the blogs of the other crafty designers and the Dreamweaver Stencils blog, DREAM it UP.

Happy crafting,
Liz