Thursday, May 31, 2012

Last Post for Black and White and a Tease for the June Challenge

I can't believe it's the end of the month already.  Today is the last post for the Black and White Challenge and, while it was a lot of fun, it's time to move on.   There's something special in store for next month, but before I get to that, here's the last of the Black and White with a POP of color cards.

I used the double glitter technique on the Hot Air Balloon stencil LL3003.  Here's what to do:
Adhere one side of the double-sided mounting paper (MPDS) to card stock.  Leave the protective covering on the top side until you are ready to position your stencil.   Rub the back side of the stencil with Handmade Hawaiian Coconut Soap (DHHS), making sure to cover the entire stencil.  This will keep the stencil from making a tight bond with the adhesive.  Carefully brush the soap "crumbs" from the stencil openings, making sure not to bend the stencil.  Remove the protective paper from the double sided mounting paper and position your stencil, soap side down.

Now, here comes the fun part.  For this project, you will want to use a microfine or ultrafine glitter.  Cut a straw in to 3" pieces and then cut one end at an angle to make a little scoop.  This is perfect for getting into small areas.   Hold the stencil with the top of the balloon pointing down, apply black glitter and let the excess glitter fall on to a piece of paper.  Burnish the glitter with your finger and then tap the back of the card stock to remove any loose glitter.  Using the paper as a funnel, return the unused glitter to the jar.  Following the same steps,  add gold and turquoise glitters.  Then, turn the stencil right-side up and add more black glitter to the bottom of the balloon.

Place the glittered image, stencil side down, on a flat surface and begin removing the card stock.  Be sure to keep the stencil flat against your work surface, moving or "walking" your fingers along the stencil as you peel back the card stock so that the stencil always remains flat and does not bend.  Apply cool highlight glitter to the exposed areas and burnish.  Cut out the image and set it aside. 

For the background, I used Rolling Hills LJ910.  Tape the stencil to card stock and, with a large stencil brush, load black ink on to the brush and tap it lightly on to a paper towel to off-load some of the ink.  Drag the brush lightly over the stencil to create a soft shadow-y effect. 

 For a wrap-up of the Black and White with a POP of Color and/or Graduation challenge, be sure to visit the other Dream Team blogs and then link your project to the Dreamweaver blog, Dream it Up! using Mr. Linky.   But remember, today is the last day to enter and winners will be posted on Friday.

 
June's challenge will be all about glitter as we collaborate with Art Institute Glitter's design team.  They will be working with stencils and we'll be doing more of the double glitter technique, so you'll get plenty of practice and tons of ideas and inspiration.  
 
See you next week,
Liz 









Posted by Liz Martin at 1:01 AM 10 comments
Labels:cards, crafts, handmade ,

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Black and White with a Pop of Color . . . . NOT!

Well . . . my initial thought was to do black and white with just a hint of color using the newly released Delicate Star Flower stencil, but I got carried away playing with the rich colors of Metallic F/X and ended up with more color with a hint of black.    The image lends itself perfectly for a bookmark and that's what I made.

I began by paste embossing the Delicate Star Flower stencil (LL3027) with matte black embossing paste (DMBP).  When dry, I repositioned the clean stencil over the image and, using a foam dauber (KD01 or KD02), covered the pasted image with Palette Stamp and Stick Glue pad, using a pouncing motion.  Keep the stencil in place and apply Metallic F/X in the colors of your choice (I used Navajo Sky and Kiwi).   Remove the stencil and carefully wash it.  Mat the image on two layers of coordinating paper and adhere those to a longer piece of card stock in which a hole has been punched at the top.  Add ribbon or fiber in complementary colors.  Note:  I used the bookmark in an old paperback and the color does not rub off on the pages.

Don't forget to check the other Design Team blogs for more great ideas and then be sure to play along with this month's challenge.  When you're done, link your project to the Dreamweaver blog, Dream it Up! using Mr. Linky.   Then we can link back to your blog and leave a note to let you know we were there. 

See you next week,
Liz
Posted by Liz Martin at 10:43 PM 6 comments

Thursday, May 17, 2012

May Challenge Week 3

This month's Black and White with a Pop of Color and/or Graduation challenge is so much fun to work with and we get to show you some of the newly released stencils that will soon be appearing at your local scrapbook store or at Stencil with Style.  Check them out!

Today's project showcases the new Daisy Background (LX 7014) stencil and an older release, Happy Birthday (LM239).

Begin by paste embossing the Daisy Background and Happy Birthday stencils with Glossy White Embossing Paste (DGWP) on black card stock.   Set the card aside to dry while you carefully wash the stencils.  When dry, trim to size and adhere the the Happy Birthday to the Daisy Background.  You'll want to you a strong, double-sided sticky tape for this to be sure the sentiment adheres to the pasted surface without lifting up on the edges.  Add ribbon.  Adhere to the yellow mat and adhere that to your card front (can you tell I like layers?).   To add an extra bit of "pop," I highlighted the dots in the sentiment with an a Copic marker.  

Don't forget to check the Dream Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration.  You can find them here, beginning with the Dreamweaver Stencils' blog, Dream it Up!    When you've finished your project, link it to the Dream it Up! blog using Mr. Linky so we can all see your work.  And you just might win one of this month's prizes.


Happy Crafting,
Liz







Posted by Liz Martin at 12:32 AM 9 comments

Thursday, May 10, 2012

May Challenge, Week 2

Welcome back for the next installment of the May Black/White with a Pop of Color and/or Graduation Challenge.  Whew!  That's a a long one.  But it's easy to combine the two.  Here's what I did . . .

 
This is a big pop of color, but it coordinates with the school's colors (cardinal and white).  I paste embossed the Herringbone stencil (LJ914) with Glossy Red embossing paste (DGRP) and the Graduation stencil (LL449) with Glossy Black embossing paste (DGKP).  I set both aside to dry while I washed the stencils, palette knife (DPK) and paste spreader (LM2010) , and cut the red, black and white mats.

Assembling the card is easy: layer your color-coordinated mats on to the card base, adhere the herringbone stencil, then the mortarboard and diploma.  This card was for a woman, so I added a bow in the middle, but you could add three black brads for a masculine effect.   Graduation season is upon us, so if you need more than one, this is an easy card to reproduce.

Come back next week when I'll have a sneak peek at the new stencil releases.  In the meantime, stop by the Dream Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration.   Then, play along with us and link your project on the Dream it Up! blog using Mr. Linky or email pics of your creation to Lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com.  We love to post your submissions on the blog as well as the Facebook page.   Even more, we love to provide you the opportunity to win one of two sets of two stencils by playing along. You have all of May to link as many creations as you'd like!  Sorry...winners must be from the US or Canada.
See you next week,
Liz













Posted by Liz Martin at 8:13 AM 6 comments
Labels:cards, crafts, handmade , ,

Thursday, May 3, 2012

New Challenge Starts Today

Congratulations to the winners of the April Challenge
Rose S.
Lynn B.
Your creations were lovely and we hope you'll play along with us again this month.

It's the very merry month of May now, and the Dreamweaver Stencils' Dream Team are playing with a new challenge, and we're hoping that YOU will play along! All of this month, we'll be creating for graduations and/or using black and white with a pop of color. May and June are typically the time for grads in the US, but to keep things even more interesting, you can choose to play with our colorway challenge instead.   Here's how I've interpreted the challenge:


The LX 7002 Plaid and the LL3017 Cameo stencils were embossed with Glossy Black paste and set aside to dry while I washed the stencils, palette knife (DPK) and paste spreader (LM2010).  When dry, the background  was trimmed to size and the cameo cut out, and adhered to a mat and card base.  The decorative pin and ribbon were added for the pop of color.  And there you have it!

To play along with us, you do not have to have a complicated creation, so pull out your supplies and have some fun!  Link your creation to the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics of your creation to Lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com.  We love to post your submissions on the blog as well as the Facebook page.   Even more, we love to provide you the opportunity to win one of two sets of two stencils by playing along. You have all of May to link as many creations as you'd like! Sorry...winners must be from the US or Canada.

Check out the rest of the Dream Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration.
See you next week,
Liz



Posted by Liz Martin at 8:04 AM 9 comments
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