Black Cats Studios

Cyndi Bundy

Happy Crafting,

Liz

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Getting inky with stencils . . . and glitter!

I hope you've been having fun with the Getting Inky with Stencils challenge. Here's what I've been working on this past week. By the way, it's a great way to incorporate some of the beautiful background stencils into your projects.

Begin by cutting a piece of double sided mounting paper (MPDS) to your desired size, peeling off one side of protective paper and adhering it to a piece of card stock. Peel back half of the other sheet of protective paper and sprinkle Glitter Ritz Microfine Warm Highlight glitter on the exposed sticky paper. Tap off excess glitter and burnish with your finger. Remove the other half of the protective paper and repeat the process.

Now you're ready to get inky. Note: no need to rub the back of the stencil with soap as the glitter has completely covered the adhesive and there is nothing for your stencil to stick to. Place the Hexagons stencil (LJ806) on the glittered paper and gently pounce distress ink (tea dye) around the edges. Remove the Hexagons stencil and center the Flower and Leaves (LG625) stencil on the glittered and colored background. Color the image (I used Splendor pigment inks by Tsukineko), adding layers and shading as you go along. I used Spellbinder's Labels 22 to cut out the image and then adhered it to two coordinating mats before adding ribbon and then adhering it to the card base. This really was a lot of fun and I can't wait to try it with some other stencil combinations.

The design team has been working on other project, so do stop by and take a look . . . and be sure to leave a note. We love hearing from you. Then, post your project on the Dream it Up! blog using Mr. Linky for a chance to be this month's lucky winner.

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu

Cyndi Bundy

See you next week,

Liz

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Continuing with the "Getting Inky" challenge, I went back to one of the most basic techniques – stenciling with pigment inks – which is great for showing off a stencil's beautiful details.

And I decided to go out of my comfort zone and use non-traditional Christmas colors. It's really fun!

Here's what to do:
Begin by dry embossing the Line of Christmas Trees (LL532) using either a personal die cut machine or a light box and stylus. If you use a die cut machine, remember to use new cutting plates and keep the stencil as far away as possible from the top roller. This will keep the stencil from warping.

With the stencil still in place, color the image using a stencil brush and ink, remembering to rub off some of the ink from the stencil brush on to a paper towel before applying it to paper to keep the excess ink from seeping under the stencil.   This is one of those times where the Picasso tool comes in handy, allowing you to apply color exactly where you want it.

Trim to desired size, adhere to mat(s), then to patterned paper. Add ribbon or other embellishment and adhere to card base. There you have it! This is a great card for making multiples.

Be sure to check out the other Design Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration and leave us a note to let us know you stopped by. Then link your project to the Dream it Up! blog using Mr. Linky. There's a twist to this month's challenge: the two winners (one for best interpretation of the challenge and one for best usage of Dreamweaver Stencil products) will get to pick a stencil of their choice!

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu

Cyndi Bundy

See you next week.

Happy crafting,

Liz

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

A new month . . . a new challenge

This month's challenge – getting inky with Dreamweaver stencils – is sure to be a lot of fun. But first, let's congratulate the August challenge winners

Tiffany Smith

for best interpretation of the challenge

and

Caroline Duncan

for best use of Dreamweaver products

September's challenge is wide open to interpretation as "ink" covers a lot of ground – pigment, alcohol, distress, mists – the list goes on as do the possibilities. But there's a twist: we are letting you choose any stencil you would like as your prize if you win. Yep, any Dreamweaver stencil you "so desire". We will still have two winners, one for best interpretation of the challenge and one for best usage of Dreamweaver products.

So let's get started.

Here's what you'll need:
Daisy Background stencil (LX7014)
Thank you stencil (LL303)
Color Solutions Alcohol Inks in Creme Brulee, Wild Plum and Gold
Glossy Black Paste (DGKP)
Glossy Paper
Card base and coordinating paper for mats

Follow these steps:
Begin by putting a few drops of Color Solutions Alcohol inks on a craft mat and add one or two drops of gold. Place your paper, glossy side down on top of the inks and smush (technical term) in circles to blend the inks. Turn the glossy paper over and set aside to dry. When dry, place the stencil on top of the card and, with a small piece of paper towel moistened with blending solution, dab at the open areas of the stencil to remove some of the ink. You should be left with a faint image of the daisies.

Position the Thank You stencil on the card and tape all sides. Apply the glossy black paste, remove the stencil and set the card aside to dry. Clean the stencil. Mat the card on coordinating paper and adhere to the card base, and you're done!

Hop on over to the rest of the Dream Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration and then let us see your interpretation of the challenge. Link your project to the Dream it Up! blog using Mr. Linky. We can't wait to see what you've made.

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu