A Fresh Start and a New Design Team

Yes, it's true.  The search for new team members is on.  Click on Dream Team Call 2013 at the top of Team Leader Pam Hornschu's blog for all the details. 

This post is another "fresh" stencil released at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show earlier this month.   And what's better than a little French flair on a luscious double-glittered cupcake!

Ingredients

LL552 Large Cupcake
LM2014 Bonne Fete
MPDS Double Sided Mounting Paper
Ultrafine glitter of your choice (I used Glitter Ritz)

Directions
For complete instructions and more samples of the double glitter technique, see any of my posts of June 2012.  When everything is glittered, mat your images on coordinating card stock.   For added interest and texture, dry emboss portions of the Fireworks (LJ886) stencil on the card base and card will really come to life!

Check out the rest of the Team blogs for more fun and inspiration and be sure to check the DREAM it UP! blog on Friday to see if you're a winner in this month's challenge and to find out what's in store for February.

DREAM it UP!

Pam Hornschu 

Laura Drahozal

Louise Healy  

Terrece Siddoway

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg  

Liz Martin (you're here)

Cherylynn Moser

See you next week,

Liz 

Several thoughts on a fresh start . . .

A fresh start can mean so many things and for me, one of the best ways to start the new year is to take in all the new products, ideas and inspiration at CHA, the Craft and Hobby Association's winter trade show.   We also celebrated the release of the new Dreamweaver Stencils – and a fun way to continue with this month's Fresh Start challenge theme!    

After the holidays, we all need thank you cards and here are two that are just perfect for conveying your warmest thanks with a bit of whimsy.

 The Bold Thank You stencil (LG748)  is perfect for the paper piecing technique.  Pick out your favorite coordinating papers and trace the letters, remembering to place your stencil face down on the wrong side of your patterned paper.  That is,  the side of the stencil with Lynell's name and stencil number should be placed against the back of your patterned paper so that when the letters are cut out, the tracing lines won't show and all your letters will be facing the right direction.  To make letter placement on the card front easier, I positioned the stencil on the card front and made faint pencil marks on the tops of each letter, so that I could recreate their position and spacing.  To give a little more definition, I outlined each letter with a Micron 03 pen from Sakura.

Those of you who saw this post know how much I love the Retro Sitting Cat (LL3020) and that I always have several (OK, more than several) images pasted up and ready to go.  So, when I got the Merci stencil (LS1011), I knew this would be a perfect match.

The cat is pasted with Glossy Black Embossing Paste (DGKP) and Merci is done with the double glitter technique  (you can find out more about that here).  Now, if you're very clever, you can glitter up the tiny beret from the (LG741) Kitty Words stencil and give this cool cat some real French flair!

That's it for today.  There will be more new releases and fresh starts throughout January.  For more ideas and inspiration, check out the rest of the team blogs and think a bit of your idea of a Fresh Start.  There are a lot of possibilities for interpretation, so let's see what you come up with.  There's plenty of time to post your project to Mr. Linky on the DREAM it UP! blog (where you will also find more information on the challenge) and you might just be a winner!

Pam Hornschu 

Laura Drahozal

Louise Healy  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg  

Liz Martin (you're here)

 Cyndi Bundy

Cherylynn Moser

Wendy Jordan 

See you next week,

Liz  

Glittering Christmas in August

It wouldn't be Christmas without bright and shiny glittering objects, so of course I turned to the double glitter technique.  If you followed along with the double glitter challenge in June, you should have this technique well in hand.  Here we go:

For complete instructions on the double glitter technique, scroll down (or click here) to any of my posts for June and you'll find the details.  The stencil is LL557, Long Merry Christmas, and the glitter is Glitter Ritz Microfine glitter in Real Red, Sea Green and Sahara.

Mark your calendar for August 20-25 for the  Christmas in August blog hop with the Woodware UK design team.  There will be lots of crafty goodness during the week and a blog hop on Saturday, August 25.  Don't miss it, or the chance to win some great prizes. 

In the meantime, check out this week's postings from the Dreamweaver Team.  Be sure to link your project to the Dreamweaver blog, Dream it Up!, using Mr. Linky.  We'll be looking for you.

Dream It Up!

Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal
Cherylynn Moser 

Louise Healy
Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy

 

Happy Crafting,

Liz

Sizzling Summer Fun

We're having a mini-heat wave this week.  Not as hot as in some parts of the country, but 90 degree temps with no fog or breeze is not nice.  So I dug into the archives for my favorite representation of sizzling summer fun with shades yellows and orange.

The Mosaic Swirls (LJ901) stencil lends itself to a variety of uses, but today the swirls are the bright summer sun and the sizzle is the double glitter technique on the Summer (LM294)  stencil.   Position the stencil on card stock and adhere around the edges with removable tape.  Add color to the spirals using a stencil brush with the darkest color at the center of the spiral and adding lighter colors as you move toward the outer rings.  Set the card aside while you wash and dry the stencil.  When the card is dry, replace the stencil and tape off all sides.  Apply Translucent Embossing Paste (DEPT) with the paste spreader (LM2010).  Carefully remove the stencil, wash an dry it, and set the card aside to dry. 

If you followed the double glitter challenge last month, you know what to do.  If not, you can find the instructions here, here, here and here.   To finish it off, I added a bright orange check ribbon from Creative Impressions.

Stay cool and check out the rest of the Dream Team blogs for more ideas and inspiration and then, while it's too hot to go outside, get to your craft area and let us see you summer fun project.  Be sure to link it up using Mr. Linky on the Dreamweaver Stencil's Dream it Up! blog so we can all take a look.

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy
Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 
Jessie Hurley

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser

Happy crafting,
Liz

Last call for glitter . . .

 AND

ARE TEAMING UP THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE TO BRING YOU AN AMAZING CREATIVE COLLABORATION MIXING DREAMWEAVER STENCILS AND ART GLITTER. COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE...WE PROMISE IT WILL BE A SPARKLING ONE!

Visit the Art Glitter blog and the Dream It Up! blog for fabulous inspiration from both talented design teams. We are encouraging all of you to play along with the challenge of creating with Dreamweaver Stencils and Art Glitter*, preferably using the Double-Glitter Technique with a wedding theme. Just link your creation to the Mr. Linky on the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com, for an opportunity to win one of four fabulous glitter and stencil prize packages. One winner will be chosen each week. (US and Canada only, please).

Have you noticed how many cupcake shops are popping up all around?   Within a 10 minute drive, I have my choice of Sprinkles, Kara's Cupcakes, Nothing Bundt Cakes (love this name) and, the latest addition, SusieCakes.  So it was a no-brainer that I chose LL551 Cupcakes for the last double glitter card of the month.

If you've been following along this month, I'm sure you could do this technique in your sleep.  For the newbies, here we go:

Adhere one side of the double-sided mounting paper (MPDS) to card stock, leaving 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.

Use removable tape or blue painter's tape to mask off all but the chocolate kiss, cherry and candle.   I used Art Glitter's #58 Brown for the chocolate kiss,  #119 Cranberry for the cherry and #93 Lemone and #97 Nirvana for the candle and flame.  Apply glitter using a cut off straw as a scoop and rub in with your finger.  Tap of excess and return to jar.  For the frostings I used  #95 Summer Sea,  #215 Wild Rose and #87 Hot Kiss.    #90 Melone was used for the cupcake bases. 

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 #86 Angel Dust to the exposed areas and rub in with your finger.  Trim the image, adhere to coordinating solid or patterned paper and you're done!

For more inspiration from the Art Glitter design team, please visit their blog for a complete list of players throughout the month.

For more inspiration from the Dream Team, here's the blog list for this week:

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy
Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg
Jessie Hurley

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

There will be a new challenge for the month of July, so be sure to check back next week.

Have a wonderful 4th of July celebration,
Liz

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.

Dream It Up!

Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin  (you're here)

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

 

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