CHA Sneak Peek Week Day 1

WELCOME to the Dreamweaver Stencils Sneak Peek Week! These designs will not be available until CHA next week, but if you like them, let your local retailer know so they can decide what to buy. I promise that most of my posts this week will include more than one stencil, but I wanted to kick off the week with one of my favorites--LL3023 Tall Poppy. I have always been a huge fan of the Art Nouveau movement and the Arts and Crafts style that this stencil reflects. Copper was often used during the time period, so it was copper that I chose to use on this card. This particular copper was a thicker mil than I am used to working with, so it gave my hands a real workout. I used Mercart tools to do the tooling. When I was finished, I filled the back with Backing Paste and let it dry. I have always loved the look of blue with copper, so I used some blue alcohol inks over the copper to bring out the details. I sanded when I was done to remove any excess color. Then, I used the "brass brush" end of one of the tools to brush sections of the copper, creating a softer, yet more textural look. I know that the Arts and Crafts Style also featured many textures, so I tried to include a couple of extras here. I put the copper on navy mulberry and Creative Imaginations Wood Paper. Then I attached it with brads. I adhered it all to cork paper. Not my usual crazy style, I know, but I just loved its simplicity. Sometimes it is best to just let a great stencil do all the work! (Of course, sometimes you just can't resist using lots of techniques and bling.....) If you would like to get more involved with stencils, be sure to enter this month's challenge. There is still time to show us what you've got! The theme is Valentine's Day, so get busy! There are two prizes. (Maybe even a new stencil?) Don't forget to check out everyone else's posts and get inspired......See you TOMORROW!!