Thursday, December 19, 2013

A Quick Candle Decoration


 Welcome to "Holidays in a Hurry"....of course, I did something a little different, but it could easily be used for a holiday gift.  I was actually thinking about all of those special events in the new year--weddings, anniversaries and parties.  This technique is super easy and would be a perfect party decoration.

MATERIALS:
Dreamweaver Stencil LL540 Heartweave
Mercart Metal in Black Coated Aluminum
Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat
Manual Die Cut Machine
Sandpaper
Scissors
Heat Tool
Candle
Pencil
Waxed Paper

DIRECTIONS:
1)  Run the stencil through the die cut machine with the aluminum and the embossing mat.  The Cuttlebug sandwich is Plate A, stencil face down, metal with the black side down, rubber embossing mat and two B Plates.
2)  Sand the embossed area on the metal to reveal the silver aluminum.
3)  Trim around the image.
4)  Position on the candle.


5)  Heat the metal and the area around it with a heat gun.


6)  Hold the metal in place and push in slightly with your pencil as you heat.  You can also use it to press down any parts that might raise up.


 7)  Place the waxed paper over the top of the metal and gently push down as evenly as possible.



 That is it!  I hope you enjoyed the idea. Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a little love and stop by the other team members to see more creative ideas for "Holidays in a Hurry."

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Dreamweaver Quick Gift Ideas


 This month's theme is Holidays in a Hurry.  My quick "gift wrap" idea is perfect for that gift card or small gift--and it is reusable year after year!  I actually got the idea for a fabric bag as wrapping from a woman who was shopping at Joann.  I just couldn't shake the idea.  Here is the very simple process that I used:

MATERIALS:
Dreamweaver Stencil LJ 917 Holiday Greetings
2 Stencil Brushes (either gold handled or blue handled)
Removable Tape
Small Canvas Bag (I got mine at Hobby Lobby, and the price tag said it was $1.50)
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Pearl Scarlet, Velveteen Green and Matte Tropical Green
Cardboard cut to fit inside the bag
Craft Knife
Paper Towel
Scrap Paper

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Insert the cardboard into the bag


 2)  Position the stencil over the top of the bag and tape lightly in place with Removable Tape.


3)  Place a little red paint on a plastic lid or piece of scrap paper.

4) Tap the stencil brush into the paint and rub a little off on the paper towel.


5)  Lightly stencil the color over the area that you would like to have red.  You may have to push down lightly on the stencil to make it flat with the canvas.  That is what I had to do here.  You can see how it is raised.  Be careful not to push too hard, or you may bend the stencil.



6)  Once you have finished the areas that you want red, repeat the process with the darker green.  If you overlap some of the green on the red, it just creates a little shadow.

7)  Highlight the leaves a little with the lighter color.  Then remove the stencil and let the paint dry.


 8)  Use the tip of the craft knife to scrape off any paint that may have migrated into an unwanted area.


 9)  You can also use the craft knife to replace a little of the paint in areas that you may not have gotten completely. You could use a paint brush if you prefer.  Of course, even doing these last two steps is your choice.


I hope you enjoyed my easy little project.  Stop by to check out the other blogs this week.


Have a great holiday season.  I will see you next time.