The Flora and Fauna Challenge Continues.....

It's May! The Dream Team members are challenging you this month to a "Flora and Fauna" theme! Considering most of the Dreamweaver designs incorporate these themes, you should have no problem playing along with our challenge this month! As usual, link your creations at the end of the Dream It Up! blog post.  As the challenge gets underway, you'll see thumbnails of others who are playing along as inspirations for your own creations!

Here in Michigan, the weather has been stormy and hot, although later this week it is going to cool down again.  Typical for a Michigan spring.....  The weather, however, has gotten me thinking about summer, so I thought I would share a little summer card with you.

 

I made it with metals.  As my regular followers know, I am BIG into the metals.  They are so much easier to use than they appear.  Check it out with my tutorial on the goldfish.

 

MATERIALS:

 

Dreamweaver LX 7023 Large Scales Stencil

Dreamweaver LJ 863 Swirls Stencil

Dreamweaver LL 3038 Open Fish Stencil

Dreamweaver LM 294 Summer Stencil

Dreamweaver Color Solutions in Pumpkin, Lemoncello and Black Beauty

Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat

Mercart Medium Blue Coated Aluminum

Mercart Yellow Coated Aluminum

Mercart Beginners Tool Kit (includes both Teflon Tool and Ball Tool)

Mercart Filling Paste

A Small Piece of Suede

Scissors

Manual Die Cut Machine

Sandpaper

Cotton Swabs

White Card Stock

Adhesive

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1)  Cut the metals to just larger than the stencils:  blue for the scales and gold for the swirls and the summer stencil.

 

2)  Run the metals through the die cut machine with the metals and the rubber mat.  I have a Cuttlebug, so I used an A Plate, stencil, metal (face up), rubber mat and two B Plates.  Leave the stencils under the metals.

 

3)  Use the Teflon Tool (found in the Beginners Kit) to press in and "sharpen" the word summer.

 

3)  Use a cotton swab to add a little Pumpkin Color Solutions over parts of the gold swirls and into the word summer.  Let it dry (this should only take a minute or so).

 

4)  Sand the blue scales and the gold/orange swirls and word summer with the stencils underneath.  After you are done sanding, you can remove the stencils.

 

5)  Run the gold/orange metal through the die cut machine with the goldfish stencil.



 

 6)  Place the goldfish face down on a piece of suede and "push" the metal out with the Ball Tool (found in the beginners tool kit).

 

 You are shaping the fish.  Be sure to use the Metal Ball Tool to enhance the shape with your own flair.  I like to add some "ruffles" in the tail.

 

 7)  Once the shape is the way you like it, flip the metal back over and place on a die cut machine plate or another smooth, flat surface.  Use the small end of the Teflon Tool (found in the beginners kit) to "sharpen" areas of the fish.

 

 8)  Use the "Deer Foot" end of the Teflon Tool to flatten the outside of the fish.

 

 9)  Flip the fish back over and fill with the Mercart Filling Paste.  Let it dry.  This will take a couple of hours.  It will be hard when done.

 

 10)  When the hardener is dry, use cotton swabs and the Color Solutions to enhance the colors.

 

11)  Trim around the outside of all the metal pieces with scissors. 

 

12)  Assemble the card.



 





Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to have inspired some people to use metals.  It is reall easy and great fun!

Be sure to check out all the other "A" Team members this week--and leave us a little love! 

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin