Woodware and Dreamweaver Hop--Warm Metal Mittens

All of this week, the Dream Team and the Woodware UK teams are celebrating the release of the new holiday designs from Dreamweaver Stencils. Of course, no celebration is complete without prizes...and there are some fabulous ones for those commenting on both sides of the "pond".

Each team will be providing the opportunity to win four prize packages of stencil designs, perfect for the holidays. Just leave your comments each day on each players' post as well as the Dream It Up! and Woodware UK blogs, and the Dreamweaver and Woodware Facebook pages. Two random commentors will be chosen from the batch of weekday posts, one each from the DW and WW Facebook pages, and from the big hop on Saturday...from each side of the pond!* That's a total of eight prize packages up for grabs! Here's what you could win:

 

 Here is my post for today:

 
 

If you follow my blog, you know that I have a love affair with metal. Of course, I truly enjoyed making this card.  It wasn't nearly as hard as it looks.  Here is the material list and the instructions:

 

MATERIALS:

Dreamweaver Stencil Mittens LJ 923

Dreamweaver Stencil Christmas Borders LJ 922

Cuttlebug or any manual die cut machine (optional--it makes this easier)

Stamping Details Rubber Mat (tan Spellbinders mat will work, but the embossing is shallower)

Mercart Green Coated Aluminum

Mercart Basic Metal Kit 

Drawing Blending Stump (any size)

Small Piece of Suede

Acrylic Block

Mercart Embossed Metal Backing Paste

Mercart Dec Wheel Flat Squares

Sandpaper

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

1)  Set up your die cut machine:  Place the mitten stencil face down on the bottom plate, followed by the green coated metal, green side down, then the Details Rubber Mat and flat top plates.  In my case, with a Cuttlebug, it was A Plate, stencil, metal, mat, and two B Plates.

2)  Run the stencil through your machine.

3)  Remove the metal from the stencil and place, green side down, on the suede.

4)  Use the ball tools from your basic kit to push the metal out.  You can get into the laces with the tiny ball that is on the pick looking tool.  The larger areas should be pressed outward with the larger ball.  You are trying to "sculpt" the metal, so push harder on the areas that need to be more 3D.

5)  When the metal appears sculpted, flip it over and place it on the acrylic block.  Use the Teflon Deer Foot and Refiner Tool to refine the areas around the "poufed" parts.  You will be using the fine point to outline the project and the deer foot to smooth down the larger parts.

6)  When the project is the way you like it, flip it over again and fill it with the Mercart Paste.  You will be filling the divots that you have created from the back.  It is a self levelling product, so you don't have to worry too much about getting it to lay evenly.  When it dries, it will make the embossed areas so hard that you can send your projects through the mail.

7)  Take a break and let that paste dry for a couple of hours or so (depending on the depth of the paste and the weather.....)

8)  When the paste is dry, set the project face up on the face up background stencil.  Rub the background with the blending stump and leave the stencil in place.

9)  Sand the background and raised bits, and you are DONE!

 

 I know that I often make projects that aren't for the faint of heart, but believe me when I tell you that this one is EASIER than it looks.  I promise.  Now, gather up the inspiration that you can, it is time to hop........



 



Don't forget to leave me some holiday cheer as you move on to the other players for today:

Woodware UK
 Dream It Up!
 Lee Kellogg
Cherylynn Moser
Dorothy Adam
Louise Healy
Debs Frost
Laura Drahozal
Terrece Siddoway
Cyndi Bundy
Wendy Jordan
Francoise Read
Liz Martin
Georgia Sommers
Siobhan Fyffe
Pam Hornschu

Kristi Van Doren
 

Remember to follow along with the challenges on the Dream It Up! and Woodware UK blogs for more prize opportunities, and more crafty inspiration, as well as "liking" DW and WW on Facebook.

*Winners selected must be from USA/Canada/UK only.