Dreamweaver By The Sea

We’ve got lots going on this week to keep your Summer Vacation hopping with inspiration. In one event we’re hopping all week with one of our very favorite craft partners. May Arts ribbon is an extremely generous sponsor for us here at Stampendous and our Design Team is absolutely in love with their gorgeous ribbons, cords, strings and specialty items. You’ll find loads of beautiful May Arts on all our samples.

This is also Dreamweaver Thursday and the Stampendous theme for the week is "By the Sea".  I followed all the guidelines with my post for today:

I have posted this once before, but it is one of my favorite and features one of my go-to May Arts ribbons, the 1.5 inch White Net Ribbon.  I used the Jellyfish Stencil through my Cuttlebug with my Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat.  The material I embossed was medium blue coated aluminum.  I placed the stencil face down on the A Plate and covered it with the metal, face down, the embossing mat and the two B Plates.  I did the same with the LM 248 Happy Birthday Stencil, except that I placed both the stencil and the metal face up.  In this way, I "debossed" it, sending the metal into the wells of the stencil. You should LEAVE the stencil behind the sentiment until you are done sanding. After the metal was embossed, I colored the backgrounds a little with Color Solutions in Aquarius, Iceberg and Blue Velvet.  I used these colors on the Happy Birthday wish as well.  Then, I lightly sanded the jellyfish and fully sanded the outside of the letters to reveal the silver.  (After this step, you should remove the stencil.) 

 After sanding, I tapped some of the White Pearl Color Solutions over the top of the jellyfish.

Of course, that gorgeous webbing fit right in with the stencil and the undersea theme.  

All week you’ve got a chance to check out our Design Team Inspiration as well as the Ribbonistas over at the May Arts Blog.  Be sure to comment and tell us where you’re from, because our Australian Distributor The Stencil Specialists are sponsoring a prize for one friend “down under” to win a Stampendous Stamp, a Dreamweaver Stencil and a surprise goodie from their terrific stock of Stampendous merchandise!

There are Stampendous prize packages up for grabs. THREE US commenters  will receive a prize of their choice in any one roll of ribbon from May Arts and a $20 reward card. Tell us what state you live in when you comment. Stampendous Official Rules.

Be sure to stop by the May Arts blog each day, because they are having a prize also! How’s that for an amazing week of prizes!

Prize

Three prize packages that will be winner choice – any one roll from May Arts and a $20 reward card from us. Stampendous Official Rules.

Make sure you comment on both this blog and the others listed below for your chance to win!

Stampendous Blog

Amy Hurley-Purdie

Laura Drahozal

Pam Hornschu

Tenia Nelson

Lea Kimmel

May Arts Blog

I also participated in Dreamweaver Thursday posting today.  There were a few others who were not participating with May Arts.  They are listed below:

Dreamweaver Posts

Lyn Bernatovich (DW)

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila (Also Spellbinders Hop)

Kristine Reynolds

Jamie Martin

April Showers!

Welcome to the Stampendous-Dreamweaver Stencils April challenge of "Showers to Showers!" Our designers have so many choices with this theme, baby, wedding, rain...You'll definitely want to see what we come up with each week of April!

 

Today I chose to interpret the theme this way:

 

 

     This cute baby shower card was created with four stencils:  LJ886 Fireworks, LG756 Open Elephant, LG628 Dogwood Pattern and LS22 Congratulations.  First, all the stencils were run through the Cuttlebug with the Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat.  The fireworks were run through with white card stock.  The congratulations stencil and the elephant and dogwood combo were created using teal coated aluminum. 

      For the congratulations, I used the following "sandwich": A Plate, stencil face up, metal face up, rubber mat and two B Plates.  This "debossed" the image, pushing the metal down into the word.  I sanded the piece with the stencil still under it. 

     The other piece of teal metal was sent through the Cuttlebug the same way, but with both the dogwood stencil and the metal face down.  I sanded the metal after removing the stencil.  Then,, I sent the textured metal through the machine the same way, but with the elephant stencil.  After I removed the stencil, I added Black Beauty Color Solutions to the eye and Aquarius Color Solutions to the crevices that outlined the elephant.  I used the tip of a cotton swab to add the Color Solutions with precision.  I sanded the image again, paying special attention to the tusk.

 

 

     Finally, I replaced the fireworks stencil and sprayed it with Memory Mists in Silver.  As you can see, when I replaced the stencil, I got it a little off the original embossing.  This was not my intent, but when it was done, I liked the sense of movement it conveyed.

     I added a beautiful May Arts Ribbon and a little teal card stock and I was done.

Our "A Team" wants to "shower" you with lots more ideas, so be sure to visit and leave them "showers" of comments!

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Jamie Martin

HallowThanksMas?

Can you tell that sometimes Dream Team's "Fearless Leader", Pam Hornschu, has a hard time deciding on monthly challenges? Since the team will be taking turns all month with the Smeared and Smudged 31 Days of Halloween, and we are doing a Christmas collaboration with Stampendous and Core'dinations the 13th - 17th, the confusion should be understandable. Therefore...happy HallowThanksMas! As usual, we'd love for you to play along with the challenge and link your creations to the Inlinkz tool on the Dream It Up! blog. Just in case you are wondering...NO, YOU DO NOT NEED TO POST SOMETHING WITH ALL THREE HOLIDAYS ON IT! However, you get bonus points for actually using Dreamweaver stencils and product on your creations! And bonus points might actually earn you an extra stencil as our monthly winner...just sayin'!
 

Here's my creation for today:
 

 

I really wanted to share this project, even thought it is REALLY an autumn card, so I am calling it "Thanksgiving".  I am hoping that everyone is okay with that!

On this card, I used Stencil LX7027 Quartrefoil , Stencil LL3043 Oak Leaf, Stencil LL3044 Maple Leaf and Stencil LM295 Autumn.  I used the my manual die cut machine (in my case, a Cuttlebug) and the Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat on all of them.  The real difference in the components is in the materials and finishing.

The background was created with Core'dinations card stock that was sanded after it was embossed.  The word Autumn was "debossed" by running it through the machine with the stencil face up and the red coated aluminum, also face up.  It was sanded afterwards with the stencil still in place underneath.

Now, the leaves.......First, I embossed the mustard colored aluminum. I put the stencil and the metal face down in the machine.  After I removed it, I used the metal tool beginner's kit to "pouf" out the metal, making it further embossed.  Then, I flipped it over and used the Teflon tool in that beginner's kit to make vein lines.  After I fussed a little while, I finally had it the way I liked it.  Then, I filled the back with Mercart Filling Paste.

After a couple of hours, when the paste was dry, I used regular scissors to cut around the leaves.  I then dripped several colors of Color Solutions Alcohol Inks onto the leaves and smeared the colors around with Q Tips.  I used Paprika Red, Christmas Red, Crème Brulee, Aspen, Pumpkin and Mojito.

 

 

I love the shine under the colors.  It looks almost like the leaves were cut from fire opal. 

 

It was the combination of the metal color and the Color Solutions that excited me so much about this card.  I hope you enjoyed it, too.

Remember to visit the rest of the team, as well as our guest designer, as confusion takes rein...could be interesting!

Dream It Up! 

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

An InLinkz Link-up

A Fifth Thursday in a July to Die For!

July is a month with a fifth Thursday.  What does that mean?  Well, in a July to Die For, it means that the entire Dreamweaver Team will get together today to show you one last die cut creation.  Here is mine:

Although it would be a really cute candle shelter, I am planning on using it for pencils.  It was really easy.  Let me tell you how I made it.

MATERIALS:
Dreamweaver Die DG745 Tree Line
Dreamweaver Color Solutions in Pine Bough, Aquarius and Iceberg
Dreamweaver Color Solution Thinner
Copper
Jar
Q Tips
Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Glue (although you could use E 600)
May Arts Twine
Manual Die Cut Machine (I used a Cuttlebug)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1)  Run copper through the machine with Dreamweaver Die.  You will be using the thin die setting.  For the Cuttlebug, the sandwich was A Plate, die, metal, B Plate, C Plate and shim (a lightweight piece of chipboard).
2)  Glue the metal to a clean, dry jar.

4)  With the Q Tips, apply the Color Solutions to the glass.  Don't worry if you get some ink on the metal.
5)  With the Color Solutions on a Q Tip, clean off the metal.
6)  Add a bow around the threads.

I particularly like how the shape shows through the back of the glass.  It adds another dimension  to the piece. 

 

Now it is your turn.  Make a little "Something to Die For" and upload it to the link at the end of the post.  You can find additional inspiration at the links for the whole team below:

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

Gill Wilson

Lyn Bernatovich

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

and

Terri Sproul (GD



 

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue Challenge Week 1

At Dreamweaver Stencils, we love to make our monthly challenges something for everyone, and not so strict that no one wants to play along. This month our challenge is, "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue", with the obvious thought being a wedding theme...but not necessarily. Add an old embellishment or picture. Use a new stencil design or technique. Borrow, or CASE (copy and say everything) another designers project, and obviously, blue...is blue. Where will YOUR creative process take you for this month? We'd love to see! And remember, linking your creations with the Inklinkz tool at the end of the team posts, provides you with the opportunity to win the stencil of your choice! Here's what I've created for this week...

I used two of the four words in the challenge:  New, because this stencil is fairly new and this is a new variation on technique for me, and Blue, because it is well, blue.  Yes, I just did that!  See how easy it could be for you to do this challenge?
 

MATERIALS:
Dreamweaver Stencil LG 755 Sailboat
Mercart Color Coated Aluminum in AC12 Teal
Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat
Color Solutions in Lemoncello, Blue Velvet, Sugar Plum, Darkest Brown, Black Beauty and Paprika Red
Mercart Beginner Metal Working Kit
Mercart Metal Filling Paste
Scissors
Manual Die Cutting Machine (I used a Cuttlebug)
Cotton Swabs
Cotton Balls
A Small Piece of Suede
Sanding Block
Adhesive
Card Stock

DIRECTIONS:
1)  Measure the metal against the stencil and cut the metal with scissors about a half an inch larger all the way around.

 

2)  Decide about where you might want the sun and drip a couple of drops of Color Solutions in Lemoncello in that area.

 

3)  Using a cotton swab, smear the Color Solutions in a circular shape.  It will both lift the teal background color and lay down a nice sunny yellow.

 

4)  Put a few drops of the Color Solution thinner on a cotton swab.

 

5)  Using small circular motions, remove some blue to create clouds.  Be sure to overlap the sun in at least one spot.

6)  Drop Color Solutions in Blue Velvet and a little Sugar Plum on a cotton ball.

 

7)  Tap the color over the metal across the water area of the image.

 

When it is done, the metal should look something like this.

8)  Run the metal through the die cut machine with the rubber mat.  For the Cuttlebug, the sandwich is A Plate, stencil face down, metal face down (be sure to get the colors in the right spots), rubber embossing mat and two B Plates.

 

 

9)  Flip it upside down on the suede and "push out" the areas you want raised with the ball tool (which comes in the beginner kit).

 

10)  When everything seems sufficiently "poufed", flip the project right side up and place it on a smooth hard surface (I used the Cuttlebug A Plate).  Use the Teflon Deer Foot Tool to sharpen the areas around the raised metal. 
The flat side is used in the large, flat area.

 

The pointed side gets into the details.

 

11)  When the project is to your liking, fill the raised areas with Filling Paste and it let dry completely.  This should take at least a couple of hours.

 

12)  After the paste is dry, use the sanding block to remove the color from any raised areas.

 

13)  Use Color Solutions on cotton swabs to paint in areas of color.  I painted the birds, the red stripe on the sail, the boat and the rigging.

 

14)  Assemble the card.

The addition of color before manipulating the metal is the "new" part of the technique for me.  It was pretty fun!  I hope you see that you can interpret the theme in all different ways.  Give it a try!
 

Here's what our "A" team has been working on this week:

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin

Lyn Bernatovich

Here is where you can link up your creation (or you can go to the Dream It Up blog): 

An InLinkz Link-up

;

A Crystal Fairy Princess Wand

Here is my latest post for Connie Crystal.  It is a crystal fairy wand, well in advance of Halloween.  for more pictures and directions, go check it out at the Connie Crystal Blog. 

I will show you how to dye your own crystals for a truly personalized project of any kind.  Check it out!