Thursday Dream Schemes--Free Week

Happy Summer! This is my first blog post of a brand new summer, so I decided to show something fun and easy from my upcoming summer class.


The fish stencil shown here is actually discontinued--but never fear! If your local retailer does not have it in stock, they can still order it from Dreamweaver for you. It is stencil number LJ 848. If you are in the Brighton, Michigan area, I will be teaching a class at Scrap Tales twice in July and this stencil is INCLUDED in your class fee. Call the store to register.
Anyway, on to how I made this one. It is actually the easiest one in this class. The fish are a double glitter technique. You soap up the back of the stencil and attach it to the Double Sided Adhesive Paper. Then, you use three different colors of Microfine Art Glitter on the fish. I pinched the colors, one at a time, into the spaces and then used my VERY IMPORTANT art tool--my finger--to push them into the paper. This is critical with the microfine glitter because it is so light weight that it won't go down into the crevices on its own. When burnished like this, though, it creates a beautiful shimmering look.
When the fish are done, brush off any excess glitter. Brush it off well, mind you, because you don't want it to migrate to the areas that are supposed to be blue. Then, you put the whole thing stencil side down on a flat surface. You must remove the paper from the stencil while the stencil remains on the table. Slowly and carefully pull the double sided adhesive paper off while walking your fingers along the stencil to keep it flat.
Once you have removed the stencil, pour blue glitter over the top and gently rub it in with your fingers. (I used Art Glitter True Blue Ultrafine). Brush all remaining glitter off of your project.
The little shell charm was made with the Scallop LS 6 stencil. I used the ArtC clay. I believe it is a white paperclay. I smoothed the clay down on my craft sheet. Then, I put just a little vegetable oil on my finger and rubbed it lightly on the back of the stencil. I pushed the stencil onto the clay and rolled it slightly. Then, I removed the stencil and cut the excess clay around it. I rolled a little of it into a ball and draped the shell over the top to create dimension. I had to let this dry. I am really not good with patience, so I set it out to dry overnight. This sort of clay never dries hard, it always remains a little spongy. When it is dry, use a craft knife to put a little hole in the top.
The assembly is easy. The base is blue and is followed by Core'dinations White Wash in yellow that has been lightly sanded and ripped. The twine is from My Mind's Eye Lime Twist collection. See? An Easy summer card.
So now that you have a summer greeting from me, you should go check out all the rest of the Dreamweaver Design Team creations. Get inspired. Create. Then post a link to the Dreamweaver Blog. See you next week.

My Mind's Eye Card Sketch Challenge # 24--Song Lyrics

I have really been enjoying these sketch challenges. Especially this time, with the theme of song lyrics. (People who know me know that I love to sing).

Here is the sketch:

And my interpretation:I kept looking at the MME paper at Scrap Tales, and was drawn to Lime Twist for this challenge. It was just perfect for the song lyric theme. There were so many obvious choices, and even embellishments that contained lyrics. As I looked, the one song that stuck in my mind was "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Disney's Mary Poppins. It was composed by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman. It is at the end of the movie, when the father decides that his family is more important than his job. I kept humming it while I shopped, so I decided that it was the one to use. As I was thinking of how it would fit in a card, I thought about that person that you really want to hang out with who always seems too busy. It would be great to let them know that you just want a little time to relax and reconnect with them. The words go:" With a tuppence for paper and string, you can have your own set of wings. " How perfect for a cardmaker!

So, I used the Lime Twist collection, except for the wood grain paper in the background, which is Stella and Rose. I inked a little with distress inks, cut out and popped up the kites, and added one little extra--twine! I was thinking of how the song is all about escaping, and imagined that the person making this fine offer was flying their own, full sized kite as they invited their friend. This twine is the string mentioned in the song, and would attach to the cardmaker's kite. So, if your with me still, "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and escape reality a little. After all, "with your feet on the ground you're a bird in flight with your fist holding tight to the string of your kite---oh, oh. oh!"

Thursday Dream Schemes--Blue and Orange Mother's Day Card

This week's challenge is a blue and orange Mother's Day Card. The colors seemed appropriate for me, as I have been feeling a little blue around Mother's Day since I lost my mother three years ago. Anyway, I really took my time on this one, while thinking about my mother.


The stencils I used included the now discountinued teacup stencil. (You can still get it if you ask your local store to order it for you.) I recently gave it away in a class, so if you are one of the folks that got it, you are all set already.

I used the regular paste with the teacup stencil. My paper choice is from the My Minds' Eye Stella and Rose Collection. I really like the MME papers because they are sturdy enough to take this much paste without too much warping. After pasting, I waited until it was dry. Then, I replaced the stencil, and brushed a little Weathered Wood Distress Ink on to create some shading. I then put the Cherry Blossom stencil over the top, leaving that teacup in place. I stencilled the image using one of my latest obsessions--Twinkling H2Os by Creative Imaginations. It is a shimmery watercolor paint that is loaded with mica. These paints need to be activated with a spritz of water a few minutes before you plan to use them. They are usually used a little wet, so I was concerned that they might migrate under the stencil. I used a Dreamweaver Blue Handled Stencil brush, which I daubed into the paint, touched on some paper towels, and stencilled onto that paste. Fortunately, the paste took the paint extremely well (that regular paste can take ALOT of things!) and very little travelled under the stencil. I used three different colors: Yellow Rose, Ginger Peach, and Burnt Umber. I tried to place these colors the best I could before removing the stencil. Then, I removed the stencil. Here is the best part: because the H2Os are a watercolor, I was able to remove any errors with a little water on my brush. I loved this complete control. I went in and added extra shimmer and color as I removed the parts I did not want. The ribbon was also painted with Twinkling H2Os. Finally, I added a rim around the top, bottom and handle with a gold Zig paint pen. The sentiment, by Inkadinkado for EK Success, was stamped with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. The MME papers were distressed with ink as well.

Well, here is wishing all the mothers out there a happy day and a great weekend. Check out my Dream Team Sisters' blogs while I consider what to make for next week's Free Week. ( You should consider playing along with us....)