Tombow fun!

Welcome to our Tombow pre-hop event!  I just love the Tombow coloring products.  On today's post, I used a couple of really fun techniques.

For the background, I used the Snowflake Sky rubber stamp.  I stamped it twice with Versamark Ink on watercolor paper.  I then embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder, using my heat tool.  I colored with my Tombow Dual Brush Markers colors 743, 703 and 665 directly onto the color blending palette.  I then used a water brush to pick up the colors and paint them over the embossed surface.  This created that pink snowflake background.
The tree was created by using the Double Glitter Technique with Heidi Swapp Minc foils.  I soaped up the back of my Ornate Christmas Tree Stencil.  You can use any natural soap, but I used the Handmade Hawaiian Soap.  I made sure that the entire stencil back was cloudy looking, and then I brushed off the excess soap bits with my stencil brush.   Then, I placed the stencil on one side of the Double Sided Mounting Paper.  I pressed the foils into the wells of the stencil using my fingers and my small embossing tool.  I used pink, mint green, and gold foils.  When I felt that I had used all the foil I could, I covered the entire project with Micro Silver Glitter.   I brushed off the excess.  Then, I put the project stencil side down on a flat surface.  I carefully peeled the paper off of the stencil, while leaving the stencil flat.  Then, I covered the entire project with Crystal Glitter.  After that, I just assembled the card.
I hope you enjoyed the post today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Check out the other posts for tday:

Stampendous Blog

Laura Drahozal

Lyn Bernatovich

Jamie Martin

Kristine Reynolds

Amy Hurley-Purdie

Dreamweaver and Stampendous Patriotic Week

My new team, Stampendous, is having a patriotic theme this week.  Of course, where else would my thoughts turn, but to the Dreamweaver Flag Stencil LL359 ?  The biggest challenge was to find a new way to use it.

Here is what I did:  I pasted LL 359, using Glossy White Embossing Paste on white card stock.  Because it was a narrow stencil, I was able to use the regular palette knife.  Once the paste was dry, I replaced the stencil and daubed on Versamark using a small finger dauber.  I poured on some Stamp N Bond and heated it.  While it was still warm, I pressed some foil into it.  I actually used some foil from an Easter Egg decorating kit on this, but I am sure that any of the heat and pressure activated foil out there right now would work.  WARNING:  You do need to work in small batches on this, or the glue will not remain hot enough to adhere the foil when it is pressed down.  Despite my best efforts, the foil still looked reticulated and patchy.  I was thinking afterward that it may have been a better choice to use a stencil brush to add the Versamark.  That way, it may have created a smoother surface for the foil.  I did not give up , however, and added a second coat to the empty parts.  Then, because it still wasn't covered in foil, I used my Chameleon markers to fill in any remaining white sections.  I then used Regular Embossing Paste to paste on the stars.  The surface was bumpy, so the stars did not turn out perfect.  I decided to be okay with that.

For the background, I used the Dreamweaver Fireworks Embossing Folder FJ886 on some navy color core paper.  I then lightly sanded the paper.  I placed the coordinating Fireworks Stencil LJ886 over the top and used the small dauber to add Versamark to the embossed areas.  I then covered the ink with Gold Tinsel and Silver Tinsel Embossing Powder.  Of course, when I was done, I heated up the embossing powder.

Take a close look at all the shine!

The oval was cut with a nested die and the Cuttlebug Machine.  I stamped the Thank You from the Happy Greetings Perfectly Clear Stamp Set with Majestic Blue Versacolor.  I used Versamark on the edges with Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder.  I punched a couple of holes in it.

Finally, I cut around the flag, added some May Arts ribbons, foam tape, and card stock and I was finished!

Now, there are a few more ladies playing with us today, so check them out:

Stampendous Blog

Alison Heikkila

Louise Healy

Amy Hurley- Purdie

Lyn Bernatovich

Thanks for stopping by today.  I do love comments, so please leave one if you have a minute.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here in the United States, today is Thanksgiving, a day set aside to give thanks for everything that we are grateful about. Me, I am grateful for my fantastic, supportive husband, my family, my dog, and my opportunities with the Dreamweaver Design Team. It seems appropriate that the challenge this week is to create a Thanksgiving card. This is mine:

This card uses three different stencil techniques: metals through the machine, paste, and a foiled version of the double glitter technique. I finished this a little too late to take a decent photo, so I had to scan it. Sadly, there was a little color shifting. I wish that you can see how really pretty the shiny foil, glitter, metallic paste and metals are. Anyway, the metal in the background is all a light gold in color. I used the Herringbone Stencil LJ 819 through the Cuttlebug with a rubber mat. It was quite simple. Then, I used the Gold Metallic Embossing paste with the Happy Thanksgiving LM 251 on dark brown cardstock. I trimmed around it and seperated the words. The leaves were LG 728 Blowing Leaves. I soaped up the back of the stencil and attached it to Double Sided Adhesive Paper. I then pressed into the stencil leaves with foil in fall colors--red, gold, orange, copper, and brown. The small end of a dry embossing stylus helped me get into some of the smaller areas. I used the fine brown glitter over everything to create the swirls and the brown edges of the leaves. Then, I brushed off all of the excess with a large stencil brush. I flipped the whole thing over and peeled up the edge of the adhesive paper. I "walked" my hands along the back, being careful not to damage the stencil. After it was off the background, I covered the entire thing in Crystal Glitter by the Art Institute. When that was done, I assembled the card.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I also hope that you are inspired to make a little something of your own. Link it to the Dreamweaver Blog. ALSO, if you enjoy creating with the Dreamweaver Stencils, you should try out for the newest design team. You will get lots of free products and stencils in exchange for samples. My time with the team has been just fantasic! Here is the information. In the meantime, check out the blogs from the rest of the team. Get inspired!