A Vintage Magenta Poinsettia



For this week's post, I am going back to one of my absolute favorite things to do--metal work.  I started with the Poinsettia Stencil LG700.  I really love this stencil because it is very versatile.  Today, I used it with fuschia coated Mercart aluminum.  I placed the metal face up on top of my face up stencil and ran it through my Cuttlebug machine.  The "sandwich" for the Cuttlebug is A Plate, stencil, metal, a  Details Rubber Embossing Mat, and two B Plates.  When it came out of the machine, it was lightly debossed.  I then used my Mercart Teflon tool from the basic tool kit on top of the metal to sharpen up around the edges of the wells in the stencil.  I then sanded the metal with the stencil still attached.  I accidentally sanded into some of the wells, but it created an opportunity.  I dropped some Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink in Wild Plum in the damaged areas.  It created a lovely shadow effect.  After I inked the holes, I finished sanding the project to reveal the silver aluminum color.  I then pulled the metal out of the stencil and dropped some gems into the holes by the "seed" area.  Lastly, I assembled the card and was finished. 

I love this project because it reminds me of the Christmas tree that I had as a child.  We used to have a white tree with pink lights and ornaments and silver tinsel.  We would coordinate the poinsettias with the tree whenever possible. To this day, I love the vintage look of a magenta poinsettia.

Want to get into the holiday spirit a little early? Link your own Christmas in August creations to the Dream It Up! blog mr. linky, or email pics of your creations to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com, for an opportunity to win this wonderful newly released Heart Ornaments:

Don't you just love this new design? There are several newly released stencils and products from CHA last month, which you can view for yourself HERE. During the week of August 20th - 25th, the Dream Team will be posting all week with a hop on Saturday to top it all...featuring all of these new fabulous designs...in collaboration with the Woodware UK team. Just a little hint...you may want to buy all of these new designs now, so you are ready and waiting for the inspiration that will come your way that week! Meanwhile, check out what the rest of the team has been creating this week:

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu

Laura Drahozal
Cherylynn Moser

Louise Healy
Wendy Jordan

Terrece Siddoway

Kristi Van Doren

Georgia Sommers

Lee Kellogg
Jessie Hurley

Liz Martin

Cyndi Bundy

Black, White, and a Pop of Color

The Dreamweaver Stencils' Dream Team are playing with a new challenge, and we're hoping that YOU will play along! All of this month, we'll be creating for graduations and/or using black and white with a pop of color. May and June are typically the time for grads in the US, but to keep things even more interesting, you can choose to play with our colorway challenge instead.

So, here is mine. I am so excited to post it because I am absolutely in LOVE with this brand new stencil from Dreamweaver.  It isn't in stores just yet, but it is coming soon. It is the perfect Arts and Crafts style stencil.  It is LX 7015, and is all of the swirly black and silver part of this project.  The notebook is sort of black, white and a pop of color, isn't it, Pam?  Well, we should ignore the brown anyway, because it is part of the notebook.  I purchased the notebook from a craft store for two dollars and added the metal.  Here is how I did it:
1)  I used my Cuttlebug to deboss the metal.  That means that the sandwich went like this:  A Plate, Stencil LX 7015 face up, black coated Mercart aluminum face up, the Dreamweaver Details Embossing Mat, and two B Plates.  Then, I ran it through the machine and kept the metal attached to the stencil.
2)  I placed the metal and stencil on a smooth, flat surface (an acrylic block would do).  Using the Mercart Teflon tool, I refined the edges of the design by pushing the metal against the stencil.
3)  With metal still attached to the stencil, I sanded the surface.
4)  I remved the metal.
5)  Repeat step 1, but put the metal face down on the surfaces.  Use LJ 909 Cathedral Windows Small and the Fleur Di Lis LS 66. 
6)  Refine again.
7)  Add a little Color Solutions Alcohol Ink in Sugar Plum and Blue Vevet.  Make sure to use a blending tool with this one and try to get near the object.
8)  Sand with the stencils still attached.
9)  Attach using Double Sided Adhesive Paper.  I also used brads to hang the center one. 

You are done.  Pretty easy, huh?
Obviously, to play along with us, you do not have to have a complicated creation, so pull out your supplies and have some fun! Link your creation to the Dream It Up! blog, or email pics of your creation to Lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com. We love to post your submissions on the blog as well as the Facebook page. Even more, we love to provide you the opportunity to win one of two sets of two stencils by playing along. You have all of May to link as many creations as you'd like! Sorry...winners must be from the US or Canada.