Dreamweaver Sketch Week

Deborah made this week's sketch. Initially, it had me a little perplexed. What could I put in those arches? Then, I remembered an arched shaped stencil LG 639. I based my interpretation on that stencil.

I wish the photograph did it justice. This card was created with foils--a mix of Stampee and Creative Imaginations--and Art Glitter. First, I soaped the back of the stencil and placed it on the Double Sided Adhesive paper. Then, I trimmed around the outside of the stencil.

This is where I owe a shout out to my new friend, Julie Makela, the Australian Distributor of Dreamweaver. Without her great demonstrations at CHA, I would have NEVER thought of using foil with the double glitter paper. Of course, she did laugh at me when I gathered all the used bits of foil to take home with me. Julie, THIS is what I used them on.

I started with the darkest color, a purple, on the edges. For this first pass, I used just those remnant bits that were left on the backing. I pressed them down firmly with my fingers. I continued, lightening the colors as I worked inward, and making sure that I overlapped all of these bits, so the colors would blend into each other. After that initial pressing, I found larger areas of foil, pressed them near their coordinating colored edges, and pushed them down with the larger end of the small purple embossing tool. Then, I pressed foil right into the edges of the stencil with the smaller end. Finally, I took fresh sheets of foil and, finding the colored areas that coordinated, I rubbed over the whole area with the larger end of the big purple embossing tool. That covered all of the adhesive paper and did not use much of the foil. I then poured a blue colored pearl Art Glitter over it all and pressed it lightly with my fingers into the very small parts that I missed.

When all of the inside was finished, I turned it over and carefully removed the stencil from the adhesive paper. Then, I poured pearl white Art Glitter over the whole thing. I mounted the two windows on the black cardstock. I stamped a phrase from a company called Words Like Honey on some white/gold shimmer cardstock with Archival ink. I then mounted that on the black and added sheer white and blue ribbon. I trimmed around the windows and put it on plain white cardstock and trimmed the outside of the top windows.

It was missing something. Being that it was a Confirmation card, I decided that it needed a dove. Of course, this was last minute and I was not able to go to the store for a dove embellishment, so I made my own. I googled the picture, which is actually listed as a tatoo image by Bangbang Urdead, although to me it looks straight out of stained glass. Anyway, I downloaded this image, made a couple of changes, and printed it. Then, I mounted it on the back of my shimmery cardstock, cut it out, and adhered it to black carstock. I cut around it, attached it, and added a little Diamond Stickles. I was done.

I really enjoyed using the foil with the adhesive paper. If you are local, look for this technique to show up in my next class......... Until then, check out everyone else's interpretation of this sketch by clicking on the names listed under Dream Team. See you next week.

Thursday Dream Schemes--Free Week

It is another free challenge week at Dreamweaver, and this week, my card was inspired by a stamp. See, I was prowling a craft store, looking for sayings that would go with the fabulous new umbrella stencil, when I found this Inkadinkado stamp in the kiddie writing that said "Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms." The sentiment was written by Alyssa Knight, when she was 12, apparently. I didn't buy it at first, because, although I liked it, the rainbow part really had me wondering--how could I show it? Well, here is my resulting card, as well as the step by step instructions:




I found a way to create a rainbow rainbow using the new paste spreader LM 2010.
First, cut the cover sheet of a Double Sided Adhesive paper in half. Remove the top half of it, and replace a strip along the right side. Soap the back of the spreader, and position it so that it covers up to the top of the rainbow--where you want the sky to show through. Using the Double Glitter Technique, cover that upper left hand corner with blue Art Institute Glitter. Brush off the excess. Pick up the spreader, and scoot it down to rest under the first color of the rainbow. Be careful not to change the relative position of the spreader, because you want to make sure that the rainbow stripes are even across the arc.
Then, put red Art Institute Glitter on that stripe, brush it off, and move the spreader further down. Keep repeating this process, using the roygbiv colors that we all learned in elementary school, until you have a complete rainbow. The great thing about this technique, is that even if you get a little sloppy with the color that you are working on, as I did with the green in this photo, the current color will only stick to the adhesive paper that was just revealed. The parts that have already been covered with glitter just won't accept any more. Make sure that it is good and covered with glitter for each and every stripe. After you are finished with the rainbow, brush off the colors well, then remove the stencil anthadditional coverings from the Double Sided Adhesive Paper. Cover the entire thing with the sky blue that you used above the rainbow.

Then, position the umbrella stencil so that the umbrella reaches side to side and overlaps the rainbow. When you are sure that you have it right, tape sheets of paper all the way around the stencil. This way, you can be sure that none of the paste gets on any of the glitter that you worked on. Then, paste the umbrella with Glossy Black. You will need to work quickly and confidently to get it pasted well on all that fantastic glitter. Remove the stencil and set this aside to dry.

Meanwhile, get clear acetate and the Rain Stencil. Paste the stencil on the acetate using Pearlescent Paste, and tossing clear glitter onto the paste while it is still wet. After the paste is dry, brush off the excess glitter.

For the assembly, the Double Sided Adhesive gets adhered to the cardstock background. Then, the acetate overlay, which is attached with Glue Dots and brads. Finally, the ribbon and the popped up saying.

One last parting shot. I think it really shows the acetate

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....)

Dreamweaver Free Choice Week AND New Stencils!

Welcome to another Free Choice week! After ALOT of rain here in Michigan, with an occasional nice day thrown in, I felt truly inspired to post this card. I was feeling the saying, which is one of Lynell's newest designs. It is on a stencil with several fun sayings on it.

When designing this one, I was thinking about how that cute new apron stencil would look hanging from a clothesline. I also felt that the apron itself should be plaid, evoking a fresh spring country day, when a sudden rainstorm could ruin the attempt to dry clothes in the sun. Originally, I pictured the apron in pink plaid, but the color was just too pale to hold its own against the blue.

First, I pasted, using the original paste. The words were on brown color core Core'dinations, which was ripped later in the process. The apron was done on a mottled Basic Grey brown, because I wanted the various shades of brown to show up as shading, as if it were blowing in the wind. After the paste was dry, I used the Dreamweaver Stripe stencil to create the plaid. I tried to follow the "flow" lines in the apron, splitting up the top and the bottom. I stencilled these with Distress Inks in a couple of different browns. First I went in one direction, and then I moved the stencil to a 90 degree angle and stencilled in the other direction. I really like how the Distress Inks are so delicate on the paste. The background was the rain stencil, run through my Cuttlebug with Core'dinations color core in blue. Then, I lightly sanded it, to enhance the embossing.

After some assmebly, which included a twine and real tiny clothespins, the card reflects my very mood today. I hope that there is no rain where you are!

Stop in again next week and see what is in store for the Blue and Orange Mother's Day card challenge. In the meantime, check out the other Dream Teamers on this free week.

My Mind's Eye Sketch Challenge #22--April Showers

Here is this month's My Mind's Eye Blog Layout Sketch Challenge. The sketch is absolutely beautiful, and was created by Anam Stubbington. The theme this month is April Showers. Here is my take on it.

For once, I interpreted the sketch fairly literally. I used the gorgeous Stella and Rose collection. I loved how the orange enhanced her clothing, and the wood grain paper echoed the deck that she stands on. When deciding on a title, I kept ruminating on the theme of April showers. Soon, I had the Disney song from one of my Mom's favorite movies : :Drip, drip, drop little April Showers...." Kaitlyn looks so happy with the rain, that I found it rather approriate. I cut out most of the words from printed papers in the line. The others were from a lovely turquoise Core'dinations paper. I sanded it in the places that I needed it lighter for contrast. I also distressed most of the papers for added dimension.

I really enjoyed having intentional play with scallops. The orange scallop is actually part of the die cut paper piece. (I had to resist the urge to string a lovely ribbon through those holes, but I won't resist it next time.) I used My Mind's Eye ribbon as the scalloped embellishment featured on the sketch. Then, I used scallops in the hand made flower. Finally, when I cut the delicate doily from it's sheet, the edges became scalloped. (So much scallop fun!)

I then wanted to add a little something more to my layout. The "Drip, drip drop" was a little lost. I knew that the theme was April Showers, but aside from the photos, and the title, I was not really getting "rain". That is when I came up with the idea to make raindrops. It would add to the theme and make it a little different from the sketch. I used turquosie My Mind's Eye Lush 2 gemstone collection as the bottom of my drops. I made quick straight lines with light pencil right on the project. Then, I used my Bazzil InStitchz' Awl and mat to poke guide holes on the lines. I added the gems at the end of some of them, and poked guide holes around them. I stitched all of this with embroidery floss.

The flower center is a My Mind's Eye button that is really pretty. I was going to use the second one in the card sketch, but just don't think I can get it done this time.

This was really lots of fun. I am considering entering every month!

Thursday Dream Schemes--Sketch Challenge and a New Stencil!

This week's sketch was chosen by Lee. I always admire her for her southwestern style creations. This sketch had that sort of feel as well. I could almost see the desert and mountains in the image.

So, here is my take on the sketch. I got special permission from Lynell to sneak this new stencil. Never fear, it will be out VERY soon. You can see that I enlarged the primary image and, because of that, really didn't have the room to mat it with those torn mats. I also moved it to the other side of the card. That decision was based on the direction that the bird was facing. I would like to think that I kept the spirit of the sketch by using layers of torn tissue paper, stacked and glued with a glue stick. I chose the colors because I wanted to invoke the feeling of a sunset. I reflected the glitter in the tissue paper to make it appear as if the sun was setting behind mountains.

As for the technique, I used Double Glitter. This time, I did it with a twist. Sometime, somewhere, I saw one of my Dream Team Sisters using double glitter with embossing powder. I chose to do the same here, to keep the raven black and glitter the "sunset" in the background. I first soaped the back of the stencil and applied it to the Double Sided Adhesive Paper. Then, I poured detail black embossing powder over the whole thing and pressed it down with my fingers. When I was sure that I had it well pressed in, I turned the stencil over and gave it a good flick. I carefully removed the paper, laying the whole thing stencil side down on the table, and peeling the paper off of the stencil. Then, I heat embossed it. I poured layers of colored glitter on the background to imitate the sunset. This time, I did not use Art Glitter, but instead the Woodware UK glitter that I brought home with me.

Check out how the other Dream Teamers have interpreted this sketch. I have reorganized my blog to make it easier to find everyone. Enjoy the creations and, most of all, feel inspired!

My Core'dinations Creative Frenzy

THE FIRST PROJECT: A Spring Wreath Happy Spring! I had so much fun making this wreath with Core'dinations paper. There are only a few items used for this wreath that are not cardstock. They are: the wreath form, wire, a cereal box (became the bird wings), the birdhouse base, the egg base (originally sparkly Easter ornaments), and the base for the bird. When I mention the "bases" I am referring to things that I used to create the initial shape. I treated each of them as if they were part of the Rose Bowl Parade--their surfaces are covered in cardstock! The branch was formed with paper coated wires. Then, I used small, ripped strips of Core'dinations color core in brown to roll around the wires. As I rolled, I twisted slightly, and was able to make a branch that looked entirely real. The nest was also the color core paper, but it was dampened, folded, and twisted until it held a shape something like a nest. I used Art Glitter Dries Clear glue on the eggs to hold it in place. I then used a craft knife to cut slices out of the nest and twisted, ripped and folded the pieces until it looked the way I wanted. This project was just so much fun because of all the detailed items. The flowers and leaves were all cut on the Silhouette Machine from designs that I purchased in their store. They were cut on the color core papers, including the White Wash Collection. It is one of my favorites, because the top loots "white washed" while the cores are beautiful colors. I played with the pink and the color core pink together in some of the flowers. I was able to create the petal shape because of the way I was sanding. I used a soft sanding block and placed the petal over my finger. The finger created a "template" of sorts to sand over. It caused the Core'dinations paper to curl ever so gently and mimic the look of a real flower petal.

The birdhouse (Why can't I stop singing the "Birdhouse in my Soul" song by They Might Be Giants?) was created with various colors of blue sent through different embossing folders and sanded. The butterflies were all made using the Black Magic Collection and Dreamweaver Stencils. I ran the stencil through my Cuttlebug. Then, I sanded through the embossed image to the yellow. All I had left to do on them was stick them on with a Glue Dot. The paper was so sturdy that, even after all that sanding, it held up well.

The last image for this project is the hummingbird. I used a styrofoam bird as the base. The wings were made from a cereal box. The paper used on the hummingbird is primarily the Foundations paper by Core'dinations. I had never used it before, but found it perfect to cover this bird. It is smooth, thin and tough, so it held the wings on nicely. I used Whitewash in black under the belly to deliniate the tail feathers. I scratched the details in (showing the black) with a craft knife. I also used Gemstones in Opal and the Glitter Silk in green, red and white to enhance the bird. I was really impressed by the flexibility of the new Glitter Silk, as I had to bend it into unusual shapes to make it fit over the 3D bird correctly.

THE SECOND PROJECT: A two page layout

This is a layout about my trip with my aunt and cousins to The Henry Ford Museum. I used a Graphic 45 Collection and Core'dinations Core Impressions to create this layout. I really loved those pre-embossed papers in the watch and fancy background imagery. I went for an overall distressed look, so in addition to sanding these papers, I also inked them. I especially liked inking the tan layer, because it added such an extra depth to the image. After distressing it with Walnut Stain ink, I went back in and selectively sanded some of the design. The journalling spot was made with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and the White Wash paper. I also used White Wash alternatively with Black Magic for the mats. I especially loved using the coordinating cores with these two very different collections. For all the mats, I cut them, crinkled them up, opend them, ripped the edges, sanded them, and then ironed them. I love their look.

THE THIRD PROJECT: An all occasion card

Here is the Dreamweaver Card that I promised yesterday. This was really easy to create. First, I used my Cuttlebug to use the wave stencil to emboss Core'dinations color core in blue. Then, I did the same with the Koi stencil on orange. I distressed the fish with Rusty Hinge before sanding them. Then, I mounted them on Black Glitter Silk and cut around the fish. I used a craft knife to cut out the eyes, so that the Glitter Silk could show through. I sanded the backgound and mounted everything, including an organza ribbon. The white background is also Glitter Silk and the far background is Color Core used as regular cardstock (yet another use for it).

Well, I hope everyone has enjoyed my Core'dinations explorations as much as I have. I have been in love with this cardstock, which began my desire to distress, ever since it came out.