CHA Sneak Peek #5

We're at my last Sneak Peak before the show, and I wanted to show a Stencil that wasn't shown too often on all of our blogs yet, but is one of my favorites!  (ha ha, I just saw that 2 other Design Team Members used it today!  What timing!)  It's a fairly straightforward Background Stencil called Big Dots LX 7011.  Now we've seen Big Dots in Embossing Folder Backgrounds before, but as a Stencil, this baby has some awesome possibilities!

This is my "Tim Holtz" Inspired Card.  I used Walnut and Peeled Paint Distress Inks to ink the background cardstock which began as a light cream colour.  Then I Placed the Big Dots Stencil over top and with my stencil brush stenciled Bahama Blue Memento Ink over all the Dots. I LOVE the Vintage look it created.  Then I used the Tim Holtz Body form Mover & Shaper Die to cut out the Thread spool and body shape out of...wait for it...Walnut Veneer!  Way Cool!  (Oh, if I do say so myself, tee hee) Then I wrapped the thread spool with Embroidery floss, and cut out the body part of the form on Canvas.

I also used our New Thank You LS 1009 on this card, but I stenciled it using the Crackle Paste.  And I didn't put a black layer of paste under it first, I find that without the black paste I get finer cracks, and I knew I was going to be inking over it anyway...which I did with the Walnut Distress Ink and the Bahama Blue Memento.

And that's that!  The whole "Tim Holtz" Distressing movement is really Hot right now, but don't get stuck on just using products designed by him, mix and match!  Look into your stash, I'm sure you have stencils that will lend themselves to this trend really easily!

Now don't forget to leave a comment, as I will draw names for the prizes as soon as I get back from CHA (Wednesday).  And if any of our Design Team cards have inspired you, please upload them to my facebook page "Cherish the Thought Scrapbooking" I would LOVE to see what you've come up with!  Don't forget to comment on what inspired you in the first place!

And with that,

Ink with Inspiration,

Paste 'til you perspire,

and take as much time as you can this weekend to play with your Stencils,

Talk to you next week! (when we begin a NEW Monthly challenge...)

CHA Sneak Peek #4

Okay, so I need more Creative Titles for my posts, but seriously, are you here for the titles or the Idea's!?  Uhhh, I hope you answered "Idea's of course!"  Okay, Good!  So here comes Idea #4...And I'm using my Rose Stencil (for our Valentine Challenge today, remember, before the Sneak Peeks, I was showing 4 different ways to colour one stencil) and the New Release for CHA, LX 7013 The Pinwheel Checkerboard for my background, which I embossed on Core-dinations cardstock and then sanded the top layer.

Now I know I tend to fall back on my favorite Inking and Translucent Paste technique a lot, but it was the first technique I learned in this medium, from the wonderful staff at Scrapbook Warehouse in Vancouver over 6 years ago, and frankly, that makes it very close to my heart!  And although I've repeated the technique here, I mixed it up a little by adding Clear Glitter...but ONLY on the Rose Petals.  Again, I like to make certain parts of the image stand out better than others, and frankly, the petals of the rose need to appear more special than the stem, right?

So, First I used my Stencil Brushes to Ink the Rose in Pink and the Stem in Green.  Then after washing my stencil, I placed it back over the image and applied the Translucent Paste.  I quickly removed the stencil and tilting my paper to an almost 90 degrees (rose petals towards the table), I spooned the Clear Glitter over the Roses allowing the excess to fall back into the container without it touching my Stem. 

I then had to wait the hour for it to dry...but of course, I had to come home for dinner, my in-laws were coming over, so I didn't have time to wait.  No worries, I carried it lovingly to the car...that is until I realized that it was raining, Yikes!  So I turned it over to protect my image, though when I got to the car, trying to get my keys out, my purse in and juggle the multitude of other things I felt I could carry without the help of a BAG...yup, you guessed it, I dropped the pasted image...Face Down...on the floor of my car,ARGGG!  What is it they say about buttered bread always falling on the butter side...BUT, I have the reflexes of a cat, (though my Chiropractor keeps telling me that I don't and to stop acting like I do!) I snatched the card up, flipped it over and...Well, you tell me :)  Can't see the Rain spots!  And I think the glitter hides any dust that may have been picked up!  See what I go through to get these samples to you!

Anyway, Don't forget to tell me what you think, as I'll enter you in my draw to win 2 Free Stencils of your choice, and Thank You all SO much for the lovely comments you've left so far!  I'm going to paste them up on my wall to inspire me to keep on creating!  And Jenn, come by the store and I'll show you the Lace technique, it's easy when you see it...Or Maybe Kim will help me film a U-Tube tutorial...hint hint :)  Check out the Blogs of the other Design Team Members, Wendy posted a Zentangle sample yesterday, Whoo Hoo, and I'm so glad that Louise posted her Purple Poppy, I saw it a few days ago and wondered what she had coloured it with...Fun Flock and Foil, COOL!

And with that,

Craft 'til you Cough

Bedazzle 'til you blow (your nose)

And Stencil 'til you Sneeze!

(Can you tell I'm a little under the weather, tee hee)

See you tomorrow!

CHA Sneak Peek #3

We're on Day 3 of our Sneak Peeks, Are you feeling Inspired yet?  Well, we're not done Yet!  There are still tons of new Stencils to show you!  Here's a sample of my Second (almost first) Favorite New Stencil Design.  Some of the other Design Team Members have done some beautiful cards with it, so be sure to check out their blogs as well, and look back through the past 2 days!

This is the Tall Poppy LL3023, isn't she lovely?  I Machine Embossed her on Gold Painted Craft Foil, and then sanded the top layer of paint off to show the Silver base underneath.  I then mounted it on Brown Cardstock and Metallic Red Paper and attached it to an Acrylic Card Base.  I tried to keep the colours in the spirit of the many Chinese New Year Celebrations going on around town this week!

Here's a close-up of the Sanding, I just tried to get the edges of the embossed image, as I liked the contrast between the Gold and the Silver (Yes, Gold and Silver can be seen out together!)

Don't forget to leave a comment so you can be entered in my Sneak Peek Draw to win 2 Stencils of your choice!

Until Tomorrow, when we reveal even more superb samples...

Emboss 'til you drop,

Sand yourself silly,

and Gung Hay Fat Choy!  (depending on where you look on the internet, this means "May you become Prosperous" not "Happy New Year" as I have assumed for the 16 years I have lived in B.C.!)

CHA Sneak Peek ~ Day 2!

So did you check out all the Design Team members Blogs Yesterday?!  Didn't I tell you these were a bunch of talented ladies!  I love that even though a few of the stencils were featured more than once, they all looked so different!  And how about Louise & Liz doing multiple versions of one Stencil?  And almost everyone one but me, using more than one New Stencil in their designs? 
And I'm so glad that Laura included a tutorial on how she did her Tall Poppy Stencil, because when I saw that one a few days ago, I fell in love with it!  I might have to scrap lift THAT for a class! Though it was Wendy's use of Metallic F/X on her Kitty made me want to play with my mica powders right now!  But alas, I've got to keep working on my samples so I can show them to you every day this week!  So, here's the next Stencil, and I couldn't wait any longer, as this one is my Favorite....LG 740 Open Butterfly.

And of course I had to incorporate glitter!  This is the Double Glitter Technique knocked up a notch with a swatch of lace!  We did a class at the store this past Christmas using this technique with the Ornament stencil, so when I saw the openness of those beautiful Butterfly wings, I knew the Lace was the only way to go!  (Unfortunately there was still a bit of red glitter on my lace from that class and it transferred to my left wing, sigh, I guess it just adds a little more "dimension"!)

The first step was to soap up the Stencil with Coconut soap before laying it (soap side down) onto a piece of SookWang Double Sided Tape.  I then layered the Lace over the open area in the wings, being sure that the lace was tight to all the inside edges of the stencil.  I then applied the Glitter Ritz Microfine Black glitter, creating the background inside the wings.  After brushing off the Excess glitter, I carefully peeled the Lace off the SookWang Tape and then applied the  Peacock Blue Microfine Glitter, creating the Lace Effect.  Once I removed the Stencil from the Sookwang, I then applied the Sand Microfine Glitter over the background behind the butterfly.  And That's that!  Simple, yet effective, huh?

And with that...
Emboss Eternally,
Spread the Sparkle,
And we'll see you tomorrow!

CHA Sneak Peek!

We're only days away from CHA where companies from all over the Craft Industry will be releasing New Designs and New Idea's!  But there isn't a company out there with a Product Designer like Lynell at Dreamweaver Stencils, or a Design Team that compares to the creative ladies on our Dream Team!

  I was SO excited by the new Stencil designs and couldn't wait to play with them, but when I saw what the other Design Team members came up with, I was humbled!  These ladies are UNBELIEVABLE!  So we're giving you guys a Sneak Peek every day this week, with each Design Team Member showcasing their favorites on their Blogs (See addresses to the Right).  We don't have a plan of what to show you, which means I'll be seeing what the other ladies choose as their favorites, for the first time along with you!  So be sure to check out the other blogs because I promise you, these examples are not to be missed! 

For my Sneak Peek today, I chose a Stencil that wasn't my "Most" favorite (I'm saving that for later in the week!), but one that would work perfectly for a Man's Card, and we ALL know how hard Men's Cards can be!  After making this first card though, I LOVE these mushrooms!  (Yup, those are Popsicle Sticks!  You can use your Stencils and Paste on anything!)

I think these "Fun Guys" have so much versatility!  For this sample I've Inked them and then used Translucent Embossing Paste, but I can see them Glitter painted, Embossed and coloured Psychedelically, Crackle Pasted, oh my gosh, there are so many options!  Lynell mentioned trying Zentangle on these guys, but my Zentangle needs some work!  I think I'll have to take lessons from some of the ladies on my Team...I hope one of them chooses one of their Zentangle Designs to show you...

Anyway, Don't forget to check in every day to see the new designs, and of course, we still have our Valentines Day challenge as well, as there's still a week left to enter your design!

Until tomorrow...
Stencil yourself Silly
Adhere with Abandon
and Paste 'til you Pop!
Jessie

Less Than 5 Minutes...Guaranteed!

So we're in the middle of Dreamweavers Valentine Contest, with just over a week to go!  For my original sample I used the Rose Stencil LM 170 to create an Acrylic candy box, and I have been using the same stencil to show you the versatility of just one image.

Last week, I got carried away, stuffing 4 different techniques into one card.  Obviously this contest has me a little excited!!  So this week I thought that I would show how quickly a card can be made with just 1 stencil and some ink pads and yet still look like it took you hours!

 And as for how it's done...

Supplies Needed 

Rose Stencil LM 170, 

Tsukineko Ink Pads Bahama Blue, Angel Pink, RoseBud, Pear Tart and Bamboo Leaves

Stencil brushes and Daubers

Clear Stardust Gel Pen.

First I taped the Stencil down to a piece of Cream Cardstock using Removable Tape.  I made sure to tape off all the edges of the stencil as I don't want the ink from the Rose to extend past the edge of the stencil itself.

I then used the Pear Tart Ink pad and Dauber to ink the stem of the Rose.  I then added some Bamboo Leaves Ink in a few area's to add dimension.  I can't draw to save my life, so don't think that only an artist can add shading to an image.  The main idea is to keep your dimension colour always coming from the same "light source"  If you start with Dark shading on the left side of your image, then keep colouring the dark ink on the left side.  I tend to like my darkest colour coming up from the bottom of my image, so I coloured the bottom of the main stem as well as where the leaves meet the stem (the "Bottom of the stem leaves", so to speak) Very Easy!

Close up shot to see the dimension of colour

Then I coloured the Rose Petals first with Angel Pink Ink and added depth of colour with Rosebud using a stencil Brush.  I find that the stencil brush gets into the smaller area's better than the dauber, and I have more control of where the colour goes.

After the Rose was completely inked, I masked it with my Removable Tape, removed the tape from around the outside edge of the stencil and then using a Large Stencil brush I created the Blue Haze around the Rose.

Now again, I wanted to add more and more product and techniques, but my goal was a 5 minute card, and although I was only at 2 minutes so far, I really wanted to stay "simple".  So...I just added some sparkle with my Sakura Clear Stardust Gel Pen.  I traced the stencil itself, creating a fine sparkle border that enhanced the image just enough.  I then mounted the image on cardstock, added a couple of buttons, and it's finished!  Well within my self imposed time limit.

The Stardust Gel Pen adds a touch of sparkle to the edge of the Oval created by the stencil

So I hope that you can see how investing in just one stencil can give you multiple ways to create cards for any occasion.  We started with a Valentine Theme, but the last two weeks I have presented cards that could be used for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Thank You, or just an "I'm thinking of you Card"

And now it's your turn!  Don't forget to download your Valentine Inspired card to your blog or website and add your link to Mr Linky!  

Starting on January 23rd, the entire Design Team will be offering Sneak Peaks of the New Stencils coming out for CHA next week, so don't forget to do a little blog hopping and see what's coming, I KNOW you will be inspired!  I've been having quite a lot of fun these past two weeks just playing around with them myself, however, I have yet to select a favorite...Maybe you can tell me which stencils will become YOUR favorites!

A tutorial for today's stenciling technique, with step by step pictures, will show up on my Store website tomorrow afternoon so be sure to check that out at www.cherishthethought.ca

So, Adhere with Abandon,

Stencil yourself silly, and

Chat with you next week!

Marbled Background Technique

 

So we're into the second week of our Valentine Challenge, and last week I used the Rose Stencil to create a glittered motif on an acrylic Candy Box.  This week, I'm using the same stencil but in a completely different way...to create a background effect on my Cardstock.                                                                                     Now I did get a little carried away with Techniques on this card, but once I started I couldn't help myself!  So when I do this Background technique again, I will probably simplify the main image!

And now the Recipe...

I used Tim Holtz Distress stains, "Tumbled Glass" and "Forest Moss" and dabbed the entire stencil itself.  I spritzed it with water to make the distress stain a little more liquid, then carefully "dropped" the stencil, ink side down onto the cardstock.  I tried Glossy paper and Watercolour Paper as well, but I liked the regular cardstock best.  After the ink dried, I placed the stencil back over the image and with a stencil brush coloured the leaves using Tsukineko "Bamboo Leaves".  Then (and this is where I got carried away), I used the Original Embossing Paste and pasted just the petals of the rose.  But I didn't stop there, no sir-ee!  I texturized the paste with the flat plane of my palette knife.  I really like making the petals a different texture than the stem as it creates extra dimension.  Again, I probably should have stopped, but I have coloured the rose before in yellow, and it was so pretty, so I used a Dauber to add Tsukineko "Canteloupe" ink and then a Stencil brush to add some Tsukineko " Terra Cotta" to the petals for extra depth (I warned you that I got carried away, sigh).

The card took about 10 minutes from start of adding the distress inks to the end of Inking of the paste, if you don't count the hour (o.k. so I cheated and started inking after only about half an hour, I was excited!!) in between for the paste to dry, so this technique is VERY fast.  If I hadn't pasted and coloured the Rose at all, the image would have taken about 2 minutes flat...and it was cool with the just the marbled background alone!  A step by step tutorial will be posted shortly on my Store website, Cherish the Thought if you would like more details.

So now I expect that you have had a week to think about what you're going to create, what with all the inspiration you've garnered from the Design Team (weren't their projects last week all totally different, I LOVE that!) so now you're ready to play with your stencils, and our Valentine theme and post your creation to your blog, but don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky so you can officially enter our contest!  Check out the Blogs of the other entrants too, you can get to them from Mr Linky as well.

And if your heading to CHA at the end of the month, be sure to check out the DreamWeaver Booth #863, as Lynell has lots of new stencil designs, and the samples on display will blow your mind!

Next week...Same Stencil, New Technique!  See you then...