Ghoulies and ghosties...

The Created by Hand challenge this week is spooky spiders OR monochromatic with a touch of black. I did this card with a Dreamweaver spider web stencil and a Dreamweaver spider stencil, white and gold Dreamweaver embossing paste, and this Quietfire Design sentiment stamp.

Over at Creative Card Crew and at Simon Says, the challenge is to use punches, which I did for the holes for my gold brads. Over at Papertake Weekly, the challenge is to incorporate glitter and shine. The Stampin' for the Weekend challenge is Halloween/Fall.

Thanks so much for visiting today!

FUN day!

Aaahh, there's little that makes me more pleased than a whole day in my happy room! I played with inks and pastes and stamps and stencils...retirement is great! I really enjoy making a list of challenges, and creating cards to meet several at a time.

Over at Wendy's blog, there's lots of Dreamweaver goodness going on! She has a two week challenge posted, and she's challenging everyone to use Dreamweaver products and make something amazing. If you link to her blog with your creation before November 4th., you could win FIVE Dreamweaver stencils! Have a look at the other designers' eye candy too; their links are on the sidebar on the right. So here's a card I did with Dreamweaver white matte embossing paste and a Dreamweaver stencil. I sprinkled some clear glitter over the paste while it was still wet. The stamped sentiment is Hero Arts. Creatilicious challenge # 15 is to use white and a little colour. The Crazy Amigo challenge is black and white. The challenge over at Wednesday Stamper is hearts. The challenge over at Our Creative Corner is to use at least three different embellishments. I used an old Making Memories square embellishment, a little heart in the centre of the first paste embossed square, and two crystals.

The Created by Hand challenge this week is music. Here's my entry, using this music stamp from Quietfire Design, stamped on a paper flower paired with a Hero Arts sentiment stamp.

Halloween cards are the challenges at several blog sites: Sisterhood, Creative Cottage, Fab 'n' Funky, One Stop, and Stampin' for the Weekend. I used an Inkadinkado stamp on this wonderful photograph taken by a friend. On the fence, I used a Dreamweaver embossing stencil and black matte paste to do the crows on the fence. The 3 Muses challenge this week is wings.

I did this card to play with the Impression Obsession designers! Their challenge this time is to use a favourite quote. Well, I have so many that I could never choose just one (lol), but since it's fall here in Nova Scotia, I thought I'd use this one by Percy Bysshe Shelley. I used this Impression Obsession cover-a-card "branches" stamp, along with a leaf and the quotation from this clear stamp set. Now don't forget, you could win twenty-five stampin' dollars to the Impression Obsession online store if you'd like to play! Details are right here. I sure hope you can take some time to visit the blogs of the other Impression Obsession designers. Their blogs are listed on my sidebar. They always have such fabulous eye candy to share!

The City Crafter challenge is to use colours of a photo of the Colosseum in Rome, and to create a card with a vintage feel. I was AWE STRUCK when we visited Rome last year, and the Colosseum was one of our very first day long excursions, so thanks for bringing back that memory for me! I stamped the trees with Versafine brown ink, then heat embossed with clear EP. Then I sponged on several Adirondack Inks to get the moon effect. I stamped and clear embossed the sentiment and the leaf, and used a Spellbinders die to cut the shape.

So, that ends my day of play for today. Once I was done, I baked several dozen chocolate cupcakes and decorated them for Halloween for the local sick kids' hospital party tomorrow. Inky play and chocolate...it doesn't get any better! (lol)

Thanks so much for visiting today. I'll visit YOU too if you leave a link. I wish you a wonderful day, doing whatever you love best!

Dance...etc..

I LOVE this joyful stamp from Art Journey!

For this card, I created the background by spritzing distress inks on an acrylic block and stamping on watercolour paper with the block. You can read more about this (and watch a video!) on this post by Jennifer McGuire over at TwoPeas. Then I stamped the happy dancer with Versafine black ink, and the sentiment with Versamark and Ranger Seafoam White EP. I used a Hero Arts doily stamp in the upper right corner, and a wee piece of plumber's foil tape (dry embossed and painted) in the lower left corner. This card was created for the current Art Journey challenge, which is to use tape, the Gingersnap Creations challenge (use Versamark), the Wee Memories challenge, which is "anything that is celebrated," in this case, WOMEN!) and the Craft Challenge, which is to use more than one fold.

I used the same distress ink technique for this next card, for the Papertake Weekly challenge (use three of a kind). These are some of the new Art Journey stamps. I LOVE this rose, and decided to try it in yellow for a change. I did some light shading with yellow chalk after the inks were dry, just to add a little more depth to some of the petals.

Thanks so MUCH for stopping by today! I hope you're enjoying a creative, contented weekend.

Sing!

The Created by Hand challenge this week is to use the theme "long night moon" or the colour silver; the current Simon Says challenge the Stampin' for the Weekend challenge, and Our Creative Corner challenge are all autumn...my very favourite season of the year in Nova Scotia!

I just LOVE this flourished crow stamp from Quietfire Design, and even better, it comes as part of a set...YAHOO...more value for the stamping dollar! I paired it with this background moon, then stamped this Quietfire sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you're enjoying a wonderful autumn week!

Dreamweaver winner!

Thanks everyone, for playing in our Dream Team blog hop!

Soooo Ms. Diane H...please e-mail me your full name and postal address, as your comment, number 26, was chosen by random.org

Anonymous said...

Love all of your work! I would pick the wisteria stencil, black matte paste and ivy green f/x
Thanks
Diane H

If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I'll choose another winner.

OCTOBER 2, 2010 12:08 PM

Dreamweaver Blog Hop...and CANDY!

This marks the first EVER blog hop for the brand new Dreamweaver design team! The hop will run for three days...Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and we promise to show you the most delightful ways to use these créme de la créme metal stencils! In addition, each person to leave a comment on each designer's blog will have the opportunity to win:

~ one stencil of YOUR choice from the fabulous collection over at Dreamweaver Stencils

~ one jar of embossing paste...again, YOUR choice

~ one pot of the brand new glittery yummy Metallic FX, YOUR choice

I've used Dreamweaver stencils for years and years, and never tire of their versatility! Here are some of the goodies I've created for the hop. This first one is a birthday card for a dear friend. I've used this Wisteria stencil, along with a border from Just Rite Stamps and a computer generated sentiment. I stencilled the colours with Tim Holtz Distress Inks from Ranger, then heat set till they were dry. Then I repositioned the stencil and paste embossed with Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste, which lets colours shine through. I dry embossed the border with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, and cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8. I used the Card Patterns Sketch # 83 (turned upside-down) for this card, and I used some of the colours of this FABULOUS fabric bag over at Everything but the Kitchen Sink.

For this sympathy card, I simply paste embossed part of this sentiment stencil directly onto a photo taken by a very talented friend of mine (who practices medicine to feed his creative habits). I used black matte embossing paste for the sentiment. The photo (taken right here in Nova Scotia, in the Annapolis Valley) is so beautiful that the card really didn't need anything else as adornment.

This card combines two stencils, the snowflakes background (LJ 819) and the Happy Holidays sentiment (LM 249). The large background stencils are a whopping 4 1/4" by 5 1/2," and perfectly cover a standard A-4 sized card front. For the snowflakes, I paste embossed with white matte embossing paste, let it dry, repositioned the stencil, pounced on a very thin coating of ordinary white PVA glue with a sponge applicator, then sprinkled blue glitter all over. I used white matte embossing paste for the sentiment too. I used a Stampin' Up border punch at the bottom. This one is entered for this week's Craft Challenge over at Charisma Cardz, which is Christmas!

This Christmas card uses two stencils as well. I used the outer border of this stencil (LJ 858). I stencilled it first with Tim Holtz Broken China Ink from Ranger, and after it was completely dry, I repositioned the stencil and paste embossed over it with Translucent Embossing Paste, then removed the stencil and immediately sprinkled clear glitter over the wet paste. Then I used just a part of this Vertical Ornaments stencil (LL 468), which is 3 3/4" by 2 3/4," embossed with gold embossing paste, and again, immediately sprinkled gold glitter over the still wet paste.


This last project is a wooden tray I altered. I painted it first with ordinary black acrylic paint. Then I applied gold leafing to all outside borders, over adhesive. I let that settle a little, then sprayed it with Krylon Matte Finish Spray to protect it the leafing. Then I paste embossed just part of the very large "All That Jazz" stencil LJ 853 on the front and back tray edges with black matte embossing paste. Finally, I stamped and gold embossed this sentiment rubber stamp from Quietfire Design on the inside bottom of the tray.

I know it's difficult to see the stamped sentiment, but if you click on it, you'll see it much more clearly. These "Gentle Thoughts" stamps are manufactured from Suzanne Canon's beautiful hand calligraphy, over at Quietfire Design. So, that's it for my part of the Dreamweaver blog hop. Now, for some VERY important information! So, that's it for my part of the Dreamweaver blog hop. Now, for some VERY important information!

BLOG CANDY... HOW TO GET IT!

For EACH time you comment on all the different blogs, you need to choose a different stencilfrom the Dreamweaver site right here as a favorite, your favorite paste and your favorite Metallic F/X color...just in case you win more than once! At the end of the three days,each member of the Dream Team will choose a random entry to win and post it on their site by midnight of the next day October 4. You may comment ONCE on each designer's blog. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

YET ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR CANDY

If you'd like an additional entry, you're invited to sign up to be followers of the brand new Dream it Up Blog, right here. Just toddle on over, sign up if you like, then be sure to post in the comments section over there that you've signed up. It's really important that you post a comment there so you're certain to get a second entry! So, with eleven designers, this gives you the potential of twenty-two chances to win! All winners will be selected by Random.org, and posted on each designer's blog by midnight Monday. Don't forget to include in your post: the stencil, paste, and Metallix FX powder you'd most like to win, and how you might use the stencil!Your next stop along the hop will be to visit Georgia's blog, right here! Each time you hop along to another blog, you'll get the next site on the hop map. We all hope you'll play along all weekend with us.

I'm participating in the second Art Journey challenge today too, with this card. Although the challenge isn't related to the blog hop, I usually try to fit all my postings for one particular day into the same space. The challenge (set by Godelieve) is to use tape. I used plumber's foil tape, dry embossed with a Cuttlebug border folder, painted it, then sanded it. I hoped it might mimic waves. :-) For the background, I did a watercolour wash with a couple of Ecoline Inks on watercolour paper, hoping to mimic the sea. I computer generated the sentiment. Isn't this sea urchins stamp just so utterly FABULOUS!? It's a brand new one from Art Journey in the Netherlands, and it's so beautifully detailed that it stamps like a photo!

Thanks so much for stopping by again today. I LOVE reading what you think about what you see here, and I SO appreciate your taking the time visit and to comment! I wish you a wonderful weekend, doing whatever you love!