Woodware Design Team - Just One Layer

This week's challenge is called "Just One Layer". Easy I thought!! But no, definitely not so easy!! I think we spend a lot of time adding layers to projects, that it is hard to get back to basics!!

I decided to use my new Dreamweaver stencil LJ906 Maple Leaves for my card.

 

Dreamweaver Maple Leaves

• To start with I measured 1.5cm in from each edge of my 15cm square card blank. 
• I masked off this area with post-it notes and sponged shades of orange and red inks to make the background.
• I used a circle mask to create the setting sun.
• I then stencil embossed the maple leaves onto the front of the card.
• I used shades of reds and browns pigment inks and a stencil brush to colour the leaves.
• To finish off I splattered paint from a Pearl Ex micacolour palette. The one I used is called Vintage, which has some lovely autumnal shades in it.

Close up to see paint splattering.

 I thought this would make a nice retirement card. I am last this week to post for the Woodware DT. Be sure to check out what my fellow team mates did earlier this week.

Winner of Dreamweaver Blog Hop

Every DT member was asked to randomly pick a name from the people who left a comment on our post. So I wrote out all the names, put them in a hat and got my hubby to pick one out. I tried to use that random org thingy but it was a bit beyond me!!

And the winner is
GEORGINA
I have tried to e-mail you Georgina. In case you didn't get it can you please e-mail Dorothy at Woodware Dorothy@woodware.co.uk to claim your prize and leave your name and address.
Well Done!!
Woodware are going to be giving stuff away every month so remember to check out the Woodware blog regularly for great ideas and blog candy.
Hope you are all safe and warm on this very windy night
Siobhan

Woodware Design Team - Dreamweaver Week

Welcome to Woodware's first blog hop! And we have a giveaway too! We are really happy to be joining with the Dream It Up Team to bring you innotive ways to use our wonderful Dreamweaver stencils and supplies all week long. By the end of the week, you'll have seen stencils used in inspirational ways you just couldn't have imagined, and you'll see that, although our stencils are wonderful for papercrafting, they have SO MANY other uses too!! We will have several posts a day for you, from Monday 29th August to Saturday September 3rd. At the end of our celebration, each designer will randomly select a winner from all blog comments to receive a free Dreamweaver stencil. We look forward to you partying along with us!

 

Next to stamping I love stencils. You can do so many different techniques with them, especially now with all the different pastes on the market.

We were asked to make a home decor piece. So here is mine - a canvas with bevelled edges.

Flying Geese

• I sponged colour onto the canvas using pigment inks. I gave the canvas a light covering with yellows and soft orange.
• I used a piece of scrap paper to create a mask for the mountains. I sponged slightly darker tones along the mask and towards the bottom of the canvas to create my mountain range (I live in Scotland - I am obsessed with mountains!!!)
• I punched a largish circle out of scrap paper and sponged oranges and reds through the mask to make my setting sun.
• I then placed the stencil of the geese (LG687 - Flying Geese) onto the canvas and pasted with white Dreamweaver embossing paste. Repeat with the bulrushes (LL517 - Cattails).
• When completely dry I put the stencils back on to apply the colouring to the geese and bulrushes. I tend to use stencil brushes and pigment ink. I find them easier to use and as a stamper I have lots of colours. 
• I then stamped the sentiment onto a piece of card and die-cut the frame plate to finish off.

The geese in more detail

The edges of the canvas were bevelled, so I used a little border stencil (LM282 - Leaf Border) on each side for a little extra interest.

LM282 - Leaf Border

 

Here is a card I made in a previous post. For this I stencil embossed the geese with my light box onto the background paper and coloured with pigment inks. I then stamped the trees along the bottom. 

Home to roost

I have a little story to share about the geese. My father lives near the coast in South East Ireland. In the autumn there are often flocks of geese flying in to rest over night in the fields. My mum always loved to see them especially when the sun was going down and the sky would be all orange, pinks and reds. After she died of cancer a few years ago I made a card for my Dad with the geese stencil. I told him it represented him in the front with me and my sister close behind as we carried on our own life journeys without my mum. He is not normally sentimental, but at our first Christmas without her my father surprised us both. He had a local silver smith to make us each a pendant featuring the three geese. Needless to say there were lots of tears but we both have something to cherish that means so much.

Here is a picture of the pendant.

 Here is the card that I made - it was in the earlier days of me and stencils so it's a bit basic. My Dad however loved it and it sits in a frame in his hall.

Thanks for visiting. 
You can find all the supplies you need right here . Your next stop along the hop is to Wendy at Paper Therapy
Enjoy the trip!!
Siobhan

Dreamweaver Blog Hop

This is an exciting week for our Woodware DT. We are joining in a blog hop with the very talented ladies from the American Dreamweaver DT. As Woodware are the UK distributors of Dreamweaver in the UK we were all very willing to join in and showcase some of the fantastic designs available.

My post is on Wednesday but if you want to join in now then go to Caz's blog  for the first post and she has linked to the next member in the hop. I have already been hopping this morning and I can honestly say I think it will be a good week.

Remember to leave a comment as you could win a Dreamweaver Stencil at the end of the week.

Here's an old sample I did using the beautiful Oriental Dragon stencil using metallic paste and foil. Nothing to do with this hop but just another sample of a Dreamweaver stencil!!

Dreamweaver Stencils - Wisteria

Tomorow the girls (Lin Rosie and Carey (and Alan) are coming over. They were all part of the Stampaholics team and I have been meaning to organise a wee get- together for ages. So I am looking forward to seeing them all and having a good old natter!!

So not much crafting this weekend - I have had to clean the house and cook!! I must sound like a right mink!! But I am sure you all know what I mean. I dread when my mother in law comes as she is so house proud!

Anyway here is another sample of a Dreamweaver stencil. Some of my old customers might remember this one.

Dreamweaver Wisteria stencil

For this piece I used matt black embossing paste. When the paste was completely dry, I put the stencil back on and applied versamark onto the dried paste with a sponge. I took off the stencil and I then used mica powders with a brush to add the colour. A big soft brush was used to brush any excess off the background card. I then spritzed lightly with water to set the powders. Unfortunately you can't see the lovely shimmer that you get with the powders but it really is very pretty.

Hope you like. Thanks for dropping in to have a look.

Siobhan

Woodware Design Team - Update

I have been busy getting a few samples made for the launch of the new Woodware blog. There will be 6 of us each posting on a different day for each weekly theme. So I have been rumaging and digging out Magenta and Stampendous stamps that are still current. We kick off on the week beginning 23rd May. Francoise Read will be the first team member to post. I will be posting on Friday. So hopefully lots of nice samples coming your way. I will put a link on my blog to get you to the Woodware blog. It's all quite exciting and new!!

I made a tag tonight using the new Tim Holtz umbrella man which I bought at the Edinburgh show recently. I love this die and think I will use it alot. I will post it tomorrow, as I need good light to photograph it.

In the meantime here's a little something I made earlier.

Dreamweaver Stencil and white paste