House-Mouse Blog Hop Challenge Mid-Way

Hey House-Mouse fans. I'm back again for the 2nd week of the fantastic Mouse-Mouse & Friends Blog Hop Challenge with Stampendous and the wonderful Stampendous Design Team  -- plus the Woodware Craft Collection Design Team (distributors of Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils in the UK) and The Stencil Specialists (distributors of Stampendous and Dreamweaver Stencils in Australia) . Get all the deets on the House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog.

Once again I used my new Peacock Background Deamweaver Stencil from Stampendous. I thought it matched perfectly with the flower stalks on the House-Mouse Lavender Dreams stamp.

Last week I used ink sprays with this same stencil (see here). This time I used Dreamweaver Translucent Stencil Embossing Paste with Desert Grass Embossing Powder from Stamp A Mania on top. I love using these embossing powders with the paste. The colors are intense and the powder also has ultra fine glitter mixed in. It's super duper sparkly.

I colored with House-Mouse image using Spectrum Noir Blendable Colored Pencil with Blending Solution and Paper Stumps.

• Mouse Skin 005, 008, 009
• Mouse Fur on Left 087, 103
• Mouse Fur on Right 112, 117
• Flowers 038, 079, 082 
• Stems 058, 060, 117
• Yellow Shading 011

To see how I color the mice - check out my tutorial on the Spectrum Noir Blog.

On top of the flowers, and on areas of the stencil background, I added a custom blend mixture of Flower Soft - Lavender, Meadow, Ultrafine White, Ultra Fine Pine and Diamond Range Amethyst. I also dusted a bit of glitter on top while the glue was still wet.

See more great samples our design team came up for our mid-week post HERE.
Visit the challenge post to get all blog hop details HERE.




Happy Crafting!

Stencils with Embossing Paste - Tutorial

Hello friends. As we anxiously await the release of some NEW Sheena Douglass Stencils, coming soon to Crafter's Companion USA, I though I would share a tutorial using a fabulous stencils that is currently available.

The stencil I used is called Summer Meadow. Isn't is amazing?! To get the great texture and colors, I used embossing paste and embossing powder. This technique creates a really cool raised texture that has a beautiful glaze on top.



NOTE: For easy clean up - do this technique on a craft mat.

Instructions:
Tape the stencil on top of Kraft cardstock panel. I used painters tape to temporarily hold the cardstock and stencil in place. This will prevent the stencil (and cardstock) from shifting when applying the paste.

Tip: You don't have to use the entire stencil design. I only used a portion for my card.

Pick up paste with the palette knife and apply it over the stencil - as if you were frosting a cake. I used the Black Matte Embossing Paste from Dreamweaver. It's up to you how thick or evenly you apply it. You really can't go wrong. Scrap off any excess paste and put it back in the container.



Carefully remove the tape and then very carefully lift off the stencil. Isnt' that AMAZING?!



Clean the paste off the stencil RIGHT AWAY or the paste will dry on the stencil.

Tip: I had a container with water and a little dish soap set off to the side. I just put my stencil right in the container so I could continue making my project.



Before the paste starts to dry, generously add embossing powder over the top of the paste. I used Aged Scarlet Embossing Enamel from Stampendous.



Tap off the excess embossing powder and funnel it back into the container.



Set aside the panel to dry. Drying time varies depending on the paste and how thick it was applied. Because the tree area on this design is so large, I suggest at least an hour of drying time.

Once the paste is dry, heat set the embossing powder.




Now it's time to finish the card design with some stamping and shading.

Randomly stamp the Overlapped Text image with Antique Linen Distress Ink.



Sponge Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Walnut Stain and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks around edges of panel. Wipe off any excess ink that is on the embossed areas with baby wipe or paper towel. Stamp sentiment with black pigment ink and emboss with clear. Mat panel on black cardstock and then on Shimmering Gold Dust Cardstock. Mount to black note card with foam adhesive. Tie black satin cording around edge of card.



The dimension you get from the paste is awesome. Adding embossing powder on top of the paste gives added texture and shine that is out of this world beautiful! I hope you give it a try.

Stay connected over at Crafter's Companion USA Facebook page for updates on products.

Thanks for stoppin by!

Products:
Crafter's Companion Sheena Decorative Stencil - Summer Meadow
Crafter's Companion Stamp-It Australia - Overlapped Text
Crafter's Companion Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy - Poppies and Daisies (retired)
Crafter's Companion Kraft Cardstock
Crafter's Companion Shimmering Gold Dust Cardstock
Black cardstock
Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Walnut Stain, Aged Mahogany
Black Pigment Ink of choice
Dreamweaver Matte Black Embossing Paste
Stampendous! Aged Scarlet Embossing Enamel
Clear Embossing Powder of choice
Palette Knife
Removable Tape/Painters Tape
Heat tool
Ink Sweeper, Sponge Daubers or Blending Foam
Foam Adhesive