Dasher on the Wall

Posted on December 16, 2009 by mauistamper

Doesn’t he look marvelous? As though he could just Dash Away!?

I love the Clement Clark Moore story…we own multiple versions of the book, and it was a favorite read for our family at Christmas time when the children were small. It’s been a long time since bedtime stories were read in my house, but I still get out the children’s Christmas books and put them in a basket near the tree every year just in case someone wants to read one.

This handsome fellow is the Level II Decor Elements Hostess award. I’ve had him for quite a while and originally thought I’d put him directly on the wall. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to find a way to enjoy his elegant profile for a few years. My brilliant friend Crystal came up with the idea to apply the Decor Elements to canvas.

This is a 16 x 20 inch thin canvas board, not stretched canvas on a frame. Cost is under $7, and that’s a Hawaii price, so you mainland crafters will probably find a better deal. I painted it very lightly with a bristle brush using a linen color of craft paint – you know the stuff, a 2 ounce bottle for about $2. I kept the strokes horizontal and the coverage light to allow the texture of the canvas to show a bit.

Once the canvas was thoroughly dry, I applied Dasher. You gotta put on your patient hat when you apply a Decor Element with this much detail! I carefully burnished all the dots and swirls before peeling off the backing, but still had to go very slowly and give a little extra attention to a couple of stubborn areas. This image was easy to fit to the 16 x 20 canvas, and the application was much easier than the burnishing. There’s a very small amount of texture from the canvas visible under the larger areas of the vinyl, but you have to be looking for it to notice it.

Crystal added a bow and some bling to her Dasher, but I decided mine was going to be a Manly Sort of Reindeer. I used the Crop-A-Dile (seriously!! it worked great!) to add a pair of Jumbo Eyelets to the top corners, and broke out my precious stash of retired Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon to thread through the eyelets and tie in a bow.

Here’s a closer look at the canvas…

I really love the effect of the texture.

On a personal note, I’m really happy to be back to blogging. Life throws a curve ball once in a while, and it was just my turn up to bat. I didn’t hit it out of the park, but I took a good swing at it and I’m working my way towards home plate.

See you tomorrow!

Another dashing reindeer

Posted on November 19, 2009 by mauistamper

If you’re like me, you’re suddenly looking at the calendar and saying “DANG! I need to get my Christmas cards made!” (I am the Queen of the Last Minute. But that’s a story for another time.) Just flip open the back of your catalog and check out Mr. Dasher on page 208. Well, it could be Ms. Dasher, but frankly, with those antlers, I’m thinking we’re looking at the male of the species.

There are so many ways to use this great image. Today’s card is one that could easily be made in quantity, with steps that are easily broken down for assembly line production. Just the thing for someone who needs a heap of cards in a hurry. Easy Dasher in artichoke

Dasher and All Holidays stamp sets
Always Artichoke, Real Red, Brushed Gold and Whisper White card stock
Soft Suede Classic Ink pad; Whisper White Craft ink pad
Texture Jumbo Wheel; Always Artichoke jumbo ink cartridge
White embossing powder; Heat tool; Real Red stitched grosgrain ribbon

I’m a big fan of diverse greeting sets. All Holidays and Teeny Tiny Wishes are always close at hand when I’m designing cards. They’re higher priced sets, but the cost-per-use is very low and I consider them a great investment. I’m also a big fan of white craft ink and white embossing powder – you can emboss pretty quickly when you’re in production mode, and the results are always eye-catching.

What would be on your “Marooned on a desert island” list of supplies?

Dasher in the Holiday Lounge – MojoMonday113

Posted on November 16, 2009 by mauistamper

I am SO excited I’m going to have to disable the Caps button on my keyboard so I don’t just shout this entire post! (Perhaps I’ll disable the exclamation mark, too.) This is such a late post for me today…all day I’ve tried to get to the Mojo Monday sketch, and all day there have been other things that got in the way. I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to do, and Heaven help me, when I finally sat down to put it together it was even better than I imagined! (OK. Breathe here.)

So, what do YOU think??

Dasher and Holiday Best (Hostess Level I) Stamp sets
Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Brushed Gold, Sahara Sand and Ruby Red cardstock; Holiday Lounge Designer Series Paper
Encore Gold Pad; Taken with Teal and Ruby Red Stampin’ Write Markers
Whisper White taffeta ribbon; Piercing tool and template; Stampin’ Dimensionals; Clear Detail embossing powder and heat tool

I’ve had so much trouble with the Mojo Monday sketches in the past…this makes me really, really happy. I hope you like it too.

Shimmery Dasher

Posted on September 16, 2009 by mauistamper

Are you ready for another Christmas card? I know it’s early…but I like to get thinking about these things. I like to simmer a bunch of ideas on the back burner and let the best one come to the surface.

This card uses the awesome Champagne Mist shimmer paint again. I can’t get enough of this product – there are so many ways to use it. I inked the Dasher stamp in Old Olive and then used a dauber to add a very light coat of shimmer on the antlers. I stamped it on the ivory panel, then inked it again but didn’t add the shimmer and stamped it on a second piece of cardstock. Finally, I used a dauber to add a very light layer of shimmer over the entire image. This leaves messy edges, so I cut out the Dasher and layered it over the first image. Finally, I used the Aquapainter with a little more shimmer to give Dasher a shimmery pool to stand in.

Olive Shimmer Dasher