Less is More Week 156 Sketch

Hello everyone from yet another wet and cold day in Somerset.  Thought I'd pop by with a quick post today.  There's a sketch challenge over at Less is More: 

It's SKETCH TIME again 

 at "Less is More" and here is another one drawn by Jen.

The main feature on the band can be any shape you choose, but we would like the layout to remain as here.

As I was blog hopping today I saw a challenge over at Technique Time Tuesday for some triple time stamping, so thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (so to speak.........!). My fellow DT Shana is your host for the month so do pop on over to have a look.

So here's my card:

I have used Stampin Up Bordering on Romance, sentiment is SU Wonderful Words.  I started out by die cutting three shapes from my Xcut nesting Hexagons and attached them centrally on each other using removable adhesive.  I put these three pieces on my foam stamping mat as it gives a much clearer stamp impression when using this technique.  I then used a water brush to draw in colours to the flowers and leaves.  I originally then die cut three mats using the next size up dies but found they were too wide to give the impression of triple time stamping so instead used my Perfect Layers rulers and gave them a border mat of 1/16" which looked much better.  I cut a piece of the pink bazzil card and mounted some white card over and then stamped the sentiment.

So hopefully this complies with both the Less is More and Technique Time Tuesday challenges.

Thanks for taking the time to visit - your comments are much appreciated.

Happy crafting.

Cure For The Monday Blues Challenge #1 Bohemian Rhapsody

Hi everyone from a very wet and windy Somerset..............someone up there is certainly testing our mettle and my thoughts go out to people living on the Levels.

Anyway one way to banish thoughts of this miserable weather is a fab new challenge called Cure for the Monday Blues run by the lovely Taheera.  Every Monday she will be posting an inspirational photo and here is the one posted for this very first challenge:

Aren't they the most gorgeous colours?  Makes you think of summer sun, sandy beaches...........oh well, we can only dream eh?  Here's what I came up with.

There's been a lot lately about spray painting using a hand pressed air tool with your alcohol markers.  This seems to have come about from the recent CHA exhibition.  When I saw it I thought, I've got one of those - so went hunting and sure enough I have got one but it's called Blitzer and my sister bought it for me donkey's years ago along with a video (shows how old eh?), marker pens and stencils.  So I dusted it off and got some Flexmarkers ready.  I've used a Clarity Stamp Stencil on a piece of white cardstock and sprayed the colours I needed.  It's surprising how much ink gets blown out over the card by just squeezing the bulb of the spritzer.

This was mounted on a 5" square card.  I die cut the two bottom corners using Cheery Lynn Fancy Corner Cuts #4 - these are great as you get three styles but two dies of each so you can cut the edges in one go.  I used the waste from the corners at the top of the spritzed card, added a ribbon and the sentiment is Stampin Up Whimsical Words which was cut out using SU label punch.  Final touch was some Liquid Pearls.

Thanks for dropping by.

STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge #4

Hi everyone - saw this great sketch challenge over at STAMPlorations and just had to join the fun!!!

Welcome to our fourth bi-weekly sketch challenge! Here’s the sketch for this challenge. It’s open to interpretation. Feel free to change the orientation of the sketch, use different shapes, add other elements to suit the type of paper craft you’re making, and so on — just make sure the sketch is recognizable in your submission(s). And you can use stamps by other companies to create projects that you enter to our challenges, although if you have our stamps in your stash, we'd be tickled if you use them!

I received a Tsukineko Delicata Golden Glitz inkpad in the post the other day and was dying to use it.  Here's what I made:

 

I have used Papermania stamps (the bottle, trophy and sentiment), the border is Kaisercraft Tic Toc and I've used Anna-Marie's white pearlised card to make a top folded 5x7 card and the toppers are mounted on some kraft card.

I can't get over the wonderful shimmer and shine of this Golden Glitz ink - absolutely no need to heat emboss it!

Runway Inspired Challenge #52

Hello everyone - just a quick post today as I'm busy doing commissioned cards but really fancied joining in with this fun challenge over at Runway Inspired.  Here is the photo inspiration - isn't is gorgeous!

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source: style.com

And here is my take on it:

I've used my Stampin Up En Francais background stamp inked up with various SU colours to match the dress.  I've cut the panel into three sections and mounted on a blue mat. The central piece of blue represents the belt and the ribbon the stole (hopefully!!! lol).  The sentiment is also SU and I've used the oval and scalloped oval punches.

Hope everyone's having a good week.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy crafting.

Christmas Card Club Challenge #2

Hello everyone.  I've been lucky enough to be invited to join in with the challenges at the Christmas Card Club which is made up of some lovely ladies (see details to the right) who wanted to make Christmas cards throughout the year.  I definitely need an impetus otherwise I end up panicing at the last minute - so here is my card for my first challenge which is "Cooking up a storm - anything to do with food".

I actually don't have much in the way of Christmas food but came across this cute Forever Friends stamp of teddies making the Christmas cake.  I stamped in Memento black ink and coloured with Flexmarkers.  Die cuts are Spellbinders Labels 28 and I've used Papermania b/p from my stash.  The sentiment is computer generated.  The felt holly flowers were a freebie gift in with a recent order from someone in America.  I've added a couple of pompoms to the hats and some Stickles glitter across the fur borders.

Hazel over at Craftyhazelnuts (fabulous name for a blog!!!) also has a Christmas card challenge on which runs for the month of January so I am entering my card into that as well.

Thanks so much for popping by - I really enjoy reading all your comments.

Happy crafting.

Addicted to CAS Challenge #30

Happy Saturday everyone.  Today sees our latest challenge at Addicted to CAS and your hostess is the lovely and very talented Shana.  Here is the code word she's chosen:

and our Sponsor for this challenge is:

Deedee will offer 3 digi sets for our winners.

Now I was pondering on this code word..........was it New Year, turning over a New leaf, New goodies?????  When you start thinking you can use this word with so many combinations.  Anyway I've chosen my theme to be for a New baby and here's my card:

 

I've used a 6" square card blank and some pink bazzil cardstock.  Using my Spellbinders Labels 27 I cut the aperture in the centre of the bazzil cardstock.  The image is a digistamp from the lovely Paulette at Create with TLC.  I printed the image four times and then added patterned paper (from my stash) across each image using repositionable tape and put it back through the printer.  I left the first layer in black ink and die cut it using the same Spellbinder die.  I then fussy cut out various elements from the different papers and paper pieced on top of the base image.  I then added this back into the negative shape on the piece of bazzil card and attached at the back.  I then popped it up on some d/s foam pads.  I added some dots of glue around the image and added crystal Glamour Dust.

 

Now I came back to the card after a little while and wondered whether it needed anything else so I just cut out two Simon Says String of Hearts die cuts and placed them at the top of the card.  I'd be really interested to see whether you prefer version one or two.  I still can't decide!!! lol

 

Don't forget to pop over to Addicted to CAS where the Design Team have some amazing  cards for you.

Co-incidentally the theme over at Less is More this week is New Baby so I am entering this card.

CAS Colour & Sketches Challenge

Hi Everyone - must be on a roll here!!!  lol  Over at CAS Colour & Sketches they have a new challenge:

Loved the sketch and so thought I'd join in the fun - come and see what I've done:

This was a lovely quick card to make.  I took a 5x7 card blank and cut some bazzil cardstock in a deep golden sand colour to size and then tore a lighter piece for the corner.  Popped over to my sewing machine and zigzagged the torn piece.  I then stitched this onto the card blank.  The sentiment is Stampin Up Three Little Words (discontinued I think) and it's been heat embossed in gold.  The swirl is Simon Says Stamp! Harrington Vine cut out of the lighter card.  I've added some Liquid Pearls.  I have also heat embossed the sentiment on the insert and added a Martha Steward Heart border in both colours - here:

Thanks for dropping by.

Less is More - Week 154 OLC Hearts

Hello everyone - well it's Saturday and a new challenge over at Less is More where it's the dreaded (or not so much nowadays........) One Layer Challenge:

This week it's everyone's favourite - 

ONE LAYER CARDS  

and this week the theme is

Hearts

I haven't joined in any of the LIM challenges for what seems like ages now what with the build up to Christmas and New Year so was determined to have a go today.  Here's what I've made:

I have used a heart embossing folder but before running it through my die cutting machine have put a Sizzix oval diffuser centrally so there would be a central area that isn't embossed thus giving me a lovely area to stamp into.  I used my Clearly Besotted Love Hearts stamp set and used the two words included in the set.  I inked them up with SU Real Red and then clear embossed the images.

Thanks for dropping by - hope you're all having a great weekend.

Happy crafting.

A New Year - a new challenge

Happy New Year everyone - hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Can you believe it's 2014???  So, after a little break we're back with a brand new challenge at Addicted to CAS and this week your hostess is the amazingly talented Loll. 

Here is the code word that Loll has chosen for you:

Our Sponsor is:

http://www.dianesdaydreamdesigns.com/deedees-digis.html

Deedee will offer 3 digi sets for our winners.

 

And here is my DT card.

 

 

 

As I was lucky enough to get some new dies and couldn't wait to start using them.  On my card I've used the Birch Tree Cutting Plate by Taylored Expressions and the matching Birch Tree Accessories.  I die cut the birch trees and popped them up on a piece of embossed card that I swiped with some Distress Inks.  I weaved my deer through the trees as if he were just emerging from the forest and popped the little owl on a branch.  The sentiment is from Vintage Verses by Stampin Up.

 

Thanks for dropping by - don't forget to pop on over to the Addicted to CAS blog to see some of the amazing cards our DT have made.