Less is More - Week 85 - Theme

Hi Guys - I know this is two posts in one day which is really unusual for me!!!  lol  but I've just managed to get my entry done for the Less is More challenge this week which is:

For our theme this week we have a really easy project for you... simply incorporate an

OVAL

into your design somewhere... what could be easier?

So there we have it - OVALS...... what could be more simpler than that eh?  Well, like all simple things they ain't always easy!  In the end I've used my Spellbinders Beaded Ovals and Fancy Tags dies.  After die cutting them I sponged Brushed Corduroy DI on the tag and stamped the sentiment with the same ink - sentiment is from Whimsy Stamps.  A little ribbon bow on each side and some Liquid Pearls finished the card.  A 5 minute job????  Heck no........ lol

Thanks for popping over to visit me and I look forward to repaying the compliment.

A quick addendum.......thanks to my blogging buddy Darnell (or Dippy as I call her!!!  lol) for suggesting I enter this into the CASology challenge this week which is WHITE.  Do pop over as there are some gorgeous creations for your delectation.

Addicted to Stamps - Bingo Addict Challenge #3

Welcome to our next Bingo Challenge over at Addicted to Stamps.  This is the bingo card you can choose from (3 squares either vertically, horizontally or diagonally):

For my card I've chosen Birthday, Square and Purple.  I've started off with a white 8" square scalloped Anna-Marie card base.  I've used my Marianne LR0242 set of dies which I think are so delicate.......can you imagine trying to cut these layers out by hand?????  lol  No, I thought not!  The base is die cut in white, the next layer in purple bazzill and the topper in white, stamped sentiment in DI brushed corduroy and clear embossed.  Sentiment is part of SU Whimsical Words set.  The butterfly is a Joy die and cut out of the same purple bazzill cardstock.  Finishing touches are some pretty pearls.

Please pop over to the ATS blog and have a look at all the wonderful inspirational pieces the DT have made.  I'm really looking forward to seeing all your creations and visiting your blogs.

Happy crafting.

St Luke's Challenge - Couples

Hello Everyone - well, it's the end of the week and I have actually had time to join in the fun over at St Luke's Challenge Blog where the challenge is COUPLES.

I decided to use this gorgeous digistamp from Mo Manning called "Kisses for my Sweet" which is just lovely - can't you imagine them twirling around in an impromptu dance????  lol  I printed the image out and die cut it using nesties.  It's been coloured with Flexmarkers.  I've embossed the border strip and mat using my Couture Creations Tied Together.  The sentiment is from A.A.Milne and I think it's wonderful; it's been mounted on my Spellbinders fancy tags.  The photo corners are an EK Success punch and I've added flowers from my stash, made some rose petals using Nellie Snellen punch & emboss duo and added ribbon and pearls.  The bp is from my stash.



Thanks for dropping by - hope you all have a wonderful weekend whatever you're doing.  I appreciate all your comments and look forward to coming to visit your blogs.

Less is More - Week 84 - One Layer

Hi Guys - the challenge over at Less is More this week is:

One Layer Card

Challenge Week

For the focus of your contributions this week we would like to see 

FOLIAGE

but PLEASE don't forget to leave that all important white space...


Things have been pretty hectic over the last few days and I've been busy getting samples ready for our club night tonight - if I get a chance I will post a photo of some of them tomorrow.

I started out with an A5 pearlised white card base and scored lines to give my "stamping area".  I then cut a mask so I wouldn't go over the lines..........so easy to do!!!  I've used a clear stamp set which doesn't have a name on it but it is just different leaves and fern fronds.  I stamped randomly in Versamark ink and clear embossed it.  I have then sponged various colours of Distress Inks over the whole area.  When I'd got it to the colour I wanted I then used a piece of kitchen towel to buff up the clear embossed areas.  The finishing touches were a sentiment (Hobby Art) and three green pearls.

Thanks for dropping by.

Addicted to Stamps - Make Your Mark Challenge #3

Welcome to our new challenge over at Addicted to Stamps.  This week's challenge is Make your Mark which gives you a free rein as long as you use your markers - Copics, Promarkers etc - to colour in your main image.

For my card I have used a digi stamp - Melissa by Sugar Nellie.  I just love these images.  She's been coloured with Flexmarkers and die cut using nesties.  I've used my Creative Expressions Floral embossing folder to partially emboss the backing which is Bazzill card.  The main card has been made up into an A5 using Anna-Marie's brushed satin card which is gorgeous.  I have made the roses using the floral e/f and the leaves are punched using Nellie Snellen two stage punch and embosser.  A dotty ribbon and some pearls finish the card off.

Please pop on over to the Addicted to Stamps challenge blog to have a look at the lovely cards made by the super talented members of the Design Team.  We look forward to seeing your entries and coming by to visit you.

Happy crafting.

Less is More - Week 82 - Colour Brown & Pink

Hi Guys - well this week's challenge over at Less is More is:

Being the first of the month it's colour week and we have chosen two for you....

Brown & Pink

Now, I made this card a couple of days ago and I have taken so many photos of it - tried to fiddle with them - that I am pretty sick of the sight of it.  For some reason, and I don't know whether it is because it's a pearlised card or what, the colours were awful.  Anyway making the best of a really bad job here is my offering!!!

I started off by embossing a nestie on the front of my card and then I stamped the main focal image from Stampin Up Mixed Bunch using Versamark ink.  I've then sponged over with pan pastels in pink.  The edging around the centre is a clear border stamp that I attempted to shape on the acrylic block so I could stamp a half circle at a time.  I've then gone over this with brown pan pastels.  The sentiment is from SU Heard from the Heart and stamped using Versafine Sepia ink.  I've then used Liquid Pearls to add the finishing touch.  Definitely not pleased with the finished result but it's taken me more time to try and photograph it than it did to make (shows eh????) and as I'm in the middle of a melt down because my printer is playing up and I'm in the middle of two commissions...............everything's hunky dory!!!!  lol

Hopefully back with a better example for the next LIM challenge.  Probably won't be back til next week as we have a busy weekend and we're cooking for a mass of people on Sunday - so fingers crossed for the weather.


Happy crafting.

Addicted to Stamps - Sketch Challenge #2

Hello Everyone

Welcome to our new challenge at Addicted to Stamps.  This week it's a sketch challenge:

For my DT card I've started off with a 6" square blank textured card.  The backing paper is from my stash and I think it is an old sheet from Graphicus (now Chocolate Baroque).  The main image is a digi stamp from Sugar Nellie called Victoria - absolutely love their digital images - and she's been coloured in using Flexmarkers.  I've added liquid pearls for the buttons/studs and some Glossy Accents to her eyes and the centres of the flowers.  She's been die cut and mounted using nesties and I veered away from using the circles as per the sketch as I thought this shape suited her better.  The sentiment is from SU Whimsical Words.  I've added a strip of pearlised card with a strip of darker card embossed with Creative Expressions Floral e/f which I've also used to make the

Close up of Victoria

flower.  The leaves are part of the SU bird on a branch punch.  I used a hand punch for the card candy in each corner and used an embossing tool and the palm of my hand to round them.  A touch of Stickles finished the card.

Please do pop over to the Addicted to Stamps blog to check out the great inspiration from the rest of the DT.  We look forward to seeing your creations and visiting your blogs.

Less is More - Week 82 - Recipe

Hi Everyone - well, what an awful day........ we've had torrential rainstorms down here in Somerset and I got absolutely soaked this morning!  Still, all dried off now and ready to post my card for the weekly Less is More Challenge.  This week it's:

Our challenge this week is a
RECIPE

3 - 2 - 1

This week we have a simple idea for you to use as the focus of your cards.

All that you need to do is to incorporate 3 of something, 2 of something and 1 of something else!

For my card I've decided to use a lovely House-Mouse image "Together under the Moon", coloured with Flexmarkers and Distress Ink Faded Jeans and added Atyou glitter pens.  Cut out using nesties.  A ribbon added and the sentiment is computer generated and die cut with Spellbinders Fancy Tags.  So my three is nestie layers, two is meeces and one is sentiment or ribbon  Do you remember a chap named Ted something or other who compered a game show with Dusty Bin????  I feel like him with his 3, 2, 1............think I'd better stop here as I'm showing my age!!!  lol

Thanks for dropping by.  I'm hoping the weather is better tomorrow for all of us and especially those wonderful Paralympians.

Happy crafting.

ADDICTED TO STAMPS - CAS #2

Hello everyone - today we're up with our latest challenge over at Addicted to Stamps which, this week, is CLEAN AND SIMPLE.   I think people aren't quite as frightened by this type of challenge as they used to be so here goes with my DT entry.

I've used an embossing folder from Creative Expressions EF-004 Floral for the whole of my card.  I've embossed two panels of card in pink and purple and cut to size.  With the offcuts of the pink card I cut out four of the flowers to make up my rose and then I added some Cosmic Twinkles.  The two panels have been placed onto a square card blank and I've added the rose with Pinflair Glue Gel.  The sentiment is from SU Wonderful Words stamped in SU Perfect Plum onto a spare piece of pink card.

Please pop over to the ATS blog and have a look at all the inspirational cards made by the Design Team.  We look forward to seeing all your cards and visiting your blogs.

BLOG CANDY GALORE OVER AT THE CRAFT BARN!!!!!

Hi Everyone on this wet, windy and very miserable August Bank Holiday............it's a good excuse to stay up in my craft room but I do feel sorry for those on holiday or trying to get a day out.

The Craft Barn have got some absolutely amazing blog candy up for grabs over on their blog so pop over and have a look and join in the fun - all you've got to do is post a photo and link on your blog and then go and prod the little blue frog!!!  lol

Here's what they're offering to one lucky blogger:

I'm not going to list every thing in there, but I'm sure you can spot a lot of yummy products.... 

die cuts (I see Tim Holtz's phone there), inks (including Dylusions), glitter, a Crafty Secrets CD, embossing folders, goodies to alter, embellishments, a "stamp and die" set, gilding flakes and more...

 

Thanks for dropping by.

 

 

Less is More - Week 81 - Theme

Well, looky here...........I might not have got my first card posted very early for this week's Less is More challenge but here I am again with another one!!!  lol

Just to remind you, this week's challenge set by the lovely ladies is TEARING ........ and it can be as easy or complicated as we wish.  So yesterdays card was pretty simple so I thought I'd have a go at tearing my paper for masks and also tearing some backing card as well.

Now a really strange thing happened to me - I decided to use my Pan Pastels on a piece of Clarity coated cardstock, so I tore my paper masks and started off using blue for the sky - beautiful, then I used an ochre shade for the furthest hills - again no problem.  BUT........ when I went to use a green for the nearest hills nothing happened!  So I tried again, and again, and again..........still nothing.  It sponges very well onto normal paper but where the other colours came out really well on the coated cardstock the green absolutely refused to even minutely colour the card!!!  Now if anyone out in Blogland can help me with this I would be really interested to know why this happened.  So determined to carry on I had to use Distress Inks to finish off the background.  Then I have used a mixture of stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque (Eastern Grasses and Tall Trees).  For the trees in the distance I just masked and stamped the top of the trees in the foreground after taking off some ink so it appeared to be further away.

I used a silver edge marker pen around the scene and matted it onto some ribbed black cardstock which was torn on two sides.  I've mounted this onto an 8" square card blank and added the ribbon.  The sentiment is from Heartfelt Expressions (HCPC 3474) and stamped directly onto the base card.  The final addition was some matching pearls.

Thanks for dropping by.  I love reading all your comments and popping over to your blogs to reciprocate.

Less is More - Week 81 - Theme

Well, my efficiency last week didn't last very long...........I am again late in posting my entry to the latest Less is More challenge which is:

Tearing
This can be in any form, but, as subtle or as bold as you like!

For my card I have taken three pieces of backing paper from my stash and torn them; each a little larger than the other.  I then inked the edges with Distress Inks.  These were glued to a square card.  My main image is Hero Arts "Real Dill" and I inked it up with Distress Inks and spritzed it with water before stamping to give it a watercolour look.  This was then matted and added over the torn bp.  The sentiment is from Waltzingmouse.  Finishing touches are matching pearls and a piece of ribbon.

Thanks for dropping by.

Happy crafting.

Addicted to Stamps - Addicted to (GOLD) Challenge #2

Hello fellow bloggers.  Yep it's that time of week again and our new challenge over at Addicted to Stamps is Addicted to GOLD.  There is no theme so subject matter is totally up to your imaginations!!!  lol 

Now I've been having a huge clear out of my craft room and lots of unwanted goodies have gone to a good home BUT........ you know what it's like when you have a tidy up etc?  Yes, you've got it - I JUST CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!!!!  What I wanted to do for my DT card was to use FlitterGlu but I can't find it anywhere - so I've had to use the next best thing (not really in my mind but heyho...) which is detail gold embossing powder.

I've used my IndigoBlu stamp "Frosted Baubles" which is lovely and stamped in VersaMark and gold embossed onto red card.  The sentiment is part of a clear stamp set which doesn't have a manufacturer's name on it.  This has also been embossed.  I've then cut out the design and mounted onto gold mirri and more red card.  I've used a 5" x 7" card blank and put another piece of gold mirri through my Joy machine in my new and much coveted and loved Tied Together embossing folder by Couture Creations.........this is the e/f that was made as a limited edition but by the time most people found out about it everywhere had sold out!  It's made in Australia and they aren't making any more...........  I know you can't fully enjoy it's deliciousness but believe me it's absolutely gorgeous!  I've tied some gold ribbon around the card ending up with a bow.  The finishing touch was to add quite a few teeny tiny gold balls to each of the elements - but I'm not sure the photo actually shows them too well.

Please go over to the Addicted to Stamps challenge blog to look at all the wonderful creations made by the rest of the Design Team.  We really look forward to all your entries and popping over to your blogs for a "chat".

Happy crafting.

Less is More - Week 80 - One Layer

Well will you look at this!!!!  Two cards for the same LIM challenge in a matter of days - something must be wrong...... what have I forgotten to do!!!  lol  I was sorting out some stamps yesterday afternoon and came across this virgin (and I use that word wisely.....) stamp from the Joanna Sheen stable - Giordano Studio Stamps "How are You?".  The challenge, just to remind those who haven't popped over to this fabulous blog, is:

ONE LAYER CARD

and this time the subject of your creations should feature

FUR or FEATHERS

(This should give you plenty of scope.)

As ever, please don't forget that white space and keep any embellishments to a minimum.

 

I stamped the main image and coloured with Prismacolour pencils which I had to dust off as I haven't used them for a long time.  This image is just too cute for words and fits in well for the challenge.  The sentiment is from the same set.

Thanks for dropping by - not sure what your weather is like but we have had gale force winds and torrential rain and the roads have been flooding.  Fingers crossed that somewhere some of you are having a bit of sunshine.......if so can you send some down to Somerset please!  lol

Addicted to Stamps - Theme Challenge #2 - Cards for boys

Hi again everyone.  It's that time of week again for a brand new challenge at Addicted to Stamps.  The theme this week is Cards for Boys...........yep those tricky critters!!!!  lol

For my card I have chosen to use stamps from the docrafts Wellington 8"x8" set.  He's such a gorgeous creature and I think much more male oriented than a "cute" teddy you might use for a card for a female.  I've taken a blank 8" square card and have used a variety of Coredinations card stock added mats and layers which have been embossed with my Cuttlebug Wicker Weave embossing folders and then sanded back.  A couple of pieces I've just sanded.  The main image has been stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured using Aquamarkers with an added touch of atyou Spica glitters.  I then die cut the image with nesties and then added a layer of acetate over the top.  Holes punched and brown gingham ribbon added.  The sentiment No 1 Nephew is matted onto a Spellbinders Fancy Labels die cut and the other (which I think is so true) has just been layered onto matching Coredinations.  I had a bit of ribbon left so added it to the top left with a brad.  It's my eldest nephew (hence the No 1 - my other, younger, nephew is No 2!!!) Dominic's birthday in a few days time and I thought this would be good for him (although he's all grown up......) as Wellington is sitting on a very adult leather armchair in possibly a library - and as he's an author what better?  lol

Please pop over to Addicted to Stamps and look at the amazing inspirational pieces the DT have made for your delectation this week.  We look forward to your entries and popping over to your blogs.

Happy crafting.