Lucky Dip at Less is More

Good morning

There's a new challenge just starting over at Less is More and as this is the fifth Saturday of the month we have a Lucky Dip challenge for you which is...

Paper Piecing

Don't forget to keep your creations clean and simple

We also have a fabulous Guest Designer joining us this week, Valerie of Canonbury Creations.  If you have the time, please stop by her blog and leave her some love.


I've had a crazy week this past week with not much time for crafting so just one card to share with you today.  So, let's get to it...

I bought this holly stamp a while ago but this was its first outing.  I started by stamping it onto a white cardstock panel, off the edge. I then stamped the leaves onto the polka dot green paper and the berries onto the red tiny heart paper.  The bow was stamped onto a piece of gold shimmer paper from my stash.  Once cut out, I positioned and adhered the papers over my stamped image and then added the sentiment below.  The panel was popped up on 3D foam strips.


Materials used:

• Stamps: Woodware - Sprig of Holly; Clearly Besotted - Most Wonderful
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Patterned Paper: Doodlebug - Santa Express
• Gold shimmer paper from stash

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create - Challenge #147 - Anything Goes
The Friday Mashup - Challenge #232 - Leaves

Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #7 - Leaves and/or Trees

My teamies have also been having fun with paper piecing this week so why not pop along to their personal blogs too where you'll find more inspiration.

Thanks so much for visiting today.  Bye for now and...

Addicted to Stamps and More #168

Hi guys

My regular late night post means it's time for another new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  And we're back with one of our regular challenges too...

Addicted to Holidays

We are looking for holiday themes such as Christmas, Easter, public holidays, or of course a vacation/holiday theme

Our sponsors this week are DeeDee's Digis who are offering a $15 coupon for their store, and Rosey Hearts where the prize this week is 5 digis!


I decided to go with the Christmas theme as time is running out and I've not even started making the bulk of my Christmas cards yet!

I used this fun image and sentiment from a set called Merry and Bright by DeeDee's Digis printed onto white cardstock.  I cut out the main image with a stitched tag die and coloured it in with ProMarkers.  I cut another tag from some Christmas patterned paper.  I was going to use a plain white card base but it looked like something was missing so I decided to go with the greens in the image and covered the entire card base with some green cardstock.  I offset the two tags and adhered them in place, punched a hole and added some metallic red cord.  I then used a fishtail flag die to cut out the sentiment and popped this up on 3D foam.

Usually for finishing touches I grab Wink of Stella or Glossy Accents but I tried out something else on this one...white flock!  I got this free with a magazine years ago.  I added a small amount to the 'fur' on his hat.  I've tried to capture it in the pic below.

Materials used:

• Digi Images: DeeDee's Digis - Merry and Bright
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Tags, Fishtail Flag Stax
• Patterned Paper: Doodlebug - Santa Express
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Accents: Metallic red cord and white flock from stash

Thanks so much for popping by today, and please pop by the ATSM blog if you have time, my teamies are sharing some great creations this week.

CASology Guest Designer!

Hi there

Today, I'm delighted to be Guest Designing at CASology.

I was thrilled to win the recent 'you' challenge so was invited to join the team for this week's challenge, Week 170.  These ladies always blow me away with their fabulous CAS style so to be joining the team again is so exciting!

And so, here is the all important word for this week...

I had lots of ideas for this one but decided to go super CAS, and I think this has to be one of the quickest cards I've ever made.

I previously used a script sentiment stamp as a balloon string on this card so decided to go with the same concept.  I simplified it even more, using a different stamp set, this time from Lawn Fawn, and paired it with a fun die cut piece of dotty patterned paper using a heart shaped balloon die.  This was popped up on 3D foam pads and that was it, done!

Materials used:

• Stamp: Lawn Fawn - Scripty Sayings
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Patterned Paper: Doodlebug - Santa Express
• Die: Wplus9 - Whole Lotta Happy

Thanks so much for visiting today.  The fabulous CASology design team never fail to share fantastic creations so be sure to pop over there for lots more inspiration.

I'd like to say thank you once again to Melissa and the team for letting me gatecrash their challenge this week! :)

Happy Little Stampers Second Release Blog Hop!

Hi guys

As a member of the Design Team at Happy Little Stampers I'm thrilled to be taking part in this blog hop to celebrate the second stamp release....6 new stamp sets are now in the HLS store!

Here are the details of the hop...

This hop will run until next weekend and you'll need to visit each of the HLS designers and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize.

You should have reached me from the lovely Chrissie's blog.  If you've got lost along the way, don't worry, there's a complete list of all the hop stops at the bottom of this post.


I'm sharing two cards today, made using two of the new stamp sets, Whimsical Friends and Mix Mash...

I used both sets on this first card.  On a white cardstock panel I stamped the chevron, twice alongside each other, to create a longer chevron.  I then stamped the cute bird perched on this and coloured him in with my Zig pens.  I stamped the sentiment below in black, I think the 'miss you' works well with the bird looking into the distance.  I mounted the panel onto some bright orange cardstock to co-ordinate with the bird and then adhered this flat to the card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Whimsical Friends and Mix Mash
• Ink: Versa Color - Turquoise; Archival - Jet Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Coloured with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens

Challenge entries for this card:

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #396 - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar - Challenge #169 - ~Anything Goes

And my second card...

I used a combination of stamps from Mix Mash on this card.  I started by drawing a pencil line diagonally across the card to use as a guide.  I then stamped the starburst and circles in a repetitive pattern to fill in the lower half of the card.  I carefully erased the pencil line and then stamped the sentiment and chevrons to create a kind of border.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Mix Mash
• Ink: Versa Color - Opera Pink, Cyan, Mint; Versafine - Onyx Black

Challenge entries:

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #332 - Anything Goes

I hope you're having fun visiting all the designers and that you've gained lots of inspiration for using these sets.  The next stop on the hop is the wonderful Carol. 

Here is the complete lists of participants for the hop, if you've not started from the beginning you might want to get yourself a brew, it's a long list!...

Happy Little Stampers 

Kylie Purtell

Loll Thompson

Joyce Mehrberg

Gloria Lee

Tanja Kabel

Susan Bridgman

LesLee

Gail Townsend

Carol Steedman

Melissa Lane

Linda Walmsley

Birgit Norton

Kim Heggins

Valentyna

Sue T.

Bonnie Klass

Toni

Chrissie

Anita - that's me!

Carol Dunham

Ingrid Blackburn

I hope you're enjoying this hop.  Thanks so much for popping by and I wish you lots of luck with the prizes!

Sketch Time

Good morning

At Less is More this week we're back with one or our less regular challenges.  This week we have a sketch for you.  So, lets get to it, here it is...

Please ensure your creations are CAS, full guidelines can be found over at the challenge blog here.

I have three cards to share today, here's the first...

A super simple one layer card.  I stamped the holly bough in black ink off the edge of the card and coloured it in with some Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens.  The sentiment was stamped below, also in black.  I was going to add some bling but I felt as the stamp was very detailed it looked best left alone.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Lili of the Valley - Holly Bough; Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Christmas Sentiments
• Ink: Archival - Jet Black; Versa Color - Onyx Black
• Coloured with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens

Challenge entries:

Brown Sugar Challenge - Challenge #169 - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - Challenge #332 - Anything Goes


Card two...

I stamped and die cut the sofa using a co-ordinating stamp and die.  On a panel of white cardstock I stamped the oval shape (actually a speech bubble stamp)  to represent a rug and adhered the sofa on top popped up on 3D foam.  The sentiment was stamped below in black.  I ran the card base through my Big Shot with a striped embossing folder and adhered the panel on top.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Time to Relax (and matching die); Paper Smooches - Shadows
• Ink: Versa Color - Celadon, Orchid; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Folder: Stampin' Up

Challenge entries:

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #396 - Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create - Challenge #146 - Anything Goes



And finally...

For this one I rotated the sketch 90 degrees.  Another simple one layer card created like the holly bough but this time I coloured the flower with Zigs and water to give a softer effect.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Fresh Flowers
• Ink: Archival - Jet Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Coloured with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens

I find sketch challenges the most difficult so I can't wait to get inspired by what you create for this week's challenge.  

Thanks so much for popping by.  I've got a busy weekend so won't have much time for crafting but I will be back late tomorrow with an exciting post for you ;)

Muse #138 - You are Amazing

Hi there

It's a new week and therefore it's new challenge time at Muse again and I'm thrilled to be your muse this week.

The idea at Muse is to use the Designer's card as the inspiration for your creation.  You can interpret it as you wish; using the colours, layout, techniques, etc.  You can find out more about the challenge guidelines here.

So this week I decided to ink up a new to me set by Wplus9 and I have a pretty polka dot floral creation for you...

I started by covering the majority of my card base with black and white polka dot paper.  I then cut a white cardstock panel and used a circular die to cut the arc shape out of it.  Next I used the Wplus9 set of dies to cut the container from black cardstock and then used the co-ordinating stamps and dies to create the flowers and leaves.  I stamped the sentiment in black and pink ink and adhered this panel flat to the card base.  Then, after adhering the container I did a bit of flower arranging (who knew I was so talented...haha!) and layered up the flowers and leaves, and adhered them once happy with their placement.

Materials used:

• Patterned Paper: MFT - Dots and Stripes - Neutrals
• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Thank You; Wplus9 - Fresh Cut Containers
• Dies: Wplus9 - Fresh Cut Containers; MFT - Double Stitched Circle Stax
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Magenta, Petal Pink, Pink, Olive, Evergreen

Challenge entries:

Crafty Creations - Challenge #300 - Don't be Blue (no blue and went for the cheering up card option)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Two by Two (two stamp sets used here)

A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge #155 - Spots and/or Stripes

CASology - Week 168 - Cue card 'You'

I love this challenge and seeing what elements of our creations inspire you.  Hopefully I've given you a few starting points here and I can't wait to see where it takes you.

Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you again soon.

It's All About the Boys

Good Morning!

It's time for yet another new challenge at Less is More, where on earth are these weeks going?  We're back with a Theme challenge for you this week and it's certainly one that I always struggle with, we want your creations to be.....

Masculine

Please remember to keep your creations clean and simple

So, without further ado, here are some examples for you...

A while ago I received a lovely gesture from the very sweet Barb Ghig of Barb's Studio Creations. She had seen a comment I had made about not being able to get hold of Papertrey Ink products in the UK without paying really high shipping costs so she very sweetly sent me lots, and I mean lots (!!!), of die cut images, all by Papertrey Ink.  Thanks once again, Barb, you are so so kind!  My stash has been all over the place for a while but I finally used one of them on this card.

I stamped various sunburst images to create the background directly on my card base.  I then used the 'happy' die cut word and coloured it with a black ProMarker and adhered it to the card base.  I stamped the sentiment offset below in black, and a few tiny black gemstones were scattered around before smothering the 'happy' with Glossy Accents.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Sunburst, Sentimental Type
• Die: Papertrey Ink - Wet Paint
• Ink: Versa Color - Topaz, Khaki, Atlantic, Bamboo; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: Glossy Accents; Black gemstones from stash

Challenge entries:

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #331 - Clean and Simple

Crafty Catz - Challenge #297 - Anything Goes

Card two...

I adhered a piece of striped patterned paper to the bottom section of the card.  I then cut a thin strip of blue cardstock and adhered this along the top of the paper to give it a clean edge, and doodled a faux stitched line using a black fineliner pen.  The celebrate flag is from a free set I recently received from Clearly Besotted and this was stamped at the top in black ink and a few co-ordinating Doodlebug Sprinkles were added to finish.

Materials used:

• Patterned Paper: Hot Off The Press - Cardmakers Ultimate Pack (years old!)
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Flag Sentiments
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: Derwent Graphik Line Maker pen; Doodlebug Sprinkles - Blue Jean, Limeade and Bon Bon

Challenge entry:

A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge #155 - Spots and/or Stripes

And finally, one for the younger male...

I'm always lacking in my stock of these cards so thought this was a good opportunity to make one!  I used a rectangle die to cut out a piece of polka dot patterned paper and adhered this flat to my card base.  I stamped the train, die cut with its co-ordinating die, and then coloured it in with ProMarkers.  The train was then popped up on 3D foam and the sentiment from the same set stamped below.

Materials used:

• Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Rectangles; Clearly Besotted - Going Places
• Patterned Paper: Doodlebug - Kraft in Color paper pad
• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Going Places
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Coloured with ProMarkers

If you have the time, please pop by my teamies' personal blogs where they will be sharing more inspiration with you.  I'm looking forward to seeing your creations in the gallery this week to give ME some inspiration for masculine cards!

Bye for now

You are Beautiful

Good evening crafters

I've had the day off work today and even though I'm nursing a horrible bug I managed to find some time to create.  I've made a card to combine a few challenges.

At CASology this week the cue word is 'You' so that was my starting point for this card.

I'm also going to link this one up at Addicted to CAS where they want to see some 'Sparkle'.

And finally, I'm linking up at Creative Inspirations where they want to see either Clean and Simple or Fussy and Fancy, and anyone that knows me and my cards will know that I'm going for the clean and simple option!

I started by blending together two Distress Inks on a scrap of white cardstock and die cut this out using the 'you' word die.  I stamped the stem and flowers onto the card base before adhering the word die.  I then stamped the sentiment nestled underneath in co-ordinating ink as I felt black would have been too harsh for the soft and pretty design.  Three glazed gems were added to the centres of the flowers, and a coating of clear Wink of Stella was added to the 'You' for some shimmer and sparkle.

Materials used:

• Die: Avery Elle - Simply Said You
• Ink: Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Shaded Lilac; Versa Color - Sage, Petal Pink, Hyacinth
• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - A Little Something, Thank You
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear; Gems from stash

Thanks so much for visiting, I'll be back in the morning with information about the new challenge at Less is More.

Addicted to Stamps and More #166

Hi there

There's a new weekly challenge just starting over at Addicted to Stamps and More and this week we're back with our easiest theme of all...

Anything Goes

So, whether you are creating cards for Halloween, perhaps an autumn birthday or generally just getting your stash of Christmas cards together, it can be linked up here.

Our sponsor this week is the fabulous Sweet Pea Stamps and the prize up for grabs is 4 digis from the store.

There is lots of fabulous inspiration over at ATSM created by my Design Teamies this week, and all very different.  As I still had some autumn theme stash on my table (yes, I haven't cleaned up again!) I decided to make another seasonal card to share with you...

This was super simple to make with just two stamps.  I stamped the leaf in five different autumn colours along the edge of the white cardstock panel and then stamped the sentiment in a darker ink.  The panel was then adhered to the base on 3D foam strips and I finally added some smooth gemstones to add a little bit of interest.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Stylish Flowers; MFT - Brushstroke Birthday
• Ink: Versa Color - Bark, Bamboo, Paprika. Umber, Khaki, Pinecone
• Gems from stash

I am also going to link this card up at the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Two by Two (two different stamps)

CASology - Week 168 - 'You'

My Time to Craft - Challenge #306 - Autumnal Colours

Stamping Sensations - October Challenge - Colours of Autumn

Time Out Challenges - Challenge #41 - 'Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile'

Yesterday I picked up a horrible bug but hopefully, by the time this post goes live, I will be asleep.  If not, I'm armed with tissues, honey and lemon and plenty to dose me up to get me through the night.  Urghh, I hate it, I think Rudolph will be making an early appearance with all this nose blowing, my poor snout is sore already! 

I hope to see you in the gallery this week as it's an easy peasy challenge.

Bye for now x

Autumn Is Here

Hi there fellow crafters

It's much darker in the mornings and getting dark earlier in the evenings and there's definitely a nip in the air here in the UK, and that's what this week's challenge at Less is More is all about.  We're back with our One Layer challenge and this week our theme is...

Autumn

You can find the guidelines for our one layer challenges here

I've got two cards to share with you today, here's the first...

I masked a horizontal panel and blended various Distress Inks in autumnal tones.  I then took a leaf image from a Kanban set, spritzed the stamp with water and then stamped on my panel one at a time, leaving the water to settle for a short while and then blotted with a paper towel to remove the colour.  Then, using second generation stamping I randomly stamped a small linear leaf image from a set by Honey Doo Crafts.  After removing the masks I finished by stamping the tree and sentiment from the same Kanban set in brown pigment ink.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Walnut Stain; Versa Color - Pine Cone
• Stamps: Kanban - Autumn Silhouettes; Honey Doo Crafts - Mini Shadows

Challenge entries:

The Friday Mash Up - Challenge #229 - Autumn/Masking (I didn't use the actual colours so just masking challenge here)
Stamping Sensations - October Challenge - Colours of Autumn
The Male Room - Challenge #20 - Autumn
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Autumn is in the Air
Time Out Challenges - Challenge #41 - 'Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile'
Penny Black and More - October Challenge - Warm Autumn Colours




And my second card...

I used some mixed media paper to create my card base and then stamped the little leaves using VersaMark Ink.  I then heat embossed using gold embossing powder.  I used some of my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens blended together with water to colour in the leaves.  The sentiment was then stamped in the centre in using brown pigment ink.

Materials used:

• Cardstock: Daler Rowney - Mixed Media
• Stamps: Honey Doo Crafts - Mini Shadows; Clearly Besotted - Many Messages
• Ink: VersaMark; Versa Color - Pine Cone
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich

Challenge entries:

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #394 - One Layer

Virginia's View - Challenge #19 - All Things Coloured

Fusion - Falling Leaves Bouquet (I used the photo for my inspiration)

{PIN}spirational Challenge - Challenge #150 - photo inspiration

Thanks so much for popping by.  One layer challenges can be a struggle but we would love to have you join us at Less is More this week.

Bye for now

Beautiful Jewel Colours

Hi there

It's new challenge time at Less is More and we have a wonderful challenge for you today.  We've whizzed back around to our regular Colour challenge and this week we'd like to see...

Jewel Colours

Predominant use of the challenge colours please, additional neutrals such as black, white, cream and kraft are allowed.  And please ensure you keep them CAS with that all important white space that we love.

I have two cards to share with you today.  I wanted to create more as I love these colours but it's been a crazy week and I couldn't find the time to make more.

So, here are my samples for you...

On a panel of kraft cardstock I stamped the flowers and the sentiment in VersaMark ink.  I then heat embossed in white embossing powder and coloured the image with ProMarkers.  The kraft panel was mounted onto purple cardstock before being popped up on 3D foam strips.

Materials used:

• Cardstock: Neenah - Desert Storm; Bazzill Basics - Purple
• Stamps: Stampin' Up - So Very Grateful; Clearly Besotted - Stylish Flowers (sentiment)
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: - Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Coloured with ProMarkers

Challenge entries:

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #329 - Anything Goes

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Ooh La La Creations - Challenge #190 - Let's Get Krafty
Virginia's View Challenge #19 - All Things Coloured

And my second card...

I sponged Distress Inks through a leaf stencil directly onto the card base.  I stamped the sentiment and die cut the butterfly from black cardstock.  I added some clear Wink of Stella to the butterfly and added two amber coloured gemstones to finish.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Mermaid Lagoon, Peeled Paint; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stencil: Imagination Crafts - Leaf Swirl
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Pretty Petals
• Die: Clearly Besotted - Butterfly Due Die Collection
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear; Papermania - Adhesive Gems 'Sunshine'

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Ombre

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (Clearly Besotted)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Take Your Pick - Distress Inks

There is more inspiration on my teamies' blogs so, if you have the time please pay them a visit, you won't be disappointed.  I can't wait to see what you pop into the gallery this week, I think it's going to be a beautiful one!

Happy Little Stampers October 2015 CAS Challenge

Hi there

Can you believe another month has whooshed by and it's time for a new CAS challenge at Happy Little Stampers?  Where does the time go?  We were blown away by the amount of entries for our colouring challenge last month, and your talents are amazing.


So, without further ado, here is this month's CAS challenge for you...

This challenge is sponsored by

and one lucky winner will win this stamp set!

I must admit, paper piecing is something I've done very little of but I had great fun making this super cute card!

I started by stamping the umbrella and monkey onto various scraps of paper and then carefully fussy cut these out before adhering the layers together.  So the solid pink was laid on top of the polka dot pink, and the cream was adhered on top of the kraft.  I then went around the edges of the cuts with a black pen to give the edges a cleaner finish.  I then die cut some blue cardstock with a pierced square die and stamped the images directly onto it.  Before layering the paper pieces, I inked through a cloud stencil with white pigment ink using a sponge dauber.  The completed umbrella and monkey were then adhered in place, the scene popped up on 3D foam and the sentiment stamped in black underneath.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Mama Elephant - Up and Away
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Unicorn
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Square Stax
• Stencil: MFT Mix-ables - Cloudy Day
• Cardstock and paper scraps from stash

I'd like to link this card up at the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #329 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 196 - Lots of snippety bits were used on this card!

Stamping onto paper is something I always forget about but I must remember to try this out more often as you can create some really great effects.  Basically, any linear image that can be coloured in can be used for this technique.

Please pop over to my teamies at HLS as they have some great inspiration for you this month.

Thanks as always for popping by.