Less is More Challenge #374

Good morning, crafters!

We're enjoying some lovely weather here in the UK at the moment so I'm up bright and early to enjoy the best part of the day.

It's time for a new challenge over at Less is More and I think you're going to love this one.  It's a Recipe challenge and we want you to use...

Continuing as our June sponsor is the fabulous Uniko who are offering a choice of an in stock stamp set to our monthly winner, so please do play along for a chance to win!

We have a fabulous Guest Designer joining us this week, Skye who was our April winner.  Please do pop over and say hi, she's created a lovely card for this recipe challenge :)


I have a bits folder rather than a box....or so I thought.  I actually have FOUR bits folders!  This was a great opportunity to use up some backgrounds/die-cuts/scraps, and even breathe new life into some bits I wasn't happy with when I originally created them.  Not only that, I actually found that these were really quick to make.

I have three for you, here's the first...

This panel was cut from a background I created whilst away at Sarah's last November, after the Happy Little Stampers craft retreat.  The floral images were created by sprinkling Brushos through a stencil onto watercolour paper and then spritzing with water and quickly removing the stencil.  This part was leftover from another card I made a while ago.  So all that was left to do was die cut with a stitched rectangle, pop it up on foam on the card base and stamp a sentiment below.  Easy!

Materials used:

• Stencil: STAMPlorations - Bloom Silhouettes
• Ink: Brusho - I think I used Leaf Green and Emerald Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rectangle Stax

Challenge entries:

Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #74 - June Blooms

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #297 - Make Your Mark

The Flower Challenge - Challenge #21 - Use a Previous Challenge (I chose Challenge #12, TicTacToe and chose the line 'Sentiment/Watercolour/White')

For this next card, everything other than the stamped sentiment came from my bits folders...

Once again, whilst attending the Happy Little Stampers craft retreat, but this time in the summer of 2016, Sarah die cut some panels for me using a stitched die (I think by MFT) so I used one of these as my main panel for this card.  I found a die cut 'you' which had been cut from some textured black cardstock and stamped part of a sentiment in the opening underneath.  The butterflies I remember were cut from a piece of cardstock I blended with Distress Inks which I cut at the same time as cutting the flower to make this card.  These were simply adhered flat to the panel which was then adhered on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Dies: Avery Elle - Simply Said You; Marianne Design Creatables - Tiny's Butterflies 2
• Ink: Butterflies blended with Distress Inks; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Lovely Lilies

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Bright and Cheerful

Daring Cardmakers - What a Wonderful World (I chose the line 'the colours of the rainbow so pretty in the sky)

Happy Little Stampers - June Challenge - Anything Goes with Dies

This card started life as a panel stamped with balloons from my bits folder...

I remember when I first stamped this cluster of balloons, I really didn't like the mix of colours but when I saw it again in my scraps I thought it would make a great gender neutral card.  I stamped the sentiments below, trimmed the panel down and adhered flat to a blue card base. 

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Let's Party; Altenew - Party Time, Celebrate
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Altenew - Silver Stone, unsure what colours were used to stamp the balloons
• Coloured cardstock from stash

Challenge entries:

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations - June Challenge - Anything Goes

This challenge has certainly inspired me to try to use up lots of scraps instead of cutting into new cardstock each time I make a card.  And it's surprising how you can get inspiration from something which didn't give you any creative motivation previously.

I hope you can find time to play along with us over the next fortnight.