Less is More Challenge #417

Good morning

It's new challenge day at Less is More and we're back with a theme challenge.  Here's our cue card...

We have a super talented Guest Designer joining us for this challenge, Helen of Helen's Craft Haven, who was our lucky February winner.  I do hope you'll can take a minute to pop on over to her blog to see her take on this challenge theme and say hi.


I have two sample cards for you this time, both with a wild flowers/foliage kinda theme for some reason, and also a bonus card as my second card turned into a twofer!

Here's card one, using a technique that I love, the ghosting technique, as this creates a delicate version of the image and generally out of focus...

On a piece of white cardstock I made a sunset blend of inks using Distress Oxides.  I then used the ghosting technique which involves laying a stencil over the top, spritzing with water and then blotting away the colour.  Once dry I die cut a section of it and popped it up onto another panel using a larger die from the same set.  After adhering to the card base I finished with a small black sentiment.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Oxide - Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stencil: STAMPlorations - ARTlorations Bloom Silhouettes
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Wonky Stitched Rectangle Stax
• Stamp: Altenew - Thinking of You

Challenge entries:

STAMPlorations - April Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

Next up I used a stencil again, but this time grabbed my Brushos...

I've only tried this technique once or twice but it has lovely results.  I laid a stencil onto some watercolour paper and very gently sprinkled a mix of Brusho powders, very sparingly, into the gaps in the stencil.  Without moving the stencil I then spritzed a mist of water over it, which activates the pigment powders.  I then carefully removed the stencil and left the image to dry completely.  I trimmed a section of it down and mounted it onto some teal cardstock. Before adhering to the card base I stamped a sentiment flag vertically to look like a tag when the panel was adhered along its edge.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Imagination Crafts - Bay Leaf
• Ink: Brushos - Emerald Green, Turquoise, Leaf Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Flag It
• Cardstock from stash

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #384 - CAS

And my 'twofer' is made from the remaining part of the Brusho panel.  This one doesn't follow the Less is More guidelines as there isn't really enough white space but I thought I'd share it with you anyway in this post.  Materials used here are as the card above, with the addition of a stitched die by Create a Smile.

Challenge entries:

Fab 'n' Funky - Challenge #476 - Birthday



Thanks so much for visiting, I hope you'll join us for this 'out of focus' challenge.

And in the meantime, please do stay safe :) xx