Less is More - Challenge #443

Hi guys

At Less is More we thought it was about time we did another Sketch challenge so here are the details for the next fortnight's challenge...

Sketch challenges are my least favourite, I just find them more difficult than any other, but I actually embraced this one and made it a one layer too!

I stamped the coffee cup image first then created a mask over it, as well as masking off the rectangle.  I lightly blended the background then, with a slightly different shade, inked through a splatters stencil.  I then stamped the coffee words and beans in brown shades, removed all the masks and finished by stamping the sentiment and the steam from the cup in black.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Warm Wishes; Sugar Pea Designs - Espresso Yourself
• Stencil: Tim Holtz - Splatters
• Ink: Distress Ink - Ground Espresso, Frayed Burlap; Altenew - Espresso, Mocha; Versafine - Onyx Black

Challenge entries

Alphabet Challenge - C is for Coffee or Chocolate

STAMPlorations - May CAS Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

As always, there's two weeks to play along so why not join us for this sketch challenge.  My teamies are sharing lots more inspiration over at the main challenge blog.

Coffee Valentine

Hi guys

Just popping by this evening to share the Valentine's Day card I made for my boyfriend.  We both love coffee so that was my chosen theme this year.

I started with a piece of kraft cardstock die cut with a stitched rectangle die.  I started by stamping the heart shaped coffee splash in pigment ink and heat embossed with clear powder.  The coffee beans were stamped in dark brown and the sentiment in black.  I then die cut some little hearts from a piece of cardstock I'd previously blended with red Distress Ink and splattered with water.  The panel was popped up on 3D foam.

The coffee themed sentiment continued on the inside of the card...

and I adhered a couple more hearts to the inside.

Materials used:

• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rectangles and tiny hearts from Stitched Strip set; Lawn Fawn - Hearts
• Cardstock: Neenah - Dessert Storm
• Stamps: Altenew - Coffee Talk; Sugar Pea Designs - Espresso Yourself
• Ink: Versa Color - Pinecone, Cocoa; Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Clear Gloss

Challenge entries:

Just Us Girls - Challenge #380 - Trend Week - Hearts
CASology - Challenge #236 - Romance
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #229 - Clean and Simple

Thanks so much for popping by :)

Less is More Week #311

Hi there

Well, as you're reading this I'll no doubt be nursing a hangover as it was my works Christmas Party last night!  Yes, we always have it in January which does feel a bit strange but it does make this month a little less dull so not a bad thing.  Hopefully, Blogger has done it's job and by now I should be tucking into a nice hotel brekkie of eggs and bacon to prepare me for travelling back down to Devon from Kent.

So, onto the reason for today's post, and that's the new challenge over at Less is More.  And this week it's our first One Layer challenge of 2017 (yikes!) and this time we want to see...

Favourite Drink

(alcoholic or otherwise)

I treated myself to some new stamp sets specifically for this challenge as I had very little to work with, and I think I'll get a lot of mileage out of these.

So for my first card I've chosen my favourite alcoholic drink, and that's wine, white or pink, sparkly or not, and usually in a pretty glass!

A fairly easy card to make.  The glasses and the black wording is basic stamping and the 'cheers' was stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed in platinum as I thought this picked up the pink tone of the glasses.  I added a few score lines to opposite corners top and bottom and finished off with a few sparkly gems for the fizz.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Reverse Confetti - Clink
• Ink: Altenew - Blush; Versafine - Onyx Black; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Platinum
• Gems from stash

Challenge entries:

Dream Valley - Challenge #147 - Something New (new stamp set)
The Card Concept - Challenge #64 - Pretty Things (style - clean and simple)
My Time to Craft - Challenge #337 - Something New

And my favourite non-alcoholic drink is without doubt...coffee.  I treated myself to a Nespresso machine in the post-Christmas sale and I'm loving it!

I started by masking off all four edges of the card base with Post-it notes and then gently blended some Distress Ink to create the central panel.  I then blended more Distress Ink through a splatters stencil which looks like cup rings and finished off by stamping the sentiment and coffee beans.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Gathered Twigs and Ground Espresso; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Pinecone
• Stencil: Tim Holtz - Splatters 
• Stamps: Sugar Pea Designs - Espresso Yourself

Challenge entries:

CAS on Sunday - Challenge #99 - Black and White with one colour of your choice

The Male Room - Challenge #51 - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations - January Challenge - Coffee & Cream

Thanks so much for stopping by.  One layer cards can be very tricky so why not pop over to the main challenge blog and visit my teamies if you're after more inspiration, they've done an amazing job once again.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and I also hope my journey back home doesn't take too long today.  Luckily my boss is driving so I can have a little sleep!  haha  :)