Less is More Challenge #383

Good morning

I'm back today to introduce the new challenge just starting over at Less is More.  This fortnight we have a Recipe challenge and here's what we'd like to see...

Our October sponsor is the fabulous Uniko so please do continue to play along for a chance to win our monthly prize.

In between a couple of super busy and tiring weeks at work I've managed to make just one card for you this week.  I'm so behind with my Christmas cards so I chose to create a winter scene and hopefully I've manage to capture some dimension.

I started by creating my top panel with an aperture, using some stitched rectangle dies.  I marked through the aperture onto the card base with pencil so I could identify the area where I needed to create the scene.  I cut some scrap paper into a curve to use as a mask and blended the skyline with two shades of pigment ink.  I then stamped the trees, some with second and third generation stamping to create the illusion of distance.  I added a little shading of ink before stamping the fence image, although I think my photo is a little too bright to see this.  For the foreground snowdrift I die cut some cardstock with a curved die and then ran it through my Big Shot in a wave effect embossing folder.  Before adhering this on some slim 3D foam I blended a little ink to create some depth.

Before adhering the top panel I stamped the sentiment in black ink and popped the frame up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Poinsettia; Card-io - Christmas Scenery 1, Mini Tall Trees
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Neptune, Heliotrope
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Snow Drifts; Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles
• Embossing Folder: We R Memory Keepers - Next Level Wave

Challenge entries:

Fab 'n' Funky - Challenge #413 - Christmas (first time playing along here)

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies October Challenge

Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes (not using optional twist this time)

Don't forget, the challenge runs for two weeks so there's plenty of time to play along and link up, and more inspiration from my teamies over at the main Less is More challenge post.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy your weekend :)

Less is More Challenge #382

Hi there

There's a brand new challenge just starting at Less is More so I'll get straight to it with the cue card for our Theme challenge for the next fortnight...

(This can be standalone tags or tags attached to your project, and clean and simple of course)

Uniko is our fabulous sponsor for the month of October so remember that by playing along you're in with a chance of winning the monthly prize!

I've been fighting to find time to craft lately so I only have one sample for you this time.  I wanted to create a double layer tag using vellum and I'm really pleased with the result.  Here it is, using stamps from our sponsor...

I used a tag die set to cut the two tags, first from aqua cardstock and again from vellum.  I then used another die from the set to die cut the curved edge on the vellum layer.  I stamped the sentiment on the aqua tag and heat embossed in white, then stamped the holly leaves on the vellum, also embossed in white, and stamped the berries and heat embossed in silver.  I've captured the shine from the embossing in the next photo...

I die cut the tag hole strengthener ring from the same aqua cardstock to create a more finished look, then threaded through with some silver organza ribbon tied with silver twine.

Materials used:

• Dies: Clearly Besotted - Tag Along Die Collection
• Stamps: Uniko - Winter Foliage, Simply Said Christmas
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White, Metallic Silver
• Cardstock, vellum, ribbon and twine from stash

Challenge entries:

Happy Little Stampers - October Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes (Ribbon)

Creative with Stamps - Challenge #31 - Halloween or Leaves

Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate your visits.  There's two weeks to play along, and if you need some inspiration please do pop over to the main Less is More challenge page where my teamies are sharing their fantastic makes.

Have a great weekend :)

Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop

Hi guys

I've been itching to share these makes.

There is a brand new clear stamp set for Christmas over at Skull and Cross Buns called Santa's Workshop.

Emily has been extremely busy since the launch on Create & Craft last weekend but this new stamp set is now live on the website, along with four co-ordinating stencils: Geometric Tree, Christmas Stockings, Elf Stockings, Stars and Sparkles.

I had a play with the stamp set and the stockings stencil.  For my first card I couldn't resist the super cute little gingerbread man...

I started by stamping the gingerbread man a number of times and then masked them.  A little tip for you, stamp the image onto a few layers of post-it notes, then you can cut through a few at a time.  I then used a pine needle stamp from my stash to create the effect of a Christmas tree in two green shades.  I removed the masks and coloured the little images with Polychromos before drawing the ornament hangers with a gold pen.  I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed in gold, before die cutting the panel with a stitched rectangle and popping up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop, Merry Christmas; Uniko - Winter Foliage
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Altenew - Evergreen; Memento - Cottage Ivy; VersaMark
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Dies: Create a Smile - Double Stitched Rectangles
• Accents: Signo Uniball - Gold

Challenge entry:

Allsorts - Challenge #488 - Trees and/or leaves

Next up, a super simple card using the co-ordinating stockings stencil to add colour...

I stamped the Merry Christmas, you can find it here, in VersaMark and embossed in silver.  I then stamped the stockings from the new set, as if hanging from the sign and also embossed these in silver.  I think the stocking hanger and the double lines on the stocking design co-ordinate so well with the sentiment stamp.  The stockings in the new Christmas Stockings stencil are exactly the same size as the image in the stamp set so I laid the stencil over the embossed images and added colour by blending with Distress Inks.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Merry Christmas Neon Sign, Santa's Workshop
• Ink: VersaMark; Distress Inks - Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver

Challenge entry:

Sweet Stampin' - Use a Stencil (stockings were ink blended through a stencil)

For my final card I used the stocking as part of the sentiment...

The wreath was die cut from some white glitter card and adhered to a die cut green cardstock panel.  I stamped the stocking, coloured with ProMarkers and fussy cut it out to create the 'J'.  The remainder of the letters were die cut, coated in VersaMark and embossed in gold glitter powder.  I added some twine to hang the stocking from the wreath.  It was finished by heat embossing part of a sentiment stamp heat embossed in gold onto a strip of red cardstock.  The sentiment strip and stocking were both popped up on 3D foam

Materials used:

• Dies: Tonic - Wreath; MFT Die-namics - Happy Birthday To You; Create a Smile - Double Stitched Rectangles
• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop, Merry Christmas
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Sparkle, Metallic Gold Rich
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Accents: Hemptique Twine - Emerald Assortment
• Cardstock from stash

Challenge entry:

Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #78 - Dies and Punches

You can find more examples from my teamies using the rest of the stencils along with the new stamp set over at the Skull and Cross Buns Rubber Stamps Scrumptious Group over on Facebook.  I hope to have more makes using this set soon.

Less is More Challenge #381 - Lucky Dip Week

Hi guys

After having a little break and sitting out of the last challenge, I'm back today to announce the next challenge at Less is More, which is starting right now.

As an extra Saturday has fallen in September, today we have a Lucky Dip challenge for you.  For this one we've decided to give you a Designer's card to CASE.

And the designer we have joining us is the fabulous Rebecca of Mellymoo Papercrafting.  Rebecca is an Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator and is kindly sponsoring this Lucky Dip challenge and offering a prize too :)

So let's get to it, here's Rebecca's lovely clean and simple card for you to draw inspiration from...

We also have JoJo, an earlier winner joining us as a Guest Designer this week so please do pop over and say hi, and see how she interpreted Rebecca's gorgeous card.

Now onto my card.  I loved the rich berry tone with the gold and the first thing it reminded me of was Christmas so that's the direction I took (and it also means I'll have a Christmas card in the bag...something I've still not started to even think about yet!)

I stamped the holly in VersaMark ink and heat embossed in gold, before die cutting with its co-ordinating die and adhering flat to the card, and off the edge which was then trimmed.  Afterwards I realised I could have stamped this directly on the card, but the way I did it also meant I avoided any warping of the card base!  Next I stamped the outline poinsettia image with VersaMark and embossed in clear onto some dark red cardstock, this was also then die cut with the co-ordinating die.  I popped the flower up on 3D foam squares.  Then, as a nod to the gold sequins Rebecca used, I used gold Stickles in the centre of my bloom.  I finished with a simple sentiment stamped in a co-ordinating red ink.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Chirstmas Poinsettia (holly), Pretty Poinsettia II (flower); Uniko - Pure Florals Poinsettia (sentiment)
• Ink: VersaMark; Altenew - Ruby Red
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich, Clear Gloss
• Accents: Stickles - Gold

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #311 - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Happy Little Stampers - September Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Don't forget, there's two weeks to play along with this challenge, and it will be great to see how you are inspired by the elements of Rebecca's card.

Hope to see you in the gallery! :)

Muse Challenge #281 - Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

Hi guys

The designer rota is back with me for this week's Muse challenge. 

For this card I've used a gorgeous stencil by Sarah Gray of Funky Fossil Designs, you can find her fabulous collection of stencils over at her Folksy Shop, here.  I've loved this one for ages so had a little shop the other day, and so glad I did. 

This design is also quite different to most things I have in my stash and I really enjoyed creating something different.

Here it is...

On a panel of white cardstock I began by blending through the stencil with purple, blue and black Distress Inks.  I then made a big faux pas! I wanted to add some sparkle so spritzed some Cosmic Shimmer Mist before removing the stencil.  I completely forgot that Distress Inks would react with this, hence some bleeding of the ink in her hair.  I don't think it looks too bad so decided to go with it anyway :)

You can see the shimmer much better in the photo below...

All that was left was to create the sentiment, half of which I heat embossed in silver, then popped the panel up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Funky Fossil Designs - Elegant Lady
• Ink: Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet, Black Soot; Versafine - Onyx Black; VersaMark
• Stamps: Uniko - All Occasions Sentiments #6
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver
• Accents: Cosmic Shimmer Mist - Pearl Mist

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

STAMPlorations - Summer CAS Card Challenge

Thanks so much for visiting today, and I hope you'll find some inspiration from my card and play along at Muse this week :)

Muse Challenge #273 - Just Because

Hi guys

It's the first Monday of the month which means the designer spot over at Muse for this week is back with me :)

I've created a one layer card to hopefully inspire you this week, using a new to me stamp set from Uniko.  I only recently bought some Distress Oxide inks so getting to grips with those too, trying to find the best cardstock for blending.

Hopefully the soft colours, layout, silhouette, one layer, theme, etc. will give you an inspiration springboard to play along this week.

I started by masking the horizontal strip with post-it notes and then blended three colours of Distress Oxide ink.  I added some water splatters and blotted with a paper towel.  I then removed the masks and stamped the foliage silhouette and sentiment in black.  I'm still learning with Distress Oxides and didn't realise they weren't so good for overstamping so the black ink is a little paler within the blended strip but I quite like it for this design.  To finish I added some tiny trios of Nuvo drops in black.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Oxide - Shaded Lilac, Salty Ocean, Cracked Pistachio; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamps: Uniko - Just Because
• Accents: Nuvo - Crystal Drops - Ebony Black

Challenge entries:

Just Us Girls - Challenge #447 - Anything Goes
Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #74 - June Blooms
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes




Thanks so much for visiting today, I'll be back this evening with information about the new CAS challenge at Happy Little Stampers!

Less is More Challenge #373

Hi there

It's new challenge day over at Less is More and we're back with a Theme challenge for you for the fortnight ahead.  I'll get straight to the cue word...

Our sponsor for the month of June is Uniko, and one lucky winner will receive an in stock stamp set of their choice, so be sure to play along this month to be in with a chance!  And Uniko's lovely lady, Bev, is joining us as a Guest Designer this week so please do pop over and say hi.

I've got two sample cards for you using the Friendship theme, here's the first using a sentiment from Uniko...

I recently bought a few Distress Oxide ink pads (yes, very late to the Oxides party!) so wanted to give them a go with the ghosting technique.  On a panel of white cardstock I blended three colours together from the bottom corner, fading them out.  I then laid a floral stencil over the panel, spritzed with water, removed the stencil and blotted with a paper towel to remove some of the colour.  I love the subtle effects you get with this technique and it works great with Oxides as well as regular Distress Inks.  Once dry I prepped the panel with anti-static powder before stamping the sentiment and heat embossing in white.  The panel was then adhered to the base on 3D foam before adding some little trios of Nuvo drops. 

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Oxide - Shaded Lilac, Salty Ocean, Cracked Pistachio; VersaMark
• Stencil: Dutch Doobadoo - Flower Swirl
• Stamp: Uniko - Originally Organic Additions
• Embossing Powder: Altenew - Pure White
• Accents: Nuvo Jewel Drops - Key Lime; Nuvo Crystal Drops - Caribbean Ocean, Crushed Grape, Morning Dew

Challenge entries:

The Flower Challenge - Challenge #21 - Use a Previous Challenge (I chose Challenge #14 - CAS) 

CAS on Friday - Challenge #134 - Embossing

For my second card I chose a cute image from Clearly Besotted:

On a panel of Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock I stamped the image and then watercoloured with my Zig markers.  The image was then masked to blend the grass and sky with Distress Inks, and I used a stencil to create some subtle clouds.  I stamped the sentiment, trimmed the panel down and adhered it to a green card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Best Friends
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn, Tumbled Glass
• Stencil: MFT - Cloud
• Water coloured with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
• Green cardstock from stash

Challenge entries:

Stamping Sensations - June Challenge - Anything Goes

Creative with Stamps - Challenge #27 - Cute Animals

My teamies are sharing some lovely makes over on the main challenge blog if you need some more inspiration.

I hope you can play along over the next two weeks, it's always lovely to have cards for friends in your collection...just because :)

Uniko Challenge #45 Reminder - Guest Designer!

Good morning!

I'm thrilled to be joining the Uniko Design Team again today as Guest Designer and to remind you of the Jan/Feb Challenge.  You can find the challenge post here.

For my Something Old and Something New I used two Uniko stamp sets, one I've had in my stash for years, and one that's new to me...

On a panel of pink cardstock I began by stamping the 'hugs' in black and then the '& kisses' in red.  Next I stamped the balloon in red and then cut a negative mask before stamping the mini hearts in VersaMark and heat embossing in white.  I finished by stamping the balloon string and then adhering the panel flat to the card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Big and Bold Hugs, Balloon Bash
• Ink: Versafine - Onxy Black; Altenew - Ruby Red; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White

The challenge is running for a few more weeks so there's plenty of time to join in.  Look forward to seeing you in the gallery.

And a big thank you to the Uniko ladies for having me...mwah!

Uniko Challenge #45 - Guest Designer!

Good morning!

After being super lucky and winning the last challenge at Uniko, I'm thrilled to be the Guest Designer for their next challenge starting today!

Below are the details for the next challenge and you can find the link to the main challenge post here.

Over the New Year I was suffering with a flu bug and lovely Bev at Uniko was wonderfully sweet and sent me a gorgeous card along with one of her beautiful stamp sets, just to cheer me up.  Thanks once again, Bev, you're an absolute gem, and such a thoughtful and generous gift.

And as this challenge is 'Something Old, Something New', I've used the stamp set here as my something new :)

I started by embossing a panel of white cardstock with a diagonal stripe embossing folder I've had in my stash for years, I believe it is now retired.  So that was my something old.  I sliced a section out of the panel and stamped the sentiment and heart directly onto the card base in the diagonal gap created.  The embossed panels were then popped up on fun foam and to finish I added a tiny clear gemstone to the heart.  I never know which is the positive and negative side of this embossing folder, but I love both sides anyway!

Materials used:

• Embossing Folder: Stampin' Up - Stylish Stripes
• Stamps: Uniko - Big & Bold Hugs
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Cardinal
• Gemstone from stash

Challenge entries:

Simply Create Too - Challenge #134 - Use Embossing
CAS on Friday - Challenge #124 - Love/Valentine
Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #63 - CAS


Thanks so much for visiting today, I hope you get a chance to play along.  I'll be back with you tomorrow morning to introduce the next challenge at Less is More.  Hope to see you then!

Frosty Snowflake Panel

Hi guys

I'm writing this post surrounded by cold and flu tablets, cough medicine, tissues, honey and lemon, and I've been in my PJs all day feeling sorry for myself.

But I wanted to come back and share another of this year's Christmas cards before the year is out!  And this is another that was made to order.

On a panel of white cardstock I masked a vertical strip and began by stamping and heat embossing a few snowflakes in white.  I then used the emboss resist technique and blended three colours of Distress Ink over the top.  I then stamped a few more snowflakes in pigment inks and splattered some shimmer using a mix of mica powder and water.  The shimmery splatters can be seen better below.

I removed the masks and stamped the 'Merry Christmas', and then heat embossed 'Sister' in silver and die cut with it's co-ordinating die.  The panel was then popped up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Stunning Snowflakes; Clearly Besotted - Many Mini Messages, Sugar and Spice (and co-ordinating die)
• Ink: VersaMark; Distress Ink - Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord; Versa Color - Lilac, Lavender, Grape; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White, Metallic Silver
• Mica Powder: Honey Doo Crafts - White Opal

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - CAS Game #105 - Sparkle
Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - Challenge #284 - Winter/Christmas




You'll be glad to know, I think I only have one more Christmas card to share.  Back soon x