Less is More Challenge #371

Hi guys

Another two week challenge is just starting over at Less is More, and this time we're back with a Colour challenge for you.  Here's the cue card...

And for May we have a great new sponsor, Winnie & Walter, so do play along to be in with a chance of winning the monthly prize!

We have a fabulous Guest Designer joining us for this challenge, JoJo who was our March winner.  She has a great card she's sharing with us so please do pop by her blog and show your appreciation :)

Ok, onto my cards, and I have two I'm sharing with you this time.  Both using new stamps.

First up, using a gorgeous stamp set which was a pressie from my OH for my birthday, just had to ink it up...

I started with a white cardstock panel and inked through a dot stencil with yellow Distress Ink to create a little background interest.  Next I stamped the sentiment to ensure I had enough room before creating the rest of the elements.  I then stamped the layered bloom and leaves and die cut with the co-ordinating dies.  The panel was popped up on the card base using 3D foam, as was the flower, and the leaves were then tucked in and adhered behind.  Although the leaves should be green I've seen many designs where the leaves are stamped in grey shades and I realy like the look so it fitted this challenge perfectly.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Altenew - Build-a-Flower: Anemone (and co-ordinating dies); Winnie & Walter - Big, Bold and Party
• Stencil: Tim Holtz - Dot Fade
• Ink: Distress Ink - Mustard Seed; Versafine - Onyx Black; Altenew - Arctic, Caribbean Sky, Persian Blue, Mango Smoothie, Limestone, Silver Stone

Challenge entries:

Time Out - Challenge #109 - Inspired by Words
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #291 - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations - May Challenge - Close to Nature






Next up is a card using another new stamp set, this one was free with a recent publication...

I started by adhered some gingham paper to the card base.  Then, on a white cardstock panel I stamped the washing line with the pegs, the images and the sentiment in grey pigment ink.  The pegs were masked slightly before stamping the other images.  I then coloured the teddy bear, booties and bib with coloured pencils before adhering the panel flat onto the card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Bright and Breezy - Free with Creative Stamper magazine
• Ink: Versa Color - Sky Gray
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos
• Patterned paper from stash

Challenge entries:

Penny Black and More - May Challenge - Anything Goes
CAS on Friday - Challenge #132 - Cute
Creative Inspirations - May Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (CAS option)

Thanks so much for visiting today.  This is a lovely colour combo, please do pop over to the main challenge blog to see the creations posted by my teamies, they won't disappoint.  And why not play along?  The challenge will run for the next two weeks.

Muse Challenge #265 - Party Time!

Hi there

It's Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK and also my birthday today so right now I'm on my way to a local hotel to enjoy a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea'!! Can't wait...a little naughtiness is allowed on one's birthday, right?!

Now the real reason for this post, it's my turn to be your designer over at Muse.  So, what better time to break open my new Altenew set, Party Time!  Hopefully there are a few elements here to inspire you to play along this week: the colours, layout, striped paper, shadow stamped images.

Here it is...

I started with a panel of white cardstock slightly smaller than my card base and stamped the steamers in three different layered colours, and then the shadow sentiment which is so easy to line up.  This was then simply popped up on 3D foam onto the card base which I'd covered with striped paper.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Altenew - Party Time!
• Ink: Altenew - Volcano Lake, Lagoon, Caribbean Sky, Persian Blue, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Silver Stone; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Patterned Paper: Avery Elle - The Sorbet Collection

Challenge entries:

Penny Black and More - May Challenge - Anything Goes

Just Us Girls - Challenge #439 - Shadow

Creative Inspirations - May Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (CAS option)

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
Cards in Envy - One Layer Card Challenge

Thanks so much for popping by today.  I hope you'll find time to join in and link up in the gallery.

Happy Little Stampers May 2018 CAS Challenge

Good evening!

I can't believe we're into May already, and the start of a new month means lots of new challenges starting over at Happy Little Stampers.  Right now the CAS Challenge is just beginning so here is this month's challenge cue card...

One layer cards don't have to be challenging so please do give this a go even if OLCs fill you with dread!  

Our winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE OUR RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

I decided to get ahead and create a Christmas card!  I know I'll still be rushing to finish them all once we get to December but every little helps!  Here it is...

I started by die cutting a circle from a scrap of cardstock which I then used to mask a negative circle on my card base.  I firstly blended with two shades of Distress Ink and created more shading around the edges.  I then used two different snowflake stamps to create the pattern on my bauble using dark blue pigment ink.  After removing the mask I hand drew the string and bow using a silver pen and then stamped the sentiment which was heat embossed in silver.  To finish I added some tiny silver gemstones to the snowflakes.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Let It Snow
• Die: Hero Arts - Infinity Circle Dies (used to create mask)
• Ink: Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean; Versa Color - Neptune; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver
• Accents: Uniball Signo pen - Silver; Gemstones from stash

Challenge entries:

Christmas Crafts All Year Round - May Challenge - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - May Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (I obviously went for CAS!)
Sweet Stampin' - Circles


This challenge, as with all the HLS challenges (some which will start in the next few days) will run until the end of the month, so plenty of time to play along and link up.

My Stencil Organisation

Hi guys

I thought I'd pop by today and share with you how I store my stencils. 

I've had them in a ring binder for a while, which is where they still live, but I wasn't happy with the internal organisation.

For about a year I've just had them in normal A4 punched pockets but it wasn't a good use of space.  After being on the lookout for ages I managed to find some A4 photo sleeves which were divided into two pockets.

I trimmed down some copier paper to slip into each pocket...

And I can now store at least four stencils in each sleeve, either side of the paper insert, as opposed to only two previously.  And I  have labels on the outside of each pocket with the manufacturer and design name.

Stencils measuring 7" by 4 1/2", such as those by STAMPlorations fit happily...

My Dutch Doobadoo stencils measuring 8 1/4" x 6" fit snugly, only protruding very slightly above the pockets...

Any 6" x 6" such as My Favorite Things and Altenew can be housed in here too, only protruding very slightly out the top...

I have a few smaller stencils, these are from GlitzCraft and these fit nicely side by side...

The sets of mini stencils by Tim Holtz I've got stored together in their own pocket, and they only overlap very slightly...

Just the taller Tim Holtz stencils I have stored in standard punched pockets, two side by side as they are too long to store horizontally...

And here's the cute binder I use to store them (Bramble Wood range from W H Smith, here in the UK).  I bought a few binders from the same range a while ago (not sure if they are still available).  I'm also in the process of creating some swatches, which will also be stored in one of these but using coin pockets.

As I don't have a proper craft 'room' I don't have enough shelf or drawer space to store mine so this binder fits nicely in the cupboard within my desk.  I also have all my stencils catalogued using Evernote online software, and they are organised alphabetically in the binder by manufacturer, so super easy to find what I need.

So there you have it.  I hope this might give you some ideas if you're looking for a way to store your stencils.

Bye for now :)

Less is More Challenge #370 - Sketch 23

Good morning, crafters

Over at Less is More for the next fortnight's challenge we have a Sketch challenge for you.  It's been a while since we had a sketch so here it is...

Our sponsor for April is the wonderful Happy Little Stampers and our monthly prize winner will be eligible to purchase stamps or dies with a gift certificate.

And today we have the second of our February winners joining us as a Guest Designer, Sue of Sue's Card Craft.  So please do pop over to her blog to say hi :)


Just the one card from me this week.  Sketches are the challenge genre I find the most difficult and I've not been feeling great this last week either so apologies that I don't have more to share.

I thought I'd pick up my ProMarkers for this one as I've not used them in ages.  Oh dear, you can tell!  I started by stamping and masking and stamping some more then coloured in the balloons and clouds.  I stamped the sentiment on a cloud shaped die cut and popped this up on 3D foam.  Then the main panel was also popped up onto the card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Up in the Air, Wild Thing (sentiment)
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: Clearly Besotted - Cloudy Days Die Collection
• Coloured with ProMarkers and FlexMarkers

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #289 - CAS
Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #55 - CAS
Creative with Stamps - Challenge #25 - CAS + Sentiment

Although I find sketches tough my teamies have had no problems creating some great projects.  There's a wonderful array of diverse designs over on the main challenge blog so please do check them out, and I hope you can play along over the next two weeks.

Framed Heart

Hi guys

Today I'm sharing a card that I meant to share a few weeks ago!  I'm so disorganised, sorry!

Last month my boyfriend and I celebrated another year since our first date and every year we share anniversary cards...awwwww! lol

This is the card I made for him, super simple but I love how it turned out...

I started with a panel slightly smaller than the card base and die cut a square aperture.  I then die cut a further pierced square with the centre cut out to create a frame and adhered this over the panel to give the aperture some interest. I temporarily placed the panel over the card base and then stamped the heart through the aperture in blue pigment ink directly onto the card base, before embossing with clear powder.  This is clearer in the photo below...

To finish I stamped the label sentiment below the frame and popped the panel up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Hero Arts - Love Flourish; Altenew - Label Love
• Ink: Versa Color - Lagoon Blue; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Squares
• Embossing Powder - Wow! - Clear Gloss

Challenge entries

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #289 - CAS
Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #55 - CAS
Creative with Stamps - Challenge #25 - CAS + Sentiment
Penny Black & More - April Challenge - Black and White Plus One





That's all for today but I'll be back on Saturday morning with details of the next Less is More challenge.  Hope to see you then :)

New Challenge from Skull and Cross Buns

Hi there

NEW CHALLENGE ALERT!

Skull and Cross Buns Rubber Stamps have a little something new for you all, a weekly Instagram Tuesday Challenge!

So every week the challenge will be to create something using rubber stamps and stamping techniques to a certain theme and a favourite each week will win a prize from the Skull and Cross Buns stamp range or from another small creative business.

Skull and Cross Buns stamps don't need to be used unless specifically stated for certain challenges (but of course we would love to see them being used!) and it's not limited to cards, feel free to create anything using your stamps.

This is an Instagram only challenge initially so all you need to do is take a photo of your make, post it on Instagram and tag your entry with #skullandcrossbunschallenge and when the week has passed Emily will choose a worthy winner!  You can find SACB's Instagram profile here.

This week's challenge is Colours of the Rainbow.

Use the colours of the rainbow to inspire you in this challenge.

This week's challenge ends on Monday 30th April 23.59 BST and a winner will be chosen shortly after.

Good luck and happy stamping!