Less is More Challenge #429

Good morning

Welcome to Saturday and a brand new challenge over at Less is More.  And yes, we've whizzed back around and it's One Layer Challenge time again!  Here are the details...

Joining us this time as a Guest Designer is the super talented Angie Cimbalo who was our July winner. Welcome Angie!  Please do pop over to her blog to see the fab sample card she's made for this challenge and to say hi.

Ok, onto my sample card, and I've decided to combine the Cheers theme with Christmas using a stamp set I bought last year but hadn't used until now...

This one is pretty simple but involved a bit of masking.  I began by masking off the outside to leave a central rectangle and then stamped the cocktail glass.  I then stamped it again on masking paper and covered the image before ink blending the background with Distress Inks.  Next I coloured the image with coloured pencils and added some sparkle with a shimmer pen, which you can see more clearly in the image below.  I finished off with the two sentiments stamped in black.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Drink and Be Merry
• Ink: Distress Ink - Shaded Lilac, Salty Ocean; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos
• Accents: Wink of Stella pen - Clear

Challenge entries:

Fab 'n' Funky - Challenge #495 - Christmas

NBUS Challenge #18 - First use of stamp set

STAMPlorations - Summer Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for visiting.  My teamies have some great projects for this challenge which you can find over at the main challenge blog, and they may have more over at the personal blogs too.  As always, the challenge will run for two weeks.

I've been working on something a little different recently and will be sharing those projects with you this weekend, so I'd love for you to pop back and take a look if you have time. 

Skull and Cross Buns - Emboss Resist Baubles

Hi guys

Back to share the last of my makes from yesterday's crafty afternoon using stamps by Skull and Cross Buns.

On this card I used two of the Christmas stamps - Christmas Drop Patterned Bauble and Christmas Bauble.  The Christmas Bauble design (the round one) is currently reduced as part of the Black Friday Weekend deals so please do pop over if you want a bargain.

Here's my card...

On a panel of white cardstock I stamped the two baubles in VersaMark ink and heat embossed them in white.  I then used the emboss resist technique and blended over with three shades of Distress Ink.  I cut the panel down using a stitched rectangle die and then pierced through the top of the baubles and added some twine, securing on the reverse.  I added a sentiment in black ink and adhered the panel to the card base.  I finished by adding two die cut bows from white cardstock, and added to these some clear Wink of Stella for some shimmer.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Christmas Drop Patterned Bauble, Christmas Bauble; Paula Pascual - Christmas Messages
• Ink: VersaMark; Distress Ink - Cracked Pistachio, Salty Ocean, Wilted Violet; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rectangle Stax; Clearly Besotted - Ornamental Style
• Twine: Hemptique - Vintage set
• Accent: Wink of Stella - Clear

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards -CAS Game #104 - Christmas

Crimbo Crackers - Challenge #146 - Anything Goes

Uniko - Challenge #44 - Christmas

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #269 - Clean and Simple

I still have lots of cards to share that I made while I was away at the Craft Retreat and the week that followed.  I'll be gradually sharing these very soon.

Thanks again for all your visits and support, I read and appreciate every one of your comments.

I hope to see you again soon :)

Skull and Cross Buns - Christmas Joy, Peace and Noel

Hi guys

Back to share some more crafty makes using Skull and Cross Buns Rubber Stamps.

This card uses a set of stamps new for 2017 - Christmas Joy, Peace and Noel Neon Sign set of 3 rubber stamps.

There are also some other word stamps available in this fabulous neon sign style, including personalised ones!

I created a stamped background using all three stamps in different pastel colours, not the best photos of this one but my lamp made it very bright so I had to tweak it somewhat...

I used my MISTI (what on earth did I do without it?!) to line up this lettering and stamped in three shades of pigment ink.  It took a while but worked out ok.  I adhered this to the card base and trimmed it down.  I then die cut some white card with the landscape die and manipulated the sentiment stamp to follow the curve of the snow.  This was then adhered over the background and I added a touch of clear Wink of Stella to the trees.

This photo isn't quite so overexposed...

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Christmas Joy, Peace Noel Neon Signs; Paula Pascual - Christmas Messages
• Ink: Versa Color - Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Baby Blue; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: Clearly Besotted - Tree Landscape Die
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards -CAS Game #104 - Christmas

Crimbo Crackers - Challenge #146 - Anything Goes

Uniko - Challenge #44 - Christmas

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #269 - Clean and Simple

I'll be back shortly with another card made using these three stamps.

Skull and Cross Buns - Hanging Stocking

Hi guys

Another card from my crafty afternoon using stamps by Skull and Cross Buns.

On this card I used the Christmas Stocking Rubber Stamp as well as the Holly and Berries set of 2 Rubber Stamps.

I started by stamping the stocking on a panel of white cardstock before cutting some notches with a single hole punch to hold some twine in place.  I then stamped and fussy cut the holly and berries.  The sentiment was heat embossed in gold before adhering the panel onto the card base over some striped patterned paper.  To finish I added some clear Wink of Stella to the stocking and berries:

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Christmas Stocking and Holly and Berries; Clearly Besotted - Christmas Sparkle
• Ink: Versa Color - Evergreen, Camellia; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Patterned Paper: Doodlebug - Santa Express
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear; Twine from stash

Challenge entries:

Crimbo Crackers - Challenge #146 - Anything Goes
Uniko - Challenge #44 - Christmas
Just Add Ink - Challenge #387 - Colour
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #269 - Clean and Simple

Sorry this post was a bit later than planned, I got distracted by Strictly and X-Factor! lol

I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of my makes from this afternoon.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kit - November 2017

Good morning

It's time for another get together with the Honeys, and we've all been creating with another great kit of crafty bits and bobs.  Grab a coffee if you like, there's lots of pics below!

For those of you that don't know what this is all about, one of the gang put together a surprise kit which then gets posted to the rest of us.  We then get creative with the same goodies and share our makes here on our blogs.

The latest fab kit was compiled by the lovely Sarah P of Sazzle Dazzle Crafts and mailed out to the rest of the Honeys...

Hazel Hodgkins - Hazel's Paper Designs

Sarah Gray - Funky Fossil Designs

Shona Chambers - Twine Around

Anita Bowden - Neet & Crafty (that's me!)

Here's what was included in Sarah's 'Sugar Fix' kit...

Stamps:
Reverse Confetti: Donut You Know (plus donut die)
Neat & Tangled: Say Yes to Donuts

Avery Elle: Pick N Mix (plus dies)

Mama Elephant: Carnival Cupcakes (plus dies)

Other Dies:

L’il Inker: Smile

Mama Elephant: Columbus Circle

Neat & Tangled: Hooray word dies

Other Items:

Hobbycraft Basics: patterned paper

Action Wobbler

Doodlebug: bakers twine

Anita’s: half cut pearls

So, here goes with my makes this time..


Card 1:

I used the Mama Elephant Columbus Circle panel backed with some of the polka dot paper and adhered these flat to my card base.  I then used the Mama Elephant die cut cupcake and teddy bear, coloured with ProMarkers and some clear Wink of Stella and popped the teddy bear up on the action wobbler.  I then die cut the Reverse Confetti sentiment using an MFT stitched rectangle and coloured with the same pink ProMarkers and adhered to the base on 3D foam.

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #269 - Clean and Simple
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Food and/or Drink (Mama Elephant)
Happy Little Stampers - November Anything Goes with Dies





Card 2:

I used the Reverse Confetti die cuts and sentiment for this one.  I coloured the doughnut and icing with ProMarkers and adhered these together.  Then, using Glossy Accents I adhered lots of the half cut pearls to the icing die cut and then smothered over the top with more Glossy Accents and left overnight to dry.  On a panel of white cardstock I stamped the sprinkles from my own Clearly Besotted 'With Sprinkles' stamp set in grey ink.  The sentiment was die cut with an MFT pierced square die, adhered to the stamped panel and I then suspended the doughnut from the top of the panel using some twine from the kit.  Here's a close up of the gloss and 'sprinkles' on the doughnut.

Card 3:

This was the simplest of all to make.  I adhered some of chevron patterned paper to the card base, leaving a slim border.  I then used a pink ProMarker, close to the colour of the paper, and coloured over the Neat & Tangled Hooray die cut, which was then adhered over the co-ordinating shadow die cut.  I then used a sentiment from my own Altenew 'Celebrate' stamp set which I heat embossed in white on a strip of black cardstock.  The hooray and sentiment were both popped up on 3D foam.

Challenge entry:

Seize the Birthday - Monochromatic




Card 4:

Using an MFT pierced square die I cut the boy image and some of the polka dot paper and layered these up on a card base.  The image was once again coloured with ProMarkers and topped with some clear Wink of Stella.  I then took my Clearly Besotted 'With Sprinkles' set and stamped the sentiment at the base and within the speech bubble, using a die from Clearly Besotted 'You Said It' die set.


Card 5:

On a panel of white cardstock I used some Nuvo Glimmer Paste in Moonstone and spread this through a Hero Arts 'Sprinkles' stencil.  I then coloured the Avery Elle sweet images from the kit and fussy cut these out before adhering around a sentiment from the kit which I die cut with a die from MFT Stitched Sentiment Strips.  The panel was adhered to the base on fun foam and the sweets and sentiment with glue dots.

Challenge entry:

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #283 - Sparkle



I hope you like what I did with the kit, and I'm now ready to go and visit my fellow Honeys to see what they created with the same goodies.

Thanks so much for visiting today, I'll be back shortly with details of the new challenge at Less is More :)

Less is More Week #345

Good morning

Welcome to a fresh new Saturday and another new challenge over at Less is More.  We're back with One Layer Week again and have a fun one for you this time, with hopefully lots of options...

Happy Little Stampers are our sponsor for September so do play along for a chance to win the monthly prize!

I've had a busy week this week with one thing and another so just the one card for you today.  This challenge was another opportunity for me to practice with my Faber Castell Polychromos.  They are still very new to me and I have a lot to learn but I'm pretty happy with this little project...

I originally bought this unicorn stamp to use on another card, here, but the card needed to be A5 and the image was a little small, so I used it for this card instead.  I stamped the unicorn directly onto my card base and then left it in position in my MISTI so I could restamp later.  I then coloured the image with my Polychromos, and just added a small amount of grey to the unicorn's body.  I placed the card back into the MISTI and restamped to sharpen up the image.  I then stamped the sentiment in black, and the shooting star image in silver.  A little clear Wink of Stella was added to the horn.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Azeeda - Proud Unicorn (purchased from eBay); Woodware - Unicorn
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Silver
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear

Challenge entries:

CAS on Friday - Challenge #116 - Colour Me Pretty - Use Pencils/Markers
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stamp It

AAA Cards - CAS Game #98 - Creatures Great or Small

Thank you so much for popping by today.  My teamies over at LIM are sharing some lovely coloured projects today so please do pop over and follow their links for more inspiration.

First Birthday Unicorn

Hi there

Today I'm sharing a card I recently made for an order.  The brief was to make a personalised first birthday card featuring a unicorn and it had to be pink and sparkly.  The request was for the card to be fairly large which was a challenge in itself as, being a CAS card maker, I'm used to making standard A6 cards and often struggle to fill larger designs.  This one was A5.

Here it is, a lot busier than my regular designs but I was pleased with the result and I think I fulfilled the brief...

I started on the card base and used a stencil to create the pink and lilac clouds for the background.  Two panels were cut with stitched cloud border dies and set aside until I was ready to adhere them.  Next I stamped the unicorn, coloured with ProMarkers and fussy cut it out.  I die cut the stitched rainbow from a selection of cardstock scraps (and now have lots of bits remaining to make another five rainbows!)  Lots of die cutting was involved for this card!  Next I die cut the balloon from some textured lilac cardstock, then cut the lettering and number 1 from glitter cardstock, some in white for the balloon, and some in pink for the name.  It was then just a case of putting it all together and adhering in place.  I stamped the sentiment onto the front cloud panel before popping that one up on fun foam for some dimension, as well as popping up the unicorn.  And of course, no unicorn is complete without some sparkle so I added some clear Wink of Stella to finish the card.  The photo below picks up the sparkle a little better.

Materials used:

• Stencil: MFT - Mini Cloud Edges
• Ink: Distress Ink - Spun Sugar, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac; Versa Color - Heliotrope
• Stamps: Woodware - Unicorn
• Dies: Lawn Fawn - Puffy Cloud Borders; MFT Die-namics - Bottlecap Letters, Blueprints 26 (balloon), Stitched Rainbow; Papertrey Ink - Modern Numbers
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Accents: Wink of Stella - clear

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge - M for Make Your Mark

Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #53 - Add a Number

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #257 - Make Your Mark

Thanks so much for popping by.  I'll be back in the morning with details of the next challenge over at Less is More.

Less is More Week #342

Good morning

It's Saturday morning and therefore time for a new challenge over at Less is More.  Week three of the month means we're back with a Theme challenge and here is our theme for this week...

To be honest, it's been so long since I had a proper holiday, anything would be perfect right now.  My last trip abroad was in 2010! But in a nutshell, anything that involves being able to wear my flip-flops, drink yummy cocktails and enjoy a lovely warm sunset would be perfect.  So I've included all three on my first card...

I started by stamping the flip-flops then masked these to stamp the cocktail.  I coloured the cocktail with coloured pencils and then masked this also.  I then used Distress Inks to blend the sunset over the images before die cutting with a square pierced die.  The panel was popped up on 3D foam and I finished by heat embossing the sentiment in white onto a strip of textured black cardstock.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Life's a Beach; Hero Arts - Let's Chill; Sentiment: Joanna Sheen - Garden Retreat (free with publication)
• Ink: Memento - Bahama Blue, Rose Bud; Verafine - Onyx Black; VersaMark; Distress Ink - Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral, Picked Raspberry
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Square Stax
• Cocktail coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos

Challenge entries:

Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #52 - Things Beginning with the letter 'B' (blend / birthday / bright)

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations - August Challenge - Anything Goes

AAA Cards - CAS Game #96 - Summer Fun

And I think anyone's perfect holiday would involve a tropical paradise.  We do have palm trees in the seaside town where I live but I certainly wouldn't call it tropical or paradise! lol  I wanted to keep this card fairly simply but didn't like it at all when I first made it, but I thought I'd share it anyway as it's growing on me!

I simply die cut three palm trees from the same cardstock as the card base and adhered these flat.  I heat embossed the sentiment in white onto some black cardstock and popped it up on 3D foam.  And hopefully you can just about see in the photo, I finished by adding some clear Wink of Stella to the trees.  Why can't our cameras see the sparkle like our eyes can?!

Materials used:

• Die: Echo Park - Flamingo Palm die set
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Hung Up On You
• Ink: Versamark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Accents: Wink of Stella - Clear

Challenge entry:

STAMPlorations - Summer CAS Card Challenge

A couple of the LIM Design Team are taking a break this week but there's still plenty of inspiration, and we also have the lovely Pauline of Crafting with Cotnob joining us as a guestie following her June win.  So please do pop over and visit their personal blogs, you won't be disappointed.

Happy Saturday everyone!