Less is More Week 7

The challenges at Less is More seem to be getting more and more entries each week and it seems that this clean and simple style is gaining momentum. Sometimes we actually need a fairly straightforward card and making cards for men is often a problem particularly if they aren't into sports and so on so this is the challenge this week - to make a plain and simple card for a man.  I think mine comes into this category because I took a kraft DL card, die cut two shapes also using kraft card and stamped the wording - job done.  The card blank is from Papermania, the large shape was a Sizzix die and the smaller one a Nellies die.  The words are from a set of birthday words from Elusive Images ( a play on words here too as it happens!). I resisted the urge to sponge the edges of the die cuts but I did add two fancy brads.

If you pop over to Less is More you will be able to see the entries so far this week and there is also a great tutorial on matting and layering using Nestabilities to get narrower borders.

Bah Humbug Challenge 11

The challenge this week on Bah Humbug is 'metallic' so all sorts of scope here.  I settled on colouring some glossy card with alcohol inks, stamping using Elusive Images Klimt Baubles and embossing with gold powder. The background paper is from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD and I printed it on some beautiful metallic gold paper which I've just discovered is no longer available - sad or what.  Fortrunately I still have a small amount left so will reserve it for 'special' printing like today when I felt it went along with the  theme. The sentiment is also from the same set of Elusive Images stamps and I even went to my sadly neglected stash of peel-offs for something to 'hang' the baubles.

By the way - while I had my alcohol inks out I noticed that the mixatives (the metallic ones) had well and truly settled at the bottom of the bottles and it took me ages to get them mixed again.  I tried shaking vigorously to no effect and  resorted to tapping the bottles smartly on the table several times which eventually loosened the little ball from the sludge at the bottom and now they are well mixed again.  I must remember to give them a shake every now and then even if I'm not actually planning on using them at the time.

Less is More Week 6

Two posts in one day but I thought I'd post this card before anything else bad happens to it!!  This one layer card challenge from Less is More has caused me such hassle this week you wouldn't believe.  After having an idea my first attempt was a disaster - the masked circle was too large for the card; I'd chosen to use a stamp which didn't really work and the spongeing could have been better.  The second attempt fared a little better until I somehow managed to get an inky mark on the 'white space' and of course for this challenge I couldn't hide it with a strategically placed flower or butterfly!!  On the third attempt I decided I'd cracked it and then noticed the bottom corner of the card was slightly damaged and when I went back to the pack of cards some of the others are too which is annoying to say the least.  I know the guidelines said 'no embossed lines' but I do hope it is allowed to cut off an edge of the card with a border punch - which is what I did eventually to overcome this last hiccup. Despite all these setbacks I did enjoy rising to this challenge and no-one said it was easy!!

The circle had inks applied with brushes through a circular mask placed off the edge (mask cut with Nestabilities die) The teazles were stamped and shadow stamped off the edge (Elusive Images stamp) and a simple word added (Stampin Up stamp).

Bird Cage

Last year a friend bought one of my cards with wording on to send to one of her friends and this year asked for something similar but with a different verse so I stamped off all my suitable words and let her choose.  This Elusive Images stamp was her choice and I used backing paper from Artylicious Echoes of Italy collection, overstamped around the edges with some swirls (also EI stamp).  The birdcage and bird were stamps from Papermania from a set called Tweet which is being sold with a donation of £2 per sale going to Cancer Research UK.  The addition of some cream lace and a computer greeting complete this card - I do hope she likes it!!

Eastern Grasses

There was an excellent tutorial on the Less is More blog this week explaining how to use text boxes in Microsoft Word to produce interesting sentiments for cards and although I had to persevere to make it work in my version of the programme I think I may have cracked it.  All that remains now is to write it down somewhere safely so that I have it to refer to when I try to do this again some time in the future.  This card has the sentiment printed directly from the computer and the stamped grasses (Elusive Images Eastern Grasses Set) were done in black on a separate strip of card, sponged with Distress Ink.  I'm getting to like this type of card but get the feeling that some folks might feel they should be paying less for this simple style what do you think??

Forgotten Friday 5

I made this card for Judith's Forgotten Friday Challenge but I guess she must be busy today as she hasn't posted yet.  I'm putting the card up anyway and will link it to her later.  This stamp is from an A4 floral plate of unmounted Elusive Images stamps which I've had for a very long while but as far as I can remember I've never actually used this particular one.  I decided to stamp it onto Kraft card and colour with Polychromos pencils, simply added some background paper by Papermania I think, a matching ribbon and stamped greeting on a Stampin Up punched shape.

Less is More Week 2

The challenge on Less is More this week is to make a single layer card  using flowers or trees in the minimilast style which is proving a bit daunting for some of us according to various comments. I must say it is a bit scary to stamp  several times directly onto a card knowing that you can't cover up any odd marks or mistakes with a strategically placed flower or butterfly - go on you know we've all done it sometimes!!!  My choice this week was to work on kraft card with white and brown.  The circle was stamped using pigment ink and once dry was overstamped with a flower in brown Memento ink; the message was also stamped in the same ink.  The circle and flower were both from Elusive Images Retro Vases and Flowers stamp set and the greeting was an unmounted one but I can't remember the source.

Forgotten Friday 4

Yes, I know I put FF 1 last week but wasn't sure how many of these Judith had put up last year and anyway it was the first one this year - my excuse anyway!!  My forgotten item this week comes from a sheet of Stickeroos by Penny Black which has been lingering in a storage box for quite a time.  I've combined this with some Artylicious background paper, punched paper and card, some cream lace and a punched corner made using two punches.  The butterfly was also on the sheet of stickers and I stuck it onto black card and cut out, adding some glitter and a few matching pearls to finish this card off. Nearly forgot - the greeting was stamped with an Elusivise Images stamp.

Less is More Week 1

I came across a new challenge blog called Less is More and this is their first week - the title speaks for itself and as this is well out of my comfort zone I thought it would be good to rise to the challenge and have a go.  I must apologise in advance for the picture because my scanner also seems to have a problem with lots of empty space as well and I can assure you that the black card is really clean and doesn't  have dodgy speckles on it!!  The idea is to make cards in minimalist style leaving plenty of white space (or in my case this week black space) - the theme this time is colour using pink, black and white.  The sentiment was stamped with white and clear embossed using an Elusive Images stamp, the dress dummy was stamped on pink card and cut out (Creative Expressions stamp).  I also couldn't resist the urge to add some pink pearls.  I'm not entirely happy with the result but I'm sure if I keep entering the challenge I should improve my technique.

Forgotten Friday

Some time last year Judith started a challenge called Forgotten Friday but had to abandon it temporarily to look after her menfolk - welcome back!  The idea is to make an item  using something which you've had for a while but has perhaps lain neglected and unused.  For this card I've used something new with something 'forgotten'.  The background paper is from a Papermania pad which I must have had for at least three years and I can't remember the last time I used one of the pieces;  the bird is a Stampin Up punch which I've had a while and dug it out again to use when I got a matching stamp set to give the bird body some detail - the same thing with the flowers because there was a flower stamp to match a flower punch too. The circular frame is a Marianne die cut. The sentiment is a stamp from Elusive Images which I recently rediscovered when I was going through my stash of stamps seeking inspiration.

Birthdays are Good for You

The stamp used on this card is one of a set from Elusive Images and one of my favourites - when people say to me that they don't like getting old I always say that I reckon it is preferable to the alternative!!  Background paper is from  Artylicious Echoes of Italy and I made a frame using Nestabilities and simply added ribbon, a couple of swirls and a few flowers which I think have produced a cheerful effect to counteract the dull dark days although the sun did actually make a brief appearance yesterday and the sky this morning looks promising too.

Tickets

I was tempted to buy the Tim Holtz 'tickets strip' Sizzix die then had to think about how I was actually going to make them look like tickets.  I'm not sure I've cracked it yet but have used them anyway on this card for the sentiments.  The background was sponged with Distress ink and stamped with Eastern Grasses stamps by elusive Images.  The main image is Agapanthus Cluster by Stampendous stamped  in black on a piece of distressed kraft card. The butterflies are stamped and cut out and a few matching pearls have been added here and there.

Birdsong

A quick post this morning - I'm giving myself a day off after the two days demonstrating which were great fun but quite tiring.  Tomorrow I will have to put all the 'stuff' back into my craftroom - I've not unpacked it yet!! This card is another of the samples I made using the Big Shot to cut out the shape and the branch with blubirds using Sizzix dies and embossing folder. Background paper is from Artylicious essence of Nature collection and the wording is an Elusive Images stamp.

Two Busy Days Ahead

I have two busy days ahead demonstrating and a wonderful excuse to play all day and chat to lovely crafty people.  A quick post this morning before I set off - everything packed but the kitchen sink so hope I've not forgotten anything vital.  I will be using my Big Shot and this is one of the cards I made using Tim Holtz tattered flowers die, cutting the flowers from the pages of an old dictionary and colouring them with Glimmer Mists. Background paper is by Artylicious, Nestabilities scalloped square has been embossed with a crafts Too folder and the wording is an elusive Images stamp on another Nesties shape.

Song of Love

This is another golden anniversary card, this time using stamps from Elusive Images, background paper by Artylicious and a mirri card die cut heart embossed with Sizzix three dots folder and then distressed slightly to tone it down a little. The sentiment was computer generated and cut using a nestabilities die.

Butterfly 70th

I was asked to make a personalised 70th birthday card for a lady who particularly likes green so I hope this is acceptable to them. Stamped image is from Elusive Images coloured with Distress inks, background papers are from Artylicious. The butterfly was printed on acetate from My Craft Studio Wings & Things and the colour altered to match the card.  Numbers were cut with X-cut dies. I added some matching pearls as a finishing touch. The card has a matching personalised insert.

Cottages

I was tempted recently to buy some of the new cottage stamps from Elusive Images and I've used two of them with some masking techniques to build up a scene with bushes and so on.  Images were painted using distress inks and a water brush - some details were added with coloured pencils. Background paper, sentiment and the flower were all from the Essence of Nature CD by Artylicious.

Key to my dreams

This is a first card using the wonderful new Artylicious CD Essence of Nature - the papers included on this are wonderful and really deserve pride of place so I have gone for simplicity by printing out a square and simply stamping and embossing using stamps from Elusive Images Key to my dreams set (Dusty Concorde Distress Ink) which was also lightly sponged around the edges.  There are so many beautiful designs and colours that it was difficult to know quite where to start and I'm sure I will be using this CD a great deal.

And Another One ...

This is yet another stamp from the set given away with a magazine recently - this time a cute dog. Again bits and pieces of paper and card from my stash, faux stitching was stamped using an Elusive Images stamp, tab was a punch from Stampin Up with card candy added.

Tiled Effect

I saw this effect using a Scor Pal demonstrated briefly on TV and decided to have a go using a Brocade stamp from Elusive Images. Background paper is Artylicious and the sentiment done on the computer. I think this would have possibilities for views through windows (probably using larger squares) as well as giving the effect of tiles on a wall.