Less is More Week 113 - Lucky Dip - Scallops, CAS Colours and Sketches #19

Scallops! That's the challenge at Less is More this week - to use scallops on your card.
I was tempted to go with one of my all time favourite dies; Die-namics Simply Scallops medium die but instead I played it subtle and went for a Fiskars border punch to cut three scalloped edges for this card in pale pink, hot pink and teal;

Stamps: SU 'Fabulous Florets', Personal Impressions sentiment

Embossing Folder: 'Swiss Dots'

Punch: Fiskars 'Scallop border' punch

 

Because I liked the layout so much I decided to replicate the card using the three colours in the in this week's CAS - Colours and Sketches challenge of daffodil delight, raspberry ripple and bashful blue. I didn't use SU cardstock but I think my colours are very similar. Personally I prefer the pastel version but my 9 year old liked 'the brighter one' better.

 

 

 

Less is More Week 112 - Use Beads

Hi Blog fans, I'm an early bird this week with an entry for Less is More's weekly challenge. I'm usually a Friday evening submitter so I don't know what's come over me this week! It might have been the excitement of going to the ICHF show at the NEC on Sunday. Living about a 20 minute motorway drive away, I go twice yearly without fail, but on Friday night Birmingham was engulfed in a very, very thick blanket of snow. I left it until Sunday to brave it and the most difficult part was getting off the drive and down our road.
Anyhow, here's my card for this week's challenge which is to 'use beads' on your CAS card.
 

       Stamps: SU 'Fabulous Florets', Kaisercraft 'Grid' , Personal Impressions sentiment  

            Ink: Staz-on 'Jet Black', Memento 'Angel Pink'     

                                    Beads: Black seed beads from Hobbycraft                              

 

                   

 And an extreme close up!!

 

I stamped the grid stamp first (a new NEC purchase) in a pale pink, then stamped the stem and leaves stamp over it in Staz-on for a strong black impression. I stamped the 2 poppy-like petals from the same set again in Staz-on onto a deep red card and fussy-cut them out. I popped foam squares on the smaller petal for a bit of dimension then added seed beads to the centre of each flower.
I'm not sure whether I should have done the stem in black embossing powder so it matched the glossiness of the beads, or am I being over fussy?
Off to start on a shamballa bracelet to go with a new grey floaty top I'm wearing on Thursday for our work's traditional Maundy Thursday pub crawl - there are some benefits of being a civil servant! Musn't forget to make sure the children are all sorted though lol!

                                                                                     

Less is More Week 109 - Colour Challenge

I've never been a fan of doughnuts, but these are so pretty!  It's Colour Challenge Week at Less is More this week and this is the colour palette for our inspiration.                          

  
                          

So this is my card. I am loving Clearly Besotted's Blooming Marvellous stamps at the moment, especially since I got the matching dies. The orange of the rose is less bright in real life; alot closer to the 'doughnut colour'.
I bought a Xyron sticker creator years ago and used it for the first time ever to adhere the pink Contempo Circle border. I was quite pleased with how it worked and will use it again for sticking down those intricate border die cuts I seem to be collecting lol.

Stamps: Clearly Besotted's 'Blooming Marvellous', Inkyliscious 'Ornate Flourish',

Personal Impressions 'Mixed Sentiments'

Inks: Memento 'Angel Pink', 'Tangelo', 'Tuxedo Black

Dies: Clearly Besotted's 'Blooming Marvellous', Memory Box 'Contempo Circle Border'



Clearly Besotted's 'Framed Sentiments'

A post today to share two cards I made using Clearly Besotted's 'Framed Sentiments' stamps. I have to say, having many, many stamps by numerous different manufacturers Steph's stamps are of the highest quality, (much better than that infamous US catalogue based manufacturer!).
They stamp perfectly first time every time and I'm so excited when she announces new releases, if only I could afford them all!

This first card uses a number of different die-cuts together with the stamped sentiment image. I really like the layout and plan to make a few of these in different colour combos.

Dies: Memory Box 'Perched Reed Bird', Poppystamps 'Lorelai Leaf', MFT 'Fishtail Flag Stax'

Inks: Memento 'Rhubarb Stalk', 'Rich Cocoa'

Paper: First Edition 'Love Letters'
Stamps: Clearly Besotted 'Framed Sentiments'

My second card is for my hairdresser who recently gave birth to a little boy.

Again, an easy card to reproduce which I really must start doing if I'm going to sell more cards.

 Dies: Sizzix Bigz 'Star', Die-namics 'Simply Scallops Medium'

Inks: Memento 'Danube Blue', 'Tuxedo Black'
Stamps: Clearly Besotted 'Framed Sentiments', Personal Impressions 'Double Sayings Set'

Less is More Week 107 - Up in the Air

It's theme week at Less is More this week and the theme is 'Up in the Air'. I immediately thought of the Memory Box 'puffy clouds' dies I bought some time ago but have yet to use. For the sun I punched a 1" circle of yellow card and die cut several of the thinnest of the MFT Fishtails Flag Stax dies to create the sun's rays. I then punched several small hearts in 3 different shades of yellow and arranged them beneath the clouds. I was quite pleased with the way the hearts appear to be more spaced out the closer they get to the bottom of the card, emulating how rain would fall don't ya think?! This was a happy accident and not at all planned!!
I liked the way Jen rounded her corners on her panel and then mounted it off centre on her card so I followed suit. (Apologies for the rubbish photo.)

 Dies: MFT Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax, Memory Box Puffy Clouds

Punches: 1" circle, small heart

Stamps: Personal Impressions

Ink: Memento Black Tuxedo

CFC88: Love Letters

I have seen this technique on a number of cards on Pinterest and had to give it a go. The tricky part is stamping the same image twice in exactly the same place. You then die cut your chosen letters from one of the stamped images and adhere these with foam squares on top of the first stamped image ensuring you line the two images up. (There are tutorials out there which explain much better than I can!!)
I'm entering this card in the Casual Fridays Challenge this week which is Love: Letters; use letters creatively in your CAS project.

 

Dies: Memory Box 'Classic Lower Alphabet'

Stamp:Sizzix Framelits 'Floral'

Ink: Memento 'Rose Bud', 'Pear Tart'

Less is More Week 105 - Kraft & Kreme, Case this Sketch #13

Today's card is for 2 challenges; the first is for the fab Less is More challenge which celebrates it's 2nd birthday this week! It's a colour challenge and the colour combo is Kraft and Kreme. I love kraft card; it's plain and simple just like me lol!

For my card I stamped the beautiful rose from the Clearly Besotted's 'Blooming Marvellous' stamp set with Versamark and then heat embossed in clear embossing powder. I did the same with the leaves and cut the images out by hand. (Looking forward to buying the matching dies for these stamps that the lovely Steph gave us a sneaky peek of on FB the other day!). 

My card is based on the sketch in this week's Cas(e) this Sketch's challenge, (my new favourite sketch challenge).

Card: Kraft, ivory linen

Stamps: Clearly Besotted 'Blooming Marvellous', Personal Impressions sentiment

Embossing Folder: Darice 'Argyle'

Other: Ivory satin ribbon, adhesive pearls