Less is More ~ Use 2

Stamps: Be Jolly, Jolly Wishes (Technique Tuesday)

Ink: Soft Pool (HA); Golden Glitz (Delicata)

Hi there.  Long time no blog.  No reason, just doin' other stuff. But today the planets are all in alignment, the sun is shining & the mojo is back.

Less is More want 2 of something on a card this week, but only one layer. I've got 2 baubles, 2 colours & used 2 stamp sets.  Tried for a long time to get red on here as well, before realising that gold & aqua get along just fine together without a third party interfering!

Cheers, Darnell

Stamps: Free Spirits (PS); Cheers (Woodware)

Ink: Bahama Blue, RoseBud, Tangelo (Memento); Lime Green (HA)

Today is Darnell's birthday (djkardkreations.com) & Ardyth is hosting a party. Darnell has mentioned the occasional little tipple in her blog posts, so I wonder if there is a shelf in the Playhouse that looks a bit like this?  If I had a Playhouse, I think I'd make room for one!

 

Enjoy your day Darnell & thanks for your many kind comments. 

Butterfly love

Stamps: Scripty Sayings (PS); Be Jolly (Technique Tuesday); Hello Sunshine (Lawn Fawn); Elzybells

Ink: Tangelo, Rose Bud (Memento); Soft Pool (HA)
Dies: Tiny Hearts (SSS)

A very simple card for CAS-ual Fridays today.  The challenge is to use hearts in summer colours.

Smile...

Stamps: Lovely Layers (PTI); Abstract Art (MFT); Scripty Sayings (PS); Geometrics 2 (CB)

Ink: Tangelo (Memento); Soft Pool, Lime Green (HA)

Dies: Stitched Mat Squares (Lil' Inkers)

This card has been persistently cocking a snook at me for a number of days now.  Twice I have walked away, my scrap bin overflowing, but today I became its master!

 

Top tip for masking - use tracing paper, then you can see exactly where you are placing your mask, to make sure the stamped image has an even border all round.

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 170 ~ 3 colours

Guesting at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps

Stamps: Rad (CAS-ual Fridays); Abstract Art (MFT)

Ink: Tangelo, Lady Bug, London Fog (Memento)

As part of my winners package from CAS-ual Fridays in March, I get to feature MY stuff on THE CAS-UAL FRIDAYS BLOG.  Me.  Where all the cool kids hang out.  How awesome is that?

I was sooooo excited when my parcel came through the post.  I had been planning this card ever since I chose the rad stamp set.  Still took me several attempts to get the inking right though.

I had an epiphany when it came to lining up the paint splatters on the 2 layers:

• temporarily adhere the top to the bottom, mark where it goes
• remove top & stamp splatters on bottom (not my bottom...)
• temporarily adhere acetate to bottom layer
• place top layer on acetate in previously marked position
• line up stamps so they fit over existing images
• stamp
• remove top & acetate (clean & save for another time), permanently fix top to bottom

And now for my next card, a much simpler affair...

Stamps: Bold Wishes (CAS-ual Fridays)

Ink: Lime Green, Soft Pool (HA)

Other:square punch; Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

Yup, just the 2 inks.  The lime green is a new purchase from SSS, with the other part of my CFC prize.  The pale green is a second generation stamping of the lime green (& if I'm being really honest, I think I prefer it).  The bluey green is a happy accident of the 'whoops-I-didn't-clean-my-stamp-properly' kind.  A couple of simple spacer pieces helped to keep the squares even & true.

Thanks again to CAS-ual Fridays for the great prizes & for the fantastic challenges that they keep coming up with which allow us all to share in the fun.

Paper Smooches SPARKS

Stamps: Free Spirits (PS); Geometric Style 2 (CB)

Ink: Tangelo, Rosebud, Bahama Blue (Memento); Soft Pool (HA)

Die: Birthday Words (PS), Card Curve (SSS)

Other: Diamond & Rock Candy Stickles (Ranger)

I started trying to do this card with die-cuts but it was waaay too fiddly, so I went the stamping route.  I like the way the overlapping stamps allow you to see through, as you would with glass.

The banner is made using the back of the lemon slice stamp in Free Spirits, then masked & stamped over in the same colour with the spots & stripes.

 

I think it's pretty easy to see where my inspiration came from.  I defy anyone not to be cheered by this colour combination!

 





 

 

Linking to:

Paper Smooches SPARKS: April 13-19 Picture Perfect challenge

Glossy thanks tag

Stamps: Geometric Style II (Clearly Besotted)

Ink: Soft Pool (HA)

Dies: Headline Alpha (PTI); Rounded Tag (CB)

Other: Diamond Stickles (Ranger); Anita's 3D Gloss; Aqua Twine (Divine Twine)

Lovin' these alpha dies!  Glittered & glossed as previous post (but without the errors this time!).  Used the PTI packaging for the acetate tag.

 

Ultimately this will go on a teacher's gift, but I haven't made it yet, so the empty bottle is just a stunt double.

Linking to:
Papertrey Ink: March 2014 Blog Hop Challenge (not until 25th)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Glitter It

Fusion #6

Stamps: Miss You (My Cute Stamps)

Ink: Pear Tart (Memento)

Dies: Instant Photos (Sizzix); Tiny Hearts (SSS)

 

A new Fusion Challenge has started.  I'm not sure if I've used the sketch or not!

 

 

 

Am enjoying the flood of inlaid die cuts around at the moment, so thought I would join in the fun.

 

 

 

Linking to:

Fusion Card Challenge: Fusion #6

Mothers' Day wreath

Stamps: Flower Friend (SSS); Boxes Bags & Tags (PTI); Fanciful Flowers (Elzybells)

Ink: Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Lilac Posies (Memento)

Font: Sofia, Narkism

A move slightly away from my comfort zone today, but I think my MiL would prefer this to something more minimal or graphic.

I printed the sentiment & used a Lil' Inkers die as a circle template (told you I'd get a lot of use out of them...), then stamped around it.  This wasn't dumb luck, I practised several times on scrap to make sure everything fitted.  Just for once the final piece is better than the trials!

Might be a bit too busy for LiM this week - perhaps should have used a 5" card base? - but I'll try my luck anyway.

 

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 162 One Layer Card ~ Spring Flowers

Spring birthday

Stamps: Teeny Trees (WM); Lovely Layers, Little Bitty Bird (PTI)

Ink: Rose Bud, Bamboo Leaves (Memento); Versamark (Tskineko)

Dies: Grid Border (SSS); Lovely Layers (PTI)

Other: white e.p. (WOW)

Hooray, the sun is shining (the solar panels are humming) & spring is on its way.  This card is for The Card Concept, where the theme is floral.  In my head it was going to be clean & graphic (hence the grid border), but it would seem that my hands had other ideas - so clean & simple it is.

 

It also fits for PTI on the 25th Feb ~ Sweet Spring.

 

Linking to:

The Card Concept: Challenge #4 - Use a Floral Theme

Papertrey Ink: February 2014 Blog Hop Challenge (25th Feb)

OLW165 ~ Christmas without red or green

Stamps: Be Jolly (Technique Tuesday)

Ink: Soft Pool, Wet Cement (HA)

A teeny tiny card today, from an off-cut on my table.  Colours are more pastel IRL, more of a soft grey than brown.  Would like to blame Picasa, but think it's more likely to be me.  Please ignore crumpled backdrop in photo-tent.  Crafting or ironing?  No-brainer.

Linking to:

One Layer Wednesday: OLW169 ~ Holiday cards (no red or green)

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Make It Monday ~ Stamped Square Frames

Stamps: Rustic Branches (PTI); Be Jolly (Technique Tuesday)

Ink: Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Lady Bug (Memento)

Other: Tag-a-Long die (Clearly Besotted)

A quick square frame combined with my current favourite stamp set, Be Jolly.  I have soooo many more ideas for using these baubles.

 

Linking to:

Make it Monday: #139 ~ Stamped Square Frames

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps & More: Challenge #69 ~ CAS

You knew it was going to happen...

Stamps: Bitty Banners (WM); Elzybells

Ink: Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves (Memento); Wet Cement (HA)

Other: tree die (Impression Obsession)

Yup, another 4 trees card.  This was actually the very first one I made, which inspired the others (here & here).

Linking to:

Less Is More: Week 142 ~ Trees

Simon Says Stamp: Christmas / Happy Holiday

Chevrons & Sequins

Stamps: Gingham & Co (WM); Christmas Tags (Elzybells)

Ink: Soft Poll (HA); LadyBug (Memento)

Other: chevron fie (PTI); tiny hearts (SSS); photo frames (Sizzix)

I am exhausted.  This card has taken the best part of 4 hours to put together!  Too fiddly by far.  It was inspired by this card here, & by all the fab 'suspended tree' cards in the latest SSS release.  Part of the card front folds down to allow the chevron tree to hang in the middle of the card.

 

 

 

I tried a number of different methods to get the chevrons to dangle independently.  The most successful (& most fiddly...) was to make individual links out of thread.  I must have used about 5 metres of thread just to get these few links.

By sheer dumb luck, among the very few sequins in my possession were a handful that just matched the Soft Pool ink.  Hurray!  I strung these on (yet more) gold thread & held them in place on the line by a tiny dot of glossy accents.

The photo frame is an adjustment of the Sizzix dies.  I cut a piece of card the right width first & then put the die half way through twice, once from each side.  Hope that makes sense.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC116 ~ Chevrons & Sequins

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: We're going dotty

 

 

 



Girlie birthday

Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet (SU); Flower Friends (SSS)

Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko)

Other: Aurora e.p. (Cosmic Shimmer); square punch

NOT what I intended to do with my day when I woke up this morning, but it's dull & wet here so I needed to brighten things up a little.  Small disaster almost caused by over inquisitive (wet) cat at a crucial stage of embossing, but that's why there are 2 sides to a piece of card, right?

 

Inspired by this photo from Pinterest, which I initially took to be tins of paint, but is actually cake mix!

 

Linking to:
Simon Says Stamp: Anything goes

Pinspired Challenge

Stamps: Circus Animals (My Cute Stamps); It's Your Day (HA); Fanciful Flowers (Elzybells)

Ink: Lilac Posies, Rose Bud, Tangelo, Morocco (Memento); Versamark (Tsikineko)

Other; By the Numbers Dies (MFT), glossy accents, diamond stickles (Ranger); white e.p. (Wow!)

I've kept an eye on Pinspired Challenge for a while now, but have never actually participated before. I need a card for a little girl soon, so took this as my inspiration.

 

As ever, this wasn't the idea I started out with, but I saw the scrap paper I had been testing my inks out on, I preferred it to the original.  And no, that 8 wasn't part of the plan either, but it does conveniently cover the single imperfectly stamped image sitting in pole position!

 

Linking to:

Pinspired Challenges: Challenge #18

CAS(E) #45 ~ Merry & Bright

Stamps: Bitty Bird (PTI)

Ink: Espressoo Truffle (Memento); Versamark (Tsukineko)

Other: clear embossing powder; Cosmic Shimmer paints

Here's a second card for CAS(E) This Sketch.  Inspired by all the lovely cards shown in the latest PTI release, I made a sentiment with the ampersand as centre stage. 

The 'phone cord' squiggle from Bitty Bird takes on a whole new lease of life as Christmas lights, when filled with Cosmic Shimmer paints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking to:

CAS(E) This Sketch: CAS(E) This Sketch #45

 

 

CAS(E)ing myself

Stamps: Folk Art Flurries (WPus9); Gingham & Co. (WM)

Ink: Danube, RoseBud, Tangelo (Memento); Turquoise (VersaMagic)

Die: Tag-a-Long (Clearly Besotted)

Font: Sevillana, Aharoni 

I am determined to finish all my Christmas cards before December strikes this year, so I can actually enjoy doing it, not feel rushed & wondering why I put myself through it.  Sound familiar??

This is a new take on a card from January.  I ws inspired by this week's CAS(E) this sketch:

& my new dies from Clearly Besotted.  The long banner is fabricated from 5 separate die cuts all bodged carefully crafted together.

Linking to:

CAS(E) This Sketch: CAS(E) This Sketch #45
Clearly Besotted: Challenge #4 ~ Stamp your own background

Muse Challenge #34

The children are back at school, the village fete is done & dusted & the temperature is a good 10 degrees cooler than it was last week, so I have returned to my craft room.  Hurrah!

Stamps: Bitty Banners (WM); Christmas Tags (Elzybells)

Ink: White Pigment (WPlus9)

Die: Impression Obsession

This was inspired by Therese's card over at Muse this week. 

 

 

I reversed the colour combo, & used trees in place of her wooden houses.  I did toy with a tag, but couldn't make it work for me.

I tried this with white embossing at first, but prefer the softer contrast that the white ink gives.  This WPlus9 is the best white ink I have found, but being pigment I still have trouble stamping really fine detail.  You can see a bit of the 'squashed' effect on the sentiment - a build up of ink at the edges of the letters, less in the middle, where it should be.  I guess I need more practise!  Any tips for improving on this would be gratefully received.

 

Linking to:

MUSE: Muse Challenge #34

Closet Inspiration

Stamps: Littly Bitty Bird (PTI); Teeny Trees (WM)

Ink: Nautical Blue (Memento); Pale Tomato (HA)

 

This week Heather invites us to look to our wardrobes for one-layer inspiration.  I have a vest top with tiny dandelion sprigs in blue, with an even tinier amount of coral stitching. I masked off the edges of the card before stamping, to give a white frame, mimicking the edging on the neck & arms. 

 

Linking to:

One Layer Wednesday: OLW149 ~ Closet Inspiration