Less is More Spiders and Insects

For a change to Christmas cards, I was glad to take part in this week's Less is More challenge which is

Spiders or Insects

Although the theme conjures up Halloween and all things spooky I decided to use my Card-io stamps which aren't at all spooky but the challenge is open to interpretation, so here's my card:

And here's it is a bit closer - you can see my little critters a bit better.

That was a fun card to do - but I suppose I'd better be getting on with my Christmas cards again.

Oh! btw the sentiment stamp is from my trusty Paula Pascual set.

Have a good Sunday and thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More: Peacock Feathers

This weeks challenge from the Less is More team is to use colours from a Peacock Feather.

This is my first attempt at using my Spectrum Aquas to create the background and I'm quite pleased with the result. The Peacock stamp and sentiment is from a Kanban set I have.   

Here's my card:

Thanks for dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More - Week 290 - Theme - Exotic

Hi visitor - thanks for dropping by to see my entry to this week's Less is More challenge which is:

SOMETHING EXOTIC!

Here's my card:

This beautiful tiger stamp is from Sheena's Taste of India range.  I just stamped the image and masked him off.  I them used a circle stencil to create the background.  The sentiment stamp is also from the same set.

A really quick CAS card.

Thanks once again from dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More 284 - Time

Great challenge this week from Less is More:

It's TIME 

for another

ONE LAYER CHALLENGE

and this time the theme is

TIME

Here's my card:

I've stenciled the background using a 'That Special Touch' clock mask and an Anna Griffin inkpad which is a lovely subtle colour.  The stamp is from Lisa B Designs which I just coloured very lightly with watercolour pencils.  A very simple CAS card. I hope you like it.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a good week.

Sue.x

 

Less is More week 276 - At Sea

Hi all.  I've made a card this afternoon to enter into the Less is More challenge which is as follows:

ONE LAYER CARD

challenge!

The theme for this week is 

At Sea

And here's my card:

To create the card I used my computer to print the sentiment - I hope you like the pun.  I then stamped the fish and masked it off to stamp the background.

I used a very old background stamp from Rubbadubbadoo (one of their stick n stamp range).  I rubbed it over with Adirondack Pool and Distress Ink Stormy Sky which I think has given a nice wave look.

The fish is one of Hobbycraft's own range which cost about a pound - I used Prisma pencils to colour him.  Very quick and simple card to do.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for dropping by.

Sue.x 

AAA Cards Challenge - Stencils

Thank you to the AAA Cards Challenge for choosing my card as the winner in the stencils challenge.  I'm very proud to claim my badge:

And if you didn't see it, here's the card I won it for:

Less is More Week 273 Saints and Dragons or Heroes

The challenge for this week is as follows:

For some fun this week our recipe is to include

Saints, Dragons or Heroes.

St. George's Day takes place on April 23rd every year, recognising the patron saint of England, apparently made famous for slaying a dragon and saving a distressed maiden.
There are not usually many celebrations in honour of this day, so this will be our little salute!
You don't have to portray elements of this story, but whatever your imagination conjures up with this theme.
We would however like an explanation if your link is tenuous!
Just have fun!

And here's my card:

I don't have any stamps of dragons, saints or heroes so I found these fab digi stamps and took them into Serif and managed to make a group out of them.  The cake and flame are also digi stamps and I put the flame on top of the cake to look like those ditzy characters set it alight.  I coloured them with Prisma pencils (I've not had a play with them for ages so it was fun doing some colouring).  The sentiment was printed from the computer.  I recently bought some TODO basic square dies and they are great, brilliant sizes to mat and layer; they're bigger than the Spellbinder squares.
Thanks for dropping by
Sue.x

Less is More Challenge 272 - Three Stamps

The challenge this week from the Less is More team is 3 stamps.  You can use three different stamps or the same stamp stamped multiple times.

I've used three different stamps from two different Card-io stamp sets.  I love Card-io stamps and I have loads of their sets - more than any others.

I used the same flower stamp and stamped it in three different colours and then added the leaf stamp.  The watering can was inked in two different colours.  Because I'd used my quota of stamps I couldn't add a sentiment so I added a clay butterfly which I just swiped over with the same colour ink as one of the flowers to fill in the top corner.  I added some glossy accents to look like water coming from the can, but I'm not sure they show up particularly well on the photo.

Thanks for visiting today.

Sue.x

Less is More - Geometric Shapes

As promised, my second card for the Less is More Challenge - Geometric Shapes; I love this challenge.

I got the inspiration for this card from Pinterest but used the stamps I had in my stash.

The stencil is from Clarity Stamps and is called Jo's Bubbles.  I used a blue ink for it one way and then turned it and used a yellow ink.

The stamps are from Craftwork Cards - Only Words.

Very easy to do but so much fun.

Thanks for dropping by

Sue.x

Less is More week 271 - Geometric Shapes

I love the challenge the Less is More team have set this week:

The theme for this week's cards is 

Geometric Shapes or Patterns

This has given me the opportunity to use my stencils, inks and stamps.  Here's my card:

It was such a quick and easy card to do.  I used a stencil from Imagination Crafts, the sentiment stamp is from Docrafts, the splodges from Laxmi Design (I'm not sure the company still exists - I bought this from the NEC many years ago when I began crafting) and the little butterfly is from an Imagination Crafts set which was designed by Lisa B.

I'm off to make another card - I have an idea what I want to do so I may be back later.

Thanks for visiting

Sue.x

CASology - Week 192: Sprout

Here's a card I made to join in with the CASology challenge for this week which is based on a spring theme and is called Sprout:

The stem stamp is from the Hobbycraft and the butterfly and sentiment are both Studio G and the stitches were done using a HOTP stamp.

Thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More - White but not white

This week's challenge is to make a CAS card using a coloured card base as your white space.  Sorry my photo isn't great - it's very difficult to get a good picture when you've used foil or metallics. 

I've used a lovely textured pink card for my base (from Anna Marie Designs) and my TODO rose die.  I hot foiled it using Papermania foils and added a Tattered Lace sentiment die (free members gift from C&C), also hot foiled and a butterfly from a punch I have with a bit of sheer ribbon from my stash to finish.

Thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x

AAA Cards Challenge - Stencilling

Afternoon all, hope you're enjoying the Easter break.  I'm happy to stay in my craft room today - it's so windy outside, and I can't stand the wind. 

Here's what I've been doing:

I decided to dig out some of my old stash - if you're anything like me I buy it because I need it and then put it in a drawer and go on and buy more stuff because I need it.  Anyway, this is my intention for now, to use up some of my stuff.

For this card I used Imagination Crafts stencil paint and one of their embossing masks.  I ran it through my TODO first using a rubber mat also from Imagination Crafts (bought from the NEC earlier this month) which give a deeper impression (I was skeptical about buying this when I saw it but it really does work).  Then obviously I stencilled with the paint.  The sentiment is from a Card-io set.

I am going to enter this into the AAA cards challenge who aptly has a theme of Stencilling this week. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More Challenge 268

WHAT'S OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW?

The challenge from the Less is More team is to create a card using your imagination or dreams of the scene outside your window.  

Here's my card:

We have a cheeky little robin who spends most of the day flitting in and out of our garden, chasing off any other little birds that dare come onto his patch.  And as spring is now officially here I thought I could get away with a bit of blossom on the branch (my Magnolia is just about to burst open - can't wait).

I used the following:
Branch die - Kimono range from Crafter's Companion
Bird - Memory Box
Nestabilities Small Labels
Stampin Up Word Window Punch
Paula Pascual sentiment stamp
Promarkers

I also used a cloud stencil cut out on my Cameo and Adirondack Winter Sky inkpad.

Thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x

TODO hot foiling

Hi folks, I thought I would just post a photo of an embossing folder hot foiled using my fabulous TODO.  I was really sure I never wanted this machine when I saw it well before it launched on C&C at the NEC.  Mel was demonstrating it but wouldn't say who the manufacturer was and I wasn't at all impressed.  However, as time has gone on and I've watched it being demonstrated I jumped in and bought it when it was priced at £199 with £100 pounds worth of accessories.  A little apprehensive as there were lots of negative comments about it, but wow, I love it.  I have no problems with die cutting, embossing, stamping or hot foiling with mine ( I don't know if all are not created equal or if people are just too quick to judge and not give it enough time to play and get used to the way it works - but I use mine every time I craft.  I've sold my XCut and my GC and Sapphire are gathering dust).  Anyway enough waffle, I think you get the gist - I think this is the best craft item I've ever owned - it's such fun.

The embossing folder is Crafts Too.  I used Papermania hot foils and Adorable Scorable.  It turned out great.

And this is using the waste:

Pretty good heh!

This technique hasn't been demonstrated on C&C, but it's becoming one of my favourite ways of using my TODO.

Sue.x

A card for my Mom

I know in most of the UK people say Mum, but here in the Midlands it's Mom, so I'd like to share with you the card I've made for my Mom to give to her this Mothering Sunday.

It's actually a very simple card.  I used Crafter's Companion Edg'ables die on top and bottom of a piece of gold card mat and layered and added some lovely ribbon and a computer generated sentiment which I cut out with Nesties and added a few gems.  It's a bit more ornate than I usually make but I think my mom will like it.

Thanks for dropping by.

Sue.x

Less is More week 264

ADD SOME TEXTURE is the theme for this week's challenge at Less is More. 

Oooh, exciting, I thought, texture paste sprung to mind - unfortunately it was rock hard (I have had it for years) so that went in the bin.  Next plan, I dug out my embossing folders and decided on this one:

I'm not sure what it's called but it's from Cuttlebug.  I saw the design on Pinterest which involved cutting the die out of the card and then putting it back in the aperture lifting the wings of the butterfly to give dimension.  The leaf sprigs are a Brittania die from Pink Frog Creations.  The butterfly is an Xcut die and the Congratulations was done by hot foiling with a Craft Dragon plate on my TODO.  I used the waste left over hot foiled it onto a piece of card and then cut it to the size I wanted.  Everything was done on the TODO - the embossing, die cutting and hot foiling - truly multi functional.

Thanks for dropping by

Sue.x

Less is More Week 263 - One Layer Card

Hi folks, hope you're enjoying your weekend.  I've mostly spent today having a bit of a craft room clear out and trying to get my stash a bit more organised - I don't know about you, but I waste so much time searching for things when I could actually be doing some craft.  

Anyway, I did manage to make a card for this week's Less Is More challenge, and this is what it is:

ONE LAYER CARD

 and we would like to have you

INCLUDE A STEM

The stamp I used is one of the first I ever bought and shamefully have never used - mostly because I wasn't sure how to colour it.  I decided to use my recently acquired Spectrum Aquas and I used a technique demonstrated by Crafter's Companion's Fiona.  I stamped and embossed the image and then used the pens by scribbling a small amount onto a craft mat and then applying it to the flower  I'm quite pleased with this first attempt.  The sentiment stamp is from a Stampin Up set.

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sue.x

Happy 5th Birthday - Less is More

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'LESS IS MORE' - well can you believe it's been 5 years since Chrissie and Mandy started the Less is More challenge blog - I remember it well and I was so excited as LIM is really my style even though I do love vintage and grunge, but I'm just not good at it.  I don't blog much these days but when I do it's always this challenge I go back to.  So congratulations to the whole team and let's look forward to the next 5 years being as successful.

Here's the challenge to celebrate the birthday week:

It's a colour challenge of course and what we would like to see is 

WHITE ON WHITE
(Accents in metallic or B/W are perfectly acceptable)

And here's my card:

 I used my TODO embossing folder and TODO butterfly frame dies for this.  I bought the machine when it was recently on offer on C&C.  I was a little dubious and nervous about ordering it as I read quite a few bad reviews on the website, but bit the bullet and went for it.  And I'm so glad I did.  I love this machine more than my Cameo (and that's saying something).  I use it every time I craft and I'm looking forward to the new additions Mel has promised for this year.  The sentiment is from one of Crafter's Companion Kimono stamp sets.

Thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x

Simply Less is More - Week 261 - Down Under

G'day folks.

This week's Less is More challenge is sponsored by Happy Little Stampers and the theme is 'Down Under'.  A perfect opportunity to use my Stamping Bella Surfafella stamp.

Here's my card:

For the background I used watercolour pencils after printing my sentiment onto the card.

Surfacfella was stamped and cut out on my Cameo and then coloured with watercolour pencils (I think he looks like he's been in the sun a bit too long).  Instead of matting with card I used a Promarker around the edge - it kind of bleed into the watercolour card but I like the effect.  

Thank you for dropping by.

Sue.x