Less is More 295 - Thread

Hi there,

Well, last week I did say I might surprise you and only make 2 cards instead of 3 for my DT inspiration, didn't I? 

 

I am not going to disappoint either...2 cards it is! 

 

I would have made a third but we have been sooooooo busy with visitors staying with us (two sets of friends, brother-in-law & sister-in-law and now my youngest daughter) that the time just vanished.

 

Pfffft! Just like that!

 

Another week gone.

 

What is more of a shock is that I do not have a single card ready for next week - which is very unlike me.

 

Anyway, let's concentrate on this week.

 

This week we have our recipe week at Less is More and we'd like to see you

 

USE SOME THREAD ON YOUR CREATIONS.

 

I looks like thread, string, twine and burlap are included in that judging from the other amazing makes that the rest of our DT have created for your delight. DO take a look at them HERE.

1. Serene Stitching

I'd like to enter this in at

 Going Grey with Scrap Creations challenge - Birthdays

Try it on Tuesdays - Coffee and Cream OR Two colours of your own choice - mine are pink and cream

Seize the Birthday - soft and simple

My first card uses a metal template that I used to use a lot when I first started card making and I had forgotten just how relaxing it is to stitch on card. It is as good as colouring in or zentangle for me.

The Kars Bling Bling Doodles No BD8702 was used to pierce the holes onto a scrap piece of cream card.

It was sewn with some spare embroidery thread that was lying around and the panel popped onto the base card with 3d foam pads.

The sentiment is from Die'Sire.

It was finished with some sequins.

2) Halloween coloured Xmas

 

I'd like to add this card to the Sweet Stamping Christmas - Christmas Die Cuts

Crafting by Design - Get Ready for Christmas

The Crazy Challenge - Burlap or Twine

 

I thought I would try something really different for a Xmas colour scheme....and actually I do quite like this.  This is my quickie card.

Cut a panel of bright orange glitter card, and die cut the tree (Sizzix Thinlets Tim Holtz Alterations festive scribbles) from the same glitter card.

Cut a small panel of black card and run it through an embossing machine using a Sizzix A4 embossing folder. Sorry - I can't find the name of this one (but I suppose something like the A5 Swiss Dots folder would do just as well).

Stick the mats together and pop onto the card blank with 3d pads. Stick the Xmas tree onto the mats.

Final touch.... get some burlap tied into small knots and glue them to the tree as baubles!

 

Well, that's it from me. I have 3 more days with my youngest daughter, whom I will be very sad to say good bye to because she won't be back until Xmas, and then I will retire to my craft room for a few days to play (big cheesy grin!)

 

Hope you have a fantastic week.....whatever you have planned.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs,

Sharon xx

Less is More 294 - Diamonds

Hi!

 

How are you on this fine Saturday?

 

Good?

I do hope so.

 

I'm here today to introduce the newest Less is More challenge and today we have the theme of DIAMONDS

 

The team have created some fantastic cards with this theme and personally I can't wait to see how you all interpret the theme.

 

Ha! This is getting a bit of a routine isn't it?
Yes, I have once again created 3 cards for your inspiration (maybe next week I will only do 2....)

1. Alliums

I'd like to pop this in at:
 Fab and Funky - Go outside and be inspired by nature.
 Crafty Sentiments Challenge - use your favourite stamp (I love these alliums as they are so versatile)
and Cards Und More - No designer paper



Clear heat emboss the diamonds from the Chocolate Baroque Decorative Edges set onto a small piece of white linen textured card.

Blend distress inks in cracked pistachio, evergreen bough and peacock feathers over the panel and spritz a few droplets for some added interest.

Edge the panel by swiping a thin line of Versacolor silver ink (#92) along the edges.

Place the panel onto the card blank with some removable glue and stamp the alliums into place going over the edges of the panel onto the card blank using archival jet black ink.

Stamp the Sweet Dixie big sentiments sentiment into place using archival black too.

Add some foam pads to the panel to raise it up and place it onto the card blank lining up the images.

The final touch is to add some black stickles to the ends of the alliums.

2. Birthday Bow

I'd like to pop this in at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Clean and Simple

Wet an area on the front of the card blank and add some candied apple distress ink using a paintbrush. The card needs to be wet enough for the ink to wick out. Dry it with a hot air tool and as it is drying spritz it with water to create some droplets.

Once dry, stamp the sentiment (Chocolate Baroque card sentiments) and add some rock candy distress stickles over the inked part of the card blank.

Using Sue Wilson dies  cut out the classic 3d bow in red card and the lattice 3d bow in white card.  Back the white lattice with the red to create the ribbon and bow element. Attach these to the card blank and add a red gem to the bow centre for a final touch.

 

3. Glitter Diamonds

As usual, here is my quickie card.

Take 3 complementary colours of glitter card stock and cut some small squares out of them. 

Arrange the squares on their points to create the diamonds and adhere to the base card with 3d foam pads.

Cut a sentiment (mine is by DieSire) out of a 4th complementary colour of glitter card stock and adhere it to the card base.

Well, that is it from me this week.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Hugs,

Sharon xx

Altenew MEGA Challenge Blog Hop

Hello there!

 

This is unusual, isn't it? 

 

I don't normally blog mid week at the moment however the

 Less is More challenge

design team were privileged to be invited to join in a MEGA challenge blog hop in association with Altenew in the

 

Altenew MEGA challenge blog hop 

May Park of Altenew thought up the idea of gathering several challenge blogs (17 of us!) into a Mega blog hop as a celebration of how amazing she thinks these crafty blog are. 
 
It is also a great way to let people know of some incredible challenges that are out there, all helping to bring crafty people together by sharing their love of everything crafty. 
 
No doubt there will be oodles of inspiration, super stamping, lots of techniques and some incredible talent along the way in this hop.
 
It is fantastic to do something like this in the run up to World Cardmaking Day on 1st October.

 
Here is the card that I made for the blog hop -  in keeping with the Less is More CAS principles.

A really simple card to make.

Stamp the Altenew Majestic Bloom 3 times in a combination of Memento onyx black ink and Distress Inks in squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, fossilized amber and rusty hinge.

Die cut the blooms using the matching Majestic Bloom die set. Also die cut the 'thank you' from the same set in white and swipe it with fossilized amber.

Add some rock candy Distress Stickles on the lighter parts of the flowers for a sugary sparkle.

Cut 2 panels, one in black and one in white and swipe the edge of the white one with fossilized amber, then stick the two pieces together. Add the 3 blooms to the black part of panel with 3d foam pads and attach the panel to the card blank with 3d foam. The sentiment is glued directly onto the card blank.

Simples!
But... how beautiful are those blooms!!!

To celebrate this fantastic blog hop, Altenew is giving away $35 gift certificates to FIVE lucky winners. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the challenge blogs listed in this picture and the winners will be announced on the Altenew blog on 17th October 2016.
 

 

  

And there is more good news!

Altenew is also offering a free gift with all orders throughout September.

 

 

So....

what are you waiting for?

 

Follow THIS LINK to see all the wonderful creations the combined design teams have created for this blog hop ..... hop along, leave some comments (we all love to receive your comments) and enter your Altenew creations in the linky.

 

I do hope you will support my fellow design team members by visiting their personal blogs too...

 

Anita

Chrissie

Esther

Sarah G

Sarah P

 

Have Fun

 

and Good Luck!!!

 

Hugs,

Sharon xx

Less is More 293 - Favourite Flower

Hello again,

 

Hope you have all had a good week and are ready for the weekend with, hopefully, time for some crafting. 

 

It would be fantastic if you could join us over at

Less is More

for our latest challenge.

 

We are on our

ONE LAYER

week this week

 

and the theme is 

FAVOURITE FLOWER.

 

It will be lovely to see what all your favourite flowers are. Hopefully we will have a wonderful bouquet of entries.

 

Once again I managed 3 cards for this challenge ...

... although that has only scratched the surface of my favourite flowers...

(I so wish I had had a freesia stamp or a sweet pea stamp).

 

Actually, it looks like some of my favourite flowers are ones we don't get in Portugal because it is too hot to grow them here.

 

Anyway, in no particular order here are the cards I made.

1) Daffodil

 

Yes, the happy, sunny, smiling daffodil that heralds the start of spring! I just love it when these chaps start to appear because it signals the start of better weather. Luckily, I do have some of these in my garden over here.

 

This one is my 'quickie' card for this week.

 

I'd like to pop this one in at The Paper Shelter Challenge blog - embossing of any kind

The Stamplorations sketched daffodil was heat embossed in detail white embossing powder and coloured in with spectrum noir pencils (012, 014, 016, 044, 045 & 046) and a white polychrome pencil.

The sentiment is from Unico Stamps from the All Occasions Sentiments 6 set. Again this was heat embossed with detail white embossing powder.

2) Stargazer Lilies

 

These are actually my all-time favourite flower for the beauty of their colouring. The scent can sometimes be over-powering but I personally like it.  The pollen does stain everything it touches, so I have always cut the stamens off when I buy or receive these as cut flowers.

 

I'd like to pop this one in at Simon Says Stamp MONDAY challenge - Stamp It

I used a ClarityStamps tag stencil and repeat stamped the Pixie Cottage lily stamp in Memento black ink through the stencil opening.

This one was coloured with Promarkers in baby pink, cerise, maroon, lime green, apple, honeycomb, firewood, amethyst and pastel blue.

The stencil was removed and a drop shadow was added with ice grey 3 & 4 promarkers.

The sentiment is from ClarityStamps and it was inked with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.




A wink of stella was added to the darker parts of the flower petals.

3) Fuschias

Here is one plant I have not seen in Portugal, but I used to have them every year in window boxes and hanging baskets in the UK. I adore the variety of colour that you can get in these flowers.

 

I'd like to pop this one in at Simon Says Stamp WEDNESDAY challenge - Stamp

and Unicorn Challenge Blog - Happy Birthday

This card was made by masking a panel off on the right side of the card and then repeat stamping ans masking the small fuschia stamp from ClarityStamps in memento onyx black ink.

Again, I got my Spectrum Noir pencils out to colour this one in (027, 029, 033, 065, 066 & 068) along with the white polychromo pencil. I added a drop shadow to the edge of the panel using a ruler and the darkest blue pencil.

As our sponsor for September is Happy Little Stampers, I used their Bold Birthday Sentiments set for the sentiment. This was heat embossed in detail white embossing powder.

 

 

 

Well, that's it from me this week.  Please take a look at what the rest of the LIM DT have created for this challenge (as usual their cards are totally awesome).

 

Before I go, I would like to welcome my latest followers. Thank you for choosing following me and it is lovely to have you aboard.

 

Thanks for visiting me. Please come back again soon.

 

Hugs,

Sharon xx