Less Is More #375 - Olive & Tangerine

Hi. I'm trying a new layout for my Less is More posts today. I think it will make the posts load a lot faster and there definitely won't be as much scrolling to do! Should I keep this style or go back to my normal style? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Anyway, today is our regular colour challenge

and because it is the first challenge of July (crikey - July already?) we have a new sponsor for the month and it is the fabulous:

 

We're also joined by our May winner, the super Lynne from Lynne's Loft and her card is so gorgeous! Please pop over to her blog to leave her some commenting love, and while you're off visiting it is definitely worth heading to the LIM challenge blog for some fantastic inspiration from the rest of our design team (don't forget  you can often get additional inspiration on their blogs too).


Okay, so I have 3 cards for you with this great colour theme.

1) Smile

I finally decided to break out the fab squares border from a set of Uniko stamps that I've had for ages. Now that I have used it once I can see that I will definitely use it again. I love the graphic look that you can get with it.
 
This card is for:
Addicted to Stamps and More! #299 - Clean and Simple
Shopping Our Stash #361 - Geometric Patterns
The Crafters Café Challenge - Keep It Simple

To make it, cut the panel with the scallop die then black heat emboss the border along one side of the panel. Colour in random squares with distress markers. Cut the sentiment 4 times from white card and glue 3 of them together. Black heat emboss the 4th sentiment and then glue it to the other three. Attach the panel to the card blank with 3d foam, then glue the sentiment in place.

STAMPS: Uniko Background Builders: Squared
DIES: Altenew Halftone Smile, Sugar Pea Designs card front builder
INKS: Versamark Clear
OTHER: Distress Markers (crushed olive & spiced marmalade), Heat It Up! glossy black embossing powder, White card, fun foam.

2) Birthday Flowers

Nothing says summer or feminine more to me than some beautiful flowers, Here I've tried to represent some flowers against a background of green for the grass and a beautiful orange sky sunset. The flowers are all sparkling in the evening glow of the sun.

I'd like to pop this in to:
Crazy for CAS #8 - Summer (I think it is my first time playing here)
Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Flowers ( I hope die cuts count!)
Watercooler Wednesday WWC177 - Feminine

Here I cut a card front panel and then die cut a window in it. On a spare piece of card the two distress inks were blended and it was glued behind the window, then the whole panel was attached to a card blank. The sentiment was cut out 3 times and each word stacked on top of each other. The bouquet was die cut once, then using the smaller dies, the bud and the large flower were cut out twice more and these were glued on top of the corresponding parts of the main bouquet. Glue the bouquet to the card over the window then glue the sentiment to the card. Finish the card with stickles on the flowers and leave it to dry.

DIES: Sugar Pea Designs card front builder, My Favourite Things inside out rectangles, Wild Rose Studios woodland posy, Die'Sire happy birthday
INKS: Distress Inks (crushed olive & spiced marmalade)
OTHER: White card, stardust Stickles.

 

3) Chirrup!

After our last LIM challenge I thought I would carry on and use another item that was in my 'bits box' this week. The cat had been waiting to be used for a long time, and as it was the right colour for this challenge I though I'd finally use it.

I'm entering this into:
Passion For Promarkers #450 - add a sentiment
Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge #32 - Furrything Goes. It's my first time playing here.
Sunny Day Crafting #CH26 - Any Animal. It's my first time here too.

On a stitched die cut panel blend distress ink through the Visible Image stencil fairly darkly, then remove the stencil and blend again over the top with the same colour, but using much lighter strokes. Stamp the 'Chirrup' from the STAMPlorations set onto the panel, then the 'feel better' from the Clearly Besotted set underneath it. Stamp the birds from the Altenew set so that they are perching on the sentiment. Using a separate piece of card, mask off the work 'soon' from the 'you'll be flying again soon' sentiment in the birds of paradise set, and stamp that in orange then edge it in olive green. Glue the cat and the 'soon' sentiment onto the panel and add glossy accents to the cat's eyes and nose. When the glossy accents are dry add the panel to a card blank.

STAMPS: Stampers Anonymous crazy cats, Altenew shadow play, Clearly Besotted simple silhouettes, STAMPlorations birds of paradise.
STENCILS: Visible Image distorted chess
DIES: Sugar Pea Designs card front builder
INKS: Distress Inks (crushed olive & spiced marmalade)
OTHER: White card, stencil brush,  crushed olive Distress Marker, glossy accents, promarkers

LIM BLOG
LIM FACEBOOK PAGE
LIM INSTAGRAM

Well, that's it from me for now. I do hope you found something you like and I really hope to see you back here again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Visible Image Seahorse for Making Cards Magazine

Hello there.

Today, for the first time on my blog, I'm sharing a card that was recently featured in a publication of Making Cards Magazine, and I made it with some really gorgeous Visible Image stamps .

The theme was 'Best of British' and the magazine was celebrating some British craft companies, like the awesome Visible Image. 

So, three of us on the design team got our heads together and decided to make our cards based on the Union Jack colours of Red, White and Blue. We also limited ourselves to the same 2 stamp sets and the same stencil.

This is the card that I made:

…. and here's a photo of all 3 cards in the magazine. Our cards look amazing on that magazine page, even if I do say so myself.....but that has to be down to the brilliant products we were using by Visible Image.

Here is a video of me making this card.

And this is a photo tutorial on how I made my card.

 

 

 Take a piece of white card 11.5cm x 18cm (4.5" x 7") and stamp the seahorse and sentiment from the Create Your Calm stamp set, and the small bubbles from the Dare to Swim set in cobalt blue archival ink. Watercolour the seahorse with tumbled glass and broken china distress ink.

Create an A5 card blank from a sheet of A4 card with the fold on the left side. Mask off the central area (10.5cm x 16.5cm (4"x6.5"), of the card blank with spare paper and masking tape. Blend tumbled glass onto the outside edges of the card blank.

 

 Next blend broken china distress ink through the Fibres stencil.

 

 

Stamp the small shoal of fish from the Dare to Swim stamp set in festive berries using first and second generation stamping. Then stamp the small bubbles in chipped sapphire.

 

Add stardust stickles onto the larger bubbles on the background frame and set aside to dry.

 

Add glossy accents to the bubbles on the panel and on the background and then set aside to dry again.
Mount the panel onto the card blank with fun foam.

 

 

Stamps Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
            
    

Other Supplies:

White card, Archival Ink (cobalt), Distress Ink (tumbled glass, broken china, festive berries, chipped sapphire), masking tape, scrap paper, blending foams and blending tool, stardust Stickles, glossy accents, fun foam

 

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #16 - Anything Goes with a critter

A Bit More Time To Craft #71 - Anything Goes

Animal Friends Challenge #64 - Water

Classic Design Team Challenge July - Anything Goes

Colour it, Create it, Show it off Challenge July - Under the sea

Crafty Gals Corner #169 - Red White and Blue

Papercraft Challenges #15 - Red, White and Blue

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Red, White and Blue

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Red, White and Blue

The Artistic Stamper July - Distress It (interpreted as using lots of distress inks)

Through The Craft Room Door 3 July - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold

BLOG with all the latest news and posts

FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways

FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges

INSTAGRAM

PINterest

That's it from me for now. Thanks for stopping by and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,

Sharon xx

Less Is More #374 - Using a 'bits box' item

 

 

Hi! Today I am ashamed...…I am SO ashamed. Why? Well the new challenge at Less is More is to use an item from your 'bits box'...and my shame is that I have an incredibly large collection of 'bits boxes and folders'.

Fancy a nosey in my craft room to take a look at them? (Plus a bonus on the end of this video is how I made the first card with the foiling).

We have a fantastic guest designer joining us at LIM for this challenge: it is our April winner, Skye from Blue Sky blog and the card she made is gorgeous.

Also if you hop to the challenge blog you'll find some fantastic inspiration from the design team, as well as seeing a little bit of news from Sarah.

So, to my cards:

1) Saving an inky mess

How do you save a sentiment that you made a right pigs-ear of darkening around the outside edges? Well, just scribble with a tool and some silver foil, and no-one will know it was originally a mess!

This one is for
Addicted to stamps and more! #297 - Make Your Mark (I hope hand scribbled foiling counts)
International Art And Soul #35 - Sentiment as main focus
CAS(E) this sketch #277 - a loose interpretation of the sketch


STAMPS: Visible Image - Voices In Your Head
DIES: MFT Inside Out Stitched Rectangles
INKS: Probably Distress Inks and Versafine
OTHER: We R Memory Keepers Heatwave foil pen and foils, gems.3d foam.

2) Why didn't I use that hand coloured strip?

And a pretty, coloured-in strip can take centre stage on a CAS card. The only thing that wasn't in my bits boxes was the hearts embellishment. There's lots of shimmer on this one from the sparkly gelli roll pens that I used on that strip - I was going to use it on a LIM week with a theme of sparkle(many moons ago).

This one is for:
Addicted to Stamps #165 - Black and White and One Other Colour
Creative Moments #145 - Anything Goes
Retarte #123 - Anything Goes  (It's their 4th anniversary ...Congratulations!!)

STAMPS: Uniko Flower Power 1, and I am still searching for the sentiment stamp.
DIES: Sugar Pea Designs - Card Front Element Builder
INKS: Possibly Versafine onyx black.
OTHER: Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll Pens (black and purple), metal heart embellishment.

 

3) Ah-teeeeeennnnnn-tion! A full die cut?

I couldn't believe it when I found this soldier (all inked up and glued together) at the bottom of my die-cut bits box. All the other items were also in the bits box. So this one was simply glued onto a card base and the whole thing complete in under 5 minutes!!!

For The Male Room Challenge …...I'm really excited about the up-coming Disney movie (due to be released in November this year) called 'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms' - have you seen the trailer?? Click here to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ktuvx9hrMw

As this card has been inspired by that film I'm entering it into
the male room challenge #88 - inspired by a film (see above)
The Crafter's Café #196 - for a child
Watercooler Wednesdays #175 - Masculine Anything Goes (masculine Christmas Cards are so hard to do, aren't they?)

DIES: Tim Holtz Toy Soldier bigz die,  Die'sire sentiment, Memory Box Contempo Circle Border
INKS: A distress ink on the soldier.


LIM BLOG
LIM FACEBOOK PAGE
LIM INSTAGRAM

That's it from me for now. I hope you found something you like and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx
 

Peaceful Night In Blue

Hello there. Do you love that blue glow and hushed silence that falls over the world after a heavy snowfall? Ahem, I'm getting a bit poetic there, aren't I?

Well, this card has such a peaceful look to the scene that I always get that impression of silent snowfall and a hushed land with the eerie blue light every time I look at it.

It's such a pretty little winter scene. Dare I say the 'C' word? ….Oh go on then - it's a great scene for a Christmas card.

This amazing set of stamps from Visible Image called 'Into The Woods' is a beautiful one and it is incredibly versatile for all those different skies that we can create with our inks, gelli plates and brushos.  These stamps look stunning as a spring, summer, autumn, winter, calm sky, dramatic sky, brooding sky, or for a day or a night scene, so it is a staple set to have in your stash for so many different occasions.

 

 

This card is really easy to make too. First create a moon mask and attach it to your panel. Then blend a sky with only blue distress inks, working from the lightest colour nearest the moon to the darkest colour at the outside edges. When you are happy with the sky, remove the moon mask and gently go over the moon with a little of the lightest ink to dull the harsh whiteness of it.

 

Then stamp the trees and the flying owl in the distress oxide. Next add some 'snow' to the branches and the sky with a white opaque pen.

 

Paint some white acrylic paint in the foreground and when that is dry, add glue and sprinkle with ice diamond. This adds some texture and sparkle to the card.

 

Blend another piece of card and dry the ink. Then heat emboss the word 'peaceful' from the Zodiac Libra set in white. Cut the word down so that only 'peace' remains.

 

Attach the scene to your card blank with 3d foam, and attach the sentiment directly to the card blank.

 

 

Stamps Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
      

Other Supplies:

White card, Distress Inks ( tumbled glass, broken china, faded jeans, chipped sapphire), Distress Oxide (faded jeans), White Opaque Pen, white acrylic paint, glue, Pinflair Ice Diamond, fun foam, Versamark clear ink, WOW! opaque bright white embossing powder.


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies #15 - Anything Goes with a Critter
Craft Stamper  June Take It Make It - Anything Goes
Craftaholics R Us #25 - Anything Goes
Get Creative Challenge #70 - Monochromatic
Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge June - Anything goes + option of joy (I used peace)
Monochrome Magic #11 - Monochrome OR monochrome with a twist of purples
Patties Creations #147 - Anything That Flies
Stamping Sensations June - Anything Goes
The Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper  June challenge - Colour It Blue

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

That's it from me for now. Thanks for stopping by and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Less is More #373 - Friendship

 

Hi. I had some quality time in my craft room this week and that means I've gone crazy with my makes. I have 4 cards to share for my Less is More inspiration.

 

Here is the Less is More Cue Card (don't forget to click on the cue card to see lots more incredible inspiration from the rest of the design team):

 

And here are our fab June sponsor details :

http://www.uniko.co.uk/shop/

And the lovely Bev is joining us as our guest designer today. To see her card hop on over to the LIM blog and click on her name to be take directly to her blog.so without further ado, here is the first card.

 

So to my cards:

 

1) Cherish Friendship

This stamp set was the first one that sprang to mind when I saw the friendship theme ....and luckily it is one by our lovely June sponsor Uniko Stamps.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:
1) Crafting From The Heart #209 - Anything Goes
2) Crafty Creations Challenge #367  - Anything Goes
3) Creative Knockouts #249 - Anything Goes
4) Creative Moments #144 - Anything Goes

To make this card, stamp the main leafy frame in lime green ink, then add additional elements in green and purple inks using first, second and third generation stamping. Add tiny gems to the centres of some of the flowers. Add detail to the leaves with 2 colours of green crayon. Cut the purple card with stitched curve dies, mount all onto fun foam and then onto the card blank.

STAMPS: Uniko:  Originally Organic Additions
DIES: Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders
INKS: VersaColor 42 lime, 17 violet, 36 heliotrope
OTHER: White card, Purple Card, clear gems, green pencil crayons, fun foam.

 

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2) Butterfly Friend

I have been very blessed over the past year as I have won a few challenges, so I am giving a couple of my prizes a little outing on this card. I have to use them soon after they arrive in my craft room because if I don't, they will become items I just look at! Anyway, the Happy Little Stampers stamp set is the prize I picked for winning AAA Card Challenge in March and the Sugar Pea Designs die is from my prize for winning Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge in December.

I am also using my most favourite crafty items at the moment - my polychromos pencils. Have I told you how much I LOVE these pencils?

I'm entering this into
1) Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - All Things Bright and Beautiful (a second entry from me)
2) Shopping our Stash #357 -Our Favourite Things
3) Use Your Stuff #315 - Butterflies (a second entry for me)
4) Watercooler Wednesdays #173 - Feminine Anything Goes

I cut the grey central panel out first. Then I stamped the butterflies in versamark ink and left the stamps on the door of my Misti. The butterflies were coloured with polychromos pencils, and the panel placed back in the misti for re-stamping with versamark and then heat embossing with gold powder. The panel was attached directly onto a white mat an this attached directly onto a card blank so that it is perfect for posting.

STAMPS: Happy Little Stampers: Butterfly Birthday.
DIES: Sugar Pea Designs Card Front Element Builder
INKS: Versamark Clear
OTHER: Grey & white card, Polychromos pencils (cream, light yellow glaze, cadmium yellow, dark chrome yellow, light green, leaf green, emerald green), Detail gold embossing powder.

 

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3) Angels

 

This is one of the nicest sentiments I have ever seen that fits the friendship theme. It's from the latest release by Visible Image stamps and it needed nothing more than an inky background and a frame.

 

I'm entering this into

1) CAS on Friday #134 - Embossing

2) Get Creative Challenge #70 - Monochromatic

3) Through The Craftroom Door 5th June - Anything Goes

4) Word Art Wednesdays #338 & #339 - Anything Goes 

The background is inked with all 3 distress inks, then using peacock feathers and random stamping, parts of the tentacles of the largest jellyfish from Dare To Swim were stamped in second generation ink, and the geometric shape from Life is Beautiful was stamped in first generation ink. The sentiment was heat embossed in white embossing powder.  I die cut a frame, popped everything together and added 3 gems to finish.

STAMPS: Visible Image: So Much Stronger, Dare To Swim and Life Is Beautiful

DIES: My Favourite Things Inside Out Stitched Rectangels

INKS: Versamark Clear, Distress Ink (tumbled glass, broken china, peacock feathers.

OTHER: White Card, WOW opaque bright white embossing powder, gems  

 

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4) Masculine Friends

Men = geometric in my mind.

I thought there might be times when it would be good to give a card to a man to let them know that you still support them. So out came those really versatile geometric shapes from Visible Image. There was a bit of masking going on to get this sentiment, but it was worth it.

This card is for 4 challenges:
1) Crafty Cardmakers #213 - For a Man/Boy
2) Dream Valley Challenge #180 - For Man or Boy
3) Ellibelle's Crafty Challenge for June Make it masculine
4) Unicorn Challenge #33 - Masculine

I stamped the lines onto black card with versamark ink and heat embossed them with Verdigris EP. The circles were stamped and heat embossed with Copper Sparkle EP. The I took corresponding poly chromos pencils to add a little additional colour to the shapes. The sentiment is made up from 2 sentiments in so much stronger set and it was heat embossed in white EP and raised up on 3d Foam.

STAMPS: Visible Image: Shape It Up and So Much Stronger
INKS: Versamark Clear
EMBOSING POWDERS: WOW! Colour Blend Verdigris, Metallic Copper Sparkle & Opaque Bright White
OTHER: Black and lime green card, Polychromos pencils (light green, venetian red), 3d foam pads.

 

 

LIM BLOG
LIM FACEBOOK PAGE
LIM INSTAGRAM

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That's it from me for now. I hope you found something you like and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Sparkling Butterfly

Hi! Today I'm adding a little sparkle into your lives with an inky little number that uses a couple of gorgeous Visible Image  stencils and a stamp, plus loads of twinkly embossing powder and sprinkling of glamour dust. (Scroll down for a photo that really captures the sparkle).

One thing I love to do with stencils it to layer them on top of each other to create a bit of added interest and additional pattern. This wonderful butterfly stencil is perfect for that technique because it has a large open area.

Here's how I made this card:

Wet a piece of watercolour paper, then using the Tim Holtz Distress Marker Spritzer, spritz distress markers to make the background and dry with a heat tool. Attach the 'Butterfly Ink' stencil and blend through the stencil with mustard seed distress ink. Attach the 'Count Me In' stencil over the top and blend through both stencils with spiced marmalade.

Remove all the stencils. Drawing freehand, draw around the outside edge of the butterfly with a white opaque pen and then use a black pen outside the white line. Draw around the outside of the numbers in the butterfly with candied apple, then add detail glue inside the numbers and sprinkle with glamour dust. (I'd forgotten that I still had glamour dust until I was rooting through my stash the other day!)

Add a few 'veins' to the background by painting them in with a paintbrush using tarnished brass distress stain.

Ink a small piece of card with the same colours as the background, stamp and heat emboss the sentiment before fussy cutting it out.

Create 2 sparkly mats for the sentiment and the main image by inking the outside edges with versamark clear ink and then heat embossing with a sparkly black embossing powder.

Stamps and Stencils Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
          
 

Other Supplies:

Watercolour Card, Distress Markers (mustard seed, carved pumpkin, dried marigold, abandoned coral, picked raspberry, candied apple, black soot), Distress Inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry), Distress Stain (tarnished brass), TH Distress Marker Spritzer, white opaque pen, detail glue, glamour dust, versamark clear ink, Wow! black twinkle embossing powder.


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies #15 - ATG with a critter
Crafty Galz Corner #167 - Summer Colours
Dare To Be Artzy - Bright Colours
Heartful Stamping Challenge Jun 3-10 - Anything Goes
Pammies Inky Pinkies #1822 - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Challenge #22 - Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft #58 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - All Things Bright And Beautiful
Use Your Stuff #315 - Butterflies
I'll also be entering this into the WOW! Embossing Powder Fans Facebook Group monthly challenge for June which has a theme of anything goes.

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

I hope you liked this inky offering from me today. I'll be back again on Saturday with my usual CAS style of card. Thanks for stopping by and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Monochrome Colouring

Hi!  This is not a usual day for me to post on my blog but I've been a bit busy recently and needed a little creative time so I did a bit of colouring and stamping this morning with some of my Visible Image goodies.

I recently invested in a few polychromos pencils I need a little practice to help me get used to colouring with this new medium.  So I'm starting off very gently using just one pencil to get the hang of how to do a little shading with them.

I thought it'd be fun to do shading using a stencil rather than a stamp, so I picked the amazing new stencil from Visible Image called Collision and drew around it with the white polychromo first. Then I removed the stencil and shaded around the outlines.

To finish the card, I stamped the owls from the Into The Woods set in white pigment ink, added some gems and stamped a sentiment from No Space For Drams set

Stamps and Stencil Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
         

 

Other Supplies:

Black paper, white card, white polyhromo pencil, gems.

 

While I'm here I'd like to enter this card in a few challenges:

I'm joining in day 4 of The 30 day colouring challenge (on Instagram) where we are practicing our colouring.
It's also for:
Addicted to stamps #165 - Black and White (optional one other colour)
Country View Challenge for June - where the theme is the written word.
Crafty Catz #419 - Anything goes with the option of black and white
Creative Moments #144 - Anything Goes
Inkspirational #162 - cue word 'POWER' - you have power over your thoughts is the message in the sentiment.
Inspiration Destination #151 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown #394 - Create Your Own Background
Watercooler Wednesdays WWC172 - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

That's it for today, I'll be back on Thursday (unless I do some more colouring before then). I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx