Hi there! How is life treating you? I've had a wonderfully fun and busy time with friends and family staying with us. I do love to see them all.
I've also had a bit of a time of it with our internet service provider though. We have had appalling service this last week - so much so that I've been unable to load any web pages on my PC at home and have had to go out to cafés and bars to use their free wifi to get any Blogging, Instagram or Facebook stuff done. Hence you may have noticed a lack of presence from me this past week. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing and I'm sure it is all to do with the ISP panicking about the amount of use the changes in mobile roaming will put on their service!
Ah well, it's perfectly lovely sat in the sunshine outside a café with a tasty cup of coffee. There are worse ways to write a blog post, aren't there?
So, today's Less is More challenge is a sketch challenge and the design team have created some beautiful interpretations of the sketch over on the challenge blog
I have just the two cards for you today (due to time constraints and the inability to upload photos quickly at the moment).
1) Floral Dandelion Dreams
Once I'd finished this card I looked at it again and thought "I've seen something like this before"...then it finally came to me. My teamie Anita made a card a while back that obviously influenced me! The link to her card is HERE.
On this one I had a little play with my distress oxides. I masked the shape, created a stencil from a die and inked through it before over-stamping with the lovely dandelion dreams florals and then added some gems to represent pollen. The sentiment was fussy cut and raised on 3d foam.
STAMPS: Clearly Besotted Dandelion Dreams
DIE: Tim Holtz Alterations confetti
INKS: Versafine vintage sepia. Distress Oxides: fossilized amber, spiced marmalade, fired brick. Distress Ink: squeezed lemonade.
OTHER: Yellow card, White linen card, Post-it notes, gold gems, 3d foam.
I'm going to enter that one in at:
Addicted to Stamps #150 - Flowers (a second entry from me)
Stampotique Designer Challenge #276 - Stencil it - Mine is a hand made stencil from a die cut (Thank you so much for selecting my card in your top three for challenge 275)
Hand Stamped Sentiments #266 - Photo Inspiration - I used the colours and the round shapes from the inspiration

2) One for the men
I'm a bit taken by the bokeh technique, aren't I? I just had to try to give it a really masculine feel this time around.
This card is headed over to:
Craft Rocket Challenge #38 for the Men/Boys
Watercooler Wednesdays Challenge #124 - Masculine anything goes
Unicorn Challenge #22 - For the Guys
STAMPS: Happy Little Stampers Mix Mash set
INKS: Versacolour ultimate white pigment ink, Distress inks in pumice stone, hickory smoke and black soot.
DIES: Lawn Fawn Stitched hillside borders. Sizzix celebration words script.
OTHER: Black pearlised card, white card blank, 3D foam pads
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Well, that's it from me for this week.I hope you'll get the chance to join us with this super sketch.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.
Hugs,
Sharon xx