Less is More - Lucky Dip Week!

Good morning crafters

Hopefully Blogger has been nice to me and published this scheduled post for me.  Right now I'll be sitting down to a much needed brekkie after my works Christmas bash last night (unseasonably late I know!), before heading off on a four hour journey back down to Devon from Kent (my employer's Head Office is in Kent so the other branches travel there from all over the UK).

So, while I'm probably nursing an inevitable hangover (no doubt after a free bar!), I'll introduce this week's challenge over at Less is More.  As we have a fifth Saturday this month it's the turn of our Lucky Dip challenge.  And as we have Aussie Kylie bringing Happy Little Stampers as our sponsor this month, our theme is...

Down Under

Feel free to interpret this however you like, just remember to keep your creations clean and simple

I struggled with this challenge for a while as I had nothing Australia themed in my stash like koalas, kangaroos and didgeridoos to name a few, but then an idea popped in my head.......sun, sea, sand and surfing!  Obviously you can go off in a completely different direction with how you interpret the challenge if you wish.  Here's what I came up with...

I didn't have anything resembling a surfboard so I popped into MS Word, created an elongated oval with two vertical lines going down the centre, printed it on some patterned paper and....voila, one surfboard!  I then made a beach scene using a variety of dies.  The sky, sea, sand and sun all started from round dies which I then cut using scallop dies to create the layered up scene.  I nestled the surfboard in between the sand layers, with the top popped up on 3D foam, then adhered the whole circular scene to the card base slightly overlapping the edge, then trimmed off the excess.  I then manipulated the sentiment stamp into a curve on my acrylic block before stamping around the curve.  I'm actually really pleased with how this one turned out as I was having brain block for days before this idea materialised!

Materials used:

• Patterned Paper: Echo Park - Sweet Day
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Double Stitched Circles; Clearly Besotted - Scalloped Edges Die Collection; X-Cut - Nested Circles
• Coloured Cardstock: Papermania - Capsule Solid Cardstock; Neenah - Desert Storm
• Stamp: Happy Little Stampers - Mix Mash
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black

Challenge entries:

Creative Card Crew - Challenge #105 - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #156 - Punches and/or Dies

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #343 - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations - January Challenge - Anything Goes with a Die(s)

So, get your thinking caps on and we would love to see your creations in our gallery this week.

Bye for now

Addicted to Stamps and More #178

Hi crafters

Another week has whizzed by and it's time for another new challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More.  Our sequence of challenges has moved on to the next theme which means we're back with...

Addicted to Holidays

(create a project relating to a holiday such as Christmas, Easter, etc. or create a vacation themed project)

Our sponsor this week is DRS Designs who are offering a prize of a $10 gift certificate to our lucky winner.

I've used one of its designs on my DT card this week...

I started by printing the digi image onto some white cardstock.  I then masked off the snow banks at the base and blended various colours of Distress Inks to create a Northern Lights effect.  I only have one type of cardstock that will successfully go through my printer which, unfortunately, isn't the best for blending, it was a bit 'squeaky' and not fun to use at all.  But for the effect I was trying to create I think the uneven blend actually works ok.  I stamped the sentiment then mounted the panel onto a black frame before adhering to the card base.  I finished by adding some 'stars' using a white pigment pen and added some Stickles to the snow banks for that all important Christmas sparkle.  And there you have it, my first Christmas card of 2016 in the bag!

Materials used:

• Stamps: DRS Designs - Triple Tree with Snow; Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Christmas Sentiments
• Ink: Distress Ink - Twisted Citron, Broken China, Festive Berries, Squeezed Lemonade, Black Soot; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: White Signo Uni-ball pen; Stickles - Crystal

Challenge entries:

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Challenge #265 - Use a sentiment

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #343 - Anything Goes

Inkspirational - Challenge #100 - Blast from the Past (previous colour challenge) - Neons

AAA Cards - Game #56 - Winter Wonderland

My teamies have created a wonderful selection of different projects for you this week so why not pop over and grab some inspiration. And as this is a holiday challenge, why not take the opportunity to get an early start on your Christmas cards! ;)

Less is More Week #260

Good morning

Where do the weeks go?  Can you believe it's time for another new challenge at Less is More?  Well, it is and this week we have a Recipe challenge for you which is to...

Include a Silhouette

Please remember to keep you creations clean and simple.

I have three sample cards to whet your appetite this morning so let's get to it.

Some Distress Ink blending for my first card...

I used a circle die to create a mask and then blended Distress Inks to create the sun.  I then stamped the bird and branch silhouette in black ink.  I then messed up with my sentiment stamping, I tried to re-stamp it to create a sharper impression but didn't line it up exactly right (can't wait to get my hands on a Misti!).  So to correct it I embossed the sentiment in white onto a strip of black cardstock, adhered this over my blunder and then added some smooth clear gems to finish.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Abandoned Coral; Versafine - Onyx Black; VersaMark
• Stamps: Card-io Combinations - Christmas Scenery 2; Clearly Besotted - April Showers
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White

Challenge entries:

Creative Inspirations - Week 343 - Anything Goes

I tried a different approach with Distress Inks for this next card...

I masked off a horizontal section on a panel of white cardstock and used a circle mask for the moon.  I then blended with Distress Inks but instead of building up the colour to a smooth finish I kind of swiped back and forth horizontally to build up the blend.  I then removed the mask and used a wet wipe to swipe across, to gently remove some colour and to spread it across the moon to (hopefully) give the impression of a cloudy dusk sky.  I then simply stamped the dove and sentiment in black before matting and layering onto the card base with a black frame.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Paired Up; Uniko - Flower Power #1

Challenge entries:

613 Avenue Create - Challenge #159 - Anything Goes

And my Brushos had a little outing for my third card...

On a piece of white cardstock I sparingly sprinkled some Brusho crystals (and I mean sparingly - you only need the lightest sprinkling), spritzed with water to reveal these gorgeous colours and left it to dry.  Next I die cut a section of the cardstock with a stitched rectangle die and also die cut the dragonfly, before placing some black cardstock behind the negative space.  I stamped the sentiment, added some small black gemstones to create the flight trail and then mounted to the card base using 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Ink: Brushos - Purple and Emerald Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rectangles; Clearly Besotted - Dragonfly Die
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Just Fabulous
• Accents: Hobbycraft - 2mm black gemstones

Challenge entries:

Stamping Sensations - January Challenge - Anything Goes with a Die(s)

Happy Little Stampers - January CASE the Designer

Inkspirational - Challenge #100 - Blast from the Past - Previous colour challenge (Purple, White, Green)

There are lots of solid stamps out there so I'm sure you have something in your stash that fits our challenge.  We'd love for you to join us this week.

Bye for now