Winter Blues!

Came back from a short break staying with some friends at their wonderful place in Italy - from lovely warm weather to frost and cold! Skies here though are as blue today as they were when we were in the warm sunshine so we are off out for a wander round a local Artisan Market.

My share for today is not Christmas or Autumn themed either but a card made for a friend who is not into frilly or fancy.

I used basic white linen card for my base and stamped the Altenew Rose direct onto the card then silver embossed.

Brush inked the bottom with some Tumbled Glass DI.
I stamped/embossed the Altenew Rose again onto an off cut of the linen card and fussy cut the leaves and the flower head, then added some glamour dust.

Popped them all up on foam pads for extra dimension.
Rather pleased with how it turned out as it really is sparkly in real life without being too over the top!

Embossed the sentiment and added a few little sparklies.
Job Done!

I am sharing over at
Pixies Snippets Playground
Daring Cardmakers - Glitter
LIM - Dimension
Allsorts - Pearls/Gems
Creative Knockouts - Embossing

Thanks for looking - shall be round to visit you all later today. Hope all is well in your part of blogland. x
 

Seeing Stars

A one layer card this morning to share - have done a couple of these in different colours - batch made some for Christmas which I will get round to sharing in a little while, but this one was made for someone who the sentiment fits perfectly.

It has been nice this week being able just to do what I wanted (excepting the housework of course 'cos no one wants to have to do that) - am away again tomorrow for another Presentation but hopefully will be able to share some makes and visit you all sometime today.

Been at it again with the dusters - the inky kind that is. Masked off , dusted then just randomly stamped the stars and gold embossed.
The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday.

It is sooo long since I entered the Less Is More challenge due to my Bowls England commitments but am paying them a visit this week where their theme is One Layer and Books or Literature. So 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green is  my choice. Am hoping that during the (slightly) calmer winter months I will be able to visit LIM a little more often!

I am sorry about the poor photo quality - it is another grey and damp day here in the North West! The card base is a bright white not the dismal colour as shown here!

Other Challenges -
Alphabet - S for Stars
Country View - Stars
CAS Mix Up November - Masking

Cuppa in hand - am away for a visit to blogland - thanks for looking and have a great day whatever you're doing. x

White Space but not white!

Just lately I have made and posted a card only to find a couple of days later that it would have fitted the challenge theme at Less Is More! And then to compound my frustration I haven't any time (or ideas) to make another one!!
Happened again this week when the challenge posted was 'white space but not white' and my grey tiled effort HERE posted on Thursday would have fitted!
But this week I did found a spare hour to make one to submit

This really IS a CAS card, inspired by Pinterest and made in super quick time. I have already started on a couple more with different coloured bases and may bundle them together for note cards, hence the absence of any sentiment.
The textured coloured cardstock in my stash has been very much neglected in favour of white and cream so this challenge was a good opportunity to dig it out!
I used a flourish embossing folder across the centre of the card to break up the expanse of black.
The little 'tile' was made using odd scraps of white and aqua card.
The white piece was stamped with an Indigo Blu script stamp in Versafine Smokey Gray (stamped onto another scrap piece first to remove some of the ink). I used Versamagic Oasis Green for the butterfly stamp (found amongst a pile of old stuff but just the right size!)
Just layered the stamped bit onto the aqua then onto a scrap of black and mounted with foam pads.
Quick, simple and am happy!
Calling into the Playground with my make and also making a call to Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. x
 

Keep trying!

After a dry start today it is now absolutely throwing it down! It's also ridiculously warm - can't believe it can you - beginning of the week we had 2 inches of snow!
Have done several CAS cards this week (most are inspired by others) and I have been trying to go back to techniques that I am not very good at!

 So here's the offering for today and as they say Practice Makes Perfect!

I mixed some Stormy Sky and Weathered Wood Distress inks onto the mat and sprayed with a little water.

Normally I use too much water - I don't think I used enough here!

Pressed the card down onto it, then repeated with Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint for the ground.
The stamp is from a clear set and have no idea which make they are!
Simply used Versafine Black for the big tree and Smokey Gray for the smaller ones.
I then dipped and dragged a wet paintbrush at the base of each tree trunk with some of the DI left on the mat.
Layered onto white linen card and my all time fave sentiment stamp - done!

I am reasonably happy with this - and at least I am trying to become better at stuff that previously I have struggled with!

Challenges -
Less Is More - Silhouettes
Craft Rocket - CAS
Addicted to Stamps - Make Your Mark
Seize the Birthday - CAS

Thanks for looking and thanks for any comments you leave - I love to hear from you.x

Splatters of Joy

Spent today catching up with some paperwork then had a pleasant little wander round blogland.
Have struggled to find any enthusiasm for anything over the last couple of days after a meeting the other night where tempers in certain quarters became somewhat frayed - got me to thinking that there is rather more to life than aggravation!

Onwards and upwards though so forced myself to actually 'do' something this afternoon - found a couple of challenges and here's the result -
Yep - the dreaded 'one layer' card and not only one layer but CAS and all stamped!
Well out of my comfort zone - no papers, no embellies, (although I MIGHT add a couple of sequins at a later stage - LOL), no nuffink 'cept stamping!

Used a Memory Box 'Whisper Print Geranium' stamp as the centrepiece and simply stamped over it with a variety of different silhouette foliage stamps from different sets.

The splatters are all from a Visible Image set inked in Festive Berries DI.
The sentiment is an old one and one of my favourites - even if I'm not feeling much joy from certain quarters at the moment! I am being reminded by the other half that their dreadful nasty attitude is THEIR problem not mine  -and I have to reluctantly agree!!
Challenges -
Less is More - Splatters
Fantasy Stampers - CAS
Frosted Designs - Splatters
ATSM - CAS

Weather here has taken a turn for the worse after the beautiful week we've had - think we're going to get wet at the Club's Summer Opening Day tomorrow! Just typical!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever you're doing. x

Second visit!

Don't say you weren't warned that I'd be back!
Second offering from me today - and my quota reached over at Pixies Playground for the last 2 weeks.. so am expecting at least a free go on the swings if not a Gold Star!!

I have coveted this poinsettia die for a long time and finally bought it a couple of weeks ago... I have used it to make LOTS of CAS cards like this with different colours so it was well worth the pennies!

White hammered cardstock used throughout.

Stamped the greeting with Stone Grey ink, cut into a tag shape, punched a hole in the top and threaded through some shoestring ribbon and tied into a bow.
A few sparklies dotted round at random.

Used liberal helpings of sparkly stuff (!) on the embossed parts of the flower, then stuck a bigger gem in the middle.

The flourishes are another well used Marianne die which I have had for ages.

LIM - Sparkle
ABC Christmas - No Squares
Christmas @ Sweet Stamping - White on White
Addicted to stamps - CAS
ABC -  A for Almost Christmas
Craft All Day - Winter
RRR - Bingo (White/Text/Glitter & Ribbon)

Have a great weekend everybody - and I thank you all for taking the time to visit and leave comments - I appreciate every single one. x

First today!

This is the first of a couple of posts today - my DT card for Crafty Cardmakers will be along in a little while!
Have had a mad few days since the middle of last week - meetings to attend, minutes to type and in between a really nice night at the Annual National Presentation Dinner in the Midlands -  (And yes for the second time in succession I wore a DRESS!! - Not the same one as last year either!!! No Pics to share though!). Also plucked up the courage to go and have my hair cut!

In between all this madness I found time to make a few cards yesterday which was the first day I have really had where I haven't had to be busy (should have been doing housework... hey ho..)

I also haven't had the time to enter any LIM challenges for a while so set to and rustled this up in double quick time -
 Don't you love these little birdies!
The ear muffs crack me up!
The stamp was a freebie I managed to snag from From The Heart Stamps a while back.

I printed direct to the linen card and then used lots of my Distress Inks to bring the feathered ones to life - the blue background was not DI but watercolour pastel.
Added some stickles to the hat and glossy accents to the two stars and there you are - another Christmas card done!

Challenges -
LIM - Birds
That Craft Place - Stars
One stitch at a Time - Bingo (Blue/Stickles/CAS)
CAS on Sunday - Winter Theme
Addicted to CAS - Pet (hope my birds qualify!)
So am off to take some more pics of yesterdays makes whilst the light is good here... thanks for visiting -will catch up with you all today and hope you will come back again later to see my DT card! x

White on White

I hate White on White! Or at least trying to take a decent pic of WOW cards!!

The cards made with it I usually love - I think the stark simplicity of them is stunning - and there's lots of beauties on display this week over at Less Is More - and their WOW CAS challenge also has the theme of Christmas - so another card for the Christmas box - and you'll just have to believe me when I tell you that this is actually quite a nice card in real life!

I so so so struggled to get a decent pic - my pathetic photography skills, coupled with the lack of decent light (very grey day here today) and of course my ridiculous notion of using the dreaded pearl Centura card as the focal point all combined to make one naff picture! But you'll get the general idea....

Simply made with dies layered onto each other and finished with a sparklie in the centre.
Layered onto a linen textured card that has a lovely sheen. 
The sentiment was stamped in silver ink and clear embossed.

A quick card but another one towards the Christmas stack!
Other Challenges -
KIS - White
Paper Creator - Dies
Inky Chicks - 2 different die cuts

That's it from me - time for bed I think! x

Autumn

Autumn has arrived here today! We have some light rain, very windy and much much cooler... so today's share is fitting I think!

I still have my CAS head on!

It's EONS since I managed to take part in the challenges at 'Less Is More' but I finally found some inspiration in the little grey cells to produce something that combines with their colour theme for this week of Dark Green and Rust.

I have been practicing using an acrylic block inked and spritzed with water - am still not very proficient but this piece used as the background was one that didn't end up in the bin! I either manage to press too hard, put too much water on or generally just make a splodgy mess! This effort I think is 'passable'! The ink is Shabby Shutters.

The Chloe stem die from Memory Box I have had for some time and this is the only second time I've used it... I inked some card with Rusty Hinge and then cut out two flower heads.
The tops of the heads I painted on some Dark Bronze Mica powder mixed with modelling paste. I do not use the mica powders enough - they very rarely get an outing as I hate using them up!
Randomly placed some bronze pearls on some of the tops and left the others - which are quite shiny IRL and the little bit of texture gives a some depth.
 Just layered it onto some textured card and stamped on the sentiment.

Challenges -
Clear it Out - Thanks (and am using my powders reluctantly!)
Cuttlebug Mania - Back to Nature
PNDC - CAS
PB& More -    Autumn Colours

Thanks for taking the time to look - am off now to finish a commissioned new baby card - but will have coffee and a trawl through blogland first! x

Less is More 11

Cannot believe another week has gone by! 
We have had a beautiful few days here in the North of England and once again today the sun has beamed down some lovely warm rays!
Derpsite my outdoor season now being underway and the usual chaos that late April/May/June brings trying to fit in all the competitions I promised myself when I first took part in the LIM challenges that I would try and do the challenge every week - I am shortly going on holiday so will miss a couple of weeks but I am still going to try and keep to my resolution regarding the rest!

Not wishing to shy away from setting us hard projects, the two Chief LIMettes (lol) decided to task my poor little grey cells to the limit this week - and chose the theme - Acetate.

Not bad thought I when I saw it 'cos I know I've got some.... two hours later the craft room looks like the proverbial bomb site and I've found paper that hasn't seen the light of day for years, two sets of stamps still with the price on and unopened, a piece of old lace that I had been looking for last week, a bag of buttons would you believe a strap from a bra (Lord knows how that got in here) and a couple of bent paperclips......  but no acetate. By this time I am now having murderous thoughts about our 'Head Girls' and am trying to think up some acetate inclined torture for them both... but as I can't find the damn acetate I have to give up on that too............  

I sat looking at the mess then the little light bulb went on over my head and I remembered the set of place mats bought at the beginning of the week - off I duly trotted to the recycle bin (situated outside the office door) and after rummaging about in there for 10 minutes, got to the bottom and found the acetate packaging. Saved!!!!!!!

So after all that exhausting thinking and ferreting about in dusty drawers (so to speak) I then sat and thought - 'what the hell am I going to do'????????????

I was on my third cup of coffee when I just decided to stamp onto it and then think about making it up later!

Brown Stazon and Viva Decor stamps (which I'm not particularly fond of but they look OK), the butterfly from Inkadinkadoo and some Coredinations whitewash paper in a teal blue colour on the back were all laying about on the desk (once I could see underneath the bra strap, pile of dusty paper etc etc) and I just decided to use it up in an attempt to put some order back into the desk!

I used MS punches for the scallops and the blue piece is the reverse of the Whitewash paper. The main background of the card I sanded to allow some of the blue to show through. A couple of eyelets and some spotty ribbon and voila - recycled placemat container!

So making it was the easy bit.... (lol) - I then spent two hours trying to photograph/scan it so I could blog it!!!!

Please Mandi and Chrissie - can we have something a bit less taxing next week - I am exhausted and now I've got to find the bra that belongs to the strap......................... 

Less is More 10

This week's challenge was a clean and simple card with the focus on the sentiment.
My sentiment is from TLC Creations and I think it is quite evocative and thought provoking.

So often after we lose someone close we feel pressured to 'pull ourselves together' and 'get back to normal' when this is sadly so very difficult to do - you feel OK then simple things like a song, a special day or just maybe like me when I was in a changing room at a store and someone in another cubicle shouted 'Mum, come and look and see if this dress looks OK', the bereft and lonely feeling comes back to you.
I think this quote reminds us that we are all different and we will cope in different ways and definitely 'in our own time'.

I coloured the butterflies with Cosmic Shimmers - Golden Pear, Pink Ultra,Tropic Blue, Violet Frost and used wax pastels on the two flowers.
I added a co ordinating coloured pearl to each of the butterflies and remebered this really pretty rainbow shoestring organza ribbon in my stash. I was cosidering just doing two simle lines of embossing but decided the ribbon was the better option.

Please go visit the fabby Less is More blog set up by Chrissie and Mandi  - there are some gorgeous entries this week as always - and if you're not normally a CAS person why not give it a go?

Less is More 7

The Less is More challenge has become one of the things I look forward to - cos it does exactly that - challenge! I don't know if I'll be able to manage them all during the summer bowling season (which starts officially next week), but am determined to try! 

So here is todays offering for the challenge - 'A Touch of Red'.

Poppies are always associated with remembrance and I originally hadn't planned to make this into a sympathy card.... but.... once it was stamped the condolence sentiment jumped onto the page! (well not literally but you know what I mean!!)

I may add a single line of embossing down the left hand side as I'm not sure if the finished article is too 'flat'.
I still find it really scary stamping direct onto the card - the sentiment isn't as defined as it should be but I think it looks OK - at least the poppy stamp behaved itself and turned out reasonable!

The stamp is from Elusive Images and I coloured it with watercolour pastels.

My blogging buddy Clarky currently has an appeal for donating poppy themed cards which are to be sold at a Charity event later this year so this will (eventually) be heading over to her. All proceeds from the sale of the cards will be going to the Poppy Appeal 2011.
If you would like to help the details are here.  

Butterfly

This week we were given a sketch to follow over at the Less is More challenge blog.

It is such a long time since I made a DL card - talk about out of the comfort zone! Having spent ages doing squares (and the odd rectangle), I had to have a good think about this one!
The challenge blog has become very popular - obviously there's lots of us 'closet simple people' out there! (In the nicest possible interpretation of course! LOL). One of the things that sets the Less Is More blog apart from the others is that each person who takes part tries to visit as many of the other entries as possible and offers an honest view of what they think about the card. The more experienced 'Lessers' offer all kinds of advice and the blog has become a great supportive community.


So my card this week is made solely with Coredinations Whitewash paper. I am definitely not an 'orange' person - I usually lean towards pastels, but as it was a change to do the shape of this card I decided I might as well have a change with the colour too!


I used 'Stylised Flowers' embossing folder on the top and embossed the Happy Birthday sentiment on the bottom. The border punch is the reverse of the paper and I added some orange ribbed ribbon. The circles were cut out with nesties.
The butterfly started out its life as white - it emerged onto my card having been distressed with Dried Marigold ink! An off cut from the punch and two flat back pearls finished the card.

I have had MEGA problems trying to upload this - blogger has been playing up something ruthless and decided it isn't friends with Windows XP - so have hopped over to the OH's PC - (he's on Vista) and uploaded. Hope the techies at Blogger get it sorted soon....

Thoughts of a Man

I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by - I seem to have blinked and missed it. I promised myself that I would do every challenge at Less is More - (one) - beacuse I need to keep making this type of card as practicve makes perfect - (two) - I'm enjoying the varied challenges being set by Chrissie and Mandi!
But................. I wasn't happy with last weeks effort and as time has been so tight this week I didn't have any time to re-do..... and................nor am I happy with this one either!

I used cream linen textured card and printed out the sentiment using an English Script type font.

I have always liked this stamp from Personal Impressions and I usually team it with an image of a vintage car/pocket watch or something else that the man would be dreaming of buying! I decided to try and stick to the LESS theme and do away with the other images and use the man alone. I am not sure if it works.
I stamped him with Adirondack Espresso and then used the trusty shaving brush and dusted and distressed the image and the base card with Antique Linen. 
I used the Cuttlebug 'Diamonds in the Rough' embossing folder on the base card. I couldn't resist the addition of the pocket watch button - am hoping that it 'finishes' the card off without making the 'less' seem 'lesser'!!! 

Off the Edge?

And before any of you think the title of this post is a descriptive of me..... it's actually the title for this week's challenge at Less is More although I suppose there are SOME who may say it fits me perfectly!!!

So on to the challenge. I am late with this - usually I manage to get the challenge done over the weekend but have only just managed to do this today.

I am not quite sure if I have embraced the concept of stamping off the edge completely but am sure if I haven't someone will tell me!

Two attempts at this card - I had a brainstorm when stamping the sentiment on the first and it ended up askew to the left of the page........ so onwards and upwards and another try, this time with the sentiment where I had intended to place it.

The stamps are some I have had for a while and not used. I used the full image for the bottom right and then just turned it round and stamped 'off the edge' in the top left corner. I coloured it with watercolour pastels.

Have shown you both of the efforts - if I can grab a spare few minutes I may try to rescue the disaster one by more 'off the edge' stamping in the top right to try and give it some balance... it's worth a try I think cos I can't use it as it is!

Less is More Challenge 5

I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday with some friends in their directors box at a football ground in Manchester - and before anyone asks me if I have forsaken my beloved Liverpool FC the answer is categorically 'NO'!!!  But it was a fab day - wined and dined beforehand with a fab meal - watching Manchester City play Wigan in a huge comfy chair, coffee and delicious cake at half time, more coffee/wine at full time and so I had no time to do any card making at all!! 

So this morning I sat and thought very hard about this weeks challenge at Less is More. Before I went out yesterday my brain just would not grasp the concept of 'Pastels' - this morning I got some inspiration from somewhere (maybe the Manchester City football strip????? LOL) - and this is the result.

The image is printed directly onto the textured card as is the sentiment which was printed in blue using two different fonts.

I coloured the birdie with watercolour pastels (I am getting hooked on using these I think!) and then spent an age trying to match up the colour with some pale blue paper!  I used a Martha Stewart punch and punched 3 layers, overlapping them and then added some gingham ribbon. 

I quite like this card and hope the addition of the ribbon hasn't made it into 'More is More' instead of 'Less'!   

Vamp!

I have been enjoying the challenges set by Chrissie and Mandi over at Less is More and when I saw today's I knew what I wanted to do....
this week we had to use 3 squares and I have had these 'vampy' stamps for a long time and I think have used them twice!
However, knowing what you want to do and actually doing it are two completely different things! 
I can honestly say this is the first card  where lots of 'white space' doesn't please me - I am desperate to add something else (have no idea what or where to put it) but I just feel that something is missing! Maybe it's because I just used plain white card instead of my usual textured linen? Think I should have been brave enough to have used a strong colour as the base for the card - but hey ho - I've done it now so I shall (reluctantly) submit it!
Have no idea who made the three stamps - they were a set I bought in a sale somewhere. I coloured them with promarkers, then simply matted them onto dark red then black chevron designed cardstock.
I shamelessly copied the sentiment from a stamp set (I don't own them - they were sent to me by Maureen!)- but the stamped image I had wasn't the right shape so I printed this out on the PC using the nearest 'roaring twenties' style font that I could find.
Am still thinking about an appropriate greeting for the inside - maybe something like - 'Go On - Get Yourself Remembered!'  

Week 3

My internet speed is driving me to distraction! For three days we have had less download speed than 'dial up'. The air here is peppered with expletives and uploading is taking FOREVER!!

I am still working outside my comfort zone and taking part in the third week of the Less is More Challenge. I was overjoyed to find the card I submitted last week was selected for their showcase - it's a great feeling when someone who you consider to be so expert at a technique selects your effort as being worthy of recognition. This week, over on the blog Chrissie and Mandy have posted some tips on printing direct onto card and I for one welcomed their advice as this is something I have wanted to try and perfect.

It was a pity then that whilst reading the blog comments someone has seen fit to sumbit what can only be termed as 'less than flattering' comments about the technique used this week. Even more irritating as far as I'm concerned is this person did not have the courage of their own convictions and chose to post Anonymously. I have no problem with people posting their opinions about anything, but surely if you feel strongly enough about something then at the very least have the decency to use your name! Anyway enough of that.

Here's my card for this week's theme of Spring. I am just raising the bunting as I finally managed to position the text where I wanted to! I printed direct onto my favourite textured linen card and I am really happy how it turned out. The quote is attributed to Claudia 'Lady Bird' Johnson, First Lady of the USA and wife of Lyndon B. I think it is beautiful!
The image was a digi freebie which I printed out again on a separate piece of card and cut out with my nesties. I also cut out a slightly larger circle for mounting it onto. The background circle and the image were coloured with watercolours and I mounted the image using 3D pads. To finish I couldn't resist using a wee dusting of the usual 'Spun Sugar' distress ink around the card edges.
Thanks to Chrissie and Mandy for helping me overcome my reticence for printing direct onto card.
Am entering this into the challenge at Charisma Cardz which also has the theme of Spring and at Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge which has barred us from using any designer paper!

Less is More (2)

Week 2 at Less is More has given us a challenge of a 'one layer card' with a theme of a flower or a tree.
Some time ago, I posted a similar card to this and the technique of using post it notes as masking and applying distress ink is one I like!
This stamp is also one of my favourites. I have used it for everything from sympathy cards to birthdays - and now I've made a thank you card with it!

I used Spun Sugar and Weathered Wood distress inks and the stamp is from Elusive Images.

The thing about these cards is they can be made in a hurry (!) and are so versatile - they also look so pretty for their simplicity -(well most people's do anyway...LOL)if you've never tried the 'less is more, clean and simple' look, give it a try - promise you'll soon be hooked!
Pop over to the blog and have a look at some of the fab creations from last weeks challenge -there's also some fab tips on positioning and how to make your cards look stunning with minimum effort!
I am also entering this into the Totally Papercrafts 'Clean and Simple' challenge this week.