Less is More #365

Hi there friends, it's time to announce our second BIRTHDAY challenge over at Less is More to celebrate our 7th Birthay and we've got more delightful designs from some of our past Design Team members. 

We're also delighted to have Seven Hills Crafts kindly sponsoring the challenge and Tara (owner) is joining us as a Guest Designer too.
So let's get down to the latest Clean and Simple challenge for the next fortnight and here's the cue card  
There's often lots of debate in Blogland around the use of dry-embossing and how it can be used as a Clean and Simple element of a card so I can't wait to see what you come up with and I've 3 ideas to share with you today.
You'll find our guidelines and requirements for this technique over on the main Less is More blog HERE along with some superb ideas and inspiration from my talented teamies.

First up I've used a faux letterpress technique, as featured in an older video by Jennifer McGuire HERE which uses a detailed Tilda Flower die from Memory Box with a little ink to the edges then run through my Big Shot to 'emboss' the image onto watercolour card. 

Other Supplies Used:

Dies: Lil'Inkers: HI word die / Stamps: Avery Elle: Sentimental / Ink: Altenew

There's 2 challenges I'd like to pop this one into ... Addicted to Stamps and More, where they are looking for Clean and Simple Cards and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, where the requirement is to add a die-cut.

This card features a very subtle linear embossing technique where regular score lines have been marked using a folding board. I started out by inking up a beautiful stencil, which I received as a gift from my buddy and ex-DT member at Less is More, Sarah G of Funky Fossil Designs. Since stepping down from our challenge blog she's certainly not been sitting around but has set to work making various stencils, laser-cut MDF shapes and home decor/gifts. The stencil here, called Beautiful Mandala is available to purchase in Sarah's Folksy store HERE and she's also kindly offered 2 stencils as a gift to one of our birthday winners at Less is More this month. Why not head over HERE and look at what else is in store!

Other Supplies Used:

Dies: The Works: Stitched Square & Waffle Flower: Sentiment Strips

Stamps: Avery Elle: Sentimental / Ink: Distress Inks in Blueprint Sketch, Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio 

 

Last but not least an underwater little scene using a circular die-cut piece of brusho-coloured card, which I then ran through a 'wave-effect' embossing folder from We R Memory Keepers. I've also used my 3 circular dies to create a de-bossed element to frame my focal image.

Other Supplies Used:

Dies: The Works: Stitched Squares & Sizzix Framelit Circles

Stamps: Paper Smooches: Briny Blue plus coordinating die & Create a Smile: Underwater Love

I'd like to pop this card in at Timeout Challenges where the theme is 'Hobbies' - Fishing is a popular hobby I believe although not one of mine!!! Hope it counts - sadly it's not twisted with a one layer.

I hope you've enjoyed my inspiration for this challenge and don't forget we've extra prizes this month with it being our Birthday. Our sponsor for the challenge is Seven Hills Crafts as well as a random mystery prize and Sarah's kind stencil for this month only so do play along for a chance, and we'll announce our winners at the start of next month. 


I hope you'll play along in our birthday challenges this month and have some fun with us.


Thanks for calling by today!

Less is More #341

Hi there crafty friends another week has slipped by and here we go again with our weekly challenge for you at Less is More. AND ... it's that 'dreaded' ONE layer week! Don't you just love it but it's an easy enough theme ... I think, so here's the Cue Card and let's hope you have fun too.

Hopefully that won't cause too many issues and here's my cards. I've 2 for you this week and I was having a play about with some pencils on the first one but I've not really mastered the art of colouring with them! The images are from Create a Smile 'Underwater Love' and I thought they'd be rather cute - hoping that a submarine is classed as a vehicle though! I've also distressed the edges and added some splatters of Distress ink in Mermaid Lagoon.

My second one uses a brand new birthday goodie, sentiment set from Neat & Tangled, which is part of their 5 year birthday release. I just love that swirly 'Hooray' and I've teamed it with a little cute train, coloured with Promarkers, from Clearly Besotted 'Going Places' with the 'Birthday Boy' sentiment from that same set. The 'track / road' stamp is by Stampin' Up - Rev up the Fun. I did intend to make a card using either the car or motorbike in that set but it just didn't happen for me! 
I've spotted 3 challenges in blogland, where my card should fit in so I'll be dropping by at Addicted to Stamps and More where it's a Clean and Simple Challenge, Addicted to CAS is ONE layer week too and at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday it's 'For a Child' so I simply couldn't resist popping this one over there too.
I hope you'll feel inspired to play along and don't forget to check out the fabulous designs from my fellow teamies over on the main blog HERE 
Thanks for stopping by 

Less is More #323

Morning friends, are you ready for this week's challenge at Less is More and can you believe we are back round to that 'unpopular' challenge again?

YES! I'm afraid it's the one layer week and here's what I've created for you and I hope you'll feel inspired to play along. As always there's loads of fun ideas by my fellow teamies over on the LIM blog HERE with links to their own blogs so do pop over and visit them if you get chance.

This first one uses a stamp by this month's sponsor LOTV - I think he's called James Bear but not sure what the name of the stamp is. He's sat in a frame which I managed to mask around before stamping. In fact rather a bit of masking happened here as I had to mask James then the curved panels at the top and bottom.

After last week's pastel colours sent me out of my comfort zone I decided to get straight back in with those vibrant rainbow shades using Ranger Die inks. The bear is coloured with Promarkers and the sentiment is by Create a Smile.

I'd like to enter this one over at TimeOut Challenges as it's a play on words and I just can't resist a rainbow! 'When it rains look for rainbows, when its dark look for stars'

The first card is my second attempt because ... would you believe I splashed water by accident on the first one and my sentiment went all blurry! OMG the air was blue!

Anyway I've managed to rescue it but sadly no longer a one layer but just to show that you don't have to toss every mess up in the bin ... I fuzzy cut around the base of the rainbow, added a piece of cardstock behind and stamped a new bold sentiment with a hand-drawn edge to the curve for added detail. 

One more very simple card for you and this one uses the Fairytale stamp set by Clearly Besotted, heat-embossed in WOW metallic silver sparkle EP and coloured with Promarkers. The floral spray is on a slight curve so I think I can get away with that plus I used a corner punch on 2 corners! 

Ok that's all I have for today and I hope you'll play along and have some fun.

Thanks for calling by and I'll be back soon!