In Love with Stencils

Hi Friends, I can't remember the last time I got round to posting on my blog just for the fun of it BUT today I have some cards to share featuring STENCILS! 

These little beauties seem to have slipped into the back of my stash for far too long but with the stunning inspiration from my super duper blog buddy Sarah of Funky Fossils Designs and her new stencil creation venture (sold HERE) I just can't get enough of them! I just wish there were more hours in the day to play! 

So teamed with a bundle of Distress Oxide inks here's my creations and if you follow my blog regularly you'll notice I get fixated with colour combos and just can't stop myself when I find a combo I love! 

This one uses the Totally Triangular Stencil and I've been fascinated with the 'turn-around' stamps and stencils by other companies so decided to give it a go with this stencil although it's not necessarily designed to work that way. The die-cut sentiment is from Neat and Tangled with a 'birthday' greeting from Clearly Besotted

 

Using the same colour combo and Triangular stencil but this time with a cropped section of the stencilled panel a 'Smile' die-cut by Lil'inker Designs with a 'You Passed' sentiment by Clearly Besotted. 

The die-cut sentiments and strips of coloured card on all of these cards are coloured using coordinating promarkers. 

 

Ok a tad early for Father's Day but there's nothing like getting organised and I just love geometric designs for the guys so this one worked a treat. Remarkably the stencil is called 'geometric' too! The die-cut Happy is from CUT-plorations with the 'Father's Day' from Happy Little Stampers.

Next up a male / female 2-Fer of sorts! I masked off part of the stencil (called Triangle Grid) and inked through it with blues and teal colours and the other half adding some purple tones too. Can you tell I just love the 'Hooray' die-cut by Neat and Tangled? Coloured again with Promarkers to coordinate with the stencilling and a Clearly Besotted mini 'so to speak' sentiment on the first one and 'It's your day' on the second card is by Neat and Tangled.

I'm heading over to Addicted to Stamps and More for their Make your Mark week. I hope stencils are accepted along with Promarker painted sentiments!

As always thanks for calling by and if you feel inspired by these stencil designs and fancy purchasing a few, very reasonably priced ones then pop across to Sarah's Folksy shop HERE. Super efficient service and beautifully packaged too.

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!

Honey I Shrunk The Kit #14

Hey there friends, I'm so excited to be sharing another day out with my fellow Honey Babes for another HISTK post! BUT I'm absolutely dreading it at the same time as it's my turn to host! What I thought might be a fun kit to work with turned into a bit of a nightmare as my mojo went AWOL in the last few weeks so I'm relying on the Babes to showcase it to the MAX!

The name of my kit is 'Sugar Fix' and here's a little piccy of the contents: 

... and here's the list of contents:

Stamps: Reverse Confetti: Donut You Know (plus donut die), Neat & Tangled: Say Yes to Donuts, Avery Elle: Pick N Mix (plus dies) and Mama Elephant: Carnival Cupcakes (plus dies)

Other Dies: L’il Inker: Smile, Mama Elephant: Columbus Circle and Neat & Tangled: Hooray word dies

Other Items: Hobbycraft Basics: patterned paper, Action Wobbler, Doodlebug: bakers twine & Anita’s: half cut pearls

Somehow I managed 5 cards, some I like a lot more than others and this first one has to be my favourite. I made it for my niece and nephew for Halloween using the action wobbler behind the bag of sweeties. I used a couple of extra images from a CBS dis-continued set called In the Spirit.

No additional items were used for this one other than the kit and the images are coloured with Promarkers.

My colouring medium for the next one was the Kuretake Zig Clear Brush Pens but my doughnut looks a little burnt, don't you think? I used a wonky stitched die-cut panel (thanks to fellow Honey / LIM teamie, Anita ... quite convenient that she came to stay at my house recently and brought some of her treasured stash with her)!!!

Ooooh! What's this ... another wonky stitched panel (thanks again Anita)! Images and die-cut sentiment once again coloured with Promarkers, with the 'it's a boy' sentiment by CBS.

I'm really not sure about this one but had a few bits and pieces to use up so a framed display of sugary, jelly sweeties, all coloured with Promarkers and coated with wink of stella and glossy accents.

I hope you like my cards but I'm sure you'll love my teamies cards even more! Don't delay, check out these lovelies as I'm off to do now! Thanks for calling by and I hope to be back with more Honey I Shrunk the Kit kits next year! 

Hazel Hodgkins: Hazel's Paper Designs Sarah Gray: Funky Fossil Designs Shona Chambers: Twine Around Anita Bowden: Neet & Crafty Sarah Platt: Sazzle Dazzle Crafts ... that's ME!

Less is More #326

Morning friends, are you ready for this week's challenge at Less is More
First of all I've a little sad news first as we are losing one of our teamies today! Work and life have taken over Jen's time leaving her totally lacking in energy as well as time to commit to Less is More. We hope it's only a 'Bye For Now' and she may rejoin the team at a later date as and when things settle down for her. I hope you'll drop by and leave her some love and good wishes this week too.
Ok time to announce our challenge and it's a 5-week month which means it's lucky dip time and we've a guest designer too! It's Jane of Purple Jet Loves Crafts she's a superb Clean and Simple Designer and a fellow teamie of mine at both AAA Cards and Uniko so I'm delighted she agreed to be our GD this week. Do pop along and visit her blog, I'm sure she'd appreciate it and you'll have a treat.

Here's what I've created to inspire ... I hope  

First up bold and vibrant! This silly shaped scrap of coloured watercolour card is a left over that has been sitting around for way too long! Do you keep all those odds and ends? I've not had chance to look back at the original card showing the other half but it's simply stripes of Zig Clear Brush Markers with a little water to blend. This 'smile' die, from Lil'Inkers was on my desk from another card that I'll be sharing on the blog later in the week and I decided to use it here as it's bold enough to take a 'white' shadow by die-cutting both black and white card pieces and adhering them together slightly to on side. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

I'd like to link this one up at Addicted to Stamps and More, where it's their Clean and Simple week plus Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

   

I'd like to hop across to Timeout Challenges with this second one as their theme is Flowers although I've not gone with the 'optional' KISSING technique! It's not a favourite stamping trick for me! ☺

From bold and brash to serene and subtle. This one uses the Paper Smooches Botanicals 2 set, inked up initially with Hero Arts white pigment ink then re-inked, slightly to the right, using Altenew Dye inks. The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted from the Simple Silhouettes set.

Don't forget to check out the fabulous designs from my fellow teamies over on the main blog HERE and I hope you'll play along and have some fun.

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

Muse Challenge #198

Hello friends, I've been nursing a flu/cold this week and feeling a bit sorry for myself! 
First day back at work on Monday and I managed until lunchtime! BUT The best medicine EVER and to add a little cheer is a mooch around blogland! 
My fellow teamie and bestie at Less is More (Anita) is this week's MUSE and I love the blend of colours she'd used with added texture to the circle on her card then WOAH! that sentiment strip pops one heck of a punch so I had to have a little play. It was a really quick card to make and I feel much better today! Thanks Neets!
Here's my card with Anita's inspirations below

I started out with a handful of Distress Inks and blended them over a piece of card stock -

 I think this part has Blueprint Sketch, Spun Sugar, Peacock Feathers and Seedless 

Preserves on it. I couldn't resist the little flick and spritz of water and perfect pearls.

Using a heart stax from WPlus9 to die-cut my shape I then ran it back through the 

big-shot using one of the WeR Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folders 

(from Santa!) To finish a bold sentiment from Lil'Inkers and a few sequins.

I hope you like how I've interpreted Anita's card and thanks so  much for calling by my blog today. 

Less is More Challenge #310

Morning friends, are you ready for this week's challenge at
Less is More
It's the first one of the month which means we're also announcing our sponsor for the month which is Happy Little Stampers and what's more the super-talented and wonderful owner, Kylie is also our Guest designer too so I hope you'll visit her blog and leave lots of love!
This week it's COLOUR week and we've chosen  OMBRE You can use any colour but with an ombre / graduated effect.
Here's mine and there's loads of fabulous designs from my fellow teamies over on the main blog HERE with links to their own blogs. Do check them out and pay them a visit if you've time - they'd love it!

I couldn't resist using one of the newly released sets from Happy Little Stampers and this one is called 'Wish you were Here' with a sentiment from 'Fun Birthday Sentiments'. I've created the ombre effect using Zig Clear brush pens, blending with a water brush then a little flicking and spritzing of a water and perfect pearl mist. The card base is dry-embossed using an embossing folder by We R Memory Keepers (2 pk set - pressie from Santa aka. my kids!) and the ombre panel is die-cut with  a pierced square die by MFT Die-namics and mounted on 3d foam.
I'd like to enter this one over at Anything Goes Using - Happy Little Stampers ... rude not to don't you think!

This time I've used Distress inks to create the ombre effect using

Broken China, Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch.

The card base had a heavy spritz of perfect pearls and water and I've

die-cut the 'smile' from Lil'inker Designs from an off-cut of the card base

before adding dimension with several layers of die-cut cardstock.

The stamped sentiments are from Avery Elle 'Sentimental' and I've

added a few coordinating sequins just for the 'bling' of it!

Although I've not gone with the 'Stencil' optional twist I would like

to link up at the Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour challenge

Last one and again using the zig clear brush pens to create an ombre

panel before dry-embossing the panel with the 2nd embossing folder from 

the We R Memory Keepers set mentioned above. The 'celebrate' word die

is by Sugar Pea Designs and is die-cut on some glitter tape from Heidi Swapp

plus several layers of white card stock to add dimension. The '70' numbers are

die-cut from the 'count on us' set by Avery elle from the same glitter tape

and adhered flat to the card base. A couple of sequins and stars finishes the design.

I'd like to link this card up at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge

where it's 'Something New' and both my embossing folder and celebrate die

were goodies from Santa under my Christmas tree!

I hope you feel inspired to play along and I can't wait to see your ombre techniques and ideas! Thanks for calling by and I'll be back soon!

Less is More #301

Hi there crafty buddies it's time to introduce our latest challenge over at  Less is More and if you haven't come from the main blog then please  head over as there's loads of news and gossip as well as it being the  start of a new month with the return of one of our superb sponsors!
Being the first challenge of the month it's 'Colour' time and we've chosen a duo of lucious Purple & Gold
I've got 3 examples for you today but one's a 'twofer' - if that makes sense  so here goes with 'twofer number 1' ...

I was so inspired by all the incredible makes with acetate and vellum a few  weeks ago that I simply had to have a go at a floating sentiment! That's  definitely a new one on me and I love the effect. I started out by die-cutting the Tilda Flower by Memory Box in both purple and gold cardstock then  replaced the positive bits in the opposite colours, Both the die-cut 'Christmas' and the 'it's' sentiments are by Clearly Besotted!
It's a Holiday theme at Addicted to Stamps and More  so I'm heading there with this one!
Which leads me onto 'twofer number 2' ...

The opposite colour-way with a heat embossed sentiment by Uniko from the Simply Said Christmas set and a couple of sequins from my stash.
... over at STAMPlorations CAS challenge it's, by coincidence, Purple so I'm zipping this one in there!

Last but not least I've gone all geometric with this superb multi-facetted stamp by 

Winnie & Walter, heat embossed with WOW pale gold EP, inlaid die-cut 'Smile' 

sentiment by Lil' inker and a heat embossed 'it's your birthday' sentiment by Clearly 

Besotted. A couple more sequins and stars for that added glitz and glam.

The theme over at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge 

this week is Thinking of You so I'd like to pop this one in there.

As always my super talented and awesome bunch of teamies have worked

their magic to inspire you with more cards so please pay them a visit, you'll

find all the links on the main blog HERE

Our sponsor for this month is Seven Hills Crafts 

so do please play along each week to be in with a chance of a prize.

Thanks as always for calling by. I hope you have a fun weekend

and I'll be back tomorrow with the latest challenge details for

AAA CAS Cards.

Less is More #294

Morning LIMettes are we happy it's Saturday again?
I'm hoping Mr Blogger is going to play fair this weekend as this is a scheduled post!  Our baby daughter has all grown up and we're taking her to start her first year  at university today - not too far away thankfully! So while you are reading this  I'm either on the road to Liverpool or running late frantically trying to cram all  of her 'essential' belongings into the car! 
Ok! Let's get to the task in hand which is to introduce our challenge for the week  at Less is More and it's Theme week - we've chosen Diamonds! WOW!
I've excelled myself this week and have 3 cards to share with you

Recipe:

Stamps: Lil'Inkers set 'Girl's Best Friend'

Dies: MFT Die-Namics Basic Stitched Border and Stitched Square dies

plus Waffle Flower sentiment strips.

Distress Inks: Shaded Lilac & Blueprint Sketch

WOW Metallic Silver Sparkle embossing powder

I'm heading over to Addicted to Stamps and More with this one

to enter their Anything Goes Challenge!

Recipe:

Stamps: Lawn Fawn 'Happy Wedding'

Dies: Lawn Fawn Scripty Congrats & WPlus9 Heart stax

WOW Metallic Silver Sparkle Embossing powder

I'd like to enter this card over at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge

where it's Clean and Simple this week!

 

Recipe:

Sparkly Design paper from my stash

Hand made diamond shapes

Stamps: Lil Inker 'Girls Best Friend' & 

Clearly Besotted It's Your Time

I hope you feel inspired to play along with us and I can't wait to 

see lots of sparkle, glitz, glamour and shine on your cards this week.

There's plenty of stunning examples by my fellow teamies over on 

the LIM blog HERE so please pay them a visit if you have time.

As always thanks for visiting my blog today and I'll catch up again soon!