Less is More #277

Hello friends - have you got that Saturday feeling? I hope so as I'm here to announce the latest challenge details at
Less is More 
and we are back round to our theme week and we're looking for  Something that Pops or Bangs
As always my Teamies have worked their magic with this one so there's  loads of inspiration over on the main blog if you haven't checked it already and here's what I've got for you ...

I was in a silly mood when I put this together and had this image of an old car 

chugging and popping with a bang here and there as it's 'driven' down a 

hill to get the engine working! I hope my collection of images depicts this...

I've used a computer generated sentiment which I hardly ever do these days and

stamped images from Paper Smooches: Metropolis and Sunny Side Up.

The single car is coloured with Promarkers and as Uniko are sponsoring Passion 

for Promarkers challenge this week I thought I'd show some support and play along.

It's also their 7th Anniversary so lots of prizes and a huge congrats to the team!

 Next up using more traditional objects ....

This time a background of tone on tone balloons from a New Clearly Besotted

set: Let's Party and also from CBS: Bon Voyage and Set the Scene for the fireworks.

The sentiment is from Uniko: Simply Said and I'd like to link this one up

at TimeOut Challenges for Sandie's special birthday - a second entry and this

time sharing the purple twist too! 

Last but not least ... my daughter said 'bubbles pop' 

So using the Paper Smooches Briny Blue set and the 'Have A ... Day'

sentiment from Uniko: Celebrate with Cake I've created an underwater scene!

No I didn't do this one by mistake for last week using more than one layer!!!

It's hot off the craft table this week!

Ok that's all for me today and thanks for calling by.

I'll be back tomorrow morning with an extra special birthday bonanza

challenge post for AAA Cards so hope you'll join me as there's 

a blog hop, treasure hunt and loads of prizes up for grabs!

Uniko - Introducing: Fun Flowers

Hello again crafty buddies and thanks for calling in again this morning. It's day 2 of our introductions to the latest 'mini' release from Uniko and today we would like to introduce Fun Flowers! Definitely full of doodle fun!

For this one I've stamped the images from the set accompanied with 

some leaves from Natures Treasures I and sentiments from All Occasion

Sentiments #6 and Fontiments. The flowers are coloured using Stabilo Markers

and I've added the usual wink of stella and glossy accents to the centre 

because I simply can't help myself!

I 'cased' a design by Joyce of Cards-By-The-Sea who is the 'Case the Designer' at Happy Little Stampers challenge so I'd like to pop my card in there.
Here's Joyce's card in case you want to play along too:


Ok so that's it for introductions and all that's left is to invite you back tomorrow for the ... Release Day! 
Monday 11th April 9am BST you will get to see the products and purchase them HERE  on the website! As tradition holds there will be a Uniko Design Team Blog Hop  with a chance for a lucky person to win the release & a £10 eGift Certificate.
I do hope you'll join me then

Less is More #246

Morning friends, it's time for a new challenge over at  Less is More  and it's Theme Week! Our theme is Masculine!
I can hear you groan ... me too! These are always tough to do as I automatically go for  my florals, girlie and butterfly sets which don't sit too well with the guys! But it's good to get out of our comfort zones now and again plus boost those masculine makes in the card box so hope you'll play along.

Here's my cards and first out I couldn't resist inking up this  fairly recent set, for the first time, from Clearly Besotted - Out of This World.

Using Distress inks in Ripe Persimmon & Wild Honey 

I inked a sun / planet. Then with Blueprint Sketch, Faded Jeans and Black Soot. 

I've added a few stars with a white gel pen, coloured the images with Stabilo markers

and mounted them on 3d foam, accented with wink of stella and glossy accents.

I'd like to head over to Inkspirational Challenges with this one and hope 

the glow from my spaceship and sun will pass the requirements!

It's always hard to make sympathy cards but particularly for a guy

so I thought I'd use this new set I picked up from my recent visit

to the Harrogate Showground Craft Fair. It's from Inkylicious and

I've used Dusty concord, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass and Black Soot

to create what I hope looks like a watery / misty background before

stamping the images and adding a few highlights here and there with

my white gel pen.

It's a colour theme over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge

this week along the Halloween tones but I'm hoping my 

eerie Halloween purple tones will work ok there!

It's a new look cue card at CASology too this week and 

cue word 'You' so I'm dropping in there too with my

Thinking of YOU card!

 ... and last be not least it's silly season!

Well that was last week's theme at CASology and these

silly Face-it stamps from The Alley Way Stamps were still

on my desk so I decided to use them. Laura Bassen did a fabulous

video this week of a shaker card using mason jars and that gave me

the inspiration to go with the jars - they are from the Clearly Besotted

Spring blooms set and I've coloured them with Distress Inks. To accentuate

those silly eyes I've added glossy accents and the sentiments are from

Uniko: All Occasion Sentiments #6 and Simply Said - Birthday

I'd like to link this one up at ColourQ - quite ashamed as I used 

to play along almost every week and haven't joined in for ages.

Ok time for you to jump to it and see what you can come up with.

I'm sure you'll WOW us like you do every week but if you need more 

inspiration there's some fab designs by my fellow teamies HERE

Thanks for visiting today and if I get chance I may have a few

extra cards over the weekend otherwise same time next week!!!

AAA Cards Challenge #45

Morning All it's time for a new challenge over at

AAA Cards Challenge

and our theme this time is 
I'm SO Hot! 
My inspiration is taken straight from the photo image and not being a sun-worshipper I would certainly be 'so hot' under the heat of the sun,  lying in this cosy hammock on a paradise beach! Hmmm!  I'd certainly be needing to sip an odd glass or six of that red stuff!

Card Recipe:

Lawn Fawn: Life is Good

Paper Smooches: Free Spirits

Distress Inks & Stabilo Markers

With lots of masking and inking as I went along

By an amazing coincidence there's a very similar theme and photo inspiration 

over at the Inkspirational this week so I'm heading over there with my card. 

Why don't you do the same providing your creation fits both challenge guidelines.

I'm sure their DT would love to featured your cards in their gallery too!

I'm also going to pop it in as my second entry at Simon Says Stamp

Wednesday Challenge as it's an Anything Goes week.

I hope you enjoy this challenge and don't forget to check

out the brilliant cards by my fellow teamies at AAA Cards.

There's lots of news over there too and also a DT call!

Happy crafting and thanks for calling by!

Less is More #233

Morning friends we are back around to Saturday and, in my case,  the start of the summer holidays as schools are out!
It also marks the start of a new kitchen revamp on Monday!  Excited but not looking forward to camping out whilst it takes place! Take-away menus lined up and lots of meals out booked!
Anyway enough of that we've a super sizzling summer challenge for you today at Less is More and it's theme week
'Life's a Beach!'
So slap on that sun lotion, grab your shades and  head off to the .... craftroom! Here's my examples and  don't forget to check out the other DT cards over on the LIM blog!

Card Recipe:

Lawn Fawn: Life is Good - sentiment and crabs, these are

coloured using Stabilo pens then covered with glossy accents 

The 'sea' is coloured with distress inks onto watercolour card

then simply torn to make the 'froth' look at the edge of the water.

My next card uses the same set from Lawn Fawn with my 

'white space' being a wide border around the centre images.

Card Recipe:

Lawn Fawn: Life is Good

My Favourite Things: Sun Ray stencil

Clearly Besotted: sentiment from Dandelion Dreams

Doodlebug DP for the flip flop and glossy accents 

for added detail to the little scene and crab

I hope this inspires you to craft away and have some fun.

Thanks as always for stopping by and I'll be back in an hour

with the latest challenge details for Addicted to CAS

Less is More #230

Morning friends it's that time of the week again... Saturday morning 8am UK time! 
New challenge at Less is More
This week we have a sketch for you and please feel free to flip/rotate it  so long as we can see the that it resembles the original.
So here's my cards followed by the sketch

I've turned the sketch on it's head with the smaller panel at the top

and also used landscape rectangles rather than portrait ones. The images from

Paper Smooches: Briny Blue which are coloured using Stabilo Markers

with water, twinkled with Winks of Stella and Glossy Accents.

Rectangles die-cut using MFT Die-Namics pierced rectangle dies

and the 'birthday wishes' sentiment is from Clearly Besotted

It's an Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp

this week so I'm heading over there with my card too.

Here's another Christmas card - I'm trying to stick with my

New Years Resolution so my little box of Christmas cards is

steadily bulging but still a way to go!

A bit of a crazy image but it's to enter over at Merry Monday too

where they'd like us to use a 'funky' hat on our Christmas card this week.

I'm not sure about 'funky' but certainly 'silly'!

I've used Clearly Besotted: Let it snow stamps and a 

sentiment from Uniko: Simply Said Christmas

The cloudy sky is created using a home-made die-cut stencil

using Mama Elephant: Landscape Trio Dies and linked with

Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. To finish I've added some glamour dust

and glossy accents for added interest.

Ok crafty buddies it's your turn and let's see what you make

of this week's challenge. I'll be back a little later with another card

so if you've time to pop back I'd be very grateful.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Uniko Studio: Revisiting Pure Florals - Gerbera

Morning Friends, I'm here with a post for Uniko and this month Bev and the Design team are revisiting a previously released stamp set; this time it's the ever popular 
Pure Florals - Gerbera
It's certainly one of my 'go to' floral sets and I know many of you out there own this set too, working your magic with it every time.
We also have some fantastic news - so before I show you my card I'd like to welcome the newest addition to the Uniko Design Team;
Jane of purplejetlovescrafts
Jane also happens to be one of my fellow teamies at AAA Cards so I know she's amazingly talented and a very kind and super organised lady I do hope you'll pop across to her blog and leave her some love.
So onto my card and I've teamed the gerbera images with a  sentiment from the Simply Said - Birthday set.

It's a watercoloured background using distress ink in Tumbled Glass and the blooms are coloured using Stabilo Markers and water then winked with stella for some added sparkle.

I hope you like how I've used the set and please remember to leave a 

comment for each of the design team members to be eligible for entry to 

the blog hop prize of this set or a Uniko gift voucher to the same value.

Beverley - Uniko

Deborah

Gillian

Jane

Nicki

Sandie

Sarah G

Sarah P (that's Me)

For more details please head over to the main Uniko blog 

Thanks as always for stopping by and I'll see you all soon.

Time to Happy Dance ....

Hi All I'm here super early, in the UK,  well hopefully Mr Blogger is 'here' on my behalf to make a  LITTLE announcement and I'm squealing with delight because I've been invited to join the brilliant design team over at 
Addicted to CAS
I can't wait to get stuck in and join the party in a few weeks time! The 4th July to be exact and what a fantastic day to celebrate a new team. 
There's lots of amazing talent already and some new faces too. I can't wait to get to know them all and I do hope you'll stop by  the ATCAS blog HERE to check out the new team.
So it wouldn't be a proper post without a card to share so  I've made a card to join the current ATCAS challenge - Butterfly

I've used the sketch from the current challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch

so I'll be hopping across there when the alarm goes off!

I can't get enough of these gorgeous butterflies from Clearly Besotted

which are heat embossed in WOW: Brass sparkle along with the

outer frame and the die-cut 'Happy' from Hero Arts

The images are water coloured with Stabilo Markers with a 

delicate washed background of Cracked Pistachio distress ink.

Thanks as always for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

Sunny Flower time

Morning all and hope you are crafting happily  with some sunshine ... it's just peeping through the clouds where I am! Anyway I've a card to share for the latest  The Challenge #35 It's a photo inspiration with sunny yellow flowers although mine are a little orange. 

I inked up a piece of watercolour card using Mowed Lawn DI

spritzed with water before die-cutting to make a BG in place of the stems.

Using some embroidery thread I've wrapped it around the green panel then 

added my Uniko Studio Beautiful Blooms II with 3d foam. 

The sentiment is also Uniko Studio from the Simply Said: Birthday set.

Flowers are coloured with Stabilo Markers and Wink of Stella for added shimmer.

Here's the photo inspiration

That's all for now but I'll be back tomorrow with a  quick reminder of the latest Uniko Studio Challenge. Hope to see you then and thanks for stopping by.

Crazy for Challenges ...

I must be completely MAD! this is my 3rd post today and 3 yesterday! Just mad about crafting!!!
First of all if you are looking for my AAA Cards post it's HERE If you are looking for my Uniko Studio post that one is HERE
So I'm zipping in with a couple more challenge cards then you probably won't see me all week!!!
First up it's to enter at Addicted To CAS and the theme is birds I've only just received this stunning Humming Bird set from Uniko Studio  last month and loving it so much that I simply had to use it for this challenge

It's teamed with other Uniko Studio sets: Nautical Treasures: Sentiment Natures Treasures for the grasses Water-Coloured with Stabilo Markers Sea inked with distress inks in Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean & Faded Jeans with a sprinkling of glamour dust to add some sparkle and shine

Next up is to enter this week's challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch

I'm still on opposite colours of the Colour Wheel from Less is More

last week as there were some fabulous combinations so thought I'd have 

a go at this Yellow and Purple duo! I always seem to head for a white background

so today I've turned it on it's head with purple on a white card base!

Card Recipe:

Paper Smooches: Balloon Dies

Inked with Distress ink in Mustard Seed

Uniko Studio: Birthday Bash & Classic Numbers

MFT Die-Namics: Sentiment Strips

Doodlebug Design paper and Sprinkles

Then last but by no means least here's my card

for this week's Muse Card Challenge

I love all the bright colours and design of Vicki's card and couldn't 

believe it when I was sifting through some rarely used design papers 

I found this harlequin style beauty - I've no idea where it's from but 

I think it works quite well!

Other Card Recipe Items:

Avery Elle: Count It Number dies

Clearly Besotted: Sunburst sentiment

Doodlebug Sprinkles

Echo Park DP for the numbers which are mounted on 2 extra layers of white card stock

Here's Vicki's fabulous inspiration card too

Edit: I intended to link this up at Simon Says Stamp

Wednesday Challenge - Let's Get Sentimental

so hope this counts over there too. 

Thanks as always for calling by my blog; I love reading all your lovely comments.

It's a wonderful community we all belong to.

I will be back tomorrow with the full release, reveal and blog hop

of the latest stamp sets from Uniko Studio so hope you'll swing by then.

Christmas Is Coming!

Well not really but a new Christmas Card Challenge has  popped up in blogland this week 
Muse Christmas Visions (sister challenge to the super popular Muse Card Club)
I love Muse so simply had to join the fun, especially when I saw the fabulously dramatic DT card from Kimberley Weiner
As luck would have it the theme at another of my favourite Chrismas Challenge blogs, Merry Monday fits perfectly with the same card! They are looking for a Christmas card with wet or dry embossing! Sorted.
So here's my card followed by Kimberley's inspiration Muse 

Card Recipe:

Clearly Besotted: Pretty Poinsettia set & sentiment from the same

Heat embossed with WoW copper sparkle EP

Stabilo pens (thanks to the amazingly talented Julia of Just One More Card

for introducing these pens to us - I love them)

Gems and nailheads to accent from my stash.

   

Thanks as always for stopping by and hope you've not lost my previous posts from today as I don't normally post so many in one day! Had to catch these Christmas ones though before the gates close!
My Less is More post is HERE My Uniko Studio Introducing Nautical Treasures is HERE