Male Room Challenge #71 - Guest Designer Spot

Hi friends, a little mid-week post for you today!

I'm delighted to be Guest Designer at The Male Room for this week's challenge where the theme is to use some metal. I scratched my head for quite some time on this one and tried various ideas but in the end it came down to this cute little anchor charm that I found in my stash, teamed with a selection of Uniko stamps.

Stamps used: Uniko - Background Blocks Horizontal Stripes and Scattered Polka Dots plus Nautical Treasures. I used the polka dot background as a fuzzy cut piece for the sails although it would definitely look out of place at sea I think! 

I'd like to thank the Male Room design team for inviting me to Guest Design and hope you feel inspired to play along with them in this challenge.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and have a fun and crafty day!

AAA CAS Cards Challenge #80

Hello there friends, it's time for another challenge over at AAA CAS Cards and yet again we are being incredibly kind by offering another winter challenge theme ... perfect for dashing off a few last minute Christmas cards! As it happens my cousin is getting married  this month so mine's a wedding theme!
So we are looking for cards featuring 'Silver' and you have until  Saturday, 7th January to play along!

This one uses:

Marianne Creatables: Lord & Lady silhouette dies

WPlus9: Heart Stax dies

Uniko: Essentially Christmas 'mistletoe'

STAMPlorations: 'On your wedding day' sentiment

MFT Die-Namics: Stitched Rectangle Dies

plus sequins by Pretty Pink Posh

As always there's plenty more super CAS creations by my fellow teamies, 

with links to their blogs on the AAA Cards blog HERE

We are also joined by Deborah of Debs Gems, please hop along

to her blog and leave her a friendly word and some love - I'm 

sure she'll appreciate it.

Our sponsor for this challenge is Stampendous and they are

offering a $20 Gift Certificate for our lucky winner.

As always thanks for calling by and I'd like to wish you all a 

Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as we'll

be taking a little break over the Christmas period.

Catch up with you next year!

Less is More Challenge #306

Morning friends, are you ready for another challenge from Less is More? Are you all Christmassed out with festive challenges? 
This week it's our 'dreaded' ONE LAYER CARD week and the theme for this one is Outlines so you can go festive or not - however you please so long as it's clean and simple and on the one layer! 
Here's mine and it's a two-fer using the same image on both from the recently released  Marvellous Mehndi set by Uniko but heat embossed on different cardstocks.  I can't decide which I prefer ... what about you?
The sentiments are from the very newly released Most Wonderful and Simply Said II

It's the 'holiday' challenge over at Addicted to Stamps & More

so I'd like to head over there with this one 

Also Kylie's 12 Days of Christmas Cards HERE

I'm delighted to be sharing a card with Kylie on Monday so 

hope you'll pop back and pay us a visit then!

Don't forget to head over to the main Less is More blog HERE where you'll find all the links to my fellow teamies blogs and catch  up on their wonderful outline cards too.
Hope you'll play along and have some fun.

Less is More #304

Morning friends, this is my first of two posts today so I hope you'll pop back in an hour when I'll be introducing the Rustic Wreath,  soon to be released Christmas set from Uniko!
If you can't wait that long I've got a sneaky little preview here using  this very set but there will be more a little later!
BUT first of all it's time to announce this week's challenge over at 
Less is More
and we are back round to our Recipe week! We'd like to see you use an Emboss Resist technique on your card and there's lots of brilliant examples from my fellow teamies at Less is More so I hope you'll zip across  to the main blog HERE and follow the links to their individual blogs!
First up here's mine ...

As promised a preview of the Rustic Wreath set being released tomorrow by Uniko and here I've embossed the wreath and one of the sentiments in the set with Hero Arts White EP before blending various blue toned distress inks over  the top. The melted embossing powder acts as the resist here. I've also  spritzed a flicked a little water and perfect pearls mix - because I can't help myself then added a few gems from my stash for added sparkle. The base panel is subtly dry embossed with one of the We R Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folders.
I'd like to link this one up over at Timeout Challenges where the  theme is Christmas with the optional twist of glitter and shimmer. In real life my card is shimmering from the perfect pearl spritz plus I've added some mini gems which certainly shimmer and sparkle in the light!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on my blog ... so here's another festive card

Again using stamps by Uniko: Christmas Foliage and a sentiment from the 

Rustic Wreath set. I've heat embossed the foliage with Ranger Silver Pearl

embossing powder this time and blended Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough 

and Lucky Clover over them to enhance the 'resist' stamping. To finish a 

die-cut frame using MFT Die-Namics pierced rectangle dies, pine cones from

the Uniko Christmas Foliage set and some red nail heads for some glossy detail.

Thanks as always for popping by my blog and I hope you feel inspired

to play along with our challenge this week.

Have fun!

Less is More Challenge #303

Hi there friends it's time to announce this week's challenge at  Less is More and we are back round to our THEME week.
We've chosen VINTAGE for this one so I hope you have some fun with it  and I can't wait to see your creations. I struggled again with the challenge this  week and realise when I spotted some of the other DT creations that they'd  beaten me to my ideas which left very little in my stash to play with!
So just the one from me as I'll let you into a sneaky secret ... I've been  busy spending time on the latest release from Uniko ! So keep an eye out for the peeks later in the week on my blog! I'm sure you'll love them!

So I pulled out this delightful 'I Love Tea' set also from Uniko along

with the sentiment and heat embossed the cups onto some fairly vintage

(in my opinion) design paper from My Mind's Eye. I think the gold edge

adds to that vintage feel and it reminded me of a wedding I went to last 

year for some friends. They'd gone for a whole vintage tea party theme 

and managed to collect loads of tea sets and icons to decorate the tables with

from various car boot sales over the previous 2 years. It looked stunning.

The background paper is also by My Mind's Eye from the same pack

and although the edges were already 'distressed' I've added a little more

with Scattered Straw distress ink. To finish a wrap around of hemp twine.

There's loads more superb designs from my fellow teamies so I hope you'll

hop around their blogs too. The links are all on the main Less is More blog

HERE and I'm sure you'll love their inspiration.

Thanks as always for calling by today, have fun and I'll be back tomorrow

with another new challenge over at AAA Cards.

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 #299

Hi there LIMettes, are you ready for this week's challenge? I hope so! It's recipe week at Less is More and we'd like you to Use Acetate or Vellum

This one uses Pure Florals: Poinsettia and Simply Said Christmas by Uniko;

the sentiment and poinsettia are both heat embossed using WOW rich pale gold

and the inlaid frame die is by Paper Smooches.

I'd like to enter this for a couple of challenges too

 Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge - Emboss on Vellum Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge - Embossing    

            

and another entry for the Flower Challenge - Anything Goes with flowers

Here I've used some snowflake patterned acetate which is adhered

between the card stock at the top and bottom of the card.

The tree landscape die is from Clearly Besotted with the sentiment from

Happy Little Stampers - Christmas sentiments set. I've added a touch

of Tumbled Glass distress ink behind the acetate as the sky.

It's Anything Goes over at Addicted to Stamps and More

so I'd like to head over there with this card.

... and my last one has gone all pink! The reason is ... I'd like to link it up at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Think Pink

I discovered the hearts border die in my stash which is how this card started

plus my Mum asked me for an Anniversary card! That's all it takes eh!

Then thinking pink I've torn strips of mottled pink and white vellum, overlapped

it and adhered it to a piece of card stock. Added some pink sequins and a few

embossed chevrons from Happy Little Stampers Mix Mash in Ranger Silver Platinum to

 tone in with the sentiment from Avery Elle which is heat embossed in the same. 

As always thanks for visiting my blog today and I'll be back tomorrow

morning with the latest challenge info for AAA Cards - hope to catch you then!

Less is More #296

Morning friends I'm here with my Less is More post today as we start a  new month, new challenge and new sponsor or should I say returning sponsor!  The super generous Dies To Die For are back to sponsor our challenges this month so be sure to enter each week to be in with a shout of a prize! I'm relying on Mr Blogger again today as I'm heading down to the Happy Stampers  Festival at Port Sunlight so if you're lucky enough to be attending then please  pop along to the Uniko stand as I'll be helping Bev there! So before I forget it's Colour Week and we've chosen Lilac and Turquoise as our colour combo for this week! It's also RELEASE day at Uniko so I've another post (all being well) going live in an hour featuring the new sets! Hope you'll pop back then! BUT ... for your eyes only I've got an early sneaky peep at the small Christmas Sparkle set

I've stamped the images using Colorbox pigment inks then embossed with Hero Arts 

Sparkle Clear EP. The sentiment is embossed in silver to tone with the glittery strip  

down the left hand side and a couple of matching sprinkles by Doodlebug to finish.

Recipe:

Stamps: Altenew Beautiful Day 

I have wanted this set for ages, well since it was released and kept

putting it off and putting it off until so many super talented crafters

kept showing off with it that I could resist it no longer. 

All the stamped images including the sentiment are from the set 

and I've used Altenew Inks to stamp the florals too.

I'd like to pop this one in at the Simon Says Stamp - 

Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes 

Don't forget to head over to the Less is More blog HERE where my fellow teamies have worked their little socks off  again and created some awesome cards!

Less is More #292

Hello friends, time to announce another new challenge for this week from Less is More and we are back round to 'colour week'
We've chosen Peacock Feathers as the colour combo and in case you're stuck there's plenty of stunning images on google images or pinterest to inspire.
First up and I have to admit I almost fell over when hubby bought a craft magazine  for me a few weeks ago! The shock ... not only as he'd taken it upon himself to buy the  magazine but there was also a freebie stamp set featuring a peacock! Whoa!  He's no idea what challenges I play along with so couldn't understand my delight!
Here's the card and I'd like to zip it across to the Delightful Darnell's latest  NBUS challenge as it's never been used before!!! It was a dream pleasure to meet Darnell IRL in July at the Happy Little Stampers Retreat in the UK and I'm amazed that she took it upon herself to travel so many miles alone to  meet up with a whole load of crafty buddies! You're Simply Awesome Darnell!

So first up I die-cut my watercolour cardstock with a WPlus9 border die, 

inked up the image using Versamark then heat-embossed with gold EP.

Coloured with Zig Clear Brush pens and a mini sentiment from Uniko.

I'd also like to pop this one in at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge

 as it's an Anything Goes Challenge over there this week!

This one uses the WPlus9 Fanciful Feathers stamps and dies. I've used a teal card base as that seemed ideal in terms of my view of peacock feathers. The die-cut feathers were inked with ... you guess Distress Inks in Peacock Feathers and I've created a tone on tone  background for added interest using Hero Arts Clear EP.
I'd like to head over to Addicted to Stamps and More with this one where it's Clean and Simple for their current challenge.


As always there's more fantastic inspiration by my fellow teamies  over on the main blog HERE as well as their individual blogs.
Plus as it's the first of the month we have a new sponsor ... well I should say a 'returning' one - it's Happy Little Stampers

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy the challenge.

Less is More #286 & #287

Happy Saturday LIMettes, it's time to announce another new challenge over at Less is More BUT for a change this one will run for 2 Weeks! No excuses for not playing along with us this time!
It's a mini summer break for some of the Design Team, who will be attending  the Happy Little Stampers Craft Retreat next weekend!!! The excitement has been brewing for some months now but at last we are almost there!
I'm hoping Mr Blogger will behave and post this on my blog as I'm 'hopefully' as you read this enjoying some Belgian Waffles, Chocolate, Beer etc  'fingers-crossed' in the warm and sunny environment of Bruges!
So onto the challenge for the next 2 weeks and it's Recipe week - we'd like you to use  something TACTILE on your cards but still maintaining a clean and simple design.
Here's mine featuring 2 very feminine birthday cards and don't forget to pop across  to my teamies blogs for more awesome inspiration and clever tactile makes! 

Here, I started out by blending Distress Inks in yellow, pinks and oranges onto a 

panel of cardstock, running it though an embossing folder by WeR Memory Keepers

 (Next Level Embossing) before dusting it with Perfect Pearls. This leaves a textured and 

shimmery surface. Next up I've heat embossed the Gerbera from Uniko onto some Vellum 

using WOW Brass Metallic sparkle EP which leaves a glittery texture. Then with the

same EP I've created a frame around the offset panel along with the 'Happy'

die-cut sentiment from Hero Arts. to finish some sequins from Lucy's Little Things.

  

Next up using a brand new die from Neat and Tangled (Punchinella). Ive had my eye

 on it since I saw Laura Bassen use it HERE. To begin with I blended more Distress Inks,

 this time in pinks and purples onto a piece of cards stock. Spritzed and flicked a mixture 

of water and perfect pearls over it ... (you know I can't resist that little trick) then mounted 

my die-cut panel on top. This is a glitter card-stock making it tactile with the circular cuts

 as well as the glitter. The 'Happy' circle is also from Neat and Tangled with the embossed 

'birthday' from Winnie & Walter. A little extra tactile-ness with the double die-cut 

butterfly from Clearly Besotted and sequins from Pretty Pink Post.

 That's all from me and I do hope you'll feel inspired to play along with us.

I'm looking forward to seeing where your crafty tricks and tips take you with 

this one and I'll catch up with you all again soon - post retreat!

Thanks as always for calling by today!

AAA Cards Challenge #68

Morning friends I'm here with the latest challenge information for
AAA Cards Challenge
We're looking for tags on your projects this time but please remember to keep your design's Clean and Simple! 

Our sponsor for this challenge is Happy Little Stampers so I had

to use one of their sets as they are so fantastic and versatile to use with

other items from my stash. Here I've used the Doodled Flowers set

and coloured the centres with Promarkers and Glossy Accents.

My tag is die-cut using a Paper Smooches Stitched Tag die, with an

inlaid 'Wishing' die from Simon Says Stamp. The heat-embossed sentiment 

is made up of the 'You' from Uniko: Simply Said and 

'Happiness Wherever you go' from Mama Elephant: Up, Up and Away. 

To finish a little ribbon and metallic twine from my stash.

I'd like to enter my card over at Anything Goes with HLS stamps as well as 

the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp: Wednesday challenge

Here's a little photo inspiration for you 

plus there's loads more super designs courtesy of my fellow teamies.

 PLUS and I'm so excited to announce our AMAZINGLY talented guest designer 

Hannelie from desert diva

I'll be stunned if you haven't come across her blog as she enters

loads of challenges, is on loads of design teams and she produces

loads and loads of fantastic, CAS and elegant cards.

Do stop by and leave some love on her blog too!

Here's the link to our Sponsor, Happy Little Stampers

Our lucky winner receiving a $20 gift certificate to spend in the store.

I hope you feel inspired to play along and thanks as always for 

stopping by my blog today. Have a fun and crafty day!