Happy Christmas

The recipe at Less is More this week is Drinks!

I don't knoe where we got some of these titles from, but they sure can make us think!

Here are some that I came up with.

This is an image from the SU Cheers to you set, gently coloured and twinkled with Glamour dust then framed by an asymmetric cut-out layer.

More Stampin' Up here, details are on the LIM blog!

The liquid in these was coloured with a Sakura Clear Star Gel pen!

The one on the left has some very wayward stitching on it... I took the corners on two wheels I think! I must practise sewing on card! The stamp is a rather large Art Impression stamp, heat embossed in silver!

Details of the one on the right are also on the LIM blog.

Here's a fun one using one of my favourite chicken stamps from Penny Black. These girls look as though they know how to party!

Finally another SU stamp from the Studio Sketches retired set. Memory Box trellis and a Martha Stewart Border punch.

This year is the first year that I can remember when I won't have to cook the Christmas lunch. We've been invited to our son's MIL to have lunch with them in Worthing. I'm really looking forward to it!

 Our grandkids will be arriving on Boxing Day... should be fun!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my 39th Wedding Anniversary, 

what  better theme to have at Less is More than just that!

Without further ado here are some of my Anniversary cards that I have made recently.

This was made for a friend at my choir who is a year ahead of us in the Anniversary stakes. He wanted a simple card for his wife... I wanted to get the ruby colour into it as he didn't have it mentioned in the sentiment.

The image is by Unity stamps and the border punch is by Martha Stewart.

This is for friends who will celebrate their Anniversary on Monday. Details are on the LIM blog.

Lots of Stampin' Up Hearts here, all heat embossed in silver, I think there are a few stray one too in fact. A Cuttlebug embossing folder adds a little interest to the panel, the border is edged with a Fiskars punch and a ribbon completes the picture. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up too!

Here's the card for my husband... we've had a couple of cats during our 39 years of marriage and we both have a soft spot for them!

I'm afraid tha tyou can't see the embossing on the image panel very clearly on this one, but it's a few leaves just emerging from the edge.

The colour mix I use for the gold computer printing is R170 G140 B29 This mix works really well with my printer which is a Lexmark X4650.

We're singing in a carol concert this evening, a carol service at our local church tomorrow, another concert  on Wednesday on the Isle of Wight and then I think we'll be done for another year!

I've been handy with a power tool!

This is the 'new' corner of my craft room!

I have removed the bed and put up the shelves you see here, they were even still level after I had finished with my pencil and spirit level, to say nothing of my electric drill... what a miracle! Yesterday I went to Ikea and bought the desk units you see and spent the afternoon assembling them. The second set of drawers was accomplished slightly more quickly than the first! Now I need to get another daylight lamp. I just have rather a lot or re-organising to do now, plus a general throwing away of rubbish!

On to this week's cards for Less is More. This week is One Layer Week with the title 'In a Row'.

Here are my cards

... a row of trees

...and a row of snowflakes

... and a row of houses.

I did try bleaching a row of sheep on black paper, but it wasn't too successful, I rather messed up the background...never mind, I may try it again.

Later today I shall put up the Christmas tree and start to prepare tomorrow's lunch for about a dozen people. We will be singing carols at a Victorian farm (It's Manor Farm, if any of you have been watching the Wartime Farm) at their Christmas Market. I have been taking a group of singers there each year for over 20 years. I always feed the hungry carollers when we've finished. It's great fun!

I hope everyone's preparations are going well!

Not long 'til the big day now!

Colour Week at LIM

For the colours this week at "Less is More", we have chosen something really seasonal, namely Red & Green.

In fact the card which I posted yesterday, which was my final contribution as Guest Designer for Lili of the Valley would fit into this category too, scroll down if you'd like to take a peek at that one, I kinda liked the way it turned out!

But onto my samples for this week!

                                                                                                    

I couldn't decide which I preferred of these two incarnations. It's a bit like 'Spot the difference' isn;t it! 

This one was inspired by a LIM submission by Jenny last week, she added 'all the way', but I simply used the bells to complete the phrase! 

This uses a free border embossing folder from a magazine and some Sizzix die cut letters. The holly leaves are from an X Cut punch.

Thanks for the inspiration Jenny!

I love this little Tim Holtz stamp. I coloured it with a couple of shades of green SU Marker pens, plus the deep red for the berries. It's stamped on the reverse side of some scrap of the hammered card I cut the card blank from. I really like the difference in texture and it makes for a clearer image to use the flat side of the card. Surrounded by a larger embossed square and popped onto dimensional pads, I like the way it stands out.

It's a bit scary that it's now December... I haven't made all my Chrimbo cards yet... I'd better get my skates on!