Homespun

Time seems to have been moving on apace and Christmas will soon be upon us. 

At Less is More the challenge is to run for two weeks and the theme this time is Homespun.

I love primitive art and some of the early American images are simply fabulous. I tend to think of samplers and gingham, lots of red and white and kraft too possibly. Here are a couple of cards which I managed to squeeze in time to make this week.

This is a Stampin' Up cross stitch heart, cut with a stitched square die and mounted on a little polka dot paper, framed by yet another stitched square.

A Little Claire image, partly paper pieced and partially coloured with alcohol pens. The sentiment is computer generated.

These Day for Daisies chickens are the cutest and make me think of primitive folksy art. Here her pinny is paper pieced and once more the sentiment is computer generated.

Finally a card for someone just embarking on cancer treatment. Once more a simple image, simply presented. This is another Day for Daisies image again combined with a computer generated sentiment!

  I have spent the last couple of days looking after my grandchildren and tonight I have a performance of Messiah with my choir! 

If I don't manage to post any more of my makes before the big day, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

One Layer time again!

Time for another ONE LAYER card at Less is More and this time the theme is 

What's in my stocking!

The mind boggles!

This dear little image is from A Day for Daisies.

What a cute bear. It has been gently coloured and twinkled, with a little Flower Soft for the top of the stocking. The sentiment which reads 'All I want for Christmas... is you' was computer generated in Sunshine Poppy font.

Another digi image here from a downloadable colouring page. Coloured with alcohol pens and once more with a computer generated sentiment. He looks snug!

Christmas is creeping up faster than I'm coping with at the moment but hopefully the world won't stop whether all the things I wanted to do get done or not!

I hope your preparations are going well!

Star

Happy Little Stampers Challenge this time is to use Stars.

Here I used Hobby Art's bear again, (I think he's such a cutie) he has been gently shaded and twinkled and then accompanied by some Memory Box Stars and die-cut sentiments form Tattered Lace and  Simon Says Stamp.

The black backdrop has been embossed with the snowy EF from Sheena Douglass.

Today I managed to put up the Christmas Tree. It has been used every year since 1976, so this is its 39th Christmas... not bad going huh!

 

We have decorations from all over the world, which we buy when we are on holiday, it reminds of the places we've been. There are flip flops from Hawaii hanging near to snowshoes from Quebec city, a cotton flower angel from Atlanta and a violin from Vienna from amongst lots of other lovely memories!

Blue and Green

For our colour challenge at "Less is More this week", we have chosen blue and green.

This week has been a busy one but I just about managed to get a few cards made.

Here is a baby card using some elephants from a Martha Stewart punch. I haven't used a punch for a long time but this one is a really sweet little image. I cut a panel for the front of the card cutting out the three squares and then embossing it with a Stampin' Up folder.  This one always reminds me of a baby blanket.  The welcome is from Paper Smooches and is triple layered.

This delicate wreath is from Penny Black, stamped in Green and clear embossed, with the flowers coloured with a Promarker. A few iridescent, mixed sequins were randomly added around the circle. The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley.

Here's a little Hobby Art stamp coloured with alcohol pens and twinkled with Glamour Dust.The sentiment is from Happy Little Stampers. This is for Just Us Girls ~Merry~ challenge.

I have had quite a few commission cards to do this week and also with various trips out looking for Christmas presents, the time has just flown. However I did have time to make a card for my grandson. Apparently he chose a tree decoration from the Christmas market in Bath of a polar bear with antlers, so I thought I'd make a card for him of something similar!

I just bought this Hobby Art stamp of a strolling bear and looked for some antlers on the web. Having found these, I reduced the size, and printed them and then stamped the bear so that he was 'wearing' them. I think he looks quite cool. The name is from Memory Box letters and the Ho Ho Ho is from a pack of Dovecrafts wooden sentiments.

The background EF is from Sheena Douglass and the snowflakes from All Occasion Dies.

It's for the SNOWFLAKES challenge at CASual Fridays

Favourite technique

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge 

this month is to use your favourite technique

This was a difficult choice for me as I love doing so many different techniques, but one which always gives me pleasure is Emboss Resist!

Here I coloured the Penny Black Stamp using Distress re-inkers and a paint brush. After stamping I embossed the image with clear embossing powder, then masked off a horizontal strip encompassing part of the image, using Post It notes. This area was then gently inked, again using Distress Inks this time applied with sponge daubers. Some grunge dots were stamped and the sentiment added, which was also clear embossed.

This challenge is sponsored by

Winner will receive this stamp set

Feeling Fruity

The challenge at Less is More this week is to include fruit on a card.
Here is a Penny Black image coloured with alcohol pens and cut out!
The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp (sending) and Tattered Lace (Love)

Art Impressions stamp and computer generated sentiment!

The fruit is the olive!

This is a Stampin' Up pear, gold embossed and coloured with Distress Inks and accompanied by a sentiment from WPlus9. Sadly the colours look a little odd here, i had to use my daylight lamp to try to take a pic as it was so dull!

Today we will be doing a workshop day on the Messiah with our choir... I think we may be rather surprised by  some of the things  we get to do... some dance was muted!!!

Busy, Busy!

This week has somehow passed me by and I seem to have got little done in my craft room, however here is a little card for a few challenges made with my new Hero Arts Elf set of stamps plus a die for cutting the images out. The sentiment is from LOTV and the snowy EF backdrop from Sheena Douglass. The snowflakes are from All Occasion dies.

Time OUT - Snowflakes are Winter's butterflies

AAA - Anything Goes

CAS on Sunday - Christmas Card

Casual Fridays  - Precious Metals

Numbers

The challenge at Less is More this week has the theme 

NUMBERS

I have only had time for a couple this week as I had to pop down to Bath to look after my grandchildren briefly whilst my daughter had some minor surgery. I'm happy to report that all is well and she is recovering well. She had a rather enormous stone in a salivary gland which had to be removed!

Here I used a number background stamp from Kaisercraft, which I stamped and clear embossed before inking with 3 shades of Distress ink. The sentiment, a die cut  from Winnie and Walter is triple layered and mounted over a stitched tag die.

This is a card for my brother who will be 80 next week.. I can't believe it really, I don't know how we got to be so old! (He is 10 years older than I am mind) He's a real DIY freak hence the reason for all the die cuts! I pieced most of the items with a mix of white, silver and woodgrain card.

We have a concert with our choir this evening, which should be good fun and tomorrow we'll be out to lunch to celebrate our son's MIL's birthday! 

Have a good week everyone!

White Christmas

Here is a card made from the photo inspiration at Addicted to Stamps

I almost added a snowflake embossed backdrop but I know that die cuts don't stick so well on a bumpy surface, so discretion dictated that it was left plain! I think that the die cut panel adds just a little interest!

Yesterday we had a lovely lunch with our son and daughter-in-law in a country pub at Burpham. It's dog friendly and Minnie was very well behaved! Her she is looking pleased with herself having sat beautifully under the table whilst we ate our meal! Her lead was attached to my son's ankle I hasten to add!

One Layer time at "Less is More"

The one layer challenge at Less is More this week has the theme of SANTA!

I took a little liberty and used an image of a duck dressed up as Santa!

I think he looks really cool!

He's coloured with Distress Inks which don't show through on the inside of the card as alcohol pens do!

The sentiment is computer generated  and made me smile.... it reads... What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck?   ...A Christmas Quacker!

I've had this stamp for many years and once more it's coloured with Distress inks.The sentiment is one from four sets I bought at half price in the Craft Fair in Portsmouth a few weeks ago! I thought this Santa looked rather jolly!

Remember

The challenge at the Male Room this time is Remembrance or Sympathy.

For this card I used Clearly Besotted's beautiful poppy stamps. I love the way the colours can be built up with these stamps.

The sentiment is from a tiny set of Memory Box letters.

It's also for the challenge at Simon Says Stamp... Thinking of You!

A few cards

It seems a while since I had a session in my craft room and here are a few cards which emerged this morning!

This first one follows the sketch from CASe this sketch and is a fairly literal take. I used some background card made with the squished flower technique. It's amazing how a piece of random uninspiring colours can look when die cut to apply to a card. Here I spritzed with a little Cosmic Shimmer in Champagne over the top.

The next one is for the challenge at Addicted to CAS where the challenge is

I simply downloaded a colouring page of Spiderman and used Mirage pens to colour him, then cut him out and followed with a coat of Glossy Accents. The sentiment is computer generated.

 

This LOTV image is for the challenge at CASology where the theme is

 The sled may be pushing the connection a little but it is conveying the bear and his pal!

Colour challenge time!

At "Less is More" this week the colour challenge is Fire!

I've had some fun with Inka Gold Pastes and Distress Inks.

I seem to be on a bit of a die cutting trip this week. Here I used a Memory Box bauble with a Walter and Winnie Sentiment. This is also for the challenge at CASual Fridays... metallic and Merry Monday Red and gold Christmas card

This is my new Winnie and Walter 'Love' word with part of a Penny Black 'thank you' and a little rabbit from Impression Obsession.

I shall be linking this to the Addicted to Stamps  Clean and Simple challenge!

Here is another in similar vein with another Winnie and Walter word plus a pair of  All Occasions butterfly dies. The embossing folder is from Cuttlebug.

I had a few other rather abortive attempts at fiery coloured cards, but the photography of them is a little worse than the cards themselves!

More die cutting here this time with leaves from Impression Obsession and a Memory Box tree.

It's also for the Fall Challenge at Dies R Us

After being away last week, it's taking me some time to catch up on last week's commenting... but I'll get there.

HLS CAS November Challenge - Gilding

The challenge at Happy Little Stampers CAS this time is 

GILDING

For my example, I stamped the HLS butterfly (I love this one) in Versamark and added WOW Bonding powder. I melted this by heating from underneath and when tacky added Gilding Flakes, pressing them down firmly and then burnishing with a smoochy pad. I don't really know what the pad is called but it's a bit like a nylon pan scrub.

The sentiment is from a die from Penny Black.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CARDS ARE CAS.

THANK YOU!

DEFINITION:

gild·ing

ˈɡildiNG/

noun

1. the process of applying gold leaf or gold paint.

   • the material used in, or the surface produced by applying gold leaf or gold paint.

Suggestions:  use gold on all or part of a card base or embellishment (gold embossing powder, gold metallic pen, gold paint, gold mica powders, Inka gold wax paste, liquid gold pearls, gold shimmer mist, gilding flakes)

This card was made using the remainder of the gilded card, with the addition of the die-cut sentiment.

There are so many different ways of achieving a gilded effect so do check out the other DT members for lots of ideas and inspiration and join in the fun!

Lucky Dip Week at Less is More

Whenever there is a five Saturday month, we have a Lucky Dip week with a Guest Designer at "Less is More". 

This is one of those weeks and we have Val from Canonbury Creations as our Guest this month, so do head over and join us!!

The challenge is Paper Piecing.

The stamps are from Wplus9 and the elephant was simply paper-pieced using a piece of gingham DP. The panel was die-cut with Simon Says Stamp stitched dies.
Sadly this is my only contribution this week as I have just returned from Disneyland Paris with my grandchildren, where we stayed at the Dream Castle Hotel. So here are a few pictures by way of excuse!

 

My little Prince and Princess

Enjoying a cuppa!

My daughter and grandchildren on a lovely day in Disneyland!

Here is granny, having just had a vanilla ice-cream (picture taken by Sebby Aged 4).  He thought I chose vanilla because it was the same colour as my hair!