Googly Eyes

I seem to have been really busy lately... doing a lot of not much it seems, but here is a quick card for the Googly Eyes challenge at AAA Cards.

I used the same stitched square from SSS for cutting both apertures as I like the width of them to be identical. I don't seem to be able to match any of my squares with any of my rectangles, so I just part cut the narrower one from both directions in order to reduce the size.

The sentiment is computer generated!

Use a stencil

Here is a card with a similar layout to the sketch from a couple of weeks ago at "Less is More". This time the challenge is to use a stencil. This super leaf stencil from Stamplorations was embossed with glossy black embossing paste and allowed to dry. After slicing it into two, the die-cuts from Memory Box were added plus a simple sentiment from Tattered Lace.

The joy of embossing a whole piece of card and then cutting it means that I have another piece to use on another creation! The leaves on this stencil are facing in both directions, so it doesn't matter which way up it is used.

Here I used a stencil from our sponsor Stamplorations and dusted some colour over it with a brush. When removed, I then stamped a few Stamploration butterflies in some of the gaps, then over stamped with the Stamploration sentiment stamp and added a Memory Box butterfly die-cut.

We have a new Designer at Less is More this week so do check it out... Esther has joined us so do pop over and give her a warm welcome!

Faux Bleach

The theme at Less is More this week is to use the Faux Bleach or Ghosting technique... also referred to as stamping with water.

If a layer of water reactive ink is used as a base, when water is added, some of the colour is removed, giving the appearance of bleaching.

To begin, I inked the vertical panel with blue and green Distress Inks using sponge daubers and allowed them to dry. I then stamped the flower stamp from Unity after spritzing it with water, drying the card with a heat gun, which seems to intensify the effect. I wanted to use this as a ghosting effect around the flowers, so  I stamped image again, using the deep green colour.

The sentiment is from Penny Black.

Here I used a stencil from Tim Holtz, over some sponged Distress Inks, applied fairly liberally with sponge daubers. The ink was spritzed with water and blotted then the stencil removed and heat dried. The bunch of roses is a file from Silhouette Studio cut with my Portrait. I think they match my stencil really well. I believe that the hello is a die cut from Winnie And Walter.

Splatters

The challenge at "Less is More" this week is for a one layer card with the theme of Splatters. We are really fortunate to have received some stencils and stamps from Shery at Stamplorations, (who is our sponsor this month) and all the DT have used the splatter stencil... which was made specially for us!!

We are really grateful to Shery for these!

I had a senior moment when I first began to work on this week's challenge and completely forgot the one layer part... what a plonker!

So this is my second attempt!

Here all the stamps and the stencil are from Stamplorations. I inked three shades of the latest Distress Ink colours through the stencil and then over-stamped with another splatter stamp in Versamark and clear embossed it, so that there are shiny blobs on blobs.

This was the card I made, forgetting that it was one layer week... it could easily have been a one layer design if I'd had my brain in gear!

We are saying goodbye to Anne from the DT at "Less is More" as she has decided to step down after over three years working with us, she will be missed! I must admit that being one of the LIM DT is quite an undertaking and we are really grateful for all her hard work.

You make me happy

I lost my dad when I was just 16 years old but one of my abiding memories of him was of him singing 'You are my sunshine' to me. It has been a favourite of mine in all the years since then!

The 'you make me' words are computer generated, the 'Happy' is a die from Mama Elephant and the sun from Lawn Fawn.

This is simplicity itself, but some how it pleases me!

CASology has the challenge Sunshine, so it's for that.

Thanks

This is Phil and me at the Gala Dinner of our Portsmouth Choral Union tour to Derbyshire, which was held at Chatsworth House. It was a truly memorable occasion and our thanks go to all those involved in making it such a success. Here we are enjoying champagne and canapes in the Painted Hall, prior to a sumptuous dinner. It was a fabulous evening towards the end of a super trip during which we sang evensong at Derby Cathedral and gave a concert at St Mary's Church in Nottingham.

Following that, here is a simple Thank you card, made with panels using the shaving foam technique, overlaid with a Cuttlebug die cut sentiment and a SSS butterfly.

It follows the sketch at CASe this Sketch

I am adding it to the challenge at HLS Anything goes with Dies challenge

Expectant Father

I haven't got around to making any Father's Day cards this year but this one is inspired by my son who falls into this category at the moment!

This is a simple, one layer, computer generated card using a digi image from Helen Laurence and using Caitlyn and Brubeck AH fonts. It's simply coloured with watercolour pencils blended with a water brush and with a little Wink of Stella added.

It's for the challenge at Paper Players

As you see it Challenge


Simon Says Stamp

FATHER’S DAY/FOR A GUY 

Challenging commission!

As a card maker I sometimes get asked to do some interesting commissions.

Here is a case in point. I have a friend who will be embarking on Cunard's Queen Victoria this week for a cruise to the Med to celebrate her husband's 65th Birthday.

She has suffered from Rheumatoid arthritis for many years and they have a bike, lovingly called Dotty, which they use for many excursions. It has a wheelchair-ish bit at the front for Gill and Rob sits behind and pedals.

She gave me this photo to work with!

I turned it into a pencil type drawing and then adjusted the light so that they didn't have black faces. 

The other things she wanted me to reference on the card were his love of  the double bass, singing and caravanning... quite a collection and it was somewhat of a puzzle to work out how they could be incorporated!

As the line drawing was very different in texture and style from the other images I had to work with, I decided to use this picture as my backdrop.

I created three opening doors behind which I added images of the things important to him... a double bass, our choir's logo and a caravan (rather an older version than the one they have, but I'm sure he won't mind)

The letters and numbers are cut with Cuttlebug Olivia dies and sadly I don't remember where I found the opener dies!

 For the inside of the card I found picture of the Queen Victoria, changed it to black and white and superimposed the sentiment over it!

I'm happy to say that my friend was delighted with my efforts and is looking forward to giving it to him this week!

It was fun to do!

Whaddya think?

A little purple

At Less is More this month we have a couple of fabulous sponsors... Dies to Die for and Stamplorations!

Shery at Stamplorations has been really generous in providing the DT with some yummy Stamplorations products. I have belonged to the Bi-monthly club for quite some time and so have accumulated quite a few stamps and stencils. Here I used a fab heart stencil, which I combined with embossing paste and and some Glamour Dust.

The purple card was made by smooshing some Distess Inks with Inka Gold Paste, which when dry I die cut with the butterfly from Memory Box and the sentiment from Craft Essentials Creative Dies.  The ivy die is a Signature Die from Joanna Sheen.

For this I used the faux bleach technique. I covered some card with distress inks using sponger daubers. Then I stamped with some Stamplorations stamps using just water, which reacts with the inks and removes some of the colour! The joy of this technique is that if you're not happy with the result, you can re-ink the card and then re-stamp with water.The butterfly is from Memory Box and the sentiment from Die'sire. I altered a Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle to fit the tab shape.

This week I have been on a tour with my choir in Derbyshire and Nottingham singing in churches in both venues.

Ghosting

This technique is known by a few different titles. Here it's an example of the Ghosting technique, but it's also known as the Faux Bleach technique.

To begin I inked a piece of card with Distress Inks using sponge daubers, making sure I had good coverage. I then stamped, just using water on the stamps,which as it reacts with Distress Inks, removes some of the colour!

To accentuate some of the shapes, I stamped again slightly off from the first stamping using the same distress inks.

The 'thank' part of the sentiment from Memory Box, is inlaid and then triple layered. The 'you' is from Simon Says Stamp.

This fun technique is the challenge this month at Happy Little Stampers.

This challenge is sponsored by

Tutorials:
Ghosting with Sprays by Dyan Reaveley (4:06)
Water Stamping by Shery Russ (4:05)

Versamark Resist (Ghosting) Technique by Seasons of Stamping (4:15)

I hope you'll have a join in the fun!