Stars to celebrate too ...

A quick post with a second card.  This time layers, textures, inks as well as die cuts! Still clean and simple with lots of white space but not one layer - the idea and layout is the same as the earlier card I posted here.

This time I started with a piece of water colour card which I blended with distress inks and then spritzed with water.  Once dry I stamped over the top, with the same inks, using the Gorgeous Grunge set to create some texture.  I then used a star mask and some clear texture paste to add some shine but like clear embossing it is difficult to see in photographs. I used the stars mask and some texture paste coloured with distress inks to add a layer of stars in the background.

This is the card:

Too late to photograph in the sunshine!

I should have taken this photograph before die cutting the stars!
You can see the detail created by the stamps.

I'm entering this in the "Less is More" challenge.

I used:

Golden Gel Light Molding Paste
Cosmic Shimmer Texture Paste, Clear
Distress Inks - Peacock Feathers, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean
Stampin Up - Not Quite Navy INk
Stampin Up - Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set,  Stars decorative mask
Clearly Besotted - Many Messages Stamp Set
Sizzix Framelits - Star dies

Enjoy!

Stars to Celebrate ...

Good afternoon, the sun's shining, the leaves are falling and it's not raining!!   A beautiful Autumn day in the UK (at least in the South of England!)

After completing the weekly ironing I've been crafting!  

My first post is all about "Less is More" they are celebrating their 200th challenge - congratulations to Chrissie and the design team.  This is one of the first challenges that I entered and this year I have tried to enter each week (so far, so good!).  To celebrate the them is "Celebration".  I decided to design a card as a tribute to a regular criteria on the blog - the One Layer Card.  I've grown to love the challenge of creating one layer cards - the results are not always great but they always involve a lot of thinking!

This is it:

The complete star has clear Wink of Stella for sparkle -
it doesn't show in the photograph

I used:

Distress Inks - tumbled glass, peacock feathers, salty ocean.

Stampin Up - Not Quite Navy ink

Stampin Up - Gorgeous grunge stamp set.

Clearly Besotted - Many Messages stamp set

The layout is based on the sketch challenge at STAMPlorations

I'm also going to enter the challenge at Addicted to CAS where the code word is Dots.

Enjoy!

Jingle all the way ...

This is the theme for this week's challenge at "Less is More" and it includes anything Christmassy!  Seems like another opportunity to add to the Christmas card stash.

I had some card already coloured with distress inks and embossed using a stencil and clear embossing paste, I used this to die cut a couple of baubles, I also die cut extra baubles in Bermuda Bay card and by layering these up I was able to give some body to the decorations.  I used the same technique with the 'Happy' sentiment and stamped and embossed 'Christmas'.

I'm going to enter the following challenges:

"Less is More" - Anything Christmassy

Inkspirational  


TIME OUT challenges - Embossing with the optional twist of sparkle

Enjoy!

Happy Snowflakes ...

I started crafting this morning at 6am!  I should have been getting ready for work but I just needed to complete a card.  I was inspired by a birthday card Sandie (a great card creator and blogger) had shown on her blog London Days.  I thought it might convert into a Christmas card, so not wanting the idea to disappear out of my cluttered brain I decided to make a start before heading off to work.

This is my take on the layout:

It looks a lot better in real life - I need to do something about inside lighting for my photographs!

I'm going to enter the card into the following challenges:

Uniko Studio Challenge 16 - Anything Goes

TIME OUT Challenges 19 - Embossing with the optional twist of sparkle

I used:

Stampin Up Inks - Bermuda Bay and Not Quite Navy
Distress Ink - Salty Ocean
Personal Impressions - Silver Dollar Embossing Powder
Uniko Studio - Stunning Snowfalkes
XCut - Christmas Sentiment Dies

Enjoy!

More Trees ...

This week seems to be disappearing at super speed.  I had hoped to spend most evenings creating Christmas cards otherwise I'm just not going to have enough to send - there could be some late nights coming up!!

Tonight's card is a second one for the challenge at "Less is More" with the theme of more than one tree.

I created the tag from some card stock and then using some molding paste I embossed through a snowflake stencil to create the textured background. Cut and embossed two triangles to create the stylised trees and coloured using some distress inks. The 'Happy' sentiment was die cut out of white, light blue and navy blue card to give a more solid look. Here is the finished card:

Artificial lighting does not enhance my photographs!!!

Enjoy!

Christmas trees ...

Whizzing in for a quick post this evening ... my sewing machine is still out, so card crafting is taking a lower priority at the moment!!  I was also in Lincolnshire visiting family (and craft shopping) at the weekend so no time for crafting.

Tonight's card is in response to this week's challenge at "Less is More" where the theme is 'More than one tree'.  It is rather ironic as the card I created for the challenge last week involved more than one tree!  This seems to happen quite often to me -  I make a card one week and then it fits the theme the next week and I really have to think hard about another design!! 

So here is my card with two trees!

Enjoy!

Circles but not quite round...

I've managed to create a couple of cards this afternoon - same design, similar techniques just different colours.

The first one was created with the monthly challenge at STAMPlorations in mind where the theme is Stamps and Layers.  Although I like the idea I'm not happy with the execution of it as the overall shape is not really wreath like - I even drew a circle to work around!

I used:

STAMPlorations Joyful Stamp Set
Penny Black Wonder Collection
Stampin Up Inks Mossy Meadow and Riding Hood Red

I then started again and still managed to create a wreath that is not quite round! I wonder if I need new glasses!!  This time I've added silver embossing  as a metal element as this is the theme for the November challenge over at Virginia's View Challenge - I'm not sure whether this is enough metal but I thought I would give it a go.

For this one I used:

Penny Black Wonder Collection
Personal Impressions Silver Dollar Embossing Powder
Versafine Onyx Black.

Unfortunately the silver doesn't shine so much in the photograph.

Enjoy!

Starry night ...

Well it has been a very slow week for card crafting - no ideas, no energy and very little time! Also not helped by the fact that I've had my sewing machine out!  I had an idea to make some cushions for my stall at a couple of upcoming craft fairs - once I start sewing I just can't stop!

Back to card making business - today's effort has taken me three attempts before I was reasonably happy.  It is One Layer week at "Less is More" with the theme of Starry, Starry Night.  My card involves masking, stamping and embossing!

Enjoy!

Purple Christmas ...

Good afternoon!  If you've visited my blog recently you have seen the Christmas cards that I have been making in colours other than traditional red and green.  Well just when I thought I would try some in traditional colours the wonderful designers over at "Less is More" decided that this weeks challenge would be to create a Christmas card NOT using red or green!!! So this is my contribution to my growing stash of Christmas cards.

A simple design, I think I might make a view more of this design in different colours and maybe a little more embossing.

I used:

Uniko Studio - Stunning Snowflakes
Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac
Memento Ink - Grape Jelly

I'm also going to enter the challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is Clean and Simple.

Enjoy!