Lilly of the Valley wedding card

I thought I would share with you a card I made today for my friend.  She is a card maker too but is so busy working she asked me to do one for her.  That is quite a challenge because she makes the most terrific cards so I knew I had to come up with something good.  Another friend was round today and she patiently sat and helped me cut things out and put peel off on.  It was really helpful to have someone else to sound out the decisions on.  Two heads are better than one eh!

 Another good old Bookatrix design.  They do suit this type of card well.

Card: Foiled design bought years ago,light weight  Mirrri card and silver glitter paper.

Ribbon from a mixed bag bought at a show.

Ribbon roses from stash.

Silver peels offs from Glitter Girls, letters from stash

Stamp: Funstamps

Flowers: Wild Orchid 

Image: Lilly of the Valley Cute Squares, Wedding.

Thanks for looking

Less is More Challenge week 21

The Challenge that Chrissie and Mandy have set this week is a sketch 

There was so much scope with this that I didn't know where to start, every time I looked someone else had had the same idea... even using the same stamps, haha, great minds think alike.  Do you think Mandy and Chrissie are cloning us? Well I finally had another idea and have purposely not looked  before I post it just in case someone else has done it.

 This is a technique I learned at a Stamping Up party I went to last Friday. It is called Inlaid Embossing. Very simple to do but extremely effective. Stamp an image onto coloured paper, cut it out and glue it onto some card, then using a really intense patterned embossing folder run it though your die cut machine.  It gives the appearance of a textured painting, making the images part of the background. I can think of lots to do with this, so for the challenge I used some flower and leaf stamps and the busiest embossing folder I had. Cut it into a strip and matted onto the same paper.  Scored a line each side and stamped a sentiment underneath.

Materials are all from stash, the stamps I have had for quite some time and no longer have the wrapper to tell me where they came from. Thanks for looking.

Less is More Challenge Week 20

The challenge that Chrissie and Mandy has set for this week is Monogram I just happened to have an anniversary card to do this week so I decided to combine the two together as I it is another busy week . I have used a deckle edge hammered card that I had in my box for ages, stamped the two initials on with Versafine ... on reflection I wish I had used Momento because it has bled a bit, even though I left it overnight to dry. I then coloured the initials with Pro Markers and put glitter on the hearts and circles.  On my test piece ... I usually experiment on some odd scrap to try out the colours  first... I first used Distress Stickles in Antique Linen, the colour matched really good but I was disappointed that the glitter didn't show up hardly at all so I changed it for an Art Glitter which was not such a good colour but, hey ho it will do.

Initial stamps: came from Create and Craft TV a couple of years ago, I think they still do them now.

Sentiment Stamp: is from Papermania Anniversary Sentiments.  

Thanks for looking and leaving comments they are all read and greatly appreciated. 

Less is More Challenge week 19

The challenge over at Less is More this week is In The Frame. I did not think I was going to find the time to get an entry in because things have been quite busy here since the weekend.  I have been going out every day to look after someone who is very ill and tonight I just had to have a nap after tea... you know how one does .. instead of a few mins shut eye it turned out to be a couple of hours .  Well hey ho thats life :)  I was determined not to cop out so have managed this little quicky so to speak,  LIM is teaching me it doesn't have to have  the kitchen sink on it...it is so freeing.

This is a Hero Arts Cling stamp I bought at last years Newbury show.  It is a really useful stamp to have, I have used it several different ways but tonight with time being of the essence, I just coloured it with my water-brush pens and huffed a lot on it before stamping straight onto my card.  I then used a nearly dry paintbrush to fill the leaves and a little bit of the flower. Not a great effort I know compared to such wonderful entries ...each week the game is lifted and it will soon be hard to keep up with so much talent.. but this just goes to show one does not have to take a lot of time to make someone a personal little card to let them know you have been thinking of them. Thanks for looking and hope you have a good week.

Card: Anita's 

Stamp: Hero Arts

Water pens: Papermainia and Marvy le Plume.

CES Challenge

I have entered this in the CES Challenge run by Crafty Emmas Store.  Rule for this week is, just CAS, so thought I should be able to manage that... can't do complicated - Chrissie and Mandy over at the LIM challenge have got me hooked onto this type of card at the moment so when I saw this challenge I  already had made a card yesterday that would fit it.  Two challenges in a week now and I've only been entering challenges for a month.  I was told by several LIMettes that it was addictive and they were right.

On my blog hopping I saw a tutorial on Lisa's blog and thought I would try it out. Then thought I don't have to punch out both sides I could use my deep edge Martha Stewart punch, which worked well - as it should -  I had a set of Marianne Design flower stamps  that I had not yet used, so they came out and were inked up, after cutting the flowers out I used crystal clear embossing powder on them to stiffen the paper up a bit.  This is the result. Thanks for looking.

Card: slightly shiny white from stash

Paper: K&Co 6 x 6 pad 

Sentiment: Don't have the wrapper any more but it could be

 a Hobby Art set or a Hero Art set 

called something like Jane's handwritten sentiments. 

Less is More Challenge Week 18 second entry

Wow yippee I have managed another card for the LIM challenge, going well so far this week.  Wonder how many more I can do!!! hehe.  Fairy quick and easy again - she says, apart from the time taken to  make decision on what ribbon to use and what sentiment to put on it. Finally settled to a black patterned organza that I have been saving for about three years. You know how it is, can't just use it as may not be able to get it again, so  must be saved for something special.  Now I have been crafting for six years I am finally starting to wean myself off of this habit and get on and use it while still new.  Then I can buy some more :)

I stamped with black Stazon and used black enamel accents by Inkessentials to highlight the little dots and Tim Holtz distress ink black soot with a water brush to fill in the leaves and a bit of detail. Tied a ribbon round the card and mounted the sentiment on a black scalloped oval. Thanks for looking.

Card: Craftwork Cards Elegant on the edge

Stamp: Penny Black Flying Stars 3636K

Sentiment: Craftwork Cards Tiny sentiments

Ribbon from stash

Less is More Challenge Week 18

The challenge this week is Monochrome, All shades of the same colour or black and white...such a large scope to play with I hardly new where to start. I just knew it had to be quick as I am still busy with my bookwork.  What immediately came to mind was a shadow technique that I learned some years ago using funky foam to make your own stamps. Cut a shape out of funky foam... you can use a punch or just cut them out with scissors ... I have used deckle scissors on these and stick it onto Easy Mount,  the stuff used on unmounted rubber stamps to make them cling to acrylic blocks,  then ink up and stamp away. I still have the stamps I made ages ago and use them often as I like this technique.

The first one I have used squares and rectangles in a patchwork effect to colour the corner of the card then stamped over it with a selection of stamps to give a random look using the same ink to stamp the sentiment.

Card: Craftwork Cards blank

Ink: Distress ink Dusty Concord

Stamps: swirl dots and flowers from Butterfly Kisses, 

sentiment had so long I cant remember where I got it from.

The second card I stamped all over but have only inked up the edges of the stamp to give a quilted effect.  Stamped the image and used a water brush to pull in some colour on the leaves and bird and give some water for the bird to stand in.

Card: plain card from stash

Ink: Distress ink Wild Honey

Stamps: Bird is from Hobby Art Crane QT1039 LD

Sentiment: I have not kept the wrapper so not sure where it came from 

Thanks for looking