A little bit of retreat NBUS

Darnell has launched her latest NBUS Challenge and here is my first card for it.  As I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Darnell on her recent UK tour, at Southampton and again at retreat, I thought I'd use some of the NBUS that found it's way to my stash as a direct result of the retreat.  Neets, who is a long time blogging friend from my Less is More days had brought some We R Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folders which she kindly let me play with.  Of course, I had to get them :).  Embossing folder used on the kraft card blank.  Katzelkraft cat stamp is also NBUS, sentiment is computer generated.  I tore the front of my card, have seen something similar on Pinterest using this stamp.

My card is for the following challenges:
NBUS #7 -  NBUS
Simon Says - hip to be square
Addicted to CAS - silhouette

Return from a break...

I've had a break from papercrafting and from blogging for a few weeks.  I've been quilting, I've had a holiday and life has also got in the way.  However I am now gearing up to take part in Darnell's 7th NBUS Challenge and felt I needed to make a card to get my eye in.

So I got my much loved and used Crazy Birds and accessories out, added a SU sentiment and covered a few of my favourite challenges...  Balloons and hat masked, coloured with Copics and some Glossy Accents added the eyes.  Image trimmed to a square, edged with Copics and popped up onto a card.

Simon Says - hip to be square
CASology - fun - he has balloons, party hat.  Surely he should be having fun?!
CAS on Sunday - balloons

Row

I never have enough masculine cards in the stash, this was an attempt that I hope works, made with the CASology Row challenge in mind.  Vertical Greetings stamp from SU, Memento inks.  I'm also entering Simon Says - anything goes.

Two from new stash

 Today I've a couple of cards to show you, made with some goodies from the new Stampin Up release.  I really like the Seaside Shore set and here I've used it for this week's CAS(E) this Sketch layout.  Stamped in Memento Paris Dusk, with Glossy Accents added to the bubble trail.

Second card uses a stunning 6x6 paper pad of photographic style images called Serene Scenery.  I knew if I wasn't careful this would end up as 'too good to use' so I set to and made this simple card with half of a sheet.  Matted onto black and then gold mirri, this has a Botanical Blooms sentiment heat embossed and a die cut edging exposes more of the mirri card.  A few sequins add yet more gold.  The main card is cream hammered card, so the whole thing has a really warm, summer effect.  I'm entering this card for Simon Says Add some shimmer

"Less is More" Challenge #279 - colour

Another week has rushed past and it is time for our colour challenge week at "Less is More".  This week our colour is purple.  I've used the Sketched Tulips stamp from our generous sponsor for June, Stamplorations. I've masked and stamped twice, taking the image off the page of my one layer kraft card.  It's coloured with WH Smith cheapo pencils, which had a great range of purples!  Sentiment is Woodware, I added some white highlights to it, what do you think?
I'm enerting my card for:
Simon Says - mask it

Hydrangeas

Everything is growing like mad in the garden and I'm looking forward to my hydrangea flowering, one of the beautiful flowers of high summer.  In the meantime, I've used SU Petite Petals for a hydrangea, stamped in Memento ink, Summer Sky, Bahama Blue and Danube Blue.  They are framed with a Memory Box shaker frame and a few extras cut out and added.  Sentiment is Clarity.

I'm entering my card for:
Addicted to CAS - petals
CAS-ology - CAS
CAS Mix-Up - stamping and dies

"Less is More" Challenge #278 - sketch

This week at "Less is More" we have a fun sketch for your inspiration.  My first card is mostly diecut against a smooshed background.  I've used a SU Botanicals die to divide my card with a Memory Box birdhouse and a Little Clare sentiment. Cute house, isn't it.

I'm entering my card for Simon Says - anything goes

My second cards uses a super stencil that I bought at Portsmouth stamping show last year from Stamp Hut, unfortunately I've lost the packaging, can't remember who makes it.  My Distress Inked creepers were going to other way up, as weed, with a fish swimming through.  But I seem to have a lack of fish stamps so one of those stalwart Crazy Birds stepped in instead. He's Copic coloured then cut out (I don't have the dies to match) and the gold embossed sentiment is Whiff of Joy.

"Less is More" Challenge #277 - theme

 This week at "Less is More" our theme is things that go pop or bang.  Yikes!  For a while I couldn't think of anything at all that would fit the challenge but when the panic subsided I realised that, of course, there are balloons.  Then I remembered a favourite Acid Drops and What Not stamp with a gun...
Wendy's birthday was yesterday, she owned the Stamp Attic in Wantage for many years and she does love her coffee!  Computer generated sentiment, image coloured with Copics and some foliage gently stencilled in with SU Soft Sky.

My second card, using lightbulbs, again has a computer generated sentiment.  The Mama Elephant stamps use Wow platinum embossing powder with Memento black and dandelion inks.  There is a scattering of teeny sequins,  covering up ink smudges.  I have a Canon printer, with authentic Canon inks, but to my annoyance nothing that I print seems to "set" - including both these sentiment cards.  Does anyone have any suggestions for preventing this please?

"Less is More" Challenge #276 - one layer week

It is Saturday again and time for another "Less is More" challenge.  This week is one layer week and our theme is At Sea.  I've a very non-traditional colour scheme, opted for white on kraft.  This is a very old SU stamp, using Sepia Versafine.  Coloured with Inktense and a border doodled around with a Pigma pen.
I will add a sentiment when I use the card :)

A few challenges...

I love the strong colours from this week's CAS Colours and Sketches so I decided to make a card using them.  I followed the layout at CASE this sketch.  I used a Stamplorations stencil to put Mossy Meadow splatters on my panel and added a Memory Box diecut butterfly and Mama Elephant diecut and stamped sentiment.  I rounded corners on my panels and edged the large one with Mossy Meadow ink.
I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - stencil it
Incy Wincy - clean and simple
Crafty Cardmakers - things with wings

"Less is More" - Challenge #275 - Colour

Welcome to this week's "Less is More" Challenge.  This week our colour challenge is to use pastel colours.
I've slightly altered a sentiment that I saw on a commercial card that appealed to me.  The chairs are a Silhouette cut file, sentiment is computer generated using 'Problem Secretary' on kraft.

I would like to wish Anita, my DT friend, a very happy birthday!  I have made her a mostly diecut card for the day.  The leaves and frame are Poppy Stamps and the flowers and sentiment are Stampin Up.  Hope you have a wonderful day Anita x

"Less is More" Challenge #274 - Lucky Dip

This week at "Less is More" we have a fab theme of using patterned paper in a clean and simple style.  I apologise for only having one card to show you, with a not very good photo.  There is a reason...

My laptop took it into its head to install, unwanted, Windows 10.  That was annoying.  But then I discovered the Start button did not work and that this is a common problem.  There are fixes online, however none worked as it seemed not to have brought all the files across with it.  Eventually, with remote IT support (son at Uni) I have resolved it tonight and promptly reverted to Seven.  It has not been a happy experience and if I ever meet the person who thought it a good idea to put it on computers without first being invited I have a few harsh words for them!

So my card is pretty straightforward after all that computer angst...  A Memory Box DP from a Christmas pad some years back, with a SU diecut panel in front.  The flowers are also SU diecuts and the sentiment is stamped in Mint Macaron.

"Less is More" Challenge #273 - recipe

Welcome to St George's Day and to this week's "Less is More" Challenge, our recipe celebrates St George's Day with saints, dragons or heroes.  I will admit, I have been cursing this as an impossible theme lol!  But...  I Googled for a digi and came up with a brilliant, new-to-me site where I bought this adorable dragon.  He comes from a lady called Sandy Allnock and when I got him he also came with colouring suggestions and combinations for Copics.  For my $5 I got two gorgeous digis, plus a pdf document giving ideas for shading in greens.  There are lots more colour tutorials and I can see a few more of them finding their way into my downloads soon!  BTW I didn't have quite the same greens as Sandy used, so imperfections in the colours are mine not hers :).  No affiliation to Sandy or her site, just a happy customer.

So this little chap is coloured in greens, with Glossy Accents on his eyes.  The Inkylicious sentiment is inked with Versafine Olympia Green and I've rounded off the corners.  Cute, isn't he?  And I would never have met him without the impossible theme...

Of course then I had to colour up the hatching dragon egg that was part of the tutorial , my choice of colours this time.  The sentiment is Clarity and I have offset the panel which was edged with one of the Copics I used.

 And, just in time, I realised that I do actually have a Saint stamp, in fact I have several, and  dies too!  Of course, I'm talking about St Nicholas, Sinter Klaas, Santa Claus...  I've white embossed a Butterfly Kisses stamp onto red card.  The glasses have Glossy Accents on them and I've added a couple of clear gems and some twine, with the panel popped up on sticky dots.

 I hope I've inspired you to join in, looking forward to seeing your CAS cards :)

"Less is More" Challenge #272 - theme

Welcome to this week's "Less is More" Challenge.  This week our theme is to use three stamps - no more and no less lol!  I opted to use three Card-Io stamps, two foliage and a lily.  I've taken a picture of them so you can see them clearly as I've over stamped them several times.

I started out masking off a circle and lightly brushed Shaded Lilac across the rest of the card.  Then I began to stamp foliage around the circle,  I used SU Mint Macaron and Versafine Olympia Green for the leaves and DI Worn Lipstick for the flowers.  The Lawn Fawn sentiment was diecut from a scrap inked up with Worn Lipstick.  I added some Cotton Candy Stickles to the flowers and adged the panel with more of the Lilac.

I'm entering my card for:
CASology - Pink
CAS on Sunday - flowers

Dotty Dog

I have a card to show you that I made by request.  I was given a photo of a tri-colour terrier and asked to make a card for its owner!  I found some digis from Printable Heaven that I bought years ago, I think this is a drawing by Cecil Aldin.  Coloured the digi with Copics, matted it and added it to some polka dot paper with a die cut dotty border.  The sentiment is Craftwork Cards.
I'm entering my card for Simon Says - let's do the polka

"Less is More" - Week #271 - One layer week

Here we are at one layer week for "Less is More" and I admit that I have two versions of this card - one layer and, umm, not!  Guess who didn't read the details properly...

The them is Geometric Pattern and I have used an Inky Doodles stencil for my pattern, with Twisted Citrus, Mustard Seed and Ripe Persimmon inked through it.  I've overstamped with some Unity flowers and coloured them with the same Distress Inks.  The sentiments are Stampin Up, using the same inks again.

"Less is More" - Challenge #270 - Colour

Welcome to this week's "Less is More" Challenge.  Our colour challenge this time is to use anything other than white for the "white space" on your card.

I have opted for black space and used Stampin' Up dies and stamps.  I've gold embossed the card centres and added a Simon Says gold embossed sentiment.  I love these flowers against a black background, it reminds me of canal boats and their decoration.

"Less is More" - Challenge #269 - Recipe

 

Welcome to this week's "Less is More" Challenge.  This week we have a recipe challenge, to use polka dots.  I love dots and really enjoyed making a few cards for this one, hope you will too.  First card showcases diecutting and I've used Memory Box dies.  It is hard to see in the photo, but I have embossed a Simon Says stitched hillside die onto my card base and the trees are all grounded on this.  The sentiment is Winnie & Walter.

 My second card has paper piecing, the umbrella is pieced from Pink Petticoat digital paper in Raspberry Coulis.  The image and sentiment are both by Unity, her dress also has dots on.  When I'd finished this it just looked a bit too stark, so I used a Stampin Up die to edge the tent folded card and added a strip of the dotty paper underneath.
I'm entering this card for:
Simon Says - come rain or shine
CAS-ology - weather

My final card was made for a young pianist's birthday and  the dots are on the ribbon.  Embossed notes sit behind a Memory Box Grand Happy Birthday die and the piano was cut using my Silhouette.
I'm entering this card for Cute Card Thursday - To die for

Happy Easter to everyone and enjoy a bit of dottiness :).

"Less is More" Challenge #268 - Theme

Welcome to this week's "Less is More" challenge.  This week our them is:  What's outside your window?  Now you may be looking at my card and thinking what on earth has this duckling with attitude got to do with this?

OK...  bear with me:).   I moved house just over a year ago and now I have a largeish front garden on a cul de sac close to the river.  The other morning I came down to make a cuppa, as it was getting light, without my contacts in.  There was something moving around on the lawn - in fact several somethings - I had been invaded by ducks!   I've used a bit of artistic licence, there were no ducklings, just adults ducks and drakes but I hope to see some youngsters soon now it is spring.

My Copic coloured stamp is by Impression Obsession, the sentiment is Joanna Sheen.  I've masked him and inked some Peeled Paint through a Clarity stencil to ground him.

I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - cute and cuddly
Brown Sugar - spring
CCE Stampers - poultry day
Creative Knockouts - spring is on the way

Star

I'm sneaking in a second card that follows CAS Colours & Sketches layout.  As a quilter I couldn't resist the WPlus9 dies, this card is for a quilting friend who is currently fighting cancer.   I cut it from my white panel and again from gold.  Coloured the star with Copics and assembled it all as an inlaid diecut.  The embossed sentiment is Clarity.  My card looked a little stark so I added a few tiny gold sequins.  Usually they are a cover up for a smudge but this time the card needed them :).

I'm also entering:
Fresh Brewed Challenges - anything goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - dies and/or punches