Sunshine and Sand

For once I have got my challenge card for Less is More done without leaving it to the last minute!  This week's challenge is Sand and I've reached for a much-loved retired Stampin' Up set for the image and the sentiment.  It's a lovely summer day today and I think this image fits just fine.  Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine :)
My card is also for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Jellypark - celebrate summer

Happy Birthday Jen

 
I'm entering this week's Less is More Challenge just in time.  Having spent days thinking about Jen's cardmaking style, little blue butterflies and other assorted ideas I have used Pan Pastels and JOFY stamps, which are exquisite.  Can you see the flower names added to the smaller flower?  Lots of matting and layering finishes off the card.
I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Pan Pastels - lots of layers

A Berry Fruity Card

Today's card comes from the Joanna Sheen Hollypond Hill CD, love the way the background paper has the butterflies on it that match the image, as well as all those delicious blackberries.  I've added a layer of decoupage to the image as well as a punched border and some ribbon.
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - Summer fruits
Craft your passion - in the garden
Lady Anne's - the great outdoors
Make my Monday - summer scenes
Melonheadz Friends - summer
Catered Crop - diecuts or punches

S is for...

Last week I was very sorry not to be able to join the CD Sunday Challenge.  I found that I was completely kimono-less in both CDs and general stash.  Nothing daunted, I bid for and bought a Joanna Sheen Eastern Treasures CD online for a good price.  It arrived really quickly, which was brilliant, but the package contained a Wild West CD not an Eastern one - not so brilliant!  Having sorted it with the seller, the CD arrived today - it's lovely and it does have kimonos on.  Oh well, another time...

So, on with this week's challenge:  Something beginning with S.  I have made a Summery, Striped, Side-Step card with Stickles on it, from the Jayne Netley Mayhew Pt 2 CD.  Lots of cutting out in front of the telly, lots of assembling.  Hope you like it :).
I'm also entering my card for:
Craft Your Passion - in the garden
Crafty Boots - anything but square
Creative Creations - shaped cards
Tammy's Scrapping Corner - step card
One Stitch at a Time - not square
That Craft Place - flowers
Corrosive Challenge - summertime
ABC - pretty in pink

Bee-lated Wishes

Here's my card for this week's Less is More Challenge - Hexagons.  To my annoyance my Nesties are octagons, not hexagons, so I used a border for the Silhouette and added a few of the "waste" hexagons at the bottom.  Sentiment and bees are Elzybells stamps.
I'm also entering my card for:
Penny Black & More - clean and simple
Bunny Zoe - wings
My Craft Spot - cute as a bug
Tammy's Scrapin Corner - anything with wings

Time for Tea

Here's a card that's a bit of a reaction to all those masculine challenges around at present :).  The shaped and decoupaged card is from the Elizabeth Bell Simpler Times CD.  I've added Glossy Accents to the flower in her hair and to the teacup and saucer.  Not my usual type of thing, but enjoyed making it up.
I'm entering my card for:
Allsorts - time for tea
Creative Corner - girly girl

A Hurricane - I hope

A friend asked me to make a birthday card with a plane on for a friend who has restored a WW2 Hurricane.  I found this image on a Joanna Sheen Nostalgia CD Rom and having Googled Hurricanes I reckon this is one.  Hope so!  Very C&S card with some scored paper behind the image which was cut out with a Nestie.  Some twine and a sentiment finish it off.
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - transport
Joanna Sheen - Father's Day/Male
Crafty Calendar - things with wings
Gem of a Challenge - Father's Day/Male
Jellypark Friends - masculine
Simply Create Too - Father's Day/Male
Milk/Coffee - Father's Day/Male
Crafting by Design - male
Crafting for all Seasons - one for the boys

Need for Speed

Better late than never, here is my one layer card for this week's Less is More Challenge.  The bicycle and sentiment are both from Little Claire, I've added colour with Inktense pencils, it's been a while since I've used them!
My card is also for:
Simon Says - Transport
Addicted to Stamps and More - CAS

Fine Plumage

Here's my card for this week's CD Sunday Challenge where the theme is Fine Plumage.  I used the Josephine Wall CD and book, but made my own variation of the card.  I LOVE this concept of the book with all its inspiration, perfect to spark off ideas when the mojo is missing :).  Do please click and enlarge the photo to see all the amazing detail in the image, which is decoupaged.  Background paper is also from the CD and I've added Memory Box diecut keys and poppies as well as some orange ribbon.
I'm also entering my card for:
Charisma Cardz - tons of layers
Deep Ocean - for a girl
Scrap it Girl - die cuts

Forever in blue jeans

It has been a more than usually hectic few weeks and I had planned to catch up on my crafting at the weekend.  However I ended up doing very little other than the usual taxi-ing around of offspring, dog walking, grass cutting, chicken cleaning out etc. etc.  I'm now enjoying catching up on some crafting and on some of my favourite challenges. 
Today's card is a masculine card that would be suitable for Father's Day, that uses the new House Mouse CD from Joanna Sheen.  The image is decoupaged and I've added extra clothes pegs across the card.  In real life, the ribbon is a perfect match for the orange card that I've used to mat and layer.  Matted onto orange and kraft. Some stitching and a scattering of stars finishes off the card.
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - masculine/Father's Day
House Mouse & Friends - Father's Day/ male
Charisma Cardz - tons of layers
Papertake Weekly - hello boys
Really Reasonable Ribbon - masculine with ribbon
Crafters Cafe - Fathers or for a male
Crafty Cardmakers - Father's Day
Creative Creations - for you Dad/masculine

Less is More and Housework

Nearly a week since I have blogged or made a card, things have been so busy here.  Here is an entry for Less is More Challenge has had the shocking effect of forcing me to do some housework.  This week the colour challenge is to take the colour(s) of your front door and asks for a photo of it.  My door is white with a black frame, but when I went to take the photo I was embarrassed by all the dust on it!  In my defence, we rarely use the front door and it opens almost straight onto a rural street...  Photo after a wash and brush up :)

Less is More.  This week's

I've used a fab Acid Drops and What-Nots stamp and frame and added a touch of purple to his waistcoat and handkerchief, to pick out the Clematis beside the door.  One layer, coloured with Copics.
My card is also for:
Crafty Sentiments - black, white and one other
Simon Says - masculine/Father's Day
Cards for Men - Dad
Try it on Tuesday - one for the men

Decoupage can be c&s too!

Today's card is a Joanna Sheen decoupage, with lots of lovely layers.  I've kept the card very simple - too simple?  Not sure, what do you think?
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Creative Moments - lots of layers
Stamp 'n' Doodle - so many layers

Aged to Perfection

This week's CD Sunday Challenge is Aged to Perfection.  I've made a fairly c&s card for Father's Day or a Dad's birthday.  The image comes from Joanna Sheen's Nostalgia CD, quite an aged CD but a very good one!  The sentiment is a House Mouse stamp and the "Dad" stamp[ is part of a large Woodware stamp that I've cut out, overlapped and popped up with Pinflair. Some matting and layering and twine finish off the card. Sorry about the flash reflection on the Dad word, it is so dingy here today that I couldn't take a photo without flash...

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:
Cards for Men - Dad
Digi Darla's - Father's Day
Melonheadz Friends - Father's Day
My Sheri Crafts - Father's Day
Hiding in my Craftroom - Father's Day
Creative Craft Challenges - for the fellas

Body of a twenty five old

This week's challenge at Less is More is Humour, which is the perfect excuse to use my Acid Drops and What-Nots stamps, which happen to be their sponsors for this month.  I'm a bit out of practice at colouring with my Copics but luckily the stamps look fine with very simple colouring!

It's a hard life...

Here's a bit of wishful thinking for the Bank Holiday weekend, a Gruffy Bear decoupage card with warm sunny colours.  The decoupage is pretty complex so I've kept the card very simple, with some K&Co paper and giant ric-rac that I bought in a shop in Hay-on-Wye some years back.
I'm entering my card for:
Charisma Cardz - here comes summer
House Mouse & Friends - flower power

Less is More meets Sketch Saturday

I'm so glad to be able to enter my favourite challenges now I'm back online.  This very c&s birthday card is for Less is More's cats and/or dogs challenge and uses the layout for Sketch Saturday, though as you can see my sentiment doesn't quite follow their sketch!  The stamp is by Katy Sue Designs, fell for it at the NEC but shamefully this is the first time it's seen ink...
I'm also entering my card for Craft Your Passion where the challenge is Party Animals.  Looking forward to catching up with a few blogs today, bye for now.

Poppies for Mum

Mum loves poppies, so this Joanna Sheen decoupage made a perfect "just because" card that I sent to her last week.  I've added some buttons and some dotty Papermania DP, happy to report that she loved it.
I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Simon Says - flower power
My Sheri Crafts - flower power
Three Scrappy Gals - who's your mama?
Mema's Crafts - optional Mother's Day, flowers
Songbird Challenges - bloom and grow
Paper Playtime - buttons or brads

Go Green

 
At last I'm back online and today, after 3 weeks, I seem to have my phone number back at last, hoorah!  Who would think that BT could make such a mess of a simple change of initial...

Now that I can upload to my blog it is time to catch up with some of my favourite challenges and here is my entry for this week's CD Sunday Challenge, Going Green.  The image (printed twice and decoupaged) and backing paper are from the gorgeous new Joanna Sheen House Mouse CD.  The sentiments are from House Mouse unmounted rubber stamps and I recycled the buttons from White Stuff clothes labels.  I've been collecting the labels to use and there is no truth in the rumour that I shop there just because they provide crafting stash with each purchase lol!
I'm also entering the following challenges:
Dream Valley - animals
Corrosive Challenge - sentiment on the front
Stampin' for the Weekend - button it up

Less is More

I have had a deeply frustrating week without broadband and without "my" phone number.  I have wasted many hours on the phone to BT and had many promises broken.  I am now told this will not change until after the weekend.
I have borrowed the work computer to enter the Less is More Challenge as this is one of the two that I don't like to miss entering.  I used my fabulous Acid Drops and What-Nots stamps (they are this week's sponsors) and my opposite colours are yellow and violet.  Apologies for the poor photo, I have no photo editing available to crop or tinker about with it.

Teen Dude

Today's card continues with my mission to use up some of my 6x6 pads, I've used Basic Grey Marjolaine and paper pieced a Dylusions stamp.  The sentiment is Hero Arts and I've based the layout on this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge.
I'm entering this card for:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Basic Grey - masculine
Crafters Companion - masculine
Moving Along with the Times - one for the boys