Paper Hugs

This week it is a one-layer challenge at Less is More with the criteria TWO.  There were some beautiful examples by the DTs as usual, but I didn't have much time to search for that special image I thought was needed.  Instead, I chose to do a stencil image, and here is my card. I saw Jennifer McGuire demonstrate this technique on youtube - do check it out here as her result is stunning!  Sadly, I don't own a stencil as interesting as hers, so I used the chevron one I did have, made a star stencil from a punch, and stamped the sentiment by Stampin Up! and the snow flakes from Gorgeous Grunge.  I am thinking now that I should have added decorations, but my first thought was that they are in the snow, so who would be decorating trees out there?  Goodness knows why I thought I had to be realistic - this is card-making isn't it :)  This is a great technique, however, and well worth trying with various shapes. I have been alerted to the current challeng...

This is the inspiration photo for this month's challenge at Scrapbook Boutique :  I was inspired by the elegance of this picture, the soft colours, the pearls and the bow - a lot! For my image, I white embossed this fanciful flower by Woodware, sponged the background in pinks and mauves, added the pearls and bow.  The sentiment from the same set is stamped in Memento Paris Dusk. I wasn't sure I would be able to enter this month, as I really should be packing for our visit to our daughter in the States, but I just knew what I wanted to do and it came together quickly last night.  I'll be back in a few weeks, so will catch up with what I'm missing then.  Cheers, Ann

The colour challenge at Less is More this week, challenge #192, comes from the title Autumn's Bounty. I would think almost everyone would love the colours of autumn, or Fall, and all associated with it, and I am no exception.  Gardeners especially love harvesting the fruits of their labour, gathering up the glut of vegetables, and putting them to good use, either immediately or laying them down in some form for later in the year.  My card is a tribute to all gardeners, many of them in our own family, but sadly I don't  where this lovely stamp originates from as I stamped it at a friend's house.  I do know it is not a digi stamp though. Just a simple card, with the image coloured in Copics, the background hint of colour with chalk, and some punched leaves to add to the sentiment.  I did emboss the square die, but then almost obliterated my efforts by lifting up the image on foam tape!  The little 'thanks' is by Memory Box and is cut three times...

I don't know what it is about the latest challenge # 191 at Less is More  this week, but each morning I have woken with a new idea in my head.  I will, however, only be entering this first card, but I had fun trying to make my ideas work.  I failed miserably with my final idea this morning, which was to use my Portrait (very new and I have no idea of graphics!!) to create a design which resembled the iPhone app called Word Storm.  I did manage to create an octagon, then a border around it, and then the 8 sections, but when I added the small octagon in the centre, I realised I still did not know how to remove the crossed lines in the centre shape.  Oh dear, back to the drawing board, or to the internet to search for lessons, but I had fun trying to solve my problems.  If anyone reading this could point me in the right direction for good lessons, I would be most grateful. Now to my actual entry - this is a little 'Itty Bitty' by Unity Stamps Co - heat embos...

This week over at the  Less is More challenge #190  the theme is 'face the music and dance' - a choice to please many!  Without further ado or unnecessary chit-chat (because I'm short of time lol) here is my card. The image is a digi by Bugaboo, called AKV (a kid's view) Trio of ballet dancers - coloured with a few copics, a computer-generated sentiment, and the Simon Says Stamp 'happy' - oh, and some washi tape for the side panels, and a sprinkle of SU candy dots.  Those three little girls sure are having a 'happy' dance!  Wishing everyone a happy week!

On the 10th of each month, Scrapbook Boutique opens a new challenge - and each time it is an inspiration picture.  This month it is no different - another yummy cup cake inspiration! I was taken firstly by the colour combination, of red, white and aqua - then I focussed on the circle and  'dots' - around the circle topper, and on the cupcake wrapper.  So there you have it - circles and dots, and red and aqua - with a little richness of brown thrown in, as per the photo! I have used the fox from the Stampin' Up! set Life's Adventure - he's only small but he packs a punch!  I cut the sentiment from the rubber stamp, to make it easier to stamp onto the banner by WPlus9, cut the circle with a stitched circle die by Lil' Inker, and mounted it on a tag and then onto the aqua strip dry embossed with SU large dots. I will link this card to the Scrapbook Boutique challenge, and also to  Addicted to CAS , where the theme word for Challenge #48 is 'Cuddl...

This week's challenge at Less is More is a one-layer card, with the theme of Beverage.  Like most adults, I enjoy a glass of wine at dinner time, but I've often thought that if push came to shove, I would find it more difficult to give up drinking tea, than I would wine!  With this in mind, I have chosen to feature tea as my beverage for this challenge, and am using images from the set, TEArrific, by Janes's Doodles.  This is a new company to me, but in my two orders with Jane, I have found her to offer extremely good service.  I look forward to finding more goodies at her site in the future. I must also say I am indebted to Chrissie for her tip on how to print a sentiment in a desired position - it worked for me!  You can find her tip here .  I am running an old version of Word, and found I had to make the zoom at 145% but the method was the same. As I am using brand new 'schtuff', I will enter this card into Darnell's challenge to use 'never-before...