Paper Hugs

My one layer card today is primarily for Less is More 2-week challenge - to use any card base other than white! My card is grey, bought at our local Officeworks store, and the stamp and sentiment are Stampin' Up! - The flower spray from Awesomely Artistic, and the sentiment and butterfly from Butterfly Basics. I used Prismacolour pencils to colour the image, outlining in black, slightly shading in pale grey and highlighting with white, and ultimately adding a little more white with a Signo pen.  The outline of the whole image is also shaded slightly.  I added white liquid pearls to the flower centres. So one layer, and also simple!  I thoroughly enjoyed my half hour or so of colouring - very relaxing! Thanks so much for visiting!

Challenge #332 at Less is More this week is a one-layer card with the theme of 'Sweet Things'.  For my card I found a recently retired Stampin' Up! set which I have yet to use!  Today was the day! I stamped directly onto a SU notecard (I love to use these) with the sentiment in Versafine Onyx black, and the macaroons and candle in oxide inks, then clear embossed them all at the same time.  Terribly simple, and I thought briefly of smoothing ink in the background, but actually I like it the way it is - that BIG and bold sentiment doesn't really need anything else, does it?  I don't know now why I haven't used this stamp set before - but that's me - always behind lol.

Back at last for a Less is More Challenge - #328 is a one layer with the theme of Spots/Stripes.  This is my entry.  I had been playing about with the Stampin' Up! embossing folders of Celebrate and Happy, and then found this great idea on Pinterest - to use the bokeh effect to really highlight the word.  My appreciation to Amy K for sharing her idea,  and in particular the tip of keeping the paper in place in the folder, while stamping.  It helps to highlight the word better. I can't wait to try this out with the Happy - which is not script, but Upper Case, so not as pretty:) Inks are SU:  Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Blushing Bride. Stamps:  circles are by Happy Little Stampers - Mix Mash, and the You is SU - Birthday Blossoms

I've been asked to make a special birthday card for a friend, and as the little one has just started ballet, my friend asked if I could incorporate that interest somehow. I immediately thought of a cute Bugaboo digi image I have owned for over 4 years, and made this card for the precious little girl. The ballet trio come as little stick figures, which I do love, but I had in mind to make ballet skirts for them this time.  How I remember both of my own daughters (and later grand-daughters) loving the soft pink leotards they dressed in for practice.  So searching pinterest, I found this idea - sponge vellum in pink distress ink (worn lipstick), then punch out with a scalloped circle, and fold in half 4 times - this makes it easier to 'pleat' into shape. Of course, the card needed a little bit of sparkle and a big 4 - the stamped name used Stampin' Up!'s alphabet stamp: Brushwork Alphabet.  I find it so easy to line up, and makes such a difference when persona...

Just a quick share of a couple of ornaments I made using SU punches.  The polystyrene tree and ball were bought from Riots Art and Craft, and to re-create the decorations I saw on Youtube, via Lia Griffith I used the two shapes in the bow punch for the 'leaves' of the tree, punching them out of metallic paper in bronze, gold, ivory and white.  The ball used the 3/4" punch and only gold.  The shapes are attached using hot glue.  Just another use for Stampin' Up! punches!!

Another one layer card for LIM for this week's challenge - this time to use geometrics!  A great theme, and I do have lots of ideas for this one, but with very limited time and supplies still constraining me, I opted to use a MFT stencil to produce these two very quick, clean and simple cards. I used masking to keep my border straight for this card, but for the one below, I just started at the centre and worked my way out, ensuring to leave plenty  of white space.  I used Distress Inks and a finger dauber to apply my ink. Card recipes:   Stencil:  MFT Abstract Ink:  Distress Inks - #1 - Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries. #2 Cracked Pistachio, Salty Ocean and Seedless Preserves Sentiments:  by Stampin' Up! - Botanicals for You, Hello  

This little group of cards is representative of some of my latest note cards - just 5.5 x 3.5" in size.  I thought this simple CAS style would be just the thing for a quick little note to wish someone well, or just to let them know you are thinking of them.  Cards #1 and #2 are made using the Clearly Besotted stamp set - Scribbled Flowers.  The sentiment on the first card is by Stampin' Up! - Tin of Cards, but #2 uses the sentiment from the flower set. The little dandelion motif adds a little bit of whimsy and is also from the Tin of Cards stamp set. Card #3 uses both sizes of that seed pod motif, plus the scribbly line both from the SU set Tin of Cards.

Hi there!  This week's challenge theme at Less is More is Congratulations  - and there is nothing better to be congratulated on than a new baby, is there? I have chosen a very soft colour palette, of SU Calypso Coral ink stamped off once, and Simon Says Stamp Fog for the elephant (Clearly Besotted 'Baby Shower').  I found this ink gave the best cover for this solid stamp.  The die cut is also by SSS.  The actual 'celebrate' word is from the SU set 'Celebrate Baby' but is now retired.  I think when I decide to mask an area before stamping again, I'd make sure that I can fit more than one word and one letter in the space, as it appears a bit awkward when I have the word in the middle of the space.  We live and learn though, and that's what is so good about entering challenges, isn't it? As I was finishing the inside of my card, with a row of tiny elephants, I took another look at the soft, pale front, and decided it was too insipid.  So a st...