Less is More Leaves
Posted: November 13, 2011 Filed under: CAS, With Gratitude | Tags: Stampin Up 35 Comments
When I saw that the challenge at Less is More was “leaves” and one layer, two favourites for me, I was very hopeful that I would find time to participate. Although I am surrounded by leaves of yellow, orange and brown I decided to stamp silver leaves because I have noticed lately a few silver birch trees around the place looking really silver when the wind is blowing their leaves. I chose to use silver, blue and grey for my leaves card instead.
I stamped the birch leaf in versamark and embossed in silver before sponging in blue and grey. I then added more leaves in grey, some double stamped to get a fainter image. The silver does look pretty but the photo doesn’t show it quite as well as I’d wished.
Thanks for dropping by today. Thank you to all the new subscribers and followers as well as the faithful readers who have been dropping in hoping to see something new here. I know it has been a while between posts but I have been busy with a different artistic project. I have been doing a printmaking unit with my small art class; if you are interested in seeing our marbling and linoprinting you can see it on my other blog.
Supplies:
Stamps: With Gratitude, Ageless Adornment (SU)
Inks: Going Grey, Bashful Blue, Versamark
Cardstock: Mark’s Finest Papers Snow Storm Smooth Heavy
Also: Sterling Silver e.p.
Bold Bright Birthday
Posted: October 9, 2011 Filed under: Extreme Skateboard 16 Comments
Today is my son’s 11th birthday so yesterday I pulled out the same set I pull out to make his card most years. I really don’t have many “boy” stamps so the extreme skater, surfer and biker are featured on most of the cards I have made for my son or his friends.
I punched a few stars out of a post-it note creating a stencil to sponge through in turquoise, brilliant blue, only orange and yoyo yellow. I was a Stampin’ Up demonstrator when there were four colour families plus the neutrals so I still think in terms of bold brights, rich regals, etc. My cardstock and stamp pads are still organized that way too as I do not own all the new colours or have a handle on the new “families” As you can see from this card the bold brights still work fine together. I stamped the skater in versafine and then restamped slightly to the left several times to create the effect of movement. To complete the card I sponged the perimeter of the white panel, matted in blue before attaching to an orange card base along with the three punched popped up stars.
It is a little different to most cards I make and post here, but a little variety now and again is good for me.
Supplies:
Stamps: Extreme Skateboard, Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU)
Inks: Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Yoyo Yellow, Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange
Also: Star Punch
Take one, take two
Posted: September 25, 2011 Filed under: CAS, With Gratitude 25 CommentsI have missed stamping during the last few busy weeks so the sketch at Less is More was a nice way to get back into it this weekend. The sketch features a square card base but I think a little artistic license is allowed so my cards are rectangular.
My first attempt didn’t make it into this post but the one below is similar. I masked a rectangle in the top left corner and rolled some music notes across it. I added colour by sponging and then removed the mask. My intention was to stamp two leaves, one falling onto the coloured panel and one falling off. When I dropped the stamp onto the top left hand edge I had to add another leaf, then another to balance and before long leaves fell down the whole card.
My second card is not a one layer but it is more to my liking. I did the same sponging and musical notes on a panel but added a larger gold leaf and then popped it up on stampin’ dimensionals. Now that I have had a chance to stamp again I also need to get back to my intention to accept Susan’s challenge to send thank you cards to loved ones before Thanksgiving. None sent yet…so that shouldn’t be too hard to improve on!
Supplies:
Stamps: With Gratitude, Kind Thanks, Music notes roller (SU)
Inks: Encore gold, Apricot Appeal, Ruby Red, Real Rust, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory
Also: Gold Glory e.p.
Golden leaves
Posted: September 3, 2011 Filed under: CAS, With Gratitude 35 CommentsThis week’s challenge at Less is More is to use something metallic. I am reluctant to admit it but there are golden leaves falling in my back yard already.
I decided to use gold embossing powder and ink to add a metallic touch to my card. First I masked then stamped the leaf twice in gold ink. Then I got distracted by something on the computer as you do. I don’t know how long I was away from the card but when I came back to it the gold ink had dried to really hold much embossing powder. I heated it anyway then brayered over the leaves with summer sun and old olive. There wasn’t enough rich colour with just the green and yellow so I switched to sponging and added some pumpkin pie. To finish I removed the masks and stamped two more leaves and embossed them immediately.
I hope you weekend is delightful.
Supplies:
Stamps: With Gratitude (SU)
Inks: Encore gold, Old Olive, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory
Also: Gold Glory e.p.
Less is More 30 Take Three
Posted: August 28, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Garden silhouettes 21 CommentsThe Less is More challenge this week is to revisit three of their previous challenges, combining them in one new card. I was inspired by a clever and vibrant card by Lydia of Understand Blue.
I revisited the following Less is More challenges:
- Week 6. Off the Edge
- Week 13. Thank you or Congratulations
- Week 28. Use Ink
I masked the top and bottom of the card with post-its then accepted the challenge to use ink in a new way. I rarely use the direct to paper effect with an ink pad but it does make a bold stripe of colour. After swiping the three ink pads I added the silhouette, removed the masks and added the sentiment.
Thank you to all the kind visitors who drop by here. I appreciated your comments regarding the weddings where my girls have been playing violin. The one last week in a garden did have great weather and all went beautifully. They are playing at the last one today; it was also meant to be outside, on a porch overlooking a beautiful garden. When I dropped them off it was beginning to rain and was also windy so I imagine the wedding was moved inside. If you are interested I have posted photos of my girls on my family blog.
Supplies:
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Thankyou Kindly (SU)
Inks: Not quite Navy, More Mustard, Ruby Red (SU), Versafine Black Onyx
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory
Garden wedding card
Posted: August 20, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Greenhouse Garden 6 Comments
This weekend we are off to another wedding and the colour scheme is purple and green just like the one we attended last Saturday. As I helped design and make the invitations for today’s wedding I had plenty of samples and examples on hand for making a matching wedding card. I really like the four square layout so I punched out previously stamped flowers and grass and matted in Rich Razzleberry. The squares are popped up and the sentiment shortened so its length matched the width of the squares.
The wedding is in the garden of the groom’s family so we have been watching the weather all week. My girls are playing violin and I will be trying to snap as many photos as I can. My son has agreed to wear a button up shirt and long pants but is adamant that he will not tuck the shirt in!
Have a great day.
Supplies:
Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, Graceful Words(SU)
Inks: Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry
Recycled panels
Posted: August 3, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Eastern Influences 10 Comments
In the process of creating one layer cards with the Eastern Influences set last week I ended up with a failed attempt that I cut up and made into a multi-layered card for my older daughter’s birthday. After sponging and stamping blossoms on the original card I punched out three squares, matted them in black and layered them on more of the blossom panel which became a strip across the new card.
Supplies:
Stamps: Eastern Influences, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Inks: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Basic Black
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory, SU Basic Black
Eastern influences
Posted: July 27, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Eastern Influences 6 Comments
I have been inspired by the beautiful layering of sponging and images that Vicky does over at Crafting Clare. I pulled out my Eastern Influences set and used two stamps and two colours for both the cards posted today. I masked first, sponged, then stamped the small branch of blossoms in olive, above and bashful blue below. I then stamped the larger branch of blossoms in black and added the two sentiments.
I have been asked a few questions in the comments section lately that I will try to answer now. Firstly about the brayer I use. I have two speedball brayers but I have been using the soft brayer lately and have had a lot more success than I had with the hard rubber one. One of the key steps is to start rolling it completely off the cardstock and move onto the cardstock gradually. It does take longer this way and use more ink but it makes for an smoother coverage.
Someone also asked me how I tied that teeny little bow on my button on this card. I don’t know-it just worked the first time and I ran with it!!
Supplies:
Stamps: Eastern Influences, All Year Cheer
Inks: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Basic Black
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory
An Autumn fix
Posted: July 25, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Trees, With Gratitude 12 Comments
I really like one layer cards particularly the ones with a masked and sponged area on them. They certainly do not all work the first time however which results in card bases with mistakes on them. I can fix them by either covering the mistake with another layer or by cutting the card front up and attaching it onto a new card base. Either way the failed one layer often becomes a two or more layer. I hate to waste a whole card base so that is what I usually do. If the recipients of my cards peeled off the image layer off their cards and turned it over they might just see one of my mistakes!
What I have to show you today are a couple of one layers which became two layers! The errors this time were such that I cut the card base in half, turned it over and started again but still managed to create the clean look of a one layer card. I masked an area and sponged in Saffron, Rose Red and Pumpkin then stamped my image and sentiment in Early Espresso.
Supplies:
Stamps: Trees (Darkroom Door), With Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU)
Inks: Early Espresso, So Saffron, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory, Chocolate Chip
Buttons & Bows
Posted: July 23, 2011 Filed under: CAS, Pocket Silhouettes 43 Comments
I opened the Less is More blog this morning to see this week’s theme and found the challenge is to use ribbons and/or buttons. I don’t think I have ever used a button on a card but I have a selection of ribbon types and colours so I started thinking. When I went down to my craft table however, I saw a little blue button sitting there and decided to try and incorporate it into my design. I found a very narrow piece of ivory ribbon which I managed to get threaded and tied through the button’s holes.
So the tiny little button and ribbon set the colour scheme for the card. I cut a square mask into a post-it note and used sponging in Not quite Navy to define the square before stamping the three Pocket Silhouette stamps.
Supplies:
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Short & Sweet
Inks: Basic Black, Old Olive, Not quite Navy
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic Ivory
Also: a button, a bow and a glue dot
Heather Telford 