Less Is More #309

Hello!

I hope that you had a wonderful festive season!  We are planning a quiet few days over the new year after a week of family visits and entertaining :)  It is also a pleasure to be able to sneak back in to my craft room for a bit of time just with my stamps, inks and stencils - particularly as I had cards to make for the new challenge at Less is More.  This week our challenge is Dimension and this is what I came up with:

 

I stamped and cut out the lightbulb from MFT and triple embossed it for a glazed look.  On the card base I inked through a starburst stencil and popped up a die cut heart aperture over the top for some added dimension.  I will also add this card in to the Anything Goes Challenge over at Simon's Wednesday Challenge.

 

I got in to spring mode with this card using the Altenew Simple Flowers Stamp set using a range of Altenew inks.  I stamped the flowers and leaves on the card base and then cut out extra flowers which were popped up on foam pads for extra dimension.

 

There are lots of other ways of adding dimension to your CAS creations but I decided to keep it simple this week!  I hope you like my cards and head over to Less is More to check out the amazing inspiration that the fab DT have put together for you :)

 

Enjoy your new year's eve!

 

Sarah x

Take a Bow

Hello,

I am back with a few more festive makes as we hurtle towards the Christmas weekend.  I think that I have finally got there with my Christmas cards and just need to get some last minute gifts tomorrow.  Once I finish work later this week, hopefully the festive spirit will descend upon me :)

Inspired by the current challenge over at CASology where the cue card is Bow, I made a few CAS cards to put gift cards in for a few of our younger family members using this design:

 

I gold embossed the ribbon and bow from Avery Elle and cut the bow out so it was popped up over the tag.  Touches of gold glitter card were added to increase the level of bling and I personalised the tags with a very old alphabet stamp.  As well as CASology, I will link up the card to Simon's Wednesday Challenge with the theme of 'gift it'.

 

I stayed with the gold and white theme and stamped an ornate snowflake stamp along with a sentiment which I think is Hero Arts.  The background card is bordered in gold krylon pen. I shall link the card up at Simon's Monday Challenge with the theme of 'let there be snow' and at the CAS challenge over at Addicted to Stamps.

 

Finally I used the fabulous Penny Black wreath die in shades of green card and topped off with a gold glitter bow and sentiment from Clearly Besotted.  I am going to link this card up at the Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge which is 'Wreath'.

 

I hope you like my Christmas designs :)

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

Less is More #307

Hello,

We have finally arrived at the week before Christmas and our theme at Less is More this week is 'Children' which is perfect for the season!  We are also running this challenge for 2 weeks as it is a busy time for all of us so we want you to have the opportunity to play along.

Here is what I came up with:

I embossed the girl in black and shaded with some blue distress inks.  I splattered the ink with some water.  Finally, I added a sentiment from WPlus9 and used a white sharpie pen to add a highlight to the silhouette.

My second card features a whimsical cartoonish girl coloured in pencils.  I added a doodled border to go with her stripey legs! 

The rest of the lovely DT have more inspiration for you over at Less is More - there are so many ways to interpret this theme that I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by,

Sarah x

Jolly Santa

Hello!

I am popping by with a mid week post to share a few cards made using the fab Santa stamps from MFT.  I have been making cards for some of the children in our family so that we can pop a gift voucher inside:

 

 

I added silver glitter tape at the top and bottom of the card and added some silver stars from MFT to bling up my card.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  I shall link up my card at AAA Cards Christmas themed challenge.

 

 

 

I embossed the presents in gold and red - again MFT - along with gold glitter tape.  I shall link up this card at Simon's Wednesday Challenge which is to 'gift it'.

 

 

My final card is the most CAS design with Santa checking his list and some red glitter card down the side.  I shall link this card up at the Clean and Simple challenge at Addicted to Stamps.

 

I hope you like this jolly set of cards :)

 

Thanks for stopping by, Sarah x

 

 

Uniko Revisit - Stunning Snowflakes

Hello!

How are your Christmas preparations going?  We must sort out the tree today.....

In the spirit of festive cheer we are revisiting the beautiful Stunning Snowflakes set from Uniko - we look back at a stamp set in months when there isn't a new release and I have to admit that this is one of my all time favourites!  It is also a further reason to get a few more of those Christmas cards made :)

I have only had time to make 2 cards.  Here they are:

I simple white embossed the snowflakes and sentiment on some navy cardstock and pierced a row of dots to make them look as if they are hanging ornaments.  A piece of white glitter card finishes the card.

On this card I white embossed the snowflakes on black card and coloured them with highlighter pens to add some colour.  The sentiment is from the recently released Most Wonderful sentiment set - it has a fab font!

 

I hope you are inspired to get your Stunning Snowflakes back out for another play or to go and check them out in the Uniko store.   The rest of the DT have fab inspiration to share with you too and if you leave comments along the hop before 18 Dec you will be in with a chance of winning this set or a gift voucher to the same value :)

 

I shall also link my second card up at AAA Cards current challenge which is CAS Christmas:

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Sarah x

Less is More #306

Hello,

Only 2 weeks to go before Christmas is upon us....it will be great to take a bit of time out with family but I need to get my skates on and get organised!!  However, before I get going, I have some cards to share with you for the latest challenge at Less is More.  It is one layer card week and our theme this week is to use outlines on your cards.  See what you make of these:

 

I simply stamped and masked the images from Altenew's Beautiful Day  and Painted Butterflies in black on a white card base.  The lovely, light sketchy style of the stamps works really well for leaving it without any further colouring (I think)!

 

Of course, I had to make a Christmas card as I don't think that I am going to have enough to see me through this year!  I used the fabulous Hero Arts Ornaments stamps in a range of bright colours, masking them to create a bit of depth.  The lines on the ornaments add enough colour and detail without the need for anything more.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

 

Finally I used a cool sketchy fashion outline stamp from Tim Holtz white embossed on a dark blue card base.  I stencilled some white lines at the bottom to ground the image and a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp.  A few white splatters complete the card.

 

3 quite different one layer cards featuring outline images.  I hope you like them! 

The DT over at Less is More have lots more inspiration to share with you too. 

 

Thanks, as always, for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

Less Is More #305

Hello!

Today at Less is More we have a bright and colourful challenge for you which is to use Primary Colours.

Here are a few ideas:

 

Whenever I think of primary colours I think of the mounds of lego that the boys have amassed between them!  I used a Memory Box die and infilled with bright coloured cardstock.  The sentiment is from Altenew and a bit of black glitter paper creates a border at the edge.

 

 

At this time of year, I am always looking for a way to create a Christmas card and I used the fab Christmas lights dies from Lawn Fawn to create this card along with their loopy sentiment.

 

I hope that you will take the time to create a card using primary colours this week.  The rest of the DT have got lots of fab inspiration on the Less is More blog to get you started.

 

As we are at the start of a new month we also have a fab sponsor joining us for December:

 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

 

Uniko Release Day!!

Hello!

Thank you for joining us for the release of Uniko's festive stamp sets - Christmas Pop, Most Wonderful and Rustic Wreath.  I have some more cards to share with you today as part of our release blog hop:

 

The rustic wreath got me thinking about creating a card featuring all 4 seasons so I stamped it in a range of colours and embellished with fab uniko stamps from a range of sets including Background Builders Vines and Winter Additions.  They are the perfect size to fit the wreath and create a card for any time of year :)  The sentiment is from the recently released Originally Organic set.

 

I created a night time Christmas scene featuring one of the Christmas pop trees - I stamped it green and added the gold embossed string of stars.  I added some pencil and white highlights to add texture to the tree and set it against a background of gold embossed stars.  The gold embossed sentiment is from Most Wonderful too.

 

Do check out the fab release and the inspiration from the rest of the DT over at Uniko - you won't be disappointed!

 

Thanks, as always, for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

Uniko Introducing....

Hello!

We are back again today with the second introducing post showcasing Uniko's last release of the year.  Bev has created some fab festive designs which you can use for those last minute Christmas cards :)

Today we are looking at Rustic Wreath which is designed in a style to compliment the previously released Rustic Christmas.  Here is what I made:

 

I have gone for traditional greens and reds - stamping the wreath twice and adding the sweet mini pine cones and berries from the set.  The sentiment is also from the set and the bow is from the recently released sparkle ornaments set.

 

Again, traditional greens, reds and golds.  I stamped two hanging wreaths and embellished them with mini glitter die cuts.

 

This wreath is beautiful and stamps up perfectly.  It is a great size for cards and there are lots of options...more of which I shall explore tomorrow :)

 

I shall link up at Simon Wednesday's Challenge which is Christmas To Die For this week and my second card features confetti die cuts from Mama Elephant.  I will also link up at Time Out where the theme is Christmas with the optional twist of glitter and shimmer.

 

The new release goes live tomorrow so do stop by for our blog hop and further inspiration from the DT!  I look forward to seeing you then.

 

Sarah x

Less is More #304

Hello!

I am thankful for another weekend....I am definitely feeling the pace as the weeks fly by :)  Of course, that means that we are also back with our latest challenge at Less is More.  This week we are asking you to use an Emboss Resist Technique on your cards. 

I love this technique and decided to make a few festive cards:

 

First up I white embossed this lovely Christmas sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps and masked a panel that I coloured with a range of distress inks.  The white sentiment pops out against the rich purple shades.  I then stamped 2 ornaments from Clearly Besotted and drew a line back to the sentiment.  A simple one layer card.

 

Sticking with my collection of Christmas stamps by Waltzingmouse I white embossed the lovely dove of peace image and simply laid some rich blue ink over the top.  I die cut it as a small square panel for the centre of the card as I felt this looked clean and crisp.

 

These were both very quick and easy makes but I think that the emboss gives them something a bit extra. The rest of the DT have more inspiration to share with you using this technique so do check them out over at Less is More.

 

Thanks, as always, for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

 

 

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Uniko Introducing.....

Hello!

Bev is treating us to one last Uniko release before Christmas with some fab designs which will be perfect for your last minute festive creations.  It is at about this time that my mojo is beginning to flag so it is great to get an injection of new Christmas designs to get me excited again!

Today we are showcasing Christmas Pop and Most Wonderful - funky trees and lovely sentiments.  Here is what I have made:

 

I stamped and white embossed the word trees on green card and cut out - I so love the mixed fonts on the trees.  I softly inked a blue sky in Tumbled Glass and Peacock Feathers and attached a snowy die cut at the bottom.  A sentiment from Most Wonderful finishes the design along with a bit of glitter and some snowflakes from Stunning Snowflakes.

Next up I wanted to show how cool the funky trees are in this set so I stamped them along a mask in a range of non traditional colours.  I used pearlescent paste through a snowfall stencil, added some glitter and a few die cut stars.  There is a bit more glitter to emphasise the snowline and another of the versatile sentiments from Most Wonderful.

I hope that you like these festive designs.  There is much more inspiration over at Uniko.  I will be back tomorrow with another showcase and all of these fab stamps will be available to buy on Sunday - not long to wait :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Uniko Challenge Reminder

Hello!

Today we are back with a reminder about the current challenge at Uniko....the theme is CHRISTMAS so it is really easy to play along with all of those gorgeous Christmas cards that you are busy making :)

My card features the sparkly baubles from Uniko's Christmas Sparkle set and a sentiment from the Poinsettia set:

 

I used some silver glitter thread to 'hang' my baubles and stamped some circles in lilacs, pinks and purples to create a bokeh effect.  Some glitter tape at the bottom adds even more bling!  It is an unusual festive colour combo but I do like the effect.....

I shall also link my card up at the Time Out Challenge where the theme is Christmas with an optional twist of glitter/shimmer - and it is sponsored by Uniko this time too :)

I hope you get the chance to play along with us at Uniko - the challenge is open until Friday, 16 December so there is still plenty of time to join in.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Less is More #303

Hello!

Another week has come round already and we are back with our latest challenge at Less is More. 

This week the theme is vintage - I tend to associate vintage with layers and lots of elements so coming up with something CAS was quite a challenge :) 

 

I stamped a Tim Holtz butterfly image in grey archival on to kraft card and cut it into a panel layered on to grey card.  The sentiment is stamped down the side and is from Altenew.

 

My second card is a bit more feminine and features the vintage rose stamps from Waltzingmouse.  I layered them on to a purple mat and scalloped frame from WPlus9.  The white embossed sentiment is from WPlus9 too.

 

I hope these cards have done the vintage theme justice!  The DT have lots of great ideas to share with you over at the Less is More blog and I look forward to seeing what you make.

 

Thank you for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

Stamplorations Giving Thanks BlogHop

Hello!

Today Shery and the team over at Stamplorations have a blog hop on the theme of Giving Thanks to celebrate the season and the release of new Stamplorations goodies!  I am a huge fan of Stamplorations and subscribe to their fab stamp club.  There is always so much inspiration over at their blog whether you like to play with CAS, mixed media or die cutting.

I was delighted that the Less is More DT get to hop along.....and this is the card that I made:

I masked a square in the centre of the card using a post it note and stamped around it with Stamplorations Trendy Leaves in a range of ink colours.  The sentiment is from Grateful Beyond Words and the black elements are from Mixed Media Elements - I like how they grunged my one layer card up a bit!

I will also link up at Simon Say's Monday's Challenge where the theme is Thanksgiving and at AAA Cards with the same theme.

I hope you like this card and enjoy hopping along with Stamplorations :)  The rest of the DT have more fab card inspiration for you over at Less is More.

See you again soon,

Sarah x

Cosy Plaid

Hello!

I decided to have a bit of a play with one of my new Cutplorations dies over the weekend so that I could add another card to my festive stash.  It also gave me the chance to use a lovely plaid patterned paper which means that I can link up with Virginia View's current challenge:

I combined the die with some of the fab stamps from Uniko's most recent release - Winter Foliage.  I love the large size pine needles and cones.  All I needed to do to finish this design was ink around the edge with Antique Linen distress ink.

I will also link up at the CAS challenge over at Addicted to Stamps.

I hope you have a wonderful week and stay warm :)

Sarah x

Less is More #302

Hello!

Another week has rolled around and we are back with a one layer challenge at Less is More....this week the theme is books/literature.  Intriguing!

To be honest, I struggled a bit with this one and this is what I came up with:

I stamped and white embossed the world map from Concord and 9th, masked and inked a panel with a range of blue distress inks and combined it with a Dr Seuss sentiment (from Waltzingmouse Stamps).  A few enamel dots complete the card. 

My second card features a dictionary stamp to fit in with the book theme:

 

I simple masked another panel, stamped the dictionary text (from Kaisercraft, I think) in grey archival ink and inked with Antique Linen and Pumice Stone distress inks.  The sentiment is from Altenew.

 

I will link this card up at the Thanksgiving theme over at AAA Cards. 

 

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is also based on a thanksgiving theme this week so I shall play along there too.

I am really interested to see where this theme takes you!  Check out the fab inspiration from the DT who will have lots of creative ideas to share with you over at Less is More :)

See you again soon,

Sarah x

Honey I Shrunk the Kit!

Hello!

It is time for my fellow honeys and I to share what we have made with the latest mini kit.  This time the lovely Hazel put the kit together and I couldn't stop making cards with it (which is a warning that this is a picture heavy post!).

The theme of Hazel's kit was Vintage Vessels and it was packed full of wonderful stamped images and luxurious embellishments.  I will whizz through the cards that I put together....

 

The beautiful gold doily is from the kit and I watercoloured the images to give them a soft look.  The sentiment is from Uniko.  I shall link this card up at the Clean and Simple challenge over at Addicted to Stamps.

 

 

I went for a more vintage look with the patterned paper from the kit that i distressed around the edges and inked in grey.  The teapot is coloured in grey pencil and the sentiment is from the kit.

I decided to put the little bugs from the kit in one of the jars, inked a bit of blue around each of them and added a yellow stamp behind the single bug. 

 

I had fun with the 2 wine bottles, turning them in to the hands on a clock to play on the sentiment from the kit.  A bit of inking and a scattering of the gorgeous gold gems finish the design.

 

Finally I made a shaker which features the wine bottle and glass from the kit along with the sentiment.  The heart aperture is popped up over gold glitter paper and a shaker full of gold and pink sequins.

 

I hope that you like my range of cards - it shows how versatile and fun the kit was! 

 

 

 

I am going to head over to the other members of our little kit club to see what they have come up with  - Sarah from Sazzle Dazzle Crafts, Shona from Twine Around, Hazel from Hazel's Paper Designs and Sandie from London Days.

 

Thanks again, Hazel :)

 

Sarah x

GD at CASology

Hello!

I had the huge good fortune to have my card selected over at CASology last week (thank you!) so I get to have fun playing along as guest designer this week :)   This week the cue card:

This one really had me stumped and I rifled through my stamps for ages...unearthing quite a few that I had forgotten about along the way!  Ultimately though the cue card made me think of friendship and the way that you can achieve so much more together than by yourself and this is what I came up with:

 

I simply masked and stamped the fun Paper Smooches characters and coloured them with pencils.  A sweet sentiment from Mama Elephant completes a very simple one layer card!

I am always inspired by the fabulous designs from the DT over at CASology so am going to head over there to see what they came up with this week.  I hope you have fun with the cue card.....it certainly got me thinking :)

Sarah x

25 Days of Christmas Tags

Hello!

Today the team at Uniko are playing along with the fab 25 Days of Christmas Tag event that the wonderfully talented Tracey McNeely organises....

I made 2 tags with some of my fave Uniko Christmas stamps:

 

I stamped some of the images from Background Builders Christmas stamps in red to create a scandi style pattern on the tag and used a strip of red glitter at the bottom.

I gold embossed the gorgeous poinsettia stamp and topped with a sentiment from the same set edged in gold krylon pen.

Red and gold - perfect festive colours!  I hope you like today's festive Uniko tags and enjoy the 25 Days of Christmas event. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x