More Less is More....

Perhaps that post title should read further Less is More!

Well good morning bloggers, it's another soggy day here in Birmingham, UK. If it rains much more I'll have to buy the cat a boat.

Here is another offering for the current sketch challenge over at Less is More. I love this stamp from Stampendous which I found on eBay recently. The image is taken from one of my favourite paintings by John William Waterhouse called 'The Soul of the Rose'.

I stamped in Versafine and embossed with clear powder before colouring with Promarkers. The sentiment is one that I had made a few years ago. Unfortunately, it fell off the block onto the page so it looks a little thicker at one end than it should.

So what does a cat do when he can't go outside? He makes himself comfy by my craft table and snoozes the day away... not a bad old life is it?

Happy crafting everyone!

Less is more

It's a sketch week over at Less is More so I thought I'd give it a go.
Sadly, my first offering for this challenge is a sympathy card that I needed to send to my Mom's friend, who has just lost her sister.
I decided to rotate the sketch (hope this is allowed) as I wanted to 'square-up' the centre of the card.

I used a Hero Arts shadow stamp for the background and then the delightful Pocketful O' Posies (also Hero Arts) to stamp the flowers in Versamark. I added some Diamond Lace Stickles to highlight the leaves and flowers, but this doesn't really show up in the photograph. The pictures look rather pale, thankfully the card looks better in real life.

So I'm back to the craftroom now to try out my second idea for these perfect CAS sketches...

Sweet Simplicity - final day.

It's a truly grotty morning. What has happened to the April showers??? It's more like the April monsoon season!
So, here are my final two CAS cards...

The first card was made using a template and Distress Ink. Then I got busy with a Hero Arts script stamp to create some depth. The sentiment is from the Papertrey Ink set that I've been using all week. I have to be honest and admit that I've lost the packaging from the dandelion stamp - but isn't it a beauty!

The second card was created using a butterfly shape from a pack of 10 plastic templates that were given away by Paper Craft Inspirations years and years ago. I found the templates in my stash and had a eureka moment. Because the templates are plastic they're perfect for using again and again, and can be rinsed under the tap afterwards. I couldn't resist adding a little bling as a finishing touch. This card was so quick and easy to make that it's real production line stuff, and could be used for multiple-makes such as wedding or party invitations.

So thanks for sharing this little CAS journey with me. Sometimes a change of creative direction can be very refreshing and satisfying - so why not give it a go? It certainly beats watching the rain!

Happy crafting everyone!

Sweet Simplicity - day 3

Here I am again as promised with another CAS share.

Once again I used images and sentiments from the Papertrey Ink set called 'Round and round'. These really are gorgeous stamps which give such a crisp image.

The dinky little shadow stamp is from Hero Arts. I nearly swapped to using chalk ink but decided that I liked the effect of the Distress inks so stuck with them. Once again I experimented with some scoring.

I made several of this very simple design and hope to sell them to raise money towards the Race for Life, which I'll be running sorry, hobbling, in May.

Finally, I'll share something cute that one of the school children said today. When asked to name three types of book that are arranged in alphabetical order he said:

 "A dictionary, an encyclopedia and a brontosaurus" - how fabulous is that!

 See you for my final simplicity day tomorrow. Happy crafting everyone!

Sweet Simplicity - day 2

Hi everyone, I hope that your week has got off to a good start!

Two more CAS cards with the same basic design...

I'm not sure about this first card. While I like the Distress ink colour (Scattered straw), I'm not sure if that Hero Arts cupcake is too heavy. I leveled things up with some scoring as it looked a little lopsided.

Out of the two I think I prefer the second card. I like the simplicity of that gorgeous Papertrey ink stamp (Round and round - limited edition) and the colour of the centre (Shabby Shutters).

I'll be back again tomorrow to share a few more of my experiments....

Sweet simplicity

As you can see I'm still keeping it clean and simple... and am surprised by how much I am loving it!

I spent a few hours last weekend stamping several variations on the same basic idea. I wanted to make some cards to sell or give as gifts. Keeping to a very basic design helped me create a large quantity of cards very quickly.
I used my Cuttlebug to make a template and then used different shades of Distress Ink for the circle effect. I used the Penny Black's 'Hello Gorgeous' and stamped the background with some of the smaller stamps from the set, while the template was still in place. Finally, I stamped the main image in Versafine, removed the template and added the sentiment. I added some scoring for balance and interest.
I'll be back throughout the week to share some of the other cards that I made in this batch. Happy crafting everyone, and I hope you all have a relaxing and fun weekend.