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.

Keeping it simple.

I seem to be on a CAS kick! Perhaps that says something about where my head is right now? However, clean and simple seems to be making for some wonderfully relaxing card making and I'm having lots of fun.

I made this just before the weekend as I needed a few thank you cards. The stamps are from Stampin' Up and Hero Arts and I used Distress Inks and black Versafine. The paper has a linen texture and I quite like how it has given the stamping a slightly grainy look.

I was planning to enter the Less is More Challenge but this week the theme is 'doodling' and I just can't seem to create anything that I like! Must try harder....

Finally, thank you so much for all your kind comments and emails about the loss of my friend Shell. I really appreciate your support and friendship.

In memory of Shell: myself, my dear friend Gay, Gay's daughter, Shell's daughter and a group of Shell's friends and colleagues are going to run in the Telford Race for Life in a few weeks time. I'll share the pics after the event and give you all a good laugh at how un-athletic I am!

Happy crafting everyone!

Just saying hello....

...to all my lovely blogging buddies!

I can't believe that it has taken so long for me to get my head into gear and start card making and blogging again. A big thank you to everyone who emailed or left a comment to check up on me - you are all so kind.

It's been a very difficult few months health wise, but with the love and support of my hubby and my wonderful parents I am beginning to make progress. It's also been a difficult time because of the loss of one of my dearest friends. My beautiful, funny and wise friend Shell lost her battle with Ovarian cancer last month. Here she is at my wedding in 2004, dressed in her customary turquoise. Shell was just 38 years old, and words cannot express how much we are all going to miss her.

I'm going to try and pick up my blogging again, but please be patient with me if my posts are a wee bit infrequent or if I don't manage to comment as often as I'd want to.
Big hugs to you all, and if you want to spend five minutes reflecting on the life of someone that you've loved but who is no longer with you then please listen to this Frank Turner song. The best tribute that we can ever pay someone is to live our lives to the full and keep them in our hearts forever.

Less is More!

Hello everyone, another bright but chilly day here in Birmingham, UK.
Here is my first card for a Less is More Challenge.
The ladies are celebrating their 1st birthday so I thought I'd join the celebrations and play along.
This card took me five attempts, yes FIVE, to get it nearly right. CAS cards are so unforgiving.
I take my hat off to all you CAS Divas who turn out perfection each and every time!
I'd had this card in my head for about two or three weeks but hadn't quite settled on the final format. Seeing this LIS sketch brought everything together for me!
I used Hampton Arts shadow block 'It's a square' for the blocks of colour and the inchies are from Inkadinkadoo's 'Special Thoughts' Clear stamp set.I used my trusty Hougie board for the scoring. It may look like a kiddies toy but it's great to use.
I feel a bit shy about entering this card for the Less is more Challenge as some of the entries are fabulous but I guess you've gotta start somewhere!

Anyhooo. I'm a very busy bee today so I must buzzzzzz.

Happy crafting everyone, it's nearly the weekend!