Slow down please, I'm not ready

That time of year is rapidly approaching now with Advent just around the corner. Have I made the cards? Have I bought the presents? Am I ready? Don't be daft!

Anyway to take my mind off all the things I have not done, I have been working on anther challenge, this time the monthly one at From the Heart Stamps. Like Deedee's challenge it is another progressive one, if you enter you automatically get sent the image for the following month. The image this month is a lovely simple Christmas one and it fits the bill for a few challenges.

Materials used:
From the Heart Stamps - Angel Joy (faithful friends)
Spectrum Noir and Copic pens
Wink of Stella Clear
White stamping card
gold pen
Centura Pearl White card
patterned paper and left over snippets

Method
I used the centura pearl card to make a 14.8 cm square easel card base. I matted a 14.5 cm square piece of patterned paper to a 14.8 cm square of centura pearl card and attached this to the fold on card front. I printed out the image 4 times at the size I wanted then coloured them in with the pens.

[caption id="attachment_835" align="alignleft" width="260"] Close up of angel[/caption]

I cut the base image into a square and ran a pink Spectrum Noir pen around the edges. I used a second image and cut out most of the angel and the top of the large bauble which I stuck over the top of the first image using gel glue. I then stuck the topper to the front of the card. I printed out the sentiment and cut it to size. After running the same pink pen around the edges I matted and layered it onto patterned paper and centura pearl card. I lined the inside base of the card with patterned paper and added the greeting using 3d foam pads as the card stopper.



The remaining two images were cut out and decoupaged then added tothe front of a white A5 card blank which already had the sentiment printed onto it. Both angels then had wink of stella applied to their wings.

I think these two cards will cover a few challenges so off now to check the requirements. I know they fit the bill for Rudolph Day and as it is Sarn's final one I really want to get over there.

I hope your preparations for Christmas are going better than mine! Thanks for taking the time to visit. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my cards into the following challenges:
Easel card: From the Heart Stamps Monthly Challenge
Outlawz Friday Coloring Challenge - Anything goes with optional Christmas twist
A5 card: Less is More Challenge - Week 199 Jingle all the way
Outlawz Monday Greetings Challenge - Anything goes
Both cards: Rudolph Day Challenge

Making decisions

I have discovered a whole wealth of crafty challenges out there that I would love to participate in but unfortunately this week and the next couple of weeks are just too full and busy already. It is a shame because I have some ideas I would love to try. Hopefully it will calm down a bit, although with the all too rapid approach of Christmas I somehow doubt it!  I have decided that there are a couple of my favourites that I just have to keep going, no matter what, and Less is More is one of them. This week the theme is 'Starry, starry night' (I have been humming 'Vincent' all week!) The added challenge is that it is one layer. So here goes.



Materials used:
pine branch stamp: Dimension stamps
star and sentiment stamps: Creative Crafting magazine
nativity stamp: Clarity
bauble die: Spellbinders
memento ink: rich cocoa, northern pine
adirondack ink: pitch black, denim, archival black
versamark pad
clear embossing powder
stencil brushes

[caption id="attachment_815" align="alignright" width="300"] A closer look[/caption]

Method:
I stamped the pine branch at the top of an A5 white card blank using northern pine and rich cocoa. I then made an aperture mask of the bauble and used it to stamp the stars through with versamark and emboss with clear powder. Keeping the mask in place I then used denim and pitch black to stencil in the sky and ground. I stamped the nativity with archival black then darkened the bottom tip of the bauble with pitch black to make it look like a continuation of the stamp. I then stamped the sentiment at the bottom with black archival ink. Finally I added the hanger with a black miron pen and buffed up the stars with a tissue.

The design is a variation of one I used a couple of years ago for our Christmas card. In fact I have used both the pine branch and the little nativity a number of times now. The pine branch stamped on brown parcel wrapping paper along with the pine cone from the set makes great wrapping paper.

I am off now to see what wonderful cards have already been submitted for the Less is More challenge.

Thank you for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into Less is More One Layer Week - Starry, starry night! week 197

More or Less

I am really cutting it fine this week with my Less is More Challenge but it has been one of those weeks. This weekend the church has a flower festival, a concert commemorating WW1 in music and verse and the Remembrance Sunday services. I have been putting together the PowerPoint for the concert, not easily done as the running order kept changing!  Next weekend is the church's Christmas Fair and I have been busy making gift bags and boxes for my stall. Also it was back to school this week so the usual planning has had to be fitted in and a couple of meetings as well!  With all that going on is it any wonder that I managed to order the wrong ink for my printer (it is now completely dry!) and fall of a table!

So taking out a moment of calm I have made my entry for this week's Less is More challenge, I hope you like it.



Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Stamps - Happy Trails
Printing card
A5 white card blank
Vintage Photo distress ink
type lyrics for the Cowboy Carol
Husbands printer! (Mine is dry remember!)

Method:
I needed a really quick card today so I used the coloured images rather than colour in the line images myself. The cactus is not as tall as that but with the boots in front of it I could make it higher on the page. Having arranged my words and images on the page I printed them out and trimmed them slightly smaller than the card blank.

Using the distress ink I inked around the edges of the card blank with a brush and also used a piece of cut and dry foam to ink the edge of the layer, which I then stuck to the front of the card blank.

The theme for the Less is More challenge this week is none traditional Christmas, no red or green, so I am hoping to get away with the green cactus (it's not really a Christmas green!) So fingers crossed.

Here is the card again but this time I have tried to recolour the cactus so it is not so green. I was going to make it browner but with the brown hat and boots it was too much.



Thanks for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter this card into Less is More's Non-traditional Colour Christmas Card

Little critters

It's Less is More challenge time again and this time the theme is 'Little Creatures'. Just lately my life has been full of little creatures; the annual fly invasion has just finished and now the spiders are moving in and at school I have just done minibeasts with the children in science. I never cease to be amazed at the transformation of the humble caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly so have used that idea for my card.



Materials used:
white stamping card
white card
snippet of gold mirri card
Memento tuxedo black ink pad
Adirondack meadow ink pad
set of 'educational' butterfly life cycle stamps (not exactly the best quality of stamp!)
Clarity 'Dream' stamp
circle dies
leafy swirl die
white gelli roll pen
Spectrum Noir pens

Method:
I used an A4 piece of white card to make the card blank, folding it so that the back was wider than the front. I cut swirly leaf out of the middle of a scrap piece of card to use as a stencil then stencilled down the right hand side of the card using the meadow ink.

On the stamped the butterfly and the caterpillar onto the stamping card with the black ink and coloured them in using the Spectrum Noir pens, highlighting the white spots on the butterfly with a white gelli roll pen and drawing in a stem for the caterpillar by hand. The butterfly stamp does not produce a crisp image so I went over it with a black Spectrum Noir pen.

I fussy cut the butterfly and used a circle die to cut the caterpiller, and a slightly larger circle die to cut a mat from the snippet of gold mirri card.

I matted the caterpillar image and stuck it at the bottom left of the card blank using 3d foam pads. I glued the body of the caterpillar at the top right of the front flap so the wings are dimensional. Finally I stamped 'Dream' across the middle of the card using the black ink.

The weather has started getting cooler now with the approach of winter so the minibeasts will all be hiding away somewhere warm soon!

Thank you for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Less is More - Little Creatures
Outlawz Monday Greetings - Use your circles
Pixies Snippets Playground - week 147
Clear it out challenge - Orange/Black

Bean playing!

The challenge this week at Less is More is 'One layer with 2 of something on', this is my interpretation.



Materials used:
White stamping card A4
Deedee's Digi image: Jellybean Prayer
Spectrum Noir Pens

Method:
I put together the line image of the two jellybeans having first resized and placed them how I wanted them, then typed in my sentiment before printing it onto the white card. I used my Spectrum Noir Pens to colour in the jellybeans and add a border around the front of the card.

This was a really quick card to make, the colouring took the longest time but if you are not into colouring the images are also supplied within the kit as coloured ones. If you wanted to make a more elaborate card it lends itself to a bit of decoupage as well as matting and layering. The card is now going away until February next year!

Thank you for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter this card into the Less is More Week 193 One Layer Card challenge

Colour challenge: Autumn's Bounty

The 'Less is More' challenge this week is a colour one, autumn's bounty. I have a few stamps from Stamps Happen with designs by D. Morgan. One of them is a lovely autumnal one with the  inscription: The Earth Becomes A Colored Quilt When Autumn Comes Along. I love the picture guide on the front but I don't love colouring it in! When stamped it is a very sketchy outline. Anyway as it fits so well with the challenge I decided to give it a go.



 

Materials used:
Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
When Autumn Comes - Stamps Happen
A5 Kraft card blank
white stamping card
orange card
Spectrum Noir Pens

Method:
I stamped When Autumn Comes onto the white card with the black ink, coloured it in with the Spectrum Noir pens. I then trimmed trimmed it, matted it onto orange card and attached to the card blank.

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter this card into the Less is More Week 192 Challenge

Just words

Over at Less is More the  Recipe this week is Mostly Words. I had just the stamp to make up a very quick card (it's been a busy week!)



Materials used:
Anita's monkey hugs stamp
Penny Black A hug is . . . stamp
Stamps Away Patchwork Template
Distress inks: antique linen and iced spruce
Spectrum Noir pens and pencils
Whispers brown pen
Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad

Method:
Using the template and distress inks I stencilled in a background on the front of an A5 white card blank. With the memento ink I stamped the A hug is . . . on top of the stencilled panel. I used the brown pen to ink up one monkey from the Monkey hugs stamp and stamped it above the sentiment. I used the Spectrum Noir pens and crayons to colour in the monkey.

A really quick card this time because of lack of time, next week is starting to look busy too!

Thanks for popping in. Take care.
Pippa

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Less is More Week 191 Recipe
Outlawz Greetings Card Challenge - September 29 - ANYTHING GOES!

Rocking and rolling

The theme this week at Simply Less in More is 'Face the Music and Dance'.  With a son-in-law that plays the guitar I had to go for the rocker!



Material used:
guitarist stamp - not sure where it's from
A5 white card blank
snippets of black and silver card
snippet of yellow paper
Neenah card
computer generated sentiment
Spectrum Noir pens
memento tuxedo black ink pad

Method:
I stamped the guitarist onto the neenah card and coloured him with Spectrum Noir pens before cutting him out. I made up the mat with black and silver card adding yellow paper to look like the light beam from a spotlight. I printed out the sentiment and matted it onto black card. Using 3d foam pads I attached the guitarist to the mat then attached the topper and sentiment to the front of the card blank.

Thank you for popping in. Take care.

Pippa

Pass the bottle, please

It's time for a bit of Less is More again and this week it is a single layer with the theme of beverages.  So rather than the obvious tea, coffee, hot chocolate route I decided to hit the bottle!



 

Materials used:
Stamps from Creative Stamping magazine
Memento ink pads: Tuxedo Black and Cottage Ivy
Neenah Desert Storm card stock
Spectrum Noir pencils

Method
I used the Desert Storm to make the card blank, then stamped the bottle, glass and grapes picture onto the front. I framed it using the vine leaves stamp and Cottage Ivy ink and added the sentiment. Finally I coloured the image in using Spectrum Noir Pencils.

Just lately the Less is More challenge is the only one I have managed to keep up with. I really must do better!

Thank you for visiting. Take care.

Pippa