Out with the Brusho!

Welcome to my latest follower, Di Howard.  I can't seem to find a link to your blog, so please leave me a comment so I can add a link in my next post.

The Less is More challenge this week is 'Sprays/Mists'.  Although I've recently played with my new Brushos, I've not used them on anything I've made..... until now.

I sprinkled Marine Brusho on a sheet of watercolour paper and sprayed water over the Brusho.   When the paper was dry, I used it to back the Memory Box 'Ringo Tile' panel.  The flower was die cut from the Brusho patterned paper using a Memory Box 'Whimsy Circle' and a tiny die cut circle with the sentiment was added to the centre.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More - Week 239 Lucky Dip ~ Sprays/Mists

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #71 ~Blue

Crafty Boots Fair and Square Challenge

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #159 ~ Clean and Simple!

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge ~ Spray

Corner Bookmark

The Lavinia Stamps challenge this month is 'Anything But a Card'.  Originally I was going decorate a little wooden pot for the challenge, but while I was waiting for the coat of paint to dry, I came up with the idea of a corner bookmark.  I've made corner bookmarks before HERE with animal designs, but thought I'd play around making one with a little scene.

I started with a 10cm white, square piece of card.  I've made a diagram to show how to make the basic bookmark shape.  Mark the square as shown in the diagram, creating two squares and four triangles.  Cut away all the red sections.  Score and fold along the two lines which are left and then fold one triangle across the other and stick the triangles together.  Hope this makes sense.

After making the bookmark shape, I masked off the moon, before inking the background with an Adirondack 'Denim' ink pad and Ink Dusters. The Lavinia stamps 'Star Gazing' and 'Fern Leaf' are stamped with a Versafine 'Onyx' ink pad and I used a clear Wink Of Stella glitter brush over the wings.   The grass was die cut with a Die-namics 'Fresh Cut Grass' die and then I attached a green 5cm x 5cm piece of card to the inside bottom layer of the bookmark, to match the grass.

The finished bookmark slips over the corner of a page.

As I used a snippet of green card, I'll be sharing my card in The Playground when the gates open again in tomorrow.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Lavinia Stamps Challenge #8 ~ Anything But a Card
Lisa B. Designs Challenge ~ Lavinia Stamps!!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Beccy's Place August Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 192 ~ Use Snippets

Joy to the World

Another Christmas card today using one of the lovely Lavinia silhouette stamps, 'Mary', which was stamped with a Versafine 'Onyx' inkpad. 

 My card design is based on the sketch for the Less is More challenge, which finishes tonight.  

The embossing folder I used is a Cuttlebug one, 'Christmas Stars' and I added two black gems to complete my card

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More Week 238 ~ Sketch

Lisa B. Designs Challenge ~ Lavinia Stamps!!

Little Claire's Monthly Stamp Challenge # 60 ~ Christmas in August

CHNC challenge extra for August 2015 ~ Make a Christmas Card

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #159 ~ Clean and Simple!

  

Owl Flip-It Card

Welcome to my new follower, Jools of julieanne's cabin. Please pop over to her blog to see all her lovely creations.

The sun has come out today...for the first time this week, so today's card is a Flip-It birthday card with a summery feel. I've taken several photos from different angles, it's not the easiest card to photograph!

The first photo shows the card closed and the following three show the card open from different angles. 

I used a Sizzix 'Circle Flip-It' die for the base card and the patterned paper is from an old Papermania paper pad.  The owl is made using a Stampin' Up owl punch, one of my favourite punches.  The tiny punched sunflowers are attached to the foliage, which was punched using a Martha Stewart 'Vine Trim Double Deep Edge Punch'.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 191 ~ Used yellow and green snippets

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper August challenge

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Beccy's Place August Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Christmas Pop-up Box Card

I love seeing the pop-up box cards other people have put on their blogs, but they always look really complicated to make. So, today was the day I decided to go for it and make one.

  This started out as a practice one, to get the feel of how they are made.  However, when I discovered how easy to make they actually are, and realising it's the start of the August Rudolph Days Challenge (which runs until the end of the month), I got out some Christmas paper and snippets to punch out some trees and snowflakes and completed the card.  Next time I'll change a few things, such as putting the cardboard strips inside lower down so they are less visible, but overall I was pleased with how it turned out and I'm sure I'll be making more pop-up box cards in the future.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

August Rudolph Days Challenge ~ Make a Christmas card
Little Claire Monthly Stamp Challenge # 60 ~ Christmas in August

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 191 ~ Use snippets

CHNC challenge extra for August 2015 ~ Make a Christmas Card

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper August challenge

Beccy's Place August Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Train

I've not posted for a while as I was on holiday last week, a last minute inexpensive deal to Italy that was to good to turn down!  I'll post a few photos at the bottom of this post.  

Welcome to my latest follower, Dana.  I'm having trouble finding the link to your blog, but I think it might be  Crafty Couple.  Dana and Glen are a couple who enjoy various crafts, so pop over to their blog to see their lovely creations.  If you're a different Dana, please leave me a comment, so I can link to your blog in my next post.

The challenge on the Less is More blog this week is a sketch.  It's a very simple sketch, so here is my take on it.....

....and here is the sketch.

I've turned the sketch upside down, because the sentiment looked better on the white.  The train is punched with a  Martha Stewart border punch and I've used a Couture Creations 'Replacements' embossing folder for the red part (although it looks more orange in the photograph). I finished off my card with a strip of washi tape.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More - Week 238 ~ Sketch

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 191 ~ Used blue and red snippets

Just a few photographs taken on my holiday last week in Lake Garda and Venice, Italy.

Another masculine card.......

There seems to be a lot of male birthdays in August to make cards for - hopefully this will be the last one for a while, as I never find them easy.  

This card is for my friend's DH who is a bit of a handyman, so this Papermania stamp seemed appropriate.  The image is coloured with Promarkers and die cut with a Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangle' die.  I embossed the top half of the background with a tool embossing folder and the bottom half is Anna Marie Design patterned paper.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge ~ Colouring

Creative Corner Challenge ~ Turquoise and Brown

Stamping Sensations August challenge ~ Anything Goes with a stamp and a die

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #157 ~ Make Your Mark (Used Promarkers)
Beccy's Place August Challenge ~ Anything Goes

CAS Owl

The Less is More challenge this week is "The Eyes Have it!", which immediately made me think of owls, probably because I can't resist an owl stamp!  This time it's a one layer card.

The owl, branch and sentiment are part of set of Woodware stamps and the image is coloured with Promarkers.  The feather stamp is one of the Papermania 'Owl Folk' stamps.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More - Week 236 One Layer Challenge ~ The Eyes Have it!

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge ~ Colouring
Creative Corner Challenge ~ Turquoise and Brown

Fishing

A 40th birthday card for my niece's DH is needed this week.  It took me ages to come up with a suitable design - some people are just easier to make cards for than others! So, I went with a summery design, but keeping the colours quite masculine.

I decided on one of my favourite colour schemes of red, white and black.  The background was made with a Creative Expressions mask 'Wavy', using Black Soot DI.  The image is Little Claire's 'Silhouette Boat', which I stamped with a Versafine Onyx Black ink pad. The image and sentiment were die cut with Memory Box 'Stitched Squares' and 'Stitched Circle' dies. 

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations August challenge ~ Anything Goes with a stamp and a die

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge # 83 ~ A Numbered Birthday

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 189 ~ Used red snippets

Country View Crafts August Challenge ~ Summertime
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #157 ~ Make Your Mark (Inkduster/Distress Ink for the background)
Deep Ocean Challenge #110~  Maritime

Card Candi Flowers

Two Get Well cards today using the same image.

The image is a Woodware stamp, with the leaves coloured with a Promarker. The flower head circles are just the right size for Card Candi.  I added a strip of washi tape down the edge and green patterned paper just shows through the dots.

The second card has a punched border down the side, with a strip of green card attached to the inside edge of the back of the card.

The next photo shows the card open.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 189 ~ Used green snippets
Little Claire's Monthly Stamp Challenge # 59 - 'In Bloom' 
Penny Black and More August challenge ~ Summer Flowers
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper August challenge
That's Crafty! Purple Passion Challenge

Diamonds

I'm still playing catch up with card challenges, following my little break in Devon.  The Craft Barn's challenge is 'Diamonds' and as the challenge closes at midnight tonight, this is the card I made featuring diamonds.

I used a Darice diamonds embossing folder for the background.  The embossed card was attached to a plain piece of card to make to strong enough to wrap the diamond patterned ribbon round and attach it to card blank with foam pads.  As I wrapped the gold thread round the Nestability shape in middle, I realised it formed diamonds too in the pattern.  The butterfly is die cut with a Memory Box 'Pippi Butterfly' die. (I couldn't seem to take a photo without the shadow of the butterfly).  Gold Card Candi finished off my card.  As all the card, except for the card base, was snippets, I'll be off to play in the Playground too.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge ~ Diamonds

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 189 ~ Use Snippets

Bizzy Bec's Store August Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Inka-Gold

My third and last post today.  A bit like buses.... no sign of one for ages, then three come along at once! ;-)

Lisa B. Designs challenge this month is 'Inka Gold Metallic Paints/Mica Powders!!'  I bought two pots of Inka-Gold in silver and turquoise a couple of months ago at my local monthly crop and craft day, but they've sat unopened until now, with me plucking up courage to use them.  The challenge closes tomorrow, so here's what I came up with today.

 First I embossed two off-cuts of white linen card with a Cuttlebug 'Floral Screen' embossing folder. I used my finger to spread the Inka-Gold over each piece, before buffing it.  I then cut four squares, corner rounding opposite corners, then matted them on black card.  I used linen card with the Inka-Gold again, then used this to punch out flowers and mat the sentiment.  Silver and turquoise pearls were added to the centre of the flowers.  

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Lisa B. Designs Monthly Challenge ~ Inka Gold Metallic Paints/Mica Powders!!

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 188 ~ Use Snippets 

Washi Tape

The Butterfly Challenge this month is 'Butterflies + W is for Washi Tape'.  Although I've got several reels of washi tape in my stash, I've never been sure what to do with it, so this is a first for me!

I decided on a CAS card in black, white and red.  The butterfly is a Memory Box 'Pippi Butterfly' die cut, cut from a snippet of red card. 

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #36 ~ Butterflies + W is for Washi Tape
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 188 ~ Use Snippets 

Berry Colours

I returned last night from a week in not so sunny Devon, with little time for crafting.  My sister-in-law did teach my how to make Dorset Buttons this week using a small curtain ring. I just need to practise making them and think how I could use them in cardmaking - so watch this space!

Welcome to my two new followers this week.  Unfortunately I don't know who the first one is, as there doesn't appear to be a little picture in my list of followers, so please leave me a comment so I can welcome you properly.  My second follower is Ruth, a crafty friend I've known for very many years.  She was my amazing teaching assistant when I was teaching full-time.  We still craft together and also run an after school scrapbooking/cardmaking club together.  Ruth has just taken the plunge and started her own crafty blog, KangaRuth, so please pop over and pay her a visit.  I know she would be thrilled if you would become one of her followers.

Onto today's card. I had this idea in my head for a card for the Less is More challenge this week.  I've just had time to make it today before the deadline tonight.

I made a two inch envelope from a snippet, using an envelope punch board.  The butterflies were die cut with a Stampin' Up Sizzix Embosslits 'Beautiful Wings' die.  I used  a free paint colour strip to make the butterflies and arranged them in the order they were in on the strip.  Tiny pearls were added to the centre of each one.  

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Less is More Week 235 Colour ~ Berry Shades
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 188 ~ Use Snippets