Polka Dots and Presents

I was asked to make a card that wasn't over the top.  In fact the exact words were "really simple looking".  Needing some quick inspiration, I turned to non other than the
Less Is More blog.  All the cards made for their challenges must be Clean and Simple, have white space and consist of one piece of card folded in half with no addition layers and minimal embellishments.  So, I guess you can see why I went there to get some ideas, that's exactly the type of card that was needed.

Looking over this weeks challenge, the recipe called for Polka Dots.  Perfect!  I'll play along and get the card I need done as well. 

Here is a close up of the bow

Lots of white space - check
Few embellishments - check
Polka Dots - check
Sentiment stamped right on the card itself - check. 

I added the bow on top for a bit of dimension - I just love my Cricut!

For the present and bow I used the Beyond Birthdays Cricut Cartridge, embossed the
present with the Sizzix Polka Dot Embossing Folder.
The sentiment was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and the stamp is from
Stampin Up , Short and Sweet.

Wherever you are in your day, I hope your enjoying it
Wishing you many wonderful creations!

Things .....

......that move is the challenge over at Less Is More this week. 

Here is what Chrissie and Mandi, the authors, of Less Is More have to say about the challenge and it's a good one!

This could be interpreted in a variety of ways...an actual moving component on your card, so a pop up, a shaker, a spinner, a charm, a tag... we could go on...

On the other hand your card could have an image of something capable of movement, so the scope for that is almost infinitesimal!

My little birdie friend here is the thing that moves on my card.  I played around a bit with the image on a piece of paper before actually making this card.   I had to figure out how to get the colours and the branches just the way I wanted them before making my card.  I used a Hero Arts stamp Big Pine Bough.  I love this stamp because I think it's so versatile.  For this particular look I stamped the image 3 different times using different mixes of colours from the Memento Dew Drops inks each time.  The first was stamped using a mix of Black and Cottage Ivy, stamping the image straight.  The second time I stamped the image using a mix of Cottage Ivy again and Bamboo Leaves stamping just slightly lower than the first image and on a bit of a downward angle.  The third and final time I stamped the image I used a mix of  Bamboo Leaves again and New Sprout stamping the image a little farther out than the first time.  The image of the bird and the sentiment are from Inkadinkado and stamped using Stampin Up Cherry Cobbler.

Do pop over to Less Is More and join in the movement.

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.

What To Do?

Button or Ribbon?  To complicate things.....how about plurals thereof?  That's the recipe over at Less Is More this week. Decisions, decisions, decisions!  Well,  I'll have to decide what kind of card I want to make.  Ummmm, let me think.  All right, I think I'll make a Baby Girl card, am I done?  Are we there yet?  No?!!
OK then!  Next, I guess I'll just have to pick from a whole list of options, oh dear!  Here I go......


Button                        Yes/No
Ribbon                       Yes/No
Plurals thereof            Yes/No


 
Type
Silk
Velvet
Picot
Sheer
Brocade
Grosgrain
Satin
Taffeta
Linen
Hemp Twine
Organza
Wired

Width
1/8"
1/4"
1/2"
5/8"
3/4"
1"

 Finishing Ends
Diagonal cut - on bow
Straight cut - for card
V-cut
Pinked cut
Frayed
Knotted

Style
Gather
Pleat
Straight
Twist
Embellish
Print or Stamp on it
Flower
Tassel

That wasn't too bad ((wiping sweat from forehead)) and that was just the ribbon.  Buttons as you recall were also part of the challenge if you wished, crazy stuff! There are round buttons, square buttons, small buttons .....you get the idea.  There's actually a ton of options if you really think about it.  You must have a look at these amazing cards using ribbons and/or buttons, click here at Less Is More to see them.  The last time I checked I saw 163 beautiful creations!  Now that's a lot!!!

Here is my entry for the challenge

Hope you like it!

Paper - DCWV
Ink - Stampin Up Pretty In Pink
Stamp - Recollections Baby Girl
Accessories - Pink grosgrain ribbon and Martha Stewart border punch and craft knife
Technique - Cut slits using craft knife in the designer paper or cardstock equal distances apart to create the openings where ribbon will fit through.  Begin at one end and continue to weave the ribbon in and out of slits to create the pattern as shown on the card.  The more slits cut the more the ribbon will be visible. 
Note - make sure the slit is cut wide enough to fit ribbon through.

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.

The News

It's the news you want.  The news you're waiting desperately to hear, "everything is fine, there's no sign of cancer".  I'm not going to go into detail but I do want to say that everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, especially Her!

My girlfriend can now start making all the plans she had on hold, think with a clear mind and get a real good nights sleep.  After all the tears have been shed, the sleepless nights, the group hugs and by far, the most amazing strength and support offered.... the day has now come to celebrate!
For many, this is not the case and my heart goes out to each and everyone of them. 

 I'm playing along with the  Less Is More  challenge today and my card's in celebration to the news.  The challenge this week is to create a card using something with legs.  There are some really terrific entries, 150 the last time I checked.  Now that's a ton of inspiration, what are you waiting for?

The card is 4" X 5 1/2" and the image is by Stampendous and the sentiment is from Birthday Celebrations. 

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.

Thanks for visiting

Shades of Blue......and the fly!

The only thing blue about this past long weekend was the sky.  We had amazing weather with one sunshine filled day after the next, it was awesome.  Speaking of blue, or shades there of, I'm playing along with the Less Is More challenge today.  Mandi and Chrissie are the authors of this wonderful weekly challenge and if you haven't heard of it, or them, you really should check it out.  Here is just a snippit from their challenge,

Here we are in the first week of a new month and our challenge once more is

COLOUR

For our challenge this week we would like to see you use

SHADES of BLUE

You can use a white card base, but we do want to see more than one colour of blue, not just one!

If you visit Less Is More you will see some wonderful inspiration and well over 100 stunning entries for this challenge.  Yes, it is that popular not to mention there is a wonderful sponsor offering $25.00 to spend at their shop.  How can you loose?  You can't!

OMGosh......this is one for the books!!!!

The Fly!!!!

I have to be honest and let everyone know that I wasn't as engaged in this challenge as I should have been or, tried to be...whatever!  Not because this wasn't an awesome challenge because it was.  You see, there was this pesky little thing bothering me the entire time I was trying to make my card.  I just couldn't focus.

This darn fly was buzzing around my head at first.  The sound was like you hear when a mosquito is flying near your ear, at night, while your lying quietly trying to sleep - ya, that sound!  (*sigh*)

My arms were flailing around trying to get this thing away from me.  I must have looked ridiculous.  This went on for about twenty minutes straight.  Then finally, it would land and there would be silence.  No crazy lady waving her arms around like an idiot.  I tried and tried to smack it dead for what felt like an hour but I was fighting a loosing battle.  I'm not lying to you, this insect was relentless!!!  It had it out for me, or so it seemed!  It was coming at me like it was on a mission.  No question ..... this fly was ticked!  I couldn't believe it and have never seen anything like it. 

The paper I was using to swat it away?  It landed on it as if to say neener, neener, neener! 

I cleaned my stamp with a wipe, put the wipe down and then immediately, the fly landed on that too.  I was beginning to lose it!  Sorry for the blurry picture I was checking to see if this insect was wearing a helmet.  It wasn't until I had finished my card that I finally caught a break.  My dive bombing fly had moved on. 

My creation for the Shades of Blue challenge and tale of the fly is complete.

  

It's kinda funny that I would make a card with a theme of a place that I would have rather been than fighting off an insect, coincidence?  LOL

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.
Thanks for visiting

Flowers, Polka Dots And Stripes Oh My.....

What a gorgeous Monday morning!  The sun is shinning, it's the last week of June, a four day work week and Friday is a holiday.   Can it get any better than that?  Yup, it can.  I'm going shopping with my BFF today.  We're hitting a quaint little town with all kinds of interesting little shops and stopping for some lunch, can't wait!!  Just my kinda day.

I'm playing along with Less Is More today and this is only the second time that they have had a sketch for one of their challenges. What's nice about this challenge is that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. 

Here is the sketch and

here is what the Diva's (Mandi and Chrissie) have to say.....  "Your card doesn't have to be exactly this shape and the elements don't have to be circular, but the basic sketch should be recognizable."

This is my card for this weeks challenge.

Card 4" X 5 1/2"

Paper - Yellow cardstock

Ink - Memento - Tuxedo black and Stampin Up - YoYo Yellow marker
Stamps - Verve - for you

Accessories - Cuttlebug Polka Dot Strip embossing folder, Prima flowers, yellow brads and corner punch

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.
Thanks for visiting

Frame It

This was such an interesting challenge today.  It's ONE LAYER WEEK, all about the frame and a CAS (clean and simple) challenge all in one.  Here is what Less Is More wants as outlined on their blog,

The challenge is entitled

IN THE FRAME

They would like to see a frame of some sort or something in a frame... they would like you to be as inventive as you like.

They want you to doodle, draw, emboss, ink, paint, colour, print, stamp, emboss resist, mask or any other method you can come up with to get a frame of sorts into your design.

 

Chrissie and Mandi do such a wonderful job at Less Is More and offer such great inspiration.  They even call us challengers LIMettes, how cute is that?  If you want a weekly challenge to show that less is actually more, you must play along.  There are prizes and you might even be showcased on their blog.  Check it out!

As you can see the snow globe is my frame.  I used my Cricut and replaced the cutting blade with an ink cartridge.  Instead of the Cricut cutting the image, it draws it. 

This is my second card.  On my first card I applied Crystal effects on the globe to make it shiny then I began to colour the base of the globe with Copics.  Unfortunately, my blender pen ran out (*gasp*) and I couldn't finish it, lousy timing.  I still think the card is pretty without anything and adding colour and some shine is just another possibility.

Card 5 1/2" X 4"

Cricut Cartridge - Doodlecharms

Ink - Black ink cartridge, Memento - Tuxedo black

Stamps - Stampin Up - Welcome Christmas, The Old Island Stamp Company - let it snow

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!

Wishing you many wonderful creations.
Thanks for visiting

 

Pick A Square

PICK A SQUARE

For the Less Is More challenge this week there is a choice.  You are able to choose any one of the 5 squares shown below to place the image of your card.  You must also leave the rest as white space!

The image may be outside of the area slightly and if you use a sentiment, it may be slightly outside the area as well.  It also must be very obvious which square you have chosen to use.  You may use a rectangle but, you must follow the same guidelines as the squares. 

Here is my card,

I used a Marvy flower punch for the flowers and cut each petal in half.  I then cut the half petal again to look like a daisy petal.  I layered and glued two flowers together and used Copic markers to colour the inside of each flower.  The sentiment is from Verve, a corner punch was used to round the corners.

Wherever you are in your day, I hope you're enjoying it!
Wishing you many wonderful creations.
Thanks for visiting.

Butterfly

but·ter·fly

 /ˈbʌtərˌflaɪ/ Show Spelled [buht-er-flahy]   noun, plural -flies, verb, -flied, -fly·ing, adjective

–noun

1. any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.

2. a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another: a social butterfly.

3. butterflies, ( used with a plural verb ) Informal . a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.

4. a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.

5. Carpentry . butterfly wedge.

6. Sculpture . an X -shaped support attached to an armature.

7. one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.

8. Movies . a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.

verb (used with object)

9. Cookery . to slit open and spread apart to resemble the spread wings of a butterfly.

My card today is being entered in the Less Is More challenge and it's theme week.  The theme this week is butterfly/butterflies but you probably already figured that much out.  Except for #5 and #8 I pretty much knew all the above.  This is what I love about the Internet.  You learn something new everyday! 

Oh, and there is something else over at Less is More this week.  There is a spot prize, it will be awarded to the LIMette (a Less Is More girl - LIMette), who's card has that 'je ne sais quoi'. 

Sorry...I have to do it.

je ne sais quoi

   ʒən^ə sɛ ˈkwa/ Show Spelled[zhuhn^uh se kwa] 

French .

an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one: She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody.

Cultural Dictionary

je ne sais quoi [(zhuh nuh say kwah )]

That little something; a quality that eludes description: “The Mona Lisa's smile has a certain je ne sais quoi.” From French,meaning “I don't know what.”

Perhaps maybe you've learned a little something again today, I know I did.

Actually this card was a lot of fun for me because I love puzzles, let me explain.   I punched out a butterfly using the Martha Stewart butterfly punch, bent/folded it and glued it back in its place.  I then punched out 3 more butterflies in Gable Green, glued them together and applied Crystal effects to the top.  Once that dried, I glued them to the bottom of the original punch out, fitting it in place again just like a puzzle.  To complete my card, I stamped it with a Verve sentiment in Gable Green ink.

Wherever you are in your day, I hope your enjoying it!
Wishing you many wonderful creations.
Thanks for visiting.

Happy

Well, it seems Blogger had a glitch and everything posted yesterday was lost.  I can't remember exactly what I wrote so if your reading this for the second time, it may not read as you remember.  Sorry!

This is one of the cards that from start to finish I loved everything about it.  It's sooooo versatile and can be used for almost any occasion.  What I think I like most though, is it can be for used for either a male or female - score! 
After I punched out each of the flowers, I curled them and applied Crystal effects which gave them a shiny finish.   If you are interested in finding out how I curled the flowers check out the link in this post.  

Card 5" X 6 1/2"
Paper - 5 different colours of cardstock, orange, green, yellow, purple and blue
Stamp - Happy from Happy Everything Stampin Up
Ink - Tuxedo Black
Accessories - Fiskars flower punch, 1" circle punch and Crystal effects from Stampin Up

Thank you for visiting my blog today, you've made me very Happy! 
Have an awesome day!

How Wonderful? So Wonderful!

So here we have another card that was quick and simple to make.  I've stamped a sentiment right onto the cardstock again as I wanted the flower to be the focus here and the sentiment to be very subdued.  Like yesterday's card, it would look fine without a sentiment as well.
Gotta love this designer paper though, it's so soft and feminine.

Card 4" X 5 1/2"
Paper - DCWV Designer Paper
Ink - Perfect Plumeria
Stamps - Verve
Accessories - Prima Flowers, Fiskars flower punch, Clear gem embellishment

Have yourself a great day!

Less Is More

Oh My Goodness.  The day the world has been waiting for.  The Royal Wedding!!!  I want to see everything that happens today so I will keep this post to a minimum. 

Today, I'm entering another card in the
Less Is More challenge - no pun intended.

The challenge again is "Off Centre".

Card 4" X 5 1/2"
Image - Hero Arts Fancy High Heels
Sentiment - Stampin Up Haute Couture
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

It was wonderful of you to visit today, thank you so much for stopping by.
Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy the weekend ahead.

Less Is More

Here we are mid week and only two more sleeps until
Wills & Kate get married.  Can't wait!  I'm just so happy for them and from everything I'm seeing and reading, so is most of the world.

Once again I'm drawn to the Less Is More Challenge.  This weeks challenge is "Off Centre". 
Here is what they have to say, directly from the authors. 

We are looking for cards with little or no symmetry but perfect balance, which doesn't necessarily mean gems in all four corners, or any corners for that matter.

Sounds cool eh?  Why not give it a go?
You have until Friday to link your creation so get busy, but remember...Less Is More!

Card 4" X 5 1/2"
Image - Haute Couture from Stampin Up
Sentiment - Bubble Queen from Stampin Up
Lips - atyo Spica Marker #03 Red

Take time out to smile, it's contagious! 
Have a great day and thank you so much for visiting, you've just made my day and made me smile.