Less is More 12 & Make it Monday 12

It is week 12 at Less is More and Capture the Moment's Make it Monday. I haven't participated in either of these challenges the last couple of weeks as other things have been keeping me busy. I stole a couple of hours late last night to make a card for both challenges as they compliment each other so well. Less is More Week 12 is to make your focal point off-center and PTI Make it Monday 12 is to use line frames. I love using broken line frames when I have stamped off-center or off the edge, as I think it really gives the card some balance and ties it all together.



I made two cards using PTI's Year of Flowers for May, Lily of the Valley. For the first card, I wanted the flowers to be white like real lily of the valley, so I stamped on kraft. I colored the leaves with a prismacolor pencil and dabbed white ink on the flowers with a q-tip. I saw this tip on Capture the Moment, and I love the soft look of it. I added a line frame 3/4 of an inch from the edge and stamped a sentiment.


For my second card I stamped the image on white cardstock. Again, I colored the leaves with colored pencil and as I wanted just a touch of color on the blossoms to stand out against the white card, I used a pale pink pencil for the flowers. I added the line frame 1/2 inch from the edge and stamped my sentiment.


I very rarely color on my cards, so it took several tries to get something presentable. Not wanting to waste paper, I kept turning the card over and trying again on different sides. When I finally had one I liked, the inside and back of the card had all my trials. Am I the only one who does this? Anyway, I ended up with cards I liked that weren't usable. :) While I do like them as one-layer cards, I cut them down and matted them on green cardstock so they can actually be sent to someone. Lo and behold, I really like them this way!


Jenny, of the fabulous blog Crafting in the Country, sent me a Versatile Blogger award. I'm quite new to this blogging thing, but once I get it figured out and have a little time I'll pass it on! Thank you, Jenny!

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI Year of Flowers, PTI sentiment
Ink: Stazon black, Brilliance moonlight white
Paper: PTI

OLW # 50

This week Susan asks us to use an old stamp to make a thank you card for One Layer Wednesday # 50. The stamp I chose is like an old friend and I'm comfortable with it. It was fun to use it in a new way on a new card. I'm much happier with this card than I am with my cards for last week's OLW, using stamps I'm still getting to know! :)


I used a favorite old flower stamp from Rubber Soul. I was sad when I discovered that my small town stamp shop had closed a few months ago. Now I have to drive to Michaels or JoAnns, about half an hour away. Woe is me! :)

I stamped the flower across the card, masking each flower as I went. I used red and turquoise, not a color combination I usually think of for a floral card. I like the results and it brings back memories of my Great Aunt Marie who spent most of her adult life in the Southwest; she always wore these colors. I thought about adding some bling, but the center of the flower is so detailed and lovely that I left it as is.


I've been so busy lately I've hardly had time to stamp at all. The spare moments I have had I've spent in my garden pulling weeds. We've finally seen the sun for a few days in a row, so planting time must be just around the corner!

Supplies:
Paper: PTI white
Ink: VersaMagic Chalk red brick and turquoise gem
Stamps: Rubber Soul, PTI sentiment

OLW 49

I finally managed to steal a couple of hours to play with some of my unused and unloved stamps. Jennifer's One Layer Wednesday is to make a one layer card using green and pink and a stamp that has never seen ink.

For my first card I used a Memory Box stamp called vintage peony. I haven't decided if I like this stamp or not; perhaps that's why it has never seen ink! I couldn't make it work as a stand alone stamp on a one layer card, so I ended up masking the bottom portion of the card to stamp a background. I used fairly deep shades of green and pink and finished the card with a ribbon and a sentiment.

For my second card I used a brand new set (trees 2) that I got on clearance from AMuse Artstamps. The set comes with several trees and a quote from Khalil Gibran (trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky).

I masked a rectangle and then sponged a green ground with a pink sky. I chose not to color in the tree because, frankly, I just don't color well and when I tried, it looked ridiculous. I like the idea of this card, but the end result leaves something to be desired.


Also, I have no idea what I'm going to do with either of these cards. The tree card, for example. I like the quote, but really, what occasion will it work for? And why did I choose 'Absolutely Fabulous' for the sentiment on the first one? Why didn't I go with 'Happy Birthday' or some other useful phrase? Does anyone else ever make cards that seem to have no practical use, or is it just me?

Supplies:
stamps: Memory Box vintage peony, Amuse trees 2, PTI sentiment
Ink: VersaMagic sage, spanish olive, perfect plumeria; Colorbox chestnut roan, pink; Brilliance pearlescent ivy,
Paper: PTI white

OLW 48

Seashells and butterflies seem to be the images of choice for Susan's One Layer Wednesday this week - a one layer sympathy card with no flowers or trees.

I masked a rectangle and sponged a variety of browns and pinks before stamping this seashell and a sentiment. I do wish my sentiment was a tad lower. When I have more time I'm going to play around with placement and extending the masked area out to the edges of the card. For now, it's past midnight and time for bed!


Supplies:
Paper: PTI vintage cream
Stamps: Inkadinkado, PTI sentiment
Ink: Memento

Less is More 9

Last night while my hubby and I were finishing a movie, I decided to play around with some of my new Amuse stamps. I love this holly and berries cling set; it is so graphic and striking. I put this simple card together and I really like the bright pop of red against these shades of green.

I made two cards. The first one is flat and on the second I tried popping up the largest berries on dimensionals. I'm just sneaking in before the close of Less is More week 9!



Supplies:
Stamps: Amuse holly and berries, PTI sentiment
Ink: Memento pear tart, Brilliance rocket red
Paper: PTI white and ripe avocado, light green from scrap bin

Less is More Week 9

Last week we took our girl (age 5 and 9) on their first big trip to Disneyland in California. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. It was truly a magical experience for all of us!

However, I missed playing along with all of you at the Less is More challenge. Now I'm back to rainy Washington and ready to play. This week the ladies at Less is More gave us a color challenge to make a clean and simple card with a touch of red.

So many of the cards are black and white with a touch of red and they are very glamorous. Unfortunately, glamorous is just not me. Instead, I thought of using a cupcake with a cherry on top for the touch of red.

Ever since I got my scoring board at Christmas, I've been wanting to use it to make a scored cupcake liner, so this was the perfect opportunity. As I was going through my scrap box I found a piece of paper I had embossed with swirls on my cuttlebug and it struck me that it would make a nice swirly frosting. I put the two together and added a red button with a bit of red embroidery floss for the cherry.



On the first card I lightly sponged the frosting with pink so it would stand out against the white background. I chose not to add a sentiment. On the second card I left the frosting white and added a sentiment on the white strip of paper. It's somewhat hard to see and does look better in real life, although I'm thinking of trying a different ink color just to see.

I would also like to try making one where the frosting is covered in a fine white or pink glitter, but that will require a trip to the craft score. How sparkly and fun would that be for a little girl's birthday card?

Supplies:
Paper: PTI kraft and white for card base, scraps from scrap box
Ink: VersaMagic pixie dust
Stamps: PTI sentiment
Embossing folder: Cuttlebug divine swirl
Other: buttons, embroidery floss, scoring board

OLW 47

We were out of town last week so I missed the One Layer Wednesday at Simplicity. When I got back I found that an order from Amuse Art Stamps had arrived! Susan Rahaila had mentioned receiving the new Amuse catalog, and when I clicked over to the Amuse site I saw that all their stamps were on clearance since they are shifting to a home business model.

At any rate, I wanted to try out some of my new stamps, so I used this cute elephant from the Purr-fect clear set to play along with Jennifer's OLW 47, which was a sketch. I used a silver gray watercolor pencil to fill in the elephant and then brushed over it with water. I used my scoring board to emboss a square around it. Finally, I masked the square and stamped a random polka dot border. I wanted the polka dots to be lighter and more textural, so I stamped once on scrap paper before stamping on the card.


I'm not thrilled with the results, but decided to post it anyway. I think one problem is that a square card always feels somewhat formal to me and this card I've made is more playful. The two just don't seem to go together. Oh well. It's better than the first one I made! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: AMuse Purr-fect, Rubber Soul dot
Ink: Stazon black, VersaMagic spring pansy
Paper: PTI white
Other: watercolor pencils

Make It Monday 8

I've been away all week and only just returned from vacation today. I discovered the Make It Monday at Capture the Moment is all about sponging this week, which is a technique I've been having fun playing with lately. I decided I needed play along before the new Make It Monday comes up in the morning.

Two weeks ago I made this masculine card using sponging for the Less is More challenge. I liked the idea of taking the same card and changing the look by changing the colors of the ink, so I decided to remake the above card in blues and purples for a winter look. I masked the moon and then sponged two blues and a purple using a cosmetic wedge sponge.

When I was finished I accidentally smudged the crisp, white border I had masked, so I had to trim it and mount it on white cardstock. I adhered it slightly off-center and added a sentiment in white. I decided not to distress the edges as I had done on the fall-colored card. A clean, crisp edge seemed to go better with the winter theme.


Supplies:
Paper: PTI white, enchanted evening
Ink: Versamagic ocean depth, brilliance moonlihgt white, Colorbox pigment inks for sponging
Stamps: Rubber Stampede Winter Woods, Hero Arts sentiment