Less is More: Music

I'm popping in with a quick card for the current Less is More challenge, which is to make a clean and simple card with the theme of music.  While there's always a lot of music in our house, I don't have a lot of musically themed stamps.  I do have a Recollections musical background stamp that I wanted to use.  The trick was how to use it in a way that was clean and simple.  Stamping the entire background across a card wouldn't leave very much white space.

I had no plan in mind and decided to just play around and see what happened.  Kind of fun to do that!  I cut a Nestie out of PTI rustic white cardstock and stamped the background across it.  Then I used the same ink (Versamagic Sahara Sand) to sponge around the edges. I stamped an old Memory Box bird and branch stamp and added a little button and sheer ribbon treatment at the top. 

 

I tried the card two ways - first on a standard size card with a little sentiment tucked under the corner and then centered on a square card.  While I like both, I find myself drawn more to the first one, which surprised me. My picture of it didn't turn out very clear; the sentiment is "Every day is a gift."

I love having my girls home from school with me.  We've been having lots of crafty fun together.  Yesterday we tried our hands at making homemade snow globes.  They turned out so cute that we've decided to make some more today. :)

I hope that wherever you are and however you celebrate the winter holidays, you are enjoying time with family and friends and sneaking in a little crafty time, too.  It's been fun "meeting" people around the world since I started this little blog last February.  Thank you for taking the time to visit me.

Merry Christmas!

Ann

Supplies:

Paper: PTI rustic white

Stamps: Recollections background, Memory Box bird and nest, PTI sentiment

Ink: VersaMagic Sahara Sand, ColorBox Chalk chestnut roan

Let it Snow

I've made another entry for the Less is More "Let it Snow" challenge.  I combined it with the One Layer Wednesday Challenge at Simplicity which is to make a one layer card that feels peaceful.  We don't get a lot of snow here in Western Washington, but when it does snow, I always think there is something so peaceful about those lovely white flakes gently falling from the sky.

Because I don't have a lot of time this week and I really liked the way my previous cards for Less is More turned out, I used the same stamps and layout.  I have been having so much fun with these Martha Stewart snowflake stamps.  This time I used white ink on kraft, which feels soft and peaceful to me.  I stamped the card quickly enough, and then fiddled with the bow for 45 frustrating minutes.  Needless to say, I wasn't feeling very peaceful by the time I was done.  I scratched the bow and just tied a simple knot, which I like better anyway! :)

Since the Less is More challenge is "Let it Snow," I thought I would share two of the cards my 5 and 9-year old girls made this weekend for their teachers' Christmas gifts.  I found a pack of white buttons in different sizes and we decided they would make perfect snowmen.  They turned out so cute!

Supplies:

Paper: PTI kraft (my last sheet - horror!)

Stamps: Martha Stewart, Hero Arts sentiment

Ink: Color Box frost white

Less is More and CFC 31

The challenge at Less is More is to make a one-layer card with the theme 'Let it Snow.'  I combined it with the CAS-ual Fridays challenge, 'In the Mist,' thinking that snowflakes and misting would go well together. 

I created a very subtle misted background using water with just a drop of two of acrylic paint added to it.  On the blue card I added clear rhinestones to the center of the snowflakes.  On the purple card I added some ultra-fine transparent glitter.

Neither the misting or the sparkle show up well in the photograph, as it was quite dreary here when taking these pictures.

Thanks for taking the time to visit during this busy time of year.  I've been behind in my commenting this week and hope to catch up in the next day or two.

Supplies:
Stamps: Martha Stewart, Hero Arts sentiment
Ink: Versamagic, Memento
Paper: PTI white
Other: transparent glitter, rhinestones, acrylic paint

CAS-ual Fridays 30

It's a tic-tac-toe board at CAS-ual Fridays this week, and participants get to choose their favorite rows to work with.  I chose the middle vertical row: polka dots, kraft, and orange. 

A local beekeeper generously gave me some beeswax recently, and my two Girl Scout troops melted it down and hand-dipped beautiful beeswax candles.  I wanted to make a special thank you card for him.  It was a bit tricky to make a masculine card using flowers and bees, and I wouldn't normally do such a thing.  However, seeing as Henri is a beekeeper and I was thanking him for beeswax, I felt the flowers and bees would be appropriate.

I used kraft card stock and a piece of fairly rustic polka dotted orange paper from my scrap bin to paper piece the flower.  The stem is also paper pieced using a scrap of dark green polka dotted paper.  Frankly, the bee is just too darn cute to be masculine, but how could I leave her off?  :)

Together with the notes my Girl Scouts made for Henri, I think this will be quite a nice thank you for a special gift.  Thanks for visiting today!

Supplies:

Paper: PTI kraft, scraps from scrap bin

Stamps: Hero Arts be happy, PTI mega mixed messages

Ink: Memories black