Go with all your heart

The challenge at Less is More this week is to use more than one stamp http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/lucky-dip-week-174.html and that gave me the perfect excuse to ink up one of the new Mama Elephant sets that have just arrived at Make the Day Special Stamp Store today.....

I love this set - Sightseeing - the big bridge is so versatile - I can see it making funky borders next ;-)   There is definitely more than 1 stamp on this card- the bus, the bridge, the sign and wheels on the bus, the flags, the stripes on the flags and the sentiment are all separate stamps.  The road is washi tape.   I used Avery Elle pigment inks which are back in stock too.

Flowers, Frames and Stars

It's my day over on my Store's blog today and we have big news to share as we have becoemm the first UK stockist of Lil Inkers stamps and dies http://makethedayspecialcards.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/big-news.html

I'm celebrating their arrival by using them for this weeks die cut challenge at Less is More http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/week-173-we-have-recipe.html

I used the gorgeous Frames and Flowers Die to make 2 cards - you get 3 frames from the one die with the signature stitching we all love Lil Inker's for :-D   This is a super set as you also get some flower and leaf dies so I die cut some leaves from patterned paper and one of the flowers from felt and used those to decorate the frame.  I used a little washi for decoration and then used one of the great sentiments from Shiny Happy Sentiments to finish it off - simple but effective.

I'm going to enter this one into this weeks' CASology challenge too as the cue word is FLOWER.  http://casology.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/week-96-flower.html

You can go masculine with the centre of the frame - I used another sentiment from Shiny Happy Sentiments and embossed it in silver.  I then used another set of dies - the really lovely Stitched Stars but I decided to go for the negative space as you get the lovely stitching around that too so it makes an AMAZING background.  I arranged them on my silver mirri matt and die cut them a couple of times until I filled the whole matt and then simply popped the sentiment panel on top.

Hope you're all enjoying the bank holiday weekend :-D

My Hero

See I promised you less flowers and less watercolour today - well there are no flowers but there is still a tiny but of watercolouring going on....

It's my day on the Make the Day Special Store Blog and I'm using one of our newly arrived stamps from SugarPea Deisngs.  There are lots of great new characters to choose from, but as my husband works in a Comic shop then I had to go for this little dude first (complete with accurate colouring on his Flash t-shirt or I would never hear the end of it......)

Isn't he fun!   He was coloured with copics and cut out so I could mount him over the panel of buildings which is a sheet of DP from "man made" by Trimcraft that I cut a skyline from.  A little blue washed sky and an embossed sentiment for him to stand on like a girder finish this simple card.  The sentiment made up from the words in the set - there are lots of separate words and phrases so there are endless possibilities with this one!

Right time to leave the craft room and make the most of the sunshine.

 

Deja Vu

You may be forgiven for thinking you are seeing double day as the card I have is very similar to the last on I shared, but when I saw the theme at LIM today was flowers, I just couldn't resist having another go at the same kind of card but I did do a different floral arrangement!  http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/week-172-theme.html

I really love the "flooding" the background with colour and letting it spill beyond the embossing.  It makes the whole watercolouring thing a hell of a lot more manageable for me!

Right - I promise I'll share something less floral and watercoloury tomorrow.......

Watercolour Flowers

I've been following the latest watercolour class at Online Card Classes this week but I've been struggling with it as a medium and really didn't think it was going to be for me.  However, I finally found a technique that works for me - and it's totally against my normal need for control and everything I ever learnt about colouring - going outside the lines!

I was inspired by the current challenge from Clearly Besotted - http://stampingsharing.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/clearly-besotted-challenge-11-colour.html which is these gorgeous set of colours and I used some blooms from Fresh Flowers and a sentiment from Fabulous Fuchias.   I simply embossed the flowers in white and then coloured them in with a mix of pan water colours and luminarte shimmer watercolours but on the first layer I made the colours very light and loose and let them flood outside the lines - I know shock horror right!  I added hints of the 3 main colours around and about to get a soft background and balanced feel and then when it was dry I went back to the images and added a couple more layers of detail.  I finished with some strips of card and washi for balance.   I have to say it is just about my favourite card ever.......

Playing with Watercolour

Like many of the crafters I know, I'm taking part in the current Watercolour classes at Online Card Classes.   It's not a strong medium for me - I find the free form nature of it too loose - I like control!  However I have had a bit of a go.......

Firstly I used a quick and easy technique to enter this weeks's LIM challenge - I've not played in a while due to being busy with the store but I really miss it so will try harder to participate.

The challenge this week was a one-layer thank you.  I used PTI stamps and distress inks and softened the stamping for a faux watercolour look.   Not earth shattering, but not bad for a first attempt.

For my second attempt I used my newly arrived Clearly Besotted blossom stamps and the same technique with a little splattering over top to suggest the blossom drifting off in the wind.

I thought I'd enter this into the current watercolour challenge at KIS  http://kis-challenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/keep-it-simple-39-watercolor.html

Waltzingmouse Parrots

We have a fabulous new colour theme at Waltzingmouse Fanatics this fortnight based on some bright parrots  http://waltzingmousefanaticschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/challenge-17-colours.html

I was drawn to the purple and orange so decided to take artistic licence with the apple blossom in this seed packet design and I know it's mostly white or pink but we can paint it any colour we like now can't we that's the fun of stamping!   I wanted to do a little watercolouring ahead of the online class I'm taking from Monday so I can see if I've improved by the end of the class ;-)

I added a sentiment from "Frame It" on a green banner to finish it off and bring in more of the colours.

Do pop along and join in the challenge  http://waltzingmousefanaticschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/challenge-17-colours.html