Create Your Own Magic

It's time for a new challenge at Less Is More. This time the theme is SMALL IMAGES - less than 2 inches. Easy peasy - just grab your small stamps and go to town Just remember that there must be lots of clean white space on your card. I have two cards to share with you today.

My first card (above) is a little unicorn cake image from Flora and Fauna on a shimmery rainbow background framed with a scalloped square.

My second card (above) is made with the bell from Sunny Studios Holiday Style layered stamp set, a die cut bow from Pretty Pink Posh and sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Christmas.

Our sponsor is Skull and Crossbones.

www.skullandcrossbuns.com

Please head over to the Less Is More Blog, See what the Design Team has created for your inspiration. I hope you'll play along with us to share your creations and have chance to win. Remember to keep your design Clean And Simple.

To be eligible for showCASe and PRIZE WINNER choices you will need to carefully follow the guidance on our GLOSSARY OF TERMS and our HOW TO PLAY pages. Your design should feature lots of clean / white / blank / non patterned / non textured space. All challenge details are on the Less Is More blog.

I am also paying at:

With Card #1

CASology#348

With card #1 using optional toppings

Seize The Birthday #170 - AG with optional toppings - RAINBOW

With Card #1

Atlastic Hearts Sketch Challenge #325

With Card #2

TGIFC221 - Christmas In July

With Card #2 - Inspired by colors: silver, red and white.

Just Add Ink #466

With Card #2

The Male Room #115 - Christmas In July

With Card #2

Shopping Our Stash #400 - Christmas In July

Specs Appeal

There's a new challenge up at Time Out

with a theme of RETRO, with an optional twist of One Layer. Our challenge is sponsored by Sarah Grey of Funky Fossil Folksy - winner gets 3 stencils of their choice from the store.

Our wonderful Guest Designer Esther. Esther's work is absolutely awesome. please treat yourself to a stroll through her blog for some incredible inspiration.

I used Paper Smooched Glasses Dies to create this punny valentine. My husband and I both wear glasses so I thought it was perfect for him for Valentine's Day.

Please head over to the Time Out Challenges Blog to see what Esther and the Design Team have created for your inspiration. Play with us to share your creation, and to have a chance to win a prize from Sarah's incredible shop. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'm also playing at:

The Male Room #104 - Love Your Men

Use Your Stuff #34 - Hearts Pink/Red

Papercraft Challenges #30 - Something New

The Paper Smooches glasses dies are new to me. I finally broke them out of their package!

Watercooler Wednesdays #208 - All About Occasions

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #303

Always Fun Challenge #97  Love - Valentines

Yes You Can!

There's a new challenge up at Less Is More. This time it's a sketch. When I first looked at this sketch, I saw a jacket and tie. I also saw a spotlight. There are so many possibilities as you will see when you feast your eyes on the wonderful inspiration the Design Team has created.

Our sponsor this month is Skull And Cross Buns.

We're joined as Guest Designer by our November 2018 winner, Toni of Frankie Helps Craft. Toni's work is fun and clever, and her coloring is awesome! Take a stroll through her blog for some wonderful inspiration.

Keeping the jacket, tie and spotlight in mind, I created this card of encouragement for my son who is a college Freshman at an extremely academically rigorous school. He is also a three season athlete.  I never saw anyone work harder than he does. His grades are fantastic, but every now and then, he gets the blues and I like to send him a hug in an envelope. So that is where I went with this sketch. I just cut 2 triangles, stamped and die cut the sentiment, and added a little heart cut from a scrap of water colored paper.

Please head on over to the Less Is More Challenge Blog and check out the wonderful creations the Design Team has come up with for your inspiration. Play with us and share your take on the sketch! I can't wait to see all the ways the shetch is interpreted.

I am also playing at:

 Simon Says Stamp Wendesday Challenge - Clean and Simple.

Watercooler Wednesday - Anything Goes

The Male Room #102 - no twist.

You Are My Life's Anchor

Creative With Stamps Challenge #29 is up and running with the theme of "FATHER". I thought it was an interesting theme choice for August, but CWS Challenge Co-Creator Lilian was born in Taiwan where Father's Day is celebrated on August 8th, and chose the prompt for this challenge.

Challenge Sponsor is MHK Designs. 

Challenge winner will receive their choice of 3 products of their choice.

As I looked through my stash to find things that would work, I decided on my sentiment first from Altenew's Precious Moments. I then turned toward a nautical theme choosing a red, white and blue color scheme. I used a strip of patterned paper on the left, and stamped sailboats on the right. I stamped the two pieces of the sentiment on the Every Day Circles die cut from Concord & 9th, and there you go! 

Inside, I stamped a Happy Birthday sentiment. My father is no longer with us, but this would be perfect for one of my sons to use for their dad's birthday.

Please head on over to the Creative With Stamps Blog, check out what the Design Team has come up with to inspire you, and share your creation in the gallery.

Happy crafting! 

Supplies
Stamps: Altenew Precious Moments, Simonsaysstamp Sail Away
Ink: Memento London Fog, VersaFine Majestic Blue
Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU Real Red, Studio Calico Atlantic Collection Paper Pad
Accessories: Concord & 9th Every Day Circles Dies

I'm also playing at:

The Male Room #91 - Birthday
Happy 5th Birthday Male Room!!!

SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge - Make Your Own Background

On My Mind

The Male Room Challenge #70

I tend to avoid making specifically male cards except when I need them, and when I need them, it is often too late to just whip something together. Then I goto the store and buy a stupidly expensive card and promise myself I will make more male oriented cards, and I don't... you know the drill. SO - I have decided to try to play at The Male Room as often as I can. With that said, when I saw the theme of the current challenge, the first time that came to mind was MFT's "Just My Type" vintage typewriter stamp and die set that I have had for a very long time. I just love the image, and well, albeit ancient, the typewriter was once a new-fangled invention that changed the world in many ways, right?? So I went hunting for some patterned paper that would work, die cut it with a stitched wonky rectangle, added some twine and a crystal heart, and there you have it!

Adventure

Time for a new challenge at Time Out Challenges. This one is a Home Sweet Home Challenge: A photo inspiration challenge with a homey twist! Here is the inspiration:

Our Guest Desighner is Trinia from My Crafting Closet. Trinia's work is awesome. She has a wonderful CAS style. Take a stroll through her blog - you will love it.

Our wonderful sponsor is STAMPlorations. Challenge winner will receive a gift certificate to the Stamplorations store.

So for my card, the map in the inspiration photo caught my eye. I don't have map-themed stamps or paper in my stash, so I went on an internet search for ideas and found these wonderful free tag images on Call Me Victorian: Vintage Inspired Digital Content.

I stamped my kraft card base with an old Stampin' Up background stamp: "Sanded", with VersaMark ink. I punched holes in the tags, added some blue twine and glued them to my card base. I then heat embossed the word "adventure" from Winnie & Walter's The Big, The Bold And Fun with SSS Rose Gold EP to finish off the card.

Please head on over to the Time Out Challenges Blog and see what our Guest Designer and wonderful Design Team has created for your inspiration. Then see where that inspiration takes you and join us for Time Out Challenge #89!

I am also playing at:

The Mail Room #66 - Maps/Coordinates

Just Us Girls #404 - Something Old and/or Something New or you could use both.

The SU BG stamp has been in my stash FOREVER, and the Winnie & Walter "adventure" stamp is from a set that I have had for a couple of years, and never opened. The tags are new!

Muse – Anything Goes

CWS#17 - Masculine

          

Happy 6th Birthday!

I made this for my great nephew's birthday. He loves to don his super cape, and so this wonderful Paper Smooches Super set was the perfect place to start. All stamps and dies are from Paper Smooches. Coloring is done with Copics.

I'm playing at:

The Male Room Challenge #53 - Numbers

Seize The Birthday - Anything Goes

Joyous Easter

Today I am feeling a little Spring in my step. It snowed last night but the air is warming and the temps should be around 70 by the end of the week. Trees are blooming, crocus and daffodils and hyacinths  are up... Yay.  I made this Easter card for my sweet nephew Thomas. He is such a sweetie - 6 months old and the happiest guy I know. Images are Paper Smooches (carrot, bunny, bird and sentiment) and MFT (grass). Background inside circle is polka dot vellum from PTI with a little tint of Tumbled Glass distress ink. 

I am linking my card to the following challenges:

The Paper Players #287 - CAS Celebrate Spring

SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge - Cute and Cuddly

The Male Room #31 - Easter

Thank so much for stopping in today!