Snowdrops in Green - A One Layer Card

Hello Everyone,

I've just discovered a new challenge blog, One-Layer Simplicity, and the remit for challenge #1 is Restocking the Shelves - that is design a simple, one-layer card to stock up on whatever there is a shortage of in your stock. For me that is birthday cards and my goal for the year is to ensure that I have plenty in stock so I am not forever rushing at the last minute. And I really should persevere with one-layer card making ... if only because it saves on postage!

So here it is. Just some scoring and stamping - love the simplicity of the snowdrop image. No embellishments whatsoever ... and you have no idea how difficult it was for me to hold back on the ribbon, flowers, butterflies, glitter, etc. And I struggled to create this card too ... this is my second attempt, the first is in the bin :(

inside is stamped with just the flower heads

back with a repeat of the snowdrop stamp

Materials used:

• base: a 4.5" square white card
• stamps:  from The Wild & Free Stamp Collection from Get Stamping magazine
• Ink: Versafine Olympia Green
• Tools: Hougie Score Board and scorer

Possibly the shortest materials list I've every had to type up :)

Thanks for looking ... hope you like my humble attempt at one-layer cardmaking. Me! I think I have to practice a lot more!

Take care, keep warm (unless you are basking in a heatwave somewhere far south of here) and stay safe.

Less Is More - Week 120

Afternoon Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and having a good Friday.

As the theme for the Less is More 's challenge for Week 120 is Cats and/or Dogs I had no difficulty deciding  which to feature on my card ... well, with a cat like The Boss around, did I really have a choice :)

This cute little kitten is from a Joanna Sheen collection a friend gave me, and this is it's first outing. It was stamped in Tim Holt Vintage Photo distress ink and, allowed to dry off and then the ink was drawn out with a wet paint brush. The greeting, from Hero Arts Classic Messages, was stamped with Vintage Photo too.

The tiny heart, stamped in bright red on front and inside, is from a Docrafts message collection that doesn't appear to have a name, well, not one I can find anyway!

And that's it - really simple.

It's lunchtime here so I'm off to join the EM but I plan to be back later with a Friday Smile ... it's a while since I did one.

Take care and happy crafting,

Blooming Wonderful ... Less Is More

Hello Everyone,

Well, I did it! I made a one layer card using a coloured card blank for the LIM Week 119 challenge at last. If you read my earlier post you will know that my first attempt met with disaster. Here's my second attempt.

The idea is the same - a stamped and embossed flower panel, flowers coloured with ProMarker, but this time it's on pink sorbet coloured card and instead of just embossing with powder, I've used gilding flakes too.

 A close up of the gilding shows just how pretty it is - the iridescent gems stones are pretty too.

This particular cardstock is quite absorbent so it was possible to stamp inside using VersaMark to get a watermark effect rather than use a coloured ink pad.

Materials used:
For the base - Papermill Direct smooth card, Pink Sorbet
Stamps - Dawn Bibby Designs Flower & Leaf set
For the stamping - VersaMark, Rangers Sticky embossing powder and Frosted Leaves gilding flakes
For the colouring - ProMarker, Baby Pink
Tools - Hougie Board, and some Post-Its to create the panel
Embellishments - iridescent gems from stash

It's been a glorious day here so we finally managed to top up our vitamin E reserves by spending an hour or so out in the garden. And whilst out there we took the opportunity to remove a few of these:

Shame ... they are lovely ... but, as they are a plant growing in the wrong place, they are by definition a weed and therefore just had to go!

And then I stopped to admire this:

My one and only auricular plant - gorgeous!

And then there's this:

The wallflower border. I wish this was smelly blogavision - the perfume from these is heavenly. So much so I just had to do this:

The lounge now smells heavenly too :))

This beautiful day would appear to be a blip ... the forecast is for worse to come over the next few days. Is it to be ever thus?

Hope you all had an equally wonderful day wherever you are.

Take care and happy crafting,