Less is More

Hi all, I have a card to share this evening for the Less is More Challenge that this week wants us to use something with LEGS on our creation! After my mistake of posting late last night and making a big boo-boo with the font size, (still don't know how i did that!) I thought I would get in early this week lol!!

So here's my little creation:



I have used a new stamp I got at the weekend from the Newbury Artstamps Show, from Little Claire. Isn't he sweet, toiling away under a hot sun (I imagine!) and I've nicknamed him Herbie the Hedgehog!




I stamped him in Versamark and black embossed, then coloured him with my Watercolour pencils.

I had to search through my stash for a suitable sentiment, and found the 'Thankyou for all you do' in my not very often used box of wooden stamps. It's by Penny Black, and I thought it suited the little guy working hard!

That's all from me this evening, hope you're enjoying the weekend, and if you've been to see Take That this week, I hope you enjoyed it and I'm a teeny bit jealous lol!!

Pauline xx

Less is More, CAS-ual Fridays

ED to add: I have no idea why the bottom part of my text is in a very large font! Any advice would be appreciated, I must have done something wrong lol!!!

Hi all, a quick one this evening, as I've left it a bit too close for comfort for this week's Less is More Challenge. I thought I'd combine it with CAS-ual Fridays too, so hopefully it will be accepted as a CAS card for LIM, as I realised after I had made it there isn't a great deal of white space - ah well, I put it down to experience!

So, CAS-ual Fridays would like a shaped card, and Less is more would like:

"For our challenge this week we would like to see you use

SHADES of BLUE

You can use a white card base, but we do want to see more than one colour of blue, not just one!"

And here is my take:


I have used a Go-Kreate die cut for the shaped cream card base, and cut a turquoise panel in the middle die shape. I then stamped some beautiful scrolls from the new release by Waltingmouse Stamps Flourishes - Scallops and Dots.

I used Distress Ink Tumbled Glass for the scrolls to make a frame, and then Weathered Wood to stamp the little dotted oval, from WMS Fancy Phrases set.

The sentiment is from Dainty Doilies, also by WMS, stamped in Weathered Wood.

Around the edge of the turquoise panel I sponged some chalk ink Aspen Mist and Colorbox Sky Blue.

Finally added some sweet little blue roses.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline xx

PDCC #89, WMSC 54

Hi all, I managed to make it to my craft room today to make a card for a couple of my favourite challenges - Play Date Cafe and Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.

When I saw the colour story at the PDCC I just had to get making, such soft beautiful colours!
And I also knew exactly the style of card I wanted to make using the WMSC sketch and a set of stamps that was one of my first stamp purchases almost 2 years ago now!

Here are the inspiration pics:

And here is my take:


I have used a creamy card base I got from my local stationers shop - it's very thick and has a beautiful pearly mottled effect.



I then made a panel from some pale minty green card from a Martha Stewart paper stack, and stamped the stitching, from Waltzingmouse Stamps Offbeat Backgrounds, around the edge in memento Rich Cocoa.


I then made another panel from some Bazzill kraft card - I hope this qualifies as the 'Taupe' the Cafe wants us to use! Then stamped two stitched strips in Rich Cocoa.

On a spare piece of the cream card I stamped a variety of butterfly wings from WMS Earthangel set - one of my first sets I bought, and it remains one of my favourites.

After tinkering about for ages with which wings I preferred and where and in which colour combo etc, I finally decided on making the butterflies up using the smaller wings of this butterfly.


I coloured them in using Promarkers in Buttercup and Pale Green - I had tried colouring it with a Mint Promarker, but it was very bright, and not the pastel shade I wanted.

I then stampd the butterfly body twice, and assembled all together using glue dots.



The sweet little roses are from The Hobby House, and hopefully, again I hope the Taupe colour on the rose passes muster!

Finally added a sentiment from WMS Frame It, and some creamy pearls, and voila!

I love this soft colour palette, and I think this is going to go to one of my children's teacher's with a leaving present.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline xx

PDCC #88

Hi all, it feels like I haven't been here for ages, and I haven't ! I have been a bit busy with one thing and another, and seem to have mislaid my mojo along the way! Well, I need to get back into it, as the school holidays are 3 weeks away, and I don't think I will get much time to craft.

So today I have a card for The Play Date Cafe, which wants the colours of (my interpretation!) Russet, Mustard and pale Aqua.

ED: to add: the blue in the pics looks more an aqua in real life, honest! xx

Here is the photo inspiration:



And here is my take:



As the end of term is looming, I thought I'd start on some teacher cards. They are the people who make such a difference to our world - the future is literally in their hands, and I for one take my hat off to them.

This particular card is for my eldest daughter's teacher - she is in Year 6, so is leaving this term for Big School, scary stuff. And, to put it politely, she's had a difficult class with some difficult children, so I for one am going to give her a couple of bottles of vino as I think she deserves it!

I have stamped the sweet little apple from Waltzingmouse Stamps Peace and Plenty set onto some kraft bazzill card twice - coloured with my water- colour pencils and decoupaged up. This stamp set is still quite a new purchase for me, and I feel I've only tapped the surface, the images are wonderful!


I was aiming for a Cox's Orange Pippin Apple - I hope you agree! I have framed the apple with the frame from WMS Frame it, and the sentiment is from the same set.

I then cut the image using my nestabilities Squares Sml, and layered up onto some pale aqua polka dot bazzill card cut with nestabilities lacy squares. Then layered this onto some russet and mustard shades of bazzill after distressing all the edges with Antique Linen and Walnut Distress Inks.

Finally added some mustard coloured gems to the corners, and inside added the sentiment "You're so fabby" also from the Frame It set.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Pauline xx

The Ribbon Reel Challenge #5

Hi all, well another two weeks have all but disappeared, and it's time for another challenge from The Ribbon Reel!

Below is the inspiration photo set by Zuzana:


And here is my take:




I decided to try another ribbon flower after my last one was surprisingly easy to do! I have used Plain Pink Twill to make the flower, and wrapped the gorgeous Parrot Green Leaf Trim around the edge, to give a wreath effect.

Added a fabric flower from WH Smith and a pearly brad from stash.


Along the side of the card I have used some White Crochet Lace threaded with some Loop Trim in Celery. I then topped off the lace with some pom pom trim in Avalanche.


I mounted the ribbon flower onto a kraft doily, cut using an MFT die.


Then I stamped in versamark the scroll flourish from Waltzingmouse Stamps Seasons of Love set onto some pale ink polka dot paper from Pink Petticoat. Then stiched the stamped paper onto some kraft card before adhering the ribbon flower. Then mounted onto some cream pearlescent card.

The sentiment is from WMS Fancy Phrases.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you are looking for some more inspiration, pop over to The Ribbon Reel Challenge Blog and see what my fellow DT members have for you today!
We'd love to see you take on our challenge!

Pauline xx

LIM, WMSC 52

Hi all, today I have a card for a couple of my favourite challenges Less is More and Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.

This week at Waltzingmouse it's a special week - the challenge turned One yr, so as a homage to all the fabby sketches for the last year we have been asked to pick a sketch from a previous week. I have chosen Sketch #37.

I have combined it with this week's Less is More challenge which is asking for our cards to feature Monograms. Not something I have ever tried to do before, and yet again Chrissie and Mandi have set a challenge that has, well, challenged me!

Here's the sketch:


And here's my take:



I have used a white linen card base, and cut a mat from some matt silver paper from Papermania, then edged with a scallop edge punch from Martha Stewart.



The patterned paper is from a beautiful paperstack by Papermania Capsule Collection in Aqua.
The paper is very dramatic, and I had to use it, it's so beautiful!



Then using some matt black paper also from Papermania I silver embossed a decorative circle from Waltzingmouse Stamps Faux Fun Circles and cut with nesties; then taking some silver matt card, black embossed the little wreath from the same set, and cut a frame, again using nesties.

Then in the centre of the larger wreath, silver embossed the 'M' from WMS Victorian Alphabet, mounted the silver wreath frame on top and mounted all onto a larger plain black circle.

Finally added some black gemstones for some understated sparkle.

I really love the elegant feel to this card today, due to the lovely paper, and it's going to a special blogging buddy as a thank-you card for a wonderful gift she sent me a while back.

I have several thankyou's to make and send as it was my birthday last week, and I've been playing catch up ever since - this is just the first and I'm going to pop it in the post today.

Thanks for stopping by

Pauline xx

WMS Blog Waltz!

Hi all, I have a card for the Waltzingmouse stamps Blog Waltz today, I haven't played for the last two, and I'm so pleased I made it today! The theme is Independance Day, which is upcoming in the next couple of weeks.


Made using Bitty Banners, Frame-it! and Asian Gardens Additions, the banners were stamped onto some patterned paper from Wild Rose Studio 'For Men' Paper Stack in Ladybug Red ink, and the frame and sentiment in Tuxedo Black. The blue bakers twine is from The Ribbon Reel.

Gotta dash, school run is looming!
Pauline xx