Simply Less is More # 174

Hi There!
It`s a Lucky Dip week at Simply Less is More as it`s the fifth saturday of the month and this weeks challenge calls for us to use                    MORE THAN ONE STAMP

I`ve been treating myself this week and bought some stamps and dies so I`ve put them to use today.

I`ve tried to be cool and trendy but I`m not at all sure if I`ve pulled it off or not, or whether it`s CaS enough lol.
I`ve used Kaisercraft Triangles stamped in Memento Bahama Blue and Stains in Memento Tangelo and Pear tart.
I`ve used a couple of yellow snippets for the banners and cut out ENJOY from Penny Black dies in bright blue card.

I`ve had hubby home all week so this is the first chance I`ve had to get in the craft room all week and now I`m up here Mr Mojo has gone on strike.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Simply Less is More # 173

Hi There!
Anyone who follows my blog regularly will know just how much I love my dies so you will understand how chuffed I was when I saw this weeks challenge at Simply Less is More was to use a DIE CUT.
This is what I made,

I started by embossing a square onto a 6x6 card base using a square nestie, masked it off then sponged it in very pale pink decorative chalk.
I made the vase by cutting out an oval shape with a nestie, then cutting across the top with another oval to make the opening. I cut  straight across the bottom with scissors for the base, chalked that in pale pink with a little darker pink along the bottom and one side to give it some depth, then ran it through the cuttlebug with a swirl EF.
I cut the foliage, Memory Box Flutter Vine in pale green card and the flowers, also MB Dancing Tulips, in white card. I coloured the flowers with Promarkers and cut the stems to fit the vase.
I slightly curved the vase with a bone folder and used a big blob of silicone glue to adhere it to the card base and slotted in my flowers and foliage while the glue was still pliable.
The word dies are from Britannia Dies cut from white card and adhered with a quickie glue pen.
I`ve got a family birthday coming up next month so I think this will do very nicely.

Not a very nice day today, in fact in feels more like october than nearly june. I`m hoping it`s going to improve soon as I`m sick to death of rain already. I`m sure I`m solar powered.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Second post for Less is More

Hi There!
It will be my daughter and son in laws wedding anniversary at the week end so I thought I`d kill two birds, so to speak, and make another card for this weeks Simply Less is More challenge which is flowers.

I`ve been getting messy with this one.
I started off with a square of white card and using various inks and chalks in differing shades of red it became a red square. Once the ink was dry I gave it a quick squirt of gold Do Crafts spritzing ink.
Once that was dry I added some homemade embossing paste dyed red with water colour paint and a sprinkling of gold glitter whilst still wet.
To finish off I cut out a leaf from a Poppy stamps die and trimmed it down a bit, punched two daisies and placed them one over the other and added a gold flat backed pearl to the centre. A small gold heart from a X Cut punch and sentiment from Flourishes Tag Lines.
I`m pleased with how this has turned out and might have another go with a different colour background.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Simply Less is More # 172

Hi There!
First I`d like to welcome my new follower, thank you for choosing my little blog to follow.

I had full intentions of making my card for this weeks Simply Less is More challenge yesterday. Both the Alans ( husband and son) went down to Wembly to watch Hull City in the FA cup final so I had the day to myself. However, it was far to hot and sunny to be in the loft so I was very lazy and sat in the garden for most of the day. It did give me a chance to come up with some ideas though and I did get a tad carried away and made 3 cards.
The theme for this week is flowers, this is what I came up with,

I did one of those silly quiz things on facebook a couple of weeks ago and apparently if I was a flower I would be a daisy. I must have taken it to heart because I`ve gone daisy mad lol.
For my first card I stamped the background from Paper Smooches Kissables set 1 in orange Versacolor.
The leaf is die cut from a Poppystamps die and adhered using foam pads.
The daisies are punched from white paper and the middles from orange paper.
The sentiment is from Wplus9.

For my second card I stamped the Flourishes Gerbera daisy set and after colouring with markers I cut out a rectangle keeping as many of the flowers in view as possible.
I cut out a larger rectangle in white card and mounted them using foam pads.
The sentiment is Flourishes Tag Lines.

Last one and I cut 2 small panels, one slightly larger than the other, rounded the corners off with a corner punch and mounted them one on top of the other using foam pads.
The leaf is again from Poppystamps and the flower is Sizzix Gerbera Daisy die set. I added a brad to the centre of the flower and placed it on the leaf.
The sentiment is Flourishes Tag Lines also with rounded corners.

As you can see the weather has been lovely again today giving me the chance to take my pics outside for a change. I`m certainly making the most of it as it`s going to change again in a couple of days, ho hum!

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

A fairy for Megan

Hi There!
Pfffth!  What has happened to the weather? I am so sick of rain, rain and more rain. But...we have been promised that better weather is on the way so fingers crossed. What bit of tan I got on holiday is fading and needs topping up fast.
So, to make up for grey skies I have made a bright and cheerful card for a lady(?) that I used to work with to give to her grandaughter.

I have used the fairy, `on tiptoe` from LOTV and coloured her with markers, then added a bit of glamourdust here and there.
The background DP is Pink Petticoat, Vintage Roses and the strip of DP is Papermania.
I`ve cut out a doily using a Cheery Lynn die.
The flowers are from my stash as are the large pink pearls, the lace and the number 6.
I didn`t have the right shade of pink ribbon for the bow so I coloured some white with a Spectrum Noir pen. Really pleased with how it`s turned out.
The sentiment is computer generated and cut out with a tag punch.
Oh, and I added a small pearl heart too, nearly forgot about that.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

The frugal (cheapskate) way to craft storage

Hi there!
Whether you`re crafting on a budget or would simply sooner spend your hard earned cash on crafty goodies rather than somewhere to keep it all, we all need affordable storage. These are my very cheap, sometimes free options.

These drawers are ace. Even better, they were free. Alan scrounged them for me when a local office was having a refurb. They are perfect for all my A4 card, photo copy paper and coloured paper..
The liitle stacking drawers on top were £1 from Poundland DIY dept, great for buttons and brads.

These clear plastic boxes are also from Poundland and are ideal for keeping my flowers in. I have 4 and because they`re clear I can see at a glance which colour is in which box.

These A4 boxes from `Really Useful Box` are a bit more expensive, 4 for £10 from Doncaster market but they are very strong. I keep all my card and patterned paper snippets in them, again one colour, one box ( more or less)

Ok, so this isn`t pretty but who really cares? There`s only me to look at them. Empty icecream tubs for ribbon and twine. And you get to eat the ice cream first. They are all stacked  in an old vegetable rack that slots neatly away when not in use.

Empty biscuit and sweet tins are a great way to store small items like tubs of embossing powders and glitter.

Last but not least...markers. I used to keep these in old biscuit tins but I got sick of having to rake about to find a particular colour. I toyed with the idea of buying custom made storage but it aint cheap, then I saw someone who used a wooden wine rack. Great idea but they are quite expensive too so I was stumped.
Then the other day whilst rearranging the craft room I hit upon this idea, tried it and it works a treat.
Two old CD racks with compartments made by using thin cd jewel cases. The more of one colour pen you have the bigger the compartment you can make. They sit, singly, on my desk and I go straight to a colour without having to rake about.

I still have to find a better way to store my inks. At the moment they are sitting in a cardboard candle box with compartments but, being cardboard its sagging dangerously now. If anyone can think of a better, very cheap way please let me know.

It would be interesting to hear of your frugal storage tips, the cheaper the better. I`m sure we`d all prefer spending on stamps than boxes.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Simply Less is More # 171

Hi there!
Well we`ve been back from our holiday for a week now and I really don`t know where the time has gone. Well I do....piles of washing and ironing, dust that waited until my back was turned and weeds that popped up all over the garden. Still we had a fabulous time. Visited some amazing places, eaten (lots of) fantastic food and met some lovely people.
I did make a card for last weeks Simply Less is More Challenge but I wasn`t at all happy with it so it`s in the bin. This week is a nice easy one, a One Layer Thank You card. This is what I`ve made,

I randomly sponged some Versacolor Cyan ink in a rough square shape then cut out the `Thank You` with a Die-namics die.
I cut another die cut, this time in hot pink and inlaid it into the card.
I added some tiny star shaped pink sequins and that`s it, job done.

Ruby is a happy bunny, chuffed to little mint balls and over the moon. Just over a year since her last Chemo and her hair is now long enough to get into a pony tail. You`d think she`d been given the earth, bless her.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx