LIM DT: Photo inspiration – one layer card

You have a fortnight to join in the latest Less is More clean and simple card challenge. It’s a photo inspiration theme – take whatever elements you like from the provided photo prompt, whether it be colours, shapes, theme, words and so on. Oh, it’s also a one-layer card challenge – no embellishments, matting, die-cuts… Everything has to be on the card blank. Scroll down for the inspiration photo and description of how I made this design team card:

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AAA Cards DT: Monochrome

Today’s new challenge at AAA Cards is to make a monochrome card. Monochrome in this context does not necessarily mean without colour – different shades of the same colour are allowed. I chose to go with a greyscale monochrome and produced this masculine card:

Masculine themed card in grey and black tones Continue reading

LIM DT: Under the sea (#488)

Less is More challenge blog is following up their ‘B is for Beach’ theme with a new seashore-related subject: ‘under the sea’. Just enter your clean and simple card designs in the next two weeks featuring the theme for the chance to have the accolade of being shortlisted for our favourite card. I’ve not got any ocean-related stamps, so have created this panel card to fit the theme:

Under the sea themed card featuring a seahorse motif

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AAA Cards DT: Dogs/puppies

Finally! A challenge for which I had a choice of stencils and stamps to use in my card design – dogs/puppies. This is this week’s theme over at AAA Cards‘ clean and simple card challenge blog. After using technology to make last time’s card, I thought I would go back to my card-making roots and go for something using basic techniques:

Dogs in a row, stencilled silhouettes on a teal background and kraft card blank Continue reading

LIM DT: B is for Beach (#487)

Challenge time again at Less is More… We’re asking to see your clean and simple card designs on the theme of ‘B is for Beach’. You may remember a beach challenge a few weeks ago for a different challenge blog where I chose to go for a less traditional interpretation. For this challenge, I have used a more obvious inspiration:

B is for Beach themed card with sandcastle coloured with ProMarkers

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AAA Cards DT: Outdoor activity

Another fortnight has flown by which means it’s time for another challenge over at AAA Cards. We’ve chosen a theme of ‘outdoor activity’ as our prompt for a clean and simple card make. I spent absolutely ages going through my stash and could not find a single stamp or piece of ephemera fitting the theme that I hadn’t used recently. Google stepped up to the challenge, however, and after tweaking my search criteria and a downloaded file I made this card:

Outdoor activity: angler at sunset Continue reading

LIM DT: Anything Goes – keep it CAS (#486)

Less is More challenge time again – anything goes but keep it CAS. This theme is therefore an open season, though keeping the design clean and simple is a necessity if you wish to be featured in our winner’s gallery at the end of the challenge (so many entries aren’t). I struggle with an open theme, much preferring a more specific challenge. As is normally the case, I had a rummage in my stash and found an abstract stamp design that I had not used before and came up with this:

keep it CAS - an abstract teal and brown birthday card

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AAA Cards DT: Everything Beach

Summer is almost here, and in anticipation of a heatwave AAA Cards‘ latest challenge is to make a clean and simple card on the theme of ‘everything beach’. I’m a little more of a pragmatist, live in the UK and anticipate foul weather when I go to the coast. Foregoing buckets and spades and fancy parasols, I found this previously unused stamp deep in my stash and created this:

Stormy beach scene with seagulls and lighthouse Continue reading

LIM DT: Colour – black and light purple (#485)

Our monthly colour theme has come around again at Less is More clean and simple card challenge. This time it is ‘black and light purple’. I’ve taken the set palette literally and haven’t even used white (which is allowed). A top tip from the outset is to not try stamping an outline onto textured card stock… Here’s my make:

Black card with light purple stamped panel and sentiment

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AAA Cards DT: Hot/cold drinks

Lots of potential designs for the latest AAA Cards‘ clean and simple card challenge ‘hot/cold drinks’. I looked through my stamps for something suitable, thinking I had one from Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz – you know, the blueprint-style coffee cup – but I couldn’t find anything. Then I remembered I had some coffee-themed napkins that I would be able to decoupage. Unfortunately, the design was too large for a card, so that idea was binned too. Finally, an archived memory resurfaced and a quick rummage later allowed me to create this super simple card:

Super simple hot/cold drink card featuring a teacup on a yellow polka dot tablecloth Continue reading