Card Craft
LIM DT: Use Vellum

Posted on 27th August 2022 by Neil

The recipe challenge this week over at Less is More is to use vellum in your clean and simple card design/make. One of the trickiest things is to find a means of attaching it to the card without the glue showing as a darker area given its translucency. I’ve got around this by taping a fold-over flap to the inside of the card. I found the flower in a long-neglected box of Pergamano parchment craft. I mounted it on black to get the right contrast for the white of the stretched vellum. The sentiment is stamped in white pigment ink several times to get it opaque.

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Card Craft
AAA Cards DT: Moodboard #222

Posted on 21st August 2022 by Neil

Yet another challenge at AAA Cards this week! The theme this time is a moodboard (shown below) with the optional twist of it being a get well card. For those unfamiliar with making a clean and simple card from a moodboard, you can choose any element to base your design on, e.g. colours. I’ve taken inspiration from the bottle in the bottom middle image and found a never been used stamp in my stash to match:

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Arts in Worship
Bible Journaling: Joy

Posted on 16th August 2022 by Neil

My latest series of Bible journaling illustrations are based on the theme of joy. I’ve used gilding on some of them and will be teaching the process at my next session on 12th September 2022 at The Studio.

The template file is downloadable for free from my shop.

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Card Craft
LIM DT: Favourite Flower – a OLC

Posted on 13th August 2022 by Neil

Just in case you need reminding, OLC stands for ‘one layer card’ where you aren’t allowed to use any layers other than the cardstock that forms the card itself. It’s the latest challenge over at Less is More, along with the theme of your favourite flower. Die cuts are out, as are most embellishments so it’s a difficult challenge. I don’t particularly have a favourite flower, but I do have a favourite daisy stamp so I went with that!

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Card Craft
AAA Cards DT: Small and few #221

Posted on 7th August 2022 by Neil

A little challenge over at AAA Cards this fortnight, with the main theme being ‘small and few’. The optional twist is to add (lady)bugs to your clean and simple card design. Here’s my take on the theme:

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Art Journal
Wanderlust 2022: Weeks 22-28

Posted on 4th August 2022 by Neil

Update time on how I am getting on with the online Wanderlust 2022 mixed media course. The last seven weeks have been concentrating on using craft acrylics. We learnt they are generally cheaper and less pigmented acrylics and have a large premixed colour palette. Then we learned how to use them in various ways to make our art journal pages. I have fallen behind in the course due to holidays and that hot spell (which made the paint dry too quickly), but I’m catching back up. Here’re my takes on the seven lessons:

Card Craft
LIM DT: Butterflies

Posted on 30th July 2022 by Neil

Over at Less is More, there’s a new theme challenge for your clean and simple cards/makes – ‘butterflies’. Clean and simple means minimal layers, and lots of blank space, drawing attention to the stamping/colouring/sentiment. Here’s my one layer take on the theme, using watercolour pencils and a bit of distress ink over a mask to get the blue band across the middle:

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Card Craft
AAA Cards DT: Along the edge #220

Posted on 24th July 2022 by Neil

Challenge time again over at AAA Cards and the theme for the fortnight is ‘along the edge’ with the optional twist of ‘under the sea’. As always, the card should be clean and simple – minimum layers and embellishments and lots of empty/white space. Here’s my design team card for your inspiration:

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Card Craft
LIM DT: Traditional Christmas colours

Posted on 16th July 2022 by Neil

Well, it’s mid-July and we’re in a Christmas mood. At least, the crafting world is celebrating Christmas in July as most of the manufacturers release their seasonal goodies. Over at Less is More clean and simple card challenge blog, we are entering into this spirit with a colour challenge of ‘traditional Christmas’. I guess, like the challenge at the beginning of the month, that this is open to interpretation! I’ve gone with a classic red, green and gold:

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Card Craft
AAA Cards DT: Christmas pets in July (#219)

Posted on 10th July 2022 by Neil

As previously mentioned, Christmas in July is a thing in the crafting community. This week at AAA Cards challenge blog, the theme is ‘anything CAS goes’ with the optional twist of Christmas (pets) in July. I’m not a fan of the whole Christmas thing, especially starting in July, and am renowned for being a little bah humbug about the whole thing! So this card suitably sums up my state of mind…

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