LIM DT: Anything Goes (#481)

Posted on 15th April 2023 by perfectly4med

Another ‘anything goes’ theme at the Less is More clean and simple challenge blog. This time it doesn’t have to be a one-layer card which leaves a little leeway for embellishments and matting to be added if needed. Remember that clean and simple requires a large amount of white space around your chosen elements. I’ve elected to add a little dimension to my card by lifting up the butterfly wings. I also added a little star dust to the wings which doesn’t completely show up in the pic. Here’s my finished inspiration piece for the challenge:

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LIM DT: Anything Goes One Layer Card (#479)

Posted on 18th March 2023 by perfectly4med

The Less is More challenges are back from their Christmas/New Year break! The first this year is a one-layer card challenge – the image must be printed or stamped directly onto the card blank, with no additional layers and no embellishments. The theme is open – anything goes. Here’s my abstract design team card for your inspiration:

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AAA Cards DT: Circles

Posted on 19th February 2023 by perfectly4med

Check in at AAA Cards for their latest clean and simple card challenge: use circles in your design. The design team have interpreted this theme in numerous ways and it’s worth having a look for your inspiration. Here’s my take on the challenge:

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AAA Cards DT: Along the edge ± rainbow #228

Posted on 13th November 2022 by perfectly4med

The latest challenge over at the AAA Cards blog is to create a card with elements along one edge with the optional extra of ‘rainbow’. One advantage of working as far ahead as I do (I’m writing this in July) is that you can make sure you don’t clash with other DT members by getting your design in first! I chose to go with one of my favourite rainbow quotes and a basic illustration to complement it.

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LIM DT: Colour wheel

Posted on 5th November 2022 by perfectly4med

It’s a relatively easy challenge over at Less is More this week – use two or more colours from a traditional colour wheel. I love the contrast that complementary colours bring, so have stuck with just purple/violet and yellow for my colour scheme:

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LIM DT: Use a stencil

Posted on 22nd October 2022 by perfectly4med

Challenge number 476 over at Less is More this week is to use a recipe or technique – this time it is to use a stencil…

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LIM DT: Draw your own frame

Posted on 8th October 2022 by perfectly4med

The next challenge at Less is More is to make a one-layer card using a self-drawn frame. I went a bit mad and hand-drew the whole thing. The finished piece looks like it is layered because of shading using an alcohol marker on the bottom edge of the mandala – a very effective way of adding depth without layers. The background is a masked, dense layer of blended distress ink over which I’ve used a black pigment marker and Stabilo pencils for shading.

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Wanderlust 2022: Watercolours – weeks 29-35

Posted on 28th September 2022 by perfectly4med

I’ve procrastinated a bit on my homework for this section as I and watercolours often do not get on well together. The lessons have been great on Wanderlust 2022, with each of the tutors carefully and patiently explaining the techniques they use so that they are, in the main, replicable. Here are my results from weeks 29-35…

Various mixed media techniques on papers other than watercolour paper have generally worked ok. I still haven’t fallen in love with watercolours as a medium, but am glad I have tried them. Oh, and buying decent tube watercolours made such a difference to the vibrancy of the colours over the student quality hard pan collections I normally use.

LIM DT: Friendship (for World Cardmaking Day)

Posted on 24th September 2022 by perfectly4med

Apparently, World Cardmaking Day is held every first Saturday of October and is dedicated to those that prefer to make cards rather than buy them. In honour of this, the latest challenge at Less is More is to make a CAS card on the theme of friendship. I made the following card, and I’m not sure I like it! I think that the blue shading around the top and bottom of the rose detracts from the clean and simple aesthetic.

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LIM DT: Use Vellum

Posted on 27th August 2022 by perfectly4med

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.