Don’t forget that in the crafting world, new Christmas releases occur from any point in June to the end of July. I’m not entirely sure why, but, presumably, it’s like fashion, a season in advance. Thus, the Less is More challenge this time is ‘Christmas in July’. I’ve created two cards: initially, the watercoloured card, which I decided wasn’t clean and simple enough, and then the snowflake and sentiment.
Oh, this one is a real toughie! I don’t think it’s a secret that the design team were all scratching their heads with the latest challenge over at the clean and simple card challenge site, Less is More. We could think of several ways of making a monogram, but most weren’t only one layer. That ruled out die cuts, cutouts and all sorts of other clever stuff.
Anyhoo, I scratched my head successfully and came up with three designs. The first, the N, technically didn’t fulfil the definition of a monogram, being a single initial. Then the stencilled and embellished A didn’t fulfil the definition either and turned out not to be a favourite. Finally, the graffiti monogram meets the definition, but might not be considered a traditional monogram.
Challenge time again at Less is More, the clean and simple challenge blog. This time, it’s a colour challenge: use pale blue and yellow, and black and white are allowed. It took me a little while to come up with my design – a couple of the design team had already posted their cards and I didn’t want to do the same or a similar card. Here’s my final take on the challenge:
One of the joys (and tribulations) of being a mixed media artist is that you have a great deal of choice when coming to the question of a favourite technique. The fact that the latest challenge at Less is More is conventionally a card craft project helpful narrows down the choice. I found it hard to pick a favourite, so here are two cards based on the effects I most like the results of.
For the unfamiliar, a sketch challenge starts with a block drawing which you then adapt with added elements to make your card. Over at Less is More, the clean and simple card challenge blog, we have set sketch 26. Here are two cards based on the sketch.
Challenge time again at Less is More, and this time it’s a theme: sea creatures. Strangely, despite searching through 20 years of collected stamps, magazine freebies and digistamps, I couldn’t find any images of sea creatures. Not even a fish. Then I remembered a logo I created for our craft business that ran for 10 years as part of a craft club… The Manic Stamper. It only took a little adjustment to make this sea creature inspired birthday card for the avid rubber stamper:
One layer card time at Less is More with a diamonds theme. This is what it says, with no die cuts, embellishments, and all completed on the folded cardstock. It’s harder than it seems and today’s example was the third time I tried the same technique!
It’s a colour theme at our favourite Clean And Simple challenge blog, Less is More. I can’t remember who suggested them, but the colours this time around are pink, grey and gold. Here are two one layer cards using the colours, with the peacock being the one I chose for the DT post.
One of the challenges of [C]lean [A]nd [S]imple card design is keeping some white space around your elements. This week’s challenge over at Less is More is CAS inking. We’re hoping that entrants will restrain themselves and keep roughly two-thirds of their card free of inking or texture as per the challenge rules. I created several inked pieces and chose two to go through to card stages:
Another Less is More challenge blog design team post… I had to go very deep into my stash to find some baby-themed stamps, but after almost getting lost in a drawer I managed to look out three suitable images. All have been stamped on paper for acrylics as I couldn’t immediately lay my hands on watercolour paper. I then cut out the images and stuck them onto the cards.
