LIM DT: Friendship (for World Cardmaking Day)

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.

friendship card with coloured rose Continue reading

AAA Cards DT: Colour theme ± dots #224

A new challenge has just been published over at the AAA Cards challenge blog. This time, it is to create a clean and simple card using a colour theme set by a photo with the optional extra of using dots. I picked out the primary four colours from the inspiration photo and spent a bit of time matching them to archival ink colours before stamping them onto white card using the same dotty stamp. Now, I usually avoid layers on my CAS cards, but most guidelines specify no or few layers so I feel I can get away with two. I like the individual pieces’ drop shadows and the depth they provide.

dotty colour theme birthday card

Continue reading

AAA Cards DT: Along the edge #220

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:

CAS card with under the sea theme

Continue reading

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

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…

bah humbug bulldog card Continue reading

LIM DT: Birthdays theme

After a short hiatus over Christmas and New Year, it’s great that the Less is More challenge is back! This time, it being our 11th birthday, the theme is, well, ‘birthdays’. Make a clean and simple card (lots of white space and minimal elements) and enter the challenge 🙂

happy birthdays Continue reading

LIM DT: Autumnal one layer card

One Layer Cards (OLCs) are often the trickiest of the Less is More challenges. All the elements must be directly on the cardstock used for the card itself. No die cuts, matting layers, or indeed most embellishments are allowed. The card itself must retain the clean and simple rule as well. This week’s theme is ‘autumnal’ and I’ve used a previous art journal page as inspiration for my card, which I think would be suitable for a sympathy card.

Continue reading

LIM DT: Purple and Yellow

We’ve reached ‘colours’ on our rotating challenge themes at Less is More and this time around it is purple and yellow. For those unfamiliar with the challenge, it is to make a card or project that is clean and simple – there must be lots of clear and clean space around whatever elements you’re using. Here’s the card I made for the design team inspiration:

Purple and Yellow themed card

Continue reading

LIM DT: Sketch 26

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.

Continue reading

Bible Journaling 8: Illuminated letters

The next Bible journaling session at The Studio (10th February 2020) features as its theme ‘illuminated letters’. I’ve long loved the mediaeval manuscripts with the fancy drop caps and the shiny gold gilding. Could this be done in modern-day Bibles? Yup! Here are four examples and bonus conventional illustration:

Continue reading