More Drink, not Less!

The recipe at Less is More for weeks 99 and 100 is DRINKS  This card is for my daughter Lydia who sure does love her cocktails!
It is probably a bit 'more' than less but there is plenty of white space! The gradient glitter cardstock was part of a pack and I remember wondering what on earth to do with it, it is perfect for this card! I also entered Simon says stamps - Merry Christmas and Papertake # Anything goes as previous challenge

I would like to wish my lovely followers and visitors who have left  lovely comments which I really do appreciate , a Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy New Year or as the French say:

Bonne année et bonne santé 

Donna x

Black and Gold Christmas

At Dynamic Duos this week the colors are Gold and Black, not my first thought for Holiday cards but I have now used the combo for several cards and love it!

Stamps: SU Happy Hour heat embossed in gold, cardstock, mesh, brad from stash.
Other challenges: Simon says stamp - Merry Christmas

Happy Hour

Christmas cards are my favourite cards of all.  I havn't got very far with making my christmas cards for this year, I spend too many hours looking at the many lovely designs to CASE on Pinterest !! I havn't entered any challenges for ages until today. I saw the sketch on Mojo Monday (Mojo270) which I love.   I stamped the SU images in gumball green, lined them all up with the stampamajig, I am getting a lot better at stamping now I have one. I cut the drinks out of glittercardstock I have had for EVER. I love the little finishing touches in the set and can see me using it a lot (nothing to do with hubby with in the wine trade of course LOL).

Which Die cutting machine to replace hated E-Craft?

I want to replace my E-Craft, (oh I I hate that machine :-( ) with something that does not cut different every time, DOES need a mat to stabilise it, chew up my expensive paper etc. It takes hours to get even a simple cut right and as for anything intrikit, forget it! I had an old Cricut and SCAL 2 which cut better. I love SCAL 3 and want a machine that will run it, no cartridges, less expensive blades and mats that last a while! perhaps one that will print and cut accuratley?? If any of you ladies can help me choose I would be very happy :-) I wish I had read reviews of the E-Craft before I bought it.
I am dropping hints to Santa! and one last thing, it has to be available in the UK or France.

Pros & cons
cost of consumerables, blades, mats, 
Life of consumerables, i.e.new blade every 5 mins!
Software
Price
Good supplier
Any thing else!



Please let me know what you think of your own machines.  I have been looking at the Silhouette and the Sizzex Eclips..................  

Thank you
Donna :-)


Eclips with Ecal it is!  it arrived the other day and I love it allready.

Happy Anniversary - Glad you made it!

It was our 6th Anniversary on the 28th of October. We got married soon after we moved to France in 2006.  On his way to the airport to work in London for a few days last week, a woman in a VW Polo did an illegal 'U' turn without checking, right into Tom on his motorcycle.  He fell on his head but amazingly apart from being knocked out having no idea where he was going and why, for an hour or so until he got to A&E , a cut lip and some grazes on his face and a sore neck he was otherwise ok. He was very lucky that the traffic was moving slowly and it was winter so he had his heavy jacket and trousers on.   I did have to stop him going swimming when he got back from the hospital and he was a bit out of it for the rest of the day! The bike is a write off but at least he didn't miss our Anniversary :-)
 SU DSP, digi glasses color with Promarkers & glossy accents. Embossing folder, Kraft card and .bakers twine from stash.  This is the 2nd card I made as the first one has the SU motorbike on it............:-)
As there is some dry embossing I would like to enter DYSU #95 - Embossing

Edit: just noticed that Alison has posted a very similar card today - great minds think alike!

Lydia 18th

Close up of shoes

Soon my 'baby' will be 18. She would only wear shades of purple, and the more velvety and flittery the better! If I dressed her in anything else off it came and on when the purple dress, purple socks, purple cardi...
I made the little shoes from a svg I made ages ago for a card for my elder daughter Sophie.   It does not show too well but they are made from a scrap re-cycled of velvetely brocade paper I found in my stash, I think it was originally from a doll dressing up pack. Black glitter cardstock, bows and ribbons, bling, rub-ons from stash.  Brocade embossing folder. SU punch out of purple plum cs, nestie and I made a key SVG and cut it on the e-craft. It is bit fussier than usual for me but Narelle on FMS did say she likes layers and 'fullness'!!
Challenges: I used the layout from  Freshly made sketches #58
Unstampabelles # recycled
Sir stampalot October-challenge - Punch Away

Mum's birthday

A bit fussier than my usual style, but my Mum will love it! It is a horrid day here today, 95 km per hour winds, tiles falling off the roof, wheelie bin blown 100mt in the orchard!
I do think this Penny Black stamp is teriffic. Coloured with Promarkers.
Flowers from Wild Orchid
E-craft die cuts and SU punches and sentiment. Paper and ribbons from stash.
Challenges: Penny Black Saturday - sketch
Cr84fn Colour challenge - pink, tan, cream
I Love promarkers #139 anything goes

Louise

I can't get my head around it being October... nearly Christmas! My family have most of our birthdays in the Autumn.  Even Ella the 'puppy' was one year old on the 10th, same day as my 23 year old Sophie.  I have made a few cards over the summer but not gotten to post them.  This card is for my dear Sister and best friend Louise.  She is very 'crafty' and as sewing was easier on a card than crochet... !!
I used/would like to enter:
Sketch from Freshly made sketches #56
Theme from Ribbon Reel: NEUTRAL PALETTE in the photo and include A DAMASK PATTERN, LACE / RIBBONS
Die cut with my e-craft the dress form, SU punches for Simon says stamps : dies and/or punches and Pile it on # vintage-or-shabby-chic
Some lovely vintage seam binding, bits of gold mesh, embossing folder damask, little blue rose which I think came from Wild Orchid. Beads and bits and bobs from stash.

Happy 1st Birthday Ella

Beach Wedding

This my first card for ages.  We are going to a beach wedding on Saturday so I wanted to come up with a card with a 'beachy' theme!  I cut out the palm trees with my E-craft which is working again, more or less. I used various embossing folders.  I would like to enter: Little Claire Monthly Challenge # 25 'Stand Up Straight!, Simon Says....Emboss It ! and a new challenge Creative cutting 1-anything-goes.

Flourish

This week at Less is more #71 it is one layer week and add a flourish!  After several ended up in the bin (the punch was sticking) I was left with these two.  I had wanted the SU set 'Snow Swirled' for ages but it has never been in the UK catty so I got it off e-bay.  The entire tree is made of flourishes and on the 2nd one there are even some on the ribbon.  I quite like one layer week, I actually find it quite hard to be able to add layers now! LOL  I have had a lovely time looking at the cards of the Limettes this week, I can't always comment as I can't type on the ipad thingy but I do look and admire :-)
SU stamps and punch, ribbon, bling from stash, gold embossing powder.

MOJO245 Engagement

This week I have been 'home alone' and recovering from having visitors.  the fact that it hasn't stopped raining all week has given me the opportunity to get some cards made.  Mojo Monday  is a challenge I often look at as I like the sketches but I don't think I have entered a card before.
I used the colors from this weeks dynamic duos #6  I had a nice box of Stampin' up! goodies arrive from Alison including the new Twitterpated DSP so I just had to use it!  The heart and sentiment are highlighted with a sakura clear star sprarkle pen but it does not really show up on the picture. Seam binding, bling, grey cardstock  & punches found on my desk! I would also like to enter the ribbon girls Challenge

Mellow Yellow

At Less is more Week 69 We have a very simple recipe this week and that is simply to make a card which is

NOT A SQUARE

nor a rectangle for that matter.

For once I am not uploading at the 11th hour!  This card was a total accident, I have been trying to get the E-craft working i.e. not chewing up my cardstock and paper! I can never remember the pressure for each paper and although it is supposed to be 'matless' some kind of mat IS needed, I found a cropper hopper plastic 12x12 divider. I hardly use the e-craft as it takes so long to get a good cut. Don't even get me started on the crappy software it comes with, lucky I have SCAL!  

Anyway enough of a ramble, I was using this svg file 'Hibiscus stencil card' (I cannot remember where it came from, there is no TOU and no name on the file.  If anyone knows please let me know and I'll add a link.)  I was using cardstock in colours I never normally use to test the machine.  This was the 4th attempt..... the sentiment is SU.  I used stick and spray to attach the red front to the yellow but then realised that the yellow cut outs were sticky ...Doh!  so I had a brain wave and poured crystal glitter over the card and volia! a shaped card !!!

Edit: the file was from here

Baby

Less is More week #68 theme - A baby or a child

51 mins to go! SU baby tees stamp taken off its wheel, odd bits of cardstock embossed and punched , promarkers, seam binding (it is rose pink but looks odd on the scan)  I had to scan the card as my battery was dead :-(.
Lots of white space, I think the longer I spend on a card the less white space there is! I have been planting tomato plants today, it was sunny for a change!

Less is more #

This week at less is more we are week-67-one-layer, 3 stamps various distress inks, SU blossoms stamps x 2 happy birthday stamp from Blade Rubber, not quite navy SU cardstock and punch. bling from stash.

This is about my 10th try all the others either   a) I forgot the white space     b) inky fingers... c) Colitis cat sat in dirt then ink then on card, d) builder called me downstairs to review sanding of terrace table and I then knocked over a cup of tea. So 11th hour as usual! I do wonder how I ever managed to run a department when I can't even get a card finished with a weeks notice.  That's what fibromyalgia (and brain fog, chronic pain, insomnia) does to you, it robs you of the person you used to be, especially when the weather is damp/cold. Everything takes longer and if you actually remember what it was you were trying to do in the first place, it is a good day. My 3rd sister who is only 35 and due to get married  soon as just been diagnosed (2nd sister was 4 years ago) so I'm feeling a bit sorry for us all today. (normally i'm a silver lining, glass half full  type)  Darwin would probably have us all shot!  I will feel better and more positive when this hellish Vent d'autan wind stops blowing,  the hail stops wrecking my garden  and the sun finally comes out again!

Playing the 'Glad Game' My beautiful rose around the kitchen door, (before the wind, and rain got to it!)

PS I do surf the lovely limettes cards on Mr D's mac thingy that does not have a keyboard as sitting at my computer and touch typing away is my No1. trigger so a rationed pastime ;-)
xxx

LIM week 66 yellow

This week at Less is More This week we are back to a colour challenge and the chosen colour this time is

Y E L L O W

Other colours may be in evidence as long as the main focus colour is yellow.

Yesterday a box arrived with a Sew Easy, and some punches, 2 for stamens.I had been playing with the SU mixed bunch punch off and on all week and liked the embossed look on the flower.   I made the card from  kraft card  from my stash, so this week Chrissie and Mandi my 'white space' is kraft!

It has been abusy week here, Ella had her first 'toiletage'... I nearly cried when I saw how short her hair is now .  She absolutly hates being brushed but her long hair really needed to be shorter for the summer. at least now I can brush her without a fight, hopefully by the time it all grows back for the winter she will be more co-operative!  She likes to dig and roll and it was a nightmare keeping her hair from getting all matted up. 

Before..

So much hair going..

Ella is unimpressed with her first bath....

After blowdrying..

After.. I wonder what Toby thinks of my new hair do???? 

LIM week 65

It has been a busy old week. 3 seasons in one day, this morning it was sunny and 18c, lunch time it clouded over and just now we had a hail storm with 1-2cm stones!
this card is for my nephew Ollie's 3rd birthday.  I used the SU cupcake punch with craftworks card blank and scraps from my stash.  If you look really carefully you will see a tiny shrink plastic charm with a SU punch pals (I think?) stamped with stazon and shrunk.  I did this last week for LIM 'charms' but didn't manage to get the card uploaded in time so i used it one this one.

This is Stumpy 'helping' me to tidy up my desk........

Green......again! #2

Another 11th hour card forLess is More #62 - three shades of green My white space on this card is green!
I have been on a bit of a paper flower fix this week, I was trying to made a hellebore/christmas rose like the ones in my garden..........

(this one is a bit dead after a day on my desk!)  my three greens are: Artichoke chaud, old olive on the Paisley petals DSP border punch and dark green leaves from wild orchid under the flower.  The petals on the flower are from the fab build a blossom SU punch, yellow liquid pearls in the center and tiny beads.  I swiped the petals with ink and drew the lines with sakura gelly and stardust pens.

Oh.. folded Christmas Tree!

Less is More this week is Three Shades of Green.... not my favourite colour AT ALL. So green made me think of christmas, hunting for green paper I found the lovely SU Paisley petals and a bit of white card all ready embossed with christmassy words.  I used Old Olive (i think) cardstock, the tree pot is the bottom of the SU cupcake punch and the folded tree idea I have seen a few times on pinterest but think originally it was Vicky's blog I saw it on.  This didn't work out with enough contrast between the layers so I will hopefully have another attempt this week with different paper Less is More #62 colour.

11th hour again for simply less is moore week-61-lucky-dip colour
I have this week we have had, girlie puppy neutered, big dog ear drops daily at the vet    (YOU try getting ear drops into an 8stone dog that does not like his ears touched! I had a fibro flare up and 2 days in bed getting my 'spoons' recharged.

New SU punch. Terrible picture inside my cave.
Stampin! up cupcake, ,modern lable, word window punches, Ecraft and nestie dies, cardstock and raffia twine from stash.

Less is More week 60

 Less is More week-60-recipe x 3

This week Chrissie and Mandi want us to combine 3 previous challenges.  I have gone for Week 21 - Sketch 2, Week 55 - Punches or die cuts and Week 43 - a bit of bling.  I used: Stampin up lable punch, DSP, cardstock and stamp, bling from stash. Papermanic embossing folder. I got the idea for the punch art purses/handbags from the web, I think there were several SU demo sites with similar. The double sided paper is perfect for them.

So our 'new' puppy had her brother round to play a couple of weeks ago. He is the beautifully brushed one!  Next thursday Ella is booked in at the vets to be neutered, I can't believe she is 6 months old so soon!  Toby is again having problems with his ears and diet, he has re-gained weight on the new joint mobility food back to 47 kilo (103 lbs) so is back on obesity diet food.  Tom has just taken him back to the vets to get his ear drops in, when a 100lb dog does not want ear drops it is a 3 person job to get them in!  Ella is just over 8 kilo so much easier!