It is Less is More week 54 One Layer card - with stripes!
I was a bit stumped by the stripes but my Little Claire stamp of the month arrived today and even though my near vision is still a bit hazy after the op on Wednesday I was itching to enter LIM this week as I do try to enter every week.  So I tried flowery 'stripes' with a Friskars stamp, but it didn't look stripy enough, so I paper pieced the flower pots on the basis that my colouring-in was suffering a bit from my near vision being all over the place. There is glossy accents on the pots, I was going for a ceramic look!! I added some stripy ribbon from stash threaded into holes slit in the card base at each side of the sentiment.  I used Promarkers with the fine tips to colour the rest of the stamp.  The trowel is metalic silver promarker.
There is something not quite balanced in the placement, things are floating and not grounded but its too late to change it now LOL
  Tonight is the last night I have to wear a 'pirate' patch on my left eye, it is really amazing how good my distance vision is all-ready, really odd to wake up in the morning and be able to see my alarm clock!
Thanks for the kind wishes of my little band of followers and frineds in blogland :-)
Night Night, 'Nuff waffle,
Donna x

Santa

This is my second stepper card using the fab Little Claire stamp, coloured on the pc for the bricks and the rest with promarkers, star glitter pen, cricut trees embossed then inked a bit. DTs are both  Pink Petticoat the snow paper was perfect for this card the text is' the night before christmas' Santa is wearing viva glitter pen in red!

Challenges: Simon says stamp Simon-says-anything-goes
Cardmad Fairy -Winterwonderland   Divas by design anything-goes   Sundays with crissy.-anything-goes-

Red

 The challenge at Little Claire is shaped cards.  I belong to the monthly stamp club and the pic below was the kit for November.  I liked it so much I CASEd it :-)

Little Claire project card made from November kit.

The stamp is coloured with Promarkers and I used glitter glue and stardust pen for snowy effects

I cut the card blank out of Kraft on my cricut the red backing paper is also on the inside of the card, Nestie cut snowflake in red under the circle sentiment.
I would also like to enter:Lets ink it up #18  Christmas
Joanna Sheen's new challenge - Its begining to look a lot like Christmas I have just started to follow this new blog.
I love promarkers #94- Snowmen & snowflakes
Totally papercrafts #95 - Let it snow
Allsorts #132-going round in circles (circle sentemtn)

Santa on the roof

I posted off to Australia my first christmas cards yesterday... wow how fast time flies!  Using challenges is such a great way of getting a pile of cards that are all different. This one is going to my little nephew who is two.
I used:
Little Claire image the house walls I coloured digitally, promarkers for the rest, Viva glitter pen for santa, cutting file for the trees which I inked over with darker green and sprayed Crafters Companion glitter spray on them. Pink Petticoat snow and text papers, embossing folder and card, ribbon bows
from stash. snowflake punches.
I would like to enter:
Little Claires - Shaped cards
The Ribbon girls Jingle-all-way-to-christmas
Totally papercrafts #94 Christmas
Creatalicious challenges - Christmas Make  sure it Sparkles!
 Crimbo-crackers. #3 Santa
Papertake Christmas Ccrackers
Charisma cardz #46 Snowflakes
Sweet Stampin Punches & dies  (trees and snowflakes)
Papersundaes  Winter wonderland
Purple butterfly crafts Its-cold-outside

Blue Christmas

I am a bit of a Little Claire fan and a few of their Red Gingham Christmas Stamps accidentally fell into my shopping basket recently! I recently inherited my OH old Hp printer as mine (2 years old)threw a fit when I loaded a re-filled cartridge and is now landfill. This one has better settings for graphics and does not assume everything is a photo with the result that my downloaded paper stash, which to be honest never looked that good printed out,  like this lovely Pink Petticoat paper are printing out lovely on Rymans bright white coated 200gsm  card and their  Ultra smooth 120gsm heavyweight paper that my do-crafts buddy Incy told me about.  I bought it when it was on offer and it was great value. This printer does not winge about e-bay ink and I can re-set the dry time so that it is even possible - really quickly, as the paper comes out, to sprinkle embossing powder on the image (although only the black ink works) and heat emboss.  Lots of playing going on this week! I also used a papermania 5x7 embossing folder (fab size as I don't often make small cards), SU punches, Nestie star, Promarkers, Viva pearl pen, new stardust pen adds just the right amount of glitter, I'm loving it

So I would like to enter: Little Claire #14 Christmas ,  Papertake 1st Christmas, Winter Wonderland Christmas blog challenge - Make your card sparkle Sir Stampalot challenge - Blue & Green Partytime Tuesdays #41 bling it on, anything sparkly (stardust pen and viva pearl pen)

While not card making this week I have been busy with the chickens who are enjoying picking over the veg patch, except for Ginger who, like her namesake in 'Chicken Run' is a mistress of escapology! although today I think I have found where she is getting out.  Toby the dog comes and gets me when she has escaped.. he is partially sheepdog after all, and doing so well after his knee surgery. Our vet advised us to get another dog, a female so Toby is above her in the pack order. A friend of Toms has a beautiful Pyrenean Mountain Dog puppy from a working line, nice chunky legs! We have reserved a little girl and will collect her just before Christmas. Puppies are a lot like babies, you forget how much hard work they are!

while I was writing this post a rather strange 'card' decided to sit on my white photo booth....This is Stumpy......................... he was a  rescue kitten with his brother Late. He is a blue eyed , 3 year old siamese-ish moggie rescued by the lovely people at Pheonix in Bergerac. He loves a cuddle as he and Latte were hand reared after being dumped when only 24 hours old.

Congratulations!

It's Week 30 at Less is More

So this week we are back to Sketch or Recipe

Take 3 Challenges

We have to choose 3 from any of our previous 29 and combine them in our designs.

Week 13 - Congratulations Week 15-  Embossing, Week 16 - Butterfies

I would also like to enter Little Claire's  challenge this month, Wedding/Anniversary   I used: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Crafters Companion pearlised cardstock, Spellbingers lable, Marianne butterfly and flower dies, glitter card, ribbon, pearls from stash, Tonic border punch. Rub on sentiment. I have made a few cards with this design

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Susan

Ever since this stamp from Little Claire - Room with a view, Cat in Window I have been itching to ink it up!  This card is for my Sister Susan's birthday, she loves cats and purple :-)  The paper is a magazine freebie of Kate Knight designs. Coloured with Promarkers, Papermania ribbon and gem brad on the punched flower.
I would like to enter the following challenges: Heart song inspirations #11-animals
The Ribbon Girls - Use ribbon
Papertake Eyes-down  Bingo, used brown pearls for shutter knobs, ribbon bow & Free item of card candy. I have not had much time for cards this week as when I'm not harvesting, I'm cooking and preserving. I  have picked and bottled pounds and pounds of toms, courgettes and it has been a really good year for aubergines.

An other of our three chickens has started laying, the brown egg is either from Cinders or Ginger and the white one is Picpoule de Poulet's, she is in disgrace , yesterday she layed a soft shelled egg then gobbled  it up herself.  Some thanks for moving the chicken run on to fresh grass!

A Place in the Sun

This week I got a parcel from Little Claire, I could not resist this stamp 'A Place in the Sun' as it reminds me so much of what I love about living in France.  Little Claire Challenge 10 is 'Pink & Brown' so I coloured in with the Promarkers, which I am getting better at using, the DS is a freebie Craftwork Cards from a magazine, the sentiment is also a LC peel off.  There is a bit of bling, the door handle is a black rhinestone! I would also like to enter: I love promarkers #72-include flowers, and a new Challenge for me The Paper Shelter - Anything goes

Monochrome Blue

dISPITE mR bLOGGER NOT playINg NICE....!!

It is a colour challenge this week and Chrissie and Mandi have asked for...........

Monochrome: Definition:

1. in shades of one color: using or displaying only shades of one color or black and white.

You may choose any colour you wish, but please keep all the shades you use within your chosen spectrum.
So as usual I am making my card on Friday afternoon, having had no crafting time until yesterday due to visiting family who want feeding etc!  I don't know what it is about this challenge that draws me like a moth to a flame.. I'm not very good at 'white space' cards but cannot resist trying everyweek.
I used:  Cricut cardstock and cutting machine, Serif Craft artist software to re-colour the Little Claire digi image blue that I originally paper filled in Paint shop pro. ( Either me or Blogger is going mad! I could have sworn I read a blogger posting this morning that their challenge this week was 'fathers day' or cards for men but when I looked just now it was still shaped cards, this is square so won't count! must be going do lally la , unless that is what it will be tomorrow in which case hopefully this will still count????) The lettering is Hodgepodge Alphabet from here which was free for signing up for their newsletter.  Doodlebug ribbon, papermania brad.  I could like to enter the following Challenge:  Less is More ,
Papertake - anything goes  
the paper variety #for-guys
Well off to cook tea for the dog (on an anti-yeast diet, I kid you not !)

Edit Saturday 20.16 : I just got the blogger entry from Little Claire in Google reader when I switched on the 'puter after a day in the garden so I WASN'T going bonkers! Someone must have done an advance post yesterday ..
Therefore I would like to enter the card as I did make it with Little Claire Challenge #9
in mind!
Edit:  I won top three yipee!

Little Cat

OLW55 - AnimalsI would like to enter OLW55 Cats & Dogs not enough white space!
would have been better without the 2 flower borders, one would have been enough!

Challenges: Less is More - Butterflies Another entry!
and alsoLady bugs crafts ~ 29-meow-woof-roar-squeak
DYSU# 21-animals

Today I purchased some more Little Claire digi downloads and have been playing on and off all day!
Both are one layer cards, I printed out and coloured using Promarkets, glitter glue and glamour dust.

Butterflies

This my my card forLess is More #16 butterflies  the image is a Little Claire digi (with a few more butterfiles added), colured with Promarkers, stickles in various colours, paper from Pink Petticoat magazine freebie, Craftworks sentiment, papermania mini buttons. Thanks to LIM I am starting to make the kind of cards that I used to buy rather than ones covered in flowers that sit in a box for ever... Thanks Chrissie and Mandy!
I would also like to enter: Little claires #7 sparkle
Flutterby wednesdays #156
andTruly scrumptious# 57 anything goes,

2 Sisters # 40-use a digi

Less is more #2 *Top 3 at Little Claire Challenge** Wow!

As Chrissie quite rightly pointed out there wasn't much white space on my first one layer LIM card!  I did get a bit carried away with the distress ink and embossed stars!LOL so using another Little Clair digi image printed straight onto the card blank (I coloured really fast in Paint shop Pro) and decorated with stickles.  I embossed a cuttlebug snow folder on one side only, I could not resist adding a Marianne star.   Less is more week 15 - one layer card
OK really back to packing!  oh almost forgot to enter it as my 2nd little claires Sparkle!

Purrfect

Here is my card for the Less is More Challenge  week 15 One Layer Card EMBOSSING heat or dry ....  AND Challenge 7 'Sparkle' at Little Clair,  Crafty hazelnuts christmas challenge -20-dont-get-stressed,
Cute card thursday.#164-its-so-distressing
I just HAD to use this great new digi from Little Claire 'We Three Cats' I had e-mailed them earlier  in the week and asked for more digi's and Volia lots more were added!  I coloured it with Promarkers, stickles glitter glue in Frosted Lace and Silver, I embossed the star stamps (I think Personal Impressions) and heat embossed with silver WOW embossing powder then I tried using a bit of Distress ink, faded jeans that I put on with a sponge brush meant for glue... I'm not sure if destressing is really my style but its great to have a play! The sentiment is Fontdinerdotcom 'Sparkly'. This was done in a bit of a rush and some of the stars didn't stamp that well as my embossing ink is a bit dry.. I'm supposed to be packing as I'm off to England THIS AFTERNOON for a week to see my lovely daughters, sisters, Mum.. Can't wait! I just need to find some craft shops or stores with card making supply departments in NW1, or central London to while away the 'spare' time!

Friday card

I havn't made anything since returing from England on Sunday. Today I decided to do a card for theLess is More Challenge  Pastels

also the 2nd challenge at Little Claires 'Flowers'

Bunnyzoescrafts Spring Flowers,  Paper Playtime 'Anything Goes' Simon says stamps - anything goes

I used my new X-cut border die in the wizard, a Debbie Moore digi that I re-coloured in Paint shop Pro and with pro-markers, Glamour dust, the red line sentiment. This is posted in a bit of a hurry as I am just about to go and see Kylie in concert at the Zenith in Toulouse (Tom's birthday present to us!)  does not seem 5 mins since she and Jason Donovan were getting married in Neighbours!

Edit: Merci Beaucoup!!  I would like to thank all those who are kind enough to visit my 'baby' blog and leave comments, I welcome the constructive ones too! LOL  I really appreciate anything that makes my newish card making hobby 'better' .  I do try and visit your blogs (rubbish French  internet connection allowing!) xx

Cats!

http://mistressofthemessydesk.blogspot.com

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Little Claire's  Anything goes