31 May 2014

Lucky Dip Week 174

As it is another 5 Saturday month we have another Lucky Dip Challenge.
Our Guest this month is 
Margaret K 
well known to so many of your for her fabulous cards.
Our challenge for this time's Lucky Dip is to use 
MORE THAN ONE STAMP
Look at this gorgeous creation using Stampin' Up's Gorgeous Grunge and Zoo Babies sets (image and sentiment) in Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake.
She also made two other fabulous cards, which you can see by visiting her blog!
Thanks Margaret for your loyal support of our challenges!

Those of you who know me of old, know how much I enjoy a little emboss resist. I did a similar one to this  a few weeks ago, but I love this colour combo. 
Here I used a bunch of  plant stamps starting with the Unity one which I think looks a bit like a Red Campion, which was clear embossed. I then inked the background with Distress Inks using sponge daubers. This was followed by stamping lots of the other images again using Distress inks!
The sentiment was computer generated in Problem Secretary font.
Jen


For my card this week I have used a couple of set from Clearly Besotted to make the stripes and add the sentiment.  I embossed the sentiment in silver and then added some liquid pearls to it.
If you use liquid pearls, remember to lightly tap your card flat to allow the pearl to flatten for the enamel dot effect I have here. 


I fancied a retro, funky, trendy look for teenagers using a selection of stamps
 from various Uniko Studio & Clearly Besotted sets with Happy Word die from CBS.

Anne

My card uses the Artemio Picata stamp set, which I've just acquired.  Copying Chrissie here, who uses this set a lot.  My Light Sussex hen has chicks at the moment and it seemed a good idea to come up with this!   Five different chicken stamps, bit of simple masking, coloured with Copics.  Whiff of Joy sentiment, background created with two Inky Doodles stamps, then Distress Inked.  That makes eight stamps!  Another multi stamp card on my blog for inspiration...
DO please try to visit a few fellow participants of our challenge and also the designers at their personal blogs, everyone loves a comment... even the DT!
Enjoy this one... and get stamping!



30 May 2014

Flowers ShowCASe Week 172

Our Flower challenge was really popular and we had lots of wonderful cards in our Gallery.
Choosing was difficult and yet a pleasure.
Here are the choices for this challenge!

What a wonderful background... and fabulous flowers!

What a dramatic image on this dark backdrop!

Look at this wonderful water-colouring!

Couldn't resist a few more from this fabulous week......

What an innovative way to use this fabulous die.

Quintessentially Clean and Simple and just beautiful!

It would be easy to go on showcasing this time; we are so fortunate in having such wonderful submissions to our challenges each week and we thank you all!
showCASed
Please take the badge to pop on your blogs ladies and we hope to see everyone for our new challenge on Saturday morning!

24 May 2014

Week 173 We have a recipe!

Week 173
We have a recipe this week and so we would like you to include a 
DIE CUT
If there is anyone who doesn't have the resources to make a die cut, we'd hate you not to be able to participate, so if you don't possess a die cutting machine or happen to have any ready made die cuts... you may use a punchie if you really need to, but we would obviously prefer you to stick to the challenge as is!

We saw some amazing cards last week, so we're hoping for wondrous things this week too!


Memory Box butterfly heart die, bought at Ally Pally, with rainbow colours printed onto glossy card beneath.  Stampin' Up sentiment and a few extra butterflies added.  More die cut inspiration on my blog!


 The embossing on this white on white card was part of the leftovers from some wedding stationery which I made this week. There were just a few strips left so I decided to make use of some. The butterfly is from a set of Dienamics dies, the sentiment from Tattered Lace and the border punch from Martha Stewart.
the embossing is from a folder by Couture Creations and appropriately enough for a wedding card, it's entitled Tied Together!
I'm sorry I was unable to visit any of you last week... I took and blogging hiatus to some stuff I had to get done and stayed away from any temptation whilst I got it all sorted.  The good news is that my mojo is revitalised and I'm ready to get back on track!
I used these super cute ladybird dies (thanks Chrissie!! I had to buy them after seeing you use them) and paired them with the hello word die from Clearly Besotted Stamps. The background uses the circles from the Geometric style 2 set and it's finished off with a little enamel accents.

I was itching to use another new release from Clearly Besotted (An Apple a Day). 
It's a very quick and simple layout with an MFT snow scene border die panel
 mounted at an angle using 3d foam.
Also from Clearly Besotted 'sending you' and 'Wishes' sentiments from 'In the Frame' 
which I've very naughtily cut in half BUT they can still be used together for future stamping!

Do try to visit a few of your fellow participants, it makes for a great community.
We would also be delighted if you could visit each of the designers. As we usually have way over 100 entries each week, they spend many hours visiting each participant to leave a friendly word, so it would be great if their visits could be reciprocated! After all we all love to receive a comment don't we!
There are usually additional examples to be found on their blogs too, so you may miss fabulous inspiration by not calling by!
Thank you all so much!
***


23 May 2014

Showcase Week 171

We are delighted to announce the winners of our ShowCASe for week 171 which was a 
ONE LAYER card with the theme of Thank you!.
It was surprising how many cards strayed outside the parameters of the challenge by not being one layer, not adhering to the CAS Guidelines  or simply not being a Thank you card. Lovely cards though they were, they obviously could not be considered for the showcase.

These beauties however, really took our eye!
SO here are our choices for this time.

Just love this font... and what a terrific design.

What amazing watercolour technique, incredible colour mix!

Helen T
20140510-160653.jpg
This is so simple, but beautifully stamped and would  be perfect for those difficult to make for people...chaps!

Thank you everyone, please take our Showcase badge to display on your blogs with our thanks.
showCASed
Another challenge starts tomorrow so be sure to join us again!

17 May 2014

Week 172 Theme

Our February winner Margaret  has generously offered to pass on her prize from 

Although she was delighted to have been chosen,  as a Stampin' Up demo, she needs to keep all the work on her blog dedicated to SU products. So now we have another winner.
So our new winner is
Life in the Craft Lane
Please email us and we'll pass your details on to Tara!

There will be another winner for April announced very soon!

Please don't forget that all those who applied for the DT position have been invited to join us for a Guest Designer spot.. do get in touch so that we can arrange a date for you!

Now onto this week's challenge.
We have a theme and it is 
FLOWERS
Just a brief reminder... we like to see white space, few layers and minimal embellishments!


This is a favourite die from Memory Box, inset and mounted on a panel edged with a Marianne border die-cut. It is a card for my daughter-in -law!



 Paper pieced from Basic Grey Wisteria papers, border doodled with Distress Ink marker, Peeled Paint.  Sentiment is Waltzing Mouse, leaves and flowers are Hero Arts.

Can I first of all thank everyone for the welcoming and encouraging comments left on my own blog and Less is More following my DT announcement last week. You are an amazing set of blog buddies and it's much appreciated. I've had a fabulous week visiting all your blogs which are packed full of incredible inspiration.


This week the theme is flowers and my first card uses a brand new MFT Die-Namics set of dies called 'lily' which I've die-cut then coloured with Promarkers, along with a chevron stencil that I've used with distress inks. Both of these have been on my wish list since their release so I had a little spend at the weekend. 

The background panel has been die-cut using another MFT product (Pierced Rectangle Stax) and adhered to the card with 3D foam. To finish I've added a 'Happy' die-cut sentiment, also coloured with Promarkers and a birthday greeting; both from Clearly Besotted. Finally a little bow of hemp cord to tie the stems together.

Jen


I've used some of this months sponsors new releases for my card this week.  could not resist.  The set is love blossoms and i combined the fabulous dies with the stamps for this card.  i shaped the flowers to give the card some height.
***


16 May 2014

Colour Challenge Showcase Week 170

Here is yet another fabulous ShowCASe... this time for our 3 shades, or 3 colour challenge!
What gorgeous work!
Here they are
 
What a super choice of shade, super design!

What a rich, bold colour choice!

Love this design,  great colours too.

showCASed 
Please our ShowCASe badge with our thanks and appreciation.!
Don't forget to swing by tomorrow morning to see what we have in store for you for our next challenge.

10 May 2014

Week 171 One Layer Challenge

We are delighted to announce our new 
Design Team Member.
We had the most astonishing group of crafters to choose from and the decision was exceedingly difficult.
However the Designer has been selected and we're sure that you will be delighted with our choice.
It is
(SAZZLE DAZZLE)
We were so blown away by all the fabulous people who wished to be considered that we have decided to ask each of them in turn to be Guest Designers!
 Please email us so that we can arrange a date for your Guest Spots!
Congratulations to Sarah and a huge thank you to all those who applied!

Our ONE LAYER theme 
this week is 
THANK YOU!

The is my first attempt at de-bossing with cutting dies. I've used Memory Box mini stars with a Sizzix Framelit for the larger one.  The stars are coloured with distress inks and stamped with stars from Clearly Besotted 
- Super Star and Signature Christmas sets. Sentiments are also Clearly Besotted and I couldn't resist adding a bit of sparkle with some gems.

Jen


I went for something a little different today using Heidi Swapp Colour Shine to mist a watercolour card blank.  I then heat embossed in melon mambo the lili of the valley stamp.


This card was made with Memory Box stencils and  Inkylicious grass stamps using Distress Inks. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

Anne

 Coffee coloured card with gold shimmer letters cut from both types of cardstock with my Portrait and embedded.  Lines dry embossed and some gold gems added - extremely CAS!

We hope that our new Designer line-up will give you even more inspiration and we are all looking forward to seeing your submissions!

Do please visit the designers' personal blogs where there are often additional samples to be seen!
The LIM Team!
***
Has anyone spotted the deliberate mistake? ... it should read 2014, not 2013 for the closing date for this week's challenge... but you knew that didn't you!



09 May 2014

Showcase Week 169


We had some fabulous entries to our sketch challenge and as always you make is so difficult to select our showcase from the entries!
Thanks to everyone!

Jo Kill



I love the way the circles are made up... Fabulous!

Vicky



Perfect CAS card!

Gillian



Pretty and love the frame of flowers!

Thank you everyone!
Here is the Showcase badge for you!
showCASed

Tomorrow we have a new one layer challenge and we are announcing our new Designer!!

03 May 2014

Week 170 Colour Challenge!

It's a new month which means a new sponsor and this month it's the amazing Clearly Besotted Stamps



For our colour challenge this month we have decided to give you a choice.
Either
Three Colours
or 
Three Shades of One Colour
You may use any combination of colours you wish!


Here I used some super dies from Cheery Lynn together with three shades of green Distress Ink.
I began with Shabby Shutters, then added Peeled Paint, followed finally by Forest Moss, all applied with individual sponge daubers.
The sentiment is from Polka Doodles and mounted on a Dienamics oval, pierced, Stax die cut. The larger oval was embossed with an embossing folder from Design Objectives.
I realised after making this that I had used last week's sketch yet again!
There is a three colour example on my personal blog, I love to see you there too!




Three shades of dotty cardstock cut with my Portrait, Stampin' Up sentiment, lines added with Pigma permanent pen.



I decided to use 3 different colours for my card this week, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, and Bermuda Bay all from Stampin Up.  I used the bracket die and thanks word die from this months sponsor, Clearly Besotted! It's finished off with a couple of gems.

Thanks everyone who applied for the Design Team position. Making the decision from such tremendous applications is really difficult but a decision will be announced very soon!
WATCH THIS SPACE! 
***



02 May 2014

Showcase Week 168

What happy entries we had for this smiley week!
Choosing the Showcase was such fun!
Thanks  to everyone!

Newsprint whitespace on this one... and that curly moustache is sure to raise a smile!

Couldn't be much more CAS... but simply fab!


Swimming, CAS, fish, distress inks
These little fishes really do bring a smile to one's face!

Thank you everyone!
Here is the Showcase badge for you!
showCASed
Tomorrow we have a new colour challenge for you so DO join us!