Pure spirit

It was Theme Day last Friday at the Gauche Alchemy blog and the Design Team made ATCs (aka Artists Trading Cards). I did a little masking/inking (Tim Holtz mask & distress inks) on canvas paper for the background of my ATC, Pure Spirit, and embellished with bits from the various Gauche Alchemy Mixed Media Color Kits (my go-to add-ons for projects! :) 

This is my second ATC ever (I made 1 last year!) and it was definitely challenging for me. You have to create "art" on such a small space (2.5" x 3.5")...my cards are always 6" X 6"! *LOL*

Psst!!!! Have you entered into the drawing for my little Happy Box giveaway?

Adore

Hi friends! Hope you had a fabulous weekend! I really enjoyed reading the comments you left me on this post. This card, Adore, features the grid stamping technique my guest blogger Karen Baker shared in this tutorial...

I first misted the textured cardstock with Maya mist, then stamped with Brilliance ink in a similar hue..I didn't use a pencil or ruler though...just eyeballed and prayed for the best...* LOL*! I never really measure stuff...too much work! ;)

Crochet doiley, tulle and paper roses. I added some distress stickles in rock candy for some glass glitter effect!

I love that my guests always challenge me to use stuff I already have! :)What do you think Karen?

P/s: My friend Sherry has an awesome giveaway here!

*Edited* This card was featured at the Create blog - cards with single word sentiments! :)

Saturday memories

Hello friend! Just wanted to share a layout I did for the challenge over at TAAFOMFT...fave day of the week...mine is Saturday...that's the day I get to spend time with my nephews (all 3 of them!)...creating our happy Saturday memories...:)  I used the sketch at PageMaps.

Patterned papers are a mix of Cosmo Cricket, Prima and Teresa Collins. Letter stickers are from Studio Calico. Banner Stickers are from Jenni Bowlin. Some brads, buttons, googly eyes, string and Prima pom pom trim.

Have a fabulous weekend! :)

Celebrate with the girls...and a happy box (giveaway! )

The new challenge at Some Odd Girl is up! This time it's a sketch challenge! :) Here's my card ...Celebrate with the girls featuring Balloon Kaylee. Come play along! :)

I also want to announce the winner of my guest blogger Sparkle's challenge. Congratulations to..

Margo!

And now for my happy box (giveaway!)

So what's in the box? :)

6x6 Prima Annalee Paper Stack (48 sheets)
Paper Craft Journal (1)
American Crafts elements ribbon  (3 rolls)
Craft Affair glitter brads (2 packs)
Pebbles printed diecuts (1 pack)
Prima clear stamps (2 packs)
Basic Grey Opaline pearls (1 pack)
Maya Road scallop album (1)
7Gypsies texture rubbings (1 sheet)
Doodlebug cardstock stickers (2 sheets)
Pink Paislee Glitter Stix in silver (1)

All housed in this upcycled tin box which I spent hours on! It's really sparkly!:) Do you like it?

The box was first spray-painted with Krylon's Make It Suede. The base paper from Prima (from the same set I'm giving away) was painted with crackle paint in rock candy for subtle cracks and then the edges were inked with distress inks. Then I added some paper flowers, handmade felt flowers, crochet doiley and bits from Gauche Alchemy's Pink Parts Mixed Media Kit. The 'happy' text is from Teresa Collins patterned paper...just inked and glittered with stickles in rock candy. Heart pins from Heidi Grace and tulle.

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So, leave me a comment telling me a little something about you by Friday September 3. I will draw a winner the next day! :)

Life on a farm

So I have this grand idea to write a little story book for my nephews about Life on a Farm. Quite challenging since I've never lived on a farm or been to a farm. The whole country I live in is one big city! :) My experiences with farms are mostly cartoon-based...*LOL*. The inspiration for the farm idea came from My Little Shoebox...who just had to come up with these cute sheep...and barn...you know...the farm-related stuff. ;) Anyway, my nephews love it when I tell them stories with them as the main characters so this would be fun...;)

It's not complete yet...I'll just show you the box I decorated for the book first. This was a tin-box with a clear window so there are two decorated layers.(Actually, I couldn't stand the glue-marks when I opened the box so I added another layer..;)

P/s: I'll be back tomorrow with a Some Odd Girl card and a giveaway! Yay! ;)

Keep those entries to my guest blogger Karen's challenge coming! :)

Some like it hot!

Hi there! Welcome to the Gauche Alchemy/Bombshell stamps Some like it hot! blog hop. The design team members will be showcasing their creations inspired by summer!:)

My project was done on a piece of canvas board.....I used some orange mist, added the really cool metallic orange punchinella and parts from the Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Red Fever Mixed Media Color Kit. I used some bronze stickles around the mirror.

A really simple and quick project! I'm planning to put it in the entryway...so that I can check myself out before I leave the house...mirror mirror on the wall...how do I look? HOT! ;) Haha...I need the self-esteem booster to start my day...What do you think?

And what's a blog hop without prizes?

All you have to do it visit and comment on all the blogs in the list and you'll be in the running to win either THREE color kits from Gauche Alchemy or a really cool Bombshell stamp! :) Or maybe both? You could be that lucky! :)

 Kas Gauche Alchemy Kelli

Maggi

Katie

Cheryl

Angela Erika Kathi Pam

Sy

Meredith

Laura

Merdrey Chew

Angie

Yvonne --> That's me!

Steph

Carmen Terra Alaine

Alison

P/s: We all live in different parts of the world so check back later if some of the team members' posts are not up yet! Good luck! :)

Clean and simple with Karen Baker

Hello friends! My guest today is the talented Karen Baker. She really epitomizes what clean and simple means when it comes to cardmaking. Her cards have such character and style and almost always involve some ingenious way to use stamps. I definitely have loads to learn from her! Today she shares with us a technique that is totally simple in concept but oh so very well-executed...She will also be issuing a challenge and a sweet prize! Yay! Read on to find out more! :)

But first, let's take a look at her lovely creations...

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Hi there! I'm so very honored that Yvonne has asked me to join her as a guest designer here on Do More With Less. I am so inspired by her creativity, especially her use of bold and bright colors and have learned so much from Yvonne. I started scrapbooking long ago and started to dabble in card making and blogging last October. My style can mostly be interpreted as clean and simple, although I like to try out new styles, techniques and just have fun! I work full time and am a mother to two boys, so my crafting time is limited to the evening hours and beyond so I've learned to maximize my crafting time. 

Here's a quick tutorial on how I create stamped background paper with a grid design. 

Start with the basic tools and your favorite stamp that you'd like to use for a background. For this technique, I try to use one that it a bit smaller and not so busy as to be distracting. This card uses the cute Thanks Stamp included with a purchase from Lawn Fawn! 

Measure your stamp. Transfer the width and height to the paper by creating a grid with light pencil lines. My spaces ended up being 1 1/4" x 3/4" 

Stamp your image repeatedly within the squares. 

Trim and adhere your card. 

This technique works especially well with a circular image and a single stamp color as well..as seen in this card here.

I would love to see what you come up using my stamped grid background technique with and to sweeten the deal, I will offer up a $10 gift certificate Limelight Papercrafts to one random player.

Many Thanks to Yvonne for having me as a guest designer on her blog today!

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Isn't this stamped grid background technique just fabulous? So, get cracking on your projects now! You have until September 10 to link up your  *NEWLY* created projects in the comments section of this post. That's a little more than  two weeks to play! :) 

As always, please leave a little love for my guest! :)

Thanks a bunch

I have a really quick card to share with you today - "Thanks a bunch" - using some paper scraps from Basic Grey and My Little Shoebox, American Crafts foam tag and brad, SRM sentiment sticker, upcycled a disposable chopstick and some string. This was inspired by Get Sketchy....haven't played there in a really long time! :)

Hope you had a fabulous weekend...I was running on adrenaline and managed to get AHEAD in DT work but seriously suffering the consequences right now...I'm soooo tired! [insert super sad face] 

Anyway, a couple of interesting things happening this week including a new guest (with a cool tutorial), a new challenge (with a fabulous prize), a blog hop and a giveaway (fresh from the store)! :) So, for those of you who are working on my guest Sparkle's challenge, you need to send it in soon either through the comment section or via email (if you don't have a blog or gallery). The deadline's 24 August....that's like tomorrow! [insert dramatic music] ;)

Special delivery

Hi there! Happy Friday! I have a Special Delivery for you! :) This is Tiny Tobie and his dog...this month's digital freebie at Some Odd Girl. Isn't he cute? :) I used this week's CPS sketch and coloured him with Copics.

Hope that you can find time to play along with my guest blogger Sparkle's challenge! :)

Have a great weekend! :)

The wedding dress

Just a quick layout using the sketch from Sketchy Thursdays...featuring my mother in her wedding dress...Some misting on the doiley, patterned paper is from K & Co and Sassafras, Martha Stewart edge punch, Craft Affair letter brads, paper roses and buttons.

With all of my love and kisses!

From me to you...With all of my love and kisses! :) 

Can you tell that I'm in love???? :) I've been spending a lot of time with my Copics lately...*LOL* ...all 18 of them...[I hope to add to the family...] And these cute little images from Some Odd Girl are just so fun to colour! I used the sketch from Card Patterns and this image, Tiny Tia, was a freebie on Digi Day! :) I added some Stickles in Rock Candy to her eyes for that glass glitter effect...

Check out the September 21 Tinies release...

Too cute right? I'm thinking of making a story book with these Tinies! :)

Empire State Building

There's something romantic about going up 102 floors and looking at New York from the Empire State Building. Ahhh....if you've seen Sleepless in Seattle...you'll totally understand..:)

Anyway, there's a new challenge up at the Gauche Alchemy blog! It's to use packing tape transfer on your project! :) It's a pretty fun technique...you can see the tutorial HERE. I used some text on my packing tape....can you spot it? :) It looks like I did my journaling in the semi-circle...but that's the packing tape...mine still has white bits of paper peeking through...;) My journaling was done with a white pen around the edges.

Patterned papers are from Crate Papers (base paper and airplane) and My Little Shoebox (clouds and faux-stitching strip at the base). I actually took out my Cuttlebug to emboss the numbers on cardstock...I love how the sanding makes the numbers pop a little..:) Martha Stewart edge border punch. Metal brads. Hinges from the hardware store. Chipboard from K & Co and Heidi Swapp.The plastic mesh base is from Gauche Alchemy's Wholey Sheet Kit.

Speaking of travel, how are your projects for my guest blogger Sparkle's challenge coming along? You still have one more week to link up your creations in THIS POST. Here's another card I made using another stamp from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps..

Okay...she looks like a fashion victim ...too matchy huh? *LOL*

Remedy and my very first card...

Hi there! Just wanted to share the layout I did for Scrapping The Music. Last week's song was Remedy by Jason Mraz. My layout features my nephews posing with their toy guns. It's interesting that we live in one of the safest countries in the world and the two boys told me they needed "guns" in their pizza "restaurant" because they're afraid they would be "robbed"...They watch way too much tv....*LOL* 

Some misting, paper scraps from Sassafras and embellishments from Gauche Alchemy's Purple People Eater Mixed Media Color Kit.

And I wanted to share the very first card I ever shared on my blog...circa March 2009.

My friend Amy has this grand idea for us to go down memory lane and repost our very first card...*LOL*. This was for CPS....check it out...I was upcyling even then...chocolate wrappers...I sent this card out to one of the victims of the Victorian forest fires via Jennifer McGuire.

Kiss

I opened a box of brads yesterday and decided to make this kiss "card"  with the packaging! :) You may recall I did something similar back in March...This one's slightly bigger than the first one I did.  I love that I can add dimensional stuff in the "window"....so fun! :) 

Love these two little doggies from Basic Grey!:) I used the sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You, EK success text stickers and embellishments from Gauche Alchemy's Banana Hammock Yellow Mixed Media Color Kit. :)

P/s: The stash challenge using ribbons and rub-ons is up over at Some Odd Girl challenge blog! Hope you come play along! :) And of course, there's my guest blogger Sparkle's challenge too! :)

See the world

Hello friends! Did you enjoy my guest blogger Sparkle's creations in my last post? Here's my take on her challenge to make something inspired by your dream vacation. I used the sketch from Card Patterns. There are definitely many places in the world I would love to see and experience. I think it would be pretty cool to travel the world solely by train. The only time I've travelled from one country to another by train was when I took the train from Paris to London...that was one fast train ride...:)

The image is Travelling Josh, the soon-to-be released stamp from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps. Yes, this lovely lady sent me some to play with! :) I coloured him with Copics. Patterned paper is from Making Memories (inked the edges with distress inks), stickers are from Studio Calico and Adorn It.

How about a little Sparkle?

Today I want to introduce you to my friend Sparkle Smith of Sparkle Creations. She's a Copic extraordinaire and her cards are always so pretty and sparkly! :) She also recently started her own rubber stamp store Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps . She's here to share what inspires her creatively and her must-haves for creating. Of course, she's also issuing a challenge...with an amazing prize (did I not mention she has a store??) for one lucky person! You have to read on to find out more! ;)

But first, let's have a look at some of her stunning creations! 

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What inspires me creatively?

My true passion started with interior design.  I love matching furniture together and I love mixing patterns.  I get most of my inspiration from just looking at things all around me.  Books, clothes, pictures, other people's blogs, etc.  I carry around a little notebook and if I see something that inspires me, I jot down color combinations.  Being a former Close To My Heart consultant, I tend to label the world in those colors. :)

My Local Scene 

I'm lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, as there are many local stamp companies that were founded here in the Seattle area.  A few of those are A Muse, Ellen Hudson, Savvy Stamps, Impress Rubber Stamps, There She Goes, and of course my own company, Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps.

My Must Haves

Stickles - With a name like Sparkle, you can't get away from the glitter!

Copics

Prima Flowers

Rhinestones

Buttons

Glue Dots

Sewing Machine

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So what's the challenge? Sparkle would like you to create a project inspired by your dream vacation. Here's her take on the challenge...

And one random player gets to win ...

Isn't that a delightful stamp? This stamp isn't even for sale yet. It's a new release! So, get cracking and link up your creations in the comments section of this post. The deadline is August 24! :)

As always, please leave a little love for my guest! Thanks! :)