Die Cut Garden Sketch

One card for three challenges. The challenge at Less Is More is to create a card using die cuts, I followed the great sketch at Seize The Sketch for my LO and used the Garden Party challenge at Catered Crop to complete this card.

This is the great sketch that I used for my LO:

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

CAS Flowers

The fun challenge this week at Less is More is to create a card with 'flowers'. The design should have lots of white space, few layers and minimal embellishments. The cue card for CASology this week is 'FLOWER' and Ann from The Paper Players is challenging everyone to create a CAS floral card.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Me and My Shadow #2

Well this is my second card for the shadow stamping challenge at Less is More. Never mind reading the fine print....I apparently can't read the large print!!!! lol     My card was disqualified because it was two layers. So here is my ONE LAYER CARD.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

LIM Touch of Turquoise

The colorful challenge this week at Less is More is to make a clean and simple (CAS) card using a touch of Turquoise. What a delightful, forgotten, seldom used (by me) color. I think I love it!! Guess I will try to use it more!

This is actually my 'revised' version of this card. The original is below....which do you prefer?

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Round 'n Round Stencil

The challenge this week at Less is More is titled 'Round and Round' and Virginia's View Challenge is requesting the use of stencils.

I used an MFT die to make a stencil for the corner background of my card and the doily is a PTI die. I am sure that the Virginia's View Challenge expects more stenciling than I did, but I felt that anymore of those Polka Dots would make the card too busy. Sometimes "Less IS More"!!

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

p.s....Sorry Dr. John no cars or trains.......lol 

Tea Time for Three

While straightening out my stamping area (a never ending process) I found this tea cup stamp with 3 tea cups on it. This reminded me of the "three" challenge at Less Is More. I loved the color combo at Dynamic Duos and for the layout I used the sketch from The Paper Players.

The Dynamic Duos Colors:

The Paper Players sketch:

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

LIM Three's

The challenge this week at Less Is More is to create a CAS card using THREE of something. In addition to using THREE on our card, there is a request that we comment on THREE other participants.YEA!!! I'm all for that...a lot of work goes into these cards, not to mention the amount of time necessary to stage, edit, crop, upload the photos, write the post, copy paste, copy paste, link etc. Based on the number of visitors, the percentage that leave a comment is low. Thanks to the gals at LIM for requesting comments. Now on to my card:

I am longing to see that bright yellow mass in the sky...I think it is called the "SUN", but it has been hidden for so long that I almost forgot what it looks like. So I decided to use 'yellow' on my card (a color I never use) to mimic the sun.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

The Art of Stenciling

It has been years since I used stencils, in fact it has been so long that I didn't even know I had stencils! When I saw the challenge at Less Is More I figured that I would have to sit this one out! I pondered my different options, even tried to make my own stencils (as they suggested) but I was not very successful. When I opened the 'stencil' drawer, pulled out the box of brushes "VOILA"....I found real NBUS stencils! Now if I only remembered what I learned in that stenciling class. lol  After about 5 different times, I finally got a 'smudge-free' piece of paper! Consider this a labor of love. ha ha ha

A touch of 'stickles' was added to the flower centers, various dye inks were used for the coloring.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Spring Watercolors

It is "one layer week" at Less Is More. I found a brand new challenge at Virginia's View. This challenge is the first of many, I am sure! Cant wait to see what other challenge Virginia has in store for us. Virginia is challenging everyone to create a card using a 'water coloring' technique. I am also using this card to play along with the One-Layer Simplicity Challenge #3---Just Add Water!

I love the challenge of creating a "one layer card" and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed water coloring.
This card was made with water color paper and colored using mostly Distress Inks and of course 'water'!

With just a few colors you can get a lot of shading using the water color technique!

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

OLC Thanks

Time for another great challenge at Less is More. This challenge is to make a "one layer card" that includes a "thanks" sentiment.

One layer cards are definitely challenging! You need a sterile environment free of anything that might touch the card front, this of course includes 'fingers'. Good luck with that one. There is no way to hide these smudges with embellishments or extra layers.  Please don't ask how many times I had to stamp this before a got a 'smudge-free' image. Grrrr

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Fireworks

****This card was showCASed for the LIM "Fireworks" challenge****

This week the gals at Less is More are challenging us to make a card with a dark background with a splash of colour(s).

If you saw this POSTING you will remember that I made 22 cards for a recent SCS get together. This is a sample of the cards that I made:

Needless to say...I used the negative for these cards, this left me with 22+ positive images. Since I mess up some of the die cutting (this was before the magic magnetic platform) I had about 26 die cuts! Being extremely frugal with my paper crafting supplies...I couldn't just throw them away.  I used 1.5 die cuts to create this card. Only 24.5 to go!!  Check back to see what I am doing with the remaining die cuts. :-)

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

One Layer - Round & Round

During the past 10 weeks I have been hosting cook-outs for birthday parties, guests from France, holidays or family get together's along with a few day trips. This week for the first time since June 17 there is nothing "planned".... that is, of course, NOT etched in stone. A cook-out could erupt on any day, at any hour, for any reason.

I finally had a few minutes to visit my Butterfly Garden and was able to make this card for two challenges. The Paper Players challenge hosted by Ann is to create a "one layer card", the challenge at Less is More is "round and round", therefore this card is for both challenges.

The Flourishes stamp was colored with Prisma colored pencils and blended with Gamsol. Cuttlebug supplied the embossing folder.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden. I hope, I hope, I hope :-)

Thinking of You

This 'Thinking of You' card was created for three different challenges.  There is a wonderful sketch at Less is More, and the cue word at CASology is 'CARE'.  Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week is to create "Happy Mail"...

Stamps are from Outlines and Printshop. The image was colored with Copic markers.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

CASE @ LIM

The challenge at Less is More this week is to create a CAS card using one of the samples for inspiration. I chose to CASE Chrissie's one layer card with just a portion of the image raised. The Paper Players Challenge is to create a CAS card so this card qualifies for both challenges.

The stamps are from Flourishes. Prisma colored pencils blended with Gamsol were used for coloring.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

3-2-1 at "Less is More"

This week it's a
RECIPE

3 - 2 - 1

This week there is a simple idea to use as the focus of your cards at 

Less is More

All that you need to do is to incorporate 3 of something, 2 of something and 1 of something else!

I used 3 "words", 2 "butterflies" and 1 "hand drawn rectangle". The word stamp is from PTI and the Butterflies are from Inky Antics.

I've been super busy with work and emergency room visits, so I'll be around to see all my blogging friends soon!!! Got major withdrawal symptoms!

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

LIM Tearing

The challenge this week at Less is More is to use 'tearing' on a CAS card. I decided to avoid my usual 'distressed' look with 'tearing' and instead "tried" to keep in white and clean and simple! I figure if it was easy it wouldn't be called a challenge, so I really challenged myself with this card.

The sentiment, hot air balloon and the clouds are from PTI. Copic markers were used on the balloon. I punched a circle in a piece of scrap paper and sponged yellow dye ink inside to make the faux sun. The same sponge was used to lightly highlight the edges of the mountains......the hills are alive.....ha ha now you'll have that song stuck in your mind for the rest of the day!

Back to creating cards inn my Butterfly Garden.

Fur or Feathers and Squares

***This car won a Top 3 Award from DYSU***

Time for a one layer card challenge at Less is More.

The subject of your creations should feature FUR or FEATHERS.

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a CAS Square card.

The challenge at DYSU is to celebrate those great creatures God put in this planet to make us happy, yes we are talking about the four legged friends.  

  

No embellishments can be used to cover up mistakes! This requires perfection when stamping with a black ink pad....if you use three stamps it requires perfection times three...if it is a one layer card...you get the idea...Don't drop the stamp, don't wiggle the stamp, stamp straight up and down etc. Bonus....the card will fit into an envelope with out extra postage.

Stamps from Penny Black, See D's and Whimsy. Colored with Prisma colored pencils and blended with Gamsol.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Blue and Green

Had a few minutes to check out the challenges this morning....one stated to make a card in "your signature style".  ' Wow how great'......I thought......then I tried to figure out what my 'signature style' is!?! I love to try different styles...I'm still evolving! Just what is my style?? Would love to know what you perceive it to be.

After my returned mail a few weeks ago, I was determined to make cards that were CAS so they could fit into an envelope. So in addition to filling my 'men's basket' with cards, I am working on CAS.  The Less is More challenge for this week caught my attention. Having made so many cards with 3 or 4 colors, it is really challenging for me to stick to two colors. But I love a challenge so I thought I would give it a try.

The challenge is to make a card with BLUE and GREEN.  There is an old saying.....
Blue & Green should not be seen, Unless there's a colour in between!  In this day and age no colour combo is taboo, in some cases the wilder the better.

The stamps are from Hanko, Ric Rac and embossing plate are from PTI. The image was colored with Copic markers and Stickles were lightly applied inside the balloons.

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.

Carefree by the Sea

This card is a change of genre for me. Instead of figuring out what embellishments to add....I am trying to 'challenge' myself to make cards with few or no embellies. Now for me that is a real challenge!! One thing for sure...this card won"t be returned by the Post Office for insufficient postage or because it is too thick!

The Less is More challenge for Week 4 is based on a sketch.

The lighthouse stamp is from Flourishes, the sentiment is from Raisin Boat and embossing folder is Cuttlebug. I chose to use a small zig zag as a border to mimic waves.

This is the sketch that was used to design my card. I hope you will consider joining me on my CAS journey....it is definitely a learning experience, but practice makes perfect!  I Hope :-)

Back to creating cards in my Butterfly Garden.