Less is More - Week 61

The Less is More (LIM) challenge this week is a picture inspiration (see left).

As I'm very new at these challenges it's sometimes difficult to interpret the requirements, but it seems to be ok to mainly use the colours. I normally stamp my images in black, but black was not on the challenge palette, so something different was called for.

I stamped in Peeled Paint Distress Ink, then quickly used a damp brush to pull the colour into the leaves and nest. Later I added detail with more Distress Inks, including Worn Lipstick and Tattered Rose and a touch of grey watercolour paint. The sentiment was also stamped with Peeled Paint. This is the first time I've used Distressed Inks to do a whole card like this :)

Stamps: Hobby Art Nesting and Hobby Art Anna's Collection - Just for You.

21st Birthday Cards.

One of the ladies at the care home asked me to make a special card for the great-granddaughter's 21st birthday.  I had completely free reign on theme and colours.  I came up with two different options.

Firstly a handbag shaped card embellished with silver embossing powder, stamped and embossed flowers with gemstone centres.  Do you see the little key charm hanging from the handle - too cute! This was started at the same time as the mother's day cards, you'll notice the similarities!
Stamps: Hobby Art Anna's Collection - Special Wishes

Secondly an A5 card with flowers cut from printed papers which were a magazine freebie.  The background was embellished with broken china distress ink added through a homemade '21' mask.  The main image was stamped on the background, then twice seperately.  Coloured with broken china and dusty concord distress inks mixed with a little silver mica powder then cut out.  A strip of netting was added and pinflair glue used to layer up the images and create dimension.  Little gemstones on the flower centres added the finishing touch.

Stamps: Kanban Vivienne

The second card was such fun to make!  I can see this making a brilliant wedding card too in neutrals with lacey underskirt :)

Special Cards ...

Here are a couple of cards I made this weekend.  This is my first ever entry for the Less is More (LIM) Challenge.  This week's theme is "Take Three Challenges" from previous weeks.  Mine are:  Week 1 - Pink, Black & White

Week 34 - Sketch 3
Week 43 - Bit of Bling
(Could also have claimed week 15 - Embossing)

Cupcake (from Hobby Art) was stamped, embossed then coloured with watercolours.  Happy Birthday (from Clarity) was stamped and embossed.  Three gemstones added for a little 'bling'. 

I don't usually do really fussy cards, but getting something this clean and simple was a challenge!  I guess that is the fun in taking part :)

Second card is a bit more fussy.  The main image (from Collage Stuff) was stamped and embossed.  A second butterfly was decoupaged in the centre.  The butterflies were painted with copper mica powder.  Papers (freebies in a magazine) were torn, distressed on the edges, layered and stitched.  Lace was coloured with Distress Ink (mixture of wild honey and vintage photo).  The sentiment (from Anita's) was also stamped in Sepia.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out :)

Easter cards.

I've been busy turning some of the artwork done by the care home's residents into Easter cards.

All the landscape image cards were made with Hobby Art's Scene-It stamps and watercolour paints.

The "Happy Easter" greeting stamp is an old one by Stampendous called Easter Whimsey (found in the care home's craft cupboard!)

The daffodils and pansies are from a stamp by Judikins called Blossom Cube #3 (also an old one found the in the care home's craft cupboard!)  All flowers watercoloured by the residents.

These cards use peel off images coloured in with watercolour pencils.  The backgrounds have been stamped with elements from various Hobby Art stamp sets :)

Mug Rugs!

Do you leader and ender?   If you've no idea what I'm talking about you're either not a quilter or you've never come across Bonnie Hunter and her wonderful concept from making the most of chain piecing! 

I don't do it all the time, but when I do I make shop sample pieces (I acquired a huge bag full from a Quilt Guild sale table) into 4patches and then trim them to 2.5" square.  When I came up with the idea of making mug rugs for the care home's Easter Fayre, it seemed a great idea to use them.

I took my box of 4patches and 2.5" squares into the home and some of the ladies arranged them into pleasing colour/pattern combos.  My scrap boxes also provide the binding and my batting scraps provide the filler.  Scrap busters heaven!!

I have 6 finished so far and about 9 still to bind :)

Trying something new ...

I've seen Barbara Gray demonstating on Create & Craft TV shopping channel for months.  Her signature style uses a speedball brayer and dye-based inks to create fabulous backgrounds to which she adds her Clarity Stamp images.  I bought the equipment before xmas, but was too chicken to try it!!  Today I decided to give it a go.

My first couple of goes through a paper mask not too good.  Then I remembered you have to spin the brayer as the colour is layed down ... started to see improvement.

By the last attempt (tall thin piece) I think I had achieved some smoothness in colour application! 

I added stamped images to a couple of pieces with mixed success.  I was using the specially coated Clarity card and sometimes the image 'slides' as you stamp it.  Ink - blot - plot (one of Barbara's stock phrases) for me resulted in an image that lacked density of colour.  The blue piece utilises this to give distance.

So the jury is out on the whole brayer technique but, like free-motion quilting, it is definately something you need to practice because is NOWHERE near as easy as the experts make it look :)

Stamps used: Hobby Art Hillside Scene-its & Anna's Collection - Just for you.
Inspiration for scenic image: Stargroves blog by Anne Ray

Mother's Day Cards ...

Mothering Sunday is on the 18th March here in the UK.  I made these two cards for my mother and mother-in-law today.  They use the Hobby Art stamp set Anna's Collection - Special Wishes.  Quite pretty and not too bulky for mailing.

I'm entering these in the PanPastel UK challenge for Girly/Mother's Day cards.

I also did some other card toppers this week using various Hobby Art scene-it stamp sets.  Rather than stamping the images first and colouring them in, I did things differently.  I got a couple of the ladies at the care home to watercolour the backgrounds, then I added the stamped images to suit and enhance them.  These will be turned into cards for the forthcoming Easter Fayre :)

I'm in a magazine ...

Popular Patchwork magazine (April 2010 issue) has an article on the charity work of the Thameside Quilters Group.  I'm in the group photo and one of my quilts is shown seperately too!!!  What a thrill!!!

I've tried to get a close-up here of me in the bottom right of the group photo and my quilt - a Bonnie Hunter "Fun with Bricks" - and can you see my name right at the bottom ...?

DH wanted me to buy multiple copies of the magazine, but I think one is enough to show around the family ... I don't want to risk 'fame' going to my head - ha ha!! :)

Bali Sea Star Finished.

Finally something to post about!!  This poor quilt has been languishing and I really needed to push on and get it finished.  I just don't like this quilt - I can't put my finger on why, but I just don't.  I hope there is a new owner at the care home who will fall in love with it :)

Pattern by Kim Brackett in "Scrap Basket Surprises".