Happy 11th Birthday Less Is More!

The Less Is More Design and Admin team is back with a new year of challenges. As we begin a new year, we celebrate the 11th birthday of our challenge with LIM Challenge #458. Way back when the challenge started, I was making cards with lots of layers and embellishments, and CAS was a new and not-so-easy discipline for me to master. Fast forward, I became a member of the Less Is More Design Team on January 5 2019! I was so excited then, and am excited now that despite some concerns that the challenge was going to end, we are starting up again. Thank you so much to our former and our new leadership. I am so glad we are moving forward.

So quite appropriately for our first challenge of 2022, the theme is "Birthdays".

I have been trying to master the art of hot foiling with a Glimmer Machine, and I am making some progress. I just got this wonderful Birthday Candle Background Glimmer Hot Foil Plate & Die Set  from Spellbinders, and it was the perfect choice for this occasion. I used this fabulous rainbow foil and die cut the candles after foiling. In the picture below my card, you can see the affect of the foil when you turn it in the light. It's hard to photograph head on. I popped up each candle with foam tape and adhered them to white linen card stock, then adhered that panel backed with foam to a white card base. I stamped a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Simple Sentiments 02, and my card was complete.

Please head over to the Less Is More Blog and see what the Design Team has created for your inspiration. I hope you'll play along with us to share your creations. Remember to keep your design Clean And Simple which we define as designs that include large areas of CLEAR AND CLEAN space with NO PATTERN, NO INK and NO TEXTURE See challenge guidelines on the Less Is More Blog.

LIM BLOG

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I'm also playing at:

Seize the Birthday #231 - Sparkle & Shine

Watercooler Wednesday #334 - Occasions

CAS on Friday #224 - Male

My Unpaid Therapist

 Time Out #206 begins today, It's an Inspired By Words challenge. See the challenge badge above. The challenge runs from Thursday, January 27th to Wednesday, February 2nd. We are generously sponsored by Altenew.

Challenge winner as chosen by our Design Team will receive $15.00 in Altenew store credit to use in the Altenew store. In addition, our winner will be eligible for a guest designer spot in a future challenge.

Joining us for this challenge, we have the incredibly talented and lovely Nancy Leppek of Scrapper at Heart and winner of Time Out Challenge #203. Nancy is a prolific and wonderful paper crafter. Please treat yourself to a stroll through her blog. You are sure to be inspired.

 For my card I focused in the word "friend". I used the Pinkfresh Studio Starburst Circles stamps and layering stencils for my background. The sentiment is a combination of The Greetery's Opposites Attract stamp set and Pinkfresh My Favorite Things To Say #2. Very simple, but really goes to the heart of the quote for me. 

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that Nancy and the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

Krafty Chicks #596 - All Occasions

Never Before Used Schtuff #34

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday #333 - Occasions

May Peace Fill Your Soul

 It's time for a new challenge at Festive Friday where every challenge is an inspiration list based on a selected holiday/festivity from the traditional to the unusual. Challenge projects must include at least three items from the festivity inspiration list. Your project does not have to go with the challenge theme. You can just use 3 or more items from the inspo list for your creation.

Today's festivities are inspired by World Wetland Day, which takes place on February 2nd. The challenge runs from January 21st to January 31st.

I like to create a card for our challenge that goes with the theme. I must say that in terms of what's in my stash, this one had me stumped at first. I found one stamp set that could work, but I wasn't thrilled with it. So I Googled, of course. First I looked at wetlands images. I noticed lots of herons standing in marshes. Then I saw blue herons. Then I Googled "blue heron digital stamps". And I found this: Digital Stamp Design : Heron Bird Standing In Lake. Not only was it absolutely perfect, but it was a FREE download! (It's the little things). What luck! I downloaded it, printed it, and colored it with Copics. I then die cut it with Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle dies and popped it up with foam on white linen cardstock. I added a sentiment that I love from a PTI set called Peaceful Garden, mounted the white panel on a black card base and my card was complete. I used birds, grasses, green. water, blue from the inspo list.

Come play with us! Remember that your project does not have to go with the challenge theme. You can just use 3 or more items from the inspo list for your creation!

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans

Joanne James

I'm also playing at:

Freshly Made Sketches #519

Watercooler Wednesday #333

Dreams Come True

Time Out #203 begins today, We are challenged to create a project with the theme of "Inspiration" and an optional twist of layers. So much room for interpretation there.

 The challenge runs from Thursday, December 16th to Wednesday, December 29th.

We are generously sponsored by Newton's Nook. 

Challenge winner will receive a $25 gift voucher to the Newton's Nook store. In addition to the prize from Newton's Nook, our Challenge winner as chosen by the design team will be eligible for a guest designer spot in a future challenge.

 Joining us for this challenge we have the very talented Cindy Beach of Stamps, Paper and Ink. Cindy was our Honors Winner of Challenge #200. Treat yourself to a stroll through Cindy's blog and you will be sure to get your creative juices flowing!

My card was inspired by one of my twin sons who is graduating from College in January. His aspiration is to be a High School Social Studies teacher and a Lacrosse Coach. I had the pure joy of reading a journal and a personal note and a letter of recommendation that his mentor teacher and his students put together for him as a parting gift from student teaching. I was in awe as I peered through a window into his life that I never would have experienced, had they not done this for him. It was beautiful, and wonderful and I had to grab a mop to soak up my tears of pride and wonderment. Inspiring?? You bet. The inside of my card reads "You have never been more ready to succeed". The kid is on fire, and I could not be more joyful, pleased and proud. Congratulations, Jon. Go light the world on fire. It certainly needs your gifts. 

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

Watercooler Wednesday #331 - Anything Goes

Happy New Year!

 It's time for a new challenge at Festive Friday where every challenge is an inspiration list based on a selected holiday/festivity from the traditional to the unusual. Challenge projects must include at least three items from the festivity inspiration list. Your project does not have to go with the challenge theme. You can just use 3 or more items from the inspo list for your creation

To create my card, I used Gina K Iridescent Glitter Glitz Gel and the Pretty Pink Posh Fireworks stencil to create a very glittery and sparkly background on black card stock. I topped that with Cheery Lynn Designs' Happy New Year die cut from Memory Box Pastel Glitter card stock. I stamped and colored with Copics, the champagne bottle from Pretty Pink Posh's Happy New Year Stamp set, added "2022" on the label with my JustRite letter/number stamp tools from the deepest recesses my stash, and popped it up as my finishing touch. I used sparkle, stars, black, champagne, 2022, die cuts from the inspo list.

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans

Joanne James

I'm also playing at:

Watercooler Wednesday #330 - Occasions

Four Seasons Challenge - Anything Goes Winter - December

Joy

 

Time Out #202 begins today, We are challenged to create a project inspired by photo below. Lots of inspiration there! 

 The challenge runs from Thursday, December 2nd to Wednesday, December 15th.

Here is a closer look at the photo:

We are generously sponsored by STAMPlorations. Challenge winner will receive a $25 gift voucher. In addition to the prize from STAMPlorations, our Challenge winner as chosen by the design team will be eligible for a guest designer spot in a future challenge.

 Joining us for this challenge we have the very talented Bobby of Bits & Pieces. Bobby was our Challenge Winner for  Challenge #199. Bobby participates an a wide variety of challenges. Her work is very inspiring. Take a stroll through her blog and you will be sure to be inspired!

I was inspired by the Christmas theme and particularly the sprays in the pitcher. Stamps, stencils and dies are all from The Greetery. The background was made with the SSS Holiday Greenery Embossing Folder. I backed the sentiment with vellum, and used Kraft for my card base.

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

Color Hues Challenge #31

Red & Green

Watercooler Wednesday Challege #330

Double D Challenge

Christmas Joy

All About Occasions

The Four Seasons Challenge

Anything Goes Winter-December

Birthday Balloons

It's time for a new challenge at Festive Friday where every challenge is an inspiration list based on a selected holiday/festivity from the traditional to the unusual. Challenge projects must include at least three items from the festivity inspiration list.

Today's festivities are in celebration of Balloons Around the World Day, which takes place October 6th. 

The challenge runs from September 17th - September 27th.

I like to create a card for our challenge that goes with the celebration theme. To create my card, I pulled out my Heart Balloons die from Poppy Stamps. I had a wonderful scrap in reds from an Alcohol Ink panel that I made a while ago, so I used that for my balloons. My purple cloudy sky was made with the Cloud Edger stencil from A Colorful Life Designs. The scalloped panel is from Lawn Fawn. I used balloons, red, purple and clouds from the inspo list. 

Come play with us! Remember that your project does not have to go with the challenge theme. You can just use 3 or more items from the inspo list for your creation!

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans

Joanne James

I'm also playing at:

Watercooler Wednesday #324 - Occasions

Seize The Birthday #223 - Anything Goes

Virgo

 

I created this card for my son's girlfriend's birthday. She is very much into astrology, and when I saw the Spellbinders Virgo Glimmer Hot Foil Plate, I knew that I had to use it to make a birthday card for her. I hot foiled using my new Glimmer Hot Foil System and some rose gold foil. This one came out well though I still need lots of tips and practice. I keep getting those little foil flecks where I don't want them! I die cut the foiled panel with a rectangular Spellbinders Hemstitch Die, backed it with pastel glitter card stock and popped it up on a white card base and my card was complete.

I am playing at:

Seize The Birthday #222 - Pastel Colors

Watercooler Wednesday #324 - Occasions

Thrilled

Less Is More Challenge #451 begins today. We are challenged to create a CAS SPARKLE themed card.

Our Guest Designer is Less Is More July winner Viv of Daizy Mae Designs. Viv is an incredibly talented card artist, and she has such a way with floral designs and watercolors! Her work is breath taking. Please do yourself the favor of visiting Viv's blog where you are sure to be amazed and inspired.

When I saw the inspiration word, I immediately thought of the sparkle of a diamond, particularly that of an engagement ring. That made my mind go to this wonderful "Polished" die set from Paper Smooches and then this card  happened. I am not so sure about how I feel about my sparkly embossing beneath the hand because the sparkle would not come from under, but I did it anyway taking some artistic license and giving the hand a sparkly place to rest. Here's a close up:

I love the tiny gold band and that awesome sparkly gem. I work with someone who just might be the recipient of this card if things work out as I think they will, so I am ready!

Please head over to the Less Is More Blog and see what the Design Team has created for your inspiration. I hope you'll play along with us to share your creations. Remember to keep your design Clean And Simple which we define as designs that include large areas of CLEAR AND CLEAN space with NO PATTERN, NO INK and NO TEXTURE See challenge guidelines on the Less Is More Blog.

LIM BLOG

LIM FACEBOOK PAGE

LIM INSTAGRAM

I'm also playing at:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Glimmer and Sparkle

Watercooler Wednesday #323 - All Things Feminine

Allsorts Challenge #640 - Anything goes with an option For The Love Of Your Life

Thank You

I am pleased to be here today with my Guest Designer project for Retro Rubber Challenge #166. The challenge is to create something that is inspired by the photo below.

At Retro Rubber, the idea is to give old stamps some love. Use a stamp older than a year and you must include the age (or approximate age) of the stamp in your blog post.

When I saw the inspiration photo, I immediately thought of Impression Obsession's Flower Pitchers wood mounted rubber stamp that has been in my stash for at least 10 years. I stamped it on Neenah Solar White 80# card stock, colored it with Copics, and added Wink Of Stella to the flowers. I die cut the image with Pinkfresh Studio's Braided Tag die. I used Neeneh Solar White 110# card stock for my card base, and stenciled it with Pink Posh's Jungle Background stencil. I stamped a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Best Friend Ever stamp set with VersaFine Onyx Black ink, and clear embossed it. I adhered the die cut with the floral image to the card bas and my card was complete.

Please head over to the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog and see how the Design Team interpreted the inspiration photo. Be inspired, let your creative juices flow, and come play!

I'm also playing at:

Watercooler Wednesday #323 - All Things Feminine

Little Red Wagon #616 - Stencil Power