Phoenix Inspirations

I have a very clean and simple card for you today - in fact it only took minutes to create - once I'd decided what I was going to do! I followed the challenge over at Less is More The colours I have used are - So Saffron and Night of Navy The yellow background was created by inking up a stamping block and spraying it with water. I then gently dried it with my heat gun. The bird image was stamped over the top. I wish it had been darker but I think my ink pad is drying up - time to purchase a re-inker me thinks. A simple sentiment was added in the blue ink to finish it off. That's all for now - off to work now. See you soon - J x

The new theme this week over at  Less is More  is ANIMAL and anyone who knows me knows that my favourite animal is my cat! It's very appropriate then that my friend Louise has lent me her new You Little Furball stamp set and I was able to make this card And a close up How cute are these kitties? Not as cute as my Louis though! Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: You Little Furball Ink: Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Strawberry Slush, Gumball Green, Marina Mist Card Stock: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush Accessories: Dimentionals, Owl Punch To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks Thanks for stopping by to take a look - see you soon x.

I know I said I was gong to do some housework but I got a bit side tracked with this week's challenge at  Less is More  - it's Foliage one of my favourite things to stamp. Here's my card It's also a One Layer Week so I was so relieved when my sentiments stamped straight - no sticking a label over wonky ones this time! Materials - Stampin' Up (except for Kraft Card Base) Stamps: An Open Heart Ink: Black Memento, Light Old Olive Blendibility Marker, Perfect Plum, White Chalk Marker, Soft Suede To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks You can also shop directly from my Stampin' Up website - click  HERE  to take a look. OK definitely off to do housework now!

So the ladies at  Less is More  this week want us to - 'Take Three Challenges' - we go back to the archives and choose 3 past challenges, combine them and make a card. I chose Week 1 - Black, Pink & White Week 2 - Flower or Tree Week 12 - Off Centre Here is my card I started off with a 5" x 5" white card base and I have used the Fabulous Florets stamp set from Stampin' Up. I have stamped my leaves in black ink and my flower in pink - Pretty in Pink actually! My flower has been attached using 3D foam pads - here is a close up Hope the weather is better with you that with me at the moment - we are marooned at the top of our hill, there's floods at both ends of our lane so we are not going anywhere for a while! Will just have to stay in and craft instead! Thanks for looking - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

My card tonight combines 2 challenges Less is More  - Tearing Dynamic Duos Here is my card I used white card stock for my base and then added some Basic Black and more Whisper White run through a Swiss Dots embossing folder. My flowers are Stampin' Up punches and I have added a black brad to the centre. My tearing is on the middle panel, I used torn pieces of masking to create a trellis effect, I then sponged over it with black ink. Here's a close up Thanks for looking - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

Yes that's right sewing - and you can guess that I don't do much 'cos it took me all day to locate a needle and thread!! Anyway the challenge this week at  Less is More  is Theme week once more and this time it's SEWING For this it could be machine or hand sewing.. faux or stamped... you could even use sewing related images... just let your imagination roam! So I had this idea in my head for this using real sewing and for once it turned out just as I had imagined - take a look And just to prove that I really was sewing ('cos I have been known to staple things together instead!) here are a couple of pics during the deed and behind my card ha ha - must remember to show this to mum - might make her faint though! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

It's a One Layer challenge this week at  Less is More  with the added extra of things in 3's - here is my card And here's how I made it: Post it notes to mask off a square and to make my 3 clouds 3 blues to stamp my images: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and Pacific Point. 3 Balloons from Up, Up and Away plus 3 birds flying in the sky 3 little words - just for you - from Just Believe. Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

This week at the  Less is More  challenge blog Chrissie and Mandi would like us to use their blog header as inspiration for our cards. This is the header And here is my card I used a music background stamp from Kaisercraft along with the roses from my S'U Baby Blossoms set and my colours are Kraft, Jet Black Adirondak ink and S'U Creamy Caramel. Here's a close up Thanks for looking today - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

The theme this week at the  Less is More  challenge blog is 'Paper Piecing' - here is the card I made for this challenge I used my Fabulous Florets set, Wild Wasabi ink and a few scraps of blue polka dot paper - the sentiment is from that set too. Here's a close up This should have been posted yesterday but the batteries ran out on my camera - I plugged them in to the re-charger and it blew up!! ooops! bye for now - Jacqueline xx

The ladies at  Less is More  have this week set a colour challenge - Red, White and Blue. Here is my card I was really pleased with this card - that is until I tried to photograph it. I just can't seem to get the light right to show off my embossed lines - how about this one .......any better? The idea was to emboss the lines of the Union Flag (which I copied from Google), I then layered this onto some red card stock which was then layered onto some white card stock which I had embossed using my Swiss Dots embossing folder and Cuttlebug. I then just added 3 blue flowers with blue gems in the centres. Thanks for looking - hope everyone enjoys all the Jubilee festivities - Jacqueline xx

I was unable to go to see dad as planned this weekend - after a routine blood test before his treatment the results came back saying that his immune levels had dropped to zero - that means he has to keep away from anyone with infections or colds or anyone that could possibly carry them. As my husband has been getting over a chest infection we thought it wise to stay away - it could be quite dangerous for dad to catch anything like that at the moment. OK - so that was the bad news - the good news is *extra crafting time* !!!!. I made this card today for a couple of challenges The lovely ladies at  Less is More  this week want us to make a One Layer Card but only using 3 stamps! Not too difficult - I used my 'My Friend' set: floral stamp, hello and the my friend stamp. Colours are Stampin' Up Regal Rose and a Versa Magic ink pad which I think is called Split Pea! I ran the bottom of my card through a Swiss Dots embossing folder - I did it the wrong way around though (...

It's an interesting colour challenge this week at  Less is More   - they would like to see YELLOW in our clean and simple projects. Here is my card My 5" x 5" card blank has had a mat of white card stock added which has first been put through my 'Bug in the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I then die cut a fancy square onto which I stamped the fern leaf from Growing Green. The rose was stamped onto a scrap of white card stock, coloured with Promarkers and then cut out and attached with 3D foam pads. I said that this was an interesting colour choice for a challenge because I don't use yellow all that much but more interestingly I had been thinking about yellow roses. I am visiting my mum and dad at the weekend and we will probably take some flowers to my Gran's grave - yellow roses - this seemed the obvious card to make. See you soon - Jacqueline xx

This is our last week of challenges for our MEN AND BOYS  theme and this week we want to see your male cards with a TIME theme, it's also the last chance for you to get your hands on our fabulous prize - details of which you will find over on the  Make My Monday Blog . For my card today I went with a CAS style and used one of the free stamps from Craft Stamper Magazine - take a look I have also followed the sketch over on this week's  Less is More Challenge To colour my background I have used Stampin' Up inks - Really Rust and Close to Cocoa, I also used the 'splodge' stamp from French Foliage. Don't forget to pop on over to the  MMM blog  and check out all the other Time themed cards made by my fellow team mates. Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

This week at  Less is More  Chrissie and Mandi would like to see some MASKING. Now post-it-notes are never far from my side and are perfect for this technique. I dug out a stamp that I have had for years - it's an Easter egg so it only has a limited time span for use and got stamping. The eggs have been coloured with Promarkers - the purple one was stamped first and then covered with a post-it-note, I then stamped the yellow one followed by the blue one at the back. I was tempted to stamp more  but this 'Less is More' so I stopped at three. Less is More is not an option though when it comes to Easter eggs - don't you agree girls?! - Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

We have been challenged to use up some our scraps for this week's challenge at  Less is More . Now I'm quite good about using my scraps - can't afford not to be! I favour Stampin' Up card stock and those who are familiar with SU know that they have colour families. I have a folder where I store all my card stock in plastic pages - one for whole sheets and another the the smaller scraps in each of the colours. It was from one of these folders that I retrieved a piece of Certain Celery. I also have another plastic wallet full of bits and pieces that I have stamped and not needed or are mistakes or offcuts - take a look It was from this pile that I extricated this little beauty This is the fern stamp from Growing Green - did it ages ago with water colour pencils on some hand made water colour paper purchased when I visited Wookey Hole many years ago. So, when you put these elements together with a little stamping and a scrap of green ribbon - you get this ...

This week at  Less is More  the challenge is to use 'Punches or Die Cuts' - what a great idea. I love using my Cuttlebug so I decided on die cuts - here is my card I cut out a section at the bottom of my card using a square Nestie, then i die cut some Marianne Creatables flowers from Sahara Sand card stock. These were then glued in place along the aperture. The flat backed opals are from Martha Stewart. A Stampin' Up sentiment from the Precious Butterflies set was stamped on to card and also die cut - another flower was placed behind. Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

The lovely ladies at  Less is More  have this week given us the challenge of using the colour AQUA . I had a look through my sets and decided on one that I haven't used for a while - Vintage Vogue. I also had a bit of a play and made a 3D rose - I love making these. Here is my card My colour is Stampin' Up Stampin' Write marker - Pool Party. The middle panel is raised and the rose is placed just off this panel with some stamping on the card it's self. Here's a close up Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

There is a sketch this week at  Less is More  - take a look It's a simple sketch that Mandi and Chrissie want left just as it is - no rotation or reflection and to remain landscape and rectangular. OK - here is what I did This is a stamp I've had for years simply stamped in black archival ink. It's shorter than my vertical strip so I matched it up top and bottom. Each of the flowers has a flat backed, clear gem in it's centre. Here's a close up Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

The challenge this week at  Less is More  is to have a hole or some kind of aperture in your card - take a look at what I made today I cut my aperture using my rectangular Nesties on my Cuttlebug and kept the bit I cut out to use to stamp my sentiment on. The stamp set I used is SU Precious Butterflies and is stamped in Old Olive and Melon Mambo ink. Here is a close up of the aperture My sentiment was stamped from the same set and the onto the piece of card stock from my aperture. It was then attached using 3D foam pads. The cut out flourish was attached using a fine glue pen and also some pieces of 3D foam pad cut very small. The butterflies are also cut out and mounted in the same way. Thanks for looking today - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

This week the lovely ladies at  Less is More  are asking us to make a One Layer Card featuring Birds. My first though was to reach for my faithful Stampin' Up stamps - I have recently purchased the gorgeous Young Vermillion. However, tweeting away in my stash were (GASP) some stamps that I had never ever used (more GASPS). Here they are all lined up waiting to meet you These have been stamped in black Versafine and coloured with Stampin' Write Markers. The frame is freehand and the grass is some I have had forever! Thanks for looking today - hope you are having a great weekend - Jacqueline xx