Less Is More is Eight Years Old!

Bring on the party. Less Is More challenge is here for the month and celebrating it's 8th year in blog land. That's pretty impressive. Challenge blogs do come and go, but this challenge blog with its guidelines to stay clean and simple with white space as they call it, has had staying power.

Designer team members have changed but the challenge with its unique format remains the same.
I don't get as many opportunities to play as I used to, but I did have the honor to be a winner very early on. I will never forget how I did the happy dance when I found out and no one in my family got it. They do now as many a Saturday morning I can be found checking out the latest challenge.

So, I think it's fitting to make this card wishing LIM all the best. And since the blog originates from Great Britain, why not a cup of tea? And there are eight hearts on it too.

If you have never visited Less Is More, I hope you will have a chance to visit and give the challenge a try.

Blessings,

Erica

Simply Create Too Challenge No. 146, Anything Goes/Use Hearts

Hi everyone. How's the first month of the new year going for you? I hope it is running smoothly. It is for me. This week, I will be going for cataract surgery, a very popular eye operation these days...at least for those of us who have attained Medicare age. I had put mine off for as long as possible. I finally didn't have a choice if I wanted to drive at night or even go west in evenings and east in mornings. The sun, which I adore, plays havoc with my eyes. This surgery will fix it.

Simply Create Too is having it's 2nd challenge of the year, Anything Goes, Use Hearts. You don't have to use hearts, but why not since this is the month for exchanging Valentines. So my card is really all about the coffee theme, but I was able to incorporate hearts. I love this image and I'll be using it more as the year goes on.

I hope you'll get a chance to make lots of Valentine Day cards so I can enjoy your creations and comment on them too,.

Simply Create Too Challenge no. 144, Use a Different Kind of Fold

Hi friends,

Today, I had a fantastic time attending the Artistic Rubber Stamp Show, Mesa, Arizona version. It was the first time I have attended with a friend. Would you believe she is my next neighbor and we have so much in common that it's quite scary for both of us. We had a fun time and of course, spent more than we probably should have.

While there, we had the pleasure of meeting Kittie Caracciolo, who came all the way from Florida to demonstrate her lovely flower making prowess. She is a lovely person and super talented. Of course, my friend and I had to have the tool kit by Sizzix she uses to make shape her beautiful flowers.

So now that the good times are done, I wanted to tell you about the Simply Create Too challenge this month and it's our last one of 2018, since we all know how the holidays can interfere with our craft lives.

Our challenge is to create a card with folds that aren't standard, such as an A2 card and here's mine.

I enjoyed making this pretty card for my step-daughter who is a lovely young lady I am just getting to know, since she is living with her sister's family and I as she is doing a do-over with her life.

The tutorial I followed is from Scrapbooking With M.E.  Here's the direct link to her blog telling you how to, Fancy Fold Box Stepper Card. You can also find her on You Tube. Come now, You didn't think I created this all by myself did you?? I decided to make it black & white as it's my step-daughter's apparel go-to color. I think I worked it out well enough. . As my viewers rarely ask detailed questions about the how-to for my cards, I'll give details only if requested in a comment. 

I hope you will be able to squeeze in some time to make a card before the holidays really get 

underway and post it on our challenge blog.

Blessings,

Erica

Simply Create Too Challenge no. 142, Use Stitching

Hello Fellow Stampers,

Fun challenge over at Simply Create Too. We're using real or faux stitching. Since I don't own a sewing machine, mine is faux.

I'm a subscriber to the La La Land Crafts kit and they sent this one recently. I pulled it out and had some fun.

I'm still working on hair and skin color. They are sooo difficult to master. I should probably try to find a class and splurge on it, since watching tutorials isn't helping much. I had a perfect piece of paper with the cute little sewing machine and that's washi tape used for the measuring tape. A few buttons to finish it off and the mat has faux stitching too. I have sent this card off to my god-daughter who spoils me with a bit of cash now and then, that I promptly put towards crafting supplies.

Check out our challenge. You have the entire month to play. And also La La Land Crafts if you enjoy coloring and cutesy stamp lines.

Have a blessed weekend.
Erica

Just A Card I Made

           I thought I'd try posting two days in a row. Here's a card from the 4th. I made a few, but I find that few people bother exchanging Independence Day cards. I sure hope they're not taking our independence for granted. We may still have lots of issues, but relatively speaking, there's few other places I'd rather be.

I  have to tell you this may appear to be a Stampin' Up stamp. It's not. It's a knock-off from China. There are many and varied views about buying these stamps. I have made up my mind not to continue purchasing in this way, But then, I'm actually going to substantially curtail my craft purchases. I just don't have any more room and I am slowly and carefully destashing where I won't feel the pinch too much. It's a real struggle.  However, the embossed area is a Tim Holtz folder that I rubbed oxide ink onto and then some glitter glaze by Recollections. I have someone to send this card to so it will be in the mail soon.




       

Less Is More Challenge No. 375

Although there have been changes at my favorite challenge, this is still my go-to challenge on Saturdays. Recently, they made a decision to challenge us monthly. I'm hoping it will help me participate more frequently. So to begin, I've created three cards for the monthly challenge announced today. My mojo was in full swing. I hope you will enjoy at least one of them.

You still have some weeks to play along with Less Is More.

Simply Create Too DT Challenge no. 140

Hey friends,

Here is it July already and time for another challenge at Simply Create Too...the most relaxed and easy-going challenge on the world wide web...at least I sure think so.

So the deal is NOT to use any designer/patterned or digitized fancy paper, backing paper...you get the idea. I actually don't use a lot of these papers. Now don't get me wrong. I most certainly do buy it and I'm a bona fide hoarder of same, but I struggle with matching patterns resulting in a lot of second-guessing which ultimately means not being as productive as I'd like.

So here's my card. I used a Simon Says Stamp from the June kit and colored in watercolors. I wish they had shown up a bit brighter on-line. I have even used a Nuvo aqua shimmer pen to no avail. It is not as subdued IRL. I used Jane Davenport water colors in this cute little box. I have three of her sets now and I love them all. I'm not much of a watercolorist, but when I can "color in," I don't do too bad...I hope. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz die cut set and was cut 3x, on silver glitter paper then glued down, and a few sequins thrown on for that extra pizazz. This card will go in my stash and I do hope I will be able to use it soon. Congratulating people is a fun thing to do.