Sir Stampalot June Challenge

Well, it's the first of the month again, and time for a new Stampalot Challenge! For June we have a photo (see right) as inspiration. It can be interpreted in any way you like! I would have liked to have come up with something really creative and abstract, but in the end I couldn't resist another opportunity to use the gorgeous Crafty Individuals poppy field stamp! I coloured it with watercolour pencils except for the poppies, for which I used Promarkers to make them stand out. The background is a paper napkin, and the sentiment is by Prickly Pear.

A good tip for using napkins is to separate the layers (they usually have two or three) and use only the top (printed) layer. This will be quite thin, and almost impossible to put glue on without tearing it, so put the glue on the base card instead and gently smooth the napkin over it. (A Xyron machine is perfect for this if you have one.)

As usual, there's a fantastic prize on offer this month!

So if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning the goodies, check out the samples by my talented teamies on the Challenge Blog, and get those entries in! Can't wait to see them!



Less is More Week 15

This week's challenge at Less is More is for a one-layer card with embossing. I decided to use the embossing as a resist, which is one of my favourite techniques.

This is the first version of my card.

I stamped the grasses (Chocolate Baroque) with Versamark ink, embossed them with clear powder, and then sponged over them with Versacolor inks. The sentiment is by Prickly Pear, and it's one of my newest stamps. It really appeals to me. However, when I'd finished the card, I thought the sponging looked a bit messy. So I made another version, this time using a Nesties Label 10 as a stencil.

Now I can't decide which I prefer! The stencilled version is much tidier and more defined, but somehow it doesn't seem to fit quite so well with the sentiment, which suggests a free spirit! If I had to choose now, I'd probably stick with the first one. What do you think?