Just a few blooms - Less is more...

Hello again,
Sarah here again...enjoying a free Monday and the pleasures of some simple stamping and crafting. The weekend was an intensive session, so today was a chance to keep things simple and pure.
The new blog "Less is More" took off with a real bang last week and this weeks flowers or trees 'one layer' challenge is already in full swing. (I must add I ended up with as much mess on my craft table as ever - a place where more is more, and less is more!) Here is what I got up to...

 I decided to go for some stencilling to create the flower background. I used the cut-outs left from punching flowers as a stencil and used different shades of Distress Inks for the flowers. Just think how many punches we all have lying around doing nothing - the options are endless...it is a cheap and easy way to drum up lots of new designs!

I then stamped the sentiment in Coffee Archival and inked the edges of the card for that extra bit of focus. Just like last week - you need to be pretty darn clean and I used several stencils to keep things smudge free. I must admit that one or two little certain flower positions were determined by a speck of wayward ink!

Here is a second variation using Kraft card stock and blue paint rather than ink. I love working with paint as you get just that bit of extra texture. It is very important to heat set each flower before moving onto the next  - otherwise it can be a right old slippery ride! A card stencil is needed as paper gets too soggy - and you definitely need a fresh stencil each time with paint.

I stamped over the top with Sepia Archival. It adheres well but also gives a translucent quality to the sentiment. As you can see I was able to play with the tones by adding different degrees of white to the blue. Again - endless options and colour schemes to go for - which means you can always find the right colour! I distressed and inked the card edged as this one has a slightly Shabby feel.

And number three! Decided to go for a more modern look using white card with pink and purple distress inks. Ah yes, white - the most exposed, tell-tale surface of all. Patience, patience, patience ladies...and lots of clean stencils ready before you start to avoid the temptation of just hoping for the best.

Not normally a purple girl, but I do like this one and the quirky stamp. It is also good to think about the colour of the sentiment as it plays a big role in the whole look - so I did a few test runs on scrap paper to see if the contrast was right. Makes all the difference - really.

Here is a shot of the aftermath. You can see the stencils I used and an array of lovely shades left by all that paint and ink...Had a great time again. I really like the joint venture of simplicity and concentration. I also love it when a plan comes together...

So come on girls - get busy recycling all those punch-outs and unused punches. If you can punch it or cut it out - you got a stencil! Just think of all those die-cuts lying around...
Head on over to Less is More to see all the other great entries, and have a go too. It really does you good. Joining in with a few challenges too...
Totally Paper Crafts
Secret Crafter


Ciao for now,

Sarah