Wednesday 11 July 2018

Less Is More - Challenge #375 - Olive and Tangerine

The current challenge over at Less Is More is 'Olive and Tangerine' - two colours which I love to see together.

Here's my card, hoping it's CAS enough as I strayed from white as the base of the card for a change, so the aperture would stand out more:
And this is the LIM cue card:

Of course, the current bright sunshine washed the colour out of my card quite a bit, in real life that tangerine coloured background card and the bird are both really vivid!

I used:

- 5.5" x 4.25" white card blank, side opening

- stamped the image onto white card using Memento 'tuxedo Black' ink plus a bird and a branch from the Stampin' Up 'Bird Banter' set. Little tip - it was so worthwhile masking off the bird's tail before stamping the branch - a small detail but it does make a difference IMHO

- then coloured the image using Pro markers (using olive and also picking up the same shade of tangerine card I'd found in the snippets folder) and set the coloured image to one side

- trimmed the piece of tangerine coloured card to just slightly smaller than the card front

- used a die from the MFT 'Wonky Peek-a-boo Windows' set to cut an aperture in the tangerine card

- then used the Misti and a sheet of 'home printed acetate grid' to line up and stamp the sentiment stamp on the tangerine card - using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink again

- to make sure the white image panel was properly aligned in the aperture I lightly drew a pencil line around it, using the inside of the aperture die and trimmed right round to just over quarter of an inch outside the pencil lines, before rubbing them off

- stuck quarter inch wide red line tape around the back of the aperture, right up to the edge

- took the trimmed down image panel and checked it for alignment before attaching one edge to the back of the aperture using low tack tape

- that allowed me to gently peel off the other three sides, one at a time, whilst knowing that the image hadn't moved at all, then removed the low tack tape and adhered the last side. The main reason for this is because I wanted a firmly stuck down edge without the risk of glue seepage - and it works a treat if you use the tip of taping one edge in place (leaving the red line tape unpeeled of course) so you can work on the other three sides, one at a time

- final step was to glue the whole panel to the card blank

As happens so often here, there was almost a disaster when I was making this card. At the stage where I rubbed out the pencil lines around the image I managed to slightly crumple the coloured image panel in one corner! It was only slight but still would mean a lot of time lost (I'm a slow crafter). I did kick myself for grabbing some much thinner white card stock than I usually use for stamping - it was extra smooth and I just fancied trying it again. However, all was not lost 'cos I backed the panel with more white card using some double sided adhesive sheet (medium weight) and made sure I rubbed it firmly down using my Teflon folder tool, which totally flattened it out again. Phew, saved!

I did giggle later on in the day when Len spotted the finished card on my desk and said he liked it - then he quietly asked if I realised that the aperture was wonky! ☺☺☺

It's ages since I played along with Less is More and I loved making this card. I just hope it's Less is More enough, if that makes sense! As I said earlier, the aperture really needed a contrast but of course I'm dithering about it now. 

Hedgehog update: In this heat we've been leaving the kitchen door open a lot of the time when at home, to get any through breeze that might come along. Late the other evening, Len called to me to get into the kitchen as fast as possible - but I was too late to see what he'd just seen. The hedgie's feeding stations are close to the back door and when Len went to close the door - there was little 'Miss Sweet Face', the prettiest hedgie in the group, standing halfway between the feeding station and the open door looking up very quizzically as if to say 'Dare I venture in for a look around?'. It all happened so fast that I had no chance of scampering there in time - and in fact little Miss Sweet Face ran off behind the garden shed when she heard Len call me.

Happy days! And anyone with a Summer cold has my sincere sympathy!!






23 comments:

  1. Fantastic colour combo and super image. Masking the bird's tail was a stroke of genius . . . It looks like one whole stamp instead of two! Great card.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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  2. Beautiful card! I'm not good in masking... you have made a fabulous work! Great recovering on the tail, it's perfect!
    I'm sure that the hedgehogs will become more confident later and your kitchen will be full of them. Close the fridge! LOL ;)
    Hugs

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    1. Ha! It's when they come in and sit in a row watching the TV that worries me :) x

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  3. You have ROCKED both the LIM colour challenge (with your super image) and the wonky window from MFT!

    Kathyk

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  4. Oh how I love that card Di - it's a stunner! Pity you missed seeing your wee tentative visitor :-)
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  5. Two gorgeous colours that go so well together and adorable image Di always like the edged stitching it's so effective xx

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  6. That is super cute - excellent work with the mask and stamp :-)
    Thank you for your funny comment about my 'puppies' LoL I'm glad I gave you a laugh :-D xxx

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  7. A cute card indeed. I love the story of the hedgehog. I'm sorry you missed her. [Bunny]

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  8. Such a sweet card, Di. It looks perfectly CAS to me. White space simply means uncluttered space without any stamping or PP. It does not necessarily have to be white. Please do let me know if and when the hedgehogs come maching in to claim the remote control lol.
    Marianne x

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  9. What a fun card! Love it, tho, I don't particularly love orange. Saw the pet hedgehog at my daughter's last night...he was grumpy at being woken up.

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  10. Great card, Di, and interesting to read how you righted a near disaster. So entertaining to read your hedgehog tales - our hedgie keeps himself too well hidden but has been spotted by our neighbours occasionally. Hugs, Elizabeth x

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  11. I love this sweet little "less is more" card Di! Your little bird is so sweet and colored so pretty! Glad you were able to smooth that corner out. It doesn't look wonky in the photo. As Loll explained it to me one time, the color card stock is your "white" space-it is open with nothing on it. So it is less is more! lol I think it is a fab card my friend. Awwwww, I would love to see those sweet hedgies in person. Little "Miss Sweet Face" sounds so dang cute! To bad you missed her looking in the door. Too cute! Hopefully next time. Hugs, Brenda

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  12. What a super card Di and love the coloured card as the base for your sweet parrot and adore the wonky window to frame it. My husband would probably say the same thing about an unsymetrical frame too...lol. What fun that the hedgies are getting braver, and you may well find one will venture in for a closer look one evening if they can climb the step..lol. x

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  13. Love your card and its wonky aperture ! A fabulous sentiment for this cute bird ! Gorgeous colouring and no sign of disaster ! Thanks so much for sharing the card, the story of it and of the hedgehogs and for playing along at Less is More !

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  14. What a pretty card, Di! I love that sweet sediment! I think LIM allows colored card bases because colors can be "white space," which just means "uncluttered," which yours is! I learned that at the knee of Missus Chrissie and Mandy, poor ladies, lol! Wouldn't that be something if you had hedgies living inside just like Hammy and Parsnip ~ although, of course, you would have "real" messes to clean up, haha! Sorry to hear about the cold and hope you are all better soon! Hugs, Darnell

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  15. I say I bet this looks really cool IRL and like the wonky ness. Did you get Len tomstand on his head and see if it made any difference! Hugs Mrs ?A.

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  16. This is a color combo I would never think to try, unless I saw it used. It looks fab together, and is perfect for this colorful bird. I bet you smirked about the 'wonky opening' didn't you? (I can do wonky without a die! but not intentionally). It's a great card, and I love that sentiment too. Hope it cools off for you folks....and in my book, this is pretty CAS. Bet that hedgie was a little puzzled...what a cute story. TFS & Hugs

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  17. Well I missed this one - too often nowadays the names don't always come to the top of my reading list when someone posts, so annoying. Love this quirky bird and the wonky aperture seems just right somehow. I do hope your end comment doesn't mean that YOU have a summer cold but if so best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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  18. Such an adorable card, Di! Beautiful colouring. Love the wonky aperture and how you used these colours. I struggled with this colour combo. And no need to worry... it’s CAS-tastic! So wonderful to see you back here. Thank you for joining us at Less is More. xx

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  19. What a lovely sentiment, and it's perfectly CAS enough. White space doesn't have to be white :)
    Thanks so much for sharing with us at Less is More, Anita x

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  20. Love this cute parrot and such a great CAS card too. CarolG

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