LIM64 - How Charming

The Less is More challenge from Chrissie and Mandi this week is to use a charm on our card.  Sounds simple...right?  Well, not so much for me.  I've rarely used a charm...on a card or on a scrapbook layout.  It's just something I've never thought I needed.  Go figure!  In fact, I don't even own a charm bracelet!  So, with these things in mind, I just had to improvise!

While digging through my stash, I came across these stamps, that I don't think I've ever inked up...so an idea was born.  Unfortunately, I don't really care for how it turned out!  My "charm" is actually a button that is playing the role of a charm!  I stamped the images on white, then stamped the middle chair again and colored it and added a bit of glitter and popped it over the stamped version.  Very plain and simple!

For my second card, I found this stamp (I believe it's PTI) and stamped it on white card stock, then decided to make it a banner, and since I don't have a banner die this shape, I just drew what I wanted and cut it out.  I colored it with Copics.  The charm on this one, is a metal embellie I found in my stash...it has a hole on the top, so maybe it is a charm!  I looped some silver cord over the banner (by cutting a slit in the curve at the top right of the pink) and slid the silver cord into the slit.  Then I knotted the cord in several places and ran the ends up through the hole in the silver "charm" and tied a bow.  I used a little pop dot to hold the charm in place.  The white background was embossed with a PTI distress embossing plate. In case you can't read it, the charm has Thank You on it.

I think the "charms" on this card are actually jewelry findings, but I'm not sure.  The butterfly is a metal embellie.  It's amazing what you can find in your stash when you're desperately looking for something!  I pulled some blue flowers from my stash, folded them and added the metal "charms" and adhered them to the card.  I added the stems with a Memento marker.  The butterfly is adhered with a pop dot.  Sentiment is  from PTI (I think).  I did this on a Kraft card base and round the bottom corners slightly.

I think this last card is my favorite...that's why I quit! LOL!  I have a granddaughter who will be 13 on Friday, so I decided to make this for her.  I used PTI number dies to cut the numbers, then drew the lines on with a black pen.  I colored the stripes with Copics, then added a layer of glossy accents, sprinkled with a little glitter. I think the "charm" on the "1" might actually be a charm! See...all that digging around and I finally found something! The numbers are also pop dotted for added dimension.   I tied the charm around the number 1 with a red ribbon.  I drew the flames for the candles, colored them with Copics, then added glossy accents with a touch of glitter sprinkled on top.  I cut very thin strips of black paper for the wicks.  I used a Sizzix embossing folder for the background, backed with a red paper. The sentiment is from PTI.  I stamped on a piece of white, then just hand cut the ends to make a banner.  Added a red layer to the sentiment, so it would pop...then pop dotted it off the embossed layer.

Got a layout finished today, too.  Thought I'd share that too.

I rarely do a two page layout, but for some reason I decided that's what I wanted to do for these photos.  The pics are five of our grandchildren on New Year's Eve 2011.  I used My Mind's Eye papers - Follow your Heart and Miss Caroline.  The "fence" was one of the papers that I just cut in half and then snipped the top edges to make it look like a fence.  The clouds were cut with a PTI cloud die, and then inked.  I also used a torn edge and inked the background "sky" with some distress ink.  The grass across the bottom was cut with a Memory Box die, inked with some distress ink and layered over the solid green (from a really old  line of paper from MME - Signature).  I cut the bicycle and kites from two different pieces of the MME paper and layered them on the layout with pop dots.  The tail of the kites was made with some DMC red floss and the bows on the kite tails were hand cut from scraps. The "bubbles" were made from a piece of iridescent vellum.  I doodled some edges and shadows on each of the bubbles.  Some of them are popped off the page with pop dots.  The title work was made by cutting 4 layers of the same image with the Cameo and layering them, using a piece cut from MME paper on the top. I added some white doodles to each letter.  I added a little poem that I found online that reads:

Bubbles floating all around, Bubbles fat and bubbles round, Bubbles on my toes and nose, Blow a bubble, up it goes. Bubbles floating all around, Bubbles falling to the ground.

Journaling is tucked behind the left photo and reads:

In an effort to find an activity to keep you all busy on New Year’s Eve 2011 while we were trying to get things ready for our get together that evening, your Grandpa pulled out our stash of bubbles. He “invented” a contest. I never figured out the rules, and you all didn’t seem bothered that the rules kept changing. (Can you believe that it’s December 31 and you all are outside barefooted, wearing shorts, and short-sleeved shirts!) Finding something that entertains everyone is sometimes difficult, but blowing bubbles kept all of you busy for …oh…at least 30 minutes! 

Bet you thought I'd never stop! Thanks so much for stopping in to visit.  I appreciate each and every one of your sweet comments!  Until next time....

Hugs!