05 March 2011

Week 5 Colour - Pastel Colours

What an amazing week, we can hardly believe the fabulous support our blog is receiving with a mighty 231 submissions. Thank you so much everyone!
 It seems that confidence is growing apace and sometimes second and third attempts are being submitted. It's truly wonderful how ideas are being taken on board via our mutual support, commenting  network, and lots of suggestions have been acted upon with very positive effect.
There are still some participants who have not removed the Word Verification option from their blogs and we have had several requests from commenters about the difficulties that Word Verification present. I have discovered that some people didn't actually realise that their blogs were set up this way. For this week, if we meet a blog where the the Word Verification is still active we will put a WV in our comment just to draw attention to it. Don't forget that Blogger has an anti-spam filter and  you can opt for Blog owner approval, should you be worried about unwelcome comments.

On to this week's challenge and being the first challenge of the month we are on to a colour challenge which this week is 

PASTEL COLOURS

This image was stamped with Versamark and coloured with Stampin' Up pastels in Almost Amethyst, Mellow Moss with a little Sage Shadow on the under edges of the leaves. The colour was applied with a cotton bud (Q tip). It was cut out with a slim oval Nestie and popped onto a larger one using dimensionals to give some relief. I didn't have any matching ribbon, so I coloured a piece of white ribbon with a Copic marker.
The backing of the stripy paper is a Faux Nestie. I didn't have a die of the dimensions I required, so I cut my card to the size I wanted and then used a Nestie to hand emboss the edges.
Faux Nestie

  • Cut the card to the required dimensions.
  • Insert one corner of the card into a corner of a Nestie, cutting side up.
  • Using an embossing tool, rub the card around the inner edge of the die, thus embossing the edge of the card.
  • Move the card around inside the die between strokes, until all the edges have been embossed
And now it's over to me...

Yes, I do have a fair bit of black on my card...we are allowing that!
I think of  pastels a bit sickly sweet...
adding black makes them more simply chic!!



I stamped my circles, which are from the Stampin' Up Circle Circus set,
then punched circles in different
papers which I'd printed from Pink Petticoat.
I used Blossom Fairy Dots,
Pistachio Harlequin
and Turquoise Pinstripes.

I also punched a few daisies, which I put onto my foam mat and with an embossing tool, pressed into the centre of the flower. This technique makes the petals raise and makes for a more 3D flower. This is super for multi layers.
The super swish 'bling' is a cupped jeweled edge embellie with a 10mm 'diamond' gem in the centre. I bought loads at a recent craft fair, as I LOVE them!

So you will think, I've got a lot of embellishment on my card today... well you'd be right!!
It's perfectly acceptable to have embellishments as long as the overall design is clean and simple!
I finished the card off with a simple sentiment. I did wrestle with whether to add one or not, then decided one would fit nicely into the little area above the 'bling'. [Sorry it's the same one as last week!].

As always we would ask if you could visit some fellow participants' entries and leave a comment. We were delighted to see so many words of congratulation for our February winner Jose, what a wonderful sense of community there is at "Less is More"! We are very grateful to you all!

65 comments:

  1. wonderful cards Chrissie and Mandi.
    Using Pastels is certainly going to be a challenge but going to give it a go!

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  3. More great cards Chrissie & Mandi, looking forward to another challenge.
    Maureen...........x

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  4. Thanks for a great challenge!! Your cards are lovely! I´ve added mine!

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  5. Aagh, pastel colours - you've set a real challenge this week ladies, going to have to really think about this one!

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  6. WoW Ladies you have done it again your cards are fabulous, love the pastel challenge.

    Babs x

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  7. love both your cards. I'm looking to get the circus circus set next time. Hadn't thought of teaming it up with pastels though, looks great.

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  8. great cards and thanks again for a new challenge

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  9. WOW stunning cards again Ladies, Love this challenge and all the entrants are so friendly, I love visiting the blogs each Saturday, Thanks for hosting Hazelxoxo

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  10. These are beautiful cards. I didn't realise that circle circus could be so beautiful and chic!! Time to dust mine off I think LOL
    Thanks again for a great challenge. Just what I need today to cheer me up.....x

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  11. Hallo ihr Zwei !

    Ihr habt wieder wunderschöne Karten gebastelt !
    Danke für die Herausforderung.

    liebe Grüße
    Frieda

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  12. I love both your cards and I adore pastel colours, I am loving these challenges xx Jan

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  13. Lovely cards - & some great challenge entries already!!
    Thanks for the comments on my cards for the last challenge - I will certainly be trying my best to make a card for this week's challenge - and enjoying myself looking at all the different cards that everyone else has made.
    Janet

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  14. So very smart! I feel the same way about pastels Mandi (althought now yours Chrissie ;)and Wowza - so striking with the black and bling.

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  15. Pastels, that WILL be a challenge! Great cards both, and so different.

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  16. Love both your cards!

    And this is becoming such a lovely Saturday morning tradition; checking the new challenge and thinking about it for a bit and then making it, and getting to visit everyone's great cards during the week too!

    Just added mine. :)

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  17. your cards are lovely - as always - the pastels presented a challenge - i am racking my brains to think what you might come up with next week to fox us - but good game - bring it on!

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  18. Beautiful embossing On such a lovely crisp simple card xx

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  19. Gorgeous cards! And thanks for the tip about faux Nesties. Great! xx

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  20. Lovely cards as always. Another great challenge will really have to get my thinking cap on for this one.

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  21. Pastels. Ummmm!! Certainly a challenge for me. Way out of my comfort zone, but you know I'll give it a go. Off to wind up the little grey cells. As usual love your samples girls. Cheers and thanks. Caz

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  22. Like Mandi, i'm not much into pastel colours, but i'll give it a try. Nice cards girls!

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  23. Oh I do love my pastels, thanks for this weeks theme Jx

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  24. Love your tutorials girls! brilliant... I missed last weeks challenge so I have used last weeks and this weeks together! lol! hugs Samantha :0)

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  25. Oh I love your cards girls , thanks for the nestie tip Chrissie thats neat.
    Mandi I've seen you use that stamp set before I loved it then and I still love it , I'm gonna get that on my next club 10 order
    Thanks for the inspiration girls
    Hugs Susie Sugar xx

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  26. I have taken on board all the comments I have received on my card and added another one with the alterations suggested. Please feel free to have another look. Thanks.
    Maureen...........x

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  27. Both cards are just beautiful!!! I must say, this week was a real challenge for me...I "rarely" do pastels..so now..maybe I'll used them more! Thanks for an awesome blog and challenge!

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  28. I love how the black really balances the pastel. The addition of that large gem really add such a dramatic flare to it. Lovely!

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  29. Fab cards again ladies. I may need to be disqualified....but I'm hoping I haven't pushed the boundary too far. Anyway, just let me know if I have, and I'll try to find time to make something else.
    (Can't believe I'm still up at this time...just been commenting on all the entries but can hardly keep my eyes open now...zzzzzz!)
    Hugs,
    Sharon xx

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  30. Super cards girls, I love Circle Circus it's a great set. Thanks for another fun challenge. Zx

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  31. HI Mandi... thanks for the comments. I enjoyed making the second card and i'll always make sure I read the rules properly next time. Thanks for a great challenge

    Jx

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  32. I have taken the plunge and done another card for this challenge. Always appreciate all the comments and suggestions as it gets me thinking.
    Maureen.........x

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  33. Might have pushed boundaries with my entry! Will give another one a shot! :) Tks for the inspirations! Your cards and techniques are pretty awesome!

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  34. Just have to thank you for such a brill challenge firstly, CAS cards have never been my strong point but since you started the challenge I have learned so much from you both and all the peeps that play along.

    I have to tell you I just love your honesty too. Constructive criticism is so refreshing and more than welcome from me....I want to learn!!!!

    Thanks both, love this weeks theme, your cards are both amazing
    x
    Vicky

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  35. loving your cards Mandi and Chrissie and how you always give a tutorial :) week 5?? .. LOL can you believe it? where has the weeks gone to , thanks for inspiration xx

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  36. More lovely inspriration this week! Love doing clean cards at the mo :)
    Kelly.x

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  37. Having another go this week! That tip about using nesties is great - I'm actually using it with my proper nesties as I have never been able to get the embossed line using my Cuttlebug.

    Helen x

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  38. hi Mandi and Chrissie
    Your Challenge is growing from strenth to strenth...some Fab cards...thanks for your inspiration...
    hugs
    sylvie
    xxx

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  39. Lovely cards ladies and thanks for sharing your tips x Susan x

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  40. I love the way you keep giving us the idea's and suggestions. 2 Lovely cards.

    Kath x

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  41. Thanx for your comment Chrissie, I read the rules about white space after I'd linked up.. back to the drawing board for me!

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  42. Lovely cards again and what a lot of entries already. It's lovely to watch this community grow. Jo x

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  43. LOVE LOVE LOVE the Circle Circus card.

    Thanks for the challenge.

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  44. Chrissie- I've taken another photo in the bright daylight without the flash, and it's much clearer now! Jo x

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  45. Been a Manchester city supporter since i was a child but don't follow them as closely now. Glad they inspired your colour choice. Great textures and images, a lovely card:-)

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  46. These are great, fun to see some fabulous CAS cards.

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  47. I don't do pastels very often, but they are so pretty and I had fun with this one. Thanks!

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  48. I LOVE that circle circus card! Wow! I love the C&S style so much! I love being inspired to use what I have rather than buy more more more! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  49. While pastels are not my colour group of choice, I love being pushed out of my comfort zone! Thanks again ladies!

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  50. Hi girls...fab challenge again this week and gorgeous samples again...thanks for the inspiration :0).

    Take care
    San x

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  51. Hello
    Manage to do another card ...and linked it Chrissie ..it still kept coming up with You have already linked one ??? but in URL i put less is More and i manage to do it ....some Fab cards from Everyone ....
    i can`t beleive i have manage all these cards with so little on Lol....
    hugs
    sylvie
    xx

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  52. Hi Both, another good challenging challenge, your DT cards are delightful. ikki

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  53. There are some gorgeous cards in your challenge this week. I would love join in, but a bit confused about how to get pictures onto your blog. I'll figure it out somehow LOL!

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  54. Lovely to see two such contrasting samples from the two of you. I found this one very difficult - I don't work well with pastels!

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  55. Very beautiful sample cards again and some great inspiration with the tutorial (hope you dont mind have hi-jacked it slightly)
    Thanks to all for the help and advice with my scrabble dilemma last week.
    Diane x

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  56. Yay managed a second attempt!!!
    thanks for the fun.
    Diane x

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  57. love your example cards, especially the black one *gg* Pastels are great colours.

    Bianca

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  58. Love your challenge blog, cause there are allways many usefull tips, fab cards and great people. I'm sorry cause I missed the last two weeks, but I'm back now;)

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  59. Hi Chrissie sorry I dont usually enter my card in that many challenges...
    I enjoyed the Challenge anyways..Thanks for stopping by my blog!!!!
    Fab Inspo as always :) x

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  60. Hi Chrissie and Mandyi.
    I love the idea of this challenge and wanted to do it right at the beginning but I have busy. So here, now is my card.
    The designs you have doeen to inspire us are beautiful!

    Best wishes
    Sue xx

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  61. Hi Chrissie and Mandi,

    That was a real challenge and I only made it with hours to spare - lol! I'm really enjoying this experience and your helpful comments. Hugs cherry XXX

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  62. I was on Holiday and didn't get to your blog until today. Mandi, I love your circles with embellishments. I'm so glad you wrote about that as I thought embellishments were to be kept to a minimum on CAS, but they make your card fabulous!

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  63. Gorgeous Cards this time Girls, I was trying to finish another ...but think I may go blog Hopping instead and have a look at these lovely entries.
    Hugs Mau xx

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  64. Second time lucky? Reading these comments, I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with pastels, lol!

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  65. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and left a comment I really appreciate it. I am sorry if I have missed commenting on anyones blog but it has been a rough week for me healthwise and I have tried to stop by as many as possible, all the entries are amazing. What a fantastic response to this challenge. Can't wait to see what you come up with for next week xx

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