A special tribute to co-founder and design team member Angi Barrs!

Hello there! Today we have to bid adieu to co-founder and design team member Angi Barrs, who is stepping down due to her overwhelming schedule. Angi has been instrumental in helping set up LESSology. Though we will miss her here, we know that she needs this time to re-focus her energies on her own well-being.


Here's a look at some of Angi's fun projects...



Please leave a little love for Angi.

Meet LESSology design team member: Shahrul Niza!

We would like to officially welcome Shahrul Niza to the LESSology Design Team! :)

Hi, my name is Shahrul Niza. I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am single and a mother of three beautiful cats :)). When I started scrapbooking a few years back, it was ALL about mini albums, and maybe a layout every few months or so. My scrapbooking passion has evolved into mixed-media, art journaling and upcycle/altered art. I'm making art full time now and keen to experiment with different techniques but I do know that I LOVE alterations!. I'm happiest when I'm sharing my art with every artsy souls out there. Being a part of LESSology design team is one of the many great opportunities that I will cherish in my art journey. Thank you Yvonne and everyone in the team for having me around!. Looking forward to lots of giggles and creating. Hugs.

Here's a look at some of Shahrul's wonderful creations!

LESSology Challenge #14: Guest designer Mitra Pratt

Let's give a warm welcome to our guest designer for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather, Mitra Pratt! :)

A huge thanks to Yvonne for asking me to be a guest designer for LESSology, a challenge blog I keep close to my heart. Although I love to scrapbook, altering items that ordinarily end up in the trash is quite the thrill! Add a bit of vintage in and perhaps some flowers and I'm quite content!

I scrap, alter, and blog I believe to help my poor brain recover from my day job in an Engineering firm.

We recently moved to upstate NY where the craft stores are rare, but the second hand shops with vintage items are numerous so reusing and remaking are a must!If you'd like to take a peek at what I'm up to day to day, here is my blog:  http://mitralee.blogspot.com/

Yvonne contacted me to ask if I would like to be a guest designer for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather. Did I ever!

Yvonne contacted me to ask me if I wanted to be the guest designer for LESSology Challenge # 14: Birds of a feather. Did I ever!

Luck was with me at the Second Hand store! When I walked in, this brown birdcage was near the door!

When I walked up the counter with it, the owner said, "Well I have this other green bridcage too...if you are interested...it just needs a wire." 

Next thing I know, I'm the PROUD owner of two birdcages for this challenge. Both were in pretty good shape, didn't need any repainting in my book, except for the bird which was a little grungy.

My favorite part of the project was incorporating this turquoise knob on the top! You will never believe how I attached it. I kept stacking up washers until I had made up enough room! Loved adding all the antique doilies and flowers!

Although, making these nests by hand was a whole lot of fun too. 

I will post a very small tutorial shortly on how to make these. 

And, here is the fun part! The brown cage is up for grabs! Leave me a comment that you're playing along with this challenge and I'll randomly pick someone and send it your way. Doesn't matter where!

Oooh....aren't these just lovely? And one of you gets to own the brown bird cage! :)

Please leave a little love for our guest Mitra! :)

LESSology Challenge #14: Creative inspiration of Linda Lapotka

Hello there friends! Working hard on your projects for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather? How about another creative inspiration from design team member Linda Lapotka?

Hi Everyone! What a great time of year for this wonderful challenge. I love to watch the birds and Wrens are my favorite. Every year I make a new house and spend the summer watching and listing to these entertaining little birds. It is so much fun watching for the new occupants.  Wrens have the prettiest song and they are very hard little workers.

I created a bird house out of a bird house gourd that I grew last summer.  

Here is my creation. Most of which was created by Nature.

I don't paint my birdhouse gourds because I like the way they look after they have been scrubbed.  I let nature do the painting. I love the marble effect that is created by the mold that covers it as it dries. I like to think the birds like it more natural but they would build a nest anywhere.

Here is the video of what I do to make a Wren house. 

                    

I read that the male chooses several nesting cavities and places a few small twigs in each. Female inspects each, chooses one, and finishes the nest building. She will completely fill the nest cavity with uniformly small twigs, then line a small depression at the back of the cavity with pine needles and grass. This is a funny process to watch because sometime they can't get the twig throughout the hole. They try many times in different directions and approaches until they are successful. 

They did pick my birdhouse.

I hope you will join us this month for LESSology's Challenge #14: Birds of a Feather.

LESSology Challenge #13: Chest of drawers winners! :)

A very big thank you to all who participated in LESSology Challenge #13: Chest of drawers! We love seeing how you thought "out-of-the-box" and shared with us your innovative ideas! :)

Without further ado, the winner is .....

 Lalo

She picked up two abandoned drawers at the side of the road and turned them into an awesome chalkboard display! :)



Congratulations Lalo! You are the winner of LESSology Challenge #13: Chest of drawers! :) Please email us so that we can get your RAK out to you! [Please grab your winner badge from the sidebar!]

 

And here are our Top 3...

Katy 

 Amy

 Jan Gerber

Congratulations Amy, Katy and Jan! [Please grab the Top 3 badge from the sidebar!]

Don't forget to play along with our current challenge - LESSology Challenge #14 Birds of a feather. It ends on Sunday June 3, 11.59pm EST. Please read our challenge rules to ensure eligibility for our prizes. :)

LESSology Challenge #14: Creative inspiration of Amy Tsuruta

Hello there! Have you been enjoy the design team reveals for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather? Shall we see how Amy Tsuruta was inspired?

Hey, it's Amy and I'm pretty excited for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather

Do you remember my earlier sneak peek?

Well, I've been hoarding a Clementine wood crate:

This is how I altered it:

Here's a close up of the panel:

I know that I've seen these around bloggie land and have been wanting to give it a try:

I found these sugar shakers at my local Goodwill:

One is glass, the other one plastic but you can't tell which is which:)

It cracks me up since my Costco is now selling restaurant equipment which, yup, includes sugar shakers for under $2 but it is the thrill of the find to spot them when I go thrift stores and garage sales.

I can't wait to see how the Birds of a feather challenge inspires YOU!

Come play along with LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather, we would love to see your entries! :) Please read our challenge rules to ensure eligibility for our prizes. :)

LESSology Challenge #14: Creative inspiration of Angi Barrs, Julie Tucker-Wolek and Lynnda Hosni

Check out what design team members Angi Barrs, Julie Tucker-Wolek and Lynnda Hosni created for LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather.

Hi everyone, it's Angi, here sharing my project for our new challenge, Birds of a Feather Flock Together.

I recycled some canvas and made a gift card holder. The outside is decorated with a stamped birdie, patterned paper, a doily, a button, a stick pin, and some Twinery Baker's Twine.

I'll place a gift card and handwritten note on the inside. It's best to hold the inside contents in place with a small wooden clothespin or place it all into an envelope. It's super quick & fun for gift giving. I can't wait to see what you all make for the challenge.

Hi everyone!

I am WAY excited about this challenge! As soon as I saw that we could incorporate a birdcage... I was ALL over that!  I have had a birdcage that I got from an antique store awhile ago - and today I am gonna share what I did with it!!

This is what it looked like when I brought it home from the antique store!

And here is what I made from the above --

I bought a 4x6 inch canvas and painted and hung it from the inside!

I decided to keep the little birdie on here, but added some Prima flowers to her!

I made some paper flowers for the inside bottom of the cage!

Can't wait to see what everyone creates!!!

~~Julie~~

Hello... its Lynnda here...

The moment I saw this...Spontaneously, in my head... I knew I'm going to create this mini for my INSTAX photos...My brother gave me this Fuji INSTAX camera during my summer holiday in Singapore...I only managed to take not more than 10 photos... {HAH, I'm running low with the film!}

I always have these corrugated boxes kept for "just in case" I might need them... {{True enough}}..

For the cover of the Album I used these corrugated pieces...

And for the pages inside ~  I used these packaging...{Yup, I hoard these gorgeous packaging..never know when I might need them!}

So there you go... I have included at least one or more upcycled item on my mini as part of the criteria

Here is the main cover...

...Can you spot the birdcage... and that little birdie...

All pp used in this mini album is from my Lilybee stash...
Most of the embellishments used {my stashes} ...are fussy cuttings from PP and also from stamping....

I can't wait to see how the LESSology Challenge #14 - Birds of a feather inspires YOU! ..

Whoa! Another winning load from the design team! Hope you are inspired to give LESSology Challenge #14: Birds of a feather a go, we would love to see your entries! :)