It's challenge time again ......

Happy Monday evening folks ......

We're at the beginning of another new month and that means there's going to be a whole bunch of new Blog Challenge themes coming up.

First up this month for me is the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge.  The theme for May is .......
Inlaid Die Cutting

As always the challenge is sponsored by the Happy Little Stampers store ........

and the challenge winner will receive one of the HLS stamp sets.

Pop over to the HLS Blog and you'll find links to some great tutorials for this technique and also lots of fabulous ideas from the rest of the Design Team and our special Guest Designer this month .... Susanne

So ....... inlaid die cutting, a really fun technique to try, and a different way of using all those fabulous dies we all have in out stash.

Here's a very CAS design and can be done using any of your word dies.
I simply cut a piece of white card to fit the front of my finished design, then using one of the dies from the Wplus9 die set Happy Trio, I cut the word three times.

Using Distress Inks I then coloured each of the words ....... I used the ink directly from the ink pad to get a nice coverage, and a deep colour.

Once they were dry I inlaid each one back into the white card and finished off by adding the word 'Birthday' to the bottom from the HLS stamp set ....... Everyday Sentiments.
I also added a few ink splatters here and there to give a bit more interest ....... both on the outisde

and the inside .....

The words on the inside are from the HLS Bold Birthday Sentiments

OK ... now it's your turn.  Get out those dies and create something fabulous.
Have fun!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a great week.

I've just had a fabulous weekend ...... two and a half days spent in great company, getting all inky and messy and covered in paint ...... a great way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend (I've just about managed to get the last of the paint off my nails!).  
What have I been up to .... well ........ I've been on some amazing mixed media workshops run by the very talented Susan Moran (from Olive Greens Crafts ..... who by the way, along with her partner Peter, organised the whole thing) and the fabulous Maria Simms who we all know and love, from the telly with the Clarity shows. They all worked their socks off to make sure we had a great time ..... and the hotel staff didn't do a bad job either.  Thanks to the Best Western Premier Hallmark Hotel in Leyland, Lancashire for looking after us so well.

I will show you the projects we made once I get everything unpacked .......I'm not going home straight away though (wonder if hubby's missing me yet!  He's got his new computer so, probably not!)
I'm actually staying across in the UK for the next week ..... still lots to do, so you may have to wait for a little while.  I'm off on another craft workshop tomorrow (Tuesday) ...... this time it's Stampin Up! with the lovely Sally-Jo .... can't wait!

Cheerio until next time

XX