Today's the day! .......

Good morning ...... Happy Tuesday,

I'm up bright and early this morning and raring to go!  OK ..... I'm still in my PJs but, I am on my second coffee so, any minute now!!

Today's the day for all you Sweet Poppy Stencil fans.  Lucy is back on Hochanda ..... Yeah!
Not much longer to wait, the first show is at 10am, and then she'll be back again at 2pm.

I've just got one more of my show samples to share with you today ...... the fabulous Steampunk Butterfly ........

This stencil is fab!  It's so detailed, and such a great size.
I've used it here on a piece of card I found in my stash (previously coloured by mopping up gold and silver metallic inks)

I used the stencil with the Glossy White paste and then carefully sprinkled over the top (whilst the paste was wet) with mica powders.
The paste was then heated gently and that's when all this gorgeous texture came through ..... cool or what!

 
The paste slowly bubbles and rises whilst the colour from the micas bonds with the paste .... I never get tired of seeing this technique.  Don't be afraid to try it!

I finished off with my sentiment and a few black ink splatters.

I also used the stencil to create the design for the background ...... kraft card and a brown Distress Oxide

Highlighted with a Startdust Gel Pen here and there.

Enjoy the shows ...... there's a bit of everything coming up.  The Dragon is back, there's pretty floral designs, and of course a little bit of Christmas.

Thanks for popping by ..... have a great day.
It's going to be a busy one me.  I took the day off yesterday and spent the day with Lauren so now I'm playing catch up.  Hopefully though by the end of today I'll have some finished projects and I'll be able to see my workdesk again!!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stencil:  Steampunk Butterfly (Sweet Poppy)
Stamps: Life is a Journey (Sweet Poppy)
Inks:  Distress Oxides - Brushed Cordroy, Black Soot (ink spaltters); Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Glossy White Stencil paste, Mica Powders; Stardust Gel Pen

Perfectly CAS (using only one third) ........ fancy a new challenge?

Happy Saturday .......

I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

This is so exciting.  In case you haven't heard, there's a BRAND NEW Blog Challenge launching today ......  Whoo Hoo!!!   Well, it's launching on the 15th which is tomorrow I know but, it's based in Australia so it's already tomorrow over there .... if you know what I mean!
The idea is from Kylie (Happy Little Stampers, Addicted to Stamps and More etc) and I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of the Design Team ..... I love CAS!

Do you like creating Clean And Simple (CAS) cards?  Or are they your worst nightmare?  Ever tried to create that perfect CAS design but,  you can't stop adding just that little bit more?

If that sounds familiar, then this is the challenge for you ......

 PERFECTLY CAS (using only one third)

It's all about using just one third (or less) of the gorgeous white space on your card.
Check out the Perfectly CAS Blog for a full explanation of what this means, and all the details on how to play along.

So ..... when I think Clean and Simple (CAS), what comes to mind is .....

• one main focal point
• lots of white space
• minimum layers and embellishments

Sounds simple enough but,  it's not a style that everyone finds easy to create.
Well now it is.  Just imagine your card is divided up like this ....

Now using the grid as a guide, use just one third of your card.
That could be the left or right side, top or the bottom.  You could use the centre horizontally, or right down the middle top to bottom.  You could even go diagonally. 
Saying all that though, it doesn't have to be exact.   Your 'third' could be slightly to the left or the right.  More towards the top or the bottom, or slightly off centre.  As long as you don't use more than one third of the available space you'll be fine.  You'll create a beautifully CAS design every time ..... I hope that all makes sense!

Each month the challenge will have different theme so, as well as keeping things CAS, using one third or less, you must also follow the monthly theme ......

To get things started with our very first challenge, the theme is a nice simple one ..... Flowers.  
We all love pretty floral designs.

I've started at the top third of my card and stamped the pretty floral spray from an Altenew stamp set, off the top edge.

I heat embossed the image in gold, and then coloured it using ZIG markers and a waterbrush

Still keeping in that top third of my card, I added a few ink splatters and some pretty gemstones .....

and finished with a sentiment underneath.

So, are you an expert at CAS? or, is this style completely out of your comfort zone?  Either way why not join in the fun with this brand new Blog Challenge.  I hope to see you in the gallery.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your weekend.
It's one of my favourite weekends on the island ....... it's the Isle Of Man Food & Drink Festival!!
The Villa Marina gardens have been taken over yet again to showcase all the delicious produce this fabulous little island has to offer.
There's everything from local lamb, beef and pork, to delicious seafood.  Tasty breads, coffees, cupcakes and biscuits.  Cheeses, salamis and spices.  Chocolates, Christmas puddings and ice creams.  Some of the islands eateries are there serving their delicious food .... I had the best beef rib sandwich EVER!!!!   Oh! ...... and there's gin!!

For us foodies, it was the only way to spend Saturday!

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Handpicked Bouquet (Altenew); Tiny Words Sentiment Stamps (Simon Says Stamp)
Inks: Versamark ink; Golden Glitz (Delicata ink)
Other: Gold Fine Detail Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers;

A few more samples for the Sweet Poppy Stencil shows ......

Happy Friday 13th ........

Well, so far so good.  The sun is shining, I was up on time, haven't broken anything .... yet!  Superstitious? Who me? ...... I'll let you know later!  I haven't been in the craft room yet. 

It's been a busy old week in there, and I'm so looking forward to the weekend.  And then three weeks tomorrow, we're off on our travels again .... yeah!! I'm not counting the days just yet ....... honest!

I've got a few more of my TV samples to share with you today, done for the Sweet Poppy Stencil shows next Tuesday (Sept 17th) on Hochanda.
Let's get into the Christmas spirit shall we ........ no not the gin!  Coffee's good for now, you might want to grab a cup before we start.

So ...... Christmas ...... only 102 days to go!!!  Like I said, we've got a holiday to come yet so I haven't even started planning for the festive season, not really.
I've got a few ideas for my Christmas cards, no idea what to buy for presents, and I haven't got a clue who's coming for Christmas dinner.  I will be buying the Christmas pudding tomorrow though, that's one of the reasons for going to the Food Festival.

If you're like me, and haven't started your Christmas cards, then maybe these will give you a little inspiration.
Sweet Poppy have some gorgeous Christmas stencil, and stamp, designs and you can make some beautiful, easy to do, CAS cards ..... always good when batch making!

The Snowflake Tree is gorgeous.  It's a great size, just add a sentiment and you're done.  Use it with inks or paints, or like I've done here with the Glossy White Stencil Paste sprinkled with sparkly Crystalina Glitter ......

The detail in this stencil is so pretty .....

You can always add more embellishments or a touch of colour.  I dotted a little Glitter Glue here and there, and then added an extra snowflake to the centre ....

I masked off  just one of the snowflakes from the tree and used the white paste again, this time sprinkling with a different colour of glitter.  Once it was completely dry I simply used a circle punch to cut around it, and edged the card with a gold pen.

A simple sentiment on the bottom gives a classic, elegant look

Another of the festive stencils on the show is ...... 'Tis the Season
This is a great 3 in 1 design.  You get a bunch of mistletoe ..... very festive.  The sentiment ..... 'Tis the Season ...... there's even a Falalalala too.  And there's also a pretty decorative frame.
Obviously you can use the stencil as a whole but, I've used just parts of it for my CAS cards.

The mistletoe ..... mwah!

Glossy White stencil paste (just mask off the bits that you don't need first) sprinkled with glitters whilst the paste was still wet ....

Once the paste was dry I added white liquid pearl drops for the berries, a festive red bow at the top, and a classic sentiment underneath.

'Tis the Season .......

White paste again, then glitter, and then cut down to size once it was dry

I used the holly stamps from the Joy & Peace set, to stamp the panel behind, inking along the edges with a red Distress Oxide ink

The added holly leaves were cut using the cute little Sweet Poppy Holly Trio die, and I finished off with red glitter glue for the berries ..... very festive!

Use the sentiment and the mistletoe together ......

I used the Glossy White paste again, and the glitters, only this time I used the sentiment to decorate the outer frame ......

I also created a couple of cute little gift tags ..... cut using the Sweet Poppy Nesting Bauble Die

This is a great way of using up all those gorgeous scraps of card that we all like to keep, and lets face it, we all need tags at Christmas!

Tune in on Tuesday 17th September ........ 10am and 2pm on Hochanda (Sky Channel 673/Freesat 817/Freeview 85) for more ideas and inspiration.
.
Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day and have a great weekend. 
I hope your Friday13th is a good one.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stencils: Snowflake Tree, 'Tis the Season (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Delicata Golden Glitz; Harmony Opaque Pigment Ink - Grasshopper (Crafter's Companion); Festive Berries Distress Oxide ink
Stamps: Noel, Joy & Peace clear stamp sets (Sweet Poppy)
Others: Holly Trio Die, Nesting Bauble Die; Glossy White Stencil Paste, Crystalina Fine Glitter (Sweet Poppy); Moss Green, Soft Gold Glitters (Sweet Poppy); Platinum and Red Glitter Glue; Gold Pen; Liquid Pearls; Red Satin Ribbon

A date for your diary .......

Happy Wednesday ......

What a gorgoeus day it is here ..... blue skies, sunshine and it's warm.  Looks like summer is hanging around for a little while longer.  Fingers crossed it lasts over the weekend ..... it's the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival this week .... whoo hoo!! ..... my favourite event. 
Along with Lobsterfest that's also on at the moment at two of the islands best fish restaurants, The Boatyard in Peel and Tanroagan in Douglas, it's foodie heaven ...... Yum!!

However, that's not the date for your diary.  Oh no ....... more important than all that, Sweet Poppy Stencils are back on our TV screens next week.
The lovely Lucy is back on Hochanda (Sky channel 673/Freesat 817/Freeview 85) on Tuesday 17th September.  I think the shows are 10am and 2pm.
There's a little bit of everything on these shows, with some old favourites from the stencil range. 
I believe the Dragon stamps are back too, so if you missed out last time be quick if you want to get your hands on him.

As always, Lucy will be demonstrating how to get the most from your Sweet Poppy products with some fab tips and techniques so be sure to tune in.   There'll be lots of gorgeous samples from the Design Team too.

Here's one of the stencil designs from the shows ...... the beautiful Wall of Poppies

This is such a pretty stencil.  Just think of all the different colours you could use for these flowers, they don't always have to be poppies.

They're definitely poppies here though ....... I've created a simple card with a matching gift tag using just a red and a green ink.

I brushed the inks through the stencil onto a piece of plain white cardstock .....

I added a shimmery outline to all the petals using a Stardust Gel Pen, and finished off the flowers with a few drops of Black Enamel Accents in the centres

A few dots using the Gel Pen again add a little more shimmer to the background.

I did exactly the same for the matching tag .....

and finished both with a simple sentiment ....

Same stencil ..... with a different look ......

Classic black ink this time, over a piece of coloured cardstock from my stash. 

I want to say that this was coloured using Brushos and Glazing Medium but don't hold me to that.  I did a good old rummage through my bits box and found this towards the bottom.  I thought the bright colours would be perfect to show off the black stenciling.

White Enamel Accents this time and more of that Stardust Gel Pen.

I'll be back later in the week with some more of my show samples ..... something a little bit festive maybe.

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stencils:  Wall of Poppies (Sweet Poppy Stencils)
Stamps: Just to Say (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Spectrum Noir Harmony Opaque Pigment Inks - Chinese Red, Grasshopper (Crafter's Companion)
Other: Stardust Gel Pen;  Black and White Enamel Accents (Ranger)