I bet you've forgotten who I am ......

Happy Thursday ......

Remember me?  I know it's been a while ....... how is everyone?

Thought it was time for a quick catch up.

I've been rubbish at blogging lately ....... sorry.  I've not had much to say, and not really been very productive on the crafty side either, apart from my DT commitments that is, and the odd online workshop. I think it's those that are keeping me sane at the moment! 

Had fun creating another dream catcher with Tracy Scott .....

I just love the whole process Tracy goes through, creating journal pages .... her use of colour is so much fun, then adding all the different layers and details, it's great watching them all come together.

And then something completely different ...... which I'm now obsessed with ...... Mandalas using pen and ink

These are so relaxing to do, and very addictive! They just take a while to do.
I finally finished this one yesterday, on a lovely crafty get together with the girls on the island, I just haven't taken pictures yet.
I think it was the lightest craft bag I've ever taken to one of our get togethers ...... I took my journals and a pencil case!!! 
It was really nice to finally catch up ...... I hadn't seen them all since January!

I've also been playing around with a canvas, again on online workshop, this time with the lovely Marion Emberson (Sugar and Spice Crafts)

It's a good job I like a bit of sparkle ...... this is full of it!
Chunky glitters, and sparkly glass fragments .....

It's so pretty when the light catches it ....... not so easy to photograph though!

The the main reason I'm a little distracted I think is ..... we just want to be out in 'the van'.  Well with all this nice weather we're having, it's a shame not to make the most of it.  And we were hoping to have been up in Scotland maybe next month but, like all our holidays it's been put on hold for now.

We had a lovely weekend though up near Kirk Michael at a place called Cronk Aashen Farm

It was our first time here, but it definitely won't be the last.  It was lovely.
Out in the countryside, very quiet and very private. The weather was glorious, and we could see the sea

We virtually had the place to ourselves ..... one other motorhome, a couple of caravans that stayed just the one night, and a tent!

I do like it when we're out in the van ...... hubby does some of the cooking. Fillet steaks and grilled mushrooms were on the menu Saturday evening ..... yum!

And then we sat and watched the sunset, round the firepit with the lovely couple from the other motorhome.

We had a little stroll in the countryside on the Sunday ......

Found a pretty glen .....

And I just might have started thinking about Christmas .......

Who knows where we'll end up this weekend ...... depends on the weather I think!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
We're off out this evening to a brand new restaurant in Douglas ........ Rios's Brazilian BBQ & Rodizio.  Sound's like fun, plus Chris is managing the bar there now so we thought we'd better give it a try.

Cheerio until next time .......

Life is better in flip flops! ..........

Hello ....... it's me again

It's the first of August so, that means we have a brand new challenge over at CAS mix Up
This month our host is Loll, and we have a Watercolour challenge for you, with the theme .... Beach

I don't really do a lot of actual watercolouring ...... you know with paints and stuff!  I keep trying, the results are not brilliant though so I'll stick to what I know ....... watercolouring with my ZIG Markers!

Life is definitely better in flip flops .......... and even more fun if you wear them on the beach!

This little stamp and matching die set is soooo cute!
I stamped the flip flops using a waterproof ink and then rainbow coloured them all using my markers and a waterbrush ..... this was so quick to do

I stamped the sentiment, die cut that using a stitched circle die and attached it to the centre of a square card blank.

I die cut the flip flops and arranged them in pairs around the sentiment, attaching them using foam pads to add dimension ........

I think I need a rainbow of coloured flip flops .... how cute do these look!

I've spent the last few months wearing flip flops ....... and on the odd occasion when I did need shoes it took me a while to find a pair!!

We have a fabulous Guest Designer this month ....... Brenda (Inkspired to Stamp) is joining in the fun so please stop by and say Hello!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your weekend.
We're spending ours at Ballamoar Campsite, up in Ballaugh.  Yes, we're out in the van again.
We had all weathers yesterday ..... beautiful blue skies, and warm sunshine when we arrived,  a little windy at times, and then an almighty downpour just as we were cooking dinner ..... outside!
I think the weather forecast called it a sharp shower!!!  Shower .... we were soaked.  Thankfully it didn't last long and we were able to continue cooking, although note to self ...... when its windy don't use your fancy table mats outside.  Especially when there are glasses of red wine on them.
You guessed it ...... hubby left the table with his plate, the wind got under the table mat and launched his wineglass across the table.  It hit my glass, knocked that over and both lots of red wine ended up all over me!!!!!  Oh well, that's one linen shirt I won't be wearing again, and my favourite pair of jeans don't look too good now either.  At least hubby thought it was funny!
We did have a nice sunset though ......

We also have a new toy to try out too.  We've bought a portable power source for the van, we're hoping this will help in allowing us to go 'off grid' for a few days ..... no electric hook up!!
We already have a solar panel. and two leisure batteries, and a gas supply so we're not too bad.  This just means we have an alternative to charge phones and laptops etc., we won't need to use the batteries in the van therefore we can remain self sufficient that little bit longer.

It's doing OK so far .... we had the little man with us yesterday and he's christened it the 'ugly box' which I thought was a bit harsh., but that's what it will be called in the future!

 OK ..... so it's not pretty to look at but it is useful.  It was definitely put through it's paces yesterday and it's hardly used any of its stored power ..... a good purchase I think!

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

The weather's been great today, we've been out and about exploring and now its time to cook dinner back at the van, whilst watching the FA Cup Final.  It's Arsenal v Chelsea ...... come on boys you can do it!!!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Flip Flop Life (Newton's Nook)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment)
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers, Water brush; Flip Flop Life Die (Newton's Nook); Stitched Circle die (Stampin Up!)

Launching the new Sweet Poppy Monthly Challenge .......

Happy weekend ......

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month ........ welcome to August!!!
Not quite sure what happened to July but ..... here we are.  Only 146 days until Christmas ..... eeek!!
I'm not getting into the festive spirit just yet though.  I usually say nothing festive until I've been away on holiday but that's not going to happen this year.  We should have been in Florence Italy last weekend for our wedding anniversary but it wasn't to be.  Next year hopefully.
Instead we're having another weekend away, on the island, in the motorhome.  Not quite the same but, I'm sure we'll have fun!

It's the beginning of a new month and I'm excited!!!   There's a brand new challenge launching today from the fabulous Sweet Poppy Stencils.  You know me, I love a good challenge and I do love Sweet Poppy Stencils so this should be fun.
It's a monthly challenge, running on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook page. It starts on the first of each month and will run through to the 29th of the month.
There's a few rules to follow, nothing difficult, and the winner will be randomly chosen at the end of each challenge from all the eligible entries.

The rules are ......

• Follow the monthly theme 
• Post your entry on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook page 
• Include on your post the words ...... "Sweet Poppy challenge -  theme name" (so that we know to include it in the draw)
• Each person can enter a maximum of THREE entries into each challenge ..... and
• ONLY Sweet Poppy stencils must be used - other brands of inks, mediums and stamps can be used on your designs, but your stencil must be the focal point.

Each month a winner will be randomly chosen and they will receive a fabulous £40 voucher to spend online only on the Sweet Poppy Website.

What are you waiting for ....... get those Sweet Poppy stencils out and create something fabulous!!

Need a little inspiration?  OK.  The first Sweet Poppy Challenge theme is .......... 

Hot Summer Colours

These could be pretty tropical shades or maybe like me, you think of hot summer days and gorgeous sunsets ........

I simply blended Distress Inks onto a piece of white cardstock ........

I then splattered a little bit of water over the top, let it sit for a few seconds and then mopped up the excess.  Because Distress inks react with water you're left with this fab speckled effect on the background ...... the more water you use and the longer you let it sit, the more ink you will remove

I placed my stencil over the top and used a sponge to apply another Distress Ink through the design, building up the depth of colour gradually.  

I used one of the large word stencils to add my sentiment ......

And to finish I added a few highlights to the letters using a gold gel pen ......

and a few splatters of gold ink, to add a touch of shimmer to the card.

I'm looking forward to seeing all your Hot Summer designs in the Simply Sweet Poppy Facebook Group.

Happy stenciling!

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
I'm just keeping my fingers crossed the sun keeps shining!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stencils: Black Orchid, Inspirational Word stencil - Dream (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Distress Ink - Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral, Worn Lipstick (all for the background), Aged Mahogany (for the flower); Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz (for the splatters)
Others: Gold Sparkle Gel pen

Butterflies for the Twofer Challenge .........

Happy Wednesday .......

How are you? ........ I hope you're having a good week.
It's a little bit more relaxed here this week ..... thank goodness. 
I think we went a bit crazy after completing our quarantine last week.  It was so nice to be able to finally get out and about again, get back to normal ...... and the weather wasn't too bad either!

Hubby's still working from home, no change there, and I've been spending some time in the craft room.  Not doing anything in particular, catching up mainly and tidying up the place.  As hubby says ..... I've got some stuff!!

I've just got time to play along with one of my favourite challenges before the deadline closes ...... it's been a while!

Darnell's Twofer Card Challenge ..... always fun, and a great way to re-stock those card supplies.

Here's mine ....... A belated birthday card (ooops! I occasionally need those), and a Thinking of You card (for one of those just because occasions)

I love butterfly stamps, the big decision this time was which one to use.
I decided on a Penny Black favourite and used the emboss resist technique to create my birthday card

I stamped the large butterfly randomly all over a piece of white cardstock, and heat embossed in white. 
I then blended my Distress Inks over the top ........ I never get tired of this technique.  The more ink you apply and the darker the colour, the more your embossing will stand out.  The heat embossing acts as a resist to the DI's ...... once you've applied the ink just buff off any excess with a soft cloth  and the embossing shows through perfectly.

I also did a little splattering with some water just to add more interest to the background

I stamped my sentiments and added them as banners off to the side, and finished with a few crystal drops

I went sort of CAS for my Twofer ......

Same butterfly stamp, only this time I used coloured inks to stamp the image

I added my sentiment over the top, and I made a mask to cover the butterfly before using the same colours of ink to add some splatters onto the background

Two cards, for two different occasions using the same stamp!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
No sunshine here today ..... it's been raining for most of the day.  Let's hope it's a bit better for the weekend, although we've nothing planned as yet!
Last weekend we took the van across the island on a little trip to Peel.

Peel's really nice, Sunset City as it's sometimes know as.  Lovely beaches, there's a great walk around the castle, especially when the sun's going down, and there's a couple of really nice restaurants there that we don't visit very often.  However, thanks to Remi (the van) that's about to change.

We had a lovely weekend.  We stayed on Peel campsite which was fab.  Large site, not very busy, with great facilities and, about a 15 min walk into town ..... perfect!
We had dinner at Filbey's on Friday which was delicious.
 

The kids joined us on Saturday, the first time we'd seen them since the end of June,  and we went to The Boatyard for a lovely family dinner.

We're off out again tomorrow .... our regular table at Wine Down.  I suppose you could say we're making up for lost time ....... I'm just enjoying not having to cook every night!

I'm cooking this evening though ....... nothing fancy, we're having a curry night. 
We've also got the little man staying overnight so it could be movie night too ...... another Star Wars film maybe!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Belated Birthday card .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black); Banner Bits (Avery Elle); Tiny Words Birthday (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Nuvo Crystal Drops

Thinking of You .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black);
Inks: Catherine Pooler Mini Inks - Aquatini, Fiesta Blue, Something Borrowed; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Crystal gems from my stash