Happy Birthday CAS Watercolour challenge!

Happy weekend .....

It's a very wet and windy one here ..... a good reason to stay cosy and warm indoors.

I'm playing along with another blog challenge today ......  the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge.
It's a special month this month .... the challenge is celebrating it's 2nd Birthday!!

Congratulations ladies ..... WOW! doesn't time fly when you're having fun!

This month's theme is all about colours .....  Orange, Green and Brown to be exact.

What a perfect combination for this time of year .....

The Autumnal shades turned my thoughts to leaves .... something we have plenty of at the moment.  all over the lawn!!!  If it stops raining long enough and the wind dies down a little they need to be cleared.  A job for next week's To Do list I think!

Anyway .... back to my card.  I started by stamping the leaves onto a piece of Bristol smooth cardstock.   I've used the gorgeous Leaf Canopy stamp set from Altenew.  You get the outline image of the leaves and a seperate stamp for the full leaves.  There's also some really nice sentiments on there too.
I stamped the full leaves using the required colours in Distress Oxide inks ...... I do love the Oxides, and I can't wait to get my hands on the final 12.

I then stamped the outline over the top and heat embossed in gold ......

I used the same colours of ink around the edges only this time I used the regular Distress .... I think it was Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Peeled Paint and then a touch of Gathered Twig,
I gave it a little splatter with water, and mopped up the excess ..... I never get tired of using this technique, love the effect

I also splattered some gold ink over the top and finished with a sentiment from one of the Penny Black T for Transparent sets ..... stamped in Gathered Twig Distress Oxide ink

There's a few drops of Nuvo Crystal Glaze here and there too.

Happy 2nd Birthday CAS Watercolour Challenge!

It's been a busy few days here ..... lunch out, then a fab crafty get together yesterday which was fun.  I didn't actually do anything but, I think I have decided on one of this year's Christmas card designs which is a start.  Carol made a birthday card though, which was lovely and I helped a little bit!   
I made a great start on the Christmas shopping the other day  though .... I managed to get just what I was looking for, plus a few little extra bits too ..... ooops!  I just have to remember where I've put it all when it comes time to wrap it!! I'm not used to being THIS organised in October.  I've even ordered the festive feast ..... well, some of it anyway. 
Oooh! and look what arrived the other day ...... a little something just for me!

Yes I finally gave in and decided to order a new die cutting machine.  I've been toying with the idea for a while now.  Don't get me wrong, I still love my Big Shot (both of them!!), I just wanted something that's a bit easier to use.  Plus,  I got a great deal on it, so that helped!
Although, then came the decision, do I go for the big Gemini, the Gemini Junior, or the new Gemini Go?  Well ...... in the end, I went for the big one, on hubby's advice. 
He said if I bought one of the smaller ones and loved it, I'd only wish I'd bought the big one, which he's probably right ....... I'll let you know if I've made the right choice!

Thanks for popping by ........ have a lovely weekend. I hope the weather isn't too bad where you are.
I'm off to put my feet up, and browse the latest Stampin Up! catalogue ..... this could be expensive!

Cheerio until next time .....

CAS Mix Up ......

Good morning, Happy Thursday ......

How's your week going?
I've been busy in the craft room, and I think I've done everything that needs doing this week.  DT stuff done, samples all done and ready to post for next week's Sweet Poppy TV shows, I've even cleaned my desk!!!
It's time for me to play now and join in with a few of this month's Blog Challenges I think.

First up, is October's CAS Mix Up Challenge ...... one of my favourites. 
This month the challenge is being hosted by Mac (The Sweetest of Peas), and the theme is ....... Metal

 
Hmmm ....... had to think about this one.  In the end I decided on a faux metal look, using Gilding Waxes, along with one of the 3D Texture Fades Embossing Folders from Tim Holtz (that's the 'your choice' part ...... embossing)

I've used the Botanical Design on black cardstock ...... it's such a pretty design and embosses so well. Just look at the depth of the embossing, and all that detail ...... gorgeous!!

Using my fingers, I gently rubbed a couple of shades of Treasure Gold Gilding Waxes over the top of the design to bring out all the detail and give it this pretty metallic look .....

I did struggle to photograph it though ...... the colours and the beautiful metallic sheen are so much more intense in real life .......

A simple stamped (the other challenge requirement), and heat embossed sentiment (from one of the Penny Black Snippet sets) finishes it all off.

I love how this has turned out ..... it looks so elegant, even if I do say so myself!!
It's the first time I've used this embossing folder ...... but I don't think it will be the last!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
I'm off out for lunch later with hubby.  We're going to one of our favourite seafood places ..... the Little Fish Cafe, down by the quay in Douglas.  Not only is the food delicious, they do fab cocktails too ..... but, I won't be having any of those today ...... Sober October and all that!!  I'm off into town afterwards too so it wouldn't be a good idea anyway.

I suppose I could say ..... Today IS the Day ....... I'm making a start on our Christmas shopping!!! 
Yes, you read that right ...... Christmas shopping, in October ...... not like me at all.
We've got a lot going on at the moment and I need to be organised so ...... Ho! Ho! Ho!  I'm hitting the shops, armed with a list.  Wish me luck. 

Cheerio until next time ......

A quick catch up .......

Happy Monday ........

How was your weekend? ...... good I hope.
Looking at the calendar this morning, there's not a lot going on this week ........ for a change.  Wish I could say the same for the one in the craft room though!

We had a lovely weekend ..... a great night out on Saturday.  Delicious food,  the best company ever, and just the odd glass of wine ..... or two (ooops!). 

Lauren and I had a lovely afternoon too doing our Succulent Terrarium workshop ..... it was so much fun. And it's always nice to have mum and daughter time.

Now, you know me I'm not good with plants at all ....... my fingers are definitely NOT green, unless they're covered in green paint!!!  But, I'm told that these little babies don't need that much looking after ......... hmmmm, we'll see. 
They've survived the weekend at least ......

I was very proud of my 'creative gardening'  .......

The succulents are so pretty .....

You never know if I can take care of these, I might just make some more .....

This pretty teardrop one is going to hang in the craft room I think, once it's all settled in.

Whilst I was out on Saturday afternoon I picked up the latest edition of Making Cards magazine, not one of my usual craft mags but ..... seeing as I'm in it this month it would have been rude not to!

There was a little happy dance too when I saw that I'd made the cover ...... I'm chuffed to bits!

The lovely Sue Hobbs and I did an article featuring a couple of the new Christmas designs from Sweet Poppy Stencils

If you haven't decided on your festive makes yet pick up a copy of the magazine, it's full of great ideas.

Speaking of Christmas .........

My first purchase of this year's decorations  ....... that's the table sorted!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely week.
It's more Sweet Poppy stencils for me today, getting ready for the TV shows coming up on the 18th ..... more about all that later.

Cheerio until next time .....

Happy World Card Making Day ......

Good morning .....

Yes, today is a special day in the craft world ..... it's World Card Making Day! 

What is World Card Making Day?   Well ....... it started back in 2006 by Paper Craft magazine and is now always celebrated on the first Saturday in October.  Apparently it was set up as a way of encouraging crafters to make a start on their Christmas cards and festive projects, but has since become an international celebration in the cardmaking world.  Will you be celebrating today in your crafty space?

I can't unfortunately I'm off out today ..... things to do, workshops to go to and all that.
But .... I do have a sneaky peek at some of what I've been up to this week .....

Lucy and Sweet Poppy Stencils are back on our TV screens later this month, with more gorgeous stencils, and matching buddy dies.  Here's a few of my designs ....... check out the little guy in the middle ..... how cute is he!!! 

I'll be back next week with a few more for you, and a closer look at the new stencil designs.

Have a great weekend ...... Happy Cardmaking!

Cheerio until next time .....

My first AT Coins for the Craft Stamper Challenge ........

Happy Friday folks ......

Not quite sure what happened to the rest of the week but heyho! ........ it's the weekend!!!
It's the first Friday of the month so that means it's time to get the latest Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge underway.

The theme as always is Anything Goes.  Just make sure that there's some actual rubber stamping somewhere on your project.

I'm quite excited (it doesn't take much!) because I've made my first ATC's .... coins that is.

I love making Artist Trading Cards ..... those little miniature masterpieces, but it seems the craze at the moment is to create Artist Trading Coins.  Cute little 2.5 inch discs, decorated with anything you like.

I've had these MDF discs for a while, just never got around to playing with them.
So, after my recent craft room tidy up ....... mind you, if you looked in there this morning, TIDY is the last word you would use to describe it.  Well .... it's been a busy week!  There's been Design Team stuff to do, Birthday cards to make, little man had a homework project to finish off, and I have a Christmas workshop to prepare.  There's that much glitter and shiny stuff on the floor it looks like backstage at Strictly Come Dancing ..... talk about sparkle!!!

Anyway ..... we were talking Artist Trading Coins.  I could get addicted to these ..... they are so much fun to do.

As I said mine are MDF but you can use cardstock instead, the size needs to be 2.5 inches in diameter that's all.
I gave mine a quick coat of white gesso then painted them using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints.  I think it was Smurf (blue) and Granny Smith (green) ..... don't you just love the names!

I then stamped onto each one using just one of the images from the JOFY13 set of stamps, and heat embossed using clear embossing powder.

I used more Fresco Finish Paints to add colour to the daisies ......

Splattered the backgrounds with a little bit of Snowflake White paint ...... and added a few dots of Clear Nuvo Drops

The words are from the same stamp set ..... stamped onto white card and then fussy cut before gluing them on each of the coins

I decided to make the AT Coins into a pretty wall hanging by attaching some simple twill ribbon to the back.

If you fancy more inspiration for this month's challenge check out the Craft Stamper Blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have created.

As always there's a prize for the Challenge Winner ....... and this month it's an absolute cracker!!

Yes, that's right ......... it's the Sizzix Scoreboard XL Die - Wrapped Journal by Eileen Hull.  Told you!!
Fancy getting your hands on that?  All you have to do to be in with a chance is to play along with the challenge.  You could even be our next Design Winner and have your project published in the magazine.

Speaking of the magazine .... the latest issue is on the shelves today, and you'll find a little something from me in there this month ........ mwahhahaha!!!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
It's the Happy Stampers Festival at Port Sunlight tomorrow, and unfortunately I'm not going to this one ... sigh!  
It's a bit of a risk on the ferry in October, it can get a little bumpy.  And I must admit the forecast for weekend is not great so maybe it's just as well I'm not going!
If you are though, have a great time ..... spend lots and say Hi! to everyone for me.  I'll be there in May next year.
I have got a busy day tomorrow though.  I'm out with Lauren in the afternoon.  We're off to do a bit of creative gardening,  in a Succulent Terrarium Workshop which should be fun.  We'll be creating two terrariums each ..... is that the right word? filled with pretty succulents and ornaments and stuff.   I'll share the results with you ..... if I can keep them alive long enough! 
Then in the evening hubby and I are off out for dinner with friends.  This is one of the dates that we had booked BEFORE we decided to go Sober for October so for the only night this week there will be a little glass of wine or two I think. 

Cheerio until next time .....

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge .......

Happy Tuesday evening ......

Welcome to October!  I know ..... I can't believe it either. 
I do love this time of year though, all those gorgeous, rich Autumnal shades, and I must confess I am looking forward to crisp, frosty mornings ..... brrrrr! 

Of course a new month means new Blog Challenges.  We've already made a start on the Happy Little Stampers Blog with October's Watercolour challenge.  Now it's time for a bit of CAS .......

  The theme for this month's challenge is .......... Vellum

Not something I use a lot of I must admit but, when I see it being used I do love the soft look it gives.

One way I like to use vellum is to heat emboss my sentiments on there,  tear the edges and then add the strip over the top of my cards

I love how the design underneath still shows through, but with a much softer look.

The flowers were stamped onto a piece of watercolour cardstock using the Nocturne Versafine Clair ink.  (The pretty bloom is from the HLS Especially for You set)

I then sprinkled a tiny amount of Brusho onto each of the flower heads ....... I think the colours I used were Alizarin Crimson and Gamboge
I then spritzed each flower with clean water and let the Brusho pigment work it's magic, mopping up any pools of excess water, and used a paintbrush to spread the colour over the petals

A couple of dots of the clear Nuvo Drops here and there, and the vellum strip attached across the bottom, securing it on the back ....

How will you use your vellum?

As with all the HLS challenges there's a prize for the winner.  A $20 Gift Certificate to spend in the Happy Little Stampers store which ........ will be DOUBLED if the chosen winner has used HLS stamps on their project ..... not bad eh!

Happy stamping!

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

The temperatures may be dropping just a little but, we had a nice bit of sunshine today. 
There's still time to use the hot tub too.  It's been emptied, cleaned and refilled, and the water temperature is back up to a nice warm 39 degrees C.  It's time to light up the patio I think, jump in and relax.  No gin tonight though, hubby and I are staying alcohol free and Sober for October ...... we're trying anyway, with the exception of a couple of evenings which were booked a while ago. So it's tonic only for me ..... cheers!

See you next time ......

 

I'm on the Uniko Blog today ........

Happy Thursday ......

How's your week been so far?
Well, Autumn has officially arrived ....... summer seems so long ago.   The leaves are starting to fall already and we've even put heating on!!!  We were hoping to get into October before we flipped the switch but ..... we almost made it I suppose.

I'm just popping in this morning to say you can find me over on the Uniko Blog today with my DT Inspiration post.
I've got a great little technique for you which is a take on something that I saw Jennifer McGuire  do a while ago ..... where does she get all her fab ideas from?  Keep them coming I say!!

Here's a little sneaky peek .....

It's a fab idea for creating 4 designs, out of one stamped piece of card.  It's a great technique for using those larger, floral bouquet style stamps but, as you'll see,  you can also use smaller images to get similar results.
Check out the Uniko Blog today for a closer look.

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
I'm off out for a spot of lunch later, and a good old catch up with a friend.  Who knows, there may even be a spot of retail therapy thrown in there too.

Cheerio until next time .....