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

Happy Wednesday ........

I hope you're all well, and enjoying your week.

  

Today's the day when Lucy is back on our TV screens, with the fabulous first new release of 2023 from Sweet Poppy Stencils.

Grab a cuppa, settle down, and watch Lucy work her magic with the brand new designs.  

The collection is definitely full of must haves ...... stencils that are perfect on their own if you're new to Sweet Poppy but, they also work so well with all the other amazing designs if you're already a Sweet Poppy fan.

If you like the Aperture Circle and Square frame stencils then there's two gorgeous new designs to add to your collection ...... the Retro Floral and the Twisted Vine.

Perfect frames to use along side the new word stencils.

I've used Distress Oxides to colour the frame ...... love this retro design!

I stenciled just the capital letter from the Friend stencil in the centre square, finishing off the word with a stamp this time

I layered up those pretty flowers for dimension.

A little bit of matting and layering, and for extra interest I cut out the centre square, attaching that flat onto my card and then raised the actual frame just a touch, with foam pads.

Here's a totally different look using the Twisted Vine ......

Inked the frame with Distress Inks, and stamped a sentiment in the centre and heat embossed

I then attached the frame at an angle onto the front of a card, and trimmed down the edges.  

And to finish I stamped a simple sentiment underneath, and attached a pretty vellum die cut

I hope you like the new collection, I'm sure there's something for everyone in there!

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

We had a snow day here on the island yesterday.  Woke up and everywhere was white over ....... it all looked so pretty

Alex was happy because there was no school, Arthur not so much.  He wasn't quite sure what to make of all this white stuff!

Things are getting back to normal this morning.  The snow is still around in places but, it is melting.

If it's snowy where you are ..... stay safe and warm.

Cheerio until next time ........

More from the January release from Sweet Poppy Stencils .......

Good morning! ...... Happy Sunday!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

After two days of strong winds battering our little island things are a little calmer out there today, and the sun is shining ..... for now anyway!

There's less than 24 hours to wait before the first brand new release of 2023 from Sweet Poppy Stencils goes live on the website.

If you're a follower of Sweet Poppy on Facebook then you've probably seen the preview of the new stencil designs ..... what do you think?  Do you need them in your stash?  Is it time to make a shopping list?

I've been playing with some of the new designs and they are lovely.  Check out some ideas for using the large word stencils on my last blog post.

Today it's the gorgeous Floral Crescent Moon ....... how pretty is this

A fabulous large stencil, with a pretty floral cluster.  Perfect for square card designs, and gorgeous to use as is but, just think of all the add ons you can use. 

I've stamped one of Lavinia Stamp's cute little hares on the bottom of the moon ....... I love this little guy!

He's looking up, wishing on a star

I used Delicata Golden Glitz ink to colour the crescent moon, and Distress Inks for the flowers.  I also stenciled these a couple of times onto separate pieces of white card, fussy cut them and layered them up to add dimension ..... so pretty!

Even though this is a large stencil you can make smaller cards, and if one layer is your thing then this design is great for that too .......

This is a 7x5 inch card and I've taken the stencil slightly off the edge.  

Simply stenciled with black ink, and I've added a little bit of doodling with a gold gel pen for some extra detail

A few pretty pearls, a stamped sentiment, and some gold ink splatters to finish off

Use just the flowers from the stencil in other ways to ........ 

How about making your own floral embellishments to add to other stencil designs ...... use pretty coloured inks, fussy cut and layer.

Oh look ..... could that be another stencil from the new release in the background!  Don't you just love it when everything works together!

All the stencils from the new release are available on the Sweet Poppy Website from 10am tomorrow.  And, if you fancy more inspiration and ideas for making the most of them, then tune in to Lucy on Create and Craft on Wednesday the 18th January.

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

Cheerio until next time ........

I'm a little bit late but ....... Happy New Year!

Happy Friday .......

And a Happy New Year to you all!

Sorry I'm a bit late, but 2023 hasn't got off to the best of starts!  I've been struggling to get over one of these cold/flu bugs that's going around.  Thankfully it wasn't COVID, although with my past experience of that particular virus I'd have rather it had been that ......... the thing I've had was brutal!!!

I was on and off with a cold from the day after Boxing Day.  I wasn't great but,  Istarted to feel a little better on New Year's Eve so we went out for an early meal as planned and then had a few friends round to welcome in 2023. 

It probably wasn't the best idea I'd had because on New Year's Day I was back to square one, feeling like crap and this time I had no voice ....... great!!  

I spent a week in bed feeling dreadful, but high on flu meds!  Slept quite a lot, and started to binge watch the drama series Supernatural ...... there's 15 series to watch and we've managed to get through 5 so far.

But, enough of all that ...... I'm slowly starting to feel human again, thank goodness, and my voice is on it's way back (it's about time!) so, lets get 2023 started!

As always, the beginning of a new year brings lots of new craft releases.  Brand new goodies that we will all 'need' to add to our stash no doubt.  I am trying to be good though, and use the stuff I have got before buying lots of new things ...... lets see how long that lasts shall we!

Speaking of new, if you love your Sweet Poppy Stencils then get ready for their first brand new release of 2023 ........ a fabulous collection of 10 (that's right ..... 10!) new stencil designs. 

I've been having a little play with some of them, so here's a quick look at what's coming up .....

  

There's three gorgeous new word stencils, designed in house by the lovely Eleri Huxtable.   These are going to be so handy to have in your stash ........

'Birthday' is one of them ........ we all send lots of birthday cards!

It's a great size, and a lovely font, and the capital letter is embellished with a pretty floral design

I've gone for the rainbow look but, just think of all the colour possibilities.

This was really quick and easy too.  A little bit of masking as I went along, and Distress Inks to colour the letters.  I added some splatters using the same ink colours onto the background

A simple Happy stamped above, and I added another sentiment across the bottom, repeat stamped onto a strip of card

To finish off,  and add a tiny touch of sparkle, I outlined each of the letters with a clear Startdust gel pen.

Too much colour for you? ....... then keep things more simple by stenciling in black, and adding just a touch of colour

Stenciled in Black Versafine Clair ink, left to dry thoroughly, then I used a paint pen to add some dots to the letters ....... so cute!

I also stenciled the flower again onto a snippet of card, this time using a pink Distress Oxide ink to match the spots, fussy cut it, and then layered it onto the flowers to add a bit of dimension

Some pretty gemstones, and a stamped 'happy' finishes off the card.

'Mum' is another new design ....... perfect for Mother's Day

Stenciled onto an inky background from my stash and I used the flowers to add extra embellishments along with some white gel pen highlights

The last one is ....... 'Friend'  

Distress inks again, a few splatters here and there with ink and water, and a simple embossed sentiment

The flowers look so pretty layered .......

How about using just the capital letters of the word stencils, to create a completely different look ...... monogram style  

Really quick and easy, and perfect for all you CAS fans!

These are just three of the new designs coming soon, I'll be back over the weekend with more from the new release.

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Out with the old, and in with the new .......

Goodbye 2022 ..... your were great!

Hello to 2023!! ...... it's time to start another amazing chapter.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

I hope 2023 is a good one!

XX

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Christmas Eve .......

The big day is almost here ..... are you all ready?

It's become a bit of a festive tradition for us, to get our Christmas started with a trip to the Panto in Douglas ...... Oh no it's not!  Oh yes it is!!!  Sorry!

We had a great night last night ....... we followed the yellow brick road and went to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz

What a great night.  We started the evening with a lovely meal out,  then it was off to the theatre for lots of panto fun! 

I wonder how many more years we'll get Alex at the panto with Grandma and Grandad!!  Hopefully next year we'll be taking Arthur too!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your Christmas Eve, and have a wonderful festive weekend.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

xxx