Happy Birthday Loll .......

Happy Monday .......

I hope you've all had a nice weekend.

It's a special day today for a very special lady in the world of blogging.  

I think we all know the lovely Loll (Stamping with Loll), the brains behind the CAS Mix Up and CAS Christmas challenges ........  well, it's her birthday today.

Happy Birthday Loll ..... I hope you have a fabulous day.  

Lots of love and best wishes coming your way from the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland

  (yes we're still in the van!)

Just in case your card hasn't made it all the way across to you in time for your birthday (thanks for the nudge Nancy!) ..... here it is

The floral stamps, matching dies and stencils are all by Pink Fresh Studio.

The stamps are so pretty, I used them with gold ink to add detail to the background ......

The matching layering stencils make colouring the flowers and leaves so quick and easy ......

And then to be able to die cut the pretty floral sprays allows you to add depth to your floral designs ..... love it!!

A pretty stamped and die cut sentiment finishes of the outside ......

And I added more of the design on the inside ......

A special card for a very special lady ...... hope you like it Loll!

Thanks for popping by ....... enjoy the rest of your day, and have a lovely Birthday Loll!

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

Supplies:

Stamps: Blooming Branch stamps - Pink Fresh Studio; Opposites Attract Sentimnent stamps - The Greetery

Inks: Distress Inks - shades of pink and green to colour flowers; Delicata - Golden Glitz; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Blooming Branch co-ordinating dies and stencils - Pink Fresh Studio; Opposites Attract co-ordinating dies 

It's a Heilen Coooo .......

Happy Friday ........

I hope you're well, and looking forward to the weekend. Have you got anything nice planned?

We're still enjoying our Scottish motorhome adventure.   

After three lovely nights on the banks of Loch Lomond we left on Wednesday morning and drove to Oban over on the west coast of Scotland.   We then took a ferry across to the Isle of Mull ...... it was a bit breezy, but luckily the waters were very calm.   

We've been staying on a lovely campsite about halfway up the north coast of Mull at a place called Salen Bay.  It's beautiful ...... we're pitched right on the edge overlooking the Sound of Mull.  I'll share some pictures with you later.

There's still time to play along with this month's Sweet Poppy Challenge over on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook Page

There's a whopping £40 voucher for the challenge winner to spend on Sweet Poppy goodies.  And guess what ....... the brand new Christmas release is available from today on pre-order, so it would definitely come in handy for that.

The theme is ......... Just for Him.  We want to see cards perfect for those fabulous men in our lives!

As we're in Scotland, I couldn't resist using this fun Sweet Poppy Stencil ...... Isla - the Highland Cow, or Heilen Coo as they're known around here.

I do love this stencil, and it's perfect for masculine cards.

I used various colours of Distress Oxide ink through the stencil onto a piece of Kraft card. Oxides work so well on coloured cardstock, you just need to build up the depth of colour slowly.

I added a few black ink splatters onto the background, and blended a little ink around the edges of the card

before adding the sentiment on the bottom ........

The challenge is open until the 29th of the month so get those stencils out!  Remember they do have to be Sweet Poppy stencils though.

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

For those of you following our Scottish adventure here's a few pictures from the last couple of days.

We're on Salen Bay Campsite ...... todays view from the front of the van

A little breezy, but the sun is shining!

Yesterday we hopped on a local bus and took a trip up to Tobermory ...... the weather was a bit cloudy and grey but it was lovely and warm.

We had a nice walk around the town, did a bit of shopping, and found a lovely restaurant for lunch ....... 

One of my favourites ....... a delicious seafood pie (yum!)

Then we finished the afternoon off with a trip to the local whisky distillery for a tasting ....... or two

The perfect end to the day was to watch the sunset over the Sound of Mull, with a wee dram .......

Cheers!

We're on the move again tomorrow.  We're on the early morning ferry back to Oban then we're driving up to Loch Ness ...... maybe I'll see Nessie!

Cheerio until next time .....

Supplies

Stencil: Isla - the Highland Cow (Sweet Poppy Stencils)

Stamps: One for the Boys stamp set (Woodware)

Ink: Distress Oxide Inks - Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Aged Mahogany, Antique Linen, Crackling Campfire; Distress Ink - Black Soot 

Other: Black Fine liner pen for the eyes 

We're in Scotland! .........

Happy Monday! ..........

Hello from bonnie Scotland. 

It's so nice to be back in this stunning part of the world.

We left the Isle of Man on Saturday, on the morning ferry to Heysham.  We then headed north,  and stayed one night on a lovely campsite just outside of Glasgow (Strathclyde Country Park Campsite).

After a leisurely morning yesterday, we set off on our travels again and headed further north up to Loch Lomond.

We're currently on the stunning Luss Campsite, right on the banks of the Loch ...... it's beautiful.  We're literally 10-12 feet from the waters edge ......

Monday morning wasn't bad at all ........ the sun was shining and the loch was so still.  The perfect spot for a morning coffee

We're here for another two nights so fingers crossed the weather holds.

Anyway, enough of all that, the real reason I'm here is I have some cards to share ....... yeah!!! Don't get too excited though, there's only 2, and one of the designs I Case'd from Pinterest

June's Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook Challenge is well underway, but don't worry, if you fancy playing along there's still plenty of time left, the closing date is not until the 29th of the month.

The theme this month is ...... Just for Him, perfect timing as it was Father's Day yesterday.  Also, the perfect excuse to restock cards for all those 'hard to make for' men in our lives. 

Here's a quick and easy idea using some of the Sweet Poppy aperture stencils .......

I used Distress Inks through the Circle, the Triangle and the Tall Triangle to create this bold, geometric design.

Easy to do, with lots of possible colour combinations ........ use his favourite colours, or his football team colours, or even just your favourite colours. 

The beauty of using Distress is they are so easy to blend, and no matter what colours you choose, they all seem to work well together (speaking of Distress colours, have you seen the new one yet?  Uncharted Mariner ....... what a gorgeous shade of turquoise blue.  Hopefully mine will be waiting for me when I get back home)

I used three colours of Distress Ink through the stencils, overlapping them in the centre of my card

I stamped my sentiment over the top and added co-ordinating self-adhesive enamel dots to each of the stenciled shapes

and finished off with a few white gel pen highlights.

This was the card I case'd from Pinterest .......

Such a fun design I think, really easy to do, and perfect for guys. Just think of all the different 'shirt designs' you could create.

I used the Plaid Backplate from Sweet Poppy Stencils (most guys like a check shirt!), and I used Distress Oxides this time onto kraft cardstock.

I stenciled the plaid design over the whole of a piece of kraft card and then cut the various pieces I needed to create the look of a shirt front ........ the pocket detail

a triangle for the collar, and a strip for the buttons down the front

I added some faux stitching using a white gel pen and added my sentiment on a small triangle of white card and attached it as though it was a hankerchief in the pocket

The  challenge rules are simple and it's open until the 29th, so plenty of time left to enter.

There's a £40 voucher for the winner to spend on Sweet Poppy Stencil goodies but, you have to be in it to win it!  

Happy stenciling!

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

Cheerio until next time .......

Supplies

Stencils: Circle, Triangle & Tall Triangle Aperture stencils; Plaid Backplate (Sweet Poppy Stencils)

Inks: Distress Inks - Twisted Citron, Tumbled Glass, Mermaid Lagoon; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Oxide Inks - Bluprint Sketch, Fired Brick

Stamps: One for the Boys (Woodware)

Other: Self-adhesive enamel dots; white gel pen; small metal button charms

Bee Happy ........

Happy Wednesday to you ........

It's hard to believe we're half way through June already ........ this month really is flying by.

We're having some great weather here too ..... summer has arrived early!

The middle of the month means it's time to remind you about the latest CAS Mix Up challenge.

After a little 3 month break we're all back in action again with a Stencil Challenge. 

Loll is our host this month and she would like us to use Pastes and/or Gels along with our stencils.

If you're not sure about using pastes or gels, then check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for some really useful video links, and of course, lots of inspiration from the Design Team and, our fabulous Guest Designers Julie and Darnell, who are joining us this month.

I've used a translucent paste for my card today ...... it goes on white and then dries clear so that you can still see what's underneath ...... in this case the first layer of Distress Ink that I started my background with

I smooshed Mustard Seed Distress Ink onto a craft mat, spritzed with water and then pounced a piece of white cardstock into the ink, concentrating on one corner of the card only to make sure I kept plenty of white space on there.

I dried this off with a heat tool and then using a honeycomb stencil I applied the translucent paste over the top of the ink and left it to dry.

It doesn't take long to dry and it gives this lovely glossy finish.

Next, I blended Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink over the stenciled area to bring out all the detail of the honeycomb design

See how the yellow underneath still shows through ........ love it!!

I then used the Etched Layered Daisy Stem die from Simon Says Stamp to add the flower.  

I simply cut the three pieces from white cardstock, applied a little ink to the stem and the flower centre and then attached the pieces to the front of my card

I love the detail in this die, it's so pretty!

Of course there had to be a little bee on there ...... stamped and coloured with ZIG markers

And I finished off with a two piece sentiment ...... half stamped onto the card front, and half added on a snippet of cardstock

I can't wait to see all the challenge entries in the gallery ...... it's great to be back!

Happy crafting!

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

Sorry it's quiet here on the blog lately, the old mojo still isn't what it should be.  Plus, it has been a bit full on around here recently.

What with holidays, the TT, and lots of family stuff going on, I just can't seem to settle in the craft room at all.  This nice weather we're having at the moment isn't helping either, I just want to be outside!

Speaking of holidays, we're off again at the weekend ...... Scotland this time, in the motorhome, so I've spent the last few days sorting that out.  

I do all the inside stuff ...... cleaning etc., stocking the cupboards and the fridge, making sure there's clothes in there, and that we have everything we're likely to need,  then hubby does the outside.  

So he's in charge of the fuel, the gas bottles,  emptying the loo!!!! and ringing the very nice man who cleans it for us!

So, we're going to Loch Lomond, Loch Ness, the Isle of Mull, and Fort William.  It's going to be a fun trip, I love Scotland and we haven't been up there since 2019.  We're also meeting up with a friend towards the end of the trip which will be nice.

We're also off out this evening for a Masterclass on Portugese Wines ....... should be interesting.

I'd better get ready!

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

Supplies

Stencils: Honeycomb stencil (Memory Box - not sure if this is still available)

Stamps: Bee (Lavinia Stamps); sentiment Bee You (Altenew)

Inks: Distres Ink - Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade,  Gathered Twigs, Peeled Paint; Versafine Clair - Nocture

Other: Translucent Stencil Medium (Sweet Poppy), Etched Layered Daisyb Stem Die (Simon Says Stamp); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers

We're back!! ..........

Happy Wednesday ......

Can you believe were in June already!!!!  How's your week going so far? 

It's all go here on the island.  What with the TT that's well underway,  and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend coming up, there's loads going on.

This month also sees the return of the CAS Mix Up Challenge! ......... whooo hoo!!!  Have you missed us?

It's so nice to be back after our little break, and we've got a fun challenge for you this month.   

We're kicking things off again with a Stencil challenge.  

There's lots of ways to use stencils but for this particular challenge we'd like to see you use them with Pastes or Gels

There's lots of different pastes and gels out there ..... from simple white embossing pastes, or clear gels that dry glossy or matte, through to glitter pastes, crackle pastes, or gels with different textures in them.  And of course you can always create your own.  Check out the video links on the challenge post for some great tips and techniques.

Need some inspiration?  How about a pretty floral card using the new gorgeous Peony stencil from Sweet Poppy

I used Distress Inks first to apply the colour through my stencil

I removed the stencil and cleaned off any excess ink before placing the stencil back over the top of the colour.

I then applied Translucent Stencil Medium to the flower heads, over the top of the ink.  I carefully removed the stencil and whilst the paste was still wet I sprinkled some clear Ultra-fine Glass Microbeads over the top and left it to dry

The ultra-fine beads are tiny, and they give a lovely fine texture whilst letting the colour show through

To add a bit more interest to the background I used a piece of acetate to smoosh a little more of the Distress Ink colours on there

and then finished off with a simple sentiment.

Check out the fabulous makes from the rest of the Design Team and, to celebrate the return of the CAS Mix Up Challenge we have not one, but two amazing Guest Designers this month.  Julie (Crafted by Jules) and Darnell (Djkardkreations) are both joining in the fun, so be sure to pop by and say Hello!

I can't wait to see you all in the gallery ....... it's great to be back!!

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

As I said it's so busy here at the moment, TT fans are arriving by the ferry load everyday and the roar of motorbikes around the island sounds amazing!

Practice week is in full swing and, we got our TT celebrations off to a good start on Sunday evening when we went to see Jessie J .........

We had a great night ...... she was amazing!!!

So, this week we have the long Bank Holiday weekend to look forward too. We've got some friends comming for a BBQ tomorrow, then it's Mad Sunday.   Hopefully we'll get up to the Grandstand at some point over the weekend, and then it's race week next week,  with the Red Arrows coming over on Tuesday, and we have another bank holiday here next Friday, for Senior Race Day ...... its all go!! 

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

Supplies:

Stencil: Peony (Sweet Poppy Stencils)

Inks: Distress Inks - Kitsch Flamingo, Mowed Lawn; Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment)

Stamps: better with age (Penny Black)

Others: Translucent Stencil Medium; Ultra-fine Glass Micro beads - clear (Sweet Poppy Stencils)