I must not leave my Tag until the last day of the month ...... I must not leave my Tag until the last day of the month ...... I must not ....

Evening folks,

This is getting later and later each month ...... it's got to STOP!!!!   As usual I'm on the last minute with my Tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014.

I'm still trying to get back into the routine, after a fabulous weekend in London  ..... the weather was gorgeous (which is more than I can say for back home ..... it's raining today!!)  We had too much good food and wine (what's new!) We walked miles (took care of some of the extra calories at least!) and did a spot of sightseeing ........ I'll fill you in more later in the week, I need to get a move on the deadline is approaching ..... FAST!!

This month it was all about Alcohol Inks .... always fun!  Look at those gorgeous bright colours .....

I just wish I'd had more time to play ..... here's mine

I followed Tim's step by steps to create the background ...... and them stamped the beautiful face from
the Stampers Anonymous Classics #5 stamp set.

I added some Remnant Rubs from the Botanical set to fill in around the edges .....

I then had fun colouring more glossy cardstock using various colours of alcohol inks.  You can find details of all the techniques for September's tag over on Tim's Blog

Once the card was coloured, I then die cut it using the Decorative Strip Die .... Butterfly Frenzy

Over stamped the butterflies with a text stamp, and then attached them onto my tag.

They've each been attached in the centre, with the wings slightly raised, to add a touch of movement to the tag, and some dimension.

Well ..... that's the ninth Tag of 2014 done ....... only 3 more to go! (eeeek!)  Let's see if I can get at least one of those done before the last day of the month!

Look what my lovely postie brought me this morning .......

All 28 colours ..... guess what I'll be doing when I get a spare minute or two!

Thanks for popping by ........ time to grab a glass of something chilled and catch the last few minutes of the football ..... my Chelsea boys are winning!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Christmas Bingo! .....

Morning folks!

Happy Friday!  It's the weekend again and guess what?! ....... I'm leaving the island for a few days (only until Monday that's all!)
I'm not on my own this time ..... Hubby and I are off to London for the weekend (a romantic break you might say!)  What with all the chaos and rushing around of the last few weeks, we thought it would be nice to spend some time just the two of us.  So, we're off to see the sights, enjoy a few nice restaurants, and hopefully meet up with some friends we haven't seen in a while ....... we're going to see the poppies at the Tower of London too (that's actually the main reason we're going!) 

Before I go and pack the suitcase, I've got this weeks festive make for the Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge ..... can't miss that now can I!

It's time to have some fun with a game of Christmas Bingo! ....... here we go ..... 'eyes down'

I chose the line down the left hand side ..... but I could also have gone straight across the middle, my card fits either ......

Anyway .... the SPARKLE is the glitter on the trees, and the reindeer's antlers,

the DIE CUT is the actual Reindeer (you probably guessed that!)

and the RED part is the ribbon bow, and the layer of red cardstock (oh ..... and Rudolph's nose!)

Going the other way ... we have the DIE CUT reindeer again,  RIBBON or TWINE, the bow around his neck and the KRAFT part ... well we're back to the reindeer again!

I used the large and medium Christmas tree stamps from Clarity, to create my winter forest .... stamped along the edge of a torn piece of copier paper using Vintage Sepia Versafine ink

I used a Quickie Glue pen and fine crystal glitter to add the look of snow and give some definition to the ground.
I then stamped the sentiment across the bottom in a festive red ink.

The cute little deer is one from a Sizzix Bigz die ...... Reindeer Flight by Tim Holtz.  He's been cut from Kraft card, inked around the edge using Gathered Twig Distress ink, and stamped over the top with the IndigoBlu Sheet Music background stamp to give a bit more interest.

His antlers have been cut from gold glitter card using another Sizzix Bigz die, which is unfortunately discontinued now I believe ..... they're part of the branch from Tim Holtz's Bird on a Branch die.

I added the bow along with a silver jingle bell, and of course his red nose.

He's then been attached using foam pads, and I've finished off by adding a sprinkling of Fran-tage Chunky White Embossing Powder to the whole scene, to give the look of falling snow ..... brrrrrr!

As always, the design continues on the inside ......

Well that was fun ..... I haven't played Bingo in a lonnnng time!

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy your Friday, and have a lovely weekend.  I'm so looking forward to mine!

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx  

Face the Music ..... and Dance

Happy Thursday!

I can't stay long ..... another busy day in the old craft room!
No wait ...... I tell a lie there, I'm actually going AWOL this morning (don't tell anyone will you!)
I've had enough this week!  It's been full on since Monday again!

Our visitors left on Tues, I had a bit of an accident with a wheelie bin (that's another story which I wont go into .... all I'm saying is I'm not taking the rubbish out .... EVER again!) and I've had two (yes TWO!!!) visits to the dentist (oh joy!!) Would you believe my darling other half actually said I should have enjoyed yesterday's trip there ..... as it was a new experience for me, and apparently, I don't get many of those at my age ...... cheeky!!! I was actually having my first ever filling .... so looking forward to it was not what I'd call it ...... petrified more like it!!

Anyway, that's all over with now and I can look forward to the weekend again.   On to more important stuff ......

It's Theme Week over at Less is More  and the challenge theme this time is ......

FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE

We can use any reference to music or dancing on our cards. 

Hmmm ....... a few music stamps, not many dancers in my stash.  Finally I found this little lady .....

on a Penny Black 'T' for Transparent set (12 Days of Christmas ........ she's 9 Ladies Dancing) How cute is she!

She's been coloured using Spectrum Noir pencils and I've added a touch of sparkle to her little tutu

The sentiment is one of my favourites that I've had forever, stamped in Black Versafine and then a few glitter dots added here and there

And I finished off by adding the image again to the inside along with a greeting from Penny Black

Hope you like it.

I don't seem to have had a minute to spare these last few days ....... here's a quick catch up of last weekend.    

We had a great afternoon out at the Isle of Man Food Festival .... ate too much (nothing new there then!) and came away with the usual bag full of goodies ......

First stop was to pick up my favourite Christmas Pudding ....... Oops! looks like one of those delicious fruit cakes ended up in the bag too!

Then on Sunday it was our Grandson's 4th birthday ..... here he is with one of his presents on the prom in Douglas

Then it was time for ice cream ...... I think he likes his helmet!

We had a walk in the beautiful Groudle Glen with his little friend ... Lily

Followed by a ride on the train down to Sea Lion Rocks ..... or should I say 'up' ..... as it's the line that goes up to the sea.

We had to call in at the station shop of course ..... for just one more little birthday treat

He's not half growing up fast ..... next stop 5!

Ooops!  Must dash ........  I've got a few things to do in town this morning, maybe a spot of shopping in there, who knows!  Then I'm meeting up with a friend for coffee and a good old chat!
Enjoy your day ..... I'm going to enjoy mine!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Hey! Fancy a challenge?

Happy Sunday folks,

I hope you're enjoying the weekend. Looks like our Indian Summer isn't over just yet ...... the sun is shining again here (whoo hoo!)
Unfortunately though, the one over on the IndigoBlu challenge blog has come to an end ....... thanks to everyone that entered, as always we had some fabulous designs but, there's only one winner. This month, Congratulations go to (drumroll please)......

the lovely Doreen from Doreen's Dream 

Enjoy your prize, and I look forward to seeing your Guest spot on the Challenge Blog. 

Well, it's the 21st of September (not sure how that happened but hey ... here we are!) and we have a brand new challenge for you.

We've got a SKETCH for you to follow this month from our lovely Clare ......

Sketches can be a great source of inspiration when old Mr Mojo is playing tricks.  Sometimes all it needs is a great layout to follow and the ideas soon start to flow!
Don't think that you have to follow the sketch completely either ..... just by turning it slightly  you can get a completely different look, or just use some elements from it .... the choice is up to you.

Check out the challenge blog to see what the Design Team have come up with using Clare's sketch. Even though we've all followed the same layout each one looks totally different ..... here's my take on it ....

I've gone all festive (well it is only 94 days to Christmas!!!)  with a nice simple, traditional design keeping to the sketch.

I've used the brand new Snowflake Lace for the large background .... stamping with Versamark ink onto Kraft card and embossing using a fine detail white powder (I love white on Kraft, especially when you team it up with red - very festive!)

I then cut two pieces of card .... one kraft, one white.  Onto the kraft card I stamped the script background from Sarah's Choice, using Crimson Red Versafine

Added a little Vintage Photo Distress ink around the edges and then used a Distressing tool to give that aged look.

On the white piece I inked around the edge again using the Vintage Photo, and spritzed with a little water to remove some of the ink.  I think it gives the look of a snowy sky ......

I created my little scene using the trees from  'Here Comes Santa' stamped along the edge of a torn piece of copier paper, and then added the deer from 'Looks Like Rain, Deer'

I tied some festive red satin ribbon around the large background piece, arranged the two smaller pieces as shown in the sketch and finished off with a pretty bow .....

I've also carried on some of the design on the inside

Now it's your turn ...... use the sketch as is, turn it, change it up a little or just use part of it ..... the choice is all yours.  I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

You have until 8pm on October 20th to get your entries in ....... you could be our next winner like Doreen, get your hands on a fab IndigoBlu prize AND be a Guest Designer on the Challenge blog ..... go on, give it a go!

Thanks for popping by ....... I'm off now to get ready for a birthday celebration.  My little grandson is 4 today!  It's going to be a day of cake and ice cream, lots of presents, and he wants a trip to McDonald's (oh joy! I think I'll skip the burger!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Cheerio until next time

LindyLou

xx

It's all about the words ......

Happy weekend!

Where's the sunshine gone?  Typical .... the IOM Food and Drink Festival starts this morning and we've got cloudy skies! I'm sure I'll be a great day though ..... whatever the weather.

There's only me out of bed at the moment so it's nice and quiet around here ..... better make the most of it while I can.

So ...... before I go in search of this years Christmas pudding, and lots of other tasty goodies, I've got my latest make for Merry Monday for you.
This weeks challenge is all about words ..... letting your festive sentiments take center stage

I couldn't resist this latest stamp to join my collection ..... it made me giggle anyway!

The sentiment is from the new Christmas range from Magenta and I've surrounded it with snowflakes from Clarity and Inkadinkadoo

I added a few dots of glitter to add some sparkle and of course finished off with a nice red snowflake

Challenge done!!

I did make another version, this time adding the cute snowman .... how cool is he!!

Thanks for popping by ...... it's time to get the coffee on, I think I can hear the rest of them rising (it's about time!!)

Have a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx 

Cheers! ....... it's the weekend

Happy Friday folks!

Weekend has soon come around this week ..... and it's going to be a busy one!!!  Stephen's parents are over on the island, and Chris's girlfriend arrives today.   We've got birthday celebrations this evening and again on Sunday (which reminds me I still have presents to wrap ..... and cards to make!) and it's the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival all this weekend ........ busy again or what!!

I had a lovely time over in the UK .... a craft show and a fabulous Open Day from Clarity Stamps .... met up with loads of friends.  Did a spot of retail therapy,  lunch out with great company and we even made time to get creative!  Not much time to blog though!!
I've got one more trip across to look forward to (that's next weekend with hubby) and then that's it for this year (sigh!).

Before I get busy in the old craft room this morning I've got this weeks Less is More card for you.
It's One Layer Week (always fun!) and the theme is ......

BEVERAGES

I found this little image rummaging through my friends stamp stash ...... I think it was from one of those fab sets that come free with a stamping magazine but I'm not sure.  I do know the words are from Stampin' Up though (Something to Say) 

I added a touch of colour using watercolour pencils and finished off with tiny dots of Glossy Accents ......well, there's always bubbles when the champagne is flowing!

I think I'd better get started in the old craft room now .... two birthday cards and a DT piece to do ...... before lunch preferably! What are your plans?

Thanks for popping by ...... have a great day and enjoy the weekend.

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Transportation for Merry Monday .......

Happy weekend folks!

I'm having a great time over in the UK ... but then I always do!

Really enjoyed the craft show at Event City on Thursday ....... (so sorry to have missed you Anne, it would have been lovely to finally meet up in person.  Next time we must arrange something!)  
We'd only been in the place about 30 mins (if that!) before we had to make a trip back to the car to get rid of shopping bags!!!  That's the trouble with the MDF man .... you have to buy the lot!!!

Only joking .... it wasn't me that ended up with a dozen bags ...... as you can see I was very good!  Until we got to the handbag stand ....... ooops!  Well ..... I couldn't make up my mind!  And lets face it .... a girl can never have too many handbags!

If you're planning on popping along to the show today, you must check out the Powertex stand.  Oh my goodness!! ......... I've just realised, it's missing from the photograph!! Thought I must have bought more than that!

What's Powertex? ...... well, it's a water based, liquid fabric and textile hardener and sculpting medium. The results are pretty amazing!  (thanks again to the Rob, the MDF man for pointing us in the direction of this!)  
We just had to buy the starter kits, and the reason it's not on my stash photo is that it's currently sat in Susan's craft room all set to go ..... we're having a play day!!!

Before I get stuck into all that though, I wanted to quickly share my card for this week's Merry Monday Challenge
It was a bit of a tough one this week ...... we had to use some form of transportation on our cards

Hmmmm ....... I couldn't find anything suitable in my Christmas stash until I came across this .....  well they're a form of transportation aren't they?

I wanted to keep things simple, with a nice classic look so I went with the colours cream and black with a hint of gold.

I started by creating the background, using a mask cut from copier paper and Tea Dye Distress ink, then stamped the beautiful silhouette image of the three wise men, and added a little more shading underneath just to ground them.

The star has been stamped using IndigoBlu's Flitter Glu and then Chariot of Fire Mega Flakes added
(both the star and the three wise men are from a stamp set called Joy to the World, also from IndigoBlu)

The words are from one of my favourite collections of festive greetings .....  Penny Black's 'T' for Transparent set  Christmas Cheer

Well that's it from me this weekend.  I'm off to the gym (apparently!) then it's time to get the apron on, and some gloves, and get stuck in .... it's going to get messy!

Thanks for popping by ...... have a great weekend

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx