Let it Snow .......

I don't really mean let is snow, it's a bit early for all that .... it's just the theme for my latest festive make for Merry Monday!!

Happy Friday by the way ...... and Happy Halloween!  Mwahahahaha!  
Or I should say Hop Tu Naa as it's called on the Isle of Man.  Ginny the Witch will be out and about tonight I'm sure!

Anyway ...... on to this weeks Merry Monday challenge.  We have to use snowflakes (check!), dry embossing (check!) and neutral colours (check!)

And here's the result .......

I know ..... it's more of a snowflake, rather than flakes although the embossing folder I used is called Falling Snow so hopefully that counts, and I've stuck to the required neutral colours

I stamped the cute little snowman and the words, using Watering Can Archival ink (grey)

Then I embossed the card using the Falling Snow embossing folder (Cuttlebug).  It needed to go through twice as the card was a little too big, but luckily this is one of those designs that you can easily match up.

I added a touch of sparkle using some fine crystal glitter randomly over the snow flakes .....

And to finish I attached a pretty metal snowflake

All done!!

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

If you're out playing Trick or Treat tonight .... stay safe and have fun.
We started early this morning ....... it's dress up day at pre-school and look who we've got, our very own Captain Alex ....... Ahoy there matey!!

There was a lot of Yo Ho.... let's go! this morning before he left on Grandad's pirate ship.  Someone's going to have fun today!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Happy Halloween ........

A little bit of newsprint .....

Happy Thursday!

The weekend's fast approaching again ...... another week gone and I've hardly done anything!  Family stuff has had to take priority this week ..... why is life never easy?!

On a brief visit to the old craft room, I've managed to join in the fun over at Less is More.
It's a Recipe Week ...... with just one ingredient

NEWSPRINT

We can use as much, or as little as we like ...... it just has to be CAS with lots of white space.

I've definitely gone for the 'less is more' approach with this one .......

Very clean and simple ...... loads of white space ..... and I've used the all important Newsprint ingredient

It's the Newsprint Holly background stamp from Creative Studios, stamped in a green Memento ink and then I've fussy cut out a couple of the leaves and layered them onto my card.

I stamped the festive greeting in the centre of my card and then used the holly leaves to embellish.

A few tiny red gemstones for the berries, and a layer of matching red card and I'm done!

Another of the holly leaves adds the finishing touch to the inside too

I said it was a brief visit to the craft room!!

I also got this year's Halloween pumpkin done too ..... with a little help from a certain young man ......

I think he's more scary than the pumpkin!!!

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

There'll be no time to spend in the craft room today, we've got a flat to empty and clean!  Dinner's already on the go in the slow cooker ....... so I'd better go find my 'domestic goddess' hat!

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx

An IndigoBlu Christmas ......

Happy Wednesday folks,

There's no getting away from me this month (sorry!) .......  have you seen the latest Papercraft Essentials, issue 113?

There's a gorgeous set of Penny Black stamps FREE with this issue by the way ..... beautiful Christmas images ...... so no excuse not to make a start on all those festive makes!

Not only that, there's a fab article featuring some of the new Christmas designs from IndigoBlu, with lots of ideas on how to get the best from them, by some of the Design Team

This was from me ......

A nice quick and easy design, using the gorgeous Snowflake Lace (a definite DT favourite) and the cute Dinkie Merry Christmas Circle ........ great if you've got a lot of cards to make.  And lets face it, the big day's only 8 weeks away ...... how did that happen!?

Before all that though, we've got Halloween ....... when things get all SPOOKY!
The main job for today is carving a rather large pumpkin, with a bit of help from the little man.  He says he wants pumpkin pie for tea ....... hmmmm, we'll have to see about that one!

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx 

A little bit of team work ......

Happy Tuesday to you

How's your week going?  It's a horrible day over here ..... cold, windy and very wet!!  The sort of weather that makes you want to stay snuggled up indoors ..... perfect for spending the day in the old craft room. No such luxury for me though ...... I'm off to the doctors this afternoon.  I spoke too soon I think last week, when I said I was winning the battle against the dread lurgy.  I've thrown in the towel and decided to see if the doctor can suggest anything to see it off.  Hopefully a course of antibiotics will do the trick ........ I've had enough now!!

Anyway, enough of me feeling sorry for myself ...... have you seen this month's Simply Cards & Papercraft .... issue 129?  Imagine my surprise when I saw two of my designs in there on Kay's diary page ..... whoo hoo!

I say two, one of them was actually a re-make, done by my lovely IndigoBlu teamie ...... Jenny (aka Buttons)  Thanks hun, that's what I call 'team work'!

The original was done by me, and sent off to IndigoBlu HQ a while ago .....

Kay wanted to use it as part of a magazine submission but it was the wrong colour, she wanted it blue.  Unfortunately due to deadlines etc., I didn't have the time to remake the card and get it sent off in time so, Kay said that as long as I didn't mind, Jenny was ready to re-make it for me. Thanks Jenny!
Obviously it's not exactly the same but she's done a fab job .... I knew she would!

I'd used the new IndigoBlu Rockin Robin stamp ....... stamped in Black Versafine, over 3 different sized layers of white cardstock, and embossed with a clear powder.

Each layer was mat onto some black card, leaving a small border around the edge, and then the whole picture was built up using foam pads under each piece, to add some dimension.

A touch of colour was then added using the English Cottage Acrylic Paints, mixed with a little bit of water ...... how cute is he!!

I mounted this onto a larger piece of white cardstock, that had been stamped using the beautiful Snowflake Lace, to add a bit more interest to the background

And a pretty piece of festive ribbon had been attached across the centre.

I finished off by adding a matching bow, and my sentiment ......

And of course, a touch of fine glitter and some white enamel accents add that festive sparkle.

So ..... that's one design, two different versions.  Just by changing the colour things can look so different.

I'm so proud to be part of, in my opinion, the best Design Team ......... EVER!!!

Thanks for popping by today ..... time to go to the doctors.

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx

Not the usual colour ..... but I think I like it!

Hello again,

Twice in one day ..... whatever next!

I'm up against the clock, as usual, with this week's Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge.
This week the challenge is to use non-traditional Christmas Colours ........

I must admit, I've always been a bit of a traditional girl when it comes to the festive season ..... I love my reds, greens, and golds.  However saying that, I do like to add in the odd bit of black and white now and then, a touch of rich purple maybe, and not forgetting those icy blues of course.

With old Mr Mojo still refusing to make an appearance, I took my inspiration from this week's Challenge picture, and went with the pink and lilac look .......  and I must say,  I do quite like it!

I used Brilliance inks in Pearlescent Orchid (pink) and Pearlescent Purple for the trees (yes, those gorgeous Clarity trees again) ....

and the words have been stamped using Sweet Plum Memento ink.

A touch of fine crystal glitter adds a little sparkle, and I finished off with a couple of tiny clear gems to embellish the words.

The design carries on on the inside of the card too .......

You can tell the clocks went back last night ...... it's only just gone 4 and it's starting to go dark already ...... winter is coming!

Thanks for popping by again ..... enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
I'm off to put my feet up in front of the TV and watch the football ..... my Chelsea boys are playing Manchester United ....... BIG game!  Come on you Blues!!!

See you again next week

Cheerio for now

Linda 

xx

Shirley-Bee has a birthday!!!

Happy Sunday!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Shirley-Bee

Happy Birthday to You!!!

Yes you've guessed it ...... it's Shirley's birthday today and there's a party going on!!! The lovely Maria is hosting a surprise Blog Linky Party to celebrate and I'm thrilled to have been invited.

You all know Shirley, of Shirley Bee's Stamping Stuff ........... supertalented, creates fabulous works of art and now designs her own range of rubber stamps ........ the Bees Knees (of course!)  And she's also my DT teamie over at the Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge.

I know how much Shirley likes to splodge and spritz, and she loves flowers, so this is what I created for her birthday .......

I've used the IndigoBlu Large Sunflower stamp, stamped onto watercolour card and embossed using a clear powder.
I then made a mask to cover the bloom whilst I spritzed the background using the brand new Distress Stain Sprays ...... these are fab!!!!

I used the same colours in the Distress Markers to add colour to the sunflower ...... applied using a water brush to give that nice watercoloured effect

I added an extra layer with my sentiment on (from the winnie & walter set .....  The Big the Bold & the Happy)

And carried on the design on the inside .....

It should, hopefully, have arrived with Shirley in time for her birthday ..... as it was going in the post I even decorated the envelope ......

If you'd like to join in the fun, and wish Shirley a 'Happy Birthday' you've got time,  the link up is open until Sunday November 9th.

Have a fabulous birthday hun ........ you deserve it!!!

Thanks for popping by .... cheerio until next time.

Linda

xx

Bee happy ........

Happy Friday!

Well I'm definitely smiling ...... look what I got this morning ....

I love getting flowers and these are so pretty, and so unexpected!  I don't know what I've done to deserve them but Thank You so much to a lovely lady, and a good friend ........  Mwah!

I'm just in time for this week's Less is More Challenge ..... not quite sure what I've been doing all week but .... never mind!

The theme this week is .....

Little Creatures

It doesn't matter how little they are ...... cute, cuddly or creepy, they just have to be small

This little guy's only tiny .......

I've used my favourite Memory Box stencil for the background, and Wild Honey Distress ink.  

I then stamped the beautiful Penny Black Blush flowers directly over the top using Memento inks (Lady Bug and Pear Tart).  

I love this stamp and I've been trying to get my hands on it for ages ....... I have the small, clear version, and the PB die but I wanted the large one!  I searched websites, ebay, even had friends looking out for it at craft shows. I did borrow one from a friend for a while but, you know what it's like ...... I wanted my own!  Finally I tracked it down on a US craft store website ...... yes!!!  It's now sat on my desk and you'll probably be sick of seeing it soon ..... but I love it!!

I added in my little bee (Lavinia stamps) ..... gave him some colour and a touch of shimmer to his wings .....

I finished off with the words, from an IndigoBlu set of stamps called Bear Hugs ......

and added more of the design to the inside.

Well that's it for another week ........ only 9 more to go until Christmas.  Speaking of which, our local garden centre went all festive this week when we had a preview of their Christmas display.  I had to pop in and take a look ...... oooops!

Nothing too expensive ...... unless you count the chocolates that hubby found (£1 each they work out at ...... and they're only small! They'd better be good!)

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of Friday and have a great weekend.
I'm off to a wine tasting tonight at the Wine Cellar in Douglas....... now that could prove expensive, it's Bollinger night!!!  I do like a glass of bubbly ...... for Christmas of cousre!
And after that, we're off to my favourite restaurant for dinner ..... MacFarlane's Yum! Yum!
I'd better take it easy though ..... I've got a craft day tomorrow.  I'm not good with a hangover!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

BOO!!

Happy Tuesday folks!

How's your week going?  Mine's got off to a better start than last week ..... the dreaded lurgy is still hanging on, however I think I'm getting the better of it!! (hooray!!) Or rather the strong cough medicine, throat sweets and large doses of echinacea seem to be doing the trick!

It's getting towards that spooky time of year again ....... the time for pumpkins, ghost stories, and things that go bump in the night.  Yes ...... Halloween is only 10 days away ....... mwahahahaha!!!  I'll be off in search of a pumpkin or two at the weekend!

Something else that's a bit scary ...... are you ready for this .........
my October Tag's all done and dusted .... yeah!!!!!  I know, I can't quite believe it myself .... no rushing around on the last day of the month.  Am I finally getting organised do you think?  Nah! I doubt it.
Here's Tim's spookylicious inspiration piece .....

and here's mine ......

Not quite the same as Tim's but, I didn't have all the 'ingredients' so a bit of improvisation was needed.

I won't go into all the details of techniques etc., you can find all that on Tim's blog.
If you've never joined in with any of the 12 Tags Challenges you should give them a go.  They're so much fun and the step by steps from the master himself are so easy to follow.

I had to make a few changes to my tag ..... I didn't have the stamps for a start!  My little eight-legged friend is from IndigoBlu's Hocus Pocus set.

And the pumpkins are actually taken from a Penny Black 'T' for Transparent set ..... called Spooky!

The letters have been cut using the Wordplay die, and then I've covered them with Glossy Accents, and Distress Glitters .......

Added in some googly eyes too ..... and I finished off with the monocle and added a vintage looking key, tied on with some seam binding dyed to match, using the Distress Stain Sprays ...... which by the way I'm loving!!!

And there you have it ..... October Tag done and it's only the 21st!

I'm off out this afternoon, for some fun with the Ballaugh Crafty Crafters.  Not a clue what we'll be doing but hey I'm looking forward to getting out of the house.
It's a bit on the breezy side though, thanks to Hurricane Gonzalo, so the trip up there could be fun ..... it'll blow the cobwebs away (and hopefully whatever it is I've had along with them!) and the views of the sea should be pretty spectacular (wouldn't want to be on the boat today!)

I was grounded last week because I wasn't feeling very well, the furthest I got was a trip to the butchers at the weekend to stock up ..... an expensive trip to the butchers might I add.  Hubby was pleased with himself though .... he's finally purchased the elusive cleaver he's been after for a while

Check out the flippin price tag ......... !!!!!!

This is what happens when he goes to the cookware store ....... on his own!!!  Wellllll ..... he said he needed it to chop 'the rabbit' we'd just bought, into quarters ...... as advised by the butcher ..... ok!

Yes ...... we bought a rabbit.  I've never eaten 'bunny' before, let alone cook one, and I don't think I'll be eating it again anytime soon!  Everyone else loved it though ...... me, not so much!

Oh well, at least hubby's got his cleaver ..... next time we go to the butchers I think he'll be buying something bigger, so that he can chop it up!!!  Watch this space!

Time for a quick coffee I think, then I'm off out for the afternoon.

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx