Time for a bit of Clarity .....

Happy Tuesday!

Hope you all had a good weekend and that this week is being kind to you.  We're having quite the Indian summer over here and I'm not complaining one little bit.  The woolly sweaters and the boots can stay in the wardrobe a little longer I think! As much as I love Autumn, I'm not ready to say Cheerio to my summer sandals just yet!

Did any of you manage to catch Barbara on the telly at the weekend?  Didn't she do well ..... great shows with lots of new products and what an amazing collection of art work from the Design Team.

My name was mentioned a couple of times ...... it's always weird seeing your stuff on TV and I was so nervous I could hardly watch!!!  I actually recorded the shows ...... and watched them yesterday when there was no one in the house!!!

Last week I gave you a little peek at a few of the things I'd been up to ..... well here's a closer look at some that made it to air ......

The gorgeous new Ballerina's ...... from the Beauty and Charm set

Lot's of spritzing and spraying with Distress Inks ...... love these colours!!
And then over the top with a quick spritz of Perfect Pearls .... the ballerina was covered with a mask before I started spraying by the way

The background was done using one of the new stencils along with Grunge Paste .... again coloured using the Distress inks and a touch of Perfect Pearls

I even used my Distress inks to colour a piece of  white ribbon to match .....

This one, I think, was on the shelf behind Barbara ...... this time using one of the dancers from Elegance and Grace .......

Mounted on a canvas .... using another of the new stencils for the backgrounds.

I know I shouldn't have favourites but I love this stencil!  I used Distress inks for the colour on the main image and then clear embossing paste to add some detail to the canvas.

I coloured in the ballerina using Spectrum Noir pencils ..... then fussy cut around her

I added a touch of fine glitter to one of the large circles ...... and placed the dancer on the top to give the look of her balancing on a glitterball.

Next up ..... the new Christmas designs starting with those gorgeous, delicate Snowflakes

How pretty are these ...... and this was such a simple design to do.

I embossed the snowflakes randomly onto white card .... using Versamark ink and white embossing powder 

Then I added the colour over the top ...... using 2 or 3 shades of blue Distress.  I flicked some clean water over the ink, let it sit for a few seconds then mopped up the excess with kitchen roll, leaving the gorgeous speckled background .... looks a little like falling snow

I quickly polished over the embossed snowflakes to remove any leftover ink and bring out the white again, and then added a touch of fine glitter here and there.

A bit of silver thread and some sparkly sequins to finish off ......

and a festive sentiment stamped and embossed, using the Letterbox stamps.

Finally ..... the brand new Best Wishes Sentiments.  What a great set .... covers most occasions.

I kept with the Christmas theme ...... and the traditional festive red and green .....

Coloured with the pencils again .....

And a little more detail added around the edge using one of the stamps from the Santa and Stars set

And to finish off ..... a sprinkling of Chunky White embossing powder to give the look of snow 

Phew!  My first Clarity samples on TV ......  I'm so pleased to be part of such a talented bunch!!

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Barbara's back on the telly!

Happy Friday everyone,

Are you ready for the weekend? .......... Are you a Claritystamp/Barbara Gray fan? ........ Got anything planned for Sunday? ...... well ..... if not, claim the sofa and the remote control now, you're in for a treat!  Barbara is back on our TV screens (yeah!!) 

Sunday 27th September ........ tune in to HOCHANDA (Sky channel 663 Freeview 39 Freesat 822) There's a whole Groovi hour at 10am with lots of lovely new stuff!  Then Barb's back at 2pm for a two hour show full of brand new stamps and stencils ...... lots of tips and techniques ..... and fabulous demos.

Hopefully ...... some of my samples with be there too (eeek!)  This will be the first time my Clarity work has been on air ..... NERVOUS is not the word!!!!

Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone ...... here's a little sneaky peek just for you guys ......

And something a little festive maybe ......

Set your reminders ...... set your Sky box to record ..... and enjoy!

Thanks for popping by ..... have a great day, and a lovely weekend. The sun is shining over here, lets hope it lasts!

I'm off to do battle at the supermarket now (oh joy!).  Then it's dinner out this evening and a nice crafty day arranged for tomorrow.  The weekend's looking good!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx 

Summer is over ....... (sigh!)

Happy Wednesday,

And welcome to Autumn .......

Yes, summer is finally over ....... we had a lovely weekend though, busy but nice. 

The birthday party was a huge success ...... even the grown ups enjoyed themselves!!  The Isle of Man Food Festival was as good as ever ..... the Christmas pudding and yummy fruitcake have been bought (along with a load of other stuff!!) And ...... we got to spend time with family and friends ....... there was a barbecue, Sunday lunch out, and .... another birthday tea!  But, that's it for a while now.... things should calm down a little, to let me get ready for Christmas (ooops!  there goes the C word again!!)

Anyway .... there's definitely a chill in the air and the leaves are already starting to fall ...... Autumn is definitely here!

Time for a challenge I think ........  

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

TECHNOLOGY

Hmmm ...... this one got me thinking.  Technology ..... not exactly one of my favourite subjects.  The laptop I can manage, sort of ..... with help from my onsite Tech Support - hubby that is!!  Mind you he's not much use when it comes to my blog .... that I know about!  

My mobile phone I can use ... just about!  The camera still gets the better of me at times .... and .... the little man is better with the ipad than I am.  Even our TV needs a flippin' instruction manual!

Anyhow ..... I searched through my stamps looking for inspiration and found nothing!!  Then I remembered ...... I had the perfect words, just needed something, or someone, to go with them .....

I think Facebook counts as Technology don't you!

I still love these little guys ...... they always look sooo cute!! 

I've given this one a pretty bunch of flowers from the Crazy Things stamp set .... coloured using the Distress Markers .... 

That gorgeous purple colour is the brand new Wilted Violet colour of the month ...... arrived in the old craft room this morning .... can't wait to have a proper play with that one!

As always there's a little something on the inside too ....

Well that's it from me this evening ...... a nice G&T awaits .... well it is Wednesday!!! Hubby's already playing the country music and hits from the 70's and 80's .... it could be a long night!

But before I go I'd like to say a BIG Hello and welcome to my latest follower ..... it's lovely to have you aboard.  I hope you enjoy visits here.

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Happy Little Stampers Blog Hop

Hello!!,

Don't you just love new craft stash ...... I know I do!  And when Kylie from Happy Little Stampers released her first collection of stamp designs I was so thrilled to get my hands on them, and now I'm even more excited to be part of the first Happy Little Stampers Blog Hop!!

There'll be prizes along the way .... all you have to do is comment on the Happy Little Stampers Blog then continue on to each of the Design Team blogs until you've completed the Blog Hop.
To be in with a chance of winning one of the prizes you MUST leave a comment on ALL of the Blog Hop posts.
Here's whats up for grabs ....

There's plenty of time to complete the Hop ..... it's running for a whole week!
Don't forget to leave a comment on each of the designers posts as one lucky visitor (randomly selected) will win the whole of the first stamp release .... That's all four stamp sets, with a value of AUD$69

Four more lucky visitors who leave comments (again randomly selected) will each win a gift certificate to spend in the Happy Little Stampers Store ...... time to get hopping I think.  You might want to grab a cuppa .... this could take a while.

You should have reached me from the lovely Loll Thompson's Blog ....... don't worry if you didn't, you're not lost ...... when you're finished here, just go back to the start at the Happy Little Stampers Blog, there you'll find a complete list of all the blogs to visit ...... so you can't miss anyone out.

OK .... so what have I got for you, well ..... I love the Butterfly Birthday set.  Who doesn't love a pretty flutterby ... and there's three gorgeous ones to play with in this set along with some fab little sentiments to go with.

First up I've got a nice CAS design for you, showcasing just one of the butterflies ....

I stamped the butterfly onto a piece of white cardstock and coloured it using Distress Inks mixed with a little water

I made a mask for the butterfly, covered my stamped image and then added in my background, using the Memory Box Grunge Honeycomb stencil and one of the Distress Ink colours I'd used for the butterfly (I think it was Wild Honey!)

One of the sentiments finishes off the front of the card ..... and I also like to add some detail to the inside of my cards ......

Here's another idea for you using the same stamp set ......

This time I stamped one of the butterflies randomly to cover a piece of white cardstock.  Again I coloured them using Distress Inks ......... and also added a touch of colour to the background.

The panel was then cut into three strips and I edged each one using a Silver Leafing pen ...... a clever technique to use, as it gives the look of an extra layer of card.  Keeps the postage costs down too which is always good.

I attached the strips to a larger piece of white card, and added the word HAPPY to the bottom ..... this is from the Bold Birthday Sentiments set ..... another useful collection of stamps to have in your collection

There's a little something on the inside too .......

OK .... enough of the butterflies.  Let's get a little festive shall we .... Ho! Ho! Ho! and all that.

Here's a really simple, but effective design using the HLS Mixed Christmas Sentiments.  I've done this in a couple of different ways ... same design just changed the colour.  This particular one is done using gilding flakes in gold and silver (not sure the colour comes across well or the shine!!)

I've stamped each of the sentiments and alternated between the two colours of flake.  A pretty gold star on the top (from the Bold Birthday Sentiments set) and a nice glittery tub at the bottom ..... simple!

How about using the Big Bold Numbers to create some of your festive makes ..... not everyone celebrates Christmas so why now wish them a Happy New Year .......

I love this stamp set ....... great for all occasions, not just birthdays.

I've stamped and embossed the numbers, again in gold and silver .....

Added a few of the tiny stars .... from the Bold Birthday Sentiments again ..... randomly in the background

And finished off with some words from the same stamp set

Phew!  You've made it to the end.  I hope I've inspired you a little and shown how versatile these stamps are.

I do hope you've enjoyed your visit ...... the HLS Design Team have had so much fun playing with the new stamps.  Your next stop on the Blog Hop should be the lovey LesLee's Blog.  Enjoy and Happy Hopping!

Cheerio until next time .......

Darnell's NBUS challenge .....

Happy Friday folks,

Phew!  What a busy week .... and it's not over yet!!
Talk about being on the last minute (as usual!!!) ...... but I was determined I wasn't going to miss this

  
My lovely blog buddy Darnell is hosting her 5th ..... yes 5th NBUS challenge!! And what a popular challenge it's turned out to be!  There's been an amazing number of entries, the list of sponsors is spectacular and the prizes ...... well!!!  Pop over and say 'Hi' to the lovely Darnell and check out all the details here.

If any of you are wondering who is Darnell ..... and what is NBUS ..... where have you been?? Darnell is one of the Queens in blogland .....  she's talented, funny, brings a smile with every blog post, and is one of the best blog buddies you could wish for!  As for NBUS ..... well the badge says it all ...... NEVER BEFORE USED SCHTUFF!!!  Come on .... own up .... I bet you've got a small box full of schtuff that hasn't seen the light of day since it found its way into your craft room ...... hahaha ..... small box???? and only one??? Hmmm .... well now's the time to use it.  You'll have to be quick though the challenge closes tonight (I did say I was on the last minute!)

I'd better get a move on then hadn't I ...... here's my entry

I dug deep into the box of schtuff, and found this little guy .... never seen an ink pad (awww!) and he's sooo cute!!! He's the Moon Gazing Hare from Lavinia stamps
I have this thing about hares ...... there's a couple in the lounge ....

And one in the dining area ...... another one gazing at the moon .....

And there's even one on my crafty 'write it down or I'll forget' note book ......

Back to my card ...... I stamped my little hare onto a piece of white card and then masked around the edge with some low-tack tape.

I added my sentiment ..... another stamp that hasn't been inked (I'm afraid I do have a few!!) ..... I thought this one was perfect to go with my little hare ......

I added coloured to the words using Spectrum Noir pencils and then created my moonlight scene using Distress Inks and some hand cut masks for the hills.
To finish off I added a touch of fine glitter to the moon and dotted a few stars in the sky.

Oh well .... must dash ..... the clock is ticking.

We've got a bit of a busy weekend ahead ..... it's the Isle of Man Food Festival ....... one of my favourite events .... time to buy my Christmas pud!!!   Hubby's parents have arrived on the island for the weekend, so we'll be out and about a bit with them,  and ..... we've also got a birthday party tomorrow for a certain little man who's five on Monday ...... I wonder who that can be .....

There'll be no time to spend in the old craft room I'm afraid ....... so it looks like next week will be a busy one too!!

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx