A little birdie told me .......

Happy Thursday folks .......

Oooh ..... it's nearly the weekend and boy am I ready for it this week. I can't believe it's been over a week since my last blog post .......there's been a lot going on!!

Today's post is a little reminder of this months STAMPlorations CAS card challenge

As always .... the challenge is Anything Goes, as long as it's clean and simple, with the optional colours twist this month of .....  SPRING GREENS

I'm finding myself reaching for green more and more lately ..... I'm loving the Distress shades Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn especially with a touch of Salty Ocean in there ..... so pretty!

Just look at these two .... how cute are these little guys!
They're from the Bee's Knees stamp range from STAMPlorations ..... called  Small Birds. 

I simply stamped the branch (an oldie but goodie from my stash) using a green and a brown ink, onto a piece of white card.  I then stamped the birds onto the branch and coloured them using  Distress Inks, mixed with a little water.
I always find when I'm colouring with Distress it's easier to paint the image first with a little bit of clean water, then add the colour.  The ink spreads easily and blends really well.  I start with a tiny bit of colour and build it up gradually.  It's always easier to add colour than it is to take it away!

To add a bit more interest to the background I used the ARTplorations stencil ..... Dots All Over and one of the green shades of Distress ....

And then finished off with one of my favourite little sentiments from my stash (another stamp that's been in there forever ..... no idea where it's from, it has no packaging!!)

As always, I've added a little something on the inside ......

That fabulous stencil again, and just the end of the branch to frame the greeting.

Now it's over to you.  Don't forget there's prizes up for grabs ...... you can find all the details on the STAMPlorations Blog along with lots more gorgeous inspiration pieces from the rest of the Design Team ..... trust me, you won't be disappointed!  Happy Stamping!

I'm hoping this qualifies for this weeks Less is More challenge.  It's a Theme week and we have to use 3 stamps
Hmmm ..... thinking about it now I suppose it could be classed as 4 ..... I'm not including the sentiment.  Fingers crossed it's OK.   I missed playing along last week and it was One Layer Week too ...... I was gutted!!

So .... what's been going on for the last week .... well, we did get a new car.  Not brand new I hasten to add, but new to us.  Meet the latest addition ...... it's BIG!!!  Not sure I'll be driving it any time soon but, we'll see.

Have you noticed it's got a tow bar ..... you know what's going to come next don't you.  The other half is already talking about hiring caravans and stuff!!!  Thank goodness caravans are not allowed on the Isle of Man ...... except when the racing is on ..... that's the TT, the Southern 100 or the Grand Prix ..... and only then with an actual permit.  Maybe I don't have anything to worry about after all!!
We're actually taking her (I think it's a her) on a trip across the water on Sunday.  Yes we're braving the ferry and going across to the UK  for a couple of days ..... family stuff.   Fingers crossed the weather's good.  I don't like it when it get's bumpy ..... especially on the Manannan!!

I've got a lot to do before then though .... including a workshop on Saturday.  And .... I've got to get on top of all my DT stuff, including blog posts, for next month because I'm away again at the end of next week ..... yeah!!!   I've got a  two day craft retreat ......  a week with my bestest crafty buddy across and my first craft show of the year ..... I know!!! it's nearly May and I haven't been off the island yet.  I can't wait!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
I'm actually AWOL from the old craft room when this post goes live (don't tell anyone!) ...... I'm having a crafty afternoon with the ladies in Ballaugh ....... well, all work and no play is just no fun at all!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Back again (Happy Friday by the way!!)  Thanks to the nudge from my good friend Loll I'm also linking this up to this months CAS Mix Up Challenge 

The birds and branch have been stamped, there's a little but of stenciling on there and I've used water colouring as my choice element.

See you again soon .... I promise! xx