Welcome to Autumn ......

Happy Friday folks ......

Summer is officially over ...... it's blowing a hooley out there!!
I'm still refusing to accept it though ....... we haven't been on our holiday yet! Only 2 more sleeps to go then hubby and I are off.
We're going to Croatia for a week, for a little rest and relaxation.  It's our first time visiting that part of the world so not sure what to expect.  I just hope there's still a little bit of sunshine left.

I'm NOT taking the laptop with me so there'll be no blogging I'm afraid.  Well ...... there might be, the MacBook is going with us so you never know ..... there won't be any craft though! (I'm looking forward to the break after this last week!)

It's been non stop in the old craft room, getting everything prepped ready for when I get back.
Yes it's going to be October when we get home ..... how scary is that!

I had one very important card to make this week ..... it this little munchkin's 7th birthday (where has that time gone!)

Hubby and I took him for a midweek birthday pizza, as we're going to be away for his big birthday bash with his friends at the weekend. We couldn't leave the restaurant until he'd had a yummy birthday surprise from the waiters.
I did find time to make him a card .......

Neat & Tangled's Ink Splat ......... stamped using various colours of Distress Oxides

Lots of sparkly 7's die cut from glitter card ..... some were coloured using Copic markers as the only coloured card I had was red!

A die cut sentiment, coloured and heat embossed with clear powder, and a few dots of white enamel accents to finish

He loved it! (Thank goodness)

Oh well ... must dash.  I haven't started on the packing yet ....... still washing and ironing in between finishing projects in the craft room.  I've still got all day tomorrow though ...... no need to panic just yet.

Thanks for popping by .... .enjoy your weekend and I'll see you when I get back .... in October!!!

Cheerio until next time .....

What a weekend! .......

Happy Tuesday .....

Well ... this week is flying by, which is great because hubby and I are off on holiday on Sunday .... whoo hoo!!!
We're off to Croatia, and Slovenia ...... we've never been before so we're really looking forward to it.
But it also means that I haven't got much time to spare this week ...... it's full steam ahead in the old craft room, getting everything ready for the beginning of next month.  Or at least that's what it should be ........ yesterday was the bank, haircut, trip into town with Lauren .... and guess what .... I didn't buy anything (there's a first time for everything!)

I'm off out again today ...... then the little man is here after school so, I guess Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ...... you'll know where to find me!  Let's hope Mr Mojo hasn't set off for Croatia early!!

The workshop at the weekend was fab .... the table was full and we had three new faces. The theme was, by request, Black Cardstock.

It's not everyone's favourite I know.  Some use it just for matting and layering which is great, black card creates the perfect frame, and really makes your designs pop. But, it's nice to use in other ways too. Here's a few ideas that we played around with ......

Keep things CAS, with an elegant look ........

No need for extra colour ...... let your stamped images do the work

Keep the sentiments simple too ......

If you want to add colour try using pearlescent paints .......

These were done with Starlight Paints from Imagination Crafts.  I used a beautiful white ....

And a pretty pink .....

Add colour in a different way .... by stamping on to white card and then using pens or inks/paints to colour and then fussy cutting to create a pretty embellishment ......

Use the same image to create the background ..... simply stamped and heat embossed

Then add the pop of colour on the top .....

Finally ..... something I don't do very often ...... smaller cards

These are 6x4 inches and so cute.
And yes ...... something else you don't see me use a lot of ...... mirri card!

 
I spotted this pretty design on Pinterest ..... so I can't take the credit for this. I think it was originally on the Papertrey Ink Blog.  I've just added my own little touch to it .......
I stamped and clear embossed the image inside the frame as well, to give a bit more interest to the background ...... I love the look of clear embossing on black card, it's so delicate and looks elegant

Tiny cute sentiments and a little bit of ribbon to finish off .......

The only thing I don't like about Black cardstock is ...... it's hard to photograph, especially when there's shine or sparkle on there!!!

Not only was it a great workshop weekend ...... hubby and I had a fab time at the Food Festival (we always do!)
I got the Christmas pud .... and a Christmas cake ....... and chocolates, fancy coffee, biscuits, delicious steaks, sausages, pies, locally made Chorizo, olive bread and the best BBQ sauce EVER!!!

This was just the first trip down there!!! The wooden sign in the background was for hubby ....

As always the event was a great success ..... and the weather held out over the weekend too!  Roll on next year.

Before I go I just want to say a HUGE Thank You to one of my Blog friends .... you know who you are!  I got the biggest surprise on Saturday morning when these little beauties arrived ........ aren't they soooo pretty! I love them!

And then ........ the perfect thing came along to try them out .....

Thank you Carol .... you know me so well!!
I have the best friends ever!!

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

Cheerio until next time ....

Happy it's the weekend ........

Good morning ........

Have you got that Friday feeling? ..... I know I have.  It's been a busy old week and I'm so looking forward to the weekend.

Did you catch Lucy on the TV yesterday?  I still have the afternoon show to watch.
What do you think of the Christmas designs? And what gorgeous samples from the rest of the DT ..... each one so different.
I think my favourite stencil was the wreath ....... or was it the tree .... or wait, there was that gorgeous, large holly background.  Decisions, decisions .... I just love them all!

Here's a closer look at some of my samples you may have spotted on the shows ...... you might want to grab a cuppa this could be a lengthy post!
Let's start with that pretty Christmas Tree Swirl ......

Black cardstock, spritzed with Perfect Pearls and left to dry naturally .....

The tree was then stenciled over the top using the Glossy White paste and sprinkled with the Crystalina glitter

I added tiny dots of coloured glitter glue to give the look of lights or baubles, and created a snowy landscape to ground the tree by simply sponging white ink along the edge of a piece of copier paper.

A simple stamped sentiment attached with some silver twine is all it needed as a finishing touch.

Here's the same stencil, done in the same way but on a different background ...... I love the icy look to this and only the one colour too

The background was simply a piece of white cardstock painted with the Sweet Poppy Persian Blue Lustre paint ..... how pretty is that

Just by adding a little more water in places to the paint  I got this pretty two tone effect.

As Leonie said on yesterday's show .... don't think you always have to use the whole stencil.  You've probably guessed I like to this with the stencils .... and with my stamps ..... it just gives a different look

And to finish off this one .... a simple stamped and embossed greeting along with a few white enamel dots  .......

Again ... same stencil .... completely different look .....

See how I've used part of the stencil to create a bit more interest in the background .....

Next up .... the Christmas Wreath .....

Done with the paste and glitter again ...... and then fussy cut before attaching onto an embossed background

A pretty ribbon bow and a few dots of glitter glue on the berries and you're done!

CAS and off the edge again ..... I love how this turned out

Love the detail ....... these stencils are top quality!

Don't just use them for card designs ...... here's a large MDF tag for those BIG boxes under the tree

This was so much fun to do ..... the Crackle Paint onto the background .....

A little touch of Distress ink around the edges and the stencil over the top .....

A festive die cut sentiment across the middle .... with a touch of Glossy Accents

Some festive foliage and  more of the pretty Crystalina glitter to add a frosty look

And last but not least ..... hope you're still with me .... that gorgeous, large Holly Back Plate
This is a lovely BIG stencil but don't let that put you off ... it's so useful.  Makes great backgrounds obviously, as Lucy demonstrated so well on air (looked fab with the Translucent paste).  But why not use that large design to make lots of different cards ......... you've already seen this one, think how many die cut baubles you could get out of one piece of stenciled cardstock

Or how many fussy cut pieces of holly ..... might take some time to do but,  great little embellishment for your festive designs.

Cut the design into smaller pieces if you like to send smaller cards ......

A little bit of Distress Ink around the edges and a simple strip stamped with the sentiment ....

Or use a large part of the design to make your 8x8 cards and you'll still have some left over to die cut
I made this look like a parcel ......

Festive ribbon and a cute little tag for the greeting ......

This stencil works great with inks too ......

Mask off a panel on the front of your card and use Distress Inks ......

You can still add your glitter glues or liquid pearls to the berries ......

I edged my design with a strip of double sided tape and then used gilding flakes over the top ...... and a simple stamped and embossed sentiment ..... another pretty CAS design using only part of the stencil

Why not mask around one or two of the bunches of  holly and use on the inside of your cards to decorate your sentiment ..... the uses for this design are endless.

Phew!  I think that's the lot.  Well done if you're still with me. I hope I've given you plenty of festive inspiration.

I'll be in the craft room most of today ........ it's a workshop weekend tomorrow and I've still got prep to do!!!
We're going to be playing with black cardstock ..... by request from one of the ladies.
Here's a little sneaky peek at one of the designs ........ pearlescent paints .... they work great on black (just wish I could photograph it better!)

Do you remember back in February(ish) I mentioned we had decided to order a new dining table. Well ...... the wait is finally over!!!!  We've had a couple of problems along the way but, Charlotte at the furniture store has been wonderful and our new table is now here.  It's BIG!!!  It's not actually the one we ordered originally ....... it's bigger.  It's solid too .... a beautiful piece of oak

It's a whopping 3.5m long when fully extended and 1.2m wide ..... perfect for Christmas dinner and family Sunday lunches.  And loads of space for my crafty ladies ...... after its been well covered of course! (Luckily we have plenty of chairs!)

Not only is it a workshop weekend ...... but ..... one of my favourite events is happening over the next two days ..... the IOM Food and Drink Festival!

I'll be popping off down there first thing tomorrow to get some shopping done ..... must get this year's Christmas pud, amongst other things ..... yum!!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day and have a fabulous weekend!

Cheerio until next time ......