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 ......