We're going on a wallaby hunt .......

Happy Friday .......

Well that's another week that's whooshed by. 
It's not been a bad one though ...... the sun has been shining for most of it.  Yes, summer is fnally here, and this time next week we'll be off on our annual family holiday .... yipeee!!!

There's still another week to go though, with lots to do.  There's loads going on in the craft room too, some of which needs to be finished before I go away!  Next week is going to be fun!

I've been catching up with the everyday stuff this week.  There's been doctor's appointments (just routine stuff), the car needed a service (nothing too major there).  The hot tub needed emptying (that's a job and a half!)  At least it was nice and warm this time ..... the last time I did it was back in  March and it was freezing!!!
I also had a lovely crafty get together with a friend which is always fun.  I don't usually get much done, it's Carol that does all the work.  I was showing her the mica technique using the stencil pastes and Sweet Poppy Stencils, then heating it up to create texture ..... we had a great time.  I will get around to making something with the results ...... eventually!
 
I'm looking forward to the weekend .... we're out tomorrow for a Summer Wine Tasting (cheers!) and then a late lunch at our favourite little place, and who knows, if the weather stays nice we might just have a drive out somewhere on Sunday, and do a spot of wallaby hunting.

Wallabies?? ..... on the Isle of Man? 
Oh yes...... we may not have foxes, badgers or squirrels on the island, but we do have wallabies.  And not just in the wildlife park! 
Rumour has it that years ago some escaped from the park, and we now have wild wallabies living in the north of the island.  Apparently the Isle of Man has the largest wallaby population in the northern hemisphere.  I haven't actually seen one in the wild yet ....... hopefully one day.

The wallabies that I'll be looking for are a little more easy to find than the wild ones, and a lot more colourful ........... just look at these, aren't they amazing!

It's called Wallabies Gone Wild ....... it's a huge art event that's going on all over the island in support of Hospice Isle of Man, celebrating their 35th anniversary and organised in partnership with the community art organisation Wild in Art.  It's been running since the end of May and will go right through until the 1st of September.

There are 26 large wallabies and 38 small ones dotted all over the island.
The large ones, which are all over seven feet tall, and have been hand painted and decoratd by local artists, have been placed in various well known outdoor spots ....... remember, I spotted Joey at the TT Grandstand

The smaller ones, painted by some of the islands schools and youth groups have been placed inside buildings and Hospice shops.

There's an app that you get for your phone which gives you a map to follow.  Each of the wallabies has a number that you key in and it keeps a record of the ones you've found.  So far I've only got 14 out of the 64 ...... so there's quite a few more out there yet.

One of my favourites so far ........ Shoal found in Port St Mary

Archie Knots on the quay in Douglas

And Teeval, Princess of the Sea from Port Erin ....

 I wonder who we'll find at the weekend.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
Stay cool and safe in the sunshine ....... and enjoy it!

Cheerio until next time .......

More Perfect Pearls .......

Good morning! Happy Thursday .......

Just to let you know that I'm on the Uniko Blog today, with a little DT Inspiration using one of the Uniko stencils.
Clean and Simple ...... could be great for a guy ...... and it's using those Perfect Pearls again so, I thought I would link it up to this months CAS Stencil challenge

If you fancy a closer look you can find all the details on the Uniko Blog.

Have a great day.

Cheerio until next time ......

Time for a Twofer .... which turned into a Four-fer!!!

Happy Wednesday ........

This week is flying by ....... I've been busy in the craft room though.  It's almost time for our annual family holiday so I'm trying to get organised!!
Two weeks on Friday you'll find me on a boat on the Norfolk Broads.  Well actually two weeks on Saturday ..... two weeks on Friday we'll be on a slightly bigger boat, sailing across to the UK, but more about all that some other time.

Last week was workshop weekend.   We took a break from the calendars and had a great time creating cards with Jennifer McQuire's Floating Die Cut Frames technique.
I must say I am hooked on this at the moment, and I think a few more ladies are after last Saturday.

It was a busy day, with lots of stamping, a whole load of colouring and plenty die cutting of course.
We did find time for cake though .....

I used Altenew stamp sets that had matching dies, and ZIG markers for my all of my colouring

I even did a little bit of heat embossing

Stamped sentiments to finish off ......

And a few little gold ink splatters here and there.

I love how you get a twofer everytime .......

Change things up and use different shapes to create the apertures ...... this was my favourite pair from the day

I love this stamp set ...... it's Ruffled Flowers from Altenew,  and of course the matching dies make it so easy to cut them all out

I added a die cut sentiment on this one ......

And of course, another pretty little twofer

In fact ....... from this set of die cuts I actually made FOUR cards, that's 2 sets of twofers!!
These were made from all the cut off pieces from around the edge of the original panel ...... they  just too pretty to throw away

I added the little bees so that I can link these two cards up to this month's Twofer Card Challenge ......

First up ..... a little Thank You card

Smaller than I usually make ..... this is 6x4 inches, but I was using up leftovers.

I arranged the left over die cuts over a panel of white card cut to the size of my card front.  I then covered them with some Glad Press & Seal ...... if you're not familiar with this it's a bit like cling film, but sticky. and then
I ran this through my Big Shot to die cut the centre panel.  The Press & Seal holds everything in place ....... it's fab!  Check out Jennifer McGuire's video it explains everything.

Once you've die cut the centre out, remove the white card from the back, turn over the remaining piece of Press & Seal and put foam pads on the back of all the die cut pieces making up the frame. This then goes onto the front of your card ..... the Press & Seal holds everything in the right place .... clever eh!

Once the die cuts are stuck down, carefully peel off the Press & Seal, and your die cuts will look as if they are floating ...... I love it!!!
The little bees are from a Stampin Up! set called Dragonfly Dreams ..... I'm not sure if it's still a current set.

And here's the twofer ......  a Birthday card made using that die cut centre panel

A simple frame around the edge, and a sentiment banner to finish off

You have to give this technique a go ..... it's so much fun!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
It's lovely here today, the sun is shining and it's warming up nicely.  It's about time though, it is June afterall!
No sitting in the sun just yet though, it's back to the craft room for me and I'm about to go all festive!
Don't worry, its for a magazine later in the year so I'm not going all Ho! Ho! Ho! just yet!!!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Ruffled Flowers, Leaf Canopy (both with matching dies ) Altenew; Dragonfly Dreams (SU) Penny Black sentiment stamps; Birthday Messages (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocture; Versamark; Delicata Golden Glitz;
Others: Hello Die (Altenew); Nestabilities die - circles, rectangles, ovals: Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Pearl Drops (Nuvo); Small crystal gemstones

There's still time to play along with the CAS Stencil challenge .....

Happy Tuesday ......

It's time for a little reminder about this months CAS Stencil Challenge ..... have you played along yet?

It's my turn to host this month,  and the challenge theme is all about using Perfect Pearls/Pearl-Ex

If you're not familiar with little pots of pearlescent powders check out the links on the CAS Stencil Blog to some great videos.  You'll also find some amazing inspiration from the rest of the DT on there too!

I like to use these powders on black/dark cardstock.  They work great with your stamps but, you can also get amazing results using your stencils .......

I've used a simple bubble stencil here ..... I'm not sure what brand this particluar one is (the packaging is long gone I'm afraid!) but there's loads out there, and I'm sure all you stencil fans will have at least one in your collection!

I used a tacky ink through the stencil ....... Versamark or Nuvo's Embossing Ink is perfect.
I applied the ink using a sponge, and gently pounced a little through the design, building up the ink gradually.  Doing it this way makes it easier to get the ink through the smaller circles and you avoid the ink bleeding underneath the design.

Once I'd covered the piece of black card I removed the stencil and then using a brush, I dusted over the top with various pastel colours of the Perfect Pearls.
The powders stick to the tacky ink so when you carefully brush away any excess the stencil design is left behind in a beautiful pearlescent finish

I gently spritzed over the design with some water ...... just a light mist to fix the powders so that they don't rub off.

I die cut part of my sentiment from white cardstock, and used pastel shades of ZIG Markers to add a touch of colour

I attached it over the stencil design and then gave it a coat of clear glaze and sprinkled on some fine crystal glitter

I stamped the rest of my sentiment onto a snippet of card and attached it underneath,  and then finished off with some sparkly sequins

Check out this months Challenge Blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have created using Perfect Pearls/Pearl-Ex with stencils.
We've also got a fabulous Guest Designer this month too ..... Chrissie (Simply One of a Kind) is joining in the fun so be sure to pop by there and say Hello!

Happy stenciling!

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

Cheerio until next time ....

Products used:
Stamps: Birthday sentiments;
Inks: Versamark; Versafine Clair - Nocture;
Others: Happy die (Winnie & Walter); Bubble stencil, ZIG Markers, Crystal Glaze (Nuvo); Sequins;
Perfect Pearls - Mint, Sunflower Sparkle,Pink Gumball & Turquoise

Be a Mermaid ......

Good morning .......

It's Friday ...... we've got blue skies and sunshine this morning. It looks lovely out there.
I feel a bit bad saying that after the weather we had during the TT fortnight ..... never mind it's only 351 days until the next one!!!

It's been a busy week in the craft room ..... dare I say it but, the 'C' word has been mentioned!!!  Oh yes, Christmas is on it's way!
Don't worry ......I think I'll leave it a little longer before I go all festive.  I'm still thinking sun, sea and sand ..... I haven't had a holiday yet!!!

Anyway .... it's time to remind you about this month's Craft Stamper challenge.  There's still lots of time left if you'd like to play along.

The theme is Anything Goes as long as there's actual rubber stamping on your project, and it can be anything you like ...... a card or a tag, a journal page, or an ATC.  A scrapbook layout, a piece of jewellery, or even home decor ..... the choice is yours.

Speaking of sand and sea ..... do you belive in mermaids?

I love this stamp from the Lovely Legs range from the Colorado Craft Company. There's some real fun designs but this one caught my eye.
I simply stamped the mermaid onto a piece of watercolour cardstock and then coloured her using a mix of ZIG markers and one of the new Sparkle Glitter Inks from Specturm Noir ........

These inks are so pretty and really sparkly.  Give them a good shake before you use them then simply paint them on and let them dry.  The soft shimmer from them is beautiful .......

Not easy to photograph though .......

The sentiment, included in the stamp set, was stamped using a multi-coloured ink pad (something I haven't used in a long time!)

Pretty pearlescent shades of blues and greens.
And I finished off with a few dots of Nuvo's Jewel Drops ...... they look like real water bubbles.

There's a great prize for the Challenge Winner ...... this wonderful stamp set designed by our very own Donna Gray

Thank you to the team at Blank Page Muse for that.
And don't forget we'll also have a Design Winner chosen by the DT.  They get their winning design published in the Craft Stamper magazine, along with a winner's profile on the Blog, and the chance to be a Guest Designer on a future challenge.
To be in with a chance of winning either prize follow the challenge guidelines and get your entries in!

Happy stamping!

EDITED:  Ooops ..... forgot to do this bit this morning.

I'm also linking up my card to this month's CAS Watercolour Challenge where the theme is ... Something Blue.  I think my mermaid fits the bill.

It's workshop weekend tomorrow, so I'm off now to finish all the final prep.  It's going to be a fun one, we're playing with floating die cut frames inspired by the lovely Jennifer McGuire.  Lots of stamping, colouring, and die cutting ....... should be a quiet afternoon!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and hav a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Lovely Legs - Be a Mermaid (Colorado Craft Company)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Brilliance Multi-Color ink pad Peacock; Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter Ink - Moonstone
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Jewel Drops - Sea Breeze (Nuvo)

Fancy a Blog Hop? ........

Good morning ........

It's the weekend ....... yeah!!!! 
I think we're going to have a quiet one, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

There is a Blog Hop going on though ........ why not grab a cuppa and hop on through the Uniko Revisit Blog Hop.
As there's no new release from Uniko this month we're revisiting a couple of previously released stamp sets ........ Explosion! and Explosion Additions ...... along with the matching Designer Dies.

I think these stamps are great for kids and teenager cards, and all those hard to make for men!!  Perfect for all sort of occasions too..... don't forget, Father's Day is next weekend.

This was so quick to make ...... and having the matching dies makes it really easy to cut out.

I simply stamped my images onto white card using my new Catherine Pooler inks ..... I've had my eye on these inks for so long, so I finally gave in to temptation and bought some of the minis just to try (I didn't really need new inks but ..... you know how it is!)

The colours are fab, and great coverage too. Now I need more!!

I used the matching dies to cut them out and then attached them to my card front, layering one on top of the other ......

The WOW! is attached using a piece of folded acetate giving it a bit of movement.

I stamped my sentiment underneath ......

And finished off with a few dots of enamel accents

Just think of all the different colour combinations you could use!

You have until midnight (BST) on June 15th to complete the Blog Hop.  Don't forget to leave comments along the way.
There's also a fab prize up for grabs ..... a £25 eGift Certificate for one lucky Blog Hopper.

The rest of the DT have been busy with these stamps so pop by and see all their fabuous designs.  Here's the full list .......

Bev

Carol 

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda (that's me)

Lindsey

Rahmat

Sarah G

Sarah P

Wiebke 

Happy hopping!

Thanks for popping by ........ have a lovely weekend.

Well we got through another TT.   Despite the bad weather we've had over the last couple of weeks causing delay after delay, all the racing was completed.   

The weather was kind for the final two days. Thursday was glorious and crammed with racing ..... 5 races and two qualifying sessions, with the big one, the Senior Race being run as always yesterday (Friday).

This year's winner ..... Dean Harrison 

photo courtesy of 3fm Radio

We've been up to the Grandstand ..... and met Joey (more about the giant Wallabies later!)

We made it to Bushy's TT Village again and soaked up the TT atmosphere ..... with maybe a gin or two (speaking of which it's World Gin Day today ....... cheers!)

And we watched the finale fireworks ......

So .... it's all over for another year.  The countdown is already on to TT 2020!!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Explosion Additions, Birthday Wishes (Uniko)
Inks: Catherine Pooler inks - Rockin Red, Tiara; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Others: Designer Dies - Explosion Collection (Uniko); Red Enamel Accents