Merry and Bright ........

Happy Tuesday ........

OK ...... next time I have the bright idea of changing my craft room around, will someone please stop me!!!!  I only wanted to move the tables and now it's turning into a major operation.  I've even been looking at the possibility of new furniture!!

Of course to move the tables around, everything had to come off them. Not a problem, there was plenty of room to put it, all organised, on the floor and still be able to move around.  That was the easy bit!! 
Putting it all back once the tables had been moved, now that's a different matter.
As I was moving everything I thought I would tidy/clear out as I was going along ...... made sense.
After a few deep breaths some old, very dry ink pads finally went in the bin (gasp!), my box of card bits had a clear out (oh no! I'll probably need that tiny piece of designer paper now ..... after all, it had only been in there FOR EVER!!) and I'm now having a re-think about my die storage!  Well .... that's the rest of my week sorted!

Before all the chaos started I did find time to play with some of the NBUS (Never Before Used Stuff!) that has been mounting up recently in the craft room. Some of which is perfect for playing along with this month's CAS Christmas challenge ......

I must confess Christmas cards are not high on my to do list at the moment ......... I've got a holiday to go on yet! 
However, this pretty die from Crafter's Companion did catch my eye ...... it's called Decadent Snowflakes from the Gemini Create-a-Card range ........ isn't it pretty! Great for quick and easy festive designs too!

It's a beautifully detailed panel ..... which by the way, cut's like a dream through my Gemini machine.

I simply cut it from plain white card stock, trimmed it around the edge and then layerd it over a piece of card I'd found in my bits box.  I think it was possibly a mop up piece, coloured with Brusho ..... just what I was looking for.

I used a glue pen over each of the snowflakes, and then sprinkled with fine crystal glitter ..... it took a little bit of time to do, but it was worth it, it's so sparkly in real life!

A simple sentiment is all it needed to finish off

Stamped in a blue shimmer ink, and then heat embossed with a sparkly powder.

Well that's one Christmas card done!

Thank you for popping by ...... have a lovely day.
It's back to the 'tidying up' for me ...... well, I'm actually going to be packing my craft bag ready for tomorrow.  One of my lovely crafty friends had a birthday yesterday ....... Happy Belated Birthday Carol! 
We're keeping the celebrations going with a crafty get together/birthday bash tomorrow, and we've decided it's about time we had a play with our Gelli Plates which should be fun.  And of course, there will be cake!
Now I just need to figure out what I need to take with me.

You can also find me on the Uniko Blog today with a little DT inspiration.  Nothing festive going on there ....... although I suppose it could be, in different colours!   Why not pop over and take a look.

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Merry & Bright was a freebie with a magazine some time ago
Inks: Delicata pigment ink pad - Sapphire Blue; 
Other: Decadent Snowflakes Create-a-Card Die (Crafters Companion); Neutral Ultra Shimmer Embossing Powder - WOW!; Quickie Glue Pen; Ultrafine Crystal Glitter

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

Happy Sunday .........

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. 
I've got a little reminder for you of this months CAS Stencil challenge.

Robyn is hosting the challenge this month and she wants us to use ......... Sprays.  Another fun way of using our stencils.
There's a couple of links on this month's challenge post to videos with some great tips for using this technique.

It's a great way of making backgrounds, like I've done here for my Oddball Turtle (I love this little guy!).
I used a simple brickwall stencil, and Distress Oxide Spray.  I love the look of texture you can get from these sprays just by altering how you actually spray them ........ press the spray hard and you get lots of ink, and great coverage, half press the spray and you get a finer mist that creates this great look of texture ..... 

I die cut a circle from a piece of white card, off setting the die over the edge.  I then placed the brick wall background behind, and attached it to the front of my cardblank.

I stamped the turtle onto a piece of white card, used ZIG Brush Markers to colour him,  and then cut him out using the matching die ......

I doodled a few white dots onto his shell, and then attached him to my card using a wobbler.  These little plastic springs add a bit of dimension to your die cuts and also give them a bit of movement when you touch them, they're great fun to use.

To finish off I added the sentiment which comes with the turtle ......

We've got a couple of Guest Designers on the challenge this month ....... Hilary and Amy are joining in the fun so please pop by and say hello.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
I've been busy in the craft room most of the day.  I decided to give it a good tidy and have a change around.  Not the best idea I've had this weekend ...... it's anything but tidy now!!!  Let's just call it a work in progress shall we.

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Oddball Turtle (Stamping Bella)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Oxide Spray - Fossilised Amber
Stencils: Brickwall stencil
Others: Stitched circle die; ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Oddball Turtle Die (Stamping Bella)

We're having a Uniko Blog Hop .........

Good morning!

Happy weekend!  Lets get things started with a fun Blog Hop.

As August is a non new release month from Uniko, we're having one of our Revisit Blog Hops.
This is where we put a previoulsy released stamp set, sometimes with matching dies or even a stencil, into the spotlight again, and showcase a few new ideas.
This month it's the turn of ....... BIG & BOLD Wish, the clear stamp set and the matching Designer Dies

I do love large sentiments and words.  They're great for making a real statement with your cards.  And when they come with matching dies ....... there are so many possibilities.

One of my favourite techniques using dies is inlaid die cuts, it's also a quick and easy way of making two cards from the one die cut.

I found a nice rainbow coloured piece of YUPO paper in my stash, coloured using Alcohol Inks and left over from a previous project.

I'd simply swiped the alcohol inks across the YUPO paper and then spritzed over the top using Blending Solution.

I die cut the word from the centre, making sure to keep all the loose bits from around each letter, and then set this aside for later.
I also cut the word from plain white cardstock

The white version was then inlaid into the coloured YUPO, replacing the coloured bits from in between the letters (the w and the s)

I stamped the rest of my sentiment onto a snippet of white card using one of the stamps from the matching set and attached it underneath the inlaid die cut

Sparkly gems and a few glitter stars add the finishing touches.

And don't forget the twofer .......

I die cut the word from plain white cardstock, and layered the coloured one on the top for a little dimension.  I also die cut the shadow (which also comes in the matching die set) from white card and attached this underneath.

The word was then attached to the centre of a square card and the rest of the sentiment stamped above and below

And that's it ...... two quick and easy cards.  I love the splash of colour.

As it's a Blog Hop there's a prize up for grabs.
The lucky winner will receive ...... the BIG & BOLD Wish clear stamp set AND the matching Designer Dies!!

All you have to do to be included in the draw is comment on each of the blogs as you hop on through. 
You've probably arrived here from Julie's Blog and the next stop from here will be the lovely Lindsey You have until midnight (GMT) on Saturday 24th August to get your comments in.

Happy Hopping!

Bev

  Carol  

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda (that's me)

Lindsey

Sarah G

 Wiebke 

Thanks for popping by ......... have a great weekend.
Hubby and I are off to the Gaiety Theatre this afternoon, to see Singing in the Rain.

Apparently it's amazing. The reviews have been fantastic, and I'm so looking forward to seeing it. 
We're off to the matinee, followed by an early dinner in Wine Down.  It's not often I get dinner and a show!
Did you know, it's International Pinot Noir Day tomorrow and to celebrate our favourite little eatery is serving a special dinner this evening ...... they don't open on a Sunday!
4 delicious courses, each paired with a different style of Pinot Noir, and a glass of pink bubbly on arrival.  I do like a nice glass of red ..... especially when there's venison on the menu.  Cheers!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: BIG & BOLD Wish clear stamp set (Uniko)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Alcohol Ink Pearls - Deception (pink) Alchemy (yellow) Splendor (orange) & Sublime (green); Blending Solution
Other: YUPO cardstock; BIG & BOLD Wish Designer Dies (Uniko); Clear gems; Die cut stars; Glitter Glue

A midweek get together .......

Happy Thursday .......

The weekend is in sight ...... and the sun is shining, although it's not supposed to last. 
We were hoping to have a BBQ on Sunday, but if the forecast is right it's not going to happen!
Oh well!

I had a lovely day yesterday though ..... surrounded by my craft stash, and in the company of good friends.  And, there was cake of course!

It was workshop day.  Not usually held midweek, we all kept thinking it was Saturday ..... confused or what!!
We did complete two more pages on our calendars though ....... they're all coming along nicely.

There was a bit of everything yesterday ...... rubber stamping and heat embossing, watercolouring using ZIG Markers.

Pretty floral images in soft pastel shades ...... the embossing helps to keep the watercolour in place for a nice crisp finish

Not to worry though, if you do go over the edge ....... just add a little more water and make it part of the background, for a more softer look

And used the acetate smooshing technique to add colour onto the backgrounds ....... always fun to do, and very effective.

We used large sentiment stamps ...... they make great focal points and they were perfect for these quick and easy calendar pages

Smooshed Distress Inks again for the backgrounds, a little bolder this time though, with a touch of metallic gold in there.  The hardest part of these pages was, choosing which colours to use .....

We did a bit of Ink splattering, and a touch of doodling around the sentiments using a glue pen and glitter .....

Black fine liners, gold gel pens, enamel accents or crystal glaze ....... I even added a touch more colour to the little banners on the bottom using the Distress inks again

I think we're going Autumnal for the next lot of pages.  Rich, warm shades ........ with trees and leaves perhaps.  Hmmm ...... better get my thinking cap on!

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

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Hello Lovely (Concord & 9th); Sentiment stamps from Inkylicious; Be the Reason - Lil'inker stamps
Inks: Versafine; Distress Inks -  Stormy Sky, Shaded Lilac, Picked Rapsberry, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade,Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron,Wilted Violet; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata Golden Glitz
Others:  A4 Calendar (PaperMill Direct); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Acetate for smooshing, Gold & white gel pens, Stardust Glitter pen, Fine crystal glitter, Enamel Accents, Crystal Glaze

Hang on to those mop up paper towels ........

Happy Wednesday .......

How's your week going? ........ flying by just about describes mine!

I've got a fun day today ...... the ladies are coming round shortly for a midweek workshop.  We're going to be working on the calendars again, well we need to get them finished soon.
It's going to be easy watercolouring today, and also creating simple inky backgrounds for all those large sentiment stamps.

Before I dash off to finish getting everything ready, I want to play along with this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge. 

Interesting theme this month ...... Paper Towel??!? 

It's all about recycling those inky paper towels ..... you know, the ones we get when mopping up our craft mats, well ...... don;t throw them away!! 
Loll (Stamping with Loll) is hosting this month's challenge and she's used this technique in the past with amazing results. 
Now you know me ........ I don't like wasting inks or paints, and I do mop up, but it's usually with pieces of card first.  My paper towels don't look that pretty by the time I've finished!  However I did manage to find one that didn't look too bad so, here we go .....

I created the background by spritzing a piece of white card with a little water, I laid my mop up paper towel over the top and then sprizted again with water.  I placed another piece of card over the top, just to avoid getting more ink on my fingers, and then applied a little pressure to help transfer the ink onto the white card.

I did this a couple of times, using different parts of the paper towel and I love the results.  The texture from the paper towel has also come through and looks fab,  and I love the layers.
It's a bit of a surprise what you're going to get using this technique, and no two backgrounds will ever be the same.  What a fun way of using up left over inks!

I stamped over the top using one of the new stamp sets that arrived in the craft room last week ......

and heat embossed the image in gold.

The stamps are from a lovely set called Bloom, by a lady called Tracey Hey.   This is a new range to me.  I've seen the name around Blogland and in magazines so I popped onto the website for a little look.  Oh my! ....... what gorgeous designs, and so cute.  I had to shop, so you will be seeing a few more of Tracey's designs on here.

I added my sentiment, which is from the same stamp set ....... I love the mix of fonts

and I finished off with a few splatters of white paint.

That's ...... Paper Towel (check!)
                  Stamping (check!)
                  My choice ...... heat embossing, or it could be ink splatters (check!)

I'll be looking at my mop up towels a little differently now.

Thanks for popping by ..... have a lovely day.
It's time I checked the work table, they'll be here soon ....... here's a sneak peek at what we'll be doing

Cheerio until next time .........

Products used:
Stamps: Bloom (Tracey Hey)
Inks: Distress Oxides - Mustard Seed, Worn Lipstick, Mowed Lawn; Versamark,
Other: Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!), White Acrylic Paint .... and of course a mop up paper towel!

More festive fun with Sweet Poppy Stencils .....

Happy Tuesday ........

I hope your week has got off to a good start.

Did you see Lucy on the TV last week with some of the new Christmas designs from Sweet Poppy Stencils?  I know it's a little early for some of you to be thinking about the festive season but, things sold fast so some of you are getting into the Christmas spirit!

You saw some of my show samples on here last week, now here's the rest of them .......

I love the new Post Box stencil .......  great to use with inks.  Goes so well with the Holly Back Plate design too, for a really festive look.

Add a little sparkly glitter and a sprinkling of Chunky White Embossing Powder for a real snowy feel

I finished off with my card with one of the sentiments from the new stamp set .....

 The Post Box is such a great sized stencil, you don't really need anything else on your cards ......

Glossy White Paste and the gorgeous Sweet Poppy glitters .....

I added just a little bit of ink in the background, and sprinkled the Chunky White Embossing Powder again

And a festive sentiment to finish off  and you're done!
Those cute little holly leaves come in the sentiment stamp set ....... how useful are they going to be!!

Speaking of the sentiments, the circle ones in the set fit perfectly in any of the Sweet Poppy wreath stencils that you may have in your collection .......

And finally we have the Christmas Pudding ....... 

Again, a great size and such a fun design.  Perfect for using with the glitters and the gorgeous glass micro beads for added texture

I love Christmas pud don't you ..... although ours never gets eaten on Chrismtas Day!!!

Speaking of food, I had a lovely day out yesterday with Lauren and Alex.  We went up to the North of the island ..... all the way to Ramsey! and had afternoon tea at Milntown (very posh!)
It was one of my birthday gifts that I'd been saving ..... thanks Carol ...... it was deee-licious!!

On the way up there we came across some more Wallabies Gone Wild ....... yes, I'm still keeping my eyes open for these.  I think there's only a few weeks left to see them all now.

We  drove up over the mountain and stopped off at the Bungalow (top left). 
On into Ramsey town centre for a spot of retail therapy (top right) ..... well it would have been rude not to pop in to my favourite shops up there, and I did need to look for a special birthday gift. Maybe I didn't really need the new dress but ....... it was my size!!!
We did a quick stop off at Mooragh Park (bottom left), and also called at the Wildlife Park (bottom right) before heading home. 

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day
Hubby and I are off out this evening.  It's twelve months since our favourite little restaurant opened it's doors, and they're celebrating their first birthday with a special menu.

Roy ..... the chef behind the delicious food, and Anne who certainly knows her fine wines, have done an amazing job, making it one of the most popular places to be. I'm looking forward to a lovely evening.

Happy 1st Birthday Wine Down!  

 
Cheerio until next time ....... 

Products used:
Stencils: Post Box, Holly Back Plate, Holly Wreath, Christmas Pudding stencils (Sweet Poppy)
Stamps: Christmas Blessings (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Distress Oxides - Festive Berries, Black Soot, Gathered Twigs, Stormy Sky, Peeled Paint: Delicata Golden Glitz; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Other: Nesting Tag Dies (Sweet Poppy); Glossy White stencil paste; Green and Red Glitters, Crystalina Glitter, Black Glitter, Brown Ultra Fine Glass Micro Beads (Sweet Poppy); Red Glitter Glue