Butterflies for the Twofer Challenge .........

Happy Wednesday .......

How are you? ........ I hope you're having a good week.
It's a little bit more relaxed here this week ..... thank goodness. 
I think we went a bit crazy after completing our quarantine last week.  It was so nice to be able to finally get out and about again, get back to normal ...... and the weather wasn't too bad either!

Hubby's still working from home, no change there, and I've been spending some time in the craft room.  Not doing anything in particular, catching up mainly and tidying up the place.  As hubby says ..... I've got some stuff!!

I've just got time to play along with one of my favourite challenges before the deadline closes ...... it's been a while!

Darnell's Twofer Card Challenge ..... always fun, and a great way to re-stock those card supplies.

Here's mine ....... A belated birthday card (ooops! I occasionally need those), and a Thinking of You card (for one of those just because occasions)

I love butterfly stamps, the big decision this time was which one to use.
I decided on a Penny Black favourite and used the emboss resist technique to create my birthday card

I stamped the large butterfly randomly all over a piece of white cardstock, and heat embossed in white. 
I then blended my Distress Inks over the top ........ I never get tired of this technique.  The more ink you apply and the darker the colour, the more your embossing will stand out.  The heat embossing acts as a resist to the DI's ...... once you've applied the ink just buff off any excess with a soft cloth  and the embossing shows through perfectly.

I also did a little splattering with some water just to add more interest to the background

I stamped my sentiments and added them as banners off to the side, and finished with a few crystal drops

I went sort of CAS for my Twofer ......

Same butterfly stamp, only this time I used coloured inks to stamp the image

I added my sentiment over the top, and I made a mask to cover the butterfly before using the same colours of ink to add some splatters onto the background

Two cards, for two different occasions using the same stamp!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
No sunshine here today ..... it's been raining for most of the day.  Let's hope it's a bit better for the weekend, although we've nothing planned as yet!
Last weekend we took the van across the island on a little trip to Peel.

Peel's really nice, Sunset City as it's sometimes know as.  Lovely beaches, there's a great walk around the castle, especially when the sun's going down, and there's a couple of really nice restaurants there that we don't visit very often.  However, thanks to Remi (the van) that's about to change.

We had a lovely weekend.  We stayed on Peel campsite which was fab.  Large site, not very busy, with great facilities and, about a 15 min walk into town ..... perfect!
We had dinner at Filbey's on Friday which was delicious.
 

The kids joined us on Saturday, the first time we'd seen them since the end of June,  and we went to The Boatyard for a lovely family dinner.

We're off out again tomorrow .... our regular table at Wine Down.  I suppose you could say we're making up for lost time ....... I'm just enjoying not having to cook every night!

I'm cooking this evening though ....... nothing fancy, we're having a curry night. 
We've also got the little man staying overnight so it could be movie night too ...... another Star Wars film maybe!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Belated Birthday card .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black); Banner Bits (Avery Elle); Tiny Words Birthday (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Nuvo Crystal Drops

Thinking of You .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black);
Inks: Catherine Pooler Mini Inks - Aquatini, Fiesta Blue, Something Borrowed; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Crystal gems from my stash

Happy Everything! .......

Hello there ..... Happy Wednesday!

Well our 14 day quarantine is finally over ..... whoo hoo!!! 
It wasn't too bad, and we're both fine which means we're free again .... happy days!  We've already got the weekend planned .... can't wait!

It's time for a quick reminder though about July's CAS Mix Up Challenge. 
I wasn't here for the launch but I didn't want to completely miss playing along with this month's theme.

We have a fun Stencil challenge for you this month, hosted by Nancy.

To play along you must use a stencil on your cards, follow the theme ..... Stencil Tracing, and of course keep things Clean and Simple (CAS)

There's a couple of ways of Stencil Tracing, you can either use your stencil to draw/trace around the design or, outline your finished stencil design freehand, like I've done here ........

This was so quick to make ..... I simply inked through my stencil using Distress Inks

I removed the stencil and stamped the sentiment across the centre ......

And then I outlined around the edge of the stenciled image using a Stardust Glitter Gel Pen.

This is so subtle, and depending on how the light catches it can almost look like it isn't there, if you know what I mean. 
I hope the sparkle comes across in the photos, it does look really pretty IRL.

We've had three amazing Guest Designers joining the DT this month .........

Greta (GG Creations)

Sandie (London Days)

&

Kia (Kia's Art Bits)

Check out the CAS Mix Up Blog to see all their gorgeous inspiration, and if you fancy playing along there's still time ....... the challenge is open until 24th July.

Happy stenciling!

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

Cheerio until next time ....

Products used:
Stencil: Daisy stencil (Inkylicious)
Stamps: Happy Chic Wishes (Mama elephant)
Inks: Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Rusty Hinge; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Other: Stardust Gel Pen

It's been a journaling sort of weekend .......

Happy Monday .........

I hope you've had a lovely weekend.
Did you manage to see Lucy and Sweet Poppy Stencils on TV on Friday?  I hope you were quick off the mark if you wanted the new stencil designs and the snowflake die.  I couldn't believe how quickly everything sold out ....... even the advance orders!  If you weren't one of the lucky ones to get your orders in ...... try the Sweet Poppy website, you never know there maybe a little stock remaining on there.

We're still in quarantine after our trip across to the UK ....... today is Day 13 though, so only one more to go and then we're freeeee again!! 
We've already booked a campsite for Friday and Saturday night, along with dinner out on Friday, and lunch out with the kids on Saturday ......... I'm so excited!  I can't remember the last time we went to a restaurant.  I think it was my birthday back in March!! 
We're definitely making up for lost time, we're also out on Thursday evening this week at our favourite little place in Douglas.  We should have been there last week for Hubby's birthday but we were grounded so change of plan.
As I said, the last time we were there was the beginning of March and there's been a few changes since then ........

They've got BIGGER!!!  Can't wait to check it all out.

There was also another change announced on the island last week with regards to our borders.
The government had previously published a 5 Stage plan to getting our borders open again. 
Starting with Stage 5 -  Essential only ........ repatriation of residents who hadn't been able to get home before the borders closed, and also allowing residents only to travel on compassionate grounds, both cases needing permission to return, and 14 days quarantine.
As of July 20th, we're going into Stage 4.  This means that Manx residents can now choose to travel to the UK, and beyond, for any reason BUT they must still quarantine for 14 days on their return.  It's going to be a slow process getting our borders open fully but, I think it's better to be safe than sorry!

Anyway ......... what did you get up to over the weekend? 
It's was journaling for me ..... with more online workshops.
I'm really enjoying these Facebook Live workshops.  It's nice to craft along in real time but, the good thing is if you do get behind a little, for whatever reason, you can always go back to the video once the workshop is over and watch it all again. 
Also good if you're sat having your morning coffee and FB pops up a notification to tell you the workshop is live and you suddenly realise that you've put the wrong dates in your diary!!!!
I moved fast that morning!

It's been an amazing three days with Tracy Scott ...... first up the Warrior Princess using Tracy's new stamps and stencils ........

This is BIG! She's done in the large Dina Wakley Media Journal which is just a little bit smaller than A3 size ...... it's a lovely journal (first time I'd used mine).
I got a bit carried away I think, and she ended up as a double page ........ I even hand cut the dream-catcher after drawing round one of Tracy's stencils.
 

Here's another double page spread ....... same stamps and stencil in the large Dylusions journal this time

So as you can see,  it's been a busy weekend. 

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely week.
Time to catch up with the housework now, but first ....... coffee!

Cheerio until next time ......

Someone's having a birthday .........

Good morning ..... Happy Friday!

Today's a very special day ......... it's hubby's Birthday! 

The celebrations will have to wait a few days until we're out of quarantine but, I am cooking one of his favourites this evening ..... beef stroganoff, accompanied by a nice bottle of red .... or two!!

Today is also the day when Lucy is back on Hochanda ..... 10am this morning (quick ..... grab a cuppa and settle down on the sofa!) and again at 2pm this afternoon.

As always there'll be brand new stencil designs, some fab favourites and back in stocks, along with lots of other good stuff to add to your Sweet Poppy stash.
Lucy will be giving great tips and techniques, showing you how to get the most from your stencils and of course there'll be lots of inspiration on show from the Design Team.

Yesterday I shared a couple of ideas with you using the snowflake stencil and the brand new matching die.  Today I've got a couple more for you using two of the new stencils ..... you will love these new designs!!

First up ..... Shower of Love (how cute are these two!!)

Designed for Sweet Poppy by Tracey Dutton from Lavinia Stamps, these little bunnies are just gorgeous!

I've used them here over a background from my stash (I think it's a mop up piece, using Distress Inks) for a really quick and easy, but pretty card.

I've used black ink through the stencil ....... gradually building up the depth of colour to get a nice crisp image

I then added Glossy Accents to the heart-like flowers and sprinkled with glitter whilst they were still wet ......

and finished with a sentiment on the bottom

Another gorgeous new design from Tracey is ....... Nocturne, another cute little bunny

These new stencils are a great size.  Perfect for all your cards but, why not use them to make home decor projects. This is a little MDF Heart that could be a door or wall hanger.

I used some pretty papers to cover the heart first, and then dry brushed over the top with a little white gesso just to knock some of the colour back and give a bit of a worn or vintage look

I then used the stencil over the top ....... adding extra flowers each side

Once the ink was dry I added some shimmery highlights to the tops of the flowers using a Stardust Gel Pen ...... these look so pretty when the light hits them.

I stamped a sentiment on there and to give it a more vintage look I added some heat embossing around the edge using an aged gold embossing powder.  I also attached some pretty lace around the edge to give a real feminine look

And I couldn't resist adding a cute little white tail onto the bunny ....... sorry Tracey!

OK ..... I'd better get a move on if I'm to catch Lucy's first show.
Grab a cuppa and I'll see you there.

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the shows.

Have a great weekend.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some nice weather ....... we filled the hot tub yesterday seeing as the islands hose pipe ban was lifted.  Might as well enjoy what's left of our 14 days quarantine ...... we're on day 10 today!

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

Products used:
Stencils: Shower of Love, Nocturne (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Stamps: Friends A6 Stamp Set (Sweet Poppy)
Others: Crystalina Fine Glitter (Sweet Poppy); MDF Heart & Patterned Papers from my stash; Stardust Gel Pen; Aged Gold Embossing Powder (Frantage - Stampendous) Lace & ribbon from my stash

Busy in quarantine .......... again!

Happy Thursday .......

How is everyone?  Safe and well I hope.

Sorry I haven't been around much these last few weeks ......  things just got a little on top of me I think, and blogging was the last thing on my list!!

There's been a lot going on, including a trip across to the UK which wasn't the best! 
June wasn't a good month.  My father-in-law sadly lost his battle with cancer, and we made the trip across to attend the funeral and spend some time with Stephen's mum.
It was lovely, in the circumstances, very personal with only 15 people allowed to attend ....... but I think Les would have approved.
Because our borders here in the Isle of Man are still closed, before we left the island we had to get permission from the government so that we could actually come back.  And, once we arrived home we were checked in by the border police and have had to quarantine ourselves for 14 days. 
So even though our little island is all back to normal, we're back to video calling the kids and the furthest we can go is into the garden.  And we can't actually do much of that because the weather is rubbish!! 
We're currently on Day 9, and counting.  It's not too bad ..... hubby is working from home, I'm baking or trying too,  the jigsaws are out again, and I have ventured back into the craft room. 
We have a table booked at our favourite restaurant for the day we're out of quarantine (can't wait!) ....... we had to cancel the one we had booked for hubby's birthday this Friday! 
And once the quarantine is done we're off out in the van again.  We've booked a campsite for the weekend after next ....... don't care what the weather's like!!

So, what's everyone else up to?  Fancy a bit of Sweet Poppy Stencils? 
Lucy is back on Hochanda tomorrow (Friday) ...... two shows, 10am and again at 2pm.  New stencil designs, some festive favourites and ....... remember that gorgeous new snowflake that sold out really quickly from the last shows ........

well ....... it's back, with a brand new matching die!!!  So many more possibilities.

Here's a couple of ideas using the stencil and the die together ........

Very clean and simple ..... great for batch making.

I used the stencil first, with my new favourite Distress colour (love the Speckled Egg!) onto a piece of white card.

I then used the matching die to cut out my snowflake ..... just love the detail, and the die cuts beautifully.  I did pass it through my machine two or three times, just to make sure all the detail cut properly

I also cut two more snowflakes just from plain white card and layered them all together to give it a bit of dimension

A few ink splatters on the background, and a sentiment ......

and of course a little sparkle to finish off ......

The die on it's own makes a beautiful snowflake ......

I simply used the die to cut three snowflakes from plain white card, layered then together and added a touch of glitter to the top ......

To do the background I took a piece of white cardstock (6x6 inches) and scored it at 3/4 inch intervals.  Using a damp baby wipe I then applied Distress Ink (Speckled Egg) to the debossed side of the card, swiping in the direction of the embossed lines ...... top to bottom. This gives a sort of weathered wood look to the card .......

I used the snowflake stencil to add more detail to the background using the same colour of Distress Ink ...... I do like tone on tone!

I added some white paint splatters, a sprinkling of Chunky White embossing powder, and of course a sentiment ......

The pretty snowflake was then attached over the top using foam pads and a sparkly gem to finish

So .... use the stencil on it's own, or just the die, but they do work great together.
Tune in tomorrow to see more fabulous ideas from Lucy and the Design Team.  Mine won't be on the TV this time ....... unfortunately due to being in quarantine I couldn't get to the post office!!  I still had fun with the new stencils though.  Check out later for a couple of ideas using two of the brand new designs.

Thanks for popping by .......

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stencils: Snowflake stencil (Sweep Poppy)
Stamps: Noel stamp set (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Distress Ink - Speckled Egg; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata Metallic Ink - Silvery Shimmer
Others: Snowflake Die (Sweet Poppy); Crystalina Fine Glitter (Sweet Poppy); Chunky White Embossing Powder; White Acrylic Paint (splatters)