Blogger is at it again ........

Happy Friday ........

Thank goodness it's the weekend!  It seems to have been a busy week,  but I don't seem to have done that much!  I've hardly spent any time in the craft room this week but, I have got a few new goodies to play with so hopefully next week I can get in there and have some fun!

We have been out in the van though ..... we did our first 'wild camp' on the island.  No hook up to power, and no campsite facilities ..... it was fun.  We have everything we need in the van so we were fine.  

We went down to the south, to Port Erin and parked up right at the end of the bay

It was lovely, a bit on the breezy side,  very quiet ......... and we survived!!!  We did eat out, and then watched the sunset, although it had started to cloud over earlier in the evening.

We'll definitely be doing that again!

I assume by now that you've all heard about Blogger discontinuing their Feedburner email subscription service as of July this year. 

What that means is, if you receive an email notification each time I publish a new blog post then as of July that will no longer be happening ...... eeek!!!

Now, technology and me ..... never been a good match.  Anything complicated and I'm totally confused.  Hubby's no help because he doesn't understand Blogger, so ........... I've been doing a bit of research, and now I'm even more confused.  My head hurts!!!

 

I've checked out my email subscribers list for Life in the Craft Lane,  and WOW! ..... what a lot of names (though between you me and the gatepost, I don't think half of them are real!!! but heyho!)

Anyway ........ to cut a long story short I've set up a new email subscription form ...... on a trial basis, using follow.it

I myself have received email notifications from this, for Blogs that I follow so I thought I would give it a go.  The only down side is I can't seem to get my email subscribers list to import in full (told you I'm no good with technology!)  

So ....... I've gone through my email subscribers list and picked out just a handful of the addresses that I know and added those to my follow.it feed.  

Hopefully these will now receive an email confirmation of new blog posts and everything will work fine! (OK who am I kidding, but you never know)  

So, if you used to receive an email notification and now you don't, but you would like to continue to subscribe via email, can I please ask you to sign up again using the new follow.it form over on the right hand side.  I'm hoping that it works, if not I'll have to go back to square one.

I'm really sorry for any inconvenience ........ blame Blogger!!!

This change is going to effect so many of us ...... why do they do it!?  If it ain't broken, don't fix it comes to mind.

And, if any of you clever bloggers out there figure out an easy way of getting around all this, please let me know because it's driving me insane!!!!!

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

We've got another Bank Holiday on Monday so it's a nice long weekend here ..... lets hope the sun shines.

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

CAS Christmas Card Challenge .......

Hello there, happy Tuesday .........

Guess what!  I've got my festive hat on again for this month's CAS Christmas Challenge ..... Falalalala lalalala! (are you singing along now?)

It's all about Foliage and Berries this month, and so tempted as I was to go all traditional in festive greens and reds, I decided to have a change ...... what do you think?

I do love simple black stamping onto Kraft card, and this pretty stamp from Simon Says has so much detail in there

It's from a stamp set called Joyful Season, and I think it was in the SSS December Kit of the Month last year.

I covered  a strip across the centre of my card with a piece of low tack masking tape, and stamped the image top and bottom using a black ink.  

I removed the tape, and stamped my sentiment in centre, and then added strips of narrow double sided tape along the edges of the foliage and covered these with gold gilding flakes .......

It's a quick and easy way of adding that foiled look ....... no need for laminators or special gels or glue, and it also gave a nice finished look to the edge of the stamping.

I did add a touch of colour to the berries with some Distress Ink ......

 

and finished off with a few splatters of white paint.

Not the traditional Christmas colours but, I like it!

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

I've spent most of this weekend getting to know my birthday present ....... from last year!!!  

Yes hubby finally got around to buying me a new phone ...... about time!

To be fair it's not his fault that I've waited so long.  Since my birthday 2020 we've been in and out of lockdown, the shops haven't really been open that much, and I didn't want to order one online (I couldn't decide which one I wanted to be honest!)   And lets face it, I've spent more time using my laptop recently than I have my phone!

I'm still getting used to the new one ....... it's bigger for a start, and I have to remember that it has a new ringtone ...... there's been quite a bit of 'Mum, your phones ringing again' this weekend.  Me and new technology don't always get off to a great start!  I haven't played with the camera on it yet which could be fun,  apparently it has 3!!!   And, I also have to remember NOT to put this one in my back pocket, and then go to the loo!!!! 

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: Joyful Season (Simon Says Stamp)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink - Festive Berries

Other: Narrow double sided tape (from my stash); Gold Gilding Flakes - (IndigoBlu); Fresco Finish Acrylic Paint - Snowflake (PaperArtsy)

We're half way through this month's CAS Mix Up challenge ......

Happy weekend ......

We've reached the halfway point in this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge ..... May is flying by!

Susan is our host for this challenge, and she would like us to use Rainbow Ink Blending or Colours ...... a perfect technique as it's also a stencil month!

We have an amazing Guest Designer too ....... Michelle (I Card Everyone) is joining in the CAS Mix Up fun this month, so please pop by and say Hello!

Don't you just love rainbow colours ....... and they do look great as backgrounds.   

Add a simple sentiment, a stamped image, or a die cut and your card is done!  Or, you could go for all three like I've done here ..... the choice is yours!

The stencil I've used is from Lavinia stamps, and the inks are a rainbow of Distress colours ......

I applied the inks through the stencil, and then with the stencil still in place, I splattered water over the top, letting it sit for a few seconds before mopping up the excess ..... love, love, love this effect! 

I added a simple die cut to make up part of my sentiment, layered a couple of times to add a bit of dimension, and then I stamped the rest underneath ........

To finish off, and add a bit more detail, I added a pretty stamped flower that just so happened to be on my desk ...... I decided to keep it black and white so that it stood out against the pretty background colours.

There's still plenty of time to play along with this month's challenge if you'd like to join in the fun.  It would be lovely to see you in the gallery.

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

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: JOFY 101 (PaperArsty); birthday sentiment stamp from my stash

Stencils: Flora stencil (Lavinia)

Inks: Distress Inks - Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry,  Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Happy die (Winnie & Walter)

Ink, stamp, repeat ...... ink, stamp, repeat ........

Happy Friday evening ........

I hope you've had a good week.  

The weekend is just around the corner .... have you got anything nice planned? 

There's not much in the diary, so I think it's going to be a quiet one here.

It's time for a new challenge over at Perfectly CAS, and the prompt for this one is ..... Repeat Stamping

This is a nice and easy one ..... simply pick your favourite stamp, ink it up and stamp away.  Remember to keep to the challenge rules though ......

• keep your cards CAS (clean and simple)
• follow the challenge theme
• and only use one third, or less, of your card space.

I've gone for a rainbow of colour but, your repeat stamping could all be in the same colour, or maybe  different shades of one colour ....... the choice is all yours.

I'm loving rainbow colours at the moment and the Distress Oxide inks are perfect for stamping with ...... nice bright shades, great coverage, and they layer beautifully over the top of each other 

I stamped the butterfly down the centre of my card, changing the position of the stamp each time to add a bit of movement to the design.

I used a black ink for the sentiment and stamped it in the centre, over the top of the butterflies 

A really quick and easy, CAS, one layer card.

Here's another option ....... how about some birthday candles

Again, stamped using various colours of Distress Oxide inks ........

and this time I used two sentiment stamps for my greeting .......

and added the flame to just one of the candles 

Check out the Perfectly CAS Challenge Blog for more fabulous repeat stamping ideas.

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

I'm hoping for some nice weather then we can spend some time in the garden.

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

Products used:

Butterfly card

Stamps: Tim Holtz Watercolor stamp set (Stampers Anonymous); Better With Age sentiments (Penny Black)

Inks: Distress Oxide Inks - Candid Apples, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Birthday Candles

Stamps: BIG & BOLD Wish (Uniko); Better With Age sentiments (Penny Black); Happy Birthday from a Happy Little Stampers stamp set which I think is now retired

Inks:  Distress Oxide Inks - as above; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

AAA Cards CAS Challenge ........

Happy Monday .......

Did you have a nice weekend?  I hope you did better weather wise than here on the island ..... it wasn't very nice at all. 

I had plans to go to a felting workshop, a first for me but, due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, first off with the car, which we can't get into the garage until Wednesday (arghhh!) and then the weather, it just wasn't to be.   Oh well, I'll have to wait a little longer to learn that particular craft!

I did get to play in the craft room though, trying to re-stock the birthday box as well as prepping for Blog challenges.

Here's the first one for ....... Game #189 at the AAA Cards CAS Challenge

I'm not sure that space creatures can be classed as mystical but, I have only used a third of my card so I think this is OK for the challenge.  Plus I need some cards for the kids section in my stash and this little guy was already sitting in my bits box!

I placed a strip of low tack masking tape across my card leaving the top third for me to work on.  I stamped and heat embossed the planet first, made a mask to cover that, and then coloured the galaxy sky using Distress Inks.

I used blue shades, pinks, a touch of yellow.  A bit of purple here and there, finished off with a dark blue and black to blend everything together

I splattered with water, let it sit for a few seconds then mopped up the excess ...... I always love the effect from this technique.  

Once everything was dry, I splattered again, this time with gold and silver inks.

I added some colour to the planet, again with Distress Ink, and finished off the top section with a thin strip of double sided tape covered with gilding flakes ........

before stamping the sentiment underneath.

I attached the spaceship with foam pads .........

and the little alien with a wobbler so that he can move ...... so cute!

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

It's been a bit of a special one here.  I know it's Monday but, what a way to start to the week.  Champagne and lobster at lunchtime (I could definitely get used to that!) and then an afternoon spent with the family.

We are celebrating a little ........ I'm not sure if I've mentioned before but, we're going to be grandparents again, I am so excited!!  And today, Chris and Myra went to the hospital for their 20 week scan.  They'd already decided to ask whether it was a boy or a girl so, when we all met for lunch they announced that we will be getting another Grandson in September ...... whoo hoo!!!  

Of course I had to do a bit of shopping this afternoon ....... baby clothes are just sooo cute! 

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

Products used:

Stamps: Out of this World (Clearly Besotted)

Inks: Versamark; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Inks - Faded Jeans, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot; Delicata - Golden Glitz, Silver Shimmer

Other: Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Markers; Gold and Silver Gel Pens, Double sided tape; Gold Gilding Flakes

May's CAS Christmas Challenge .....

Happy Thursday .......

At least I think it's Thursday ........ it's one of those strange weeks again when I'm never quite sure what day it is.  Bank Holidays at the beginning of the week always confuse me!!!

The festive stamps are back on my desk, which means I'm playing along with this month's CAS Christmas Challenge

Foliage and berries ..... very festive, and I found the perfect little stamp just waiting in my stash to be inked.

I was feeling brave so I stamped the image directly onto my card blank ...... one layer cards great for posting, not always the easiest, or the quickest cards to create! (this was my third attempt .... and I used my MISTI!!!! ...... sigh!  It seems my crafty mojo is still not up to scratch!)

It looks black in the photo but, I did stamp using a dark brown ink

I then used a small brush and Distress Ink to add the colour over the foliage, and a ZIG marker to colour the berries.

I stamped the ribbon on the top using a gold ink ......

and added my sentiment underneath, all of which came in the same little stamp set

To finish off, I added some Christmas sparkle with a little bit of fine crystal glitter

I think it felt like Christmas in parts of the island over the weekend, some places had snow and hailstone, and it was a little bit on the chilly side.  Luckily we didn't get any of that whilst we were out in the van. We had a nice few days, although it did get a little cold towards the end of the weekend and it was raining on the Monday but we were heading home so that was fine.

Since then we've started to book our first trip this year, across to the UK, in the van.  

We've decided to head south, to somewhere we're familiar with as it's our first long trip ........ we're off to the Cotswolds at the end of June. We've sort of planned a route, spending a few days with family first and then we're off!! It's going to be an adventure!

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

Cheerio until next time ....... 

Products used:

Stamps: nature's decor (Penny Black)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Fallen Leaves; Distress Ink - Rustic Wilderness; Delicata - Golden Glitz

Other: ZIG Clean Color Brush Marker (red shade); Quickie Glue Pen; Fine Crystal glitter

Wishing you the best day ever! .........

Happy weekend ......

Welcome to May! 

It's the first of the month so that means we have a brand new theme for the  CAS Mix Up Challenge.

Susan is our host this month, and she's chosen the theme Rainbow Ink Blending or Colours ..... I do love a nice rainbow.

It's also a stencil month so ...... when you play along please follow the theme, keep your cards CAS and ...... remember to use a stencil!

How about pretty rainbow flowers .........

I used a JOFY stencil and Distress Inks to create my rainbow.

The Distress Inks blend so well.  I used brushes to apply the inks, changing the colours as I went across the card, building up the depth of colour gradually

I added a few white highlights here and there with a gel pen,  and drew the stems on the flowers with the help of a ruler and a green fine liner

I added a simple sentiment banner across the stems, and finished with a few dots of glitter here and there for a touch of sparkle.

Check out the CAS Mix Up Blog and see a whole collection of gorgeous rainbow ink blending from the rest of the DT.  We also have a fabulous Guest Designer ........ Michelle (I Card Everyone) is joining us this month so please pop by and say hello!

Thanks for stopping by ..... enjoy the rest of your weekend.

It's a Bank Holiday weekend here, and hubby and I are making the most of it, having our first little trip away this year, in the motorhome.  The first of many I hope!  

We're still on the island ....... spending the weekend up north, in Ballaugh.  It didn't take us long to get settled in yesterday.

We have good food, nice wine, places to explore should we feel the urge, and time to just relax in the sun, which is what we did this morning.  Although what the rest of the weekend will bring weather wise, who knows.  Apparently it's been snowing today in the south of the island and there was hailstone in Douglas!!  Maybe I should have packed a winter coat!!!  

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: Simple Strips (Taylored Expressions)

Stencils: JOFY stencil PS008 (PaperArtsy)

Inks: Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: White Gel Pen; Green Fine Liner; Quickie Glue pen; Fine crystal glitter; Simple Strips Well Rounded Die (Taylored Expressions)