I'm a little bit late but ....... Happy New Year!

Happy Friday .......

And a Happy New Year to you all!

Sorry I'm a bit late, but 2023 hasn't got off to the best of starts!  I've been struggling to get over one of these cold/flu bugs that's going around.  Thankfully it wasn't COVID, although with my past experience of that particular virus I'd have rather it had been that ......... the thing I've had was brutal!!!

I was on and off with a cold from the day after Boxing Day.  I wasn't great but,  Istarted to feel a little better on New Year's Eve so we went out for an early meal as planned and then had a few friends round to welcome in 2023. 

It probably wasn't the best idea I'd had because on New Year's Day I was back to square one, feeling like crap and this time I had no voice ....... great!!  

I spent a week in bed feeling dreadful, but high on flu meds!  Slept quite a lot, and started to binge watch the drama series Supernatural ...... there's 15 series to watch and we've managed to get through 5 so far.

But, enough of all that ...... I'm slowly starting to feel human again, thank goodness, and my voice is on it's way back (it's about time!) so, lets get 2023 started!

As always, the beginning of a new year brings lots of new craft releases.  Brand new goodies that we will all 'need' to add to our stash no doubt.  I am trying to be good though, and use the stuff I have got before buying lots of new things ...... lets see how long that lasts shall we!

Speaking of new, if you love your Sweet Poppy Stencils then get ready for their first brand new release of 2023 ........ a fabulous collection of 10 (that's right ..... 10!) new stencil designs. 

I've been having a little play with some of them, so here's a quick look at what's coming up .....

  

There's three gorgeous new word stencils, designed in house by the lovely Eleri Huxtable.   These are going to be so handy to have in your stash ........

'Birthday' is one of them ........ we all send lots of birthday cards!

It's a great size, and a lovely font, and the capital letter is embellished with a pretty floral design

I've gone for the rainbow look but, just think of all the colour possibilities.

This was really quick and easy too.  A little bit of masking as I went along, and Distress Inks to colour the letters.  I added some splatters using the same ink colours onto the background

A simple Happy stamped above, and I added another sentiment across the bottom, repeat stamped onto a strip of card

To finish off,  and add a tiny touch of sparkle, I outlined each of the letters with a clear Startdust gel pen.

Too much colour for you? ....... then keep things more simple by stenciling in black, and adding just a touch of colour

Stenciled in Black Versafine Clair ink, left to dry thoroughly, then I used a paint pen to add some dots to the letters ....... so cute!

I also stenciled the flower again onto a snippet of card, this time using a pink Distress Oxide ink to match the spots, fussy cut it, and then layered it onto the flowers to add a bit of dimension

Some pretty gemstones, and a stamped 'happy' finishes off the card.

'Mum' is another new design ....... perfect for Mother's Day

Stenciled onto an inky background from my stash and I used the flowers to add extra embellishments along with some white gel pen highlights

The last one is ....... 'Friend'  

Distress inks again, a few splatters here and there with ink and water, and a simple embossed sentiment

The flowers look so pretty layered .......

How about using just the capital letters of the word stencils, to create a completely different look ...... monogram style  

Really quick and easy, and perfect for all you CAS fans!

These are just three of the new designs coming soon, I'll be back over the weekend with more from the new release.

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

Cheerio until next time .......