Surprise Party Guest at the Seize the Birthday ........

Happy Thursday! .......

It's challenge time again!

I was so pleased when I recently had my card chosen as Challenge Winner over at Seize The Birthday, and now I'm absolutely thrilled to be a Surprise Party Guest for their latest challenge.

As always the theme is Anything Goes - Birthday and for Challenge #272 the optional 'topping' is ......

Add a Sky

The brand new Tweet Life stamp and stencil sets from Concord & 9th just happened to arrive in the craft room this week ..... great timing or what!

I just had to give these little guys a try ..... how cute are they!?

I used Distress Inks and one of the stencils to create the bodies of the birds ....... Peacock Feathers, Spiced Marmalade and Twisted Citron

and then a second stencil and Distress Oxide Inks this time, to add the wings ....... Evergreen Bough, Crackling Campfire and Cracked Pistachio

All the finishing details came from the co-ordinating stamp set ........ simply stamped onto the birds with a black Versafine Clair ink ........ how easy is that! The stamps line up perfectly with the stencils.

It's a fabulous little collection, 5 stencils to create 11 different bird shapes, nine small ones like those above, and two larger birds, and the matching stamps include all the little details to bring your birds to life, along with a whole host of sentiments.

To add the sky I used a cloud stencil from MFT and Salty Ocean Distress ink onto a separate piece of white card

I stamped a simple sentiment underneath the birds,  fussy cut around the top edge of them,  and used foam pads to attach them over the top of the sky.

To finish off  I added some enamel dots here and there in matching colours.

Thank you again to Seize the Birthday for inviting me to be a Surprise Guest, it's been an absolute pleasure!

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

As its the first time I've used these fun stamps and stencils, I'm linking my card up to the NBUS Challenge #55

This may be the first time I've used them but, I can guarantee it won't be the last ...... I love them!!

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

Two-fer Tuesday .........

Happy Tuesday ........

I do hope your week has got off to a great start.  

It's school half-term here this week so we've got Alex at home ........ life with a 13 year old, ohhhh I remember it well!!!

I've got a two-fer for you today ....... two cards, and two challenges. 

First up ....... Simply Less is More. 

It's the dreaded One Layer Card challenge (always fun to do), and the theme is Hello Sunshine

(I remember what that is I think!)

I started by stenciling the sunshine (Julie Hickey Designs) on the top corner of a piece of white cardstock, blending shades of yellow Distress Oxide ink from the centre of the sun outwards.

Next, I stamped the flip-flops (Newton's Nook) ...... stamped the right one first and made a mask to cover it, then stamped the left overlapping it just a little bit.

Coloured them using ZIG Clean Colour Brush Markers.

I finished off  the card with a heat embossed sentiment. That's the One Layer done!

Next up is the Color Hues Challenge

For this challenge the colour combination is ....... Yellow & Kraft

The yellow part was still out on my desk ....... the Distress Oxide inks, and the Kraft bit was easy, always happy to add in a little kraft card

I smooshed a little Distress ink onto a piece of white cardstock using a piece of acetate to create a background.

Next, I used the Etched Layered Daisy Stem die from Simon Says stamp, cutting the flower heads from white cardstock, and the stem from Kraft.

I used two shades of yellow Distress Oxide Ink (Scattered Straw and Squeezed Lemonade) direct from the ink pad to colour the daisy heads and layered them together.

I attached the stems onto the card, added the pretty layered daisy heads, and finished off with a few splatters of Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink (hope this can be classed as a shade of Kraft), and a tiny tag for my sentiment

Both challenges are open for another few days if you fancy playing along.

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

Cheerio until next time ......

Hot Pink and Lime for Seize the Birthday ........

Yeah! it's the weekend. Happy Saturday .......

I hope you've had a good week.  Only nine more to go until Christmas ...... just saying!

We've actually started thinking about the festive season a little more this week.  

On Wednesday, the local garden centre launched their Christmas displays.  Well you know me, I love looking at Christmas decorations so, I had to pop in and check out the pretty colours for this year, and see what was new.  After all, there's always room for one more bauble on the tree! Or nine as it turned out!  You see I very, very rarely buy just one, it has to be at least three matching ones.  Then I have to finish with an uneven number in my basket so, nine it was! Like I said, you can never have too many baubles!

Then, on Thursday we went to the Christmas Wine Tasting event at our favourite little place in Douglas.

We had a lovely evening (I think!).  Many, many nice wines and bubbly were tasted, so that's one thing off the list ......... the drinks for Christmas dinner are sorted! 

Anyhow, enough of all that.  You'll be pleased to know that I have also spent time in the craft room again this week.  I'm enjoying getting back into the swing of things, albeit slowly!

I'm playing along with some Blog Challenges again.  First up is Seize the Birthday  

I got a lovely surprise when my card was chosen as the Winner in the last challenge  (I was so pleased that there just may have been a little happy dance in the craft room!)

It's their usual 'Anything Goes' Birthday challenge, and this time the Toppings option is a Colour Challenge.  Hot Pink and Lime ........ nice!

My first thought was flowers.  So, I did a quick rummage through my die cuts and this is what I came up with ......

Tim Holtz Wildflower Stems #1 Thinlits dies, cut from white cardstock, which I coloured using inks directly from the ink pad onto the die cut.  Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide for the flower head

and Twisted Citron oxide for one of the leaf stems and Verdant Versafine Clair for the rest ..... love the combination!

I added some detail onto the background using a stencil and the pink and green Oxide inks again, applied very lightly with a stencil brush this time, to give just a touch of colour.

I then attached the flower and stems over the top and finished off with a stamped sentiment, a few hot pink and lime enamel dots here and there, and a cute little twine bow

I'm always a bit of a pink girl, so I loved how it turned out

The challenge is open until Tues 24th Oct so there's still time if you fancy playing along.

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

We've got nothing planned this weekend so, I think it's just going to be a quiet one at home.

Cheerio until next time ......

Coral and Blue for the Color Hues Challenge .......

Happy Friday the 13th .........

The weekend is almost here ... yeah!!  Not that we've anything planned, it's very quiet around here at the moment.

today I'm playing along with another Blog Challenge, on the last minute again! (I think it closes today so I'd better get a move on) 

It's the Color Hues Challenge, and it's a colour combination that I don't use very often but, I must admit I quite like it

What do you think? ......

I used Distress Oxide Inks ...... Prize Ribbon (blue) and Abandoned Coral,

The stamps I used are Background Blocks Layered Modern Floral from Uniko ....... a really cute little two step stamping set, that looks great whatever colours you use.

I used a piece of low tack masking tape across the bottom of the card to give me the diagonal edge while I stamped the flowers and leaves. 

I did attach a thin strip of blue card along the edge though, just to give it a more finished look.

I used the blue Distress Oxide to colour the die cut 'happy' and stamped the rest of my sentiment underneath with the coral oxide ...... I do like this colour combo.

Whilst I was in the craft room, I noticed that the pretty Darcy Bouquet Embossing Folder from Simon Says Stamp was still out on my desk.  Hmmm ..... I wonder what that would look like if I used blue cardstock for the background, and tried out the matching dies with some coral card .....

Not bad!

The detail on this embossing folder is gorgeous, and the dies were easy enough to use.

I slightly off set a  couple of the die cut flower heads to add a bit more depth, and then attached my sentiment banner over the top.

Pretty navy pearls finish everything off nicely!

Thanks for popping by, I've enjoyed my time in the craft room this week.  Lets hope it continues.

Have a lovely weekend.

I think on Sunday it's just 10 weeks to Christmas ..... eeek!!  I think I might have to start on some more Christmas cards next week.

Cheerio until next time ......

Simply less is More .........

Happy Wednesday ........

What's this, blogging two days in a row! What can I say, I'm really enjoying playing along with some blog challenges again.

Todays challenge is ..... Simply Less is More.  

This was the first ever blog challenge that I played along with all those years ago, when Life in the Craft Lane was started.

I've always loved the LIM (Less Is More) approach,  CAS (Clean and Simple) cards, lots of white space, minimal layers and minimal embellishments.  They're not always the easiest cards to make, but lots of fun to do.

The current challenge - #493, has a Theme to follow ....... and not forgetting to keep things CAS

So, I've made a start on my Christmas cards, with some cute little carol singing mice from an old Penny Black clear stamp set ......... Holly Day Critters

How cute are these guys!

I simply stamped the image onto white cardstock using Black Versafine Clair ink (Nocturne), and then loosely coloured it using Distress Inks and a water brush, building up the depth of colour slowly

I added a little touch of sky to the background, some glittery snow underfoot, and stamped my Christmas sentiment underneath ..... very quick and easy, and all one layer!!

I finished it all off with a few dots of white gel pen to give the look of falling snow.

Well, that's one for the festive box!

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

Cheerio until next time.

Seize the Birthday Challenge .......

Happy Tuesday .......

I hope you're well.

I can't believe that we're at double figures in October already, and the scary thing is, I don't seem to have done much!

I must confess though,  I have started my Christmas shopping today, a little bit early for me but hey! the sooner I start, the sooner it'll all get done. Wait a minute, who am I kidding, I'll still be at it on Christmas Eve.  It's not much really, just a couple of baubles for the tree (the grandkids get a new one each year) and a couple of stocking fillers, it's a start though!

Speaking of making a start, I thought it was time I started playing along with a few more Blog challenges again ..... I do love a good challenge!

I thought it was a great way of getting back into the swing of things in the craft room, break things in gently.  Set themes, lots of inspiration to get my mojo going again,  plus, it's a great way to fill up my card stash boxes.

I'd better get a move on for this one though, talk about being on the last minute (some things never change!!)

Seize the Birthday is a fun bi-monthly challenge focused on ....... Birthday cards!

The usual theme is 'Anything Goes' but each challenge has a 'toppings' option.  A little extra that you can choose to add or not. 

The toppings for Challenge #270 is ....... Repetitive Die Cuts

We all like a bit of die cutting don't we, and I had a few die cut words already done so ......

I layered up the happys, coloured them using Distress Oxide inks ........ I just love the depth of colour you get from these inks 

and then attached them to the front of a piece of white card, splattered with a little bit of gold ink

A few matching gemstones here and there, and a stamped sentiment to finish

Very quick and easy to do, but a very happy and colourful birthday card.

As I said, I'm on the last minute for this challenge, the deadline is only hours away, so I'd better get going and link it up.

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

We've got the family round for dinner this evening so I'd better get some tidying up done!

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

Quick and easy, but looks sooo pretty ........

Happy Sunday ........

Welcome to October!

I do love this time of year, when the temperatures are starting to cool a little, and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn.  It's been a lovely day here on the island so, dinner went in the slow cooker this morning, and we spent the afternoon in the sunshine, giving the garden a good old tidy.

I even took the plunge and changed my wardrobe around.  All the pretty, bright coloured, summer dresses have been packed away and it's out with those deep, rich Autumnal shades .... my favourites.  The woollies are out, along with those winter coats, socks and boots! 

I suppose it won't be that long before I can start to think a little more festive and decide where I'm putting the trees this year (sshhhh! ..... I've already been looking at Christmas decorations!).  

Anyway, before the craft room starts to look like Santa's grotto, and everything in there is dusted in glitter (hmmm ........wonder how hubby's going to cope with that now that we're sharing our work space!)  I still have some birthday cards to make. 

This idea came from Pinterest (one of my go to places when I need inspiration!).

I do like a nice embossing folder and the 3D ones from Simon Says Stamp are just gorgeous.  There's so much detail on them, and some even come with matching dies, so you can add more depth and dimension ..... I love them!

This one is called Darcy Bouquet, it's not a new design at SSS but it is the first time that I've used it (like so many things in the craft room!)  It does have matching dies to cut out 3 of the large flowers.  I didn't use it this time but, I will give it a go at some point.

I simply ran the folder through my Big Shot using a piece of coloured cardstock (Stampin Up's Sweet Sorbet)  I did spritz the card lightly with clean water before I ran it through and just look at that detail ...... amazing!

To make the design stand out a little more, I used a sponge to apply some White (Picket Fence) Distress Ink onto the raised design. 

I added a die cut sentiment ..... cut and layered three times and coloured using the matching ink to the cardstock from Stampin Up! again 

I added a few sparkly gemstones just to finish it off.

A really simple design but, it does look soooo pretty!

As it's the first time I've used this Embossing folder I'm going to join in the fun with Darnell's NBUS Challenge #55

(that's if I can remember how to link up ..... it's been a while!)

I do love a good Blog Challenge so, as the diary looks pretty quiet next week I might just find some more to play along with.

Thanks for popping by, have a great week ahead.

Time to see how that dinner is doing ..... it smells delicious!

Cheerio until next time .......