Creating Balance .......

Happy Friday .........

I hope you've had a good week.  It's been a bit quiet here.  

The island is slowly getting back to normal after the TT.  It isn't quite so busy everywhere, not as many motorbikes!  Not that we've been out anywhere.  The weather's not been great (there's a shock!) ....... someone needs to remind the sun that it is June!

We have been busy making plans though.  We're off up to Scotland in just under two weeks, in the motorhome, so we've been making a start on getting things ready ....... lots of lists!

It's nearly two years since we were in the Highlands, so we're really looking forward to the trip.  It's going to be a few favourite places along with a few new ones, it should be fun!

I've also spent some time in the craft room this week which has been really nice.  There's been a bit of everything ....... planning, prepping, tidying up!  I've even made a few cards (more about those later).   I've watched a few YouTube videos, catching up with what's new.  Made a list of craft stash that I really need (haha!), and I've also found time to play in one of my journals (Large Dylusions journal)

Ever since I bought the 8x8 Pebble Stacks stencil from Funky Fossil I've been wanting to use it in a journal, and I thought this clean up page would be the perfect place.

I have quite a few of these sort of pages .... places where I clean off my brushes, or use left over paint and ink.  I also use these spaces to try out new stamps or stencils,  so there's lots of pages with just random colours here and there, and images that don't necessarily go together but, I think this kind of works.

I used Distress Oxide Inks with the stencil to create my pebbles ......  I love the coverage these inks give, and I like how the paint from underneath still shows through some of the colours giving the pebbles the look of some texture.

I also added a bit of shading using Prismacolor Pencils

The words, I came across on Pinterest ........ 

 

I used the same Distress Oxide Inks to colour some offcuts of white cardstock.  I then die cut the letters using Spellbinders Be Bold Upper and Lower Case Alphabet dies, layering each letter with one cut from plain white cardstock, to add a little a touch of dimension to the page.

A bit of black pen work on, and around the pebbles,  some black and white ink splatter here and there, and I finsihed it all off with a little stamped bird, perched high on the pile of pebbles ..... so cute!

The right balance is always good, sometimes hard to find though. I do think that we manage it most of the time!

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

We're hoping for a BBQ on Sunday, so fingers crossed the weather improves.

And, if you're a football fan ......... enjoy the World Cup.  We'll be watching the games here.

C'mon on England!!

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

Products used .......

Stamps ........ Space Reserved Clear Stamps (the bird ) - (Penny Black), 

Inks ......... Distress Oxide Inks - Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Speckled Egg, Tattered Rose, Old Paper, Versafine Clair - Nocturne (my go to black ink)
Dies ........  Be Bold Upper and Lower Case Alphabet Dies (Spellbinders)

Other ....... Large Dylusions Journal, White cardstock, 8x8 Pebble Stacks stencil (Funky Fossil). Black Finer Liner Pen