The day before Christmas .......

Happy Christmas Eve!

Are you all excited?!!

Well, the shopping's all done, gifts are bought and wrapped, the festive cooking is well underway and I've ticked the last thing off the crafty 'To Do' list ....... my final tag of the year for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014 whoo hoo!!!  (a little bit earlier for once!)

I think December's tag has got to be my favourite ...... I love the new Prancing Deer die!

I won't go into all the details of how I created my tag ...... Tim has a fabulous, really easy to follow Step by Step guide over on his blog.  I pretty much followed it to the letter, just the odd change here and there ......

My background is a little different ..... I used the IndigoBlu Snowflake Lace for my wintry backdrop

I'm loving the Frosted Sheets too ...... they give such a nice effect when you emboss them.

The frosted look to the deer is so pretty when the light catches it.

 I added a few extra pieces of festive foliage to the bottom ......

And finished it off with the metal snowflake.

Tag number 12 all done and dusted!  I hope we're going to do it all again next year!

Right .... it's time for some lunch, then I've cranberry sauce to make,  Disney's Frozen to watch this afternoon with the little man, and THE book to read before bedtime ......

After we've put out the mince pie and nightcap for Santa, and the carrot for Rudolph of course.

Thanks for popping by ..... I know you all must be really busy.
Have a lovely day today ....... and Eat, Drink and be Merry over the festive season.  Enjoy time with family and friends and remember ..... the diet starts in January!!!

Cheeri Ho Ho Ho until next time .....

Linda

xx

I nearly didn't get this done ......

Happy Sunday evening,

Where have the last few days gone ........ I can't believe the weekend is over!   And it's December 1st tomorrow ...... eeek!!!  The big countdown begins.

It's the last day of the month so that can only mean one thing ...... yep .... my Tim Tag!  I'd sort of resigned myself to thinking that I wasn't going to get this done this month ........ I'd actually come to terms with the fact that I was going to miss one ....... my first one!!! (sob!)
But ...... after being told 'don't be a wimp', and that I couldn't possibly miss a month (daughter and other half ganging up on me) I locked myself in the old craft room and got it done!  Not easy when time is against you ...... I'm glad the US is a few hours behind us!!!

Anyhow .... here's Tim's fabulous Autumnal tag ......

Look at the colours in that ...... gorgeous!

And here's mine .......

Same ..... but different! Not quite as vibrant.

I won't go into all the details, you can find all the techniques etc., over on Tim's Blog, and I followed it almost to the letter (didn't have time to do anything else!)

I inked and sprayed .....

Embossed and foiled ...... (actually it's IndigoBlu Mega-flakes ..... the yummy new Chocolate Box)

And finally embellished ......

Job done!!  I'd have been like a bear with a sore head if I'd have missed one!

It's been a bit of a busy weekend ..... getting the house ready for the Christmas decorations.  The first tree is up .... in the little man's room, and preparations are under way to make space for the big one!
Train tracks are being dismantled and moved as we speak (Lego one's that is) and more decorations were bought yesterday ..... just in case I haven't got enough!!

We took some time off from all the festive fun today though and walked through one of the many glens on the island ...... Bishopscourt Glen.
The tress were a little bare, and it was a touch on the chilly side but we had a nice stroll.

Apparently it was originally part of the garden for the Bishop of Sodor and Man ....... alright for some!

We didn't walk the whole glen but we climbed Mount Aeolus .... the mound at the start of the glen, which resembles Tynwald Hill

We found the cave, where it's believed that Bishop Murray took refuge from angry locals, during the 1825 Potato (Tithe) Riots

And we made friends with the locals ......

I think the bread we had with us helped there ....... 

Back to the 'To Do' list now ...... I'm off to soak some fruit, overnight in whisky (hic!) then it's time to get the Christmas cake started tomorrow.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy your Sunday evening (what's left of it)

Cheerio until next time.

Linda

xx

BOO!!

Happy Tuesday folks!

How's your week going?  Mine's got off to a better start than last week ..... the dreaded lurgy is still hanging on, however I think I'm getting the better of it!! (hooray!!) Or rather the strong cough medicine, throat sweets and large doses of echinacea seem to be doing the trick!

It's getting towards that spooky time of year again ....... the time for pumpkins, ghost stories, and things that go bump in the night.  Yes ...... Halloween is only 10 days away ....... mwahahahaha!!!  I'll be off in search of a pumpkin or two at the weekend!

Something else that's a bit scary ...... are you ready for this .........
my October Tag's all done and dusted .... yeah!!!!!  I know, I can't quite believe it myself .... no rushing around on the last day of the month.  Am I finally getting organised do you think?  Nah! I doubt it.
Here's Tim's spookylicious inspiration piece .....

and here's mine ......

Not quite the same as Tim's but, I didn't have all the 'ingredients' so a bit of improvisation was needed.

I won't go into all the details of techniques etc., you can find all that on Tim's blog.
If you've never joined in with any of the 12 Tags Challenges you should give them a go.  They're so much fun and the step by steps from the master himself are so easy to follow.

I had to make a few changes to my tag ..... I didn't have the stamps for a start!  My little eight-legged friend is from IndigoBlu's Hocus Pocus set.

And the pumpkins are actually taken from a Penny Black 'T' for Transparent set ..... called Spooky!

The letters have been cut using the Wordplay die, and then I've covered them with Glossy Accents, and Distress Glitters .......

Added in some googly eyes too ..... and I finished off with the monocle and added a vintage looking key, tied on with some seam binding dyed to match, using the Distress Stain Sprays ...... which by the way I'm loving!!!

And there you have it ..... October Tag done and it's only the 21st!

I'm off out this afternoon, for some fun with the Ballaugh Crafty Crafters.  Not a clue what we'll be doing but hey I'm looking forward to getting out of the house.
It's a bit on the breezy side though, thanks to Hurricane Gonzalo, so the trip up there could be fun ..... it'll blow the cobwebs away (and hopefully whatever it is I've had along with them!) and the views of the sea should be pretty spectacular (wouldn't want to be on the boat today!)

I was grounded last week because I wasn't feeling very well, the furthest I got was a trip to the butchers at the weekend to stock up ..... an expensive trip to the butchers might I add.  Hubby was pleased with himself though .... he's finally purchased the elusive cleaver he's been after for a while

Check out the flippin price tag ......... !!!!!!

This is what happens when he goes to the cookware store ....... on his own!!!  Wellllll ..... he said he needed it to chop 'the rabbit' we'd just bought, into quarters ...... as advised by the butcher ..... ok!

Yes ...... we bought a rabbit.  I've never eaten 'bunny' before, let alone cook one, and I don't think I'll be eating it again anytime soon!  Everyone else loved it though ...... me, not so much!

Oh well, at least hubby's got his cleaver ..... next time we go to the butchers I think he'll be buying something bigger, so that he can chop it up!!!  Watch this space!

Time for a quick coffee I think, then I'm off out for the afternoon.

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx

I must not leave my Tag until the last day of the month ...... I must not leave my Tag until the last day of the month ...... I must not ....

Evening folks,

This is getting later and later each month ...... it's got to STOP!!!!   As usual I'm on the last minute with my Tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014.

I'm still trying to get back into the routine, after a fabulous weekend in London  ..... the weather was gorgeous (which is more than I can say for back home ..... it's raining today!!)  We had too much good food and wine (what's new!) We walked miles (took care of some of the extra calories at least!) and did a spot of sightseeing ........ I'll fill you in more later in the week, I need to get a move on the deadline is approaching ..... FAST!!

This month it was all about Alcohol Inks .... always fun!  Look at those gorgeous bright colours .....

I just wish I'd had more time to play ..... here's mine

I followed Tim's step by steps to create the background ...... and them stamped the beautiful face from
the Stampers Anonymous Classics #5 stamp set.

I added some Remnant Rubs from the Botanical set to fill in around the edges .....

I then had fun colouring more glossy cardstock using various colours of alcohol inks.  You can find details of all the techniques for September's tag over on Tim's Blog

Once the card was coloured, I then die cut it using the Decorative Strip Die .... Butterfly Frenzy

Over stamped the butterflies with a text stamp, and then attached them onto my tag.

They've each been attached in the centre, with the wings slightly raised, to add a touch of movement to the tag, and some dimension.

Well ..... that's the ninth Tag of 2014 done ....... only 3 more to go! (eeeek!)  Let's see if I can get at least one of those done before the last day of the month!

Look what my lovely postie brought me this morning .......

All 28 colours ..... guess what I'll be doing when I get a spare minute or two!

Thanks for popping by ........ time to grab a glass of something chilled and catch the last few minutes of the football ..... my Chelsea boys are winning!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

That's it ...... I'm done!

Hello again .....

Well I made it ... just about - phew!  All jobs done that need to be done (well ..... almost!)
How's your Sunday been?

The last day of the month just wouldn't be the same if I wasn't up against the clock to get my tag done for the 12 Tags of 2014, now would it!!

This month there wasn't really a theme to follow, or a new technique to try.   We've been encouraged to create something showcasing our own creative muse ..... hmmmm!

This was the tag from the master himself .......... you can find out all about the thought behind this and see how it was put together over on Tim's blog

And here's mine ...... not sure quite where I was going with this but ....... see what you think

It was a case of what I could lay my hands on today!
I did use Tim's idea of using the tissue tape as a surface to stamp onto, and used the pretty Flutterby Butterfly from IndigoBlu as my main image

I added some texture using a couple of stencils and some texture paste (again taking this idea from Tim) ....... the stripes

and also the Harlequin design

I then coloured my tag using Distress Stains ..... Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Ripe Persimmon and Bundled Sage ..... quite an autumnal mix I think.

I added a few rub ons here and there and a touch of Fran-tage embossing powder

The words are from the Stampers Anonymous Just Thoughts stamp set (CMS078).  I've just cut into the sentiment and arranged the words to fit the tag

I think I need to pause a little ...... what happened to August?!!!!
Not that September is going to be any different ...... so far I've 2 trips to the UK planned.  One's a week of crafty fun, the other a trip to London with hubby.
Hubby's parents are coming over to the island for a visit in-between those trips.  It's Alex's 4th birthday (where has that time gone!) and there's the island's Food and Drink Festival to look forward too ..... always a great weekend!  As well as all the usual stuff.  So ...... another quiet month then!  Bring it on!!

Thanks for popping by ....... see you in September!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Only just made it with this one .....

Evening folks,

Happy Thursday nearly Friday.

I can't believe that its over a week since I blogged ...... so much has happened!
I've been away and come back, been on a fabulous craft retreat (can't tell you too much about that yet as there's still some days left .... it wouldn't be fair on the ladies that have yet to attend).   Caught up with a good friend, had a fabulous day, lunch out and a bit of a craft session thrown in too.   It was our wedding anniversary yesterday (26 years) and Chris has had his Uni results (all good!!!  I'm one proud Mum!) .... oh and my laptop is playing up again - oh joy!  One of the reasons for not blogging ..... I'm having to use the MacBook and I DONT LIKE IT!!!!!

Anyway ..... the reason for me biting the bullet and doing this late post is ...... yes you've guessed it ..... it's the last day of the month (last 40 minutes to be exact!)  so it has to be my Tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014.  What a rush this has been ...... omg!!!  But the important thing is I made it .... just!

Here's what Tim gave us to work from ...... gorgeous!!!

and here's my version ......

I won't go into all the details, you can find them on Tim's blog.  I will say though that this was so much fun to do, even though I was working against the clock.

The sea horse is so cute .....

And making my own sand was fun ..... I did think about cheating and getting some from Douglas beach but it wouldn't have been the same

The shell's real ..... that did come from the beach

At least I got it done, I didn't think I was going to .... now I just need to upload it onto Tim's site.

There's quite a bit going on family wise at the moment but hopefully everything will calm down soon and I'll be back to normal in the old craft room, and here on the blog.

Thanks for popping by ..... sorry its a bit short and sweet.

I won't say enjoy the rest of Thursday there's not much left.  If you're reading this before you go to bed ....  Night Night! Sleep Tight!  Or ..... if it's first thing Friday ..... good morning to you, have a great day!

Cheerio until next time ...

Linda

xx

12 Tags of 2014 ...... flaming June!

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a good weekend.  It's the last day of the month again ..... half way through 2014 (eeeek!)  That means it must be time for my June Tag ...... for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014 challenge. 
One of these days I'll surprise you all and get this done at the beginning of the challenge and not on the last minute ..... I'm guessing it won't be July though, I'm off the island more than I'm on it, I think next month.  The old craft room is going to wonder where I am.  Only 2 more sleeps then it's off to Gatwick .... an overnight stay ...... then it's Las Vegas here we come!!

I think everything's just about finished in the old craft room ........ I've even got my desk tidy!  I just need to get some parcels in the post tomorrow then I can start on the packing!

As always, last task of the month is my Tim Tag.
Here's Tim's inspiration masterpiece for June ...... how gorgeous is that!

And here's my version ......

I won't go into all the details here, you can check out the techniques and the products used over on Tim's blog.  As always there's fabulous step by steps to follow to create your own little work of art.

I kept things pretty much the same, except different stencil for the background and different colours of Distress. I wanted hot summer shades ..... hence the title of this post.

My butterflies are actually from the Papillon Stamp set ...... I've got the French Flight stamps and dies set on pre-order but it hasn't arrived yet ..... these work fine, you just have to cut them out yourself that's all!

I watercoloured them using Distress inks ...... and attached them with foam pads

I added a few Idea-ology pieces, coloured some crinkle ribbon using the Distress inks and tied a nice full bow ...... a technique from Paula Cheney

To finish off I added a touch of shimmer to the words, using a Stardust Gel Pen

Phew!!  Finally finished ..... with only hours to spare. 

Thanks for popping by ..... time to get the ink off my hands and be the domestic goddess now.  Someone's hungry and apparently can't get to the kitchen ..... well, I suppose the football is on at the moment. 
Hmmm ....... that's why hubby was home from work early!!!

Cheerio until next time.

Linda

xx