CAS Mix Up Challenge .........

Happy Sunday .....

It's the first of March ..... and this is going to be a busy month!
There's a few birthday's coming up ..... including mine!  We've got Mother's Day and of course the first day of Spring ..... yeah!!! 
And only 9 days until we pick up the motorhome ...... not that we're counting.

A new month always means new Blog challenges ....... more fun themes for you all to play along with.
First up, it's the CAS Mix Up Challenge and guess what? It's our birthday this month ..... whoo hoo!!

Yes CAS Mix Up is 4 years old ..... can you believe it?  And we're celebrating!
There's some special birthday prizes up for grabs ........

a $25 Gift Certificate at Simon Says Stamp for the Challenge Winner 

and ..... a $25 Gift Certifcate at Simon says Stamp for one random draw from all the entries

(you must follow the challenge rules to be eligible for the prizes - check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for details)

OK, this month our host is Jenny  and the theme she has chosen is ...... Acrylic Paint 

There's loads of different acrylic paints out there and lots of fun ways to use them. 
If you need a little inspiration don't worry, check out the fab links on the CAS Mix Up Blog, to some great videos.

One way of using acrylic paints is on a Gelli Plate.
I must confess the Gelli Plate was one of those things that I had to have, in more than one size, but ...... they don't get used very often (shame on me!)  Saying that, when I do use them they are so much fun.
I haven't done anything amazing on the Gelli Plate but, just playing with a few colours of paint, a couple of stencils or stamps you can create some fabulous backgrounds.  And the good thing even if you're not completely happy with your results .... don't throw them away!  Use them with your dies or punches or, like I've done here for this card ........ stamp onto them, fussy cut and paper piece.

I've used one of my favourite stamps from ALL&Create.  I simply stamped it using a black ink, directly onto a card base, and again, onto a piece of card from my stash, coloured using the Gelli Plate.  I also heat embossed the images using a clear powder

I then fussy cut sections of the coloured one and paper pieced onto the image on my card.

If you're not that keen on colouring in your stamped images, this is a nice easy way of adding colour. It also gives a little bit of texture too.

I added some words onto the bottom using a co-ordinating ink. 

So .... that's Acrylic Paint - check!  Rubber stamping - check!  My Choice ..... paper piecing (or it could have been heat embossing) - check! 

I do hope you join in with our birthday celebrations.
We have a fabulous Guest Designer too ...... the lovely Betty (created by bjk) is joining us this month so please stop by and say Hello.

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy what's left of your weekend.
It's Sunday lunch at the Walmsley's today, the whole family round the table plus a couple more ... just the way I like it.  Good food, nice wine and great company .......  what better way to get March started!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Hexagonal Stem #256 (Tracy Evans for ALL&Create); Bloom - for the words(Tracey Hey) 
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Charming Pink
Other: Gelli Plate background from my stash made using acrylic paints; Clear detail embossing powder (WOW!)

Are you ready for this month's Craft Stamper Challenge .......

Happy Friday ......

The weekend starts here!
It's the first Friday of the month so, that means it's time to launch the new Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge

It's the regular Anything Goes theme ...... just remember to include some actual rubber stamping on your project. 
You can enter the challenge up to three times, with three different projects, each with their own blog post. 
Remember your project must be ONE item only ..... no sets of cards or ATCs etc.  A set counts as more than one, and you won't be eligible to win the prizes.

This month I'm feeling quite pleased with myself ..... I've started an Art Journal (again!) 
I've dabbled with it in the past but I've never felt that confident about what I was doing.  I know your Art Journal is a personal thing, and there's no real rules or do and don'ts but, I still wasn't 100% happy with my results ..... up until now that is!

One of my crafty friends recently ran a small workshop, and explained how she art journals.  It's all starting to make some sense now.  I loved creating my first spread!

I took the plunge and opened up my large Dylusions journal ...... it's only been on the shelf for about 3 or 4 years!!  Well it was such a big space .... I didn't know where to start.
Finally .... I took a deep breath and went for it! 
There's paints on there, old book pages, and some stenciling.

I did some rubber stamping with one of those mahoosive stamps from AALL & Create ......

I did doodling, and paper piecing, and a bit of paint splattering.  I even used the Gelli Plate to colour some old diary pages to stamp the flowers onto before paper piecing them.

It's a great way of using up all those bits ..... and you know me, I never throw anything away so I have lots to go at ..... this is going to be fun!

Anyway ...... the challenge closes at midnight on Sept 25th so there's lots of time to get your entries in.

This month's prizes are ......

• The Design Winner - chosen by the DT.  They will have their winning project published in the Craft Stamper Magazine, a winner's profile, and the chance to be a Guest Designer on a future challenge
• The Challenge Winner - randomly chosen from all the eligible entries.  Their prize this month is an amazing set of POSCA Glitter Paint Pens and an official POSCA Pen Case (oooh! perfect for Art Journaling!)

Check out the Craft Stamper Blog for full challenge details, along with more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

Happy stamping!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a fabulous weekend.
We're out tomorrow evening, but apart from that it's going to be a quiet one here I think.  Guess where I'll be ...... in the craft room!

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Stamp #109 Blossomed Numbers (AALL & Create); Manuscript a la plume (Carabelle Studio); JOFY 49
Inks: Archival ink - Black; Versafine Clair - Nocturne;
Others: White Gesso; Various colours of Acrylic paints; old book pages; Gel Medium; Lotsa Dots stencil (AALL & Create); Black and white POSCA pens; Stardust Gel pen; Gelli plate; old diary pages

Letters or Numbers ........ or it could be both!

Hello there, it's me again .........

I'm doing a little happy dance around the craft room today.
No, I haven't been on the bubbly celebrating my birthday again ....... I'm one of the Guest Designers  on this month's Country View Crafts Challenge Blog.
Thanks for having me guys!

The theme for March is .......  Letters and/or Numbers
A fun one right.  If you think about it, nearly everything we create has either letters or numbers on there somewhere, sometimes there's even both.
Take cards for instance ....... all those sentiments, they're letters.
Personalising something ..... you use letters then, or numbers maybe to mark a special birthday.
Do you use script stamps or alphabet stencils to create backgrounds ...... there you go!  The list is endless.

I decided to use some die cut Letters on my project, to create some cute little painted wooden blocks to use as a home decor piece ......

These are just off cuts of wood, roughly about the size of an ATC (2.5 by 3.5 inches and about an inch deep)

I gave them all a quick coat of white gesso and then painted them using some blue acrylic paint.

A little dry brushing with a touch of Snowflake Fresco Finish paint around the edges gives them a little shabby look.

I decided to add some detail here and there, using texture paste and a brickwall stencil, which I then painted over using the same blue paint, and highlighted with some Treasure Gold gilding wax once it was dry

The letters were die cut three times from plain white cardstock, layered together to make them more dimensional and then painted with the blue paint, before attaching them to the fronts of my blocks.

To make them stand out a little more I rubbed each one with a little of the gilding wax.
And to finish off I added a cute painted wooden heart

I also decorated the backs of the blocks just in case they end up on a window ledge and can be seen from the outside!

I used JOFY's pretty flower stamp (JOFY Mini 59).  I stamped it randomly across the backs of the blocks and heat embossed with a clear powder

I then used the Fresco Finish paints and a waterbrush to colour the blooms, and added a few drops of crystal lacquer to the centres

I did stamp the side too ......

And a few splatters of black and white paint finishes off the blocks

Now I just have to find somewhere to put them!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
Dont forget to check out the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog for more fabulous inspiration using Letters and/or Numbers.
The challenge is open until the end of March so there's still time to play along.

Cheerio until next time .....

We're heading home .......

Happy Thursday ......

What's this .... no tag?
No, I've got something a little different today ...... Artist Trading Coins.
If you're not familiar with these, they're just like ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) except they're circles.  Two and half inches in diameter and, as with ATC's, they can have any design on them or be any theme, and they are mean't to be swapped.

I recently became a member of an ATC/AT Coin group on group on Facebook, started up by the lovely Kylie (Addicted to Stamps and More).  There's quite a few of us on there now, from all over the world, and the idea is we swap our little works of art with each other. 

There's a swap going on for November, we have to create a set of three Coins with a Christmas theme.  This particular set will be winging its way to Australia very soon!

These coins are made from MDF, which is a great surface to work on.  They can be made from card though ..... perfect if you have a 2.5 inch punch.

I gave the coins a quick coat of white gesso then painted them with a PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint. The stamping has been done using a brown Archival ink.

Santa ......

Rudolph ...... (just look at those eyes!!!)

and I had to give him a shiny nose .......

and finally the poinsettia, which has been stamped in Versamark ink, and then heat embossed in copper, and coloured using one of the paints again

If you're on FB and fancy joining in, check out the group .... we're a very friendly bunch!
You'll find all you need to know about making AT Coins and ATC's and how to get involved in the swaps etc.
I will warn you though .... they are very addictive, and so much fun to make.

I've gotta dash ... we're heading back home today, on the afternoon ferry.  Fingers crossed it's a little calmer on the water than it was when we came over.  Although, it sounds like its a little windy out there so maybe not!

We've still lots to do this morning though, including the packing! I'd better get a move on.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you on the other side.

EDITED ........ to link up to this month's Country View Crafts Blog Challenge which is all about Artist Trading Coins.

Cheerio until next time ....

The last workshop of the year ......

Happy Wednesday .......

Well my laptop seems to be holding out ....... hmmm ..... I probably shouldn't have said that but, fingers crossed it's doing its job!

I thought I'd share some pictures from last Sunday's workshop ...... the last one of the year.  If you remember I had to reschedule it due to the snowy weather.

There were a few snowflakes on Sunday ....... not the white stuff this time though, these were the MDF kind ........

A pretty MDF snowflake tree from Anna Marie Designs.
It seems such a long time since I decorated these, I think is was back in September/October time.  The gold, silver and white one is for me

And the frosty blue, white and silver one is to add to Lauren's Christmas decorations .....

They were simply painted with acrylic paints and then lots of different glitters added over the top

I love the texture from the crushed ice, and the pretty iridescent sparkle from the crystal glitters

Texture paste, crackle paint and more glitter were used on the base of the tree 

Everyone started out with the same tree, and by the end of the afternoon we had a beautiful forest of delicious sparkle.  Here are the finished results all together ......

Don't they look pretty.  It's a shame I couldn't capture the sparkle on camera very well

Top row .........

Middle row ...... love how everyone used colour

Bottom row ...... I do like the green ones

Here's a closer look at a few of them ......

lots of glitter ...... and cute little reindeer

even a little bit of Manx in there too .....

Well ..... that's another year of great workshops over.  I'd better start planning for 2018!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day. 
I'm off up to Ramsey this morning.  A little bit of last minute Christmas shopping, and then I'm meeting the girls for a festive coffee ..... Ho! Ho! Ho!

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