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

Happy Friday ......

It's the weekend! ....... and here's nothing in the diary for this one (yeah!!)  Time to put my feet up and relax.  Fingers crossed the nice weather continues.

It's also time for a quick reminder about July's CAS Mix Up Challenge.

I'm Host this month, and it's a Watercolour challenge with a little added twist ........ Things with Wings

So far we've had entries with beautiful butterflies, birds and bees, and also angels ........ can you think of anything else?

There's still time to play along, the challenge runs until July 24th.

I must admit Watercoloring is always a bit of a challenge for me ........ it's a little hit and miss as to whether I get the look I was after!  It keeps my bit box full though, you know I don't like to throw anything away.  All those pieces that didn't turn out quite like I planned go in there to be used at a later date!

For me watercolouring is all about keeping things simple ..........

You don't get any easier than this.  

I used Distress Inks to watercolour the background ....... simply smooshed the ink pads onto a craft mat then brushed the colours across a piece of Hot Pressed Watercolour card using a very wet paintbrush.  

I used Tumbled Glass for the sky, Salty Ocean for the sea, and Mustard Seed for the sand ..... easy!

Once this was dry, I stamped my images over the top using a black ink.  I do love these little birds from the old Wetlands stamp set from Stampin Up! 

I added a sentiment, and a little mat and layering ...... perfect!

Remember I mentioned all those pieces that end up in my bit box ....... well, a great way of using those up is to die cut them.  It's still watercolouring, and you can choose exactly where to put your dies so that you cut on the best bits and avoid the bits you don't like 

These pretty little Memory Box butterflies were cut from a piece of cardstock watercoloured with Brushos ......

I cut the full butterfly from the coloured card, and the outline from white and then payered them together ..... so pretty.

I embossed a piece of white cardstock and then cut this into circles.  attached the circles onto my card front and added the butterflies.

A simple two piece sentiment finishes off the card

Here's another one ..... birds this time

Again, cut from a piece of Brusho coloured card (I have quite a few of these pieces of card .... Brushos can be a little unpredictable!!)

A little bit of simple watercolouring in the background, and an embossed panel on the bottom to ground them

 A stamped sentiment underneath and a tiny strip of that Brusho card to finish it all off

I hope you've enjoyed this months challenge.  Check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for more Watercoloured Things with Wings inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.  

Hopefully I'll see you in the gallery ..... have fun!

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

Hubby's just been in to tell me he's checked the weather forecast for the island.  Apparently the next four days are just going to keep gettting warmer and warmer ....... sounds good to me!

This week has been all about school leavers.  Can you believe that Alex is going to high school in September!!!!!  It's been Awards Assembly and School Leavers Assembly this week, class photos and getting all their shirts signed by their friends ..... Lauren's needed the tissue box a couple of times bless her.

The official last day of term isn't until next Friday, when all the schools finish for the summer break but, Alex and his year are away next week on their school trip so it was all done early.

We're so proud of him.  He's growing up too fast though!

Cheerio until next time .....

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Wetlands stamp set (Stampin Up!); Sentiment from Simple Sayings (Tim Holtz - CMS155)

Ink: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Mustard Seed

Card 2

Stamps: Sentiment stamps from my stash 

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Brusho Pigment Powders; Floral embossing folder, Memory Box Butterfly dies, Circle punches, Gemstones

Card 3

Stamps: Happy Birthday sentiments (PinkFresh Studio) 

Inks: Distress Ink - Broken China; Versafine Clair - Nocturne;

Other: Brusho Pigment Powders;  For the Birds die (CUT-plorations); Brick embossing folder (Stampin Up!)

Welcome to the weekend .......

Happy Friday to you ........

I hope you've had a lovely week ..... got anything nice planned for the weekend? 

November is flying by isn't it. I'm not quite sure where this week has gone!   

And guess what ........ six weeks today, it will be Christmas Eve!!!!!! ......... not that I'm counting.

I'm not panicing just yet though, things are slowly coming together, although I do need to get more Christmas cards done, there's no where near enough in the festive box!

With that in mind, here's one I've made, using the theme from this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge .....

I do like a bit of Stencil Monoprinting.  It's a quick and easy technique, although it can get a little messy, but it's a really different, fun way of using your stencils.

The stencil I've used is one of a two piece set from Lawn Fawn called Snowflake Background (you can never have too many snowflakes in your Christams stash!)

Instead of using an ink pad to apply colour to the stencil,  I reached for one of those little pots of Brusho pigment powders. 

I sprinkled a TINY amount of the powder directly onto my stencil ...... I say tiny because these little pots of magic are so full of colour and a little really does go a long way.

I added a fine mist of water over the top along with a spritz of Perfect Pearls Pearlescent spray to add a touch of shimmer

I then placed the stencil onto a piece of watercolour card, and applied a little bit of pressure to move the colour around.  

I gently lifted the stencil, mopped up some of the excess ink and then left it to dry naturally

The Brusho had pooled in some areas, the colour was more intense in places which was nice, and I love the touch of shimmer from the pearlescent spray.

I cut the panel down to size, leaving the white edge across the bottom.  Added a simple sentiment ....

and attached a die cut snowflake which I had covered in glitter, for added sparkle.

We're not quite at the half way point of the challenge so there's still plenty of time to play along. Get those stencils out and try monoprinting.

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

We've got a birthday to celebrate this weekend and we're going Japanese to do it which should be fun.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stencil: Snowflake Background Stencils (Lawn Fawn)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment)

Stamps: Small sentiment from my stash

Other: Brusho Pigment Powders - Cobalt Blue; Perfect Pearls Spray - Pearlescent; Sophie Snowflake die (Simon Says Stamp); Fine Crystal Glitter; Quickie Glue Pen

It's officially Autumn .......

Happy Wednesday ........

How is your week so far?

Summer is officially over (sigh!), although looking at todays weather you wouldn't think so ..... it's gorgeous out there.  A little windy perhaps but hey, it's always windy on the Isle of Man!! 

It's the first day of Autumn today and CAS Mix Up have the perfect challenge ...... 

There's still a couple of days left before the deadline if you fancy playing along.

I've been going through a few boxes in the craft room ....... unfinished projects, cut off pieces of paper and card, mop ups, and my overflowing bits box, when I came across a piece that I thought was perfect for this challenge.

Coloured with Brushos in beautiful Autumn shades, it made the perfect background for one of my favourite floral stamps from Unity Stamp Co.

I stamped the image onto the coloured card and heat embossed with a clear powder, before adding more colour to the flowers.  I used the same shades of Brushos, mixed with a little water and used as a watercolour paint, building up the depth of colour gradually

A simple sentiment on the bottom, and a few splatters of gold paint here and there ......

And to finish everything off,  I added a frame around the edge using a gold marker pen, before attaching some co-ordinating cardstock to the bottom.

The challenge is open until the 24th of the month so you'll have to be quick if you do want to enter.

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

We're off out for tea today,  birthday tea actually with this young man, who was eleven yesterday!!!!

We would have gone yesterday but the restaurant where he wants to go only opens Wednesday - Sunday so he decided to wait.  He's already decided what he wants to eat ...... pork ribs followed by homemade churros and ice cream ...... yum!!  

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: You are Forever Beautiful (Umnity stamps); happy snippets (Penny Black)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne, 

Others: Clear Embossing Powder (WOW!); Brusho Pigment Powders; Gold Fresco Finish Paint (PaperArtsy); Coloured cardstock, Gold Leafing Pen

CAS Mix Up reminder .......

Happy Tuesday .........

It's a busy week this week.  

We're half way through June already so that means it's time to remind you about this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge.

Our host this month is Viv, and the theme for the challenge is all about ......... Flight

One of the first things I thought of was wings ......... you definitely need those to fly.   Birds have them, so do bees, dragonflies or even fairies.  Or maybe, you're dreaming of holiday ........ so it could even be an aeroplane!  No foreign travel on the horizon for me so,  in the end I decided on a butterfly

I stamped the image onto a piece of watercolour cardstock, going off the edge a little so that it didn't take up too much of my 'white' space

I sprinkled a couple of Brusho pigment colours over the top (a red and a yellow shade) ....... you only need the tiniest amounts of these fabulous powders, they are so full of colour.  I then spritzed over the top with water to activate and move the colour around the butterfly.  As you can see I wasn't particularly careful, I wanted the colour to spread outside the stamped image.

 I did use a paintbrush to help blend the colours and create areas of shading.

The sentiment is a pre-printed sticker from one of Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Sticker books ...... so useful to have in your craft stash.  I simply attached it using some foam tape.

I finished off with a few simple highlights on the butterfly using a gold gel pen (not sure that these show up on the photos), and edged around the panel with a gold paint pen.

The challenge is open until June 24th so there's still time to play along.  And, if you need some more inspiration then check out what the rest of the Design Team have created over on the CAS Mix Up Blog.

Happy stamping!

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

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: Perspective  (Tim Holtz)

Inks: Black Archival Ink;

Others: Brusho Pigment Powders - Rose Red, Yellow;  Metallic Sticker Book (Tim Holtz) for the sentiment, Gold sparkle gel pen

The deadline is approaching on this month's Simpy Sweet Poppy challenge ........

Happy Monday ........

Did you have a nice weekend?  

I just wanted to pop by and remind you that the deadline for this month's Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook Challenge is coming up fast!  If you haven't yet played along, and would like to be in with a chance of winning the £40 voucher to spend on the Sweet Poppy website, you have until 5pm tomorrow to get your entry in.  That's 5pm (BST) on Tuesday 29th September.

The rules are simple ........

• Create a project using SWEET POPPY STENCILS as your focal point
• Follow this month's theme ...... Hues of Blue
• Post it on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils FB page ....... including in your post .... Sweet Poppy Stencils Challenge .... Hues of Blue 
• Remember ....... you MUST ONLY use Sweet Poppy stencils.  Any entry found to be using another brand of stencil will not be included in the draw for the winner.  Other brands of mediums and inks can be used with your stencil, and stamps can also be used but,  your stencil MUST BE the main focal point of your project

This was created with a simple Brusho background on a piece of watercolour cardstock.  I sprayed the card with water, sprinkled over the Brusho powder and then let it do all the work.

I spritzed a little more water in places and dabbed away the excess with a paper towel until I was happy with the look.

Once it was dry, I used my stencil over the top with a navy ink .... building up the depth of colour gradually.  

To finish off I added a few dots of glitter to the ends of the flowers and my sentiments across the bottom ..... heat embossing one in silver 

and stamping another underneath using the same navy ink.

It's been a very popular challenge this month, there's lots of amazing entries in the gallery so far.  But you have to be in it to win it, so get those stencils out ..... the clock's ticking!

I can't believe all this nice weather we've been having, it's been lovely, although the temperatures are starting to drop a little now (sigh!)  Not a problem though last night ....... we finished our family staycation week back at home, sat out enjoying the stars.  

We took the little firepit from the van and finished the evening on the patio .......

There's something about sitting round a fire ..... it's mesmerizing.  Especially when we started burning these pine cones ...... Northern Lights Color Fire Cones from Lakeland ..... they were amazing!  They change the colour of the flames into blues and greens ......... really pretty.

Just wished we'd had some marshmallows ....... next time!!

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

I'm off into town with Lauren today, would you believe Christmas shopping.  Wish me luck!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:

Stencils: Cornflowers (Sweet Poppy)

Stamps:

Inks: Versafine Clair - Twilight

Others: Brushos Pigment Powder - Cobalt Blue; Fine crystal glitter

Embossed Vellum for the CAS Mix Up challenge ........

Happy Monday .......

It's time for a quick reminder about this months CAS Mix Up challenge ....... if you haven't played along yet don't worry there's still time to join in the fun.

Susan is our host this month, and wants us to use Embossed Vellum on our cards.

Vellum is something I don't use that often but when I do I love the effects you can get, especially when you use an embossing folder.

Simply choose your design, place the vellum in the EF and run it through your machine.  The results are so pretty, sort of a Pergamano look ......... just a lot easier to do.

I used a floral design embossing folder, and then I added in a touch of extra detail to the flowers and leaves.  Working on the back of the embossed design, I used a very small ball tool to add some 'whitework' to the petals.
You do have to be a little careful doing this, not too much pressure or you'll tear the vellum where its been embossed.

The background is a piece of card I found in my bits box ...... looks like a bit of emboss resist with a script stamp and some Brushos.  You can just about make out the design showing through the vellum.

I then layered the two pieces together and added a simple black frame around the edge ....... 1. to give a nice finished look to the embossed panel and 2. to hide the adhesive underneath!

A simple sentiment stamped underneath was all it needed to finish off.

The challenge is open until June 24th so you've just over a week left to play along.
Remember to keep your designs CAS, follow the theme (Embossed Vellum), and you must also include some rubber stamping and ONE OTHER Mixed Media Element on your card ...... mine was Brushos.

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

We've had major changes today here in the Isle of Man ...... no more social distancing!!!
It's been over three weeks since we've had any new cases of COVID-19 on the island so things are getting back to our 'new' normal, which is great news. 
Shops etc., are opening, restaurants and bars are slowly coming back to life, and kids are being phased back into school.  Our borders are still well and truly closed though, and anyone returning to the island must still quarantine for 14 days. We're not saying the island is virus free but .... we're getting there! 
I must say I'm in no rush to find myself in crowds of people ........ being surrounded by my family and close friends is enough for me at the moment.

Stay safe everyone.

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Tiny Words Birthday (Mama Elephant); Script stamp used on the background
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment); Versamark (for the emboss resist background)
Others: Sizzix Embossing Folder - Botanicals; Clear Embossing Power used on the background; Brusho's - a pink and a yellow shade