There's still time to play along with the Craft Stamper Challenge .......

Happy Friday .........

I've just realised it's Friday the 13th ........ not that I'm superstitious, well not much anyway.

I hope you've had a good week.
We're travelling home later today after a brief, but busy, trip to the UK. 
It's been a little quiet in The Craft Lane this week, because we've been across to pick up 'the van' finally!   Yes, we have our new motorhome and he's having his first ferry crossing to the Isle of Man.  We've decided it's definitely a He, and we've named him Remi ...... Remi ,the Rapido!

But, enough about 'the van' for now.  It's time for a little reminder about this month's Craft Stamper Challenge.

The theme is Anything Goes ..... as long as there's actual rubber stamping on your project somewhere.  Be sure to check out the Craft Stamper Blog for the full challenge guidelines ...... you need to follow those to be in with a chance of winning one of the prizes.

As always we have two prizes up for grabs .......
(1) the Design Winner chosen by the DT.
They will get their winning project published in the Craft Stamper Magazine on a two page spread!!! A winners profile on the Craft Stamper Blog and, an invitation to be a Guest Designer on a future Craft Stamper challenge.

(2) the Challenge Winner ....... randomly chosen from all the eligible entries.
They receive the Blog Challenge Prize and this month it's a cracker!  I wouldn't mind getting my hands on these little babies ......

OK, now for a little bit of inspiration ......

I love these new large stamps from AALL&Create.  Designed by the fabulous Tracy Evans, they're perfect for cardmaking or journaling but also they're a great size for creating pieces of home decor.

I simply took a piece of mop card from my stash, and stamped the full image using a black ink. I love all the details.

I also stamped the flower heads onto some scraps of white card, heat embossed them with a clear powder, and coloured them using ZIG markers before fussy cutting.
I then layered up the flower heads and attached them onto the stamped image using foam pads to add a bit of dimension

I found an old photo frame that fit perfectly ...... well almost.  Not a problem though ...... I just removed the glass from the front and because I'd used foam pads to attach the flowerheads they just fit nicely over the edge of the frame.

I finished off by adding a layer of Glossy Accents to the bottles .....

The challenge closes on Wednesday 25th March so there's plenty of time to join in.
Happy stamping!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
I'm hoping for a nice calm crossing this afternoon.  We have a cabin though so if it is a little bumpy we can try and sleep through it.

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Daisy Elegance #266 (Tracy Evans for ALL&Create)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Clear Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Glossy Accents

Time for a tipple anyone ......

Happy Wednesday .......

Only joking ...... it's a little bit early for me.  Although as the saying goes ....... it's 5 o'clock somewhere!

I am however playing along with this month's Twofer Card Challenge  hosted by the lovely Darnell.  As you can see the theme for July is ....... Beverage

The idea is to create TWO cards, for TWO different occasions using the same stamp and/or die ...... a Twofer!

I've gone with the same stamp.  I've used the Stampin Up! set called Half Full,  and I've created a birthday card, and a Christmas card.  Both designs would be great for guys too ...... which is always good!

Both are very CAS designs, in fact the birthday one would be one layer, except for the added die cut ......

I simply stamped the wine glasses in the centre of my card and coloured using ZIG markers and a waterbrush .... easy!

The sentiment (from the same SU set) was stamped directly underneath, and I also added a nice shiny die cut ..... layered to raise it up a little

The glasses were given a coat of Glossy Accents and I added a few tiny dots of glitter glue above one of the glasses to give the look of bubbles

I put the birthday bit on the inside ......

Card number two ...... same stamp, but now a little bit festive ......

I love this Christmas saying ...... perfect for all those wine loving friends

Again I stamped the glasses and coloured with ZIGs, and added a coat of Glossy Accents

The little holly leaves come in the same stamp set ..... and I used a foam pad to attach them to add a bit of dimension

I finished off the front with a sprinkling of Chunky White Embossing Powder ........

And put the red wine on the inside ......

And that's my Twofer ....... what's your favourite beverage?

We've got fresh salmon on the menu tonight ...yum! So it's probably going to be a nice glass of white with dinner this evening .... Cheers!

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

Cheerio until next time .....

Sparkly ATCs for Happy Little Stampers ......

Happy weekend ......

It's been a busy day today ..... I've been having fun with a workshop.  Eight lovely ladies playing with stencils, inks and rubber stamps ........ it's always fun when we get together.   There was also tea and cakes involved too .... yum!   More about all that some other time though.

It's time to launch the latest Happy Little Stampers ATC Challenge ..... and as you can see this month it's all about Sparkle.  

There's nothing that sparkles quite like a diamond ...... so that's my take on this month's theme
(one this size would be nice!)

I started out by splattering a piece of white cardstock with gold and silver metallic inks ..... I used the Delicata re-inkers for this.  I poured a tiny bit of the ink onto my craft sheet, and spritzed it with water.  I then picked up the ink with an old paint brush and splattered over the card .... great fun!

Once it was dry, I cut the card into three pieces, slightly smaller than ATC size as I wanted to add a layer of coloured card behind them.  I added a little colour to them by inking around the edges using a turquoise ink to match my layering card.

I stamped a sentiment onto each one using black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder

The large diamond, which is from an Stampin Up! set, was then stamped a few times onto white card and then heat embossed in silver before fussy cutting each one.

They were then covered with Glossy Accents and sprinkled with various amounts of crystal glitter over the top to add the sparkle

I added a few dots of glitter glue here and there onto the backgrounds ....

and a few gemstones for added sparkle

A girl can never have too much sparkle ..... or diamonds for that matter!

As with all the HLS challenges there's a prize for the winner.  A $20 Gift Certificate to spend in the HLS store which of course will be doubled if the winning ATC has been created using HLS stamps.

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your weekend.
It's time to put my feet up ..... and relax!  There's a glass in the kitchen filled with a nice chilled gin and tonic and it has my name written all over it!!

Cheers folks!

PS ..... if you're a Happy Little Stampers fan and you're looking for some new stamps then we've got something special for you coming up .... watch this space!

Introducing ........ Life is a Song, Background Blocks Equaliser and Equaliser Stencil

Good morning ....

Welcome to Monday! I hope you've had a nice weekend.

Let's start the week with a look at more of the new releases coming from Uniko.  There's still a few more new designs to show you, and then they'll all be available on the website on Wednesday.  Any favourites yet?

Today is Day 4 of the product introductions and we have a bit of a music theme going on.
There's a cute little stamp set ..... Life is a Song. Equaliser from the Background Blocks range and a fab co-ordinating Equaliser stencil with all sorts of possibilities.

Todays products will make great cards for guys I think .... and teenagers. And of course anyone who is into their music. 
Don't forget to pop over to the Uniko Blog for more inspiration and great ideas from the rest of the DT.

See what I mean ..... definitely one for the boys .....

I've simply used Distress Oxide inks through the stencil onto black card .... easy!

A little bit of Glossy Accents over the top gives a gorgeous shine and makes the colours pop and it also gives the design a bit of dimension.

A simple sentiment from the Life is a Song stamp set, heat embossed in white is the perfect finishing touch.

The little stamp set is fab ....... and so useful.  Here's an idea using just the stamp set

I found a piece of card in my bit box, left over from a previous project, that I think makes a great background.
It's been done using the acetate smooshing technique, to apply Distress Ink onto the card

I've then used the stamps to create my design ......

The words in the centre, stamped simply in black Versafine with the word Music heat embossed in silver
I've added in the music notes around the sentiment, stamping off the edge atg the sides and then carrying this on in the background

The stamps work great for the inside of your cards too .....

I've teamed them up here with the Birthday Sentiments which are also from this new release.  i love it when stamps work so well together

There's one more day of introductions to come, then we have the big launch day with a fun Blog Hop and Giveaways .... can't wait! 

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

Cheerio until next time

It's 2013!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! everyone,

Hope you had a good one.  It was just Stephen and I on New Year's Eve, a nice meal, bottle of champagne and a Batman movie. 
We watched Big Ben chime in 2013 on the TV, and saw the fireworks in London which I thought were spectacular by the way.

We've actually been there on New Year's Eve, a few years ago, and the atmosphere is amazing. It's a bit chilly, but well worth it.

My crafting year got off to a good start.  I found out yesterday that I'm amongst the winners again on Tim's 12 Tags - whoo hoo!!  Can't quite believe it, twice in one year. I'm absolutely thrilled.  So, it was time for another little dance around the house. 
The fun starts all over again this month, and I can't wait to get started

I'm slowly getting back into the mood for crafting.  I've made a start on the many cards I need in January - well, I've done one!

It's Lauren's 21st this year - where did that time go!?!!   I thought I'd try and do a 'two for one' here and come up with something for the latest challenge over at Less is More

It's Week 99-100 (a two week challenge), and its a Recipe week.

The girls have chosen .......

DRINKS

.......... very appropriate I thought, with it being the festive season and all that. Although it dosen't just mean alcohol, it can be tea, coffee water etc.

Anyhow, here's mine .....

It's not quite how I intended it to be.  This year is starting how last year finished - nothing going right!

I used the Penny Black stamp ' Bubble of Joy' (2098H).  I love this little guy sitting on the champagne cork.

The image is coloured with Copic pens and the metal cage around the cork, or the egrafe to give it it's proper name, has been highlighted with a Sakura Stardust pen.  The little guy on top has been layered for a bit of dimension and the bubble has had a coating of Glossy Accents and some Diamond Dust on top.

I added a few more bubbles and some tiny gems for a bit of sparkle.

I'd more or less finished the card when out of nowhere, came the dreaded black ink mark, right on the bottom - argggghhhh!!!!  I really didn't want to start it all again so the scalloped borders are a last minute addition (to cover up the splodge!).   Not sure if I'm 100% happy with it, but I'll leave it for now.

Well,  I've made a start on the next chapter of my crafty adventure.  Who knows what 2013 is going to bring.   

I do hope you'll continue with me on the journey, it's so much nicer to share it with friends.

Cheerio for now.  I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more 'drinks' themed cards.

Enjoy your evening.

Linda

 x