Who doesn't love a bargain ........

Happy Wednesday .......

And it's a day late but ......... welcome to March!  

I know February is a short month but really ....... is it over with already!!!?!

The first day of the month was beautiful here.  We had lovely blue skies and it really felt like Spring was on it's way.  Today however is a very different story .......  we're back to cold, wet and windy again!  

Oh well, the sun was nice while it lasted ........ I won't pack the winter woolies away just yet!

A new month means a new Star Buy for all you Sweet Poppy fans out there.  

For one week, at the start of each month, Sweet Poppy have one of their amazing stencils at a special Star Buy Price.  

This month it's the gorgeous Single Rose design

It's such a pretty stencil, and like all the Sweet Poppy designs, there's so many ways to use it.

Simply as is with your favourite inks, paints, stencil mediums, whatever takes your fancy.  

Here it is with Distress Oxide Inks ........ a sinlge red rose, sent with love

 Or why not try black ink onto Kraft card ...... I love this look

I used the stencil twice with Versafine Clair ink (Nocturne), buildoing up the depth of colour gradually, applying the ink with a sponge

A few black ink splatters and a touch of gold embossing gives a nice, classic look

Or, go the other way, and use a whole mix of colours to create a pretty all over design .......

By simply masking off the stem and the leaves, I used just the head of the rose from the stencil along with different colours of Distress Inks to cover a piece of white cardstock

I added in some leaves here and there, to fill in any gaps and a few splatters of gold ink over the top for added interest.

A simple sentiment and some gold thread add the finishing touches

I had to cut the piece of card down a little to fit on the front of my cardblank but, you know me. I don't like to waste anything so, I made a matching gift tag!

I also used the same stencil to create a frame .......

Same as before, I used just the head of the rose, and stenciled around the egde of a piece of cardstock.  Added in a few leaves here and there, and then fussy cut out the centre

I attached this over an inked background using foam pads to raise it up a little, and stamped my sentiment in the centre.  You could, if you wanted to, make this into a shaker card ..... how cool would that be!

If you would like to get your hands on this stencil for that amazing Star Buy price, you need to be quick, the offer is only available until the 8th March!  

Happy stenciling!

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

March is going to be a busy month here I think. 

We've got our first trip of the year in the motorhome coming up next week ...... looking forward to that, although the van's not quite ready yet!  Let's hope the weather's kind to us.

We've got Mother's Day towards the end of the the month ....... the first one for Chris's partner Myra (Arthur's mum) so that should be a nice day.

And ........ it's my birthday soon! 

You may have noticed that I'm not counting down to this one ......... it's a BIG one ......... a REALLY BIG one!!!!  and I'm not ready for it!  

But, it'll be here on Saturday (the 5th) and there's nothing I can do about it!  ........ so bring it on!  

Apparently the celebrations are starting tomorrow.  Lauren has the day all planned ...... she's working on Saturday so we're starting early with a girlie day, just the two of us.  I have no idea what she has planned except that lunch is at 12.30.  Oh, and hubby needs to collect Alex from school!!  

I just hope that it's stopped raining!

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

CAS Christmas Card Challenge .......

Hello there, happy Tuesday .........

Guess what!  I've got my festive hat on again for this month's CAS Christmas Challenge ..... Falalalala lalalala! (are you singing along now?)

It's all about Foliage and Berries this month, and so tempted as I was to go all traditional in festive greens and reds, I decided to have a change ...... what do you think?

I do love simple black stamping onto Kraft card, and this pretty stamp from Simon Says has so much detail in there

It's from a stamp set called Joyful Season, and I think it was in the SSS December Kit of the Month last year.

I covered  a strip across the centre of my card with a piece of low tack masking tape, and stamped the image top and bottom using a black ink.  

I removed the tape, and stamped my sentiment in centre, and then added strips of narrow double sided tape along the edges of the foliage and covered these with gold gilding flakes .......

It's a quick and easy way of adding that foiled look ....... no need for laminators or special gels or glue, and it also gave a nice finished look to the edge of the stamping.

I did add a touch of colour to the berries with some Distress Ink ......

 

and finished off with a few splatters of white paint.

Not the traditional Christmas colours but, I like it!

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

I've spent most of this weekend getting to know my birthday present ....... from last year!!!  

Yes hubby finally got around to buying me a new phone ...... about time!

To be fair it's not his fault that I've waited so long.  Since my birthday 2020 we've been in and out of lockdown, the shops haven't really been open that much, and I didn't want to order one online (I couldn't decide which one I wanted to be honest!)   And lets face it, I've spent more time using my laptop recently than I have my phone!

I'm still getting used to the new one ....... it's bigger for a start, and I have to remember that it has a new ringtone ...... there's been quite a bit of 'Mum, your phones ringing again' this weekend.  Me and new technology don't always get off to a great start!  I haven't played with the camera on it yet which could be fun,  apparently it has 3!!!   And, I also have to remember NOT to put this one in my back pocket, and then go to the loo!!!! 

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: Joyful Season (Simon Says Stamp)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink - Festive Berries

Other: Narrow double sided tape (from my stash); Gold Gilding Flakes - (IndigoBlu); Fresco Finish Acrylic Paint - Snowflake (PaperArtsy)

Got there in the end ..........

Happy Thursday .......

I hope you're enjoying your week.  I've been catching up with all the boring stuff like ....... housework (boring!), paperwork (even more boring!!), washing and ironing (why are there so many clothes ..... we haven't been anywhere!!! I'm sure I've washed the whole of Lauren's wardrobe this week!)  I've even started cleaning out the kitchen cupboards ..... what's that all about!?

I am playing along with a couple of Blog Challenges today though.  

First up ........ I've got another Christmas card for this month's CAS Christmas Challenge.

The challenge is to use Kraft, Red and White ......

I've used a Julie Hickey stamp set, heat embossed with white powder and then coloured using a red Distress Re-inker ...... using the ink straight from the bottle, with a fine paintbrush.  I love the depth of colour from the re-inker .........

I coloured in the leaves using a white pencil and then I stamped the pretty poinsettia again, onto a separate piece of kraft card, heat embossed and coloured it in the same way, and then fussy cut before attaching it using a foam pad to add a touch of dimension. 

I stamped my sentiment top and bottom ......

And finished with a few white paint splatters .......

It's their 3rd birthday this month at CAS Christmas so ........ Happy Birthday to you!

This next challenge caught my eye on Facebook.  It showed up on my timeline via a FB friend and I thought I'd join in.

AAA Cards Challenge #185

It's been a while since I made anything this small ...... and you'd be surprised at how long it took me (and how many attempts!!!) In the end I went with this one, I think it was the third attempt ....... you don't get much more Clean and Simple!

It's a little 6x4 inch card and the stamp I used is from a lovely set by Tracy Easson.  I think it's called Just a Girl and her Forever Friend

I stamped the tiny image with black ink, directly onto my card blank. 

I was going to leave it at that and go with the optional twist of Black & White but, I felt it needed more. It was just a little too CAS even for me!  So ..... I added in the colour using an old Stampin Up! stamp and Distress inks ....... now I'm happy!

CAS, even something so small, can turn out to be the hardest cards to make.  This was my first attempt .... same stamped image, but I felt it need more.   By the time I'd added more  it was bigger than the required one inch!

Second try ....... something different this time but ..... broke the rules again!  By the time I'd added the word Art and the splatters,  it was bigger than one inch on the front ..... arggghhhh!!

I got there in the end though, just in time too as the challenge ends on the 20th!

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

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:

CAS Christmas

Stamps: Christmas Joy (Julie Hickey Designs)

Inks: Versamark ink; Versafine ink - Satin Red; Distress Re-Inker - Festive Berries

Others: White Embossing Powder (WOW!); White Polychromos Pencil (Faber Castel); White Fresco Finish Chalk paint (splatters) (PaperArtsy)

AAA Card Challenge

Card 1

Stamps: Just a Girl & her Forever Friend (Tracy Easson Illustrations); Playful Backgrounds (Stampin Up!)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean

Card 2 

Stamps: Just a Girl & her Forever Friend (Tracy Easson Illustrations); Sarah's Choice (IndigoBlu)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Festive Berries

Card 3

Stamps: Hey, Chick (Stampin Up!)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Small Circle Die

A CAS Snowy Lodge ...........

Happy Tuesday evening ........

I hope you're having a nice week.  

Mine's got off to a bit of a slow start after the weekend of Christmas parties.  

We had a great night on Saturday although we did leave early.  It was really nice to catch up with everyone, it was the first big social gathering from hubby's work since the beginning of the year so everyone was there.

Then on Sunday it was Christmas lunch with my crafty ladies ...... always fun when we all get together.

It's been blowing a right old hoolie here all day.  The good news is I didn't have to go out in it and ...... I'm almost finished with the Christmas cards ..... whoo hoo!!

Keeping things clean and simple seems to be my theme this year ......... 

I do like a bit of Kraft card for the festive season, and I love the contrast from the black stamping.

I used my MISTI to stamp the snowy lodge, then with the card still in the stamping platform, I coloured the snow using a white gel pen.

Once this was dry I re-stamped the image again over the top of the white gel pen, to put back any of the detail that I might have been covered up.

I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment using a fine detail gold embossing powder ......

added a touch of sparkle here and there with some fine crystal glitter ......

and finished with few splatters of white paint onto the background, and a little bit of white ink brushed around the edges, to give a real snowy look ...... brrrrr!

That's a few more done, just need to get them in the post now!

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

I'm off to tidy up this mess just a little bit ...... it's been a snowflake kind of day today, I'll share the results later in the week

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stamps: Winter Lodge (Inkylicious); Big&Bold Slimline Poinsettias (Colorado Craft Company) - sentiment

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versamark; Distress Ink - Picket Fence

Other: Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!); White Gel Pen; Fine Crystal Glitter, White Acrylic Paint (PaperArtsy); 

In the Pink ..........

Good morning!

Happy Monday .......

I do hope you've had a nice weekend.  

How about starting the week with a challenge ..... have you played along with this month's Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils challenge yet?

We've got another fun theme for you this month ..... In the Pink!

We want to see your favourite Sweet Poppy stencil designs ....... and don't think just because the theme is pink,  it doesn't mean everything has to be floral.  As long as it's pink it can be anything you like.  

How about pink ............ snowflakes! 

A really simple design using the Snowflake stencil, onto Kraft card with Distress Ink.  I love how this has turned out.

A touch of sparkle over the top with some Crystalina glitter .......

A simple sentiment. stamped in the same colour of Distress, only I used the oxide ink this time, I think it stamps better than the regular Distress......

And I finished with a sprinkling of Chunky White Embossing Enamel to give a snowy look.

If all your Christmas cards are done (lucky you!) or, you're just not in the festive mood yet, then what about .......... a pink Highland Cow!  How cute does Isla look!

I've used three Sweet Poppy stencils here ...... and all in the pink!  

The Plaid Back Plate for the background, in two shades of pink Distress ink .....

The pretty Cherry Blossom, to add a bit more detail around the edges, used again with Distress Inks and just a touch of pink glitter to the centre of the cherry blossoms.

And then of course the beautiful Isla, the Highland Cow ........

I used Distress Inks through the stencil, added a touch of shading to her fringe using Prisma Color pencils and then I fussy cut around her.

She was then attached to the centre of the card using a wobbler, which gives a little dimension to the card and also means that she mooooves!!  Sorry couldn't resist that.

So .... is pink your favourite colour, or is it a colour you never reach for?  Either way, why not give this month's Simply Sweet Poppy Facebook challenge a go.   The rules are simple ......

• Use ONLY Sweet Poppy stencils
• Follow the challenge theme
• Enter your project onto the Simply Sweet Poppy Facebook page, making sure to add the challenge theme to your post
• Your Sweet Poppy stencil MUST be the focal point on your card.  You can use other branded inks and mediums and if you are using stamps on your design, remember to keep them small!

The challenge is open until 29th November and the winner will receive a mahoosive £40 voucher to spend on the Sweet Poppy website.  Good luck everyone ..... get those entries in soon.

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

Time for a quick coffee then I'm off to do some packing at my daughters ...... busy day ahead.

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

Products used

Stencils: Snowflake, Plaid Back plate, Cherry Blossom, Isla (all Sweet Poppy)

Inks: Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Tea Dye; Distress Oxide Ink - Picked Raspberry

Stamps: Noel, Life is a Journey A6 stamp sets (Sweet Poppy)

Others: Crystalina Fine Glitter (Sweet Poppy); Pink glitter from my stash, Chunky White Embossing Enamel (Stampendous)

Guest Designer of this year's 12 Tags of Christmas with Loll and Friends

Happy Wednesday evening ......

Yes it's me again!   As you all probably know by now, and if you don't then where have you been?!!!! ....... it's the time of year when the lovely Loll Thompson hosts her 12 Tags of Christmas with Loll & Friends

It's year number 5 for this fun event, but sadly, this is the final one.
So, whether you're a regular to this event or, you've never played along before, this year is your last chance!

We're at Day 10, and there's been some amazing tags so far ..... so much gorgeous inspiration. Check out the blog ......  I promise you, you won't be disappointed.

As you know I've been playing along all week, but today, I'm thrilled to say it's my turn to be Guest Designer ...... thanks for having me again!

 

When Loll invited me to share in the event, this little guy had just appeared in the craft room. 
He's called Bundled Up ..... he's from Penny Black ....... and he's just sooo cute!!! I love him .... can you tell!

I've stamped him here onto Kraft cardstock using Distress Oxide inks and I think he looks fab!

I did use my MISTI,  stamped one colour at a time,  and built up the image gradually. 
So, I stamped the hat and his eyes with Black Soot, added the holly and the berries using Peeled Paint and Festive Berries, his carrot nose with Carved Pumpkin,  then I did the scarf with the red again ..... you see what I mean.

Once I was happy with the depth of colour, a quick blast with the old heat tool to make sure the ink was dry, and then I went over the top of the inks using Prismacolor Pencils in the same shades, to give a more solid, detailed look

To colour his face and body I used PaperArtsy's Snowflake Fresco Finish Acrylic Paint mixed with a little water, and finished with a white Prisma pencil over the top.

I heat embossed the sentiment across the bottom ......

A little bit of white ink dusted around the edges of the tag, lots of chunky white embossing powder to give the snowy effect, and some crystal glitter for a little icy sparkle to finish.

 
The festive red berries are Nuvo drops ......

I've had so much fun playing along with all the 12 tags events ..... thank you again Loll, for having me as one of your Guest Designers ..... it's been an absolute pleasure.

I do hope you can join in the fun, and make this final event the best one ever!
Full details, and a list of prizes up for grabs can be found over on Loll's Blog.

There's still lots of time to play along.  I know we're nearly at the end of the 12 Days of inspiration tags but, the actual link where you can add your own tag is open until November 23rd.

Happy stamping!

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

Cheerio until next time .....