Perfectly CAS (using only one third or less!) Challenge ......

Happy Tuesday .....

It is Tuesday isn't it!?  I'm having real trouble remembering what day it is .... thank goodness it tells me on my mobile phone!!

I hope you all had a good Easter ..... probably not the one you planned but, at least the weather was nice.

It's time for challenge #8 for Perfectly CAS (using only one third ..... or less)

CAS (Clean and Simple) ....... not everyone's cup of tea, and not always that easy to achieve.
It's all about white space, minimum layers and very little in the way of embellishments, and if you stick to the one third or less rule, then you can't really go wrong.

The theme this month is Masking ......

I decided to use a few different stamps, and a bit of clever masking to creatre a pretty layered look

I stamped my sentiment first, followed by the butterflies.  You can see I stamped the butterflies quite close to the words.
Remember ....... when using multiple stamps to create a layered, or collage look, the image that you want on top, or at the front, needs to be stamped FIRST, and then masked.  This makes anything that you stamp over the top, look as though it's underneath once the masks have been removed (hope that makes sense!)

So, I created masks for the butterflies, just from simple Post-It notes. 
Tip ....... when stamping onto Post-It notes make sure that some of the image is stamped with the sticky strip underneath, that way your mask has something to help keep it in place

I masked off the butterflies and also the words ..... again just with a simple Post-It note cut to size.
I then stamped the foliage over the top before removing all the masks

I used ZIG Markers and a water brush to add some colour, and to define the sentiment  I drew along the edge of where the mask had been using a gold marker pen, creating the look that my sentiment was on a seperate piece of card.

I finished off with a few splatters of gold ink on the front, and added a little bit of detail to the inside

I look forward to seeing your designs in the gallery.

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

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Flutters 2, Sentiment stamp (Inkylicioous); Wallpaper Art -foliage (Altenew)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz (splatters)
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers, Gold Metallic Marker pen 

Uniko Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & Giveaway .......

Good morning .......

Happy weekend! I hope you have a good one.

Because there are no new releases coming from Uniko this month, Bev and the Brand Ambassadors are having a Blog Hop today.   We're featuring the gorgeous Pure Florals - Gerbera stamp set.

I do love this set ...... it's full of beautiful, large blooms, in both solid images,  so if you're not that keen on colouring in your stamped images, you can stamp the flowers using different coloured inks. You also get the outline images which allows you to colour using markers, pencils, inks, whatever is your favourite. You also get some great words and sentiments in the set too.

I've used the outline stamps to create my card ...... simply stamped in black ink and then coloured using Distress Ink and a water brush.

I also used the stamp on a piece of co-ordinating coloured card, stamping with a similar colour of ink and masking the flowers as I stamped, to create a pretty all over design .....

I attached the stamped coloured panel to the front of my cardblank.
I die cut the bottom of the white panel using a stitched edge die, and attached that over the top adding a cute little twine bow

I stamped my sentiment and finished with a few dots of Nuvo Crystal Drops.

As with all the Uniko Blog Hops, there is a Giveaway.  To be in with a chance of winning this gorgeous stamp set all you have to do is visit the blogs in the hop and leave a comment ...... simple.
You've got until midnight (GMT) on the 22nd of March. 
Your next stop on the blog hop is the lovely Rahmat ........ Happy Hopping!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
Mine's going to be spent playing with our new toy I think.  Getting to know the motorhome a little better .... in other words reading all the manuals that came with it!!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Pure Florals - Gerbera (Uniko)
Inks: Versafine Clair - BlueBelle, Nocturne; Distress Ink - Mermaid Lagoon
Other: Fancy Stitched Edge Die (CUTplorations by STANMPlorations); Nuvo Crystal Drops, White twine

Finished at last!!! .......

Happy Halloween ...... or Hop tu Naa as it's known in the Isle of Man,

I hope you're having a good week. 
Things are a little less busy here ........ thank goodness.  Although saying that, it's November tomorrow, and we all know what happens at the start of a new month ........ lots of Blog challenges, so you'll be hearing from me quite a bit in the next few days.
I'll also try and catch up with all my Blog visiting too.   I do apologise if I haven't made it over to see you yet ..... I will get there, I promise! I don't want to miss anything!

It's been a nice week actually .... the weather's been good, although I think all that's about to change.  I was in town this morning and it was a little bit cold and grey.   Fingers crossed it stays fine for this evening ....... there's a little velociraptor that's looking forward to going Trick or Treating (I've had to stuff a tail this morning ..... but we won't go into all that!)

Last weekend was workshop weekend ...... the last of the calendar pages  Whoo hoo!!!
Not everyone could make it unfortunately but, the ones that were there finished all three pages. 
I'm so proud of them, they've all worked so hard over the last few months to get their calendars finished and I think they were all pleased with the results ........ here's a little look at some of their favourite pages .......

Sorry but I can't remember which page belongs to who but there's ...... Carol W, Carol J, Lyn, Mandy, Jenny and Ruby.  Well done, your calendars all look amazing!

We had just three pages to do.  On the two calendars I've been doing I had August left ...... we used stamping and simple masking techniques, watercolouring and acetate smooshing.

November ........ I'm loving these new large stamps from the Colorado Craft Company.
More masking, this time masking off the background to add colour to the leaves using Distress inks

I also did some stamping with different coloured inks ...... very autumnal!

And we finished with October .......

The calendars have been a big project but, I do think it's been worth it.

The final workshop of the year is in November ...... and it's Christmas themed ..... Ho! Ho! Ho!
I just need to get a move on with my finished sample.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day, and have a fabulous Halloween or Hop tu Naa
Happy trick or treating!

See you in November! ........

Products used:
Stamps: Butterflies, Sentiments (Inkylicious); Elements of Style (SU! - discontinued);Handpicked Bouquet (Altenew); Big & Bold Oak Leaves & Acorns, Jack-o-Lantern (Colorado Craft Company); Trendy Leaves (STAMPlorations); Maple Leaf (Clarity)  
Inks: Various colours of Distress Inks and Distress Oxides; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: 2020 A4 Calendar (Papermill Direct); Clear embossing powder, Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!); 

More calendar pages .......

Happy Thursday evening .......

At last ..... time to sit down and blog.
What a busy week it's been, and it's not over yet!  I've got this evening to myself though, hubby's out with work and I'm home alone.  So it's PJ's on,  catch up on some TV, and an early night I think.  There's been enough partying for me this week!!

First though, here's a little look at last weekend's workshop.  We did a couple more calendar pages, playing with simple masking techniques, lots of rubber stamping and a little bit of scene building using the gorgeous Lavinia stamps.

 
Page One ...... easy masking using Post It notes.  I went all floral for one of my designs ...

And Butterflies for the other ......

All coloured using ZIG Markers and a water brush ...... it was a very quiet afternoon at one point!

Page two ....... simple scene building.
I do love Lavinia stamps ..... I don't know why I don't use them more often.

It's so easy to create magical scenes, with a little bit of masking, a few Distress Inks and some of those gorgeous Lavinia fairies

Add in a bit of foliage, some flowers and of course a touch of glitter ......

Change the colours of your inks, and change the season ......

I did a little bit of faux bleaching on my design .....

I think everyone enjoyed their day.

As I said it's been a busy week.  On the craft side, there's been magazine stuff to do, new release samples for Sweet Poppy Stencils, a shopping list to put together for Port Sunlight at the weekend .... it's all go! 

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
Time to put my feet up!

Cheerio until next time .....

Welcome to October ......

Happy Monday ......

Well .....I'm back from our little holiday in Croatia (more about that later) and it's full steam ahead. October is underway (scary isn't it!) and it's time for all the monthly Blog challenges to get started. First up for me is the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge

The theme this month is One Layer ...... not everyone's favourite I know, but I love it!
So .... not only does your design have to be Clean and Simple (CAS) ....... one main focal point and lots of white space, but ...... there can be no matting and layering and no using foam pads to add layers either.  Your design must be created on the actual card blank ..... so no mistakes!  This is easier said than done sometimes.  One Layer cards, for me anyway, are sometimes the hardest ones to create!
 
Not this time though ...... luckily this was done on the first run

I made myself a circle mask from a piece of copier paper and placed it over my card blank.  I then stamped the umbrella from the Happy Little Stampers Rainy Days stamp set, once fully inside the circle ......and then twice on the edge ..... heat embossing the full umbrella with clear embossing powder.
I created masks for each of the umbrellas, and put them in place before brushing Distress Ink through the circle mask to create a background ......

I removed the masks and stamped the umbrella again,  this time outside the circle with just the handle inside to create a bit of depth ........

I used my ZIG brush markers to colour in the umbrellas ..........

and I did add a few clear Nuvo Jewel Drops around the umbrellas for the raindrops .......

I finished off with one of the sentiments from the stamp set, stamped over the edge of the circle.

We've just spent a lovely relaxing week in Croatia ....... the Opatija riviera on the Istrian Peninsula. What a beautiful part of the world! Blue seas, sunshine and blue skies, breathtaking scenery ..... the food and wine wasn't bad either!

It was our first time in Croatia, but somehow, I don't think it will be our last.  Even though we did have a bit of a nightmare journey home! 
Firstly our flight was delayed but thankfully we knew about that the night before ....... at least we got to sleep in a little.
Once at the airport, we queued for 2 hours to check in!  Another hour to get through security only to find that the flight was delayed yet again.  After a technical fault, and a wait for air traffic control, we finally made it home, despite the bad weather that was also coming in ....... there was a few bumpy moments up there I can tell you! 
But it wasn't over then ...... 40 minutes to get off the plane!!! then another hour to get our luggage.  I'd heard things were bad at our airport but this was ridiculous.  A little over 12 hours it took to get home ..... we were shattered!

Croatia is lovely though ....... there's so much to see and do.  We were with a group on a sightseeing holiday (another first for us!) and although we did get to see a lot and visited lots of interesting places, for us, we didn't get to spend enough time in any of them.
You know us, we like to explore, check out the cities, the local food and wines ........ so there's definitely going to be a return trip at some point.  We have Kuna left over ..... the local currency ..... so it would be a shame to waste it!
I will share some pictures with you when I get chance to download them from the camera .... I haven't even started on the unpacking yet!

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

Cheerio until next time .....

Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge .......

Hello again ......

How's your day been?
I had a lovely stroll into town this afternoon ...... a quick look around the shops, managed to pick up a couple of things, and then had a nice coffee and catch up with a friend. I don't need to cook either tonight, we're off to Curry Night at Chris's place which is always good.

It's time to get the second challenge for today underway and we're feeling a little festive for this one ....... it's the Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge ..... Ho! Ho! Ho! (sorry!)

It's the regular Anything Goes theme ..... with the optional twist this month of using a mask, or two!

I love this little Christmas Tree from the HLS Christmas Joy stamp set ....... simple to cut out which makes it easy when you need to make a mask.

I made myself a mask to create the hillside from a simple piece of white copier paper.  With this in place I stamped the trees along the edge ......

I started in the centre ..... stamped the tree and made a couple of masks from Post-It notes.  I covered the stamped tree and continued along the whole of the card, masking the trees as I went along.
I coloured them with ZIG Clean Color Brush Pens and added a touch of glitter to define the top of the hills

I stamped the tree again on a separate piece of card ..... coloured it and fussy cut around it, and then attached it over the centre tree using foam pads

A few dots of glitter glue give a touch of sparkle on the tree, and a simple stamped and embossed greeting adds the finishing touch.

Have you made a start on your Christmas cards yet?

As always the challenge is sponsored by the Happy Little Stamper Store

  
and the challenge winner will receive a Gift Certificate to spend on their next visit.

Thanks for popping by  .... again!  Happy stamping!

Cheerio until next time .....

Oh .... Christmas Tree

Hello again ......

Time to get another December challenge underway.  This time it's the Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge.
The theme for December is ......

That's right ....... all you have to do is pick your favourite technique, or product, you used from the past eleven Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenges.  Please share why it's your favourite, or any tips that you've learnt whilst doing it.

Here's a list of the previous challenges ......

SMOOSHING | EMBOSSING FOLDER STAMPING | FAUX MOTHER OF PEARL

STENCIL MONOPRINT | INLAID DIE-CUTS | GHOSTING | KISSING | MASKINGWATERCOLOUR SPRITZ | EMBOSSING ON VELLUM | METAL/FAUX METAL

One of my favourite techniques is Masking.  I love how you can create depth and the look of layers on your projects just by masking off areas as you work.

You don't need expensive tools or gadgets either ....... simple masking tape or paper will do.
Here's a really simple example of masking ......... using a piece of copier paper with a circle punched out ....

I placed the mask onto a piece of white card, slightly over the edge at one side.  Then using Stormy Sky Distress ink I brushed colour over the circle.

Another thing I like to do when I'm using Distress Ink is to sprinkle water over the ink, let it sit for a couple of seconds, then mop up the excess with a paper towel, removing some of the ink giving a Ghosting effect ....... I like to do this with the mask still in place so my colour doesn't run over the edge.  I think this technique makes the perfect snowy sky look for your Christmas designs.

I stamped my sentiment (from HLS Christmas Joy ...... love this set of stamps from the latest release)

The cute little Christmas Tree is from the same set of stamps (and the little heart too!) ....... simply stamped onto white card, coloured using Distress Inks and fussy cut

I added a touch of glitter to the heart and sprinkled on some Chunky White Embossing Powder (favourite product ..... one of the many!) in the background for an even more snowy look.
The Chunky White is an easy way of adding 'snow' to your designs ..... simply sprinkle onto your project, no need for embossing ink, and then heat gently from UNDERNEATH so that the powder doesn't fly away.

As with all the Happy Little Stampers challenges, the CAS challenge is sponsored by the HLS Store

And the winner will receive a $15 discount voucher to spend in the shop

What are you waiting for ....... happy stamping!

Whilst we're on the subject of trees ..... the Walmsley Christmas tree 2016 is up and decorated.
We went from this last night .......

to this ...... in just a little under four and a half hours!!!!! with the help of Mr Micheal Buble of course!

1000 lights and goodness knows how many baubles ...... and I only broke 2 which was good.

The well loved favourites are on there ..... love this little guy, he came all the way from Germany a few years ago.

And these ....... soooo cute!

And of course this years new additions ....... so pretty

It all got the seal of approval this morning when the little man arrived ..... and the Christmas elf!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day/evening.
This is actually a scheduled post .... by the time this goes live I'm probably well into the Christmas spirit (Cheers!) at the Poker Stars Christmas bash.
Yes ... the party season gets underway this evening, so the Christmas shopping tomorrow will be starting a little late no doubt ....... we'll see how the head is!

Cheerio until next time .......