Inspired by the retreat ......

Happy Tuesday folks,

I've got a bit of a busy week this week ..... I'm off on one of my trips to the UK again on Friday (whoo hoo!) so lots to do before I leave.  
I need to get my head in gear and get the old craft room sorted, as well as getting everything else organised, and seeing the little man off tomorrow on his first day at school (oh .... bless him!) His uniform is all ready ..... Alex is definitely ready (a bit nervous, but very excited!) not sure that his mummy is though ...... better get the tissues ready too!
By the look of things I'll be burning the midnight oil a little, to get everything done in time ..... the list is rather a long one this week!

It's going to be a fun weekend though ... I'm not travelling alone this time either ...... two of my crafty pals are going across with me.  It's going to be a craft filled few days ..... a bit of retail therapy perhaps, a nice meal out here and there and then we're all off to the Clarity Open Days ......

I went along last year with my buddy Susan, and we had a ball!

Speaking of Clarity, do you remember back in July (oooh .... was it that long ago!) ....... I was lucky to go to the two day Clarity Craft Retreat down in Crowborough.  What a fab time we had ...... if you ever get chance to go on one of these .... DO IT!!!  It's two days crammed with learning techniques and picking up tips on how to create fabulous pieces of artwork .... all taught by Barbara Gray herself with a little help from the fabulous Paul Church from the DT.  You don't actually come away with finished projects as such, but you do have a mind full of ideas and a folder full of details and instructions that you can refer back to over and over again and ...... pieces of art that you can then re-create or complete and transform into something fabulous at a later date.

Here's one of mine that I didn't actually finish on the day but, taking a leaf out of Maria Simm's book (another member of the Clarity DT) I'm going to make an effort to get around to finishing off all those half done projects ...... we've all got boxes of them ...... well, I have anyway!!
Maria's called them Finish It Friday projects ....... this wasn't done on Friday by the way but it is finished now .....

So simple to do, but very effective.  I love the vintage, distressed look with that splash of colour.

I've simply stamped the columbine flower (I think I've got the right one! ....... from the Gentian & Columbine set) onto an old book page and then added colour using Spectrum Noir pencils ..... so pretty!

A little bit of tearing and distressing around the edges and some words added from the Million Thank Yous set  .......

And I finished off by adding some natural twine and a pretty painted wooden heart button

Well that's one finished ....... it's a start!

OK ..... I'd better go and check on the old suitcase situation. I have started packing but I'm trying to keep things to a minimum ...... well I need to save plenty of room for all that new craft stash that is no doubt going to find it's way into my bag .... ooops!  I've only booked hand luggage too ...... so ..... it's only 3 pairs of shoes this time!!!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
And, if you're in the area at the weekend why not pop along to the Clarity Open Days ..... I believe there's still some tickets available .... it would be lovely to see you!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Take a stamp .... any stamp ..... it's challenge time again!

Happy Friday folks!

It's the first Friday of the month again ..... I can't believe we're in September already! ..... only 16 weeks until Christmas (yikes!!!)
It's also time for a brand new challenge over on the Craft Stamper Blog.

Speaking of Craft Stamper ..... have you seen the new look to the magazine?

How fabulous does that look!!! And not only have we got a new look on the outside ..... there's a few new faces on the inside too!  Grab yourselves a copy of the brand new issue .... you're in for a treat!

This month on the challenge, it's the turn of Take a Stamp ......... you can create whatever takes your fancy, all we ask is that there's some rubber stamping on there somewhere (no digi images .... sorry!)
Remember ...... link your entry post back to the Craft Stamper blog, only ONE project per post please and, you can enter up to 3 times.  Fancy giving it a go ..... you could win one of the two great prizes up for grabs .....

First up .....  our sponsors prize ..... randomly chosen.  This month the challenge is sponsored by the fabulous

STAMPlorations

and the prize is .....

Boxed Blooms and Bold Sentiments stamps sets and .......

Leaf Print and Bold Florals stencils too!

Not only that ..... STAMPlorations have been very generous and have supplied us with a Coupon Code for Craft Stamper Challenge players to take advantage of  a FREE SHIPPING offer from the store.  All you have to do, is use the code CSTAKEITMAKEIT on all orders over $20 (approx. £12.90) to get the free shipping (even to the UK!!)  The code is good for the whole of September and can be combined with any other STAMPlorations coupon.

Next ....... the Design Winner prize ....... chosen by the DT.  They will get their winning project published in the Craft Stamper magazine, be invited to be a Guest Designer on a future Craft Stamper Blog Challenge, AND .... get their own Winners Profile published on the Craft Stamper Blog ..... WOW!!
For more details and full challenge rules, check out the Craft Stamper Blog.

Right .... now that's out of the way, time for some inspiration I think.

I love my rubber stamps! and at the moment I'm loving making pieces of home decor.  This started out as as small 6x6 canvas board but as you can see ...... in true Barbara Gray style ...... it's ended up as a 12x12!!!

Sorry about the picture quality ........ bad light!!  The colours look very pastel but actually they're a lot more vibrant in real life.

Anyway ..... I started out by playing around with the 'bleeding art tissue' technique on a blank white canvas board.  I first saw this on the the very talented Eileen Godwin's blog some time ago .....  she's also done a video on YouTube too .... check it out here

It's so easy to do and it's one of those techniques where you'll never get two results exactly the same.
All I did was cut out some shapes from the coloured tissue paper ..... which by the way you can buy from Amazon and ebay etc., and it's not expensive.  I used dies and punches but you can just as easily tear it.
I then placed the tissue shapes onto my canvas and brushed over the top of each one with some clean water..As the water soaks through the tissue you can see the colours transferring to the canvas and they also mix with each other where the tissue overlaps, which is quite cool!

Once all the pieces of tissue were in place and I was happy with the design, I put the canvas to one side and let it dry naturally.

In the meantime,  using a Black Archival ink, I stamped one of my current favourite stamps onto a piece of regular white tissue paper ...... (I say 'current favourite' as this does change quite regularly!!) I do love this butterfly from Tim H's Perspective stamp set .......

I added some colour to the image using Spectrum Noir pencils ..... colouring on the back.

Once the canvas was dry, I carefully removed the tissue shapes and voila!! ...... the background was taking shape!
Using a paint brush, I splattered a little ink over the top to add a bit more interest, using colours to match the butterfly.
When this was dry I pasted the stamped butterfly over the top using a thin coat of Glue and Seal.  I love the translucent effect you get when stamping onto tissue paper, and once it's all dry you can hardly see the edges.  I also added a sentiment to the canvas in the same way

To finish it all off I took some white acrylic paint along with some black gesso, and used an old gift card to add the painted lines around the edges

I decided to hang this on the old craft room wall but, I felt it wasn't big enough .....

So ..... I took a 12x12 canvas, and gave it a coat of black gesso.  Still wasn't 100% happy with it, so ....... out came the brick wall stencil, a little bit of texture paste here and there and another coat of black gesso.  Now I'm happy!

Right ..... it's over to you.  What will you create ..... I can't wait to see!
If you still need inspiration though pop over to the Craft Stamper Blog the rest of the Design Team have created a stunning collection of pieces for you this month!

It's been a busy old week here .... hubby's had the week off work and we've got quite a bit of stuff done.  Had the odd day out here and there, a couple of nice meals, coffee with friends you know what sort of thing I mean.  We're off out again tonight ... nothing fancy just a few drinks with his work buddies to round off the week nicely.  Then next week's going to be a big one .... the little man has got his first day at school (noooooo!!)  Both me and his mum will need the tissues that morning I'll bet!

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Challenge time at Happy Little Stampers!

Hi there

It's time to launch September's CAS challenge over at Happy Little Stampers, and this month it's all about ...... Colouring

We have a new challenge sponsor too.  From this month, until the end of the year the CAS challenge will be sponsored by our very own Happy Little Stampers Shop

The challenge winner will receive one of the fabulous stamp sets from HLS
So ...... what are you waiting for .... get those entries in!

Here's a little inspiration for you to get you started .....
There's lots of ways to colour in your stamped images ...... use inks, paints, pens or markers, pencils .... the choice is up to you.
I've gone for pencils .... you know I love my Spectrum Noirs!

And I've used one of the gorgeous new stamps from the HLS Butterfly Birthday stamp set ...... these stamps are fabulous ..... I love them! (can you tell!) They're great designs and so easy to use.

I've kept things very CAS, masking off the butterflies as I stamped, to create the continuous line across my card.
I actually started off by stamping my first butterfly across the fold of the card ........ and carried the design onto the back.  I've seen this a few times recently, on Pinterest, and thought what a fab idea ..... looks so cool!

I then coloured in each butterfly using the pencils ..... nothing fancy, kept each one a different colour and added a touch of shading to the wings

I added a sentiment to the bottom (comes in the same stamp set)

and gave the bodies the Wink of Stella treatment. Sorry, this doesn't come across well in the picture, trust me it's very sparkly in real life! 
You can also see I've added a few dots of white Enamel Accents here and there.

OK! OK! ...... I confess ...... these were a bit of a last minute thing.  
The card was more or less finished when disaster struck!!!!  The dreaded tiny spot of black ink suddenly appeared ..... where from ..... who knows, but ..... I wasn't colouring in all that lot again!!!
Not a bad rescue job .... can you see the black spot?

Anyway ...... to finish off, as always, I had to put a pretty butterfly on the inside ......

Need a little bit more inspiration ..... then pop over to the HLS Blog.  You'll find lots more gorgeous ideas from the rest of the DT and, we have a Guest Designer with us this month ....... the very talented Riti (A Lil Piece of Heaven) is joining us for September ..... why not pop over and say Hi! you won't be disappointed! 

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day, and good luck with the challenge.

Cheerio until next time

A moment of Clarity ..... for Merry Monday

Happy Tuesday folks!

How's your week going? I can't believe we're into double figures already ...... August is flying by!!
We've got another nice day too, here on the Isle of Man ...... it's a shame to be in the old craft room when the sun is shining but ...... with a 'To Do' list that's getting longer by the day, needs must and all that.  Let's hope the nice weather lasts until the weekend ..... there's a lot going on.  We've got the IOM Queenie Festival ..... always a fun day out especially if you love seafood!!  Poker Stars have got their Treasure Hunt on Sunday .... again, always a fun, very competitive, day out.  And I've got a crafty get together too ......  a busy weekend!

Before all that though .......... there's lots to get through this week.  I think we'll start by going a little bit festive ...... I know ...... it's hard thinking of Christmas designs when the sun is shining, but .... it will soon be here at this rate ...... only 5 more paydays until the BIG day (eeek!!)

Merry Monday is still running two-weekly challenges which is good for me ..... I stand a chance of making time to enter.
The latest challenge is all about using Pastel shades ....... very different to the traditional colours, so pretty!

Here's what I came up with ......

Out came some of my favourite Clarity Christmas stamps ...... from the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas range.
I love these .... use them individually, all together ...... there's 10 in the collection,  or just two or three like I've done here.

I've stamped each one in grey Archival ink (Watering Can), and then used Spectrum Noir pencils to add the colour ..... keeping to just the pastel shades.

I shaded around the edges of each one using a co-ordinating Distress ink ....... Spun Sugar around the pink, Tumbled Glass the blue and Milled Lavender for the lilac.

I then took a large piece of white cardstock (to fit an 8x8 square card), again shaded around the edges with one of the Distress colours (I chose Spun Sugar) and then stamped my favourite, well used, much loved, Clarity Christmas Trees across the bottom edge .....

I added in a sprinkling of Fran-tage Chunky White Embossing Powder to give the look of falling snow, and of course a touch of glitter in there too .....

A bit of matting and layering to frame each of the stamped images, and then they were mounted onto my card using foam pads for a touch of dimension ......

I added a festive greeting on the inside and more of those gorgeous trees ......

All of the stamps I've used can be found on the Clarity website ..... under the Christmas section and .... not only that .... those fab trees are on special offer this month.  Go on ..... why not treet yourself!  Sorry!!!

Oh well .... as much as I would love to stay and chat, the old craft room is calling!
Before I dash off though  ..... I mentioned we were off to the Manx Royal Agricultural Show last week ......

We had a lovely day and ...... I did get to see the Barclays Premiership Trophy.  There it was, sat in the Barclays tent ..... all shiny and BIG!!

Pity it didn't have the Chelsea ribbons on ...... it is still ours after all.  Whether that will still be the case at the end of the season ...... after last weekends performance who knows.  Not the best start was it!!!

And on that note I'll say .....

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Time to get out those pens and pencils .....

Happy Friday folks!

It the first Friday of the month ......... and you know what that means ..... a brand new challenge on the Craft Stamper Blog.
It's the turn of  Take a Technique this month, and we'd like you to use ....

Pens or Pencils 

You can sketch or draw your design.  Use pens or pencils for colouring ..... or even colour your stamps with pens instead of regular ink pads.  It could be Spectrum Noirs, watercolour pencils, Inktense.   Distress Markers, Copics, Pro markers, whatever you choose.

You could add detail with fine liners, use gel pens or the glittery Wink of Stella.  Just remember there must be REAL stamping on your project too!

As always we have a sponsor ..... this month its the fabulous Chocolate Baroque

and the prize is ...... the Artistic Affirmations stamp plate .... lots of fabulous words and sayings, a really useful set to have in your collection.

And .... don't forget there's also the Craft Stamper Design Winner, chosen by the DT.  Full details can be found over on the Craft Stamper Blog

OK ..... now for a bit of inspiration to hopefully get you started .....

I've used Spectrum Noir pencils to add colour to one of my favourite stamps of the moment ..... Demure from Penny Black.

I stamped the image onto a piece of white card using black Versafine ink, and then coloured the flowers with my pencils ......

I used a couple of shades of blue to begin with, starting with the lightest shade first, all over then gradually going darker from the bottom of the bloom up.  I added in a little turquoise, and finished off with a couple of shades of purple ......

I added a few white highlights using a gel pen, and coloured in some of the dots with a Stardust Gel pen to add a tiny touch of sparkle

Once I was happy with the flowers I added some colour to the background using co-ordinating Distress Inks ........ Tumbled Glass and Dusty Concord.  I brushed the ink around the edges taking it in and around the flowers but leaving the centre of the card pale.

I finished off with a few black ink spats here and there and added a little twine bow to the stems

And ..... it wouldn't be me if there wasn't a little something on the inside too .....

Same stamp, same colours and a little bit of masking to give it a little more interest

Now it's your turn ..... will you choose pencils or pens?  Draw or colour ..... the choice is all yours but ...... don't forget to include some stamping on there too!
If you're still looking for ideas check out the Craft  Stamper Blog for more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.
You've got until August 26th to get your entries in ..... have fun!

It's been a busy week again ..... lots going on in the old craft room ...... and outside of it!!  I went to a craft workshop earlier in the week (I'll share the results over the weekend) and I'm off out again today.
A friend and I are popping over to the Manx Royal Agricultural Show .... fingers crossed the weather stays fine!  We're meeting some more friends over there so it should be a good day.
I believe that the Barclays Premier League Trophy will be there on display today ..... on the Barclays stand

It's not that long ago that it was in the hands of my boys in blue .... and Jose of course.  It might be worth a photo if I can get near!

Thanks for popping by ..... and a BIG Hello and Welcome to my latest followers, it's always nice to see our numbers growing.  Thank you for spending time here, I do appreciate it.
Enjoy the rest of your day and have a fabulous weekend, whatever the weather!

Cheerio until next time

Linda 

xx

Exciting news! ..........

Happy Monday!

Another brand new week .... and the rain has stopped (yeah!!)  It's been beautiful today, the sun has been shining so I've been making the most of it.
It's been a good start to the week ..... I feel like I've got loads done today.  I've finished sorting the old craft room (that was a job and half!!) done all the household jobs (got the boring stuff out of the way early this week!) and we've booked the little man's birthday party ..... he's 5 next month (where did that time go!!) Lauren's sent all the invites out ..... now there's just the food and the party bags to get organised, oh and his birthday presents to buy.  He already has a list .... think I need to make one too!

I mentioned I had some exciting news ...... well it's really exciting for me.
You know I went across to the UK a week or so ago, to the Clarity Retreat ..... well ...... not only did I have a fabulous time over there, including 2 days spent in the company of great friends, made some lovely new ones too, being taught by the one and only Barbara Gray.  And, as if that wasn't fun enough you can imagine my reaction when Barbara asked me if I would like to join the Clarity Design Team!!!!!!

OMG!!!!   Little old Me .... on the Clarity DT ........ yes, I still can't quite believe it.  I said Yes .... obviously, who wouldn't!
I can't wait to start working alongside such a talented bunch ..... what a fantastic team they are!

Here's a little something I've be playing around with today ..... my first actual Clarity piece as a DT member ......... inspired by the lady herself ....... Thanks Barbara .... this is for you

I just love these little birds ......

I started off by masking around the edge of a piece of white card using low-tack masking tape.  I then blended different colours of Distress ink over the whole piece of card (Tumble Glass/Spun Sugar/Scattered Straw and Twisted Citron) and then splattered with water.

I then stamped the gorgeous ribbon Thank You from the un-mounted stamp set A Million Thank Yous .  This comes with lots of extra stamps to create fab sentiments .... really useful!

I stamped the birds across the  card, still with the masking tape in place, and also added in a little foliage around the edges using the Small Sprig .... first and second generation stamping

The little birds were coloured using Spectrum Noir Pencils ...... I love these, they blend so easily.

To finish off, I added a touch of colour to the ribbon sentiment ..... again with the pencils

and then to add a bit more interest I splattered some Snowflake Fresco Finish Acrylic paint over my design ......

Finally I used one of the add ons from the Thank You set to complete my sentiment

I hope you like it ..... you'll be seeing more Clarity Stamps here on the blog over the coming months.

Why not pop over to the website and check out the fabulous designs.  You'll find loads on there ..... including special offers ..... this week it's Groovi week.
Check out Clarity's latest addition .... the brand new Groovi board system .....  "making parchment craft accessible to everyone".   I had fun using one of these boards last week on the retreat ..... there's some fabulous designs and at the moment if you spend £40 on Groovi products you get an exclusive board FREE!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.  I'm off to dance around the old craft room a little more .... told you I was excited!!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx