Back again! This is really last minute .......

Hello again,

I'm certainly seeing April out with a bang.  I've been busy in the old craft room this afternoon, supposedly tidying the place, but I got a little bit distracted shall we say.

All month I've been meaning to do a little something to enter into the Country View Crafts Blog Challenge, and somehow I've never got around to it.
Since moving to the Isle of Man, Country View Crafts has become my favourite online place to shop for all my craft supplies. 

It's a fabulous online store.  Great products.  Best prices.  Really quick delivery, even across to the island, and it's free p&p too!
It's only their second challenge this month, (I was so disappointed not to enter the first one) and the theme is ..........

BUTTERFLIES

There's some stunning inspiration pieces from the Design Team on the blog, and loads of fab entries too.  The challenge closes tonight - in less than 5 hours actually.  So I'd better get a move on.  See, I said it was last minute.

Here's my entry .........

It's a hinged tag, made using the Indigo Blu Wild Meadow stamp set.

I cut my tag from a piece of white cardstock - approx. 3 1/2 inches by 7, and used Distress Stains - Broken China, Salty Ocean and Picket Fence to colour it.  I put the stains directly onto my craft sheet, spritzed with a little water and then dragged my tag through the stains.  I repeated this a couple of times to make sure the whole of the tag was covered, then dried it off with a heat tool.

Next, I used the stains to make 'splats' to add a bit more interest to the background .......

This is great fun but the ink can go everywhere, so make sure your craft desk is protected - no part-finished pieces of work lying around, or nice new paper pads (why am I telling you this? .......... been there, done that, wearing the splattered t-shirt!).

I stamped the grass silhouette across the bottom of the tag using Onyx Black Versafine, and the dandelion off the edge slightly.  

To make the hinged part I cut off the bottom 1 3/4 inches and made 3 small holes across both edges where I made the cut

The butterflies were stamped onto some cardstock  from my bit box, which had been coloured using blue shades of Distress, spritzed with Perfect Pearls, and then cling film put over the top and left to dry (one of my favourite techniques, I do use it quite a bit, so I've always got scraps of card left over).
The large butterfly is from Wild Meadow, the medium one came free with an issue of Craft Stamper, and the tiny one is a Hero Arts stamp.
The sentiment is from a Dylusions stamp set, stamped onto cardstock and then cut into sections.

I mat the two tag pieces onto some black cardstock, used a fancy border punch for the bottom edge, then joined the two pieces together with some large jump-rings.   I added the sentiment, and butterflies, just attaching the butterflies by the bodies so that the wings could be raised and add a bit of dimension.  I also stamped the large butterfly again onto acetate, and layered it over the top of the cardstock just to make him flutter that bit more.
I added a fancy metal corner and some co-ordinating seam-binding to finish off.  Challenge entry done - yeah!!

I'm also entering this into Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers - get me!!  2 challenges from 1 make.  Anyone would think I'd thought about this one (ha ha!)  This week's theme is  ............BLUE  I think it qualifies don't you.

Well, that's it for me today.  Hubby's just got in from work and he's brought me a little treat ........

Fish supper from the best fish and chip shop ever!  It's been a while so I'm going to enjoy these Nom! Nom!

Thanks for popping by (again).

See you all soon

Linda

xx

Finally Taken the Plunge .....

Happy Friday evening Bloggers,

Have you had a good week?  I'm soooo looking forward to the weekend, and hopefully spending some time with all that new stash of mine.  Plus, I have a Melt Pot winging it's way across the water to me, as we speak.  So, when that arrives next week nothing's going to get done! (I've still got my Timmie tag to do - better do that before the MP arrives).

As you probably know (and just in case you don't) I'm a big fan of the lovely Hels Sheridan.  I stalk (oops) follow her blog regularly and always check out the Sunday Stampers Challenge that she hosts. I've never been brave enough to enter it though.  Well, up until now that is.  This week I've finally taken the plunge ........ I am going to enter.

This week the theme is PAPER.   I love how she chooses her themes, they're all based on song titles (clever eh!).  You know what it's like, you get a certain song in your head and that's it, it's there all day - drives me nuts!!!   For me, it used to be whatever was on the radio as I left the house, or the last track on the CD in the car.  Now it happens when hubby decides to play the keyboards.  Whatever he finishes with, you can guarantee I'll be singing, or humming it for the next few hours.    Anyway, the song that links with this weeks theme is Paper Sun.  To join in with the challenge all you have to do is create something, add in the theme along with some rubber stamping (well it is called Sunday Stampers) and use the linky thing on the Challenge post. 

I've been playing around with a technique this week that's a favourite of Hels, 'paper blocking' so I thought it fit in quite well with the challenge.

 .

It's actually my Creative Studios DT project for this week, so I hope it still qualifies.  The background has been paper blocked using the gorgeous Prima range - Engraver, and the rubber stamping part is done with Sam Poole's fab Art Houses stamp set.

I won't go into all the detail here, you can find all that over on the Creative Studios DT Blog.

Speaking of hubby and the keyboards, he's at it again.  He's just got home from work, decided to 'tinkle the ivories' and he's left me with Billy Joel - It's Still Rock and Roll To Me - thanks love!

On that note (oooh, sorry!), I'd better go and link my Challenge entry.  (Are you singing it now too?). 

Have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you all next week.

Cheerio for now

Linda

xx