!!! Exciting News !!!!

Hello there ...... Happy Tuesday!

Phew!!! What a busy few days we've had ...... but, before I go into all that, I've some exciting news to share with you.
I've been invited to join the Design Team for the Happy Little Stampers ..... whoo hoo!!!

I'm so excited ........ you know me I love my blog challenges and I can't wait to start working alongside such a talented bunch! I've been asked to join the DT for the CAS Challenge ... right up my street.  Wait till you meet the rest of the team .... talented or what!!!

You'll find me on the Blog challenge next month with my first DT piece ..... can't wait!!

If you haven't heard of Happy Little Stampers (HLS) before ..... where have you been!!!!  They host fun monthly challenges ..... CAS (Clean and Simple) ..... there's a Sketch challenge ...... and starting in July there's a brand new Christmas Card Challenge.  They also have a fab HLS Forum too ..... a real craft community where you can get inspiration from, view great tutorials and even chat in real time to other crafters.  Check out the Blog .... you'll find all the details there.
In fact ..... why not pop over and take a look at this month's challenges ...... there's CAS

I must get playing along with this one ...... I love using sprays and mists!

And there's the HLS Sketch challenge ........

Here's the one for this month .....

I decided to play along with this one ..... here's my take on the sketch .......

I've gone all festive ...... the reason being that this was also going to be entered into the Merry Monday Christmas Card challenge (last week!)  They wanted to see Sparkle. Unfortunately because of the busy weekend we've had I didn't actually get around to entering it in time (sigh!!)  Oh well .... at least the cards not wasted.

Those well loved, and well used Clarity Christmas Trees have made their 2015 debut .... stamped in black Versafine ink, either side of a piece of white cardstock.
I then stamped my little robins, again one either side, and drew in a string of Christmas lights to join them together

The actual 'lights' are just dots of coloured glitter glue

I added a festive greeting underneath, coloured the birds using Spectrum Noir pencils

and added a touch of fine crystal glitter to the trees to give the sparkle ......

A little bit more of the design finishes off the inside ......

As I've said we've had a busy few days.  My brother's over visiting from the UK so, we've been out and about watching the TT and soaking up all the atmosphere.  The weather has been glorious the last few days, which means there's been plenty of racing going so we've just made the most of it.

We've also had our first BBQ of the year, first one in the new house in fact ......

Had to be a cheeky bottle of red in there somewhere!!

Then on Sunday we went to a birthday BBQ ..... and look who we took with us

Meet 'Snapper' the salmon ..... all dressed up and ready to go!  Oh my ...... was she good!  I didn't give her the name by the way ..... not guilty!!! That was down to this little chap .......

We've walked from one end of the prom to the other .... stopping off here and there on the way (hic!) Even ended up in the Bushey's beer tent ...... G&T in a plastic glass .... what's all that about!!!?  Never mind .... the Bellini cocktails later made up for it!

But enough of all that ..... we're off out again today.  We're heading up to the Creg Ny Baa I think, to watch todays race ..... lets hope the weather holds because we've also got the Red Arrows flying in this evening to do one of their fabulous air displays.  We'll be watching from the terrace so hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share.

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

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Take a Technique ....... add a bit of Texture

Happy Friday folks,

Things are gearing up for a nice busy weekend over here ...... the TT Race Week starts tomorrow, my brother arrives on the island on Sunday, and we're off to a birthday bash BBQ ..... weekend sorted!
Before all that though there's still a list of crafty stuff to be done.

It's the first Friday of the month ..... a brand new Craft Stamper magazine hits the shelves (have you got your copy yet ..... you'll love the projects in this months issue!)

That means there's also a brand new Take It Make It Challenge ........ and this month it's the turn of Take a Technique .......

We want to see some Texture on your projects

There's lots of ways to add texture .... it could be texture paste or embossing paste, or use a technique such as embossing either with an embossing folder or use embossing powder.  Use textured card or paper, add stitching or fabric (lace, ribbon etc.) ...... basically anything to give your project that 'touchy feely' style.  Don't forget to include some stamping on there too!!

My texture is on a wall plaque.
I've used Grunge Paste through a stencil and also some paper flowers covered in Gesso, and then the whole thing has been painted over ..... creating lots of gorgeous, different textures. I was inspired by a project I did on a recent workshop run by a friend of mine ..... thanks Jill!  This is what I was playing around with last weekend on our crafty get together ..... and I couldn't share it earlier.  I told you you wouldn't have to wait long!!

It started out as a plain paper mache hanging board from PaperArtsy.  I arranged a few paper flowers on there and added in some punched foliage.  You don't need to worry too much about the colour of your flowers or whether they all co-ordinate ..... what you're really looking for is the shape and the texture of them.  I layered some on top of each other to add a bit more more depth too.
Once I was happy with them I then stuck them into place using a wet glue.

Next came the texture paste ..... I filled in more space around the edges using a brick wall stencil and the Grunge Paste. Once all this was dry I covered the whole thing with Black Gesso, making sure to cover the flowers completely ..... I told you you didn't need to worry about the colours!  Once the Gesso was dry I painted over the top using Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Acrylic paints ..... I love these, they cover so well.

My final colour was Inky Pool .... but I've also used some purple shades and a touch of turquoise on there too.  Just keep painting over the top until you're happy with the colour.
Some of my gesso wasn't quite dry when I started with the paint, especially around the flowers, so there's also a touch of the black in there too

Once the paint was dry (it doesn't take that long .... you could use a heat tool if you can't wait), I rubbed over the textured bits using a touch of White Fire Treasure Gold to bring out some of the detail

See the depth created by layering up the paper flowers ...... nice!

The splatters are from some watered down silver paint and just a touch of white (everything is getting the splatter treatment at the moment .... I love it!!! It's great for covering up mistakes too!)

I then stamped my words onto a piece of white card, embossed using a clear powder (more texture) and then added some colour using Distress inks

You can see there's a little bit more stamping in the background .... the pretty little Wendy Vecchi flower, to add a bit more detail .....

I attached this onto the handing board and finished off  with a pretty painted wooden button

I hope you like it, and feel inspired to give the challenge a go.

Here's where the idea came from ...... it doesn't have to be a wall plaque this technique works fab on cards to ..... this is what I made on the workshop

Now it's your turn ..... remember there's fab prizes up for grabs.
This month our sponsor is Rubber Dance Art Stamps 

And the prize is ......

And there's the Design Winner ..... chosen by the DT.  They get their project published in the Craft Stamper magazine (a two-page spread no less!), they get a Guest Designer spot on a future challenge and a Winner's Profile on the Blog ..... fancy all that ..... then have fun and get stamping!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy your Friday and have a fab weekend!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Two legs or four .......

Hmmmmm ......

Happy Thursday folks,
A bit late in the day but ....... better late than never eh!

The reason I'm blogging at this time is we've been out and about catching up with one of the TT Practice Sessions.
It's been such a nice day, it was a shame not to take advantage of the sunshine ....... so I put a picnic tea together and off we went with a group from hubby's office.

We picked our spot on the TT course, out at Gorse Lea on the way to Peel ....... not a bad little spot at all ..... great view of the bikes ...... really up close and personal!

A little on the noisy side at times .... they don't half go by at some speed and we were right by the side of the road ......

Look at them take that bend ..... some of the riders reach speeds of up to 150 mph round there .... scary or what!!!

The little man was out there with us of course ..... he's becoming the BI (Business Intelligence) Office mascot I think .....

Here he is waiting for the race to start ........ picked his spot right next to Laura!

Anyway .... enough about the TT .... it's not even race week yet!!

The real reason for tonight's blog post is this week's Less is More Challenge.
I couldn't miss joining in again this week could I ........ well ...... it would have been rude not to ..... I'm thrilled to say I was ShowCASed again for Week 224! (Happy dancing again in the old craft room!)

Because May was a 5 Saturday month we got a Lucky Dip week ..... and the theme is ......

2 or 4 Legs

I've gone for the 2 option ....... and I've been dying to use this stamp set.  

There's been sooooo many fab projects using these little guys, some of you might just be sick of seeing them.  But .... this is the first one to appear here so ..... be nice, he looks a little on the nervous side ........

You guessed it ..... Tim's Bird Crazy.  This has been one popular stamp set .... sold out everywhere!  I love it!!!

I stamped my little guy and coloured him using Distress Inks .....

I added my sentiment (Penny Black's new T for Transparent set ..... Sprinkles and Smiles) and then gave him a nice party balloon to hold ......

...... die cut from a leftover piece of Brusho coloured cardstock ...... matches perfectly I think

I finished off by adding a few tiny splatters of ink here and there .....

What do you think .... perfect card for a guy's birthday?  I hope so .... because that's what it's being used for at the weekend!!!

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

It's time for me to put my feet up and have a nice cheeky glass of something chilled ....... cheers!

QUICK EDIT  ...... Me again!!  Thanks for the tip off from the lovely Sarah (aka Sazzle Dazzle) ..... I'm also entering this card into the latest challenge over at AAA Cards.

The challenge is Cards for the Guys ..... always a tricky one but I think my little birdie fits the bill! Thanks Sarah x  

Cheerio until next time .....

Linda

xx

And so it begins .......

Happy Sunday,

Well .... it's started ........ this years Isle of Man TT that is. Or .......  as someone who works with hubby described it .......
The annual international celebration of lunatics travelling at 200mph on two wheels round a deadly road race track watched by damp campers drunk on real ale!! (lol!)

photo taken from the Official IOM TT website

Practice week got underway yesterday (Saturday) although unfortunately it was cut short by the weather.  Let's hope things brighten up during the week and that the weatherman is right (for once!) Apparently we're heading for a heatwave (whoo hoo!) ....... starting on Wednesday, and will probably last until Friday ...... if we're lucky!  Only joking ..... finger's crossed it's going to be the start of a long, hot (well warm at least) summer!

The sun's not shining today, in fact the sky looks pretty grim, but I don't care ... I'm having a lazy morning!  Well, I've no hubby to worry about ...... and it makes up for the early start I had yesterday. I know he arrived in the UK safely but that's it ....... I've heard nothing since.  Their 'lads day out' was supposed to be, starting with a trip to Go Ape ...... swinging through the trees like Tarzan, climbing high rope obstacles and flying down zip wires over water .... no thank you!  Not my idea of fun I can tell you, no matter how breathtaking the scenery is!!
Then, it was supposed to be on to some fancy hotel in Manchester, a meal out in the evening followed by a club ...... and probably ending up in some casino or other.  He's due back later today...... no doubt a little worse for wear!!!

Me on the other hand ..... I had a much more leisurely day spent in the company of my lovely crafty buddies.  Lots of tea, cake and cookies, AND chocolates .......  with the odd glass of something chilled after lunch ..... non-alcoholic of course!  Well .... it is the weekend after all, and .... it's not that often that we all get together ..... there was 6 of us today!

We had quite a productive day too ...... cards were designed, some even made. New stash was used ...... which is always fun, and everyone left with nice long shopping lists!  You know what it's like ..... someone's always got something new in their stash that you haven't, and you suddenly find that it's something you really NEED  ....... you've been there, right!?

Unfortunately I can't share my little project with you, not yet anyway, you'll have to wait a bit longer .... sorry!   I can tell you it was all inspired by something I did on a workshop recently, with one of the girls .... all will be revealed next week .... stay tuned!
I can share the second project we did though ....... from the same workshop.

Once a month we go over to Jill's and have a nice crafty afternoon .... usually trying out a couple of new techniques and getting all inky .... it's great fun!!
One of the things we did last month was using Brusho's with metal stencils.  If you haven't tried Brushos yet .... give them a go, they're little pots of magic!  And ...... the more you play around with them, the more ways you find to use them.

This is using the paints with a metal stencil ..... but instead of colouring through the stencil, in the usual way, we sprinkled the pigment ONTO the metal.  We then spritz with a little water and placed the stencil down onto a piece of card.  Apply a little pressure ....... and this is what happens ........

Pretty or what .... you still get the stenciled imaged, maybe not as crisp in places as you would using it in the usual way, but I quite like that.  You still get those fabulous Brusho backgrounds too .....

And what I also like is ...... no two will ever turn out the same. Clever eh!

Oh well ...... can't stay in my PJ's all day (sigh!) stuff to do and all that.  But first ..... a nice warm cinnamon and raisin bagel and a strong coffee are on the agenda ....... Happy Sunday indeed!

Thanks for popping by.  I see my followers number has gone up again (big smile!)  Welcome to Jan ...... thank you so much for spending time here, it's lovely to have you with us.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend
Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Guest Designer at Country View Crafts Challenge Blog

Good morning! ...... and a very Happy Friday to you.

It's soon come around this week ...... because of the Bank Holiday I suppose! It should be a nice quiet weekend though .... it's hubby's turn to fly across to the UK.  He's going over for a guys get together ..... so it's bound to get messy!! Glad I'm not going.

Anyway, to get the weekend underway, I'm absolutely thrilled to be today's Guest Designer over on the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog.

This month's challenge theme is .....

 Simply Scenic

There's already been lots of fabulous inspiration for you through the month and today it's my turn.

Summer is on its way, so I'm told ..... and with that in mind my take on this month's challenge is .... a piece of home decor, with a pretty little summer meadow scene .....

This is so simple to do and the picture inside can be changed to suit the seasons throughout the year. Would make a lovely little gift too!
There's some fabulous shabby chic picture frames around, and not that expensive, it's what you put inside them that matters.

I cut a piece of white cardstock to fit the aperture then added some colour using Distress Inks ..... pretty shades of blue to create my summer sky ........

I spritzed the ink with a little water, let it sit for a while then removed the excess with paper towel removing some of the ink as well.

I then stamped the flowers across the bottom using a black Archival ink.  This particular image is from IndigoBlu ..... Wild Flowers and is one of my favourites.  Depending on how you colour the flowers they could be anything ..... buttercups, poppies you name it!

I decided NOT to add colour this time ........ instead I took more of the background colour away ...... using a paintbrush and some clean water I painted over each of the flowers, dabbed with a piece of kitchen roll and removed the ink ......

I stamped some butterflies above the flowers, once directly onto the scene and then again onto pieces of previously inked card from my scrap box ...... leftovers really from previous projects (I never throw anything away!)

I then fussy cut these and attached them over the top of the ones on my summer scene (cuts out the need to cut around the really fiddly bits like the antennae)  

I took one of the sentiments from a set of JOFY stamps (JOFY 09) and stamped it across the top ...... perfect fit (phew!)

and to finish off I used some watered down Picket Fence Distress Paint splattered over the scene using a paint brush.

I also added a touch of White Fire Treasure Gold to the ornate bit at the top of the frame ...... gives it more of an aged look I think.

I hope you like it ......... you've still got time to enter the challenge  so why not give it go.

Thanks for popping by ...... it's been a pleasure to be GD on the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog. It just so happens that Country View Crafts is my favourite online craft store ..... fab products, great prices and it's FREE  P&P (UK that is)

Have a great weekend ...... it's my turn to host our crafty get together tomorrow ..... 6 stamping mad ladies around the table (hubby's glad he's away!)  You never know we might just get something finished this week ..... there's always a first time!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx