There's still time to play along with the CAS Stencil challenge .....

Happy Tuesday ......

It's time for a little reminder about this months CAS Stencil Challenge ..... have you played along yet?

It's my turn to host this month,  and the challenge theme is all about using Perfect Pearls/Pearl-Ex

If you're not familiar with little pots of pearlescent powders check out the links on the CAS Stencil Blog to some great videos.  You'll also find some amazing inspiration from the rest of the DT on there too!

I like to use these powders on black/dark cardstock.  They work great with your stamps but, you can also get amazing results using your stencils .......

I've used a simple bubble stencil here ..... I'm not sure what brand this particluar one is (the packaging is long gone I'm afraid!) but there's loads out there, and I'm sure all you stencil fans will have at least one in your collection!

I used a tacky ink through the stencil ....... Versamark or Nuvo's Embossing Ink is perfect.
I applied the ink using a sponge, and gently pounced a little through the design, building up the ink gradually.  Doing it this way makes it easier to get the ink through the smaller circles and you avoid the ink bleeding underneath the design.

Once I'd covered the piece of black card I removed the stencil and then using a brush, I dusted over the top with various pastel colours of the Perfect Pearls.
The powders stick to the tacky ink so when you carefully brush away any excess the stencil design is left behind in a beautiful pearlescent finish

I gently spritzed over the design with some water ...... just a light mist to fix the powders so that they don't rub off.

I die cut part of my sentiment from white cardstock, and used pastel shades of ZIG Markers to add a touch of colour

I attached it over the stencil design and then gave it a coat of clear glaze and sprinkled on some fine crystal glitter

I stamped the rest of my sentiment onto a snippet of card and attached it underneath,  and then finished off with some sparkly sequins

Check out this months Challenge Blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have created using Perfect Pearls/Pearl-Ex with stencils.
We've also got a fabulous Guest Designer this month too ..... Chrissie (Simply One of a Kind) is joining in the fun so be sure to pop by there and say Hello!

Happy stenciling!

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

Cheerio until next time ....

Products used:
Stamps: Birthday sentiments;
Inks: Versamark; Versafine Clair - Nocture;
Others: Happy die (Winnie & Walter); Bubble stencil, ZIG Markers, Crystal Glaze (Nuvo); Sequins;
Perfect Pearls - Mint, Sunflower Sparkle,Pink Gumball & Turquoise

Be a Mermaid ......

Good morning .......

It's Friday ...... we've got blue skies and sunshine this morning. It looks lovely out there.
I feel a bit bad saying that after the weather we had during the TT fortnight ..... never mind it's only 351 days until the next one!!!

It's been a busy week in the craft room ..... dare I say it but, the 'C' word has been mentioned!!!  Oh yes, Christmas is on it's way!
Don't worry ......I think I'll leave it a little longer before I go all festive.  I'm still thinking sun, sea and sand ..... I haven't had a holiday yet!!!

Anyway .... it's time to remind you about this month's Craft Stamper challenge.  There's still lots of time left if you'd like to play along.

The theme is Anything Goes as long as there's actual rubber stamping on your project, and it can be anything you like ...... a card or a tag, a journal page, or an ATC.  A scrapbook layout, a piece of jewellery, or even home decor ..... the choice is yours.

Speaking of sand and sea ..... do you belive in mermaids?

I love this stamp from the Lovely Legs range from the Colorado Craft Company. There's some real fun designs but this one caught my eye.
I simply stamped the mermaid onto a piece of watercolour cardstock and then coloured her using a mix of ZIG markers and one of the new Sparkle Glitter Inks from Specturm Noir ........

These inks are so pretty and really sparkly.  Give them a good shake before you use them then simply paint them on and let them dry.  The soft shimmer from them is beautiful .......

Not easy to photograph though .......

The sentiment, included in the stamp set, was stamped using a multi-coloured ink pad (something I haven't used in a long time!)

Pretty pearlescent shades of blues and greens.
And I finished off with a few dots of Nuvo's Jewel Drops ...... they look like real water bubbles.

There's a great prize for the Challenge Winner ...... this wonderful stamp set designed by our very own Donna Gray

Thank you to the team at Blank Page Muse for that.
And don't forget we'll also have a Design Winner chosen by the DT.  They get their winning design published in the Craft Stamper magazine, along with a winner's profile on the Blog, and the chance to be a Guest Designer on a future challenge.
To be in with a chance of winning either prize follow the challenge guidelines and get your entries in!

Happy stamping!

EDITED:  Ooops ..... forgot to do this bit this morning.

I'm also linking up my card to this month's CAS Watercolour Challenge where the theme is ... Something Blue.  I think my mermaid fits the bill.

It's workshop weekend tomorrow, so I'm off now to finish all the final prep.  It's going to be a fun one, we're playing with floating die cut frames inspired by the lovely Jennifer McGuire.  Lots of stamping, colouring, and die cutting ....... should be a quiet afternoon!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and hav a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Lovely Legs - Be a Mermaid (Colorado Craft Company)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Brilliance Multi-Color ink pad Peacock; Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter Ink - Moonstone
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Jewel Drops - Sea Breeze (Nuvo)

Fancy a Blog Hop? ........

Good morning ........

It's the weekend ....... yeah!!!! 
I think we're going to have a quiet one, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

There is a Blog Hop going on though ........ why not grab a cuppa and hop on through the Uniko Revisit Blog Hop.
As there's no new release from Uniko this month we're revisiting a couple of previously released stamp sets ........ Explosion! and Explosion Additions ...... along with the matching Designer Dies.

I think these stamps are great for kids and teenager cards, and all those hard to make for men!!  Perfect for all sort of occasions too..... don't forget, Father's Day is next weekend.

This was so quick to make ...... and having the matching dies makes it really easy to cut out.

I simply stamped my images onto white card using my new Catherine Pooler inks ..... I've had my eye on these inks for so long, so I finally gave in to temptation and bought some of the minis just to try (I didn't really need new inks but ..... you know how it is!)

The colours are fab, and great coverage too. Now I need more!!

I used the matching dies to cut them out and then attached them to my card front, layering one on top of the other ......

The WOW! is attached using a piece of folded acetate giving it a bit of movement.

I stamped my sentiment underneath ......

And finished off with a few dots of enamel accents

Just think of all the different colour combinations you could use!

You have until midnight (BST) on June 15th to complete the Blog Hop.  Don't forget to leave comments along the way.
There's also a fab prize up for grabs ..... a £25 eGift Certificate for one lucky Blog Hopper.

The rest of the DT have been busy with these stamps so pop by and see all their fabuous designs.  Here's the full list .......

Bev

Carol 

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda (that's me)

Lindsey

Rahmat

Sarah G

Sarah P

Wiebke 

Happy hopping!

Thanks for popping by ........ have a lovely weekend.

Well we got through another TT.   Despite the bad weather we've had over the last couple of weeks causing delay after delay, all the racing was completed.   

The weather was kind for the final two days. Thursday was glorious and crammed with racing ..... 5 races and two qualifying sessions, with the big one, the Senior Race being run as always yesterday (Friday).

This year's winner ..... Dean Harrison 

photo courtesy of 3fm Radio

We've been up to the Grandstand ..... and met Joey (more about the giant Wallabies later!)

We made it to Bushy's TT Village again and soaked up the TT atmosphere ..... with maybe a gin or two (speaking of which it's World Gin Day today ....... cheers!)

And we watched the finale fireworks ......

So .... it's all over for another year.  The countdown is already on to TT 2020!!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Explosion Additions, Birthday Wishes (Uniko)
Inks: Catherine Pooler inks - Rockin Red, Tiara; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Others: Designer Dies - Explosion Collection (Uniko); Red Enamel Accents

It's time for a new CAS Stencil Challenge ......

Happy Tuesday .......

I've got another Blog Challenge for you today.
For all you stencil fans ...... it's time to launch June's CAS Stencil Challenge

It's my turn to host the challenge this month too, and we've got a fabulous product theme for you ...... use Perfect Pearls/Pearl-Ex Powders

If you're like me,  they're one of those products that have been in your stash forever but ..... they very rarely get used.  Time to change that though!
And if you're not familiar with them then check out the links on the CAS Stencil Blog to a couple of great videos.

There are a few ways to use these powders ........ mix them with a little water to create a paint, or add more water and use them as a pearlescent spray.  I'm not sure about the Pearl-Ex but the Perfect Pearls have a binder in the powder so when it's mixed with water it does become permanent.
They're great to use straight from the pot too ...... simply use a tacky ink, something like Versamark, and then dust the powders over the top.
Create fun, shimmery backgrounds for your cards, or pretty focal points.  They look amazing on black or dark cardstock .......

I taped my stencil over a piece of black cardstock and then applied Versamark Ink through the design.
You can use the ink pad to do this, just press the foam gently over the stencil or, I sometimes like to use a sponge, especially if the stencil is quite detailed. I feel you have more control over the ink this way

I then brushed over the top of the ink using Perfect Pearl Powders in green and gold.  You don't need a lot of the Perfect Pearls, use a soft brush to dust over the inky design and carefully brush away any excess.  Because the Perfect Pearls has a binding agent mixed in, spritz your design with a little water and this will set the powders so that they don't rub off.

I added a few dots of the new Dream Drops from Nuvo ..... this one is called Fairy Wings, a lovely soft iridescent pink ....

and I finished off with a simple sentiment .....

You don't have to use dark cardstock, here's the same stencil used in the same way, only this time it was grey cardstock, and just the one colour of powder ........ Perfect Pearl

A simple sentiment as before ...... and some pretty sequins to finish.

They're great on white card too ......

Pop over to the CAS Stencil Blog where you can find more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team along with our fabulous Guest Designer this month ...... the very talented Chrissie from Simly One of a Kind is joining in the stencil fun.

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

I hope the weather's a bit nicer where you are .... we've still got the rain and the mist over here which isn't good.  This year's TT is the complete opposite of last years.

Racing did get underway yesterday ....... it was nice to finally hear the roar of the bikes, even if it was just on the radio.  Unfortunately though the first race was red flagged after the second lap.  It wasn't good news, sadly one of the riders lost his life.  This sport can be so cruel sometimes.

We've had no racing today ...... just more bad weather!
The Red Arrows Display Team are scheduled to be flying over Douglas Bay this evening so fingers crossed it's clear enough for them to go ahead, we're heading off down there.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Birthday Messages (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Versamak ink; Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiments)
Others: Leafy Tree Stencil (Funky Fossil); Leaf Burst Stencil (Altenew); Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold, Perfect Pearl, Forever Green, Forever Blue (Ranger); Dream Drops - Fairy Wings. Dragon Scales, Indigo Eclipse (Nuvo); Sequins

Does My Bum Look Big in This .........

Happy Sunday ......

Welcome to June!!
As always, the start of a new month means new Blog Challenge themes ....... and the first one up for me is the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge ..........

We're looking forward to having a giggle this month when we see all your Funny entries in the gallery ..... hehehehe!

I've used a really old stamp here, it's wood mounted too, so no MISTI ...... eeek!!!
I think it was from a company called Butterfly Kisses which I think I'm right in saying no longer exists.

I stamped the image twice, once directly onto my cardblank and the other onto a snippet of white card.

I coloured the images using ZIG Markers and a waterbrush and then fussy cut Ellie's cute behind from the snippet and attached it over the image on the card using foam pads to add a little dimension

I also gave her little tutu the Wink of Stella sparkle

I added the sentiment underneath ...... and then finished with a few splatters of ink

You have until the end of the month to get your entries in, just remember to keep them in the CAS style.

Thanks for popping by ....... enjoy what's left of your weekend.

We should have been well into TT Race Week by now but, due to the horrible weather we've been having, and the mist that won't seem to lift from the mountain, there hasn't been much chance for the riders to get out on the track.
However there was a much needed break in the weather today.  Finally the sun shone, the mist lifted for a while and the qualifying sessions got underway again ..... yeah!!
Hopefully the racing will get started tomorrow ....... can we just have some sunshine  ..... please!

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

Products used:
Stamps: Miss Ellie, Crucial Question (Butterfly Kisses) unfortunately both stamps are no longer available
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne;
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers, Clear Wink of Stella pen