Getting a little festive with Sweet Poppy Stencils ......

Good morning ...... it's the weekend!

It's not looking too bad this morning ....... the sun is back, a bit breezy though! 

Have you got anything nice planned?  We're hoping for a quiet one I think.

I'm here with a few more samples using the Sweet Poppy Stencils from the shows coming up next week on Hochanda.

Lucy's back on TV with a whole load of Sweet Poppy goodies.  Pastes, glitters and of course amazing stencils ...... some back in stocks, some favourite designs and some BRAND NEW ones.  Designs suitable for all occasions including Christmas, which is fast approaching.  I think I read somewhere yesterday that there's only 14 more Fridays until the big day ..... now that's scary!

If you were here yesterday you'll have already met the gorgeous Isla ....... the brand new Highland Cooo stencil, designed by the Sweet Poppy in-house designer Emma Cronin (she's so clever!)

It's a fab stencil, great size and perfect for so many occasions ...... even those cards for men!!

I shared some everyday ideas with you yesterday but, how about dressing her up for the festive season 

Just look at that face ...........

Add in a few pretty snowflakes and a touch of glitter ...... 

And finish with a festive sentiment ......

I also added a few ink splatters onto the background.  

And if snowflakes are not your thing, then add baubles instead, she would look amazing ..... and so festive!

Her she is again getting in a tangle with the Christmas lights ...... we've all been there!

Distress inks work so well with this stencil ..... I love the new Crackling Campfire

The sentiment is from one of the Sweet Poppy stamp sets ......

And the cute sprig of holly is a Sweet Poppy Die ......

Once the inks were dry, I drew in the Christmas lights using a gold gel pen, and coloured the bulbs with sparkle pens ....... I just love her!

Here's a quick look at a few more festive ideas using stencils from the shows .....

The beautiful Large Bauble is back in stock along with the matching dies.  Use the stencil and dies together as I have above or, use the dies on their own to create smaller baubles 

The pretty Holly Back Plate is also on the show, great for decorating smaller pieces (I used it to decorate the baubles above) but also perfect for quick and easy cards

And of course a Christmas wouldn't be the same without a gorgeous Poinsettia 

Again with matching dies ....... perfect for all your cardmaking, but why not use it to create your own gift wrap and tags .....

I hope I've given you a few ideas.  Tune in to the shows on Tuesday to see a whole load more from the rest of the Design Team, and of course amazing demos Lucy along with lots of tips and techniques.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Stencils: Isla,  Large Bauble, Holly Back Plate; Poinsettia

Inks: Various colours of Distress Inks, Delicata Golden Glitz & Silvery Shimmer, Versafine Clair -Nocturne

Stamps: Noel, Joy & Peace A6 stamp sets (Sweet Poppy)

Dies:  Holly Trio Die, Nesting Bauble Dies, Poinsettia Outline Die

Other: Gold Gel Pen, Sparkle Gel Pens (Sakura), Quickie Glue Pen; Crystalina Glitter (Sweet Poppy); Glitter card; Clear gemstones, Stardust Gel Pen, Chunky White Embossing Enamel, Glitter Glue

A date for your diary ........

Good morning ...... Happy Friday!

I'm so looking forward to the weekend ....... nothing to do, nowhere to go so, if the weather's good we might just take the van out for a drive, find somewhere nice to park him up and just chill!  We had him washed yesterday so he's all ready to go!

I've been busy this week getting some samples done for the TV.   Lucy and Sweet Poppy Stencils are back on Hochanda next week ....... Tuesday 15th August at 3pm and again at 7pm with some brand new stencil designs (you're going to love them) along with some old favourites and some designs that have not been shown on TV before.
Those eagle-eyed may have already seen the new designs on the website I think they went live earlier in the week.

Here's a quick look at some of the ones that I put in the post yesterday .......
First up the gorgeous ....... Cat Love, how cute are these two!

I've used the stencil on two different card sizes ...... the first one is A5 and the second one is 5x7 inches. 
The stencil is a great size, all it needs is a sentiment.
For both cards I simply inked through the design using black ink .....

And then used Distress inks to colour the backgrounds .....

Adding water and a few ink splatters here and there ......

And finishing off with sentiments .......

Next we have the Owl ...... again a great stencil that can fill the whole card

He he is on a left over background from the last Sweet Poppy TV shows

After inking through the leaf background stencil I noticed that there was quite a bit of ink left on it.  Now you know I don't like to waste inks and paints so, I simply spritzed the stencil with water, laid a piece of white cardstock on top and this was the result ....... not bad! Perfect backdrop for the owl.

A touch of the brand new Distress colour ....... Crackling Campfire around the edges and a few highlights with a Stardust Gel pen ......

Here's another simple design, this time on a tall slim card or DL size ......

Now for one of the brand new designs,  meet Isla .... the Highland Cooo

She is beautiful!  She's been designed by the very talented, Sweet Poppy in house designer Emma Cronin and I just love her. 
Just think of all the possibilities ...... are you a fan of Jennifer Hogwood's McMoos or, maybe you love the McCoos by Steven Brown, well ..... now you can create your own.  Just wait till you see what the rest of the Design Team have done with her ....... we all fell in love I think. 

Well, that's just a few of my samples.  I'll be back tomorrow with a few more and a little bit of a festive feel ........ even Isla's in the Christmas spirit!!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day, and have a great weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stencils: Cat Love, Owl. Isla, Black Daisy (flower on Isla), Fall Backplate (background on the owl) (all stencils by Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Distress Inks - various colours; Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Delicata - Golden Glizt & Silvery Shimmer
Stamps: Friends, Family, Life is a Journey A6 stamp sets (Sweet Poppy); some small sentiments from my stash
Other: Gold embossing powder (WOW!); Stardust Gel Pen;

CAS Christmas Card challenge .......

Happy Wednesday ......

I hope you're having a good week.  It seems ages since I was here, there's been quite a bit going on what with family get togethers, and a couple of nights out.  A crafty meet up with the girls which was fun, a trip to the dentist (oh joy!) and of course the schools on the island have all gone back today ..... yeah!!! so we won't be seeing as much of the little man. 
We've also booked a family Staycation seeing as we haven't had our usual family holiday this year.  We're leaving the motorhome at home and we're spending a week with everyone, in a cottage overlooking the sea, somewhere near Kirk Michael ..... I think.  Fingers crossed the weather is kind ..... it's lovely today but, we don't go for 10 days so anything can happen before then!

I've been spending my week in the craft room, busy working with some new stencils, which can only mean one thing ....... yes, Lucy is back on the TV next week with some brand new Sweet Poppy Stencil designs.  I'll fill you in with all the details and show times later in the week. 
For those of you that can't wait though, check out the New Products section on the Sweet Poppy website for a sneak peek at the new designs.

I've been trying to get into the festive mood recently ...... it had to happen at some point ..... so I thought I would play along with this month's CAS Christmas Card Challenge where they want us to use a Christmas Tree ........ I do like a nice tree!

I also like large sentiment stamps so this one is perfect!

Heat embossed in gold on a piece of green cardstock ......

I then inked around the edges using shades of green Distress Inks  ........ such a simple thing to do but I love the effect you get, it sort of gives the tree a glow

I added a few splatters of gold ink to the background, and made a tub for the tree to sit in from a piece of kraft cardstock coloured with Distress Inks

A few red gems here and there add a touch of sparkle to finish off

I think it's something like 107 days until Christmas ....... eeeek!  It won't be that long before I'm decorating our actual Christmas tree ..... Ho! Ho! Ho!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
We're off out this evening, it's the first of the new Wine Down Wednesday Wine Tastings ..... try saying that at the end of the evening!!
It's all about Bordeaux this month ...... one of our favourite regions, so we're looking forward to it.  We've also got a table booked for dinner afterwards so it could be a late one!

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: We Wish You a Merry Christmas (My Favourite Things)
Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Inks - Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso (for the tub), Delicata Golden Glitz (for the ink splatters)
Others: Gold Detail Embossing Powder (WOW!); Red Self Adhesive Gems from my stash

Embossing with Dies for CAS Mix Up ......

Hello again ......

I hope you're enjoying your Tuesday.
I'm back with the launch of this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge.

Joanna is our host for September, and the challenge has a Mixed Media theme, using a real fun technique ..... Embossing with Dies

Now, Embossing with Dies is sort of new to me, especially the version of the technique I've used, but I'm always up for a challenge! 
If it's all new to you too, then check out the CAS Mix Up Blog.  As well as all the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team, you'll find links on there to some really useful videos showing you different ways of using this technique.

I was inspired by the video Embossed Impressions from the lovely Jennifer McGuire  ...... and I love it!  I just had to give it a try

I used one of the Tim Holtz Mixed Media dies, gently swiped over the top of the cutting edges with Versamark ink and then embossed it through my Big Shot onto the top part a piece of navy cardstock (I did have to put an extra shim in with my plates to get a good impression). 

I then sprinkled over the top with gold embossing powder and heat set, before repeating the process again underneath ..... it looks so pretty! 

Quick tip ..... when using this technique, don't forget to use an anti-static bag over your card BEFORE embossing with your dies.  That way you don't get embossing powder sticking where you don't want it to.
If however, you have been a little heavy handed with the Versamark Ink and it transfers where you don't want it don't worry ....... just use a fine paintbrush to carefully brush away any excess embossing powder before you heat it up.

I stamped my sentiment onto a strip of white cardstock using a gold ink, and placed it across the card where the two embossed panels meet

To finish off I added a tiny gold heart that I had coated with Versamark Ink, and heat embossed three times, in the same gold as my background

So, I've included the theme ....... Embossing with Dies, I've rubber stamped, and I've heat embossed!
Now it's over to you ...... can't wait to see you in the gallery.

We have a fabulous Guest Designer this month ......... Mac (The Sweetest of Peas) is joining is the fun so be sure to pop by and say Hello!

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

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: Kisses & Wishes 'T' for Transparent stamp set(Penny Black)
Dies: Tim Holtz Mixed Media Dies #5
Inks: Versamark Ink; Delicata Metallic Ink - Golden Glitz
Other: Tiny Heart Punch, Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!)

Sweet Poppy FB Challenge

Happy Tuesday ......

Pinch and a punch for the 1st of the month ....... welcome to September!! 

(picture found on Pinterest)

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend ...... it was an extra long one here in the Isle of Man with TWO Bank Holidays so we've had a real break.  A few days away in the motorhome ..... started off a bit wet and windy but we did get some lovely sunshine.   And then we finished the weekend off with family BBQ yesterday ..... always fun when we get together.

So it's the 1st of the month and that means new challenge themes ..... whoo hoo!!
I'm starting off the month with the Sweet Poppy Stencils Facebook Challenge ..... check out the details on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils FB page.

This month the theme is ....... Hues of Blue.  

One of my favourite colours, and one of my favourite Sweet Poppy Stencils ......... throw in a lovely  sentiment and you have the perfect combination!

I inked the circle in the background first using Distress Ink (Stormy Sky) and a simple mask cut from copier paper using one of my nesting dies

I went off the edge of my card with the circle and added a few splatters of water to create a little more detail in the background

I then used the gorgeous Wild Flowers stencil ......

and two more shades of blue Distress Inks ....... Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire

I added in a sentiment ......

And finished off with a few dots of Crystalina glitter

Now it's your turn.
The challenge will run until the 29th September when one lucky winner (randomly chosen) will receive .....

 a whopping £40 voucher to spend on the Sweet Poppy website 

The rules are simple ......

• Create something fabulous following this month's challenge theme
• Post it on the Simply Sweet Poppy Facebook page
• Include in your post "Sweet Poppy Challenge - along with the theme name (then we know it's a challenge entry!)
• Use ONLY Sweet Poppy stencils on your design ........ it's OK to use other branded mediums, inks etc.,  along with them.
• And ...... you can have a maximum of THREE entries per challenge.  

Happy stenciling!

I've got a busy week this week, including a trip to the dentist (oh joy!).  Nothing major (I hope) it's just a routine check up.
And we might just squeeze in another couple of nights away, depending on the weather of course. 
It was a little bit muddy when we arrived at the campsite last week ..... we needed the chocks to level us up, and stop the wheels sinking into the mud!!

It wasn't too bad, the rain did stop and we had a beautiful weekend.  It's great because hubby cooks, and all I have to do is pour the wine ......

 and then sit and watch the sun go down ...... perfect!

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

I'll be back later today when this month's CAS Mix Up challenge starts.

Cheerio until then ......

Products used:
Stencils: Wild Flowers (Sweet Poppy)
Stamps: Friends A6 stamp set (Sweet Poppy)
Inks: Distress Inks - Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire; Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment)
Other: Quickie Glue Pen, Crystalina Glitter (Sweet Poppy)