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

Do you believe in Dragons? .......

Happy Thursday .......

What's everyone up to today?  It's a little bit quiet here, and the weather's not very nice unfortunately.  There's probably a few damp TT fans on the island today. 
Last nights qualifying session was cancelled and it was hoped it could be run this afternoon.  Not happening though ...... not when the mountain looks like this

photo taken from the IOM TT Website

The good news is, it's supposed to clear later this afternoon so this evenings session should run as planned ...... fingers crossed! 

It's all about Dragons today, with some of my samples done for the Sweet Poppy Stencils show on Hochanda last week.

It was the launch of the new Dragon clear stamp set and he was sooooo popular.  I think he sold out twice!!  He is very handsome though .....

Maybe you were a Game of Thrones fan and are missing it already (we're going to watch it all again from the beginning!!!) Or maybe you're just a dragon/fantasy fan ..... either way he is pretty amazing.

He's easy to use too ....... I'm calling it a 'he' but it could be a 'she' I suppose, the choice is yours.

Even though it's quite a BIG stamp, it does stamp beautifully.  Just make sure you put enough ink on there, stamp him, applying even pressure and let it sit on your paper for a few seconds before you carefully lift up the stamp.  If you have stamping platform it's easier still ..... just look at all that detail 

I've simply stamped in black Versafine Clair and then coloured using ZIG Markers and a water brush

A few gold highlights here and there, a simple sentiment, and a few gold ink splatters ...... all done. Perfect for the man in your life!

It's great to fussy cut too ........

Coloured with the ZIGs again, with a few silver highlights here and there .....

I used the Faux Dragon Leather Back Plate Stencil to add a detailed panel on the background .....

Distress Oxide ink, then I added some Crystal Glaze to a few of the scales to add some texture.

And I used the words from the Dragon stamp set across the bottom ......

If you want to add more colour to him that works too .....

I heat embossed this one using a clear powder, and I wasn't too fussy about the colouring ...... Zig markers and lots of water, and a gold gel pen 

I did add some Crystal Glaze to the eye, love how it brings out the colour 

Speaking of the eye, that's another stamp from the set .....

I stamped this onto a piece of coloured card from my stash ...... black card coloured using Distress Oxide Sprays.

   

I then used a waterbrush to remove some of the colour around the eye.

The centre of the eye has been stamped again onto white card, coloured, fussy cut and then layered on top, before finishing with a coat of Crystal Glaze .... love it!!

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

I probably shouldn't say it but, it's actually stopped raining.  The riders might just get some practice laps done after all this evening ..... let's hope so!

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

Products used:

Stamps: Dragon Clear Stamp set (Sweet Poppy); One for the Boys (Woodware)  

Inks: Versafine Claire - Nocturne: Delicata - Golden Glitz, Silvery Shimmer; Distress Oxide Ink - Hickory Smoke, Weathered Wood

Other: Faux Dragon Leather Back Plate stencil (Sweet Poppy); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Crystal Glaze (Nuvo); Clear Embossing Powder, Silver Detail Embossing Powder (WOW!); Silver and Gold Gel pens

Good morning! ........

Happy Wednesday to you ......

Are you well?  Enjoying your week? .... I do hope so.

We had a busy Bank Holiday weekend ..... we were out on the Friday night, then we had the little man overnight on Saturday.  Chris moved in to his flat on the Sunday ...... and I spent yesterday cleaning up after he left!!!

This year's IOM TT is also underway. The island is getting the usual buzz as the visitors start to arrive.  I love it!!
The first Qualifying session was cancelled on Saturday due to the weather but, things finally got started on Sunday afternoon ........

picture from the IOM TT Website

And in the evening we checked out Bushy's TT Village for the Charity Band Day ...... a great line up of local bands all doing their bit to support local charities ........ Lauren's Robbie was on stage (see the arrow ...... he's one of the Funk Brothers with Mae Challis

Hopefully there's more racing this week ..... fingers crossed the weather is kind.  We may even get out to watch some.

Anyhow ...... I'm popping by this morning to say you can find me on the Uniko Blog today, with a fun way to use the English Country Garden Butterflies clear stamp set along with the new matching Designer Dies released earlier this month

Why not grab a cuppa and pop by and say hello.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time .....

Well that was a busy week!! ......

Hello there ........

Happy Friday!  I hope you've had a good week, mine seems to have gone by at 100 miles an hour! I'm definitely looking forward to the Bank Holiday weekend.

It's been full steam ahead since we got back from our little break in the Scottish Highlands. Not only have I had all the usual stuff to catch up with but, our son's moving into a new flat at the weekend so we've been helping get all that sorted too. 
It's been nice having him at home for the last few months, I am going to miss him ..... I won't miss ironing his white shirts though!!

We had a fabulous weekend away though ..... even if the weather wasn't very nice. 
We took the ferry to the UK last Thursday evening and then drove as far as Gretna.
We got an early start on the Friday and the weather was lovely. We drove all the way up to just past Inverness.  We stopped at Loch Lomond, then Loch Long  and had a spot of lunch.  We found the hotel where we spent our wedding night too ...... 31 years ago!!
We stopped off in Fort Augustus for a cheeky ice cream, and a nice walk along the side of the locks.

and then drove up the banks of Loch Ness.  Unfortunately we didn't see Nessy .... maybe next time!

Over the weekend we stayed in a beautiful B&B called Drynie House in a place called Kilmuir, North Kessock.

Overlooking the Moray Firth ........

set in 20 acres of woodland, with sheep and lambs, deer and the odd red squirrel here and there, it was the perfect place to relax.

Alasdair and Deirdre were the perfect hosts .... the breakfasts were amazing, and they knew all the best places to visit in the area ....... and beyond!

As I said the weather wasn't kind to us ...... it rained most of the weekend but it didn't stop us getting out and about.  We drove around the Black Isle, stopping off here and there,  and we made it all the way over to the Isle of Skye.
The scenery we saw was breathtaking.  It's such a long time since we've been to Scotland we'd forgotten how beautiful it is.

Whilst we were on Skye we visited the Talisker Distillery ..... well it would have been rude not to, seeing as hubby is a whisky fan.

We did one of the Whisky Tours,  and even tasted a wee dram, or two.
Now I don't drink whisky, well not very often.  You all know I'm a gin girl but, hubby keeps trying to find a whisky that I like.  Well ...... Surprise! Surprise! I've found one.  The 25 year old Talisker is rather nice!!
We even brought some home with us!

We arrived back home on Monday evening ...... and it's been all go ever since!
The washing machine hasn't stopped .... I'm ironing for England ..... and it's full steam ahead in the craft room too!
Never mind .... we've got a nice long weekend coming up and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.
Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the start of the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races. 
Yes, its that time of year again when the world's best road racers gather on the island to take on the
incredible 'Mountain Course' .......  37.73 miles of a course, all on the islands public roads.  Practice Week gets underway tomorrow ..... fingers crossed the weather holds.

Well I think we're all up to date now ....... crafty posts will resume next week. 
By the way ..... did you see Lucy on the TV on Tuesday, with Sweet Poppy Stencils?  The brand new Dragon made his TV debut ....... and sold out ....... twice!!!!  I'll be back next week to share some of my samples with you.

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

Cherrio until next time ........