Special Christmas cards

I've got my computer back at last. My friend Joe, who fixed it for me, told me that it was running slow, but this is just ridiculous. It has just taken me over two hours to get onto the internet and then it won't let me do anything so I've given up and am back using my daughters laptop. I've been working on this post since last weekend, so it has now officially taken me a week to finish. What is it with me and all things technical? In fact this morning after nearly throwing my laptop out of the window I finally gave up and ordered myself a new one off my catalogue. I can't wait till Friday when it is delivered. Maybe then the internet will become a joy like my good friend Gill tells me it should be. I wait in happy anticipation. Anyway, enough of me moaning thats not why you follow me is it!!!
I tried to get these cards to you on Tuesday so that you could see what I was teaching at Davina's on Wednesday evening (www.stampcraftcards.co.uk), but we won't go in to that again will we!!
I always try to give the ladies several examples to look at in the class and sometimes you just get carried away. You may also have noticed that one of my favourite toys at the moment is the cuttlebug, embossing folders and nestabilities.



These cards all use the Inkadinkadoo clear stamp sets and the new Hobby Art clear stamps greetings set, but the large tree is a wood mounted stamp by Personal Impressions which I think makes a great Christmas card even though it is not designed as such.
I'm afraid that I threw out the packaging as soon as I opened up the stamp sets so I don't know the codes, but if you go on to the Sir Stampalot web site or contact Davina I know that they will be able to help you locate them.
I was going to go into detail about how each of the cards had been made, but I think that I might be here for rather a long time and I suspect that that may be pushing my luck with all things computer.
They all involve stamping and heat embossing using either versamark and gold embossing powder, or black versafine and clear. Each coloured panel has been put through the cuttlebug using an embossing folder and the stamped panel on the top of the card has been cut out using the nestabilities all except the red and gold tree which had been cut on the guillotine.

I hang on to all my old cats eye ink pads, which are far too dry to emboss with, but are ideal for tapping around the edge of card to give that truly 'finished off' look.
Brads and ribbon are also a great way of finishing off a card, and what more can I say about peel-offs.
At one time I wouldn't have given a thank you for one, but now I own hundreds, although I have to say that I probably use more of the waste to finish off a card than I do the actual peel-off design itself.
Anyway, I think I had better post this now before anything else goes wrong. I hope that you like the cards and maybe I will post some more pictures when I've finished playing with all the leftover bits from teaching the class.
I am having a few days holiday next week so I hope that I can get on top of some of the prep work for the next few classes so that I can share them with you.
Happy Stamping!
Love Kimx

Me again

Me again.
As it wouldn't let me add more than one picture at a time I thought that I would just have to post the close ups of the card separately. So here we go. This shows the fantastic Card Candy, sorry about the silicon obviously still need some practise with that. My trademark is three little somethings added to a card and these are just fab and come in such scrummy colours.

I love stamping and embossing and these solid image stamps that Penny Black do just have to be some of my favourites for this sort of technique.
Metallic rub ons are just wonderful for highlighting the cuttlebug embossing. You apply them wth your finger tip rubing gently over the embossing. Build up the colour gradually because once its on you cant take it off!!
Bye for now. Love Kimx

Pictures at last

Well girls here we are at last, I'm finally ready to post with pictures. I do so hope that you feel that it has been worth the wait.
I've so much to share with you that I just don't know where to start, so here goes. I have made thousands of cards over the years - and photcopied every single one - how sad is that!! But that doesn't really help to post as they are just as a rough guide for my reference. I feel that the first card that I share with you just has to be a stamped one as that is just my favourite thing to do, so I thought that I would share the card that I made for my daughter Becki's birthday on the 14th of this month.
The card is made using a Penny Black floral stamp which has been inked up with the versamagic mini ink pads. The stamped image has then been clear embossed. The words have been stamped over the image afterwards.The right side of the panel has then been run through the cuttlebug and the bottom left hand corner has been embellished with three of the Craftwork Cards purple Card Candy.
This panel has then been mounted onto a piece of gold paper and trimmed to leave a narrow border. The main card is made from Bazzil cardstock which has been put through the cuttlebug using the same swirly embossing folder. This has been embellished with mettalic rub ons before the floral panel has been mounted onto it.
This post has just taken me about 3 days to complete as I have had terible trouble trying to import the pictures. It wont let me put other ones in at the end as I wanted to it just puts them at the top of the page so I'm obvoisly doing something wrong. I've wrecked my laptop so now I have taken over my daughters. Who said this blogging lark was easy??? I just hope that you like what I've posted and lets hope the next one will be easier to do. Stick with me. I hope it will be worth it.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

Well now I know why it has taken me so long to have a blog. - I HATE COMPUTERS!!
Sharon had phoned and talked me through posting with pictures attached. I had spent the weekend teaching on Saturday at Lavender Lane in Stoneleigh Broadway and then helping Harvey on the Imagination stand at the Biggin Hill Show on Sunday.
So there I was ready to post and tell you all about these and finally share some pictures when my computer tells me that it is infected with 20 viruses, worms, cookies and all sorts of other awful things and that it is trying to share my details with the whole world.
I never was very good with technology, quite frankly computers scare me to death. I'm always afraid that I am going to press the wrong button and allowing all sorts of awful things to happen to the hard drive and that is obviously exactly what I have done.
My computer is now in the hands of my friend Joe who is trying to restore it to health, so I'm afraid it is once again a post with no pictures. I will get the hang of this one day and then I have lots of cards to share with you. Anyway for now this will have to be it.
Stamping Caz is coming round tonight to do a Stamping Up party at my house so we will have fun. Aren't I lucky.
Speak soon. Love
Kimx

As I told you on Friday I was just off to the show at Port Sunlight. Its a lovely show, very friendly, very busy, and boy was it busy!!
We drove up on friday, a long drive at the best of times but we seemed to hit every road work known to man. It usually takes us between 5 and 6 hours with a stop for coffee on the way but this time it took us nearly 8. No chance of setting up that day so we would just have to do it all on the day of the show.
It's a good job that Julia's stand (Simply Stamps) is quick to set up and that the show doesn't open till 10.30.
Saturday, the day of the show was my birthday so instead of a leisurly wake up with a nice relaxing cup of coffee brought to me in bed it started with the frantic rush to get breakfast and then get to the hall to start setting up.
We managed to get everything done in time and I escaped briefly to say hello to all those people that I listed before, just as well really. The doors opened at 10.30 and from that moment on we were swamped with customers. I'm not complaining, really I'm not, but it does usually start to ease off a bit after lunch giving everyone a well earned breather and a chance to have a bit of a wander and shop. I like to shop just like the rest of you but it was not to be. At 3.30 I managed to get away to pay for the few bits that I had put aside first thing in the morning and then it was back to the stand where the customers continued to spend even after they were told that the show was over and they needed to leave. I'm afraid in the end I started to pack up the stand in the hopes that they might take the hint.
We were packed away in no time and then its back in the car for the drive home - the first time I had sat down since breakfast. We stopped at the services on the way home where my birthday dinner was a Burger. The traffic on the way home was much better and we made it back to mine in just over 5hrs even with a stop. Why do journeys home always seem so much quicker?
So that was my day - what a way to spend your birthday!!
I've decided that I'm going to be like the Queen and have two birthdays, so today I am celebrating in style with a lie in and then a lovely curry this evening.
I might get a bit of crafting done or I may just sit and watch videos with the grandchildren how indulgent is that. Anyway now Caz has sent me details of how to post pictures as well as the lovely lady that I met at Port Sunny I really do have no excuse so I had better get some cards done so I have something to post.
Happy Stamping, Kimx

Oh Dear I really am not very good at this blogging lark am I!!
Get it all set up and then no more posting for nearly a week.
I thought that I had better post something before you all thought that I had disappeared off the face of the earth.
I will get the hang of it, I promise but as I am just off to the show at Port Sunlight I guess it won't be today. Port Sunny is a lovely show, very friendly and always busy. It is also a chance to catch up with some of the lovely stands that I haven't seen in a while so I will be stopping by to say hi to Hazel and Dave at Horseshoe Craft, Barbara at Clarity, Jill at the Stamp Man and of course Janice, Andy and Gina on The Sir Stampalot stand.
I have several classes to prep for when I get back so I will share some of these with you if I can work out how to attach pictures.
Caz and Sharon I can feel a phone call coming on!!
Bye for now
Kimx













I thought that I had better post some thing

Well at last its finally happened, I have a blog. Thank you to Shaz and everyone for keeping on at me and Caz for finally getting me up and running.
Having started one I'm not sure that this weekend is the best one to set it all up.
Those of you that know me will know that I am the 'Granny in the Attic' and this weekend I am looking after the youngest two of my four grandchildren while Jenni, Jason and Becki have gone to Alton Towers for Becki's birthday treat.
The nearest that I have got to anything crafty is sorting and photocoping my Stampin Up stamps now I have finally collected all my goodies from Caz at her new catalogue launch. It was a lovely day, meeting up with lots of old friends.
I'm still very new to all this and so I am sure there will be numerous e-mails to Caz and Shaz for their help, they are going to regret offering to help me get this set up.
I still have to learn how to post pictures so for now this is going to have to be it besides Saskia and Ciaran are demanding pasta so I guess that the kitchen is calling me. Oh well maybe I can get some crafting done tomorrow.