Weather 1 - Crafters 0

Hello Everyone
Well I'm afraid the weather well and truly won this weekend as the final day of the Farnborough Show was cancelled.
I have to say that if the winds lived up to their predicted speeds today I am very glad that we weren't there as Friday was quite scary enough for me!!
It is such a shame though for all those crafters who were eagerly anticipating their crafting fix. I hope not too many people turned up. We all tried to let as many as possible know that it had been cancelled - text messages were flying around yesterday as people were letting their friends know, but there is always someone that turns up unexpectedly, so I do hope there weren't too many of those.
I know that there was at least one very disappointed person, my friend Gill who had put up with me for a few days on the strength of a trip to the show on Sunday. I did try to take her home some goodies to say thank you, but it's just not the same.As a small consolation prize to her I thought I would show you the cards that she made on Friday night while I was frantically cutting shapes for the workshops. I think you will agree that the cards are fabulous. It's always nice to see someone enjoy the technique that you have taught them, and they always seems to manage to come up with such different colour combinations to mine. I tend to stick with safe and am always jealous of people who seem to combine colours that I hadn't even considered, so well done Gill they are truly lovely.
Saturdays workshop went well, and as I ended up with a full class of 20 I am very glad that I took the time to prep all those extra stamped images. Everyone made three cards and there were some lovely comments made about the workshop so I think all the hard work was worth it. The show seemed very busy, although obviously never having been there before I had nothing to gauge it against, except other stall holders comments of course. So it was doubly disappointing to find that Sunday was cancelled although I must admit that I didn't miss having to get up at some ungodly hour in the morning.
I seemed to have made at least one other friend at the show, one of the car park attendants who asked if I would make him an anniversary card for his wife. What a nice guy. They entered into an arranged marriage ten months ago and always celebrate every month. So this is the card that I made for him. He had watched me demo on the stand the bleaching technique that I had taught in the class, so I sent him off to scrounge me up an envelope and some paper for the insert and with bits and pieces off the stand I think he liked the results.
I have finally finished putting everything away after the show - including all my new goodies, so I will have to get on with finishing the rest of the cards for Barbara's next TV show. No rest for the wicked is there so I guess I must have been really bad. I do hope I had fun lol.
Hope you all have all had a good weekend.
Love Kimx

Windy or What!!!!

Hi Everyone, thanks for stopping by.
I cannot believe how windy it has been today.
I am at Farnborough at the moment doing the show and OMG how scary was that today.
For those of you that have never been to the show, it is held in a huge metal framed marques. Well today I have found myself not only shouting above the sound of the wind (and the aircraft taking off next door) but also cowering at my demo table as the wind howled through the tent and sounded as if it was going to rip the roof off. I just hope the weather doesn't get any worse or we might find ourselves being evacuated - health and safety and all that.Anyway today was not only my first visit to Farnborough but also my first workshop there - 'This is much more fun than Housework'.
Always a bit scary because you never know quite what to expect.
My workshop was the first one of the day, thank goodness, because when we arrived to set up at 8am we found that we did not have a plug point - no electricity and we are doing stamping and embossing and bleach......HELP!!!!
I have now established myself there as the pest who made them install a plug point before the show even started. I thought the guys were going to demolish the back wall as they put the plug in so I didn't have the heart to point out that the door wouldn't close properly, so I did that later - I hope they let me back in tomorrow.I am staying at 'Chez Till' at the moment with my friend Gill. I am being treated like royalty - dinner ready on the table when I get home, packed lunch, and I must not forget to have breakfast before I leave or I will get told off when I get home. We were up till gone midnight yesterday cutting out more of the card shapes for the workshop. Potentially I could have had 20 people on the class and you only have an hour to finish so I felt it best to prep as much as possible. With only one socket available the ladies had to conform to the great British tradition of queuing but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and managed to finish two cards.Everybody managed to add there own individuality to their cards even though we were all using the same items.
I have an almost full class tomorrow so we have spent the evening stamping and embossing a few bits so that we might be able to cut down the queuing time. It has also enabled Gill to spend the evening making the cards with one to one attention - the least I can do in exchange for her putting up with me for a few days.
As requested I have posted some close up pictures of a couple of the cards. Even that has proved to be a challenge as although I have my laptop with me Gill doesn't have the password for me to access her Internet connection and my camera is not compatible with her computer so we have done the best we can - I hope you can at least get the idea.
Must close now as another early start awaits, and my hostess needs her sleep so that she is ready to play again tomorrow evening - no more cutting so we might just play with one of the new Hobby Art clear stamp sets, who knows.
Maybe I will see some of you at the show tomorrow. Do stop and say Hi.
Happy Stamping, when you get the chance!!
Love Kimx

Stamping with Bleach

Hi, thanks for stopping by.
I tried to blog earlier, but some how I just couldn't get started. I seem to have got so used to blogging at this time of night.
Have just got back from teaching my Box of Cards class. All the ladies seemed to have a great time. Davina was telling us about all the wonderful new things that she had ordered at the trade show, so I can see lots of new toys in my future - and no money lol.
I have now got a few days holiday from my real job, so I can play at the Farnborough show - how cool is that!!
The picture (sorry not a very good one I'm afraid) shows the samples that I have made for my daily workshop on bleach. I need to get myself packed tomorrow, but I have to go to Hobby Art first to pick up the samples since I loaned them to Jenny for the Trade Show.
I will also get to pick up some of the new clear stamp sets that they have just launched, so I might get to play with them at the show. Maybe I will see you there.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

Christmas comes early

Evening Everyone.Every year I say that I am going to get my Christmas cards made early, but some how it just never happens.
Well this year is going to be different!!
Yes I know you've heard that one before, but tonight I got started.
A couple of friends and I spent the evening making Christmas cards, at least I finished off several that I started last year.
You know what its like - card made but it needs an envelope and an insert - all those boring things that take time.
Well believe me it's a lot more fun with a couple of friends around the table. We talk for England and consume copious amounts of coffee, but at least I can say that I now have a dozen cards completed and ready to go for December.
If I can just keep this up once a month I will be laughing.
Thought I would let you see one of them, hope you like it.
That's enough of Christmas for this month, back to my cards for Barbara's next TV show, and samples for Imagination, and then there is Farnborough this weekend, and teaching tomorrow night...............oh boy, better get some sleep if the brain will shut down that is.
Nite, nite.
Love Kimx

Inside the box

Evening.
Just a quick post cause I really must try and get a reasonably early night, but I did promise some of the cards from inside the box.This is just one of the suggestions that I will be sharing with the girls on Wednesday evening.
Close up of the previous card. I like to use plenty of water and then 'drop' the colour in when I watercolour a large area. You can then go back in and add more colour in specific areas of the image.
Close up of another of the cards.
Another close up, different card.
Did enjoy prepping this class. I think it would make a lovely gift for someone, Mothers Day is coming up :-)
Must close now.
Happy Stamping, or should that be sleeping!!
Love Kimx

Box of Cards

Hi everyone, I can see that has become my time of day to post.
Only trouble is I forget to take the pictures in daylight which may account for them not being so good. One day I will get it right.
Ive spent the day with more scoring and folding - you would think that I had done enough of that yesterday, but I am teaching how to make a box full of cards at Davina's on Wednesday evening, so more folding it is :-)As you can see I have once again used some of my favourite Hobby Art stamps - 'Jean's floral collection'
They are such versatile images that you never fail to find something to do with them. Here I have stamped and embossed in gold and then water coloured the images using ink from the kaliedacolour ink pads. Cuttlebugged panels and card candy complete the look.
It is going to be tight trying to get all six cards made on the night but everyone will go home with everything they need to finish them.
Will post a couple more of the cards from the box tomorrow.
Nite, nite
Love Kimx

Stamping with Bleach

Hello, here I am with my late in the day posting. I might just get in before midnight, if I am lucky.
I have been really busy today, although I don't seem to have got much card making done.My good friend Anna came over this afternoon to help me prep for my workshops at Farnborough next weekend.
Who knew that scoring and folding card could take so long :-)
I have never even been to Farnborough, let alone take a workshop so I am trying to get prepared. This is one of the examples that I will be sharing with everyone in the class. The workshop will be on Stamping and Bleach, so if you fancy some fun I will see you there.
I have also just received my next parcel from Barbara so that was another reason to get prepped early for Farnborough - I have new stamps to play with!!
Better get some sleep, looks like I'm in for a busy day tomorrow.
Nite
Love Kimx

Happy Birthday Janice

Hi.
Late again. Just a very quick post to wish Janice at Sir Stampalot a very Happy Birthday.
Card is made using a good old Hobby Art flower watercoloured with Kaleidacolour ink pad, and my favourite greetings stamp.
Hope you like the card Janice and that you have had a fantastic day.
Looking forward to my next holiday at Sirstampalot - who needs a beach when you have a craft shop :-)
Nite, nite everyone
Love Kimx

New Hobby Art flowers

Hello everyone, I can't believe it, a post before 10pm :-)
Not sure how that happened but it does mean that I haven't played this evening. Perhaps I will after dinner.
I did get to play last night though with stamps hot off the press from Hobby Art. Jenny does like to throw a challenge my way. New stamps delivered Monday could I possibly have something by Thursday. No pressure then lol.The card is made from one of their new clear stamps sets, and has been designed by my good friend Anna. They are just fabulous. I love flowers, as you may have guessed, and these will make great backgrounds, and will bleach and, and.......oh the possibilities are endless.
Of course Thursday really means Wednesday evening so that Anna could rush into the garage this morning and pick them up from me on her way to Hobby Art, so it really wasn't very long to play, but at least I got this card finished and have a host of other ideas which I will just have to work on later.
The background was made with a big and juicy ink pad and then the flowers were coloured in using the same pad. My close ups definately don't do them justice.
I really must get to pick up my new glasses cause everything looks a little blurred and I'm not sure if its just me or the photography.
Must go now, dinner is ready. Maybe I will get to play a little later.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

More flowers

Evening Everyone, me again.
I just can't seem to get away from flowers at the moment.
Here is another of the cards that I made for the brayering class at Lavender Lane.
I used one of the wonderful Big and Juicy ink pads - brilliant for brayering - and such wonderful autumnal colours.
I found some double sided paper for the flowers in my stash which matched perfectly.
The main image has been stamped and embossed over a piece of resist background.
I added some pigment ink and embossing power to the punched flowers which definitely shows them to best advantage.
The Martha Stewart punch completes the card, along with the inevitable crystals - a must for flower centres!!
Hope you like it, and aren't too fed up with flowers.
Happy Stamping.
Love Kimx

Not a flower in sight!!!

Evening Everyone, or should that be Good night!
I really must try to post at a more reasonable time of the day, still better late than never I suppose.
I thought that I would share another one of the cards that I made at Lavender Lane on Saturday. As well as making flowers we also had a class on brayering.
There are lots of wonderful backgrounds techniques that you can create with a brayer and the resist technique is just one of them.

I stamped the checkered background on glossy card stock with a versamark ink pad, heated it , and then brayered dye based ink over the top.
As I have said before the effect is like magic painting for grown ups. Once I have made the background I have stamped and embossed the trees in black.
This makes for a very masculine card, which makes a change, and there is not a flower in sight, at least not on this one. Lots more to share tomorrow but I really must get some sleep.
Nite
Love Kimx

Butterfly Birthday

Evening everyone.Hope you all survived another Monday.
It's not often that I get to make a card without any restrictions on it. Usually I'm making samples for this specific class or that particular Demo.
Today I wanted to share a card that I made because I wanted to, and made for a very special person, my eldest daughter Jenni, it's her birthday today.
As you can see I've really got hooked on making flowers, but they do make such lovely embellishments and when you make them yourself they always match.
The open flowers are made using the Nelly Snellan embossing flower punches.
I wasn't sure about these at first, but once I had tried embossing them as per Brenda's roses I changed my mind.
The stamps are by Clarity and I added them to my collection at Port Sunlight last year. The single butterfly exactly matches the one at the centre of the collage and makes it so easy to 3D.
I hope you like the card, I did.
Happy Stamping.
Love Kimx

King of the Jungle

Evening everyone.
I've decided that I must be in seriously cute mode at the moment.
Mind you, it might have something to do with making a birthday card for a 1 year old.
A friend of mine asked me to make a special card for his Grandson's 1st birthday, and I had such fun making it that I thought that I would share it with you.
The Lion and vines are both Magnolia stamps from Sir Stampalot. I added them to my stash ages ago, so it was lovely to have an occasion to use them.
Hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day with lots of pampering.
I've spent the day making cards, but not a heart in sight. Will share again tomorrow.
Happy Stamping.
Love Kimx

More Flowers

Evening Everyone.
We had a fab time at Lavender Lane today.
Spent the morning playing with brayers, glossy card stock and dye based ink pads. The girls seemed to have a great time trying out all the different techniques that I showed them.In the afternoon I had probably the quietest class EVER as they made roses. Painting classes are usually quiet as everyone concentrates on their colouring, but this afternoon you could have heard a pin drop.
I ran through various different ways of making ordinary punched flowers much more 3D on their cards and then showed them how to make roses.
I thought that I would be nice and start off with a large rose as the smaller ones can be very fiddly. I'm glad I did although they really are a lot easier than they look, once you get the hang of things.
I thought that you might like to see some of the other samples that I made.
As you can see I got a little carried away when it came to making them. I pinched Brenda's trick of tapping round the edge of the punched petals with a pigment pad and then embossing them with crystal embossing powder before you make up the rose.
As I hope the close up shots show you it helps to stiffen the paper and gives them a hint of sparkle. I think it looks like dew drops on a spring morning, although the photos don't quite do them justice.
Several of the morning ladies were unable to make the flower class in the afternoon and have asked me to repeat it. Maybe by then I will have learnt how to make Louise's roses as well. I'm looking forward to a tutorial when I visit Peterboro next month.
Better get to bed now as I have a couple of special birthday cards to make tomorrow.
Nite nite.
Love Kimx

The wonders of modern technology!!!!

Good Morning everyone.
Well once again I have been defeated by technology.
There I was all ready to blog and share the brayered cards that I will be teaching today (Saturday 13th) at Lavender Lane, and then what a surprise - no internet connection - and I was on such a roll.
I just don’t know what it is with me and the internet, I seem cursed.Anyway here are two of the cards ideas that I am sharing with the ladies on the class.
I’ve always loved brayering, but my style is totally different from Barbara‘s. I don’t seem to be able achieve the paler backgrounds that she creates so beautifully. Mine always seem to work better with a darker more dramatic finish. Maybe it’s the stamps that I generally have to work with which seem to favour the darker look. Still isn’t it a good job that we both do different things with a brayer, it would be very boring if it was all the same.
The first card makes use of a resist technique - magic painting for grownups. A versamarked image on glossy cardstock with dye based ink brayered over the top, and hey presto the image ‘pops through’ just like magic painting when you were a child.
The tree has been stamped and embossed at the side of the resist greeting. As it is dye based ink I have been able to bleach out the top of the trees - what a surprise!!
The brayered panel at the centre of the second card has been created by applying scrunched cling film to a previously brayered background. Before you lay the cling film over the brayering spritz it with some water. Glimmer mist or something similar works really well with this technique.
You have to be patient and allow the card to completely dry before removing the Clingfilm. Your patience will be rewarded by the most amazing backgrounds which always remind me of ‘Jack Frost on the window pane’
I know I'm old cause I remember it being on the inside of the window pane, very pre-central heating. Now I think the nearest you get to seeing it is in your car on a frosty morning - I think I’ll stick with the central heating and create the effect myself on a piece of card lol.
I hope they all have fun playing today. Its amzing how many different pieces of background can be created using exactly the same inkpads and stamps, I always pick up some new ideas from everyone..
I hope you like the cards.
Lets hope I have better luck with the internet today.
Happy stamping.
Love Kimx

I am blushing.

Good Evening everyone.
Well I am sitting here blushing.
I finally found a few minutes of time to check out some of the other blogs that I drop in on, and there on the Imagination blog are the cards that I sent them this week as well as the most glowing post about me.
Thank you Guys, I'm not sure that I deserve all the praise but I will certainly do my best to live up to it.
So I thought that I would share the cards with you on my blog.
I don't often do cute, so it was really nice to be given the challenge.
I have another four stamp sets to work with yet so there will be plenty more cards, I just need at least another two days extra in a week to fit in all the things that I want to do.
I can't believe that we are nearly at the end of another week - where is the year disappearing to, it will soon be Christmas - only kidding!!!
I coloured the images using Imagination Inkadinks, and of course I had to get some bleach in there as well. The umbrellas at the side of the Windy Day card have first been painted with bleach to take out some of the original card colour before painting with the Inkadinks.
Background paper and a border punch complete the final look.
The second card has also been coloured using the Inkadinks but as well as the pre-printed background papers, it has a panel of handmade background paper.
I love playing with inks and sprays and making my own background papers.
It doesn't seem to stop me buying papers as well though. Like all of you I have a huge stash of paper and card which I just can't bare to cut in to. How crazy is that!!I've used ribbon, pinheads and buttons to finish this card.
I must be getting a little better with the photography. Thought I would try a couple of close ups - eat your heart out David Bailey!!!
Well Girls, six days postings in a row, that's got to be some sort of record for me given my past history in blogland.
I wonder how much longer I can keep it up.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

Clarity part 4

Evening Everyone.
Just a quick post with the last of the cards that I made for Barbara's latest TV show.Once again, I'm afraid that the photos are not brilliant, but I do hope that they will at least give you some ideas.I'm never sure about mixing the sets, or adding in extra stamps, and this one just needed a greeting, so I wrote it myself.
Wonderful things Gellyroll Glaze pens.This card combines white embossing and sponged colour on the central panel, with gold embossing on the main card. Add a few mini crystal, flowers, and peel-off dots and Voila!!!
This card again uses white embossing powder and sponging, but also has the image stamped onto the card strips using a versamark ink pad. This time I added co-ordinating flowers and white brads.
This final card also has white embossing and sponging as its central theme but has the addition of a piece of pre-foiled vellum attached with brads. I have also stamped and clear embossed the image over both the background card and central panel.
That's all for tonight guys, got to get a quick bite to eat before I go out.
Lets see if I can keep this up with a post again tomorrow.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

Clarity part 3

Hi Everyone.
I can't believe this, blogging three nights in a row, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up!!
I thought I would share a couple more of the cards that I made for Barbara's TV show on Sunday.
The purple card is definitely a favourite of mine.
Its amazing how some cards just seem to come together without much effort - this was one of those.It always helps of course when you get asked to play with designs that you like, however even then sometimes you just get a creative block.
I'm sure you've got stamps that you JUST HAD TO HAVE and then when you sit down to play with them you just don't know what to do. Well this set wasn't one of those times.
I'm afraid that the photography is not up to much , particularly on the second card. It looks a little blurred - and I don't even drink so it can't be that.
Anyway I hope you like them, they definitely looked better on the TV.
I will try and keep up my run of posts tomorrow - I certainly need to if I am going to share all the things that I have done lately.
Bye for now.
Kimx

Thank you Brenda

Well did you survive Monday? I did just about.
What is it with Mondays, why are they such hard work? Everyone seems to think so. Maybe it's because I finally get the chance for a bit of a lie in at the weekend and then I'm in creative over drive by Sunday evening and find myself working until far too late in the evening, given that I have to get up at 5am!!
Anyway, whinge over, on with some cards.
On Saturday I am teaching at Lavender Lane, in Stonely Broadway (near Epsom).She does get around a bit, I hear you say.
Anyway one of my classes is on punched flowers and was inspired by the fabulous creations that I saw at Sir Stampalot before Christmas. The flowers that the girls had created were truly stunning
So thank you Brenda for showing me how to make roses on the day and then posting a very easy to follow tutorial. (Check it out on her blog - Floral Fantasies. Sorry haven't quite mastered adding links in when I post but she is one of the blogs that I follow so you should be able to click on that. One Day I will get better at this!!)
Louise had also made some fantastic flowers, which she also showed me how to make. Unfortunately she doesn't have a tutorial, and I'm afraid try as I might I just couldn't remember what to do, so the rest of the flowers that I will be teaching are my spin on punched flowers with tips picked up from all over the place. I will have to get Louise to teach me again when I come up to Peterboro in March.
I'm afraid the photos possibly don't show the flowers off to full advantage, but I hope you get the idea.
The little roses were quite fiddly to make, but actually became quite addictive. I can see flowers appearing all over the place.
It is actually amazing how different background papers can become with the addition of a little ink and some embossing powder. It also makes the roses really quite sturdy, although they will have to be hand delivered cards, as they will cost me a fortune to post!!
Must close now, dinner awaits.
Love Kimx