An October reminder

Afternoon All
Just a quick post this afternoon to remind you to tune in to Create and Craft (Sky channel 671) tomorrow and Sunday for Barbara's Clarity shows.
On Saturday it is In the Classroom with Barbara at 11am - 1pm where she will be revisiting the Split Tree set and introducing the new Versatile Vase kit.
Then on Sunday there are another 3 hours of Barbara from 10am - 12pm and then again from 2pm - 3pm.

This is a card that I made for the Sunday show last month using the Grasses.
I'm afraid the photography makes it look a bit washed out.
The central panel has been made using a Nestie, and I have added some gold card stock, peel offs and lace. The border punch is by Martha Stewart.

I stamped and embossed a Clarity greeting in white and then sponged Adirondack dye based ink over the entire thing keeping the nestie in place while I did it. I stamped the grasses onto the panel using the same colour ink pad.

The circles have been punched from an extra stamped image.
Don't forget to tune in.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Woodware Challenge week 18 Something for the Boys

Evening Everyone
I made this yesterday in preparation for my class at Davina's this evening.
I am entering it into the Woodware challenge HERE, where the theme is Something for the Boys.
I think that it also fits the challenge on the Woodware USA blog, where it is Happy Fall Y'All !!
Maybe the link is a little tenuous but I think it would make a nice gift for a man so I guess it might fit after all.

The class was making notebooks using the Zutter Bind it All machine, so I made this one using some lovely Autumn Leaves from a Stampendous stamp set. Very masculine. Well I think so anyway lol.
The notebook is actually made to fit a large post it note pad, very useful for listing all those little jobs that you need him to do lol.

The covers have been made from some pieces of mount board and I have sponged dye based inks all over them. Cover one side of each piece of card at a time.
When you have sponged colour all over the surface, stamp the leaves randomly using the same ink pad. I have used the Spice Big and Juicy pad.

Once you have finished stamping apply clear embossing powder to the entire thing. Since the colour has been sponged onto the card it will stay wet for a lot longer and enables the powder to stick. Once the powder has been heated and cooled stamp over the entire thing with an Artimeo word background stamp using Timber Brown Stazon ink.

Originally I had stamped 'Notes' direct on to the cover but I didn't like it so a well placed nestie hides a multitude of sins.
Unfortunately tonight's class never went ahead, but at least this is one less Christmas prezzie that I will have to make.
Off to bed now.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Who's a lucky Girl then!!!

Hello
Those of you who follow my blog will know that I try very hard to enter the Woodware challenge each week.
A few weeks ago, I can't believe it was actually 4, they had something a little bit different. A bloghop.
They linked with the girls from Dreamweaver in America and every day there were several different blogs for you to check out for inspiration. Believe me there was plenty of that.
While you were there you were encouraged to leave a comment and then at the end of the week each member of the DT picked someone from their comments to win a prize.
Well guess what, I won 2 prizes.

One was from Pam. Her blog is called the Pampered Stamper you can check it out HERE and the other was from the lovely Dorothy. Her blog is called Dorrie Doodles.

These are the lovely stencils that I won. I have been waiting for them to arrive so that I could show you what I got.
I will definitely join in any future hopping, even if I didn't win anything the journey was well worth the effort.
Thank you Woodware these are brilliant.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Saturday Sketch challenge 174

Afternoon All
I should have been working on some more DT work today, but to be honest I am feeling a bit burnt out, so instead I made a card for a friend of my daughter who had a baby girl on Friday.
I am entering it into the challenge over at Sketch Saturday.

The background papers are from my stash, and I have used the new Martha Stewart punch that I got at Davina's last time I taught there. I added a few pink gems to it.

The main image is a topper from Lili of the Valley cut out using a Nesties. Of course I had to use my Antique Linen distress ink on the edges and add some stitched borders.
I have managed to do a little blog hopping, and while I was looking around I found the tutorial for these wonderful flowers.

They have been made using a couple of different sizes of Retro flowers and a Martha Stewart punch, check out the tutorial HERE. The flower centre is a spacer and brad available from Hobby House.
Well I guess I had better get some DT work done or I will be in panic mode next week.
Have a good evening.
Happy Crafting.
Love Kimx

The Battle of the Bums

Evening Everyone
Today was my penultimate day of classes at Lavender Lane.
It was lovely to see so many of the ladies that have attended there over the years.
Jane and June had set out the tables as best they could given that we had no idea of how many people were going to turn up.
We had made a pledge that we would try and fit in everyone that wanted to play, but as you can see it ended up as a bit of a tight squeeze and a 'Battle of the Bums'.

Fortunately everyone was very good humoured, and grown up about having to share equipment and having to queue at the embossing stations.

We had 11 ladies in the morning and 15 in the afternoon!!!!
There were very few finished cards but everyone seemed to enjoy painting with Pearlex, a spot of brayering, and Percy the Penguin.
I had decided to do 2 different Christmas classes featuring Hobby Art stamps, and Jenny very kindly lent me some extra stamp sets to use and samples to share so there were lots of ideas for everyone to see.

One of the stamps that we used was from the Butterfly Kisses Cottage Hill set.
I made this sample using Walnut Stain distress ink, and although not a Christmas card it highlights the Watercolour technique which I shared with the class.

I stamped the Cottages onto watercolour card using the distress ink pad and then used a waterbrush to 'pull' the colour from the image.
Stamp it in blue, add a bit of glitter and hey presto it's Christmas lol.
We will be meeting for one last time in October when we will be doing more Hobby Art Christmas classes.
By then there will be nothing left in the shop but the tables, and hopefully the kettle, so it should be much easier for everyone to manoeuvre.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Woodware Challenge week 17 The Colours of Autumn and an American Sketch

Evening Everyone,
Well what a week it has been. Things have finally got back to normal at work today.
If anyone heard about the main A22 being closed for most of the day yesterday due to a fire, it was the building right at the bottom of my road!! Fortunately it was unoccupied, although I am sure there are quite a few homeless rats (of the four legged variety) right about now. The owner of the building was a rather eccentric, but lovable old man who died a few years ago. I am sure that he was looking down having quite a laugh at the chaos that his building had caused.
How I managed to sleep through 4 fire engines and an inferno I will never know, I think it just goes to show how shattered I am.
Of course being a petrol station we had to close the forecourt and switch off the power to the pumps but we were still open to foot traffic, however thin on the ground. Needless to say the day really dragged.

This is the card that I have made to enter the Woodware challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
On this side of the pond the challenge is Colours of Autumn. I have used one of my favourite techniques for this, multiple resist. I love the beautiful autumnal backgrounds that you can achieve by combining dye based inks and stamps.

The circular panel of this card has been made using an old Magenta leaf stamp 09.168.H and several colours of dye based inks. I have then coated the entire thing with clear embossing power which gives it a wonderful glossy finish. Unfortunately it also makes it rather difficult to photograph.
The greeting and 'Andy' are from Woodware clear stamp sets, Mixed Greetings and Oriental Alphabet.
The ribbon is also from Woodware, although I have used my Nesties to cut out all of the panels.

I have used this weeks sketch over at Woodware USA to assemble my creation.
I am off on a road trip with my friend Suu tomorrow to deliver samples to Barbara,  and then collect some from Hobby Art on the way home.
Don't forget to check out the challenges for yourselves.
Nite nite
Love Kimx

Happy Anniversary to Tracy and Simon

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have all had a lovely weekend.
I have spent most of it working on new samples for Barbara while hearing her in the background on the TV.

The card I am sharing tonight is one of the few non Clarity things that I have managed just lately.
I made it for my sister Tracy and her husband Simon who celebrate their 32nd Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday.
I am entering it over at Sketch and Stash where the challenge is free choice provided you use a sketch from their back catalogue. I have used Sketch  no 10.

I have used another of the Lili of the Valley die cut designs which I have cut out with a circular nestie. As it is already coloured I have matched it to papers from my stash.

The embossed border is from Craftwork Cards.I have aged it with distress ink. The greeting is from a Hobby Art clear stamp set.

The flower was inspired by one that I saw when I was looking around blogland, but now I can't find it to say thank you to that person. I have had the die for a long time but was never quite sure about it, now I can see why I got it. I seem to have lots of things like that, don't you?

Off to bed now. Hope you have a good week.

Love and hugs

Kimx

PS Just found the blogpost for the flower. Thank you Mona xx

More Clarity on TV

Evening Everyone,

Well it really has been wall to wall Clarity on TV this weekend, it looks like Barbara has taken over Create and Craft.
It makes me tired just thinking about all the preparation that went into it all, I'm just glad that I was able to help if only in a small way.

This is one of the cards that I made using the small tree from the Remountable Village set. I'm not very good at scene building. I don't see the point in making a card using a technique that Barbara does so much better than me, so I try to come up with something a little bit different. I hope this fits the bill.

I stamped the trees onto some handmade background paper that I had made previously and then cut them out with a Nestie. More background papers and peel-off squares finish things off nicely, as do the little silver swirls.
More programs tomorrow, (I mean today now I look at the time), so check them out.
Back soon.
Love Kimx

Woodware Challenge Week 16 - Sugar and Spice

Morning Everyone,
I couldn't end the week without a card for the Woodware Challenge.

This week it is Sugar and Spice. Now you will have to think literally with my card - Gingerbread men are made from Sugar and Spice !!!
Sorry but it was the best I could come up with, I hope that you think it fits.

I stamped and embossed the Gingerbread Man from a Magenta cling set Christmas Theme 8 times using Sepia Versafine ink and clear embossing powder. I coloured these using distress inks and them mounted them over a panel cut with a Nestie.
The background papers are from a GCD Planes and Trains paper pack.
The Seasons Greetings (another play on words) is also from a Woodware clear stamp set All through the Year.I hope that you like it.
One more Christmas card to add to my pile Mrs Till, only another 70 or so to go!!!!!!
I had better get on with some DT work now, and I need a coffee.
Maybe I will post again later, provided I don't manage to switch off my Wifi again.
Have a great day.
Happy Crafting
Kimx

Did you catch the Pick of the Week?

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day, I am soooo glad that it is Friday and I can have a bit of a lie in.
Megan is home from the hospital thank goodness. She is still very sleepy and rather sore but is glad to be home. We are trying to get her to eat, and there is much bribery going on - I've told her to milk it while she can lol.
I smuggled in an ice cream which she is planning on having tomorrow, Brownie points for me I think :)
My sky box has been working over time today recording all of Barbara's shows for Pick of the Week.

Unfortunately I have been so swamped over the last couple of weeks that I didn't get the chance to make her any new samples but I had worked with several of the sets on previous occasions so some of my work was on display. I did feel bad not being able to do anything extra.

These cards are made using one of my favourite sets from the show, the  Allium. I do like my flowers as you know. Black and White is always a classy choice don't you think.

This card uses the same couple of stamps but they are inked using a Big and Juice ink pad. I added the greeting and layered it over some Swiss Dots Bazzil card stock.

This last card uses the same multicoloured ink pad but this time I have spritzed it with a little more water before stamping it onto water colour paper.

Don't forget to check out some more of Barbara's  shows tomorrow and Sunday

I am starting to nod off as I am writing this so I think it is time to call it a night. I only hope that it makes sense when I come to read it again tomorrow.

Nite nite, sleep tight

Love Kim's

Hope you feel better soon Megan xx

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day. I can't believe how sparkly it looked when I left for work at 6am this morning, nearly a frost but not quite, I think that Autumn is really here lol.
Megan had a very early start today as well. She had to go into hospital to have her tonsills out poor thing.
For some reason she had to travel all the way to Brighton which is about an hour away from us, and she had to be there for 7.15am !!!!!
I'm not sure who looked more nervous this morning when they set out, Megan or her Dad who was taking her.
Because we live more than 15 miles from the hospital they announced that she would have to stay in over night so Jay has had to stay down there with her.

I made this for Megan, I hope that it makes up for not making a Good Luck in your new school card.
The Get Well Bunny is another of the lovely designs from Lili of the Valley.

I stamped and embossed the image and then coloured it using distress inks. I cut it out using a Nestie. The grapes and medicine have had Glossy Accents added to them.

I mounted the image using a lovely sketch over at Sketch Saturday and added some flowers and tiny pearls.
The greeting is from a Sentiments set by Hobby Art.
When I had my tonsills out over 40 years ago you looked forward to being fed loads of ice cream. Nowadays they make you eat toast and crisps. How cruel is that? I told Meggie that I would have a secret supply of ice cream for her, it's what Grandmas are for after all lol.
I hope you like the card.
Don't forget to watch Barbara on Pick of the Week on Create and Craft tomorrow. I'm sure that it will be a brilliant show, I know how hard she works on her preparations.
Off to bed now, it seems to have been a very long day.
Love and hugs to all, and especially Megan.
Kimx

Back to School.

Evening Everyone
Perhaps I should go back to school, I could certainly do with some lessons on a laptop.
I spent the weekend trying to get on line so that I could post some cards, cursing the fact that I had no signal, only to find that I had some how switched off my wifi connection. I didn't even know you could do that so how dumb am I lol.
Last week was a rather hectic one all round with most of the kids going back to school, and trying to get back to some sort of normality.
Megan, my eldest Grandchild has started Secondary School (where did those 11 years go to!!!)
We had all the usual first day tears and trauma's, although I think she is settling to it all quite nicely now.
Even more scary is the fact that the twins started school today!!!!

This was taken on Sunday when they had a last minute try out of their uniform, don't they look grown up?
I was a very bad Mam-ma and didn't get a card made for Megan but I did manage to make one for Saskia and Ciaran.

Once again I used the lovely Lilli of the Valley Back to School kids coloured with distress inks. The background papers are from my stash and the border punch is an EK Success one.

Saskia is standing on top of a pile of books under the Good Luck greeting (Both are Magnolia stamps available from Sir Stampalot).

And Ciaran is standing on the desk next to an apple for teacher (also by Magnolia). I only hope that neither of them behave in this manner when they are at school.
I am entering this in to the challenge over at Cupcake Craft where it is Back to School.
Of course I can't play favourites so here is Megan in her new school uniform.

And I can't leave Reece out now can I.

Better get back to my homework or I might be in for a detention tomorrow.
Nite nite.
Love and hugs
Kimx
PS Don't forget to watch Jenny on Create and Craft tomorrow with some fab new stamp sets.

Woodware Sketch Challenge 4

Evening Everyone
Last week was the fabulous blog hop with Woodware.
It was a wonderful week full of amazing ideas, but it did seem strange not to have to enter a card of my own  so this week we are back to normal with a sketch.

This card has been made using a resist background created on a scalloped glossy card using images stamped with a versamark pad and then sponged over with dye based inks.

The main image has been stamped and embossed and then coloured with dye based inks. It has been layered over an oval cut using a nestie.
A bit of sponging, stitching, and some card candy and the card is complete.
This is one of the cards that we will be making on Wednesday evening at Davina's.
More to share tomorrow if I get the time.
Love and hugs
Kimx

A few Snowflakes

Evening Everyone
Well that's one deadline completed and the artwork hand delivered this morning. What would I do without Anna or Suu to ferry my cards around for me :)
The cards that were delivered are for Jenny from Hobby Art who will be on the TV on Tuesday 13th Sept (Create and Craft Sky channel 671 at 9am, 2pm and 5pm)
Unfortunately the stamp sets didn't arrive until earlier this week and so there has been little time to get samples done, still I have done my best.

These are a couple of cards that I made for Jenny's last show. They are made using the  Butterfly Kisses Snowy Christmas clear stamp set. The snowflake background has been stamped with a versamark pad and then coloured using decorators chalks applied with a cotton ball.

I have used a Magnolia DooHickey to cut the bottom of the stamped panel and then added a matching tag and some rushed ribbon. The greeting is also from Hobby Art.

This card uses the same image but it has been stamped and embossed in white and then blue dye based ink has been sponged all over it. The lace border is a Martha Stewart punch.
Off to bed now, nite nite.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Happy Birthday Finches All xx

Evening Everyone
August and September are really busy months for my Brother when it comes to birthdays, so my Sister-in-law held a joint party for them all on Sunday.
I suspect that it was probably the only way that she could get my Brother to have a party to celebrate his 50th, if it was combined with my Mum, his 2 daughters, his son and his wife!!
My brothers birthday was all the more important to celebrate this year quite apart from it being the mile stone half century since he was diagnosed with throat cancer in February.
He opted for a complete laryngectomy and follow up radiotherapy, but fingers crossed is doing very well. He has had a scan now that his treatment is finished and although we need the radiologist to look at it, his consultant says it looks clear.

The card that I gave Ross was actually made quite some time ago, but has always been amongst my all time favourites.
The zebra was stamped and embossed onto a piece of background made using Adirondack colour wash inks. I painted the stripes with bleach which have turned them a beautiful orange colour. Not very zebra like perhaps but cool all the same :)

I trimmed the image and mounted it onto white before attaching it to a green card.
The greeting is by Paper Inspirations and the Zebra stamp is by Stamps Happen. I'm not sure if you can still get hold of either of them any more I'm afraid.
I added a large bead and some threads.
If you like this card you might like to check out the other one that I made using the same stamp. HERE.
I really must get back to some crafting now as I have some really tight deadlines.
Thanks for stopping by, please don't forget to leave a comment it's always so nice to hear what people think.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Don't forget Clarity on TV

Hi All

Just a really quick post to share one of the cards that I made for the Clarity Classroom  show with Barbara.

This uses the Split Tree set which comes with a set of small leaves, one of which you can just see along the top edge of the green card.

The background has been created using white embossed resist and the Cloudy Blue Adirondack ink pad.
Unfortunately the photos don't do the card justice, and my Sky box froze so I'm not even sure that it was even shown on the TV. Never mind you can catch up with the classroom shows on the Create and Craft website.
Don't forget that the Clarity weekend continues tomorrow when Barbara is back with a more normal show format between 10am and 12pm on Sky channel 671.
Hope that you can tune in.
Nite nite
Kimx

A celebration of Womanhood

Hi All
Working in a multi cultural environment as I do I am constantly learning new things about the traditions of those I work with.
Today there is to be a party for my boss's daughter. She has entered puberty and they are having a party to celebrate.
I'm not sure that my Granddaughter would like to follow the same lead up to the party if we were of a similar cultural background.
They cancelled their holiday as the young lady is not allowed out of the house for a week. In fact in Sri Lanka she wouldn't have been allowed out of her room for three days!!!.

Now what do you give a girl for an occasion such as this?? I'm not sure that there is an appropriate card.
I remember that she was a little jealous of her sister when I made a card for her, so I figured that a girly card with her name on might just fit the bill.
Thank goodness for my Lili of the Valley die cut designs Girly Afternoon. Where would I be without these when I need to make a card in a hurry.

I cut the image out using one of my oval nesties and then layered it over a piece of background paper using a different nestie. The circular flowers have been made from the same purple background paper and then I added a mix of shop bought flowers and some punched leaves.

Ledshajini's name has been stamped with a small alphabet set that I have and then each letter has been punched out and added to the bottom of the card.
A bit of ribbon, some swirls and pearls and there you have it.
I hope she approves.
Don't forget to tune in to Create and Craft tomorrow morning to watch Barbara and her brayer.
There are some superb stamp sets again this month, I had great fun working on the samples.
Hope you are having a good weekend.
Happy Crafting
Love Kimx