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Monday, 31 December 2012

Someone to watch over Us

Hello All
I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, in the company of friends and family, and that you are looking forward to 2013.
My Christmas was a little different than usual, but very enjoyable none the less.
My youngest Daughter's boyfriend runs a pub and so I went there after I finished work on Christmas Day. As it is a carvery and Andy had spent all day cooking roast dinners for everyone else, his tradition is to lock the pub (after the last guest has left) and the Assistant Manager cooks curry.
We had a great time sitting in the games room eating and watching Kung Foo Panda on the big screen - not a small child in sight. Perhaps this is the start of a whole new Christmas tradition for us.
This is the card that I made for Becki and Andy, and although Christmas is now a distant memory, it seems somewhat appropriate to post today for the Angel that has watched over us for the last 11 years, my Son Adam.
It will be difficult to celebrate, as it has been for a while, but I wish you All a very healthy and Happy 2013, and ask you to raise a glass to friends old and new, and those that are gone but never forgotten.
Have a good evening.
hugs Kimx

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Happy Birthday, just for you.

Evening Everyone
Long time no see. Now I know that it happens at the same time each year, but why is it that Christmas always has the habit of creeping up on you??
I may have been a very good girl and have made all of my cards throughout the year, (Thank God for the Christmas challenge blogs) but I am later than ever writing them.
I had intended getting them all written last weekend, but the birthday of a certain special young man put paid to that.
I can't believe that my Grandson Reece is now 10 years old.
This lovely pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley reminds me of Reece eating milk and cookies with his younger brother Ciaran. Yes they can be cute sometimes lol.
I cut the image out using a circular Nestie. Sorry that the photography isn't up to much.
The tags in the background have been covered in background papers from my stash, and then run through the Cuttlebug using a Diamond Embossing Folder.
The spiders in the background have been stamped and embossed using an image from an Inkadinkadoo clear stamp set. Definitely a useful stamp for boys cards.
We all went out for a meal, a very nice carvery meal with heaps of vegetables, my kind of Sunday dinner.
In the absence of a birthday cake, an ice cream sundae will just have to do.
As you can see Saskia wasn't going to waste even the tiniest bit of her pudding.
I really must get some cards written tomorrow or else no-one will get them this side of the New Year.
Thanks for stopping by.
hugs Kimx

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

A Quick Reminder

Evening Everyone,
Just a quick reminder that the lovely Jane Gill  will be making her first TV appearance on Create and Craft (Sky channel 671) tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.
She will be showcasing some of the wonderful stamps that she designed for the latest Woodware catalogue, one of which I have used in the card above.
She popped over to see me on Monday and borrowed a few of my samples to add to the wonderful ones that she has made herself.
Don't forget to show her some love, and some e-mails to the studio would be good.
Off to bed now. So much for an early night in preparation for going back to work lol.
Hugs Kimx

Monday, 10 December 2012

Challenge 81 Inspired by a Song–Final Challenge for 2012 at Crafty Cardmakers

Evening Everyone,
Our challenge to you at Crafty Cardmakers for the next month is to take inspiration from the song lyrics of  'Time In A Bottle' written and performed by Jim Croce.
The prize this month, which I have provided is pictured on the left. As I told Lin I have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic companies during this last year, both teaching and making samples, so I was more than happy to donate a prize to Crafty Cardmakers' representing those companies ClarityHobbyArtSir StampalotStampcraft and Woodware.
We are also sponsored by MILK COFFEE DIGITAL STAMPS with their usual 5 digi images of the Winners choice.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyTfbtZeGeU


If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

I must confess that I do struggle with my memories at this time of year, since it was when I lost  both my Son and my Dad, so it was great to have something else to focus on.
Like Lin we also saw the sale of the family home after a similar number of years, so I chose Time and Memories of when I was young as the theme for my card.
I have used one of my old Lili of the Valley pre-coloured images cut out using S4-116 standard Circles Small. The Greetings are also from Lili of the Valley.
I gently sponged the edges of the image with Antique Linen and Stormy Sky Distress inks whilst the die was still in place, and then added a stitched line with a fine black micron pen. 
The clock has been die cut from brown card using a Tim Holtz Clock die.
I coloured it with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and then used a Sanding Block to give it a slightly old and distressed look.
I used a Tim Holtz Texture Fade Embossing Folder of clocks on a piece of background paper from my stash and then sponged Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink onto it.
'Time' was cut using Tim holtz Alterations - Alphabetical.
The brown fabric ribbon is from my stash, now all neatly sorted and colour co-ordinated into drawers lol.
I layered it over some lace and added Card Candi and a clock charm.
I also added some faux stitching around the edge of the card with a pricking tool and fine black pen.
I spritzed the bow with Gimmer Mist and screwed it up before drying it with my heat tool to try and fix in the texture.

I would like to think that this is Me reading to my little Sister in front of a roaring fire at home.
I'm sure that my Mum would probably remind me that it never happened like this, we probably never stopped fighting long enough lol. Still I suppose we can dream.
I hope that you will feel inspired to join us this time, and please don't forget to check out what the rest of the Team have come up with HERE.
The challenge is running until the beginning of January when the whole Team will be voting for the Winners and Top Spots, in fact we may even have a Top Ten if there are enough entries.
I am entering this into the challenge over at Our Creative Corner where they are looking for Fabric (my brown ribbon is made from thick cotton fabric) and stitch either Faux (as in my card) or Real.
Have a great Evening. We have just had a visit from Santa and all of his Elves (the local Rotary Club float comes round every year to visit all of the children at bedtime) so the Grandchildren have gone to bed very excited!!
Hugs Kimx
 

Sunday, 9 December 2012

A little Snowbird

Evening Everyone
I'm sorry that I have been missing for so long.
I seriously don't know where November disappeared to, and now it looks as if December is going by at the same breakneck speed.
My Christmas card tally for the year may look extremely healthy, but it looks as if once again I shall be late getting them all in the post - no change there then lol.
In fact November went by so quickly that I didn't even notice that I had missed posting my project for The Stamp Man 'Emboss It' challenge.
Even though the deadline has now passed for entries to this particular challenge (Challenge for December is In the bleak mid Winter) I see no reason not to share my card with you.
I love this stamp from Stampendous CRP169 Cling Snow Bird, he is just sooo cute. I stamped and embossed him using an Onyx Black Versafine inkpad and Clear Embossing Powder.
I coloured him using Festive Berries and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks and then cut him out using Nestabilities S5-027 Labels 21.
I left the die in place and gently sponged the edges of the image with Iced Spruce Distress Ink.
The background panel to the card has been created using Holly and Berries rollagraph and Versamark ink which I have embossed with Gold Embossing Powder. The entire panel has then been painted using distress inks Iced Spruce, Festive Berries, Evergreen Bough and Gathered Twigs using a Waterbrush.
I also coloured the berries with a White Souffle Pen.
I embossed the right hand side of the panel using a Cuttlebug Christmas Embossing Folder and then tapped the edges with a Versamark ink pad before adding Frantage Shabby White Embossing Enamel.
As a final touch I added some Glossy Accents to the berries and some Gold Brads.
I have been chained to my desk  for the last several weeks working on some top secret DT projects which I have finally finished, so I hope that I can now get back to Blogland on a slightly more regular basis.
I have definitely missed you All, and maybe you have missed me a little too.
Night night
Hugs Kimx