A Blue Christmas

Evening Everyone,
Oh Boy, have I been looking forward to today, the start of a long weekend for me, and a Craft Show to go to on Saturday, how much better can it get?
In fact I must have been focusing so hard on today that I forgot to post this card in time to enter the challenge over at Dynamic Duos where they were looking for Island Indigo and Pool Party.

I had great fun working with this colour combo, in fact, as is often the case, I got a little bit carried away and made several cards.

Once again I have used the lovely Woodware stamp set FRCL217 Poinsettia Magic and some pigment inks, this time Peacock and Cerulean. I don't have Stampin Up ink pads so this was the nearest that I could get to the colour scheme.

I also used a sentiment from a Hobby Art Christmas Greetings set.

The flower stems and leaf veins have been hand drawn on to the panel which has been embellished with a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page.

I had better not stay up too late tonight or I won't make the most of my time off.

Night night

hugs Kimx

Another card from Sylvie

Evening Everyone
Here is a card that my friend Sylvie made for the Woodware Sketch challenge.

I think she has done a fabulous job with her colouring, and the blending of inks around the edges.

She has also used some tiny seed beads as the flower centres.
I know that Dorothy has been having some Internet issues lately so I thought that I would post this here for Sylvie and then link it to the challenge myself.
I hope that you like it, I certainly do.
hugs Kimx

Spring is coming ...................... I hope

Evening Everyone,
Well it has been another dull, cold and overcast day here in Surrey.
Why is it that the weathermen only ever seem to get it right when the weather is bad!!

I have been playing with the Distress Markers that I bought when I was last at Sirstampalot in November, and a Hero Arts set that I am ashamed to say has lain uninked for more time than I care to think about, but was also purchased from Sirstampalot.

I can't believe that it is nearly time for my next visit to Peterboro, I am counting off the days lol.

The distress markers work perfectly painted directly onto the stamp, even when they are clear stamps.

The semi circles on the stamped panel have been created using a Woodware punch, and the flowers have been embellished with some Rock Candy Stickles.
Lets hope that this makes you think that 'Spring is coming'. That is after all what Stamp and Create are looking for this month in their challenge.
Hugs Kimx

Rumble in the Jungle

Evening Everyone
There is a new challenge starting today over at Woodware where they are looking for Animals Wild and Not so Wild.
I have been very bad about entering their challenges over the past few weeks so I thought that I had better rectify that immediately.

 My card has been made using Woodware clear stamp set FRCL127 Jungle Pals.

I love this set, it is just great for making cards for Kids.

I stamped and embossed the Lion twice onto watercolour card and coloured it using my Distress Markers.
I cut the image out completely and then decoupaged the head.
The circle has been cut using a Nestie and then leaves have been stamped onto it using first and second generation ink.
The background papers are from a GCD paper pack called Zen Garden. I have stamped and embossed some leaves on to the squares in black using another lovely Woodware clear stamp set FRCL021 Jungle Retro.

I have embellished the envelope.

And also the inside of the card.
Hope you like it Dorothy.
Off to bed now, night night.
hugs Kimx

A little bit of sunshine

Evening Everyone,
And what a chilly one it is too. There has definitely been no sign of any sunshine peeping through the clouds, just a grey and dull sky.

Maybe my card tonight will cheer things up a little bit. I have used the sketch over at Mojo Monday and the colour combo at CAS Colours and Sketches.

I’m not sure how Clean and Simple my card could be considered, but I did like the colour combo, it is nice to be encouraged to work with something different.

I have cut circles from white card using Circular Nesties and then sprayed them with Goosebumps Texture spray, before sponging them with Distress Inks Scattered Straw and Antique Linen.
The stamping around the edge of the white card has been done using the same colours of ink and Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish.

The flowers from Jane Gill's JGCL572 Daisy Layers set have been stamped and embossed onto background papers from the Kaiser Kraft Lush Collection available from SirStampalot. They came to me in my challenge box a little while ago, so it is nice to have found a use for them.
The flower centres are punched using the smallest Woodware Circle Punch, and the leaves are a Martha Stewart Punch, as is the border across the centre of the card.

I added a Faux Stitched border and some Card Candi.
I hope that I am in time for the Mojo Monday challenge as our Internet has been offline all afternoon for some unknown reason.
Lets hope that tomorrow is warmer day, at least I haven’t had to venture outside today, which will not be the case tomorrow as I am back at work.
Have a good evening.
Hugs Kimx

Poinsettia Magic

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have been having a fabulous weekend.
Mine started with a wonderful surprise when I found out that I had won the challenge over at Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenges. 
It just goes to show that it is never too late to enter a challenge since I got my entry in 30mins before the deadline.
I have had a very productive day on the Christmas card front, I think I have managed to finish seven cards, not bad hey!!
I have been playing with this lovely Woodware Christmas stamp set FRCL217 Poinsettia Magic, and this is just one of the cards that I have made using it.

I used a a Colourbox Q pigment ink stack, also available from Woodware, to ink the flower and leaf stamps to create the panel on white card.

The greeting has been stamped using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I took my inspiration for this card from the sketch that I found over at Freshly Made Sketches.

I cut out the panel using Nestie Labels One and added Vintage Gold Pearlex powder to the Versamark stamped flowers on the Kraft coloured card.
I would also like to enter this in to the Anything Goes Christmas challenge over at Sparkles Christmas Challenges and also Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra.
Better stop for tonight. I might just cut out a few more flowers though while I'm watching TV, I'm on a bit of a roll at the moment.
Back tomorrow.
Hugs Kimx

Snowflakes Falling All Around

Evening Everyone,
I have just spent a lovely afternoon in Purley at one of Davina's Open Houses.
She runs the shop from her home and every Friday she has an all day Open House where you can play, chat, drink tea and coffee, and of course shop, all in good crafty company.
Today we spent the afternoon looking through the new Woodware and Stampendous catalogues (boy do I have a long wish list lol) and checking out all of the new goodies that have arrived since her visit to the Trade show.
Of course it would have been rude not to shop and so I have come home with several lovely new embossing folders and a few more ready made flowers, I just couldn't resist them :O)
One of them is actually a rather nice Christmas folder which put me in mind of the fact that I have been very slack in my Christmas card making efforts this year. I think that I will have to remedy this at the weekend, but in the mean time here is one that I made last year but didn't get around to sending, or blogging for that matter.

The main panel is an old Hero Arts stamp (not sure if it is still available) which I have stamped and embossed using black versafine and clear embossing powder, and then sponged with dye based ink.

I painted the dove with thin undiluted bleach, and then covered the entire thing with crystal embossing powder which when heated has given it that fine sparkle.

  Not sure how well it shows up in the photos though. 

The background to the card has been made using a Snowflake stamp by Stampendous, some white embossing powder and Distress inks.

The punched strip across the card has been made using a Martha Stewart Punch around the Page punch.
I also added a few extra punched snowflakes and some gems.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges
Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenges - Let it Snow Again
Winter Wonderland challenges - Snowflakes Falling All Around
I have to say that we have been having those flurries of snow that the weathermen predicted throughout the day, so I guess that this card is eminently suitable lol.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs Kimx

A bit of a Baby Boom

Evening Everyone.
Well where did the beautiful sunshine go? It has been bitter cold here today. Let's hope it warms up again tomorrow.
There seems to be a bit of a baby boom going on amongst my aquaintances at the moment, especially girls, so here is another card that I made recently.

As usual I reached for my Lili of the Valley die cuts and my Nestabilities dies.

I find the first thing to do is match my image to papers from my stash, and then the card just seems to evolve from there. I did a little bit of decoupage this time as well.

I still have another couple of cards to make yet. Our local Police Officer welcomed a new baby daughter today, and an old friend is awaiting the birth of her first Grandchild so I can see that I will have to get busy.
Hugs Kimx

Two Challenges in One

Evening Everyone,
Well I did think that we were pushing our luck with two days of beautiful sunshine, especially given that it is half term and the children are at home all day. So I wasn't at all surprised by the rain that was falling when I opened the door this morning. At least it cheered up as the day went on, let's hope that this isn't it for this year and nice weather!!

The card I am sharing tonight has been made following this month's sketch over at Woodware.

I have also combined it with the Black Tie colour combo challenge at Dynamic Duos, Turquoise and Basic Black. 

The stamp set is another of Jane Gill's new floral images, JGS298 Victorian Spray.
I have coloured it using Distress inks Black Soot and Broken China, and I also added a little sparkle with some Starlight Pen blended with a damp paintbrush.

The background papers are also available from Woodware, and I added some tiny gems and Faux Stitching.
I do love black combined with one other colour. In fact I used just that for one of the sample pages in the Woodware catalogue. (Click on the arrow till you get to 10-11)
I wonder what sort of weather tomorrow will bring. Better get some sleep before I find out.
Hugs Kimx

Another Little Cutie

Evening Everyone,
What another glorious day here in Surrey, quite cold but still beautifully sunny.
Isn't it funny how the sunshine just makes you feel so much more creative.

This little cutie was made for one of the boys at work who has just become a Daddy for the first time.

One of my Lili of the Valley die cuts, nesties and a DooHickey tag.

I also added plenty of pearls, embossing and some ribbon.
I would like to enter this into the challenge over at Lili's Little Fairies where they are looking for pearls
Hugs
Kimx

Challenge 85 at Crafty Cardmakers - Blooming Images

Afternoon All
I hope that you have been having the same glorious sunshine that we have been experiencing here.
What a perfect day to launch a new challenge at Crafty Cardmakers, where  Marie (MI) has chosen the theme 'Blooming Images'. 
She would like flower images to be the main focus of the card. No people, no landscapes. Just flower images. A single rose, a poinsettia, a daisy... you get it. Can be flowers in a vase or just the flowers. Of course you can still decorate with flowers, butterflies or what you feel like, but the image is a flower of some kind, NOT a tree and NOT a person holding a flower' 
We are sponsored this time by CRAFTS AND ME with the choice of 3 digital stamps from their range, and also a fabulous die set from a mystery donor. (Check out HERE for more details)

 For my card I have been playing with one of Jane Gill's fantastic stamp sets JGCL572 Daisy Layers.

I did a spot of masking on the central circular panel along with some Faux Stitching.

 My colour scheme was taken from the Photo Inkspiration over at Inkspirational.

I stamped and embossed my flowers onto watercolour card and coloured them using Distress inks.

I added a little bit of sparkle by colouring over the top of the Distress ink with some Gelly Roll Sparkle pens.

 Unfortunately it doesn't show up terribly well in the photos.

I added some extra flowers and leaves attached using silicon, to add a little bit of dimension to the card.
The background papers are from my stash, as are the gems at the centre of the flowers.
I am entering this into the following challenges
Stamp and Create - Spring is coming
ABC Challenges - All Stitched Up
I hope that you have had a good day and that you will feel inspired to enter our challenge HERE.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT, they have made some fantastic cards.
hugs Kimx

Daisy Layers

Evening Everyone
I hope you have had a wonderful and relaxing weekend, I can't believe how quickly it has finished,
I have been a very busy bunny with some DT work and class prep for next weekend, but I did notice that I won the Western challenge over at Here Come the Boys, how cool is that!!

I was playing around with this lovely floral stamp set (JGCL572 Daisy Layers) from Woodware for another project, and decided that I was having way too much fun with it to make only one card.

I even embellished the envelope with some of the extra flowers.

I stamped and embossed all sizes of flower onto some double sided background paper, and then fussy cut them out.

The background panel to the card has been created using a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page, some Goosebumps Texture Spray and Distress inks.

The greeting that I have used as a stem comes from another clear stamp set.

The petals on the central flowers have been 'rolled' before they have been added to the card using silicon glue.
I can see me making a few more of these cards, they are a great way to use up some of those leftover pieces of background paper.
Better get to bed now, I still have to work even if the kids will get a lie in tomorrow as it is half term.
Night, night.
hugs Kimx