Happy Halloween

Hi All
Happy Halloween to you all. I hope that you are having a good day.
Our house is looking particularly spooky and the kids will be getting ready to go trick or treating later today once it gets dark.

This is a card that I made a little while ago for a friend to give to her son for his 60th birthday, which happens to be today.

My lovely Penny Black Halloween Cat was perfect for this card I thought.
I made a bit of leafy background using Distress Inks and stamps available from Woodware.

I wrapped the panel with Bakers Twine and mounted it over some handmade background papers from my bits box. The greeting is by Lili of the Valley and Trev and 60 have been stamped using an Art Deco set that I bought ages ago.

My friend needed the card early so that it could go in the post but I thought that it would be perfect to share with you today.
I'm hoping that Blogger has played the game and that this has gone live OK. I will have to get Sylvie to check it out for me. I have managed to blog every day so far this year so it would be really annoying if I fell in the home stretch.
Have a good evening. I will probably get very little done as I will have to be in charge of the treats when the door bell rings.
Hugs Kimx

Having a Kick About

Hi All
Still no Internet I'm afraid so I have come to bother Sylvie again.
I am going to try and schedule a post for tomorrow so that I don't have to impose again. On Friday I will be back at SirStampalot  for my crafty holiday so that will be me sorted and hopefully by the time I get back home it will all be fixed.

This is a card that I made for a little boy's birthday using one of the lovely Lili of the Valley topper.
How appropriate that we are sitting watching the tape of Lili of the Valley on the box from last week lol

I have used up some scraps of patchwork background and die cut grass.
Have a good evening, I'm off to write my post for tomorrow.
hugs Kimx

A Pearlex Background

Hi All,
How has your day been? We still seem to be suffering with phone and Internet problems, so I have had to pop round to my lovely friend Sylvie in order to get this posted, so it will be another quickie I‘m afraid.

This is another card that I made whilst demoing at SirStampalot.  The background has been created by applying Versamark ink to the inside of an embossing folder before adding a piece of dark grey card stock and running it through my Cuttlebug.

Once embossed I then applied dry Pearlex Powder to the card stock to create a fabulous background.

The panel has been edged with silver embossing powder before the stamped image was added. Some Card Candi and Glossy Accents complete the card.
I hope that we can get this problem fixed quickly, you don’t realize just how much you rely on the Internet until you can’t connect to it.
Hugs Kimx

Monochromatic Purple at Crafty Cardmakers

Hi All
As I suspected I slept through the storm. I hope that you are all safe and well and that there wasn’t too much damage to your neck of the woods.
We got away almost completely unscathed, unless you count the few things blown over in the garden, but nothing major. Probably the worst that we have had to contend with is that our Internet connection seems a little patchy although fortunately the Sky box is unaffected.
Today we are starting a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.
Fiona is our host and she has chosen Monochromatic Purple, as that is her favourite colour.

My card has been created using the Bordered Poppy stamp designed by one of our fabulous sponsors Hobby Art. I just love this stamp, it has got to be one of my favourites.
I stamped and embossed the image onto watercolour card using  black Versafine and clear embossing powder.

The colour was added using the ‘Wet Watercolour Technique’ and several different shades of Purple Pearlex from the Vintage, Stargazer and Metallics palettes.

The greeting down the left hand side of the card is from another favourite Hobby Art Stamp, and I have layered the watercoloured panel over a diecut shape cut using what I think is a Marianne Die.
I also added a circular panel in co-ordinating card and a piece of ribbon and some gems from my stash.
Don't forget to check out what the rest of the team have come up with to inspire you.
I'm not going to take any chances with this post, it has taken me most of the day to get on line.
Have a great evening.
Hugs Kimx

Mica Removal as inspired by Sue Wilson

Evening Everyone,
Are you safely tucked up and ready for the storm that is set to hit the UK, if the weathermen are to be believed that is. Personally I just hope that they are just covering their backs after the hurricane fiasco of 1987.
I have been trying to finish off some more of the bits from my demo at SirStampalot yesterday.

One of the Pearlex and Distress Ink techniques that I played with was actually inspired by a card that I found on Sue Wilson's blog using the Mica Removal technique. This is my take on her card.

It is very hard to see the shimmer from the Pearlex powder, although I think that it is just about visible in this photo.
Off to bed now, I wonder if I will sleep through this storm just like I did in 1987?
Hugs Kimx

Pearlex card from Demo Day at SirStampalot.

Hi All
Just a quick post as I haven't been home long, and now the Internet is playing up.

This is a card that I finished off during my Demo at SirStampalot today.

I have been playing with Pearlex, both the Watercolour Palettes and the dry powder. The stamped and embossed panel has been painted using the 'Wet Watercolour Tecnique',

And then I stamped onto a piece of background paper using a Versamark ink pad and brushed Powdered Pearlex over the images.
Of course it wouldn't be a Kim card without a little bit of Faux Stitching.
Don't forget you get a lie in tomorrow, or an extra hours crafting depending on your point of view lol.
Hugs Kimx

I've been playing with a new toy

Evening Everyone,
As my title suggests I have been playing with one of the new toys that just lept into my basket at SirStampalot.
I have a few Memory Box dies but I thought that this Botanical Frame one was just gorgeous.

I have plans to use it to create a proper picture frame but being away from home is a little restrictive when it comes to printing out photographs so I decided to turn it into a card for the time being.
I just loved the colours in this Kaiser Craft Paper Pad called Up Up and Away so I thought that I would use it in combination with the frame and a Pearlex Palette called Pastelles.

I die cut and embossed the frame and then painted the flowers and leaves with peach and green Pearlex from the watercolour palette.

I added some extra flowers to the bottom corner, and as it is a card I also added a greeting from FRCL014 Must Have Christmas Words.
You see even a Christmas greeting set can be used all year round.
I think we might have finally managed to drag Andy away from the computer so I had better get this posted so we can go home.
We have another early start tomorrow as we need to do a bit of vacuuming before the start of the demo, and then I can spend the day playing.
It's a hard life isn't it lol.
Hugs Kimx

I'm here in Peterboro.

Evening Everyone
Well I've made it to Peterboro.
In fact it was such an uneventful and quick journey that I caught Janice and Andy (my taxi from the station) on the hop and I had to sit in the station coffee shop with a latte and a good book while they shut everything down at work to come and collect me lol.
It has meant a very early finish at the warehouse for them, which is highly unusual. But they did bring in homework, so having been treated to a MacDonald's for dinner we have been watching the telly while stuffing polybags in readiness for the delivery of the new Molly Blooms stamps that Claire will be demoing along side me on Saturday.
So I'm afraid there are no piccies as I need to get to bed. We always do early starts when I come to stay.
I'll do better tomorrow.
hugs Kimx

A leafy panel

Evening Everyone,
Isn't it amazing how quickly the weather turns now that it has decided that it is Autumn. One week it is beautiful sunshine and the next we are looking out winter coats, umbrellas and welly boots!!
Still never mind, the way this year has been disappearing it will soon be spring lol.
I have not really managed anything crafty over the last couple of days, I am trying to get ready for the first of my trips to SirStampalot which means that I am far too excited to settle into doing anything.
Janice has e-mailed me with a list of suggested items for me to play with in my demo on Saturday.
I will finalize things when I get there, all I know for the moment is that I will be playing with Pearlex, one of my favourite things as I have said before.

I have packed all of the Woodware Christmas stamps to play with, among other things, and although this card isn't exactly Christmas it does use Powdered Pearlex on the background card.

The leaf panels have been coloured here using Distress Inks, but could just as easily have been coloured using Watercolour Pearlex.
I will recreate it for the demo on Saturday (using Pearlex) when I get to Peterboro tomorrow. Well I have to have a play don't I :O)
Have a good evening.
Hugs Kimx

She's been at it again

Hi All
My lovely friend Sylvie has been at it again, this time using a couple of Molly Blooms stamps that I loaned her.

I'm sorry about the quality of the photo but she e-mailed me a picture as the card is already in the post and I have had the devils own job to upload it. Who knew that I could even manage it lol.
hugs Kimx

Belated Birthday Wishes Suze

Evening Everyone,
Happy Monday to you all.
Yesterday was the birthday of a fabulously creative lady, the lovely Suze Weinberg.
I had been inspired by Suze in print before I was lucky enough to meet her when I worked at the Craft Barn, many years ago.
At that time the only good crafting magazines were from America and that is where I first encountered an article by Suze on the 'Polished Stone' technique.
Alcohol inks were not readily available in the UK at the time so I played with dye based inks and put my own spin on it to produce backgrounds by the 'Drip, Spritz and Smoosh' method lol.

Drip drops of dye based reinkers onto glossy card stock, spritz with water and smoosh a second piece of glossy card stock over the ink to produce two pieces of fabulous background paper.
They look a bit like ink blots to me but I won't try analysing them.
You have to leave them to dry which is always the hard part, but then you have handmade background papers ready for any eventuality.

With Suze in mind I thought that I would make a card using this ready made piece of background.

The stamp I have used is 4240K Flamboyant by Penny Black (how appropriate when I think of Suze) which I have stamped and embossed in black and then cut out using a nestie.
The background has been created using an Embossalicious folder and white card which is then sponged with pale lilac ink.
Of course there had to be some ribbon, lace and pearls.
I hope that you had a great day Suze, and thanks for all of the inspiration.
hugs Kimx

Thank you for all my beautiful cards.

Hi All
I don't know about you guys but Sunday in our house always seems to end up with housework, tidying up and finishing things off.
Of course that has meant that my birthday cards have finally come down off the mantelpiece.
I had meant to post some pictures of them as they arrived, and say thank you to everyone, but somehow that never seemed to happen so here are pictures of all the fabulous handmade cards that I received.
Better late than never as they say.

 From Asia - Under a Creative Spell

 Lin - Twisted Witch

 Anne - Inspiration not Perspiration

 Jenny

 Sylvie

 Gill - Gilly Tilly Does Craft

 Anna

 Suu

 StampCraft Cards

Laine

I got lots of other fabulous cards but these are the handmade ones which I thought that you would like to look at.

Thanks again to everyone.

Hugs Kimx

Pearlex for Christmas

Evening Everyone,
Are you having a creative weekend. I am, and I definitely seem to be in Christmas mode.
We had another productive class at Davina's where the girls were once again introduced to Pearlex, both powder and watercolour.
My card tonight makes use of both types.

As you can see I managed to finish the card that I was working on last night.

The central panel uses one of Jane Gill's Christmas stamps which I stamped and embossed onto watercolour card and then 'dropped' the Watercolour Pearlex onto the image having first painted it with plenty of clean water to make the card stock very wet.

The background panel uses dark grey card and an embossing folder which I have covered with Versamrk before placing the card stock inside and putting it through the Cuttlebug machine.
This transfers the ink to the card stock, and then I have added the powdered Pearlex to create a fabulous shimmery background.
Another Christmas card to add to the pile.
Back to my desk while I'm still feeling creative, I can have a lie in tomorrow lol.
Hugs Kimx

I'm having way too much fun playing with Pearlex

Evening Everyone,
It's the weekend again and as you can see from my desk I am hip deep in Pearlex Palettes in preparation for my class tomorrow at Davina's.

I have been having so much fun playing with this fabulous product that I nearly missed posting, so you will have to pardon my lack of finished cards.

That will happen tomorrow morning, and probably later tonight if I am honest lol.

I rather like this piece of Watercolour Pearlex so I think I will go back to playing and see what I can come up with.
See you tomorrow with the results.
Hugs Kimx

A pearly Iris

Hi All
Well they call them decoupage stamps, so I thought that I would do just that with one of them.

I stamped and embossed the Iris onto watercolour card and then painted it with an Imagination Pearly Palette by making the card very wet and the 'dropping' colour randomly over the image.
This creates a lovely blended effect which I heat set because like all crafters I'm impatient and want to see the effect NOW!!

I stamped and embossed the image again onto a piece of cream background paper and then fussy cut the Iris before adding them to the watercolour panel using silicon.
I shaped each of the pieces first on a pergamano mat with a very large embossing tool.
The other thing that I really like about these stamps, as well as the designs of course, is that each set is accompanied by a greeting and a couple of background stamps so they really are such good value for money.

I have stamped and embossed the greeting in white onto the green background paper and then added  some swirls using a versamark pad.
The punched and layered border has been created using papers from my stash and a Martha Stewart punch.
Hugs Kimx

Make Each Moment an Occasion

Evening All
What sort of a day have you had?
How often have you thought about those old rhymes that you learnt in childhood, and how often did they prove to be true?
There was a magnificent red sky this morning, and in the words of the rhyme 'Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning'.
It certainly came true, as it has been pouring with rain for most of the day.
I spent the afternoon shopping with the lovely Jane Gill, and I am now the proud owner of a pair of Pink and Grey Nike trainer and some special socks. Now all I need is some energy so that I can get walking and use them lol.

We had a cup of tea and a scone after our shopping trip, and I also got a sneak peek of Jane's new designs. I can't wait to get my hands on them as they are all just fantastic.

This is one of several cards that I have made for Woodware using Jane's stamp designs.
I actually punched squares from several different stamped images to create this particular card.
No walking tonight as my feet are still recovering from yesterdays little jaunt and my shopping trip today but maybe I will make a start tomorrow. After all I do have to start somewhere, and soon, or May will be here and I will be nowhere near ready to walk 20 yards let alone 20 miles lol.
Hugs Kimx

A House Mouse from Sylvie

Evening All
I am finally reunited with my camera, but now I am too tired to take any pictures as I went out for a meal with my youngest daughter to celebrate our birthdays.
I do think that I earned my pudding, and dinner for that matter, as the connecting bus failed to arrive and so I walked the last couple miles to the pub.
Dorothy and Jane would be very proud of me since I was in my high heeled boots again!!
In fact Jane and I are meeting up tomorrow so that she can point me in the right direction of some suitable footwear for walking, although I think I am probably a lost cause lol.
So for tonight I am sharing another card that my lovely friend Sylvie made using one of the Stampendous House Mice.

Isn't he cute?
I must get to bed now, I can feel myself falling asleep as I am writing this.
I will try and do better tomorrow.
hugs Kimx

The beginning of a Beautiful Year

Hi All
Well I really seem to have excelled myself in the Christmas card department this weekend. I think maybe I'm making up for all those months when I didn't manage to make a single card.
Still no pictures I'm afraid. I can't wait to get my bag back tomorrow.
I hadn't realised just how much I used my camera and how much time it saves me just by taking the photos when I need them rather than having to scroll through months worth of pictures.

This card was once again made for the Woodware catalogue but the sentiment is perfect for a certain young lady whose birthday is today - my youngest daughter Becki who reaches the tender age of 30. Where did all those years go?
I hope that she had been having a wonderful day and that she has been thoroughly spoilt. I will be seeing her tomorrow when we will be exchanging cards and gifts, and sharing a meal at the pub.
I just hope that she won't have too much of a headache after all her celebrating today lol.

Back to the card. The background has been created using the Colorbox Stylus Tool and a Woodware stamp set designed by Jane Gill.

The stylus tool is a fabulous piece of kit which you can use to create your own backgrounds.
HERE is a link to a Youtube clip on how to use them.

Once I had created the background I stamped and embossed on to it in black to give a good contrast.
Hope you like it.
Hugs Kimx