Masking for Woodware

Evening Everyone,
Sorry I have been absent for a few days, but to be perfectly honest the heat seems to have got to me and I have fallen asleep almost as soon as I get home.
The evening then seems to go by in a blur and I don't really feel like crafting, let alone blogging.

I didn't feel that I could let the week go by though without entering the latest challenge over at Woodware, where they are looking at Masking.

The background panel for my card has been created using my Creative Palette and some colour box reinkers.

I stamped and embossed one of the leaves from the Stampendous Jumbo Cling Leaves set onto the background and then cut out a couple of masks using the matching Leaf Die Cut set. 

I placed the mask over the stamped and embossed leaves and then stamped again several times to give a panel of tumbling leaves. Remove the masks and the original images appear to be on top of the rest of the leaves.

I die cut a couple of extra leaves and added them to the card using silicon.
I find it very hard to make a single layer card. There is a fabulous Jumbo PenPattern Leaves set which matches with this die set and I can see that I NEED it as well.
Hope you like the card, and don't forget to check out what the other girls have been up to with masking over at the Woodware Blog.
Hugs Kimx

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Hi Guys
It's my turn to post over on the Hobby Art blog today.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so with that in mind I thought that I would share the card that inspired one of Jenny's demos on her last TV appearance.

The central panel has been created using masking tape to leave a strip down the centre of the white card.

Sponge colour onto the exposed panel being careful not to allow the ink to bleed under the masking tape. Work from the tape towards the middle to ensure that this doesn't happen.
Stamp your images using versafine ink before removing the masking tape and then use clear embossing powder to heat emboss the images. Don't worry too much if the powder sticks to the whole panel as this just adds texture.

Colour your images using distress inks and a waterbrush. If the whole panel has heat embossed then you can colour your images with Copics, Spectrum Noir or Promarkers instead.

I added a stamped and embossed border along the bottom edge of a Kraft card before attaching my white panel. A greeting and some Card Candi and there you have a relatively quick finished card.
Not much crafting for me today. A it is too hot, and B I'm just off to the pub to have dinner and a drink with Becki my youngest daughter. Maybe I will manage to get something done this evening when it has cooled down a little.
Hugs Kimx

Congratulations on Your Anniversary.

Evening Everyone.
I suppose that I will probably get the blame for the change in weather today having said that it was too hot yesterday. Well sorry to be a killjoy but it has been so much more my kind of weather. I'm not quite so sure about the torrential rain fall that preceded the temperature change, but at least my boss was happy that I wasn't eager to leave work on time as it meant that he had an extra pair of hands for a little while.
It may not be far to walk home but I really didn't fancy looking like a drowned rat. Besides which I needed to pop in to my lovely friend Sylvie and borrow a stamp (yes it does happen occasionally lol) and I didn't want to drip all over her carpet!!
I suppose I could have warmed myself up with a nice hot bubble bath, except we don't have one, so instead here is a card that I made for a very 'bubbly couple' for their Wedding Anniversary.

 The sentiment is by Lili of the Valley and I stamped and Gold embossed it onto cream card stock.

The image is A LOTV topper which I cut out using a circular nestie and mounted onto some background paper from my stash.
I know that my card was a couple of days late (nothing new there then) but I had a lovely text from Gill and Mike to say that they had received it.
Happy Anniversary dear friends, and here is to many more happy years.
Hugs Kimx

A challenge to 'Die' for

Evening Everyone
Well I know that we shouldn't complain about this glorious weather, but I really am struggling to cope with the heat. Never satisfied are we :O)

I'm always up for a good challenge as you know, and having bought several of the fabulous new dies from Dreamweaver I thought it only right and proper that I made a card for this months challenge.

The central panel has been made from some leftover pieces of Wax Paper Resist die cut using the Nesting Frames.

The Monstera Leaves  have also been cut from leftovers as well as some plain card stock. I also added some smaller punched leaves.

The main cardstock has been embossed using a folder and then distressed with some dye based ink.
I think that this would make a rather nice card for a man, and as I have a lot of male birthdays in August perhaps I had better make a few more of these.
Don't forget to check out what the fabulous Dream Team are getting up to with their Dies this month.
Hugs Kimx

'Thanks' for the End of Term

Evening Everyone,
I am really enjoying paper piecing at the moment.
It is such an easy way to make a quick, but stylish card. And the beauty of it is that with careful cutting, you can make more than one card, depending on how many different pieces of background paper you choose to use.

I don't know why is is that the end of term always creeps up on me. I know that I am going to need cards for the Grandchildren to give their teachers, but still I manage to leave it till the last minute. You would have thought that I would have learnt by now.

As well as the standard thank you cards, my eldest Granddaughter Megan wanted a special 'Thank You and Good Luck' card for her Maths teacher who is moving to a new school.
He has helped make maths fun for her, a subject that she previously hated, so I was very happy to make something a little bit special.

I reached for my trusty Huge Thanks stamp from Woodware and an assortment of patterned background papers.

The twins both wanted one of their cards to be pink so these LOTV papers fitted that criteria quite nicely.

I had originally intended to put several different papers together on the same card, but having cut the letters out I changed my mind and went with just two colours per card.

I love this cat die, and having added it to the Good Luck card, I decided that I would add a single cat to each of the other cards.

My eldest Grandson Reece couldn't wait for me to finish making the paper pieced cards, so he picked a card from my box to give to his teacher.
This one was made using a Penny Black flower stamp, bleach and dye based inks. The greeting is by Hobby Art. And yes Shaz that is a gold peel-off border that you see.
Very useful things peel-offs, in the right place.
Off to bed now. It may be school holidays, but some of us still have to be up at the crack of dawn.
If I know anything though, what's the betting that they are all up early now that they don't have to be, where normally they have to be dragged from their beds lol.
Hugs Kimx

A Woodware Sketch

Evening Everyone,
Have you had a good Monday? Not too hot I hope.

They have a sketch challenge running over at Woodware this month, and I thought that it was high time that I made a card for it.

The background has been made using Waxed Paper, an Embossing Folder and an Iron. It was then coloured using my favourite Creole Spice Kaleidacolor Ink Pad.

I have stamped and embossed onto the background using a variety of Woodware stamps, Black Versafine Ink and clear embossing powder.

I do love this silhouette style of stamps, they are always the first ones that I am drawn to in any catalogue.

The sentiment is also from one of the stamp sets, and I have layered it over a stamped and embossed circle of card.
I have spent the afternoon and evening making Thank You cards for the Grandchildren to give their teachers on the last day of term. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute lol. I will have to share them with you tomorrow.
Off to bed now before I fall asleep where I sit.
Hugs Kimx

Bubble Bloom Festive Tree

Hi All
Well, so much for yesterday being a lot cooler. If anything it felt hotter than ever, or maybe it is just that I didn't start the day with 8 hours in air conditioning like I do at work during the week!!
Never mind we had a fabulous time in class despite the heat, and the girls really enjoyed getting to play with a couple of the brand new stamp sets from Woodware.

As promised I have a few more samples to share with you, even though as expected I spent the evening watching Frozen with the Grandchildren.
It is a fabulous film and my youngest Granddaughter sang all of the songs word perfect as she had performed them at school during one of their 'Mini Singers' concerts

 As usual we made a tag for our book, and so I used one of the small panels to make this card.

As you can see it is a great way to use up all those little embellishments that we all have lurking in the bottom of a box somewhere.

This is my tag and I have used Card Candi, Watercolour Pearlex and Metallic Nailheads to embellish it.

Whilst I was making the samples for the catalogue I made a conscious effort to finish off all of the left over bits and pieces instead of just putting them in a box to work on later.

This is actually an exact copy of one that made it into the catalogue. I used Watercolour Pearlex and Glossy Accents to embellish it and cut it out using an ornate oval nestie.

Although it was designed as a Christmas stamp set, I think that it works every bit as well for a  birthday card.

After colouring the image with Watercolour Pearlex I ran it through my Cuttlebug inside a dotty embossing folder.
I would like to enter these into the following challenges
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Layer it Up
My Sheri Crafts - Christmas in July
We Do Doobadoo - Spotty and Dotty
I have a couple of cards to get ready for posting (snail mail not blogger) so I had better get on with it before it gets too hot again. Fortunately there is quite a nice breeze at the moment so I think I will make the most of it.
Have a great day. Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

Round and around with new stamps from Woodware

Hi All,
Wasn't it unbelievably hot yesterday?
I'm pleased to say that today is looking to be much cooler.Or at least I hope that it will be but only because I will be teaching at Davina's this afternoon, and the conservatory where we play gets to resemble a greenhouse, so a little bit of rain wouldn't go a miss lol.

Today we will be playing with one of the fab new stamps from Woodware. This is just one of the new stamps that I was privileged to make catalogue samples with.

Circles are definitely one of my most go to punches and dies and I felt that they complimented the design perfectly.

This stamp has been designed by Jane Gill to be used in conjunction with Card Candi, but it looks just as good painted with Pearlex or decorated with glitter glues, buttons or any other bits and pieces that you may find in your stash.

I'm afraid the picture quality is pretty bad, and unfortunately I have no chance of retaking the pictures as the cards are all at Woodware so you will just have to check out the catalogue online  HERE.

I'm sure that I will have a couple more samples to share after class today, although I know that the Twins have a cinema evening planned watching the Frozen DVD that they got for their birthday, so more playtime may have to take a backseat to popcorn and ice cream.
Have a fabulous day and happy crafting.
hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday 'Twinies'

Evening Everyone,
A rather late post this evening I'm afraid as we have been celebrating. Today is the twins 7th Birthday.

They had a lovely evening, and there was lots of screaming as they opened their prezzies.

These are the cards that I made for them. Good old Lili of the Valley toppers.

 This image made me think of Saskia, and how I imagine her when I hear her having one of her little tea parties.

I added her name using die cut letters and banner.

The background has been made using papers from my stash and my fab hexagon punch.

 I also have an embossing folder which is full of stitched hexagons.

 Ciaran's card has been made using a fussy cut image which I attached using silicon to give it dimension.

The sentiment is also from Lili of the Valley mounted over some die cut stars.
I found the 7s in my stash and added some Frantage powder to this one.

I have had the gold spiders web card for years, perfect for the spooky theme.

The background paper has been embossed with another folder and then I added ink and embossing powder to it. The die cut letters have been Frantaged as well.

They were also celebrating at school today.
It was Egyptian day for the twins year, and so they all had to dress up as Egyptians. Thank God for e-bay, and a friend in the year above who still had their costume lol.
Happy 7th Birthday Saskia and Ciaran.
Hugs and kisses from Mam-ma
aka Kimx