Pack up your troubles.

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have all enjoyed a lovely Bank Holiday Monday and that you have not been too badly affected by the dreadful weather that we have been experiencing recently.
Having had to brave the floods here a while ago I feel nothing but sympathy for the poor folks who are suffering at the moment.

My card tonight was made for my Grandson Reece who became a teenager on the 16th of this month.

According to the papers that is the worse day of the year to be born as people always forget your birthday.
I think they may be right. I didn't forget, it just got lost among all the Christmas prep that goes on at this time of the year.

I also made a similar card for the newest Woodware catalogue which is due out at the beginning of the year.
I know that Dorothy won't mind me sharing it with you since she has been posting cards from the catalogue on the Woodware USA blog over the Christmas period in order to give the DT a well deserved rest, and today she chose this one.
Happy Crafting
Hugs Kimx

Happy First Christmas

Evening everyone
I hope that you have had a good weekend.
I have spent a very lazy one watching films with the Grandchildren and the 'Big Kids' (grownups) in the house.
Now as you know I have not written any Christmas cards this year.
There are several notable exceptions however as it is the first Christmas for four little people of my acquaintance, and this just had to be marked, especially as I had the perfect sentiment stamp to use.

 I kept the cards very simple,

 using some of my LOTV toppers

 and some circular dies.

I layered the images over some red card dry embossed using a swirly folder and then highlighted with gold gilding wax.
The finishing touches include card candi, glitter glue, glossy accents and of course that sentiment from a Woodware stamp set designed by Jane Gill.
I know that Emma's card will make it's way into her Memory box that her Mum has created for her, and I would like to think that the others will save their ones too.
Back to work tomorrow, so I had better get some sleep.
Hugs Kimx

Merry Christmas............... turkey crisis averted!

Late again, but let me wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
I was at work yesterday as normal, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds.
Everyone was in a pretty good mood (we only had one 'Grinch'), we helped out lots of people with their forgotten or last minute Christmas prezzies (M&S vouchers, flowers and chocolates are always a good plan) and batteries, and everyone seemed to have forgotten to buy bread and bacon lol.
I even managed to avert our very own turkey crisis when I had a phone call from my daughter Jenni to say that ours hadn't defrosted enough. Thank goodness we had a turkey crown left.
See I do have my uses lol.
I hope that you have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are doing.
I am getting myself ready to help with the washing up at the pub again today, so I think that dinner will be on them.
Love and hugs
Kimx

SNOW for CCM&More, and a prize

Evening Everyone,
Oh dear, where on earth have the last couple of weeks gone?
I do hope that I can do better with this blogging lark in 2016, because I have been so dreadfully late with lots of them this year, and this is no exception, it should have gone live last Monday!!!! Sorry Boss :O)
Lin aka 'The Boss' is our host again at CCM&More, bless her, and she is asking for SNOW on your creations.

I cheated slightly and copied a card that I made for the last Woodware Christmas catalogue featuring this rather fun snowman.

I stamped, embossed and coloured him,

and then fussy cut him out, before adding him to some drifts of snow

created using some torn copy paper and glitter glue.

As this is the last challenge of 2015 for CCM&More, I decided that I would play Santa and give someone a nice crafty gift.

I delved into my stash and put together a few bits and pieces as a prize, I hope that you like it.

Don't forget to stop by and see what the rest of the DT have made to inspire you.

Hugs Kimx

A Woodware Sketch

Evening Everyone,
We have a new challenge over at Woodware this week, and I must start my post with a huge apology to Dorothy.
Firstly I am soooooooooo late with it again, and secondly I have used an old Magenta stamp that is no longer available through Woodware. So sorry Dorothy, did you think that I had forgotten?
With time at a premium right now I searched through my bits box for some thing to use as the focal point of my card.

What I found were some lovely bits of background card, all created using alcohol inks, glossy card stock, and said Magenta stamp.

I decided that as there were three bits of background, than I should finish off three more cards for my box.

I have added some stardust pen to this panel.

 The floral image on this panel has been painted with bleach to take out a little of the colour.

 A few tiny gems are the finishing touches on this card.
Once again I apologise for the lateness of the post and hope that you like my take on the current sketch.

See you again soon.
Hugs Kimx

Christmas is cancelled............................

Hi Everyone,
As you may know it has been a rather hectic year for me, and with Christmas just around the corner I have been starting to panic about how I am going to find the time to get any cards written.
Fortunately I have been a good girl over the course of the year and have managed to finish making at least 100, so the cards themselves aren't the problem, it is the bit I absolutely dread, writing them all out.
It seems to take me days, and they are in very short supply at the moment.
My Daughter Becki and her partner Andy have a very young baby, and have also just taken over their new pub which is happily only a few miles away from us.
However as with all new moves, it would seem for them at least, the flat that they are expected to live in is in a dreadful state.
So I have been trying to help out wherever I can by looking after Emma so that Becki can get some much needed cleaning and painting done.
In fact last night it was very much a family affair when her Sister, partner, and three of the four kids descended on the flat for a 'Cleaning, Painting and Furniture Moving Party'.
It is amazing how much you can get done, and how many times you can rearrange the furniture, when you have lots of eager little workers (dinner and ice cream is a fabulous bit of bribery lol)
Bedtime for all of us was 3AM this morning, but we managed to get such a lot done that it is finally starting to take shape and feel like somewhere that might be OK for them to live in.
Many hands make light work as they say.
So, I have made the decision to cancel Christmas............................ well at least card writing anyway!!
It is amazing how much calmer I feel now that I have decided not to write any Christmas cards, or very few at least.
Several years ago, after my son Adam died, I started writing a Christmas newsletter to keep family and friends up to date with what had been going on with us over the previous year.
He died on New Years Eve so of course lots of cards arrived with his name on them the following year as people that we only seem to keep in touch with at this time of year didn't know.
I haven't managed to write one of the these letters over the past few years so I thought that it was about time that I started the tradition all over again. I need to let them know about Emma at the very least.
So if I normally send you a card please don't think any the less of me, I am still thinking of you all, I have just run out of days to let you know just how much.
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
I am just about to start a turn at pot washing at the pub as they don't seem to have inherited many staff either.
The things we do for our kids!!
Mind you it's what it's all about isn't it, and I wouldn't change a thing.
Lets hope my gloves and pinny are ready and waiting for me lol.
Hugs
Kimx

Bring on the Sunshine at Woodware

Morning Everyone,
I hope that you are all not too stressed with the run up to Christmas. Where the heck is December disappearing too?
Today it is my turn to Bring on the Sunshine over at Woodware.

I have used one of my favourite Stampendous stamps for my cards.
Yes, I know I got carried away again lol.

My background has been created using some pieces of 'Bleeding Art Tissue' from my stash.

I attached the tissue to a sticker sheet and then layered it onto white paper to make it easier to trim.

The background to the second card has been made using a print pulled from the wet tissue.

I chose some background papers from my stash to match the stamped panels and then added some sentiments.
Nice bright cards to cheer up this time of year.
Have a great day.
Hugs Kimx

A canvas. This is so outside my comfort zone..

Evening Everyone,
I'm sorry my posts have been so infrequent, but things have been a little hectic here of late.
I can't believe that it is well over a week since I spent an amazing weekend with Hobby Art Jenny and some of my wonderfully talented team mates.
We all shared ideas and did a little bit of teaching, lots of eating, and then on Sunday we were treated to a class with Christine Dark, who stepped in at the last moment to help us create a canvas.

I have to say that this was way out of my comfort zone, but the more I look at it, the more pleased with it I have become.
I'm not sure that I would rush to make another, but there are elements of it that I would happily incorporate in to a card or two.

I'm afraid that the pictures are not the best, but it is rather hard to photograph as it is quite large.
Now I just need to get a picture frame for it as I am planning to use it as a Christmas present, although the way things are going I might have to save it for next year.
I can see that I may well save my cards for then.
I haven't written a single one yet and the list of things that I have to do before I get around to that task is getting ever longer.
Oh well at least I will be well ahead of myself if that is the case lol.
Knowing my luck I will forget where I put them for safe keeping.
Hugs Kimx

A new Sketch for Woodware

Hi All
We have a new sketch for you to play with at Woodware this week, and it is my turn to post today.

I love working with a sketch and decided that I would use this opportunity to add another Christmas card to my stash. I doubt very much that they will have been written by now

The cute Reindeer is one of Jane's new Christmas stamps.

I did a bit of paper piecing for the head and scarf and then painted the nose red before adding some Gelli Roll Stardust pen and Glossy Accents

The greeting is from another of Jane's new stamps finished off with a bit of bling, and layered over a panel of red card which has been dry embossed using one of the Doobadoo stencils.
As usual a bit of gold gilding wax helps to enhance the pattern.

I can see that this is going to be a very useful sketch so I expect you will see me use it again.
Have a great day.
Hugs Kimx

Twas the Night Before Christmas at CCM&More

Hi All
Well it seems that my fabulous crafty weekend with late night playtime has finally caught up with me.
This was supposed to be posted on Monday, but I keep getting side tracked (aka falling asleep at the computer lol), so my apologies.
We have another lovely challenge for you at CCM&More.
Lin is our host and she is asking for your project to depict a line from the poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas'.
We have printed the whole poem on the blog in case you are unsure, but PLEASE don't forget to tell us which line your creation depicts.

I had a rummage through my Christmas bits box and found this fabulous Magenta image that I coloured several years ago when I was demoing for Janice and Andy at the NEC.

The stockings are rather vibrant, and I added some glossy accents for extra dimension.

The background has been embossed using a brick wall folder and then gently highlighted using Imagination Alchemy wax.
I added some diecut icicles and glitter glue.
As I didn't have an appropriate stamp I hand wrote the line that my card depicts, 'The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.'
Please stop by and share the love with the rest of the team.
hugs Kimx

Thank You So Much

Evening Everyone,
I have just got back from a weekend spent with Jenny, Becki, and some of the amazing members of the Hobby Art Design Team.

We have certainly had a fun packed and inspirational time, with an incredible amount of good food and drink thrown in.
I think I must have gained more than a few pounds over the course of the weekend, but I can assure you that it was worth every ounce.

I have certainly come away inspired by all of the awesome ideas that the rest of the team shared.

Thank you so much Jenny for your generosity.

Here's looking forward to the next one........................after I've been to the gym a few times lol
Hugs Kimx

Zentangle with Stencils at Woodware

Hello All
My turn at Woodware again today, and this is a first for me. Zentangle with Stencils.

I am not very good at drawing, in fact I am rubbish at it which is why I like stamping so much.
No drawing required lol.

This is my first ever attempt at Zentangle, and I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it at first, which is why I made a second card for the challenge.

I dry embossed this beautiful Poinsettia stencil as well as drawing round it with a fine black Micron pen.

The pattern is not very imaginative, and I shaded some areas completely as well as adding some platinum glitter glue.

This second card uses a Honeycomb stencil, and was inspired by a couple of things that I found on Pinterest.

I got a little more creative here with the help of a Zentangle Basics book,

and I finished it off with the addition of some peel-off letters.
I am actually rather pleased with them both in the end, and I liked the craft card as a change from the usual black and white.
Why not stop by the Woodware blog and see what the rest of the Girls have been up to.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs Kimx