Pearlescent Poinsettias

Evening,

Hope you have had a fabulous day. Mine was rather hectic, but everyone is asleep now........for the moment lol.

I do love this fabulous old stamp from Imagination.

I coloured it using pearlescent paints which I 'dropped' into the white embossed image having first added plenty of water.

The colours blend beautifully but are best left to dry out on their own.

Same stamp, different colour combo. Much more subtle I think you will agree.

It's a shame that the pearlescence is so hard to see in pictures.

Definitely need a good nights sleep so that I am on top form tomorrow. It looks like it will be another day stuck inside because of the weather so you can imagine what the kids will be like by the end of the day. We might just have to get out and jump in some puddles.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs Kimx

An Imagination Christmas

Evening Everyone,
Now far be it from me to wish the year away, but roll on the spring when I can complain about being too hot...................I have been absolutely frozen at work today.

With that in mind, here are a couple more Christmas cards.

They all use Imagination stencils, Starlights,

 and a touch of Sparkle Medium for that wonderful foiled effect.

They may not be traditional Christmas colours, but they have that traditional Christmas sparkle.
Hugs Kimx

Good Luck and Love in All that You Do

Evening Everyone,
We are in full blown exam mode in our house. GCSEs, or what ever it is that they call them these days.
Megan seems to be coping with them reasonably well at the moment although I believe there was a bit of a meltdown moment when there was confusion over exam rooms and seat numbers. Six of them all had the same number!!!
Hopefully today's exam has been a little less stressful.

It is a little bit late, what's new I hear you say, but here is the card that I made Megan to wish her luck and love in all that she does, namely said exams.

The background has been created using Imagination Silkies and a stencil.

Some of the colour was removed using a baby wipe whilst the stencil was still in place and then Sparkle Medium was burnished over the top using a piece of cut and dry felt.

The main stamped image is one of my favourite Woodware stamps at the moment,

and the sentiment is from LOTV.
I think we are exam free for a few days at least, so lets hope that the stress levels recede a little.
Bye for now.
Hugs Kimx 

Daisies for Kathleen

Hi All
What a lovely bright afternoon we had today. I got really rather warm on my walk, I even had to take my coat off, now that's a first for this year lol.

So here is a nice bright card to share with you, made for one of my regular customers at the garage who celebrates her birthday today.

The card has been made using Imagination stamps, dye based inks and an embossing folder.

I added a large stamped, embossed and coloured flower.

Some of the daisies in the background have been painted with thin undiluted bleach to remove some of the bright background colour.
I hope that Kathleen liked her card. It makes a change for her to take one home with her. She is my post lady and pops cards into the pillar box for me as she walks past it on her way home.
Bye for now.
Hugs Kimx

For Imagination With Love

Evening Everyone,
I've been playing with my fabulous Imagination stamps and stencils.

Their challenge this month has been Love is in the Air so I made the card especially for it.
The background has been created using a stencil, Kaleidacolor ink pad and a stencil brush.

I taped the stencil down with low tack tape so that it didn't move before I brushed ink all over it.

The central stamped and embossed panel has been coloured using the 'Wet Watercolour Technique' and the Imagination Vintage Pearly Palette, so my dye based ink pad was chosen to match.

With Love was stamped and embossed several times down the left hand side of the background panel which had also been sprayed with some black Spray Webbing.
I do love these Decoupage stamps, they are so easy to use and stamp out beautifully.
I will be chained to my desk for the next couple of days as I have masses of DT samples to make, so I had better get a good nights sleep.
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

Non Traditional Christmas

Evening Everyone
I'm afraid this is another very quick post, my very early start just led to a granny nap which has just left me feeling even more tired. Let's hope that tomorrow is a more creative one.

 This is a card made using one of the lovely Decoupage stamps from Imagination.

The stamped and embossed panel has been coloured using a Pearly Paint Palette and then mounted onto some background papers from my stash, with a little added stamping and sponging.
I suppose the colours are a little more Birthday than Christmas, but who says that Christmas cards have to be traditional colours.
Hugs Kimx

Wishing you a Speedy Recovery

Evening everyone,
I have had to make a couple of Get well cards recently.

This one is for the Dad of a close friend who had a nasty fall down the stairs and is still in hospital.
I raided my 'Bits Box' and found this lovely floral panel made with one of my favourite Penny Black stamps, distress inks and glimmer mists.
I made it quite some time ago, so I won't even try and remember what colours I used.

The sentiment is from an Imagination Thinking of You stamp set.

The purple background panel has been stamped with both inks and thin undiluted bleach using an Artemio stamp set. I then ran the entire thing through my Grand Caliber inside a new M-Bossabilities Folder 'Dainty Dots'.
I also added some gems to the main panel. Well, even a man can have a little bling to cheer him up don't you think.
Let's hope that there is a bit of sunshine tomorrow which I'm sure would help as well.
Thanks for stopping by, it really is appreciated.
Hugs Kimx

Let's think warm weather.

Hi All
Well I don't know about you guys, but I am absolutely frozen. Much as I hate the snow I'm sure it felt warmer when it was falling.
I'm sitting here with a hot water bottle and a blanket, and not a crafty thought in my head.
I need something to make me think of warmer weather, so here is a card that I made a while ago using one of the fabulous Decoupage stamps from Imagination.

I just love these stamp sets. They stamp out beautiful with great detail, and they all have extra co-ordinating stamps as part of the set so they are fantastic value.

I stamped the main image onto watercolour card and then painted it using Imagination Pearly Paint Pallets and plenty of water.

I flooded the stamped and embossed image with plenty of water and then 'dropped' the pearlescent paint into it. You can leave it to dry, but I prefer to speed the process up using my heat gun.

I have added some tiny gems, glossy accents, Starlight and Souffle pens.

The background to the card has been created using squares of Bo Bunny paper Double Dots Vintage Island Mist and Powder Blue.
I stamped onto each of the squares using a coordinating Distress ink pad and the small flower and leaf stamp from the set.
I would like to enter this into the Forever Friends Monthly Challenge where they are looking for Animals/Butterflies/Birds.
There, I feel suitable warmed up now.
Of course it might also have something to do with the lovely curry that my daughter cooked for dinner. Either way I think I will take my hot water bottle and blanket with me to my desk and see if I can come up with something creative.
Have a good evening.
hugs Kimx

A little bit of Upcycling

Evening Everyone
Are you having a good weekend, plenty of crafting I hope.
Those of you that know me will know that I very rarely add a greeting to the inside of a card until I am ready to send it so that it can be stamped to personalise it for the recipient.
Well on this occasion the same can be said for adding a sentiment to the front of the card.
I have unfortunately needed several 'Thinking of You' cards over the last couple of last weeks, but with little or no time to make something from scratch that I would feel completely happy with.
So instead I decided to 'Upcycle', is that the correct terminology for recycling these days :O)
I looked through my not inconsiderably large stash of cards and found several which I felt would be quite suitable with the right sentiment attached to the front.

This first card is made using one of the lovely Decoupage stamp from Imagination.

This card is another that I have already blogged and has been sent to a friend who used to live next door when I was a child.
In those days everyone was referred to as Auntie or Uncle, even friends and neighbours, it was seen as a term of endearment.
In fact to this day I still find it hard to call my real Aunt and Uncle by only their Christian names as it somehow feels disrespectful. How silly does that sound when you are in your 50's lol.
Hugs Kimx

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 Clarity, HobbyArt, Sir Stampalot, Stampcraft 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

 

Happy Birthday Sue xx

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day.
Why is it that my day never seems to go as planned?
I have finally managed to finish my card for the new challenge that goes live at The Stampman tomorrow, but I'm not going to get the chance to do anything else since I'm struggling to stay awake lol.

With that in mind this is a very quick post to share the card that I made for Sue at Imagination Crafts.
It was her birthday last week and so I made this for her. I'm not sure whether she will have seen it yet as she was having a well deserved break to celebrate. A trip to Venice if memory serves.

I have used a variety of stamps and a piece or 'Resist' background from my box.

I made it with the Woodware challenge in mind hence the 'Button and Bow' lol.
It's no good, I must sleep now, this is starting to look like a very foreign language :)
Stop back tomorrow to see what I made for The Stampman challenge, not too early though, I haven't written the post yet and that's not going to happen tonight.
Night night
Hugs Kimx

More Imagination Decoupage

Evening Everyone
I hope you managed to catch Imagination on QVC earlier this evening. Unfortunately my cards didn't get much of an airing so I thought that I would post a couple of them here quickly before I get to bed.

 I think this one was given a very brief moment of air time. All the samples tonight have been made using the fantastic Crocus stamp set. This particular card also uses the Summer Blossom stencil and stencil paints.

I have used a combination of background papers to create this card which I would like to enter into the challenge over at Paper Sundaes where they are looking for Paper Piecing.

 I have stamped one of the little background stamps over the stencilled flowers.

This second card makes use of bleach, dark card and dye based inks.

 The handmade background paper is made using the Sylus tool and a Petal Point pigment ink pad.

This final card uses Inkidink inks, and embossing both heat and cuttlebugged. The swirly folder matched the stamps perfectly I thought.

Hope you like them.
Hugs Kimx