Falling Leaves at WoodwareWitterings

Morning Everyone,
I do love the Autumn with all the beautiful colours and falling leaves - not so keen on sweeping them up mind you lol.
The Girls at WoodwareWitterings have been making projects with falling leaves on them this week, so it was the perfect opportunity to dig out an old favourite Stampendous stamp CRR175 Leaf Background.

My card was actually inspired by something that my friend Gill made when a few of us got together for a bit of crafty playtime the other evening.

I stamped the image on to a piece of handmade coffee background from my stash and then added dye based inks with the Woodware Blending Tool.

I created a frame from Kraft card which I layered over the stamped and embossed panel and then some co-ordinating card stock. I also added a sentiment and some faux stitching.

The square Kraft coloured card was stamped using the leafy background and Versamark ink

I stamped and embossed the image again onto the background paper and fussy cut two of the complete leaves which I then added to the card using silicon.
Thank you for my inspiration Gill.
Have a wonderful crafty day one and all, and Birthday wishes to Jane Gill one of our talented DT.
Hugs Kimx

More coffee.

Evening Everyone,
It has been another coffee fuelled day, but a creatively successful one which is always good.
I have managed to get on top of some DT projects, a commission, and cards for a couple of friends so I am a very happy bunny. Now if I could just get my phone to hold a charge..................me thinks I need a visit to a phone shop, but when to fit it in lol.

This is another card that I made a while ago using some background paper created using diluted instant coffee granules.

I have used the fabulous Stampendous Zentangled Leaves stamped and embossed on more of the 'coffee paper' and then coloured with diluted coffee and white pen.

There are a set of dies to match the leaves which makes cutting them out so much simpler.
I also used some small die cut leaves and plenty of silicon.
I think this might have to be a hand delivered card for someone or else it will cost me a fortune to post :O).
Off to bed now so blog visiting and comments will have to wait till tomorrow.
Night, night and hugs
Kimx

Coffee Anyone??

Evening Everyone,
It has taken a lot of coffee to keep me going today, so I thought that I would share a few cards with you that I made using tea/coffee to create both the background papers and also paint with.

The background to this first card has been created by soaking a piece of card in a tray of diluted coffee granules (remember making aged paper as a kid?) I then sprinkled a few of the coffee granules on to the wet paper and left it to dry.
I used embossing folders and brown dye based ink for extra shading.

The background paper to this card was made in a similar manner although I first stamped and embossed in white and then screwed the paper up to give added texture.
I also added some glimmer mist to the background and coloured the main image with Watercolour Pearlex.

The background here was made the same way as for the first card. The main image was also coloured using diluted coffee granules.

The panel has been die cut using a fancy Couture die and then layered onto teal coloured card stock.

This card uses another of Jane Gill's designs for Woodware randomly stamped and embossed onto a piece of the coffee backround paper, and then coloured using Watercolour Pearlex.
Better slow down the coffee consumption if I am going to get any sleep tonight I suppose lol.
Back tomorrow.
Hugs Kimx

Spring Flowers

Evening Everyone,
Have you had a good start to the week?
It is my turn to share something on the Hobby Art blog today, so I thought that I would show you a card that I made for one of Jenni's shows on Create and Craft.

I don't know about you, but my DT cards are often influenced by the classes or other projects that I am working on at the time, and this is no exception.
I was prepping for a class on Tea and Coffee, a current favourite of mine, when my parcel arrived so that is what I have used here.

I stamped and embossed the beautiful Floral Frame onto a piece of background paper made using cold tea and instant coffee.
I also used coffee to paint the image and added white using a Gelli Roll glaze pen.

I have also spritzed the papers with more coffee and some Glimmer Mist.
I have a new parcel of stamps from Jenni eagerly awaiting my attention so I had better get on with it.
Have a great week,
Hugs Kimx

The Beauty of Birds

Hi All,
Well did you get to see Barbara on the box, or were you busy with other weekend tasks?

Here as promised is one of the cards that I made for the shows.

The background has been made using one of the Clarity Stencils embossed using my EBosser and then sponged with Distress ink and spritzed with tea.

The background to the parakeets is made using a mix of black coffee, watercolour Pearlex and cling film. Black coffee has also been used to paint the images.

I used Beauty from one of the Wordchains stamped and embossed in the corner,

and Faux Card Candi made from more of the handmade background paper along with some Faux Stitching.
I don't think this actually made it on to the show, and as usual I loved other peoples ideas far better than my own. Isn't that always the way.
Night night and hugs
Kimx

As seen on TV................ well almost

Evening All,
Did you manage to catch Hobby Art Jenny on the box today?

This one didn't quite make it to her in time for TV.
It was in bits on my table when Anna very kindly came to pick up my samples, so I will just have to share it with you here instead.

I love these cute little Woodland Creatures.

I thought that the little hedgehog should be laying in the leaves which are from another of the stamps sets that Jenny took on the telly.

I have painted the images with Distress inks and then fussy cut them all.

I found the die cut grass in my bits box,

along with the leaf embossed background paper which was all coloured using instant coffee.

The little owls were painted with coffee as well and then I added some glossy accents to their eyes.
There really were some amazing samples from the DT, and I can see me borrowing a few ideas from them.
Everyone elses work always seems so much better than your own doesn't it.
I spent  a lot of time looking at the screen thinking 'Why didn't I think of that', but I expect we all do that at one time or another don't we?
I do hope that we don't get all this horrid snow that they keep talking about tomorrow. It is my day to visit my Mum and I really don't fancy wading my way through several inches of snow on my walk from the station.
I've become rather paranoid about falling over since fracturing my elbow last year so I really do hate the thought of snow and ice.
Better get some sleep now.
Night, night.
Hugs Kimx

Anyone for Tea and Coffee?

Evening Everyone,
Isn't it funny how crafting techniques are just like fashion, they keep coming back.
I have just watched Sue from Imagination Craft using coffee to age an image on her show this afternoon on Create and Craft.

Tea and Coffee was actually a class that I taught at Davina's a few weeks ago and as I got rather carried away with the left overs I have several more cards to share with you.

The background paper has been made by soaking card with diluted instant coffee and then sprinkling some more coffee granules into the wet card while it is drying. 

I stamped and embossed images from Plant a Meadow Petals and Dots one of the new Woodware stamp sets.

I edged the panel with Gold Gilding Wax, which is also from Woodware.

I stamped more of the images over the background as well as some Artemio script using Distress ink.

The main panel on this card has been made in a similar manner to the one above. I think that there is also some spritzed tea on them as well.

I also added some hedgerow plants from an old Artemio set stamped using Distress inks.

 I added Glitter Glue to some of the tiny dots.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set.
I do love this technique so I am sure that it pop up now and again here on the blog.
Happy Stamping and hugs
Kimx

At last Something Old, and Something New at CCM&More

Evening Everyone,
So I can finally cross one thing off my ever expanding 'To Do List'.
Who knew that it would take so long to complete my blogged cards picture listing,  or that I had shared so many cards with you guys for that matter, over 1500 since October 2009.
So let me add to that number with my latest offerings.

We start the New Year over at Crafty Cardmakers and More with a lovely new challenge and some new Teamies.
Leslie is our hostess and she would like to see your creations incorporating something old and something 
new. This could be old stash and new stash combined, or perhaps an old technique and a new one.

I have used a combination of stamps old and new, and a very old technique which is bound to be new to some of you.
The background to the card has been made by spritzing white card stock with TEA and COFFEE.

Pour a little hot water on to a teabag and leave to soak.
The longer you leave the bag in the water the darker the colour. Don't add any milk, and transfer the resulting liquid into a spritzing bottle. Hey Presto instant ink.

I also made a similar solution using instant coffee. Melt instant coffee granules in a small amount of hot water. Once again the stronger the coffee solution, the darker the colour.

I stamped and embossed this fabulous, and brand new stamp from Woodware and then painted it using the coffee solution and a paint brush.

I used some old Artemio Hedgerow stamps and blue Distress ink on the background panel as well as some more tea and coffee.
The ribbon across the centre has also been coloured using tea.

As usual I got a little bit carried away and so I thought that I would share a couple more similar cards with you.

The central image has been coloured in the same manner but I added some dry embossing to the background panel using a Vintage embossing folder.

 I also added a punched panel across the centre of the card.

The main stamped image here has been coloured with a wash of coffee which has made it much paler.

The dark splodges in the background on this card are created by sprinkling coffee granules over the wet background and then leaving them to melt and dry.

These splodges can dry with quite a glossy finish.

As you can see I really did get carried away. In fact I have a folder full of pieces of Tea and Coffee background so I'm sure that this won't be the last time that you see this particular technique amongst my cards this year.
I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to share these, but I do hope that you feel that they were worth the wait.
I would like to enter them in to the following challenges.
Fashionable Stamping Challenges  - Something New (Main Stamp)
Crafty Calendar Challenge - What's New (Main Stamp)
A Gem of a Challenge - Something New (Main Stamp)
Cuttin and Stampin Challenges - Coffee
Thanks for stopping by, any comments would be greatly appreciated, and please don't forget to pop over and see what the rest of the team have come up with.
Happy Crafting and Hugs
Kimx

Any one for Tea or Coffee?

Evening All,
After all of the indulgences over the Christmas and New Year period I thought that everyone would be in need of some tea and coffee, and so that is the theme of the class that I taught at Davina's this afternoon.

This was just one of several cards that I had fun creating to inspire the Girls.

The background paper which was spritzed with a solution of instant coffee has been stamped and embossed in black using a stamp from Imagination Crafts.

I also stamped around the edges using second generation ink and a floral stamp from Woodware. I added a few stencilled dots with more dye based ink.

The flower started life as a piece of cream card die cut using Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die.

I over stamped the petals using the same floral stamp and dye based ink before spritzing it with more of the coffee solution.

Screwing up the petals after spritzing with coffee and then leaving them to dry gives the flower a beautiful shabby appearance.

The leaves are die cut and are also spritzed with coffee.
The classroom had the aroma of a coffee shop about it this afternoon, and as no class is complete without a biscuit at the very least I provided some M&S Christmas Pudding cookies - very nice.
As usual I have a large pile of bits that need finishing off, so I can see how my weekend will be spent. It's a hard life isn't it lol.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx