I Love Saturdays

Evening Everyone,

I do love a Saturday. Of course it is the weekend and I don't have to be at work, and every other week I get to be with the littlest Grandchildren, but then on the other week I get to spend several hours crafting with some lovely ladies.

Today was one of those Saturdays. We drink copious amounts of tea and coffee and eat biscuits even though we shouldn't, but most importantly we chat, laugh and play with crafty goodies.

Today it was stencils, like the one used in the background on this card.

I always try to make sure that there is something for everyone, and so this time as well as a drawer full of stencils, I took along some stamp sets that have matching stencils to help make colouring the images that much easier.

This particular set called Choose Hope is from Pink Fresh Studio and has a co-ordinating die available as well as layering stencils.

I think you will agree that it makes a rather lovely focal image on a card. I added some extra die cuts for added dimension, along with some gems and a sentiment strip.

Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time, and I have loads of extra bits to finish off, which is going to be my homework for tomorrow, so I had better get some shut eye now.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs Kimx

Sparkly Greetings

Evening,

Another miserable day, so here is a card to brighten you up, I hope.

It was made by stamping and embossing the image onto a piece of mop up background.

Having painted the image with a sparkly watercolour palette I cut it out using a shaped die,

and added some faux stitching.

I layered the image onto a piece of black cardstock that had been run through an embossing folder. I also added a sentiment and a single 3D flower.

Let's hope that we get some better weather tomorrow, this rain is getting very boring.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs Kimx

 

Add a Sentiment for SimonSaysStamp

Evening All,
Just a quick post tonight. I think I might have overdone the walking yesterday cause I have been suffering all day.

I thought that it was about time that I entered a challenge as I haven't done it in a while.

Over at SimonSaysStamp they are asking for you to add a sentiment, so I figured that this card fitted the bill quite nicely.

The background was made using Starlight paint, a leafy stencil, and then some sparkle medium.

I love the foiled effect that you get when you burnish the sparkle medium through the stencil.
The sentiment is a lovely die given dimension with some craft foam.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs Kimx

Leafy 'Bump and Smudge'

Hi Again,
One of the newer techniques that I have been playing with recently is 'Bump and Smudge'.
I love the Distress Oxide Inks, and this is the perfect technique to showcase them since it takes advantage of both the dye based and pigment properties of the inkpad, and it is sooooo easy to do.
Basically you 'bump' your stamp against your inkpad to ink it up, and then having stamped it on to plain cardstock you 'smudge' it with a foam tipped blending tool or smoochie.
We had such fun with the technique and have repeated the class several times due to its popularity, so I have several batches of cards that I will share with you over the next few weeks.
This first batch are all very masculine, which is good because I am always short of cards for men.

They all use a fabulous old Penny Black leafy stamp 40-111 Breezy and green/brown Distress Oxides. I created a panel for this card using the leaves and a script background stamp. I finished it off with some twine, tiny black metal dots and a birthday greeting.

The 'Bump and Smudge' technique relies on the dye ink in the oxide to give you the image and the slower drying pigment ink for the smudge, so you need to work on the images one at a time or they will dry out before you can smudge them.
I cut up the panel I created for this card to make two very different cards. Once again I used a favourite Woodware sentiment stamp set and brown Nuvo drops for this square card.

The remaining portion of the panel was used on this card along with a die cut sentiment, some gems and some more stamped leaves.

My final card uses the same leaf stamp and a large text background stamp (I think it is Stampendous) to create my panel. I also splattered this panel with some water to add interest and some lovely oxidised splatters.
This technique would be perfect for a Masterboard (class suggestion Janice :O)?) and I can see me using it a lot more in the future.
Have a great evening.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

Cogs and Wheels

Evening Everyone,
I obviously had a lot more cards suitable for men than I thought.

I have an elderly friend, who every few months asks me for a box of assorted cards that he can send to his friends and family.

So while I was sorting out a new box full for him last night, I came across several more cards that would be suitable to give to a man.

The first two cards were made using a panel of card covered with aluminium tape from a car accessory shop - very masculine.

I coloured the tape covered panels with alcohol inks,

and then embossed them using a cogs embossing folder.

The embellishments are cut from metallic card using a die.

This final card uses a piece of handmade background from my stash.
I think it was made using my Gelli Plate, but I wouldn't want to swear to it. That's part of the problem with using up left over bits, it isn't always possible to remember how you created them in the first place.

I do know that the tree stamp is an old one from Imagination, but other than that please don't ask lol.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great evening.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

A little thankyou from Emma

Morning Everyone
Have you had a good weekend? Plenty of food and drink in the run up to Christmas I bet.
Now with the best will in the world things often take a lot longer to finish off than expected.
This has been the case with the Thank You cards that Becki has been making for Emma's Birthday gifts. Life just got in the way.
Still they are all finished, and delivered now so it is on to her Christmas cards lol.

We decided on something quite simple given the time factor, just a cute little giraffe die cut from patterned paper,

some sponging, a sentiment and a couple of peel-off squares.

Of course I did end up with quite a bit of ink left on my craft sheet after all of the sponging, so I used a piece of watercolour card to 'mop up' the ink with the aid of a little spritz of water and the addition of a little brown ink.

The Poppy image is by Hero Arts I think which I have coloured using the same ink pads.

I also added a Hobby Art sentiment.
We managed to get all the bits stamped and die cut for Becki's Christmas cards and I had some Emma and Me time while Becki got some of them finished so that is a post for another day.
Happy Monday.
Hugs Kimx

Thank You for Everything

Evening Everyone,
I spent a wonderful, if rather emotional day in Peterboro yesterday.
I went up for the final opening of SirStampalots bricks and mortar shop.

Of course I had to make a card for the occasion.

 I used a wonderful old Magenta stamp that I had used in a demo there a while ago.

 I sponged the white embossed images with dye based inks,

 and then painted the flowers to highlight them.

The central panel has been diecut and mounted onto the card using silicon.
Janice was playing guess the sentiment stamp, which I'm afraid nobody won cause I can't remember who makes it lol.
Fortunately the business will be continuing on line, which is the best news, so I will still be able to shop.
They are also hoping that in the spring, when they have had a chance to settle into their new premises, they will still have occasional classes and demo days along with a pop up shop. So I am confident that I will still be able to visit.
The place was heaving with old friends who had all come to say their farewells, and watch the lovely Michelle demo all things Stix2.
There was lots of yummy food, all bad for you, and plenty of coffee. And also the most amazing cake, which was very hard to photograph.

All the craft items were made of icing but looked real enough to use.

I would like to think that Janice and Andy have been having a well earned rest today, but I know that the reality is that they have been busy packing up and moving things into their new unit.
So here's to many more happy years as an on-line business, and a heartfelt thank you for everything that they have done for me when I have visited , demoed and shopped with them.
Good Luck with your new venture Guys, you deserve it.
Hugs Kimx

Welcome to Your New Home

Morning Everyone
Ive got a New Home card to share with you today.

The slightly spooky houses are a fabulous die cut from black card.

The background layer was created using a Clarity stencil, 

die based inks and my Grand Caliber Embossing machine.
I placed some coloured paper behind the windows and then added Glossy Accents.

The greeting is from a rather old, but well loved Hobby Art stamp set.
I think this has a rather autumnal/wintery feel which goes rather well with the weather that we are having of late.
Have a great day.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx