A Clarity Card to make your day

Hi All
Who knew that I had posted so many cards on my blog since I started it way back in 2009.
I have managed to do a few more pages on my picture listing before all the pop ups started slowing the laptop to a standstill. I shall just have to do a few each night.
At this rate I might finish the task sometime in 2016!!!
I'm pretty sure that I'm safe blogging this card as I only finished it in time for Barbara's last show so I don't think that I have shared it with you before.

I have stamped and white embossed the floral image and then cut it out with a circular nestie. 

 While the nestie is still in place I sponged all over the image with Distress ink.

Colouring the flowers with Distress Markers and adding some tiny dots of glitter glue is the final finishing touches to a very simple card.

The sentiment is from Barbara's fabulous 1000 Thank Yous stamp set.

Better not push my luck with the laptop, this post has taken me ages to write so I think that it is telling me that it has had enough.

Bye for now.

Hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday Harvey

Hi All
WOW I can't believe that it is March already, and also that it is 11 years since my friend Caz had her son Harvey. Where on earth did those years go to?

I made him this card, although I have to admit that this is probably more likely to be how his Dad would like to spend his time lol.

The central image is a Lili of the Valley topper cut with a circular nestie. The Sentiment is also from LOTV coloured with Distress Markers.

I added Harvey's name using my Clarity Letterbox stamps and Alphabet.
The background papers are from my stash, and I have edged them with a Molly Blooms stitching stamp.
I have another couple of children's cards to make for this month so I really will have to get a move on tomorrow.
hugs Kimx

A Birdhouse

Evening Everyone
Have you had a wonderful craft filled day, I have.
I started off the day with a couple of hours of Barbara on the Box. She always manages to come up with something stunning, makes my little offering seem very insignificant by comparison.
Still she does say some nice things about me so they can't be that bad I suppose.

Here is one from the latest parcel that I sent her. You never know you might get to see it tomorrow when she is back on the box.

I confess that it is actually one of those cards that started off in the discard pile, but after some sponging and Distress Markers I actually rather like it!!
Better get some sleep, I have another commission to finish tomorrow.
Night night
Hugs Kimx

A very Special Day

Evening Everyone
Hasn't today been bright and sunny.
My Mum tells me that it was just as lovely 63 years ago when she and my Dad got married,
Even though my Dad passed away nearly 12 years ago I still like to let Mum know that I am thinking of her on her special day.

This is the card that I sent her. I made it using some bits created when I was playing with my Distress Markers and a Hero Arts stamp set.

Of course as I mentioned before this is also a very special day for a lovely young lady who was born on my parents Golden Wedding anniversary.

Here she is with her little sister.
I hope that both my Mum and Megan had a suitably special day.
Big hugs to both.
Kimx

Another New Arrival

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have been having good weekend despite the rain.
I have finally managed to catch up with a bit of crafting, and the steady stream of birth congrats cards that I have had to make shows no signs of slowing down. Maybe that has something to do with the lousy weather as well lol.

This week Lili's Little Fairies are looking for 'Clean and Simple'.
Now I'm really not sure that I am totally happy with this card. I like the clean layout but I think it looks a bit washed out.

 It is an image that I coloured in as my first try with Distress Markers, so that can be my excuse :O)

The greetings and background paper are also from Lili of the Valley.
I cut out the sentiments with a punch and then added a tiny button.
Sweet Stampin  are looking for 'Pastels' so I will enter this into their challenge as well.
Let's hope that my creative flow continues tomorrow as I still have lots of things to cross off of my list.
Night night.
Hugs Kimx

Spring is in the Air

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have had a lovely Monday, maybe Spring is finally around the corner.
Over at Crafts and Me they have been looking for Spring Flowers so I hope that my card tonight fits the bill.

I have been playing with my Distress Markers and a Hero Arts clear stamp set CL428 Earth Flowers.

This is a beautiful clear stamp set with very fine images which have worked so well with the Distress Markers.

I have also 'huffed' on the stamp to get second generation stamped images.

The green card has been dry embossed using a Darise embossing folder, and the sentiment is from Lili of the Valley.
I have just spent a lovely evening catching up on old times.
It is amazing how quickly the years have flown by since I used to look after my friends children. They are now very grown up young ladies, the youngest of which is soon to take her GCSE exams. It doesn't seem five minutes ago since I was taking her to Toddler Group and Nursery School.
In fact we have so much to catch up on that there will have to be a part two get together, but that will have to wait until half term, and I'm sure that that will be here before we know it.
I would also like to enter this into the challenge at Allsorts where 'Spring has Sprung'
Let's hope that the weather remains as nice tomorrow, I'm getting very bored with winter now.
Thanks for stopping by.
hugs Kimx

First Day Back

Evening Everyone.
Well I have survived my first day back at work, why is it always such hard work after a holiday??
I must confess that I did nod off this afternoon after lunch. Nearly covered myself in coffee which wouldn't have been a good plan lol.

This is another of the Punched Window Cards that I made for my class last week at SirStampalot.

The main image is a Penny Black cling stamp 40-208 Sweetness which has been stamped and embossed using Versamark ink and white Embossing Powder.
The colouring has been done using Distress Markers and a waterbrush.

The central panel has been removed using a Nestie and replaced with a sentiment from Hobby Art.

I do love these solid image stamps, they are always the first ones to draw me in whenever I see a new catalogue.
I think I had better get an early night if I am going to make it through tomorrow. Thank goodness it will be a very short week for me. Roll on Friday lol.
Hugs Kimx

It's a 'Twofer' class!!

Evening Everyone
How are you all?
I have been very 'uncrafty' today, apart, that is, from putting away and tidying up after my hols.
I even managed to sort through some boxes of paper scraps and start a box for the Craft club at the School my Grandchildren attend.
My card tonight is from the last class that I taught whilst I was at SirStampalot. 
We jokingly referred to it as a 'Twofer Class', because you got two card ideas for the price of one!
The class was actually to teach the Punched Window Card technique (as learnt from Technique Time  Tuesday).

I coloured the panel with Distress Markers, cut the window with a nestie, and added some Faux Stitching.

I used a Dainty Dots M-Bossabilities folder to emboss the panel, but I managed to put the panel in the folder the wrong way round. I actually quite like this de-bossed effect.

As I don't like to waste anything, I turned the punched centre from my first card into a 'Spotlight' card. Hence the 'Twofer' of the title!!

I added a Woodware sentiment, some ribbon and extra coloured flowers as well as some stitching and gems.
Amazingly enough this was coloured before I saw the wonderful background paper that I have also used. It could have been made to match, but was just one of those very happy accidents.
I hope that the guys are coping in the tea making department without me.
We always joke that the toilet paper usage halves once I leave when they only managing to make 3 cups of tea in a day instead of the one per hour that I plied them with lol.
I will get a lie in again tomorrow as I still have a couple of days holiday left before I return to work. I do need them after my intensive week of late nights and early starts.
I have a couple of commissions to work on so I am hoping that I might find some inspiration from somewhere tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend.
Hugs Kimx

There is a new Challenge Blog at Lavinia Stamps

Evening Everyone,
Hasn't it been another lovely bright and sunny day.
At least it has been here in Surrey, no doubt that will mean rain tomorrow, I'm not sure that we Brits can cope with more than two sunny days in a row lol.
Why is it that work seems so much longer after a couple of days off. Of course it may also have had something to do with the fact that at 9 o'clock last night I suddenly remembered that my work uniform was still in the wash and I had to stay up till it was finished!!

One of the stands that I visited at the show on Saturday was Lavinia Stamps.
I have owned several of their stunning fantasy style stamps for a while, but as I don't teach classes using them they are neglected when it comes to playtime.

All that changed on Saturday when I discovered that they have started a new Challenge Blog  where this month the challenge is Anything Goes.

Of course I had added a couple more floral stamps to my stash, and so I decided that I needed to play with them and enter the challenge.

I have used my Distress Markers here which work so perfectly when painted directly onto the polymer stamps, no 'puddling' like you get with ordinary markers or dye based ink pads.
They also remain wet enough when stamped to enable you to emboss the image as I have done here.

I cut the central panel by hand and layered it over Nestie Floral Ovals. I added Peeled Paint Distress ink to the frame as well as some tiny gems. I also added some 'shrivelled ribbon', faux stitching and tiny dots.

I took my colours from the challenge over at Dynamic Duos where they are looking for Dark Green and Yellow.
I would also like to enter this into the challenge at Make My Monday where they are looking for projects Inspired by Nature.
They are also looking for Lots of Flowers at Forever Friends.
Oh dear, it has got very late again, better get to bed.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs Kimx

Spring is coming ...................... I hope

Evening Everyone,
Well it has been another dull, cold and overcast day here in Surrey.
Why is it that the weathermen only ever seem to get it right when the weather is bad!!

I have been playing with the Distress Markers that I bought when I was last at Sirstampalot in November, and a Hero Arts set that I am ashamed to say has lain uninked for more time than I care to think about, but was also purchased from Sirstampalot.

I can't believe that it is nearly time for my next visit to Peterboro, I am counting off the days lol.

The distress markers work perfectly painted directly onto the stamp, even when they are clear stamps.

The semi circles on the stamped panel have been created using a Woodware punch, and the flowers have been embellished with some Rock Candy Stickles.
Lets hope that this makes you think that 'Spring is coming'. That is after all what Stamp and Create are looking for this month in their challenge.
Hugs Kimx

Rumble in the Jungle

Evening Everyone
There is a new challenge starting today over at Woodware where they are looking for Animals Wild and Not so Wild.
I have been very bad about entering their challenges over the past few weeks so I thought that I had better rectify that immediately.

 My card has been made using Woodware clear stamp set FRCL127 Jungle Pals.

I love this set, it is just great for making cards for Kids.

I stamped and embossed the Lion twice onto watercolour card and coloured it using my Distress Markers.
I cut the image out completely and then decoupaged the head.
The circle has been cut using a Nestie and then leaves have been stamped onto it using first and second generation ink.
The background papers are from a GCD paper pack called Zen Garden. I have stamped and embossed some leaves on to the squares in black using another lovely Woodware clear stamp set FRCL021 Jungle Retro.

I have embellished the envelope.

And also the inside of the card.
Hope you like it Dorothy.
Off to bed now, night night.
hugs Kimx