Sticky Embossing Powder

Evening,

Another old favourite technique tonight, Sticky Embossing Powder and Foils. And to go with an old technique, several older cards that I have never gotten around to sharing.

I have used Pearlex Powder on the sticky Embossing powder,

before adding a little foil.

I tend to be rather sparing with the foil so that it doesn't over shadow the Pearlex

but obviously you can be rather more heavy handed than me if you wish.

I think this one needs a sentiment added to it, or perhaps a die cut, I'll play around with it before it goes in the drawer to send I think.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love and Crafty Hugs

Kimx

Life is Better with Friends

Evening,

Today would definitely have been worthy of sharing a Christmas card. I have been frozen all day.

They are completing some refurbishments at work and we have had to spend much of the morning serving through the night pay hatch. What a day to pick, given the degree of frost this morning, it has been bloody cold all day. There have been barriers everywhere and men in high viz jackets, but still people act like absolute idiots and ask the most stupid and obvious questions.  Oh well rant over, and as you can see I seem to have sorted out my computer issues. Or at least my wonderful friend Joe has.

So instead of Christmas, here are a couple of cards to celebrate good friends, and to say Thank You to Joe.

One of my all time favourite techniques to play with has got to be Alcohol inks and the Alcohol Ink Lift Pad.

These two cards were made using this technique, and another favourite of mine Penny Black Spontaneous Joy.

I love the amazing backgrounds that you can create with a few alcohol inks,

some stamps and an Alcohol Lift Inkpad.

I also added a little foil to the backgrounds. 

Thanks for stopping by. Life is definitely better with friends like you.

Hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday Janice

Evening Everyone,

Let's have some cards today to celebrate the birthday of a good friend.......Janice.

Janice and Andy run Sirstampalot in Peterboro, and under normal circumstances I would be looking forward to spending a week with this lovely couple in March.

I don't do holidays, but a week playing in their craft shop is my idea of heaven, although I'm not sure that my bank balance enjoys it that much lol. Still when you think how much a holiday costs, at least I come home with something to show for my time away other than just a few photos and some lovely memories....... I also come home with toys.

I usually teach a few classes while I am there so I get to meet up with lots of crafty people as well as a few old mates who always come along to say Hi.

One of the classes that I taught last time I was there involved alcohol inks and the amazing Alcohol Lift ink pad.

I love this technique. Quite apart from anything else it gives me an excuse to make backgrounds and it also involves a 'Twofer'. Two cards for the price of one.

You may wonder why I am sharing Christmas cards on Janice's birthday in February? Well it is because that is what we were making last time I was there in November 2019!!!!! How long ago???

As you can see I am rather partial to this fabulous Penny Black Poinsettia stamp which was one of those toys that I brought home.

There is so much detail to the stamp which you only really notice when you stamp it out. Here I have stamped it in black on linen card stock which adds even more detail.

I was actually amazed at just how much detail because when you look at the rubber it looks like it is going to be a rather solid image. I loved the shape and design of the poinsettia, but liked it even more when I used it......if that makes any sense at all.

In order to use the Alcohol Lift ink pad and get your Twofers you need an inky alcohol background on something non porous. Yupo paper works best for this as the colours move better, and best of all you can clean it off with blending solution and start again if you don't like what you have made.

I created my background on yupo and then used this to create several of the stamped pieces which I turned in to the cards above.

Another thing that you can do to the alcohol inky background is add a little foil before the alcohol inks dry completely.

I really liked this panel and didn't want to hide any of it so I tried to stamp and emboss a sentiment in the center of the poinsettia. Spoiler alert..................yupo doesn't take too kindly to heat!!

As you can see it rather shriveled up a little but was still far too nice to throw away, so I added my sentiment on a panel attached using silicon glue. 

I obviously should have done this in the first place, but you don't know what will happen until you try, and at least now I know that I have to be much more cautious if I want to heat Yupo paper. And as my friend Julie Hickey always taught me......It is never a mistake it is always an opportunity.

I hope that Janice has had a wonderful birthday, and that she will forgive all these reminders of Christmas.

Stay safe and have a crafty weekend.

Hugs Kimx

A Spotlit 'Twofer'

 Evening,

I do love a good spotlight.

It is a great way to cover up a mistake if necessary, 

and it is also a great opportunity for a 'Twofer'.

One of the fabulous new products that I got to play with last year was the Alcohol Lift inkpad. 

I LOVE IT.

We had several classes involving it since it bore repeating. The background to this card was made using alcohol inks, yupo paper and a little foil.

I also used the alcohol lift ink pad to 'lift' the holly and mistletoe image and then re stamp it on to a piece of white cardstock.

I die cut the circles from the panel and layered it on to another stamped image,

hence the 'Twofer'.

I think my friend Gill will appreciate these as this is her Wednesday suggestion over Facebook at Christmas Cards and Papercraft Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs Kimx

I hope you All had a very Holly Jolly Christmas

Hello my Crafty Friends.
I hope that you all had a fantastic Christmas, it seems so far away now.
I was at work on the big day, but as I have pointed out to customers I am not totally stupid. We saved more than a few Christmas's for people who found their turkey was still in need of defrosting, or was off and at the end of my shift I got to come home to a dinner that was nearly ready to eat. It's a win win in my book.
I may not have sent any Christmas cards this year, but I still have loads of them that I need to share with you.

We did a class on Zentangle recently. 

Now I have to say that I am not very adventurous with it although I am getting a little better with the aid of the numerous books that I have.

I do think though that even the simplest of patterns can turn a very basic card,

into something really quite special.
We are going to make some non-Christmas cards using this technique in class at the beginning of January.

I seem to have rather a lot of holly stamps, from different manufacturers.

This one uses a Woodware stamp set.

The holly on this one is from a Tim Holtz stencil.

White stamping and embossing and a Hobby Art stamp can look so different,

 depending on what medium you use to colour them in.

 Here I used watercolour Pearlex in silver and white.

This one is a little more traditional in colour.

And this one is a very old Hero Arts stamp which has been used on red card stock.

It is a very solid image which I have used with Sticky Embossing powder, foil and mica powder.
At least I wont have the excuse of not enough cards made next year will I.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

It's a Recycled Gift

Afternoon All
Well I seriously hope that this rain stops before this evening.
It is the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games in case you had forgotten. I hope that it is as awesome as the events organised for the Olympics.
It is such a shame that there doesn't seem to have been the same build up or coverage, even if in my humble opinion they have worked even harder than 'ablebodied' athletes to achieve their goals.
Anyway, I will get off my soapbox, and just wish Team GB the very best of luck.
The challenge this week over at Our Creative Corner is 'Recycle it with a POP of Green'

I decided that I would make an Engagement Gift for Vicky and Greg by recycling a couple of items........

The picture frame is another of the very cheap wooden ones that I bought, the oval frame that has been stamped and embossed onto the back of a piece of a cereal packet and the flowers are made from the foil dish that once held a meat pie!!!
I hope that the Guys at Our Creative Corner consider that to be a sufficiently good use of some recycled items.

I got the idea for the flowers from something that I saw on Buttons fabulous blog. Thanks Hun xx
The frame was covered with some die-cut Magnolia Swirls and Hearts (left overs from a DooHickey border) cut from card and stuck on using Pritt stick glue. After that Aluminium sticky backed tape from a car accessory shop was added. (See HERE for a previous blog post with more detailed instructions)
I used Alcohol inks - Oregano, Latte, Rust, Mushroom to colour the frame and flowers, and then Lettuce and Pesto for the leaves.
They were all cut using Nestie and Cheery Lynn dies.

The oval frame was cut from a piece of cereal box and then stamped and embossed using Versamark and Aged Ivory Frantage Embossing Enamel and sponged with Old Paper distress ink.

I made a box for my gift and wrapped it with tissue paper before I gave it to Vicky, as the flowers are a little delicate.
I added plenty of silicone to the underside of the flowers to help give them a bit of stability.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges
Allsorts Challenge - It's a Gift
Our Creative Corner - Recycle it with a POP of Green
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Floral Creations / Handmade flowers
Robyns Fetish - Anything but a Card
I'm going to try and get some crafting in now.
I've set the TV to tape the Opening Ceremony as I'm bound to fall asleep. Not, I hope from boredom, just plain tiredness lol.
Happy Crafting and have a great evening.
hugs Kimx