Bright and Beautiful for Lavinia

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good Monday. It has been a little colder than it appeared I have to say, but still quite bright which is why it was so deceptive.
I have a rather special card to share with you tonight.

It has been made for an equally special young lady who will be 13 on Wednesday.
However as it was also made for the Lavinia challenge which will have finished by then, I decided that I will share it with you tonight and hope that she doesn't check out the blog before Wednesday.

The challenge at Lavinia has been Bright and Beautiful, so I hope that this will fit the bill, you practically need sun glasses to look at it :O)

I have used several of my Lavinia stamps, Distress Inks, Glimmer Mists and Nesties, along with an assortment of flowers from my stash.

I also added some tiny white dots to the central panel, along with tiny black dots around the edge of the panel and some gems on the wording.
And of course there is some Glossy Accents and Glitter.
Well you can't have Fairy Toadstools without a bit of glitter can you lol.
I decided that at 13 Megan might appreciate something other than the cute Lili of the Valley images that I usually reach for.
I would also like to enter this into Alphabet Challenge where F is for Fantasy, and Forever Friends use Lots of Flowers.
Off to bed now.
Night, night.
Hugs Kimx

Wild Poppies

Evening Everyone
Well I survived, and so did they.
I did have a little person creep into my room at 4am. It was like sleeping with a starfish in the bed she stretched all of her limbs out in all directions, quite a squash in a single bed lol.
I haven't managed to get anything creative done today. To be honest I have had a truly lazy day, although I think I have earned it don't you?
I did manage to get something made yesterday before everyone arrived home.

This was made to enter into this months challenge over at Clarity where they are looking for 'In the Garden'.

I have used the fabulous Poppies in Bloom and a little paper piecing using background papers from my stash.

I cut the image out using a Nestie and added some Antique Linen Distress ink while the die was still in place.
I also used Wild Poppies and Antique Linen ink around the edges of the panel and the background paper.

I have given the Poppies some dimension by attaching them using silicon.
I would also like to enter this into the Monthly challenge over at Forever Friends where they want Paper Piecing.
Back to normal tomorrow, if work can be considered normal that is.
Off to bed now, although I have to listen out for the Big Kids returning since they didn't take their keys with them.
Hugs Kimx

Abracadabra

Evening Everyone,
Have you had a good day?
It was not quite so bright first thing today but still nice enough not to have to wear a coat to work. I even managed to do without my fleece at the till, although I don't think that I will be consigning either item to the back of the closet just yet lol.

I have had to make several cards just recently for younger children and this is the first of them.

I used the lovely sketch over at The Friday Mashup where the challenge this week has been

1. Create a project using the "Sketch".
2. Create a "Birthday" project.
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Birthday project using the Sketch"

I have used another of my Lili of the Valley die cut images cut out with a Nestie. The papers are from my stash but are old Magnolia papers.

I added a DooHickey punched border and used the tiny stars to embellish the card.

I coloured the stars using my favourite Stardust pen although I'm afraid that it doesn't show up terribly well.
I would also like to enter this into the Fortnightly challenge at Forever Friends where they are looking for 'Diecuts and Punches', and Stamp and Create where that want you to use 'At Least One Die'.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday to You

Evening everyone,
Have you had a good day? I can't believe we are half way through yet another week.
This is a card that I have made for the daughter of one of the Girls at work.

I have coloured the stamped and embossed flowers with Coffee.

I hope the young lady sees the funny side of this, since her Mum works in the Wild Bean Cafe making the coffee lol.

I added some Glossy Accents and punched leaves.
I would like to enter it into the challenge over at Cuttin and Stampin where they want to see 'Flowers'.
Forever Friends are also looking for Lots of Flowers.
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

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 Christmas Cutie

Evening Everyone
Another weekend in sight and no signs of anything resembling summer in my neck of the woods at least. It is amazing how many people sporting winter coats and jumpers that have come in to the garage today!!

So I suppose that it makes perfect sense to share another of the Christmas cards that I have made, far more weather appropriate lol.

This was made using one of the wonderful Lili of the Valley die cut images cut out with a nestie.
I kept it simple with a punched border using one of the Woodware Crafty Edger punches. I added a little bit of glitter to the snowflakes and glossy accents to the peel-off dots.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges
Winter Wonderland - Christmas Teddy
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
Forever Friends - Anything Goes
Thanks for stopping by, let's hope that the weather is better tomorrow other wise I will be shouting above the sound of rain on the roof of Davina's conservatory lol.
hugs Kimx