A touch of Spring to cheer us

 Evening Everyone,

I hope that you have had a good Monday. Mine has been rather busy with more sorting through boxes, but at my house this time lol.

I might even get a card finished tomorrow afternoon, if a day back at work doesn't suck the creativity out of me.

So here in  the meantime is a card I made a while ago using a fabulous stamp from Imagination

a dry embossed background and a bit of paper piecing. Maybe a little springtime Crocus will help us forget the foggy winter weather that we have had today.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stay safe and hugs

Kimx

Falling Leaves

Afternoon All,
How sad to hear that Dame Vera Lynn has died aged 103, but what an incredibly long life.
I wouldn't mind living that long if I had all my faculties, and were still able to see all my family.
My Mum, at 90, is certainly struggling with not seeing all her Great Grandchildren, not that she would admit it mind you. The generation of the stiff upper lip her worries are for the younger generation. Typical Mum, bless her.
We have visited a couple of times to talk to her through the window, and more recently with her inside the house, and us in the garden, but it just isn't the same when she can't sit the little ones on her knee and read stories with them.
It would definitely not have been the time for a similar type of visit today given that it has poured with rain for most of the morning.

Whilst doing some housekeeping on my photos recently, I came across this card that I made for family on the death of a very dear friend, so I thought it an appropriate card to post today.

It is made using a fabulous old stamp from Imagination Crafts and a piece of handmade background paper. Although I have added a 'Thinking of You' sentiment, I think it could just as easily be used as a birthday card.

The stamp set comes with the main square image along with a couple of extras that coordinate with it, in this case some matching leaves.

I stamped, embossed and fussy cut them and added them to the corners as a pile of falling leaves.
I also used them to stamp around the edge of the dotty background paper.
But for the sentiment, I think that this would fit rather well in to our latest masculine challenge over at CCM.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope that you have a great evening and manage to dodge the downpours.
Stay Safe, Happy Crafting and hugs.
Kimx

An afternoon filled with Stencils and Sparkle

Evening Everyone,
One of the benefits of a playdate with crafty friends is that you get to play with lots of goodies that you may be unfamiliar with. It can also be quite expensive. I became the proud owner of a rather impressive array of Imagination Starlight Paints and Sparkle Medium after one such play session with the lovely Lisa Baker a few years ago.
I try very hard to pass along these playdate benefits during classes at Davina's, so today we spent the afternoon getting to grips with all things sparkly including the Starlight Paints and Sparkle Medium.

I am definitely no expert, thank goodness for YouTube and Pinterest, but I do love to play so I think that I managed to pass along a few tips.

The background to this card was created using inks and then I have used a bubble stencil and baby wipe to remove a little of the colour in places around the panel.

I stamped and embossed over the panel, first making sure that the background was dry.
Sparkle Medium was then added to the panel using the same bubble stencil and a piece of Cut'nDry felt to burnish it which gives the foiled sparkle around the edges of the small circles.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great evening.
Happy Crafting and Hugs
Kimx

Say it with Flowers

Morning Everyone,

Time for something bright and floral I think, the perfect antidote to all this blasted rain.

As you will guess from the name it was made for my Boss's daughter.

He does like me to put their name on a card since they certainly can't pick one up off the shelf. 

That of course is the beauty of a handmade card, you can personalise it.

I made this one using a piece of hand made background paper and assorted dies.
The leaves are very sparkly since they were die cut from a piece of background card made using a brayer and some sparkle medium.
I did a make and take for Imagination Craft many years ago at the NEC so I have quite a stash of pieces to use up.
Lets hope the weather cheers up a bit. I know I can't go out for a walk, but I am still getting bored with this weather.
Have a great day.
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

For a Special Woman at CCM

Evening Everyone,
Well I'm sorry, I quite thought that I had prepared this post when I added my card to the CCM team blog last weekend. However I must have been having a senior moment, and as I have been too busy to blog since then I am sharing it now on the principal of better late than never lol.
The challenge over at CCM at the moment is For a Special Woman/Girl or Mother's Day. 
As it's Mothering Sunday on 26th March if you are in the UK, we would like to see your cards for that Special Female in your life, and it would be nice if you shared with us who your creation is for.

My card was made for the birthday of my beautiful eldest daughter. Lets face it, what girl can resist a bunch of sparkly pink flowers :O)

The background was created using an Imagination Crafts stencil,

and some Starlights, Alchemy Wax and Sparkle Medium.

I wasn't sure that I liked it so I added plenty of sponged brown Distress ink, and hey presto a panel that I liked much better.

The flowers were also created using a stencil.

This time I used Alchemy wax and then fussy cut out the flowers.

I also added some die cut black leaves

also coloured with a little of the wax.
I hope that you will find time to join us, the challenge remains open until the weekend.
Lets hope I remember to press send this time. I will check again tomorrow just in case.
By for now.
Hugs Kimx

Thinking of You

Evening Everyone,
I'm back again. A week full of blog posts, I'm on a roll here lol.

I have recently had need to send a couple of Sympathy cards, always a difficult card to make.

One of my new favourite mediums are the fantastic Starlights from Imagination Craft.

The background to all of these cards were made using them,

as well as floral stamps from Woodware.

and some fabulous corner thinlet dies from Sizzix.
A card should always give someone a lift, even at the worst of times.
Thinking of You.
Hugs Kimx

Monochrome for CraftyCardmakers - 30th May

Morning Everyone,
It's my turn to host the challenge over at CraftyCardmakers this time, and I have chosen Monochrome as my theme. So your creations need to be made using MOSTLY ONE COLOUR. Hair and skin tones will be allowed but please make sure that your card is made using only one main colour.

 I have used punched hexagons to create the background.

The shapes have been punched from black scraps in my bits box. It is quite amazing to see how many different shades of black there are amongst my cardstock stash.

Each shape was edged with pale gold sparkle paint from Imagination and then stuck onto a piece of double sided sticker sheet, before my floral images were stamped and embossed onto it.

The entire panel was edged with Gold Gilding Wax, also from Imagination, before I added a bit of black dotty ribbon and mounted the whole thing onto more black card stock.

Unfortunately I didn't think about photographs when I made the card and typically it hasn't shown up very well. It really does look so much better in real life.

I hope that you will join us over at CCM. I really look forward to seeing all of your creations.

Have a wonderful Bank holiday Monday. Happy Crafting.

Hugs Kimx

Heads up, Hobby Art are on TV tomorrow.

Evening Everyone
I have had another wonderful Emma filled weekend, with sadly very little crafting, but who cares when you get a lovely cuddle from your gorgeous Granddaughter.

I did managed to get this made last week (pre Emma sitting) and so I thought that I would share it to remind you that Hobby Art Jenny will be on Create and Craft tomorrow at 2pm and 7pm.

The panel on this was actually made during my wonderful crafty weekend last November with some of the Hobby Art team.

The background was created by wiping a piece of watercolour card through leftover ink on a craft mat.

I stamped, embossed and coloured the images with the same dye based inks and also a little Imagination Starlight paint.
The background paper is from my stash and I added some faux stitching.
At least I know I am in for some intensive crafting very soon. I start countdown to my holiday at SirStampalot tomorrow. Happy days, although I will miss my cuddles.
Hugs Kimx

Pearlex Christmas Cards

Evening Everyone
Well it seems that Spring has definitely taken a back seat here in Surrey, in favour of the Monsoon.
I took numerous samples along to my Pearlex class yesterday including these Christmas cards made using some lovely Imagination Decoupage stamps.

The panel on each card has been made by stamping and embossing the image in either black or white and then painted using the 'Wet Watercolour Technique'.

The background card  on most of them has also been stamped with Versamark ink and brushed with dry powdered Pearlex.

Pearlex is always a favourite when I am making Christmas cards.
I have however failed miserably this year in my efforts to make some Christmas cards each month.  I think that I have only managed a total of five so far over three months, how rubbish is that?

I added some ribbon and a few pearls to this card.

And this one makes use of some background papers from my stash.
I wonder what the weather will bring tomorrow. No snow I hope although they do suggest that we could be in line for some over Easter!!
I would like to enter these in to the Anything Goes challenge over at Weekly Christmas Card Challenges.
Unfortunately I seem to have succumb to the cold bug that has been bouncing around everyone, both at home and at work. Just what I need. My bed is calling more than my craft table at the moment.
Bye for now.
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