Countdown to Christmas - Day 2

Evening,

We had a light sprinkling of snow in our neck of the woods this morning. As far as I'm concerned that's enough of that for the year lol.

So here are a couple of small Christmas cards made using some chalked panels and pieces from my bits box.

I also added some faux stitching,

and some tiny gems or peels-offs.

Let's hope that the weather ignores the sentiment on the cards, I really don't want it to snow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs Kimx

Hobby Art Flower Vase

Evening All,

One of the hardest things when trying to blog every day, is actually trying to decide what card to share. It's not like I don't have plenty of them to choose from. In fact if I never made another card I've probably got enough to keep me going till I'm 107 lol.

Sometimes I take inspiration from a challenge that pops up on Facebook or in my e-mails, and sometimes it is just a case of finding the next card in my photos that I haven't shared with you all.

So that is where we are tonight. A card made many years ago for the lovely Jenny Mayes of Hobby Art fame. The pink background was created using an alcohol based inkpad whose name escapes me now, and glossy card stock. The image was then stamped and embossed onto it and matte and layered onto silver mirri card and co-ordinating pink scraps.

The torn panel across the centre is made from vellum with another image stamped randomly across it using white brilliance ink. 

I finished it off with my signature three tiny square black peel off dots.

I wonder if Jenny will remember this from a demo at the trade show many moons ago .

Off to bed now before it gets too late.

Stay safe and hugs

Kimx

Lets Say Thank You

Evening Everyone,
I can't believe that it's Thursday again, and time to clap for the NHS and everyone else that is helping to keep the country going.
I have definitely noticed that there seem to be more people out and about, and the roads are busier
over the last few days.

Here are a series of Thank you cards that I made a while ago using one of my favourite Agapanthus stamps by Stampendous, versamark and Decorating Chalks.

Orange is not usually a colour that I reach for, but I love this set of cards.

The little gold gems are actually peel-off dots with glossy accents on them.

These were actually made in a class on Chalks where we made a box of cards to give as a gift.

This stamp is fabulous with this technique.

I created several large pieces,

 that I cut up to make smaller cards to fit in the box.

I can't remember who made the sentiment stamp, but I do like the font.

I made the box for the cards, but never actually got around to giving them to anyone. As it had got a bit battered I decided to repurpose the lid and turn it in to another card.
Thanks for stopping by.
Stay safe and craft.
Hugs Kimx

'Will you do me the Greatest Honour...........'

Evening Everyone
Are you having a good week? I am getting really excited because I am off to the Woodware Retail weekend  on Saturday with my friend Jane Gill.
Before I go I think I will be chained to my laptop trying to organise some posts just in case I can't blog.
It has become a major addiction and I have managed every day this year bar one, so it would be a shame to mess that up.
I don't usually make the same card more than once as those of you that know me will know, so the card(s)  that I am sharing tonight are a real labour of love.

My lovely new friend Vicky asked me to make cards for her Bridesmaids.
We got together over coffee to thrash out some ideas, and choose stamps, and then the rest was up to me!!

I had to make 5 cards for her 'Girls', each with their name on the outside and a request inside for them to be Bridesmaid, Maid of Honour or Chief Bridesmaid. What a lovely and very unique way to ask for their help on her special day!!

Vicky told me exactly what words she wanted on the front of each card and I printed them out from my computer - it's the nearest I get to 'doing digi's' lol.

The main image is 'My Mother's Dress' which was all the rage many years ago.
Cream, Gold and Sage are the colours that Vicky has chosen for her Big Day so were the perfect choice for the Bridesmaid cards.

I used 8"x8" cards and stamped and embossed the background using a lovely Hobby Art flower stamp, versamark and Frantage Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel.

The Sage green panel was dry embossed using a Butterfly embossing folder and then cut out using a Nestie.
I added a little Gold Metallic Rub-on and some Stardust pen.
Each card has a dotted border added along with tiny gold peel-off dots, some larger metallic dots and a name.

Each card had this on the inside (personalised according to the position they were asked to fill) and then Vicky was adding her own sheet of instructions.
I asked her today if they had all been delivered and she said that they had and that they had made each of the girls cry......in a good way I have to add.
Better try and get to bed now. Only two more sleeps till I'm off to Woodware, as my Grandchildren would say.
By the way I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the truly wonderful comments that have been left for me recently.
I do try and pop by before I publish them to say a personally thank you but I knew that this was just not possible at the moment so I say it once again  THANK YOU ALL xx
hugs Kimx

Summer Sailing

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have had a great Saturday.
I guess that this had better be a very quick post, I have been having way too much fun finishing off cards that I started today in my class at Davina's.
It's far too dark to take pictures tonight so you will have to content with this card that I made for the young son of one of the customers at work.

He has been suffering with the chicken pox and so this was made to cheer him up, and also to wish him belated  birthday greetings.

I have used part of a lovely Penny Black stamp which I coloured with my trusty distress ink pads.

I used an EK Success punch across the bottom of the panel, and added some tiny peel-off dots and Card Candi.
You may have noticed that I am very into adding tiny dots to my work. Here I have added them to the Woodware greeting and around the mice.

The background papers are from my stash, and I made the card using the lovely sketch no43 at Freshly Made Sketches.
I added some Magnolia swirls around the edge of the green card and also some Frantage Embossing Enamel.
I have some more kids cards to make tomorrow as it is nearly time for the Twins birthday. I think I will break out a couple of my favourite Lili of the Valley die cuts for them.
Off to bed now before I get side tracked into finishing another card.
I've suddenly realized just how weather appropriate my card is. You are nearly able to sail across the bottom of our road with all the rain recently lol.
Night night
hugs Kimx

A Special Birthday

Yeahhhh the Internet is sorted at last!!!!!
I seem finally to have sorted the problems that I have been having with Blogger. Or at least my lovely friend Joe has.
I now have a choice of 3 Internet browsers, so at least one of them should be OK, or at least I hope so.

Joe works with my Sin-in-law Jason, and another of the guys there has a very special birthday tomorrow.
He has reached that exclusive club to which many of us have now become members lol.

This card was made for him using a Hero Arts bamboo stamp that I am very fond of.
It's great for masculine cards.
I have stamped it onto glossy card stock using versamark ink and then sponged blue dye based ink all over the image. This is called a resist technique, and gives a lovely ghosted image.
Heat set the image and wipe over it with an anti static cloth before stamping and embossing the bamboo again using black versafine ink and clear embossing powder..

The '50th' has been taken from the Woodware stamp set that I bought with my prize money for winning the December Woodware Challenge. Although it is actually a Wedding set it will be very useful for some of the milestone birthday.

The main greeting comes from Hobby Art. It is actually a larger background stamp that I have cut up, using only 3 lines from it on this occasion.

I have stamped the bamboo onto the main card using versamark ink and then added some matte brads, dotted ribbon and peel-off dots from my stash.

I had better try and catch up with some commenting now. 

Marie, bless her, has been covering my numbers for me while I was having problems, but now that appears to be fixed I had better at least post a few comments don't you think!

Thank you so much Marie, and a very Happy Birthday Danny.

Welcome to the club xx.

hugs Kimx

A Gem of a Challenge 34 - a sketch

Evening Everyone
Just a quick post tonight to share another of the cards that I made using the new Hobby Art Poppy Scene it set.
For this card I have used the lovely sketch over at A Gem of a Challenge where they also want to see 'Stitching real or faux and a sentiment of your choice.'
I have used one of the smaller stamps in the set to create the piece of background paper which has been stamped and embossed with white powder and then sponged with distress ink. This technique is known as Embossed Resist.
This piece of background has been used to form the strip across the card as well as the panel to the left of the main image.

The main image has been stamped and embossed onto a piece of handmade background paper and painted with distress inks.
The main panel has been cut out using a circular nestie, and faux stitching added with a fine black pen.

The border punch is Martha Stewart and the greeting is also from another Hobby Art clear stamp set.
I've added a few black peel-off dots and a little glossy accents.
Oh boy the end of another weekend they seem to be flying by just lately.
Hope you have had a good one anyway.
Hugs to All
Kimx

Look what I did with my Mini File Folders for the Woodware Challenge

Morning All
Well here, as promised, is my entry in to the Woodware Challenge.

I must confess that when these little file folders arrived in the post from Dorothy I did wonder what on earth I was going to do with them, but having shown my endeavours to the family we have come up with lots of other ideas for the little booklets that they make.

I sponged three of the largest folders with Antique Linen Distress ink and sprayed them with Glimmer Mist.
I then stamped around all of the edges with the dotted flower from the Woodware clear stamp set FRCL153 Flora.

Each page has then been stamped and embossed with one of the other stamps from the set using Sepia Versafine ink. I have coloured these images using ink from a Mountain Meadow Big and Juicy ink pad.

I have stamped and embossed greetings on to each page from several different Woodware stamp sets FRCL154 Salutations, FRCL080 Mixed Greetings and FRCL085 Oriental Style Alphabet.

Finally I have stuck the folders together to form a little booklet using DSST and then added a stitched border using a fine black Micron pen.

I also added some crystals to the image on the front as well as a few tiny peel-off dots on all of the pages.

I had hoped to add some small photos to it but time just got away from me
I thought that it would make a lovely gift for my Mum whose birthday is tomorrow.
It is a shame that they don't come in a slightly bigger size (there are 4 different sizes on each sheet but they all get smaller than this) but I can certainly see myself using them again.
My daughter suggested that if she had lots of journaling to do on a Scrapbook page a little booklet like this would be ideal to tuck into a pocket on the page. My Sin-in-law suggested that a booklet of little pictures and sayings to look at and give someone a lift if they were feeling down would be another idea. And they have already asked me to make one as a Christmas present full of little photos.
I hope that my idea will inspire you to give them a try.
Now I really must get on with some more design team work.
Don't forget to tune in to Create and Craft later today and again tomorrow to watch Jenny from Hobby Art.
I will try and post again this evening as I have so much to share with you. Have a good day.
Love and hugs
Kimx

A sleepover and Harry Potter

Hello
It was my eldest Granddaughter Megan's last day at Primary School yesterday. She was a bit tearful and as her brother had gone to his best friend's for a sleepover, and the twins had each other, we had a sleepover of our very own. Am I the only one in the world not to have seen any of the Harry Potter films?  Well my education started last night. We had ice cream and cuddled up for a marathon. I'm afraid to say that we both fell asleep, nothing to do with the film more about the timing. But I have started, as they say, so now maybe we will finish number one later today.

This is one of the cards that I made for Barbara using her Small Calligraphy Tree. I have stamped and embossed it in gold and then cut it out using a Nestie.

I mounted it over panels of card that have had the edges distressed. Ribbon, peel-off dots and a stitched border finish things off nicely.
Need to get back to the cards now if I am going to get some time off tonight to finish the film.
Have a great day.
Love and hugs
Kimx

To see the world in a grain of sand...................

Evening, I hope you have all had a good weekend. The weather here has been awful, wet, windy and cold, a really good excuse to stay inside and craft as if I needed one lol.

 I told you I liked this stamp, I made several cards with it for Barbara's last TV show.

This one makes use of a card template and glimmer mists to create the squared background which I have then stamped and embossed over. Background papers and peel-off dots add the finishing touches.
I have been working hard on a couple of new samples for Jenny's TV Show on Wednesday (Create and Craft 671 11am - 12pm and 3pm - 4pm). She will be showing off the new DVD and stamps with a seaside theme, check it out if you get the chance.
I think I had better get an early night, I have a busy and stressful week in front of me before I make it to the show in Farnborough at the weekend.
Love and hugs to you all
Kimx

Ribbit, Ribbit

Evening,
It really does seem to have been a busy month for birthdays, especially ones for little people.

The two cards tonight were actually made using some Penny Black stickers. They are brilliant when you need a card in a hurry as they are already coloured in. It's a bit of a cheat I know, but sometimes it just has to be done. Of course you can make them look every bit as special as one that you have stamped and coloured in yourself, it just cuts down on the time.

Because they are clear stickers it can be best to back them onto white card since anything you stick them to does have a tendency to show through a little.

I'm afraid the photography is not quite as sharp as it might be but I hope that it gives you a couple of ideas.
I've added cuttlebugged background and punched panels, and of course a greeting or two.
Off to bed now before I fall asleep as I write this.
Sleep tight.
Love and hugs
Kimx

3rd posting today!!

Evening Everyone,
Why is it that every year I swear that I am not going to leave finishing off all the Christmas until the last minute, and here I am once again in the same situation.

 I have spent the hours since my last post making inserts, and in some cases envelopes, for approx 80 cards. Thats how many I found in my drawer that are any where near ready to be sent this year.

 I will have to spend tomorrow stamping the greetings inside them all but I guess it is at least a start.

I text Anna earlier and we have agreed that we MUST get together more frequently next year to finish off some Christmas cards or we will be in exactly the same situation once again. She had even admitted that she may just go out and buy a box.....naughty girl.

 Anyway I felt sure that you might like to see a few more of the cards that I will be posting...if I ever get around to writing them that is.

I have chosen several different examples using this tree stamp, I think it is by Art Impressions. They are all made using sticky embossing powder and Pearlex.
I hope that you like them.
I had better sign off now I have a load more cards to finish off tomorrow.
Sleep well
Love and hugs
Kimx