Sailing by to say Hi

Evening Everyone,
I never know quite what I'm going to find when I open the front door in the morning.
We really would be in serious trouble if the flood water made it our front door (we are at the top of a slight hill), but I live in hope that I will be able to get to work without paddling.
It had subsided quite a bit this morning, which makes sense when you think that people don't use very much water during the night because they are asleep!!
However by 8am it had risen again and then the really bad weather set in. Why do the weather men only seem to get the bad weather predictions right?
Any hoo, I made this card at the weekend, and it just seems very appropriate at the moment.

The main image is stamped and embossed using a Woodware stamp designed by Francoise and then coloured using Promarkers.

I added some Glossy Accents and then layered the image over various pieces of handmade background paper from my stash.

The finishing touches are some Card Candi.
I must stop now as I have to be at work for 5am. The only saving grace with the early start is the equally early finish. I just hope I don't come home and fall asleep or that would be dreadful waste.
hugs Kimx

A Candle in the Sparkle

Evening Everyone,
Has it been cold in your neck of the woods?
They keep predicting the 'white stuff' and it has certainly been cold enough for it at work today, so here is an appropriately chilly Christmas card.

When I was at the NEC with Imagination in November I did a Make and Take using the fabulous Diamond Sparkle Medium, a brayer and some white card.
It occurred to me while we were playing that it might make a good background to stamp onto, and as there is only one way to find out, I tried it............it works beautifully as you can see. It's just a shame that the sparkle doesn't show up too well in the photos.

I coloured the candle and holly using Promarkers and fussy cut them out before adding them to the main image using silicon.
I kept the rest of the card very simple and just added a 'wiggly' border using a fine permanent pen.
I would like to enter it into the following challenges.
Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges - No Designer Papers
Glitter and Sparkle - Bling it Up
Thanks for stopping by, lets hope this doesn't act as a prediction for tomorrows weather lol.
Hugs Kimx

Shall we Retire to the Seaside

Hi All
Time for another challenge me thinks :O)
The Girls at Woodware are working on the theme of Retirement this week, so here is my card for the challenge.

Francoise has designed several of these stamp sets all with bordered images.
This one is FRCL198 Sail Away and I think that it works brilliantly as a card for someones retirement. Perhaps they would consider retiring to the seaside in the shadow of a lighthouse.

I stamped and embossed the central panel and coloured it with Promarkers.
I'm actually really pleased with how it has turned out given that it is my first attempt at colouring an entire image with them.

The background to the card has been created with some paper piecing following the lines created by the sunshine in the central image.

The sentiment is actually from another of these stamp sets FRCL165 Winding Paths. This set works particularly well for a New Home card.
               
I hope that you will be suitably inspired to enter the Woodware challenge.
There will be a new post every day this week, so why not stop by and see what the rest of the gang have created.
Must get on now, my craft room is calling, but this is one more thing crossed off my list lol.
Happy Crafting
Hugs Kimx

A Touch of Gold Leaf

Hi All
Another quiet day of crafting. At least the rain seems to have stopped for the moment so I'm hoping that the kids are not too washed out in their tent.
It has been quite good them being away at the moment as I have a major amount of prep work to do so at least I have been able to lay it all out on the dining room table without danger of little fingers, or moving it for dinner.
The card that I am sharing with you today has been made using bits from my 'Metal Leaf Folder'.
I seem to have been crafting for so long that just like fashion, techniques come back on to the scene as if they were new. Being the sad sort of person that I am I have class folders from all those years ago - just in case!!
So the basic bits to this card are years old, and I couldn't even begin to tell you what the stamps are lol.

The floral panel has been stamped onto acetate and then the Gold Leaf has been added to the reverse using Double sided Sticker sheet. The colour has been added to the front using Promarkers.

The lovely crumpled background paper is from Woodware, as is the Card Candi.
I had better get the dining tabled cleared up as the family are back from their camping trip sometime tomorrow and I have to be at work in the morning.
Hugs Kimx

Use Something New

Evening Everyone,
Well I made it through my very early start.
I could have done without the large moth that was fluttering around my window at 3.30 this morning. I hate moths, and I could hear this one but not see it !!!!!! I just hope that it has moved on and doesn't give a repeat performance lol

The challenge this week at Weekly Christmas Card challenges is for you to 'Use Something New'.
I don't think that they get any newer than this fabulous stamp from the latest Woodware catalogue. I think that this one has to be one of my favourites, for the moment at least :O)

I made the deep red background paper with Adirondack dye based inks and cling film.
The 25 has been painted with neat bleach to remove the colour, and I added some tiny white dots with a souffle pen.
There is also a little bit of paper piecing, so I will enter it into the latest challenge at the ABC Christmas Challenge blog.

I added some faux Card Candi made from the background paper.
The berries are peel-off dots which I coloured with a Promarker and then topped with a dot of Glossy Accents.
Hugs Kimx

A little bit of Bling for Our Creative Corner

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day.
I should really be tucked up in bed sound asleep as I have to be at work at 5am tomorrow, but once again I got carried away with my crafting!!
They have another fabulous challenge over at Our Creative Corner. I do love this blog.
There is always a twist to the challenge so they ask you for something just that little bit different. It makes you think outside the box and stretch your creativity.

This week they are asking for 'A bit of bling mixed with Nature'.
I hope that I have managed to fulfil the challenge criteria.
I think that the main floral image is from Penny Black which I have painted with inks and then added some crystals which I coloured with Promarkers.

The background paper was made using Starburst Stains and clingfilm.
Why not pop across to Vixykins blog where she has a great tutorial for a very similar technique.
I added a bit of stamping down one side and embossed it with my favourite Frantage Aged Silver embossing  Enamel.

I added a flower cut from some of the leftover background paper as well as a Diamante Ribbon Slider and a pearl brad for the flower center.
The sentiment is from Hobby Art.
I'm really pleased with the results, especially the colour.
I would like to enter it in to the following challenges
Bearly Mine - Sparkle and Shine
Papertake Weekly challenge - Anything Goes
Lexi's Creations - Sparkle and Shine
Must get to bed now or it will already be time to get up lol.
Hugs Kimx

When is a Splash a Poppy??

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you are having a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend, despite the awful weather.
I have been very busy again today. I seem to be on a creative roll at the moment, but I confess to being a very bad Brit as I haven't seen a single minute of footage on the Jubilee celebrations!!! I've been too busy crafting.
I did catch Barbara, the Queen of Brayering, on the box this morning so I guess that is royalty of a sort lol. And didn't she say some nice things about my cards.

I have to say that the one that caused the most comment was one of my favourites in the bunch, and so easy to do. It was made from the 'splash' that went with the swimmers.

I inked the stamp using a red Promarker and then drew over the image again freehand once it had been stamped onto the small white card. After doing this I added the black centre using an embossing pen and clear embossing powder.
The stems were added using a green promarker, and I also added a greeting and a stitched border with a fine black pen.
I have to work tomorrow, so at least I will get to see a newspaper and catch up on everything that I have missed today.
Off to bed now.
Night night.
Hugs Kimx

A day of Inspiration and Creativity

Evening Everyone,
Well yesterdays 'Creatathon' at Hobby Art has certainly got me in creative mood.

I have finished off the couple of pieces that I made when I was showing the girls how to create the Faux Mother of Pearl background.

Red poppies, how very traditional! They just screamed out for gingham background paper don't you think?

I confess that this colour combo was pinched from Jane, Scattered Straw and Evergreen Bough distress inks. You see we all learnt something from one another, even if it was just new colour combos :)

Far less traditional colours for poppies, but it works just as well I think. I coloured over my poppies with Promarkers for added depth of colour. The cardstock that I used was not very good for water colouring.

Artwork by Jane Gill

I even managed to get Jane's lovely pieces of artwork mounted up for her, as per her suggestions.

Artwork by Jane Gill

On this card she added a handwritten greeting. Now you can see why she designs stamp sets lol.

I have also managed to finish off 16 Christmas cards. Only 2 are from scratch, the rest were just the boring bits - envelopes and inserts, but that is the bit that takes the time.

I am so determined that I will keep on top of Christmas this year. That's why I have been keeping my eye on several of the Christmas all Year Round challenges that have appeared in my blog list.

Have to get my post sorted out for the new Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers that goes live tomorrow, so I had better sign off now.

Hope you have had a great weekend, and hopefully a creative one, I certainly have.

Hugs Kimx

A Thank You and a very Happy New Year

 
The challenge over at Woodware this last week has been to make Thank You cards.
I actually got mine made at the beginning of the week for once, but sadly never got around to posting it.

It seems to me though that it is a very appropriate way to end the year, and to say thank you to all of the lovely people that have visited me during it.
My Thank You to you all has been made using one of the background papers from the GCD paper pack Rocket Red Glare.
I have punched the panel down the right hand side with my Crafty Edger punch and mounted it onto a square white card. Of course I had to add a few tiny pearls.

The greeting is taken from the clear stamp set FRCL200 All Occasions Bloom  and has been stamped and embossed onto a piece of Dotted Swiss Bazzil card stock.

The floral panel has been stamped and embossed onto a piece of handmade background paper from my stash and the flowers were coloured with Promarkers.
See Anna I am embracing the new lol.
I added a few extra dots with a white gelly roll glaze pen, and some stitched borders with a fine black pen.
Once again I would like to say a huge thank you to you all for visiting, and for all the lovely comments that you have left. They really are very much appreciated.
Only just over an hour to go, so I will leave you with a wish for a very Healthy and Happy New Year to you all.
I hope that 2012 is a wonderful year for everyone.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

Mermaids

Hello Everyone, thanks for stopping by.
Isn't it amazing how much better you feel when the sun shines. Although I have a streaming cold at the moment I still feel motivated, which is so much harder when the weather is dull and dreary.
I work in a BP M & S petrol station during the day and it never ceases to amaze me how little people wear as soon as we get a bit of sunshine. Which brings me nicely to the last of my cards from Barbara's show - the half dressed mermaid lol. Well Gilly I hope you feel it was worth the wait :)
This by the way is the right way round. I was yelling at the scren on Sunday when Stephanie insisted on holding it up the wrong way.
The EK Success punch and cuttlebug folder just went so well with the stamp.The background on which the image was stamped for both cards was created using promarkers as was the colouring on her tail.
I have used another of my new toys from Sirstampalot here,a new nestabilities shape to cut out the mermaid.
I have to say that these are my least favourite cards of the batch, but I hope that you like them.
I had better get on now before this cold takes hold of me again.
Happy Stamping
Love Kimx

Feathers

Evening Everyone.
Where did the lovely weather we had yesterday disapper to? I know it is supposed to be April showers but couldn't we have a few more warm days before we get in to them.
Anyway here are the next set of cards from Barbara's show.This IS one of mine despite it being credited to someone else on the show. I have stamped the feather randomly over the burgundy card using bleach and then again with gold encore ink. Finally I stamped with versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder.
It was one of those happy accident backgrounds. I only used the embossing powder because the versamark didn't show up well enough without it.
I havent done paper weaving in a while so I was really pleased with this card.
This technique is a great way of using up bit and pieces left over when trimming down a main panel.
You know me and backgrounds I just love to play lol.
The main stamped panel on these last two cards has been created using promarkers.
I have used them directly on the stamp and then spritzed with alcohol blending solution befoe stampng them out onto glossy card stock. Spritz again and repeat until the image will no longer stamp out. Keep going until you have a large enough piece to create a card.
Look how different colours can create such wonderfully different cards.
Had real fun making these, got carried away again as usual.
Have a good evening.
Love Kimx