Ghosting or Resist

Hi All
I hope that you are having a great weekend. I must admit that I am thoroughly enjoying the rain that is currently falling. I know you will all hate me for it, but it is late and you can't do anything much outside in the dark so I am making the most of the fact that it is slightly cooler.
As predicted we had a fabulous class today at Davina's, with a couple of new faces as well which was wonderful.
It was extremely hot so we had several fans going and a cloth rigged up over the conservatory doors to try and cut down on some of the direct sunshine.
This is the tag that I made to add to my Technique book.
I give them printed instructions on the technique we are covering to add to the back of the tag, but for you guys there is always a great tutorial over at Splitcoast Stampers.

I have more DT stuff to work on tomorrow so maybe now it is a little cooler I will get a better nights sleep.
Hugs Kimx

Teacher Gifts

Evening Everyone,
I can't believe that my few days at SirStampalot are nearly at an end.
I have been working upstairs in their unit for much of my visit, and I have to say that it is like a sauna bath. How they cope on a daily basis I do not know.
I hope that I have managed to help them get a few things done, but for the moment I am going to keep it all  under wraps, so you will have to put up with something that I made before I left home.

One of the last projects that I managed to finish before the fire, and a trip to Peterboro intervened, were these Corner Bookmarks for the Grandkids to give to their teachers and classroom assistants.

They were all made following a tutorial over at Splitcoast Stampers and use up background papers from my stash as well as some of the very small Lili of the Valley die cuts that I seem to have so many of.

I matched my papers and ribbon to the images and then used my Nesties to matte and layer them.

With Saskia, Ciaran and Reece all in separate classes this year, and each of them having a classroom assistant or helper I hope that 8 will be enough.
More to the point I hope they remembered to give them out since I wasn't there to remind them.
I expect that I will probably find them in a little pile on the dining table when I get home tomorrow, but I am quite prepared to be proved wrong lol.
Another early start tomorrow so I had better get some sleep. I am always their alarm call when I come to stay, so they probably can't wait to get rid of me and get back to a bit of a lie in!!!
Hugs to All
Kimx

Thank You.......for stopping by

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have had a wonderful Crafty Day.
The class at Davina's was fabulous as always, with plenty of chat and coffee, both to play with and drink.
There was even cake!!

I've been trying desperately to catch up on some commenting since I got home, but I don't seem to have got very far, I keep getting sidetracked on to another card on another lovely blog. I need a few extra days in a week to be able to look at it all!!

As I haven't managed anything creative today (I never make anything in a class, I'm tea, and coffee maker lol) I will share one of the cards that I made a while ago for Janice and Andy at SirStampalot.
The panel was actually made using Copics directly onto the stamp, a technique that I saw over at Splitcoaststampers.
I hope that I will get to play tomorrow, so I had better get back to my commenting.
Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

End of Term gifts

Evening Everyone.
Well I have managed to get my Bookmarks finished.
Not quite as many as I would have liked but enough that The Twins and Reece have one for each of their teachers.
I have managed to take a couple of pictures to share, in between rain clouds that is.

It is amazing what you can make with some of those little offcuts of background paper.
You know the ones, we all have them, too small to use on a card but just far too good to throw away

I also rooted through my bits box to find images that might work without me having to create anything new. It's not really cheating, just being creative, and isn't that what it is all about lol.

Once again I have used the fantastic tutorial for Corner Bookmarks over at Splitcoast Stampers.
They really are so easy to make, and as I say perfect for using up bits and pieces.

I let the kids choose which one they wanted for each of their teachers, and this last one has been made for a lovely customer that comes into the garage.
She is also a teacher and comes in a couple of times a week with her twin boys.
I made the boys a card for their birthday, and so I wanted to make this little gift for Mum. I know, like most teachers, she has been counting down the hours till the end of term.
My little sister is a teacher, and I did a couple of years of Teacher Training, many years ago before I had the children, so I have always tried hard to see things from both sides.
I know as a parent that the holidays always seem like an eternity, but believe me it is bloody hard work teaching all those little cherubs, and all the paper work that there is to keep up with now. Well just don't get me started.
So here's hoping that everyone has a great Summer holiday and that my little gifts will be put to good use. You never know, they may be able to read stretched out in the garden in brilliant sunshine. Then again I think it far more likely that they will be reading indoors under artificial lighting.
Either way let's hope that it is relaxing for everyone.
Hugs Kimx

Teachers Gifts at Woodware

Good Morning Everyone
I'm hoping that Blogger is working her magic while I am sound asleep!!
Today it is my turn to inspire you with a Teachers Gift for this weeks challenge at Woodware.
I wanted to do something a little bit different and so I went to my favourite place for inspiration Splitcoast Stampers where I found instructions for a Corner Bookmark.

 Here is my version of it. I used a new Stampendous clear set that I bought at Davina's on Saturday.

 This is the back showing the triangle of card that fits over the corner of the book.

 I decided that I really ought to make one for any male teachers out there.

I decorated the back of this one as well. I also made it larger, but do watch out as it doesn't fit a standard size paperback.
I had great fun making these and will definitely make some more for the Grandchildren to give to their teachers at the end of the year.
I hope that you will feel inspired to join us HERE.
Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

There are always flowers................and shaving foam!!

Evening Everyone
I had another lovely evening class over at Lavender Lane last night. We had a good time and got quite messy making backgrounds with inks and shaving foam. 

Some of the backgrounds were really quite busy and I felt that images might get a little lost on them so I tried out a bit of embossed resist with a twist.

The main panel is created using the inks and shaving foam and then I have stamped several solid floral images (Hero Arts and Hobby Art) over it using versamark ink and clear embossing powder.
Once these stamped flowers have been heated I have then covered the entire thing with a coating of black versafine ink. This is then coated with clear embossing powder, heated and voila!!

I felt that this sentiment from the Hobby Art Scene It Sentiments set couldn't have fitted more perfectly.
Hope you like it.
I've managed to find a very similar tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers, although we used inks in spray bottles rather than drops from a reinker, but at least it will give you the idea.
Maybe one day I will get around to sorting out a tutorial of my own, although I don't claim to have invented the technique itself.
I will try post some more cards tomorrow if I can get some pictures taken before it rains again :)
Love and hugs
Kimx

So much to share.

So much to share and so little time.
I cant believe that at one stage I was posting every day, now it seems to be about once  month, if that.
I have drafted several  posts as I have been standing at the till - not while I'm serving I hasten to add, although ideas do suddenly pop into my head. The trouble is that when I get home I never seem to find the time to actually type them up, and then the moment has passed and its back to square one lol.
Perhaps I will just have to post pictures and not write anything so that I can share all the cards that I have made recently.

It is lovely to think that my absence from Blogland has been noticed. Only yesterday I was at Lavender Lane teaching two classes - Faux Mother of Pearl backgrounds and Handmade flowers. Both classes appeared popular, in fact it is about the fourth time that we have done the handmade flower class. During each class I had at least one anxious lady note that they had been checking my blog daily and were concerned to see that I had not been posting - was I OK. How lovely to be missed. So here for you girls are two of the cards that we made in the morning.

I found the idea for the background on the Splitcoast Stampers website. It is just fantastic for ideas, so do check it out.
I always try to make sure that the ladies on the class can buy the items that we use in the store afterwards if they want to, and so as pearl acrylic paint was not sold I improvised with glue mixed with mica accent powders. The background on this first card has been made by applying glue to black glossy card stock using cling film. Please check out the Splitcoast Stampers tutorial for step by step instructions.
Once the glue had dried I then applied dry mica accent powders to it before stamping and embossing the poppy image on top. This was then coloured using the accent powders which had this time been turned into a paint.

This second card uses white card stock for the main panel and then when the glue has dried dye based inks has been sponged across it before the stamped and embossed image has been added. The image has then been painted using the same dye based inks.
The cards are very similar because for once I decided to restrict the number of stamps that the girls could play with.

The poppy is a design from Hobby Art Poppies FL1120LD.
Jenny gave it to me to make samples for her last TV show at the beginning of November, and I felt that it fitted the class perfectly.
I will try and post some more of the card samples using this stamp but for now I must get back to work.
I have samples to make for Barbara for her show next Sunday, and Jenny will be on the box the day after so it is busy busy.
I have been having a short break while I watch some episodes of Merlin with the grandchildren, but as I will be travelling to Peterboro again on Wednesday and the samples must be delivered before I go I fear that must get back to my desk.
I hope that you have had a good weekend with your families.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Stationery Wallet part 1

Hi All, thanks for stopping by, even if it is very late.
I said I would try and post again today, and here I am true to my word.
I have been working hard over the last couple of evening to finish the Stationery Box that I will be teaching at Davina's on Wednesday evening, and then The Eternal Maker on Saturday.
Ages ago my friend Shaz, the Peel-off Snob (sorry Shaz, I just couldn't resist lol) gave me a beautiful stationery set as a thank you gift.
At the time I thought how nice it was and that it would make a brilliant class.
So this is my interpretation of it. I did check with Shaz first that she wouldn't be offended if I taught it as a class.
I have had to adjust the instructions that I found for it, as they are from America and are therefore in inches. I am an inches Girl in everything but my crafting, all my equipment is in centimetres, so I have spent several hours adapting the box to centimetres.


I have used background paper to help embellish the basic box, and I have stamped and embossed this using a wonderful Swirl stamp from Inkadinkadoo.


This box has a small note book in it but I have also made one which only contains 6 standard cards and then a post-it note block, stamps and address labels. The little tab at the front is for a pen.
In fact I found myself getting quite carried away with all the different adaptations I came up with.


The class at Davina's is being held over two consecutive weeks, as there is just too much to do in one class and as it is held in the evening I couldn't really extend it for an extra couple of hours, I do need some sleep you know lol.
I haven't made the cards to go inside it yet as this will be what they make on the second evening, but I will have to get to work on them tomorrow as the class on Saturday is an all day one so they will need some examples to copy.
The thing I need to do first though is type up the instructions. I think this is one class that definitely needs a crib sheet!!
You never know I might even get brave and organise a tutorial. It would have to be a step by step one, not video, but maybe someone would be interested.
Anyway must get to bed now, it's back to the real world tomorrow, up at 5am for work!!!
Hope you have all had a good weekend, it's never long enough is it.
Nite, nite.
Love Kimx

Happy Birthday Corinne

Evening Everyone.
I really am rubbish at getting cards to people on time. Today is my friend Corinne's birthday and as usual the card is going to be late - well it wouldn't be me if it was on time now would it.
So here is the card that is on it's way to her.
I've used another Penny Black stamp and a background technique that I picked up from Splitcoast stampers(http://www.splitcoaststampers.com) It really is a fabulous place for picking up ideas.
I hope Cory likes the card.
I'm off to Port Sunlight tomorrow so I will probably be missing from blogland for a couple of days, still pop by and say hello if you are at the show, I will be on the Simply Stamps stand.
Have a good weekend
Love Kimx