Creative Expressions 30 Day Challenge - Day 14 Watercolour

Evening Everyone,
Another late one I'm afraid, but I have been observing National No Housework Day, by sitting on my bum and crafting lol.

Todays challenge over at Creative Expressions is Watercolour, so here are a couple of cards that I made with another of Jane's fabulous floral stamp sets.

Each of the floral panels have been stamped on to a piece of mop up background,

and then I have watercoloured the flowers.
A bit of dry embossing on the main card adds a little bit of interest.
I hope that you are enjoying the challenges, I certainly am.
Stay Safe
Hugs Kimx

Day 2 of the Craft Challenge at Creative Expressions - Flowers

Morning All,
Another lovely sunny day. I've been for my walk, and done my good deed for the day. Shopping for a friend who is in self isolation.
So here we are on Day 2 of Creative Expressions Fun Craft Challenge, and today it's Flowers.

Once again I searched through my boxes of cards to find these ones to share with you.

This one was stamped and embossed in gold on black card stock using a Jane Gill design for Woodware called Daisy Chain. Once I had painted it, I ran it through my embossing machine using a lovely leafy embossing folder and added a little bit of Gilding Wax.

Jane loves her flowers, as do I, so as you can imagine it was rather a hard task to decide which set of cards to share with you.

This one was created in a similar manner, only this time I stamped and embossed in black on cream card.

 I added the small strip of card that I trimmed from my panel and then added a sentiment and a couple of tiny fussy cut flowers.

My final card today uses the single flower from the same set.

I just stamped and embossed it twice in black and then added some ground using a fine black micron pen.

I watercoloured the image using inks.
I hope that you will feel inspired to join us today over at Creative Expressions. I know that Jamie has already added a video to give you some inspiration, so I'll see you there.
Stay safe and Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

A very belated Thank You for CCM

Afternoon,

I'm sorry people, I think my New Year's resolution needs to be 'try harder with blog posts', but perhaps I shouldn't leave it till January.

The trouble is real life seems to keep getting in the way, and I don't find time to fit in blogging as well. Oh well, I will just have to try harder.....if the Internet will let me of course.

We started a new 'Thankful' challenge at CCM last Monday. (Is it really over a week since then?) 

I hope that we all have at least one thing to be thankful for.

I certainly have. I have just been on my hols……..a week of crafty playtime with the lovely Janice and Andy at SirStampalot what more could you ask of a week off. I sat on my bum for a week and played, although I did manage to fit in a couple of classes.

Now its back to the grind, and unfortunately crafty things have had to take a back seat.

One of the classes that I taught was 'Bump and Smudge'.

I always prep my classes after I arrive so we can use items that they have on hand, so it was wonderful to be reacquainted with a couple of lovely old Stampendous wood mounted stamps.

I was never particularly keen on the sentiments, although I love the stamped images, 

so by adding a small stamped greeting from a set designed by Jane Gill, I have changed the design, and made it more usable for me.

I also found a new favourite brown amongst my Distress Oxide ink pads, fantastic for the 'Bump and Smudge' technique.

I felt that the images lent themselves to a little extra watercolour painting.

When done with the Oxides, this added to the aged effect. 

We have a 'Bump and Smudge' class just after Christmas so I thought that this would make a lovely box of cards as a gift for someone, or to use on all those Christmas Thank yous.

I used a Marianne embossing folder for all of the backgrounds, although I have found a fabulous brick wall stamp amongst my stash which would also work well. 

Better get back to my crafting, I have taken delivery of the new stamp designs from Jane Gill so I need to get my creative head on.

I have to admit that that is a little difficult at the moment. I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but its bl...y cold here and I'm getting far too old to be frozen when working indoors.

Of course I am very thankful that we don't have any snow yet, but that might make it a bit warmer at least. Don't they say that it is too cold to snow, although I'm not sure how that works in really cold places like Canada where they still get loads of snow. Perhaps it's a UK only expression lol.

Have a great evening, and stay warm. I have my granny blanket wrapped firmly around me.

Happy Crafting and hugs 

Kimx

Happy Days at WoodwareWitterings

Morning Everyone,
This week it's 'Happy Days' over at WoodwareWitterings and today it's my turn to post.

I really wasn't sure what to make for this one, so I decided on a nice bright Birthday card.

I have stamped and embossed Jane Gill's JGS450 Happy Birthday by Hand on to watercolour card stock

 and then coloured it in using bright dye based inks.

 It is a fabulous stamp which lends itself to so many different colour combos.

I stamped and embossed in white for this one and flooded the background with colour before colouring in the letters.

This one was in the last Woodware catalogue and is once again coloured using dye based inks.
I hope that you are having a 'Happy Day' and will join the team again tomorrow over at WoodwareWitterings.
Have a great day.
Hugs Kimx

Stripes at CraftyHazelnuts

Evening Everyone
Well I'm all packed and ready for my trip to Liverpool tomorrow so as I can't do any crafting I thought that I had better do a bit of blogging and hopefully sort out some scheduled posts, so long as blogger is playing the game that is.
You may have noticed that I have managed a post every day this year, so far, so I don't want a little thing like a trip on a train to break my record.
I've checked out my journey, and with a bit of luck I should be in Port Sunlight by early afternoon with plenty of time to help set up the stand, and of course catch up with old friends.

I hope that you are not too fed up with samples made from the beautiful stamps that I will be playing with on Saturday. It's a hard life but someones got to do it lol.

Continuing my Christmas card challenge to myself, this has been made to enter the challenge over at CraftyHazelnuts Christmas challenge where she is looking for Stripes.

The panel has been made with the watercolour technique and Mica palettes which I am demoing.
Once you have stamped and embossed your image, paint over it with a large brush and plenty of clean water to make the card very wet before 'dropping' colour from the mica palettes on to the wet image.
I use 300gsm card available from Anne Marie Designs or Watercolour card from SirStampalot.

Because the card is very wet the colours blend into one another to give the most amazing backgrounds.
You can leave them to dry naturally or if like me you are more impatient, you can dry the image with a heat gun. I prefer to do this, I like the effect that it gives.
Once the image has been dried then you are able to go back and paint the image in a more traditional manner without the ink bleeding into the rest of the design.
I have added some heat embossing to the piece of striped background paper which I found in my stash.
The poinsettia has been painted with the mica palette, but I have added a little of the Inkadinks colour medium to intensify the red.
I hope that I might see a couple of my lovely blogging buddies at the show, so if you are there please don't forget to stop by and say Hi, I would love to see you.
I had better try and sort out these scheduled posts now before I call it a night.
Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

A sketch at 52(Christmas) Card Throwdown

Evening everyone,
I'm back with another card made using the wonderful Decoupage stamps from Imagination Crafts.
I got wise this weekend and decided that I would try and link my sample making to a few challenges. Kill two birds with one stone so to speak :)
This card was made to enter into the challenge at 52(Christmas) Card Throwdown where this week they have a sketch for you to follow.

I love following this blog. It has been the major influence on my ever growing stash of Christmas cards, and I have been lucky enough to get Top Honor a couple of times and several Honourable Mentions including last week.
Thank you so much Guys I feel truly honoured.

The stamped and embossed image on this card has once again been coloured using the Watercolour technique that I will be demoing at the Happy Stampers show in Port Sunlight on Saturday.

I love colouring in this way and it works so well with the Mica Palettes. This one uses the Vintage Palette which has to be my favourite.
I have added some glossy accents to the berries on the main panel and bleach to the holly leaves on the burgundy card stock in the background.

I'm sorry if you are suffering from 'Decoupage overload' at the moment but I am just having way too much fun playing and it would seem rude not to share lol.
Hugs Kimx

Woodware Challenge Week 37 - Sketch 9 February

Evening Everyone
I hope that you are having a good weekend, and that you are feeling a lot better than me.
My cold has kicked back in and I feel like c**p, I'm sure that getting so cold at work every day hasn't helped at all.

This is a sample that was made to show the Watercolour Pearlex technique that I was teaching in the class at Davina's today. It was another lovely class even though several of us were suffering with colds.
I decided to use the sketch that is the latest challenge over at Woodware. I have been meaning to post this all week but realised that I hadn't taken any photos of it when I left it at Davina's to advertise the class lol.

I created the main panel by stamping and embossing SSC1109 Dandelion Wish  randomly onto a piece of watercolour card. I then added plenty of water with a large paintbrush before 'dropping' Pearlex watercolours onto it. The colours bleed into one another to give a lovely background. You can leave it to dry naturally or if you are impatient, like me, you can heat set it.

This has been mounted over pieces of plain and embossed card, and I have added some hand stitched borders using a fine black pen.

The yellow card has had the tiny Dandelion Plumes from the set stamped onto it using Versamark ink. I have then brushed Orange Pumpkin coloured Pearlex powder over the images which make them pop.
I am going to try and get some sleep now, although as I can hardly breathe with this cold, I am not too hopeful.
hugs Kimx

A Christmas Flourish

Evening,
It has been so cold at work today, seasonal weather I know, but we never seem ready for it what ever the weather is like!!
We didn't have any snow just a very heavy frost, and cold enough to make me think of Christmas more than Spring so it must be time to share another Christmas card with you.

This card has been made using another stamped image from my Christmas bits box. I think it is by Stampendous, but I'm sure that Dorothy will let me know if I am wrong :)
I have stamped and embossed it and then watercolored it using dye based inks.

I have layered the panel over Bazzill Dotted Swiss card stock that has first been stamped and embossed with a lovely swirl.
I think the watercolouring is cool enough to enter into the challenge over at Woodware where they are looking for Winter Wonderland, cool, cool colours, even if the purple does warm it up a little.

Of course the swirls just screamed out for a little bling.
I would also like to enter this into the challenge over at Weekly Christmas Card Challenges where they are looking for Flourishes, and Christmas Cards All Year Round where the challenge is Non Traditional Christmas colours with the added bonus of Embossing.
Better get some sleep now. Perhaps I ought to get my sexy thermal underwear out of storage ready for tomorrow first or will that mean that we have above average temperatures lol.
Nite nite.
hugs Kimx

Another little Thankyou

Happy Christmas Everyone
We have managed to peel our way through the mountain of vegetables. There can't possible be any more sprouts left in England, they are all in my kitchen lol.
The turkey is still cooking, but I'm not sure the kids will have any room with all the sweets and other assorted goodies that they have been munching on despite the grown ups protests.
We all sound like my Grandma used to 'You won't have enough room for your dinner if you eat that!!' How some things never change he he.

This card was made to say thank you to Jenny and Chris at Hobby Art for my lovely Christmas gift.
Once again I used the lovely sketch over at Seems a Little Sketchy.
They are a very new challenge but I can see that I will be heading there again when I need a new sketch to work with.

The main image is a lovely Hobby Art stamp Dandelion Vase that I have had for quite a while.
I have stamped and embossed it and then added colour using a watercolour technique that I am quite partial to.

The background papers are from my stash and this time I used the lovely DooHickey Christmas Poinsettia.

The ribbon is from Woodware as is the Card Candy. I added some glossy accents to the vase, and a little glitter glue to the flowers.

Oh, looks like dinner is ready now and then we have presents to open. At some point I have to find room to put the ironing board up as I need my uniform for work tomorrow. I shall be thinking of all you lucky people having a lie in when I am at work at 6am tomorrow.

I hope that you have all had a lovely day, and have not over indulged too much.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the Christmas break.

Happy Christmas

hugs

Kimx

A little bit of shape.............

Hi, one of the things I've been playing with on my day off are my nestabilities, so I thought that I would give you a sneak peek of some of the cards that we will be making on Wednesday evening at Davina's http://www.stampcraftcards.co.uk/

We will also be using some of the Woodware clear stamp sets and kaleidacolor inks.

Will share more after the class.
Have a great afternoon, back to the playing for me lol.
Love and hugs
Kimx

Inside the box

Evening.
Just a quick post cause I really must try and get a reasonably early night, but I did promise some of the cards from inside the box.This is just one of the suggestions that I will be sharing with the girls on Wednesday evening.
Close up of the previous card. I like to use plenty of water and then 'drop' the colour in when I watercolour a large area. You can then go back in and add more colour in specific areas of the image.
Close up of another of the cards.
Another close up, different card.
Did enjoy prepping this class. I think it would make a lovely gift for someone, Mothers Day is coming up :-)
Must close now.
Happy Stamping, or should that be sleeping!!
Love Kimx