Use Paint for a Christmas Card Challenge

Evening Everyone,
Well Christmas may be over for another year, but someone needs to tell the radio operator for our store, he keeps sneaking in the occasional Christmas classic.
Just as well I've been a good girl then and made my first Christmas card for 2013.
At Christmas Card challenges this week they are asking you to use paint.
Now it may not be immediately obvious to you, but I have used Pearl Acrylic Paint to create my favourite Mother of Pearl background.

 I love this technique, which I found HERE. I have used a Penny Black stamp Christmas View which I got when I was at SirStampalot in November.

I have used Distress Inks to colour the background and the main image. I did a little decoupage and added some Stardust Glitter Glue and some tiny gems.

The other background papers are all from my stash and include Bo Bunny, October Afternoon and Bazzil.
As you can see I even got carried away and decorated the envelope. I wonder how long that little extra will last lol.
The card started out using one of the sketches over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp but I got a little carried away so I will have to have another try, maybe tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs Kimx

A Time for New Beginnings

Hi All
Are you back at work yet?
I have seen lots of Mum's today looking forward to next week. I know that you shouldn't wish away the weeks but the Christmas holiday always seems to be so much more stressful than the other school holidays. I'm sure that is due to all that sugar that there is lying around. The diet definitely needs to start real soon, but there are all of those lovely sweeties to finish off lol.
As well as Christmas cards I had several baby cards to make in December.

This card was made for a friends daughter on the birth of her first baby. Once again I reached for my Lili of the Valley pre-coloured images cut out using Nestabilities Labels 18.

The background papers are from my stash cut into squares. I added faux stitching to them using a fine black pen and then mounted them onto a square white card.

I added stamped greetings and several baby related items that were in a large bag of buttons I bought some years ago.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges where I think that a card for a new baby fits perfectly.
Lili's Little Fairies challenge - Something New
Winter Wonderland challenge - New beginnings
I think I have worked through my need for a granny nap, besides the Grandchildren are badgering me to use the computer so I think I might do a little crafting, oh the hardship :O)
Have a great evening.
hugs Kimx

Here's to a Happy and Prosperous 2013

Hi Everyone,
Happy New Year to You All.
I hope that you have not been suffering too much after all of the revelry last night. At work today we could tell when people got out of bed as we didn't start to get busy until about 11am lol.
What I want to know is who stole 2012 out from under me?? It seems to have positively flown by. Lets hope that 2013 slows down just a little or it will be Christmas again before we know it.
I'm not one for New Year Resolutions, although I did manage to blog every day last year until I had Internet issues when I was away in August, so lets see how far I get this year.
Did you make any resolutions?
I have been checking out the Christmas challenges already. As my friend Anne remarked Christmas cards are always so much easier to make once the pressure is off.
I shall definitely be following the challenges and adding to my card stash each month, it certainly made life easier last year. Maybe I should even consider writing them as I make them though since that is the bit that always seems to let me down.

This is the card that I made for my lovely Mum, she should finally have received it by now :O)
I just love this wonderful little bird from Stampendous.
He reminds me of winters as a child spent sitting watching out of the windows as the birds ate the berries and the food that we left for them. It always seemed to snow in the winter when I was a child, now we seem to get nothing but rain which I have to say I much prefer, I'm definitely getting old!!

The image has been painted using Distress inks and then cut out using Nestabilities Labels 18.
The lefthand background panel has been created using a Christmas Greetings Embossing folder which I spritzed with Goosebumps Shimmer Texture Spray and then coloured with Iced Spruce Distress Ink.

The Gold Embossed panel on the right hand side of the card has been created using a Holly Rollagraph, once again coloured with Distress inks Evergreen Bough and Festive Berries.

I added some stitching with a fine black pen, as well as some Glossy Accents and Stardust Stickles glue.
The ribbon was spritzed with water and screwed up before drying the creases in with a heat tool.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges.
ABC Challenges - E for Embossing
Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
Have a very Happy New Year and a big hug from me.
Thanks for stopping by, I really do appreciate it.
Kimx

Someone to watch over Us

Hello All
I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, in the company of friends and family, and that you are looking forward to 2013.

My Christmas was a little different than usual, but very enjoyable none the less.
My youngest Daughter's boyfriend runs a pub and so I went there after I finished work on Christmas Day. As it is a carvery and Andy had spent all day cooking roast dinners for everyone else, his tradition is to lock the pub (after the last guest has left) and the Assistant Manager cooks curry.
We had a great time sitting in the games room eating and watching Kung Foo Panda on the big screen - not a small child in sight. Perhaps this is the start of a whole new Christmas tradition for us.

This is the card that I made for Becki and Andy, and although Christmas is now a distant memory, it seems somewhat appropriate to post today for the Angel that has watched over us for the last 11 years, my Son Adam.

It will be difficult to celebrate, as it has been for a while, but I wish you All a very healthy and Happy 2013, and ask you to raise a glass to friends old and new, and those that are gone but never forgotten.
Have a good evening.
hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday, just for you.

Evening Everyone
Long time no see. Now I know that it happens at the same time each year, but why is it that Christmas always has the habit of creeping up on you??
I may have been a very good girl and have made all of my cards throughout the year, (Thank God for the Christmas challenge blogs) but I am later than ever writing them.
I had intended getting them all written last weekend, but the birthday of a certain special young man put paid to that.
I can't believe that my Grandson Reece is now 10 years old.

This lovely pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley reminds me of Reece eating milk and cookies with his younger brother Ciaran. Yes they can be cute sometimes lol.

I cut the image out using a circular Nestie. Sorry that the photography isn't up to much.

The tags in the background have been covered in background papers from my stash, and then run through the Cuttlebug using a Diamond Embossing Folder.

The spiders in the background have been stamped and embossed using an image from an Inkadinkadoo clear stamp set. Definitely a useful stamp for boys cards.

We all went out for a meal, a very nice carvery meal with heaps of vegetables, my kind of Sunday dinner.
In the absence of a birthday cake, an ice cream sundae will just have to do.

As you can see Saskia wasn't going to waste even the tiniest bit of her pudding.
I really must get some cards written tomorrow or else no-one will get them this side of the New Year.
Thanks for stopping by.
hugs Kimx

A Quick Reminder

Evening Everyone,

Just a quick reminder that the lovely Jane Gill  will be making her first TV appearance on Create and Craft (Sky channel 671) tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.
She will be showcasing some of the wonderful stamps that she designed for the latest Woodware catalogue, one of which I have used in the card above.
She popped over to see me on Monday and borrowed a few of my samples to add to the wonderful ones that she has made herself.
Don't forget to show her some love, and some e-mails to the studio would be good.
Off to bed now. So much for an early night in preparation for going back to work lol.
Hugs Kimx

Challenge 81 Inspired by a Song–Final Challenge for 2012 at Crafty Cardmakers

Evening Everyone,
Our challenge to you at Crafty Cardmakers for the next month is to take inspiration from the song lyrics of  'Time In A Bottle' written and performed by Jim Croce.

The prize this month, which I have provided is pictured on the left. As I told Lin I have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic companies during this last year, both teaching and making samples, so I was more than happy to donate a prize to Crafty Cardmakers' representing those companies Clarity, HobbyArt, Sir Stampalot, Stampcraft and Woodware.

We are also sponsored by MILK COFFEE DIGITAL STAMPS with their usual 5 digi images of the Winners choice.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyTfbtZeGeU

If I could save time in a bottle

The first thing that I'd like to do

Is to save every day

Till Eternity passes away

Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever

If words could make wishes come true

I'd save every day like a treasure and then,

Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time

To do the things you want to do

Once you find them

I've looked around enough to know

That you're the one I want to go

Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes

And dreams that had never come true

The box would be empty

Except for the memory

Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time

To do the things you want to do

Once you find them

I've looked around enough to know

That you're the one I want to go

Through time with

I must confess that I do struggle with my memories at this time of year, since it was when I lost  both my Son and my Dad, so it was great to have something else to focus on.

Like Lin we also saw the sale of the family home after a similar number of years, so I chose Time and Memories of when I was young as the theme for my card.

I have used one of my old Lili of the Valley pre-coloured images cut out using S4-116 standard Circles Small. The Greetings are also from Lili of the Valley.

I gently sponged the edges of the image with Antique Linen and Stormy Sky Distress inks whilst the die was still in place, and then added a stitched line with a fine black micron pen. 

The clock has been die cut from brown card using a Tim Holtz Clock die.
I coloured it with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and then used a Sanding Block to give it a slightly old and distressed look.

I used a Tim Holtz Texture Fade Embossing Folder of clocks on a piece of background paper from my stash and then sponged Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink onto it.
'Time' was cut using Tim holtz Alterations - Alphabetical.

The brown fabric ribbon is from my stash, now all neatly sorted and colour co-ordinated into drawers lol.

I layered it over some lace and added Card Candi and a clock charm.

I also added some faux stitching around the edge of the card with a pricking tool and fine black pen.

I spritzed the bow with Gimmer Mist and screwed it up before drying it with my heat tool to try and fix in the texture.

I would like to think that this is Me reading to my little Sister in front of a roaring fire at home.

I'm sure that my Mum would probably remind me that it never happened like this, we probably never stopped fighting long enough lol. Still I suppose we can dream.

I hope that you will feel inspired to join us this time, and please don't forget to check out what the rest of the Team have come up with HERE.

The challenge is running until the beginning of January when the whole Team will be voting for the Winners and Top Spots, in fact we may even have a Top Ten if there are enough entries.

I am entering this into the challenge over at Our Creative Corner where they are looking for Fabric (my brown ribbon is made from thick cotton fabric) and stitch either Faux (as in my card) or Real.

Have a great Evening. We have just had a visit from Santa and all of his Elves (the local Rotary Club float comes round every year to visit all of the children at bedtime) so the Grandchildren have gone to bed very excited!!

Hugs Kimx

 

A little Snowbird

Evening Everyone
I'm sorry that I have been missing for so long.
I seriously don't know where November disappeared to, and now it looks as if December is going by at the same breakneck speed.
My Christmas card tally for the year may look extremely healthy, but it looks as if once again I shall be late getting them all in the post - no change there then lol.
In fact November went by so quickly that I didn't even notice that I had missed posting my project for The Stamp Man 'Emboss It' challenge.
Even though the deadline has now passed for entries to this particular challenge (Challenge for December is In the bleak mid Winter) I see no reason not to share my card with you.

I love this stamp from Stampendous CRP169 Cling Snow Bird, he is just sooo cute. I stamped and embossed him using an Onyx Black Versafine inkpad and Clear Embossing Powder.

I coloured him using Festive Berries and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks and then cut him out using Nestabilities S5-027 Labels 21.

I left the die in place and gently sponged the edges of the image with Iced Spruce Distress Ink.

The background panel to the card has been created using Holly and Berries rollagraph and Versamark ink which I have embossed with Gold Embossing Powder. The entire panel has then been painted using distress inks Iced Spruce, Festive Berries, Evergreen Bough and Gathered Twigs using a Waterbrush.
I also coloured the berries with a White Souffle Pen.

I embossed the right hand side of the panel using a Cuttlebug Christmas Embossing Folder and then tapped the edges with a Versamark ink pad before adding Frantage Shabby White Embossing Enamel.
As a final touch I added some Glossy Accents to the berries and some Gold Brads.
I have been chained to my desk  for the last several weeks working on some top secret DT projects which I have finally finished, so I hope that I can now get back to Blogland on a slightly more regular basis.
I have definitely missed you All, and maybe you have missed me a little too.
Night night
Hugs Kimx

Christmas Photo Inspiration for Challenge 80 at Crafty Cardmakers.

Hi All
I'm sorry this is late, Internet issues again!!
We have started a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.

Our Challenge this fortnight, hosted by Fiona, is a photo inspiration challenge.

Make a card or project inspired by the photo on the left. You can take inspiration from any part of it really, from the actual image or from the colours.

We are sponsored again by DI'S DIGI DOWNLOADS with a $10 GIFT VOUCHER, and CROP STOP with a $15 Gift Certificate to the Crop Stop Store. 

I took the colours and the Christmas Tree itself as the inspiration for my card for this challenge.

I inked my Magnolia Spruce Tree 2279H using pigment inks and heat embossed it with clear powder. Before cleaning the stamp I huffed on it and restamped it either side of the embossed image. It's hard to see in this photo, but there is a shadow image to the right, honest!!
Make sure you wipe the embossed image with some paper towel as the embossing acts as a resist and you will end up with extra ink everywhere. Guess how I know that lol.

I cut the panel using Labels 22 and gently sponged ink around the edges of the panel with the die still in place.
One of the tasks I set myself when I was on holiday at SirStampalot was to label all of my Dies to make it easier when blogging.
It works!!

I stamped and heat embossed a piece of matching card stock using Magnolia Christmas Text Background X9449G, Versamark and White Embossing Powder.
The white panel at the right of the card has been embossed using a Snowflake Embossing Folder.
The final touch are some small Glitter Domes.
I really enjoyed this challenge and look forward to seeing what you all come up with.
Don't forget to check out what the rest of our fabulous DT have made HERE.
Back to my desk now, I have to make the most of my few days off. So much to do and so little time.....
Have a great day with plenty of Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

Another Black and White Christmas card.

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have all had a wonderful weekend and that you are now suitable relaxed and ready for a new week.
Speaking of which, Woodware start a new challenge tomorrow so I had better share my second card for the Black and White Christmas challenge with you before it is too late.

This is actually a very simple card, but I was really pleased with the stylish look to it. I really love Black and White cards :O)

The lovely JGS276 Poinsettia Box has been stamped and embossed onto white watercolour card using Onyx Black Versafine ink and clear embossing powder. It has then been coloured using Black Soot Distress Ink and a water brush.

I cut round the image using a craft knife and then mounted it onto a piece of background paper from my Woodware stash. Yes, I do have a separate box of papers that are sold by Woodware lol.
The finishing touch is some black and white bling, also available from Woodware, and a little Stardust pen (700) on the flower centres.
Better get some sleep now. Not that I am at work tomorrow, but I still have masses of DT work to get on top of, and there will be that new Woodware challenge to look at as well.
See you tomorrow.
Hugs Kimx

Foil and Alcohol Inks for Our Creative Corner

Hi All
Well I did say that I would be back again today, but this is not the card that you were expecting :O)

Another of the challenges that I have been greatly missing is Our Creative Corner  where this week they have been thrilling us with samples of Foil and Alcohol inks.
The main panel on the card is a piece of thin metal foil which I embossed with a floral folder from Crafts Too, and then added Cranberry and Sail Boat Blue Alcohol inks with a little Pearl Mixative added.
Sorry about the shadow in the photograph, I really think I will have to get myself a lighting booth of some kind. Maybe Father Christmas will be good to me, I have been a Good Girl after all lol.

I layered this onto a piece of black glossy card using Silicon so that it would help fill out the embossed areas for posting.
This was then attached to a white card which has been stamped and embossed repeatedly with a lovely Magenta stamp I0386.

The same stamp has been used on the central panel which has also been coloured using Alcohol inks.
I painted the leaves with bleach and then heated them which made them turn a slightly green colour.
The flower has been decoupaged and then Glossy Accents have been added.
The fine metal swirls are the result of trimming the metal sheet on my trimmer, they just seemed too good to throw out, you know what us Crafters are like.
The bright coloured panel that the flower has been mounted onto is also Alchol inks but this time on Glossy Photographic paper. It started to crack when I heat embossed it, hence the floral panel mounted over it.
The final touch is some nice pearls as flower centres.
I think that I am just about in time to enter the challenge, at least I hope so, and then its back to my craft table, I'm on a roll at the moment.
Hugs
Kimx

A Black and White Christmas with Woodware

Evening Everyone.
Have you missed me?
I've made it through my first few days back at work, and I have to admit that it wasn't quite as bad as I had expected, even though I was doped up to the eyebrows on painkillers lol.
As I was supposed to have been on booked holiday for at least part of my period of sickness my lovely Boss has rearranged those dates for me so that I am only at work part time for the next three weeks, so it will ease me in gently.
How nice of him is that!!

I must admit that I have been struggling to get back into blogging for one reason or another, but I have missed a few of my favourite challenges so that seemed a good place to start.
This week over at Woodware the Team are sharing their Black and White Creations for Christmas, very stylish don't you think!
As this is one of my all time favourite colour combos I searched through my bits box and come up with the ingredients for this little offering.

The Snowman stamp is an old Stampendous one, I think, and had been stamped and embossed onto some black card stock that bleached beautifully.
I painted the panel with thin undiluted bleach and then painted the Snowman with white Pearlex paint.

I added some Silver Star Gelly Roll Glaze pen to the background section of the panel using a wet paintbrush to spread it around the image.

The large snowflakes in the main background panel (stamp unknown I'm afraid) have been stamped onto the same black cardstock with thin bleach.
I tapped my Versamark inkpad around the edges of both panels and then embossed them with clear powder.
The finishing touches are a couple of Glitter Domes and a greeting from a Woodware Clear stamp set FRCL075 Polar Bears.
I did have a great time making this, in fact I got a little carried away and made a second card so maybe I will post two cards in one day.
Haven't done that in a while lol.
Hugs Kimx

I'm back with a Spotlight on Our Creative Corner

Hi All
I hope that you are all well and safely tucked up getting on with something crafty.
I seem to have been missing from Blogland for ages, what with my Sciatica and issues with the Internet, but I'm back now, well at least for today anyway, even if this post is a little later than I had planned.
Today I am lucky enough to be in the spotlight over at Our Creative Corner for Top Talent Thursday.
As you will know this is definitely one of my favourite challenge Blogs with a wonderfully talented Design Team so I feel particularly honoured to be chosen as one of their top talents.
Why not pop over and check out their latest challenge and also see the post showcasing my work and a brief question and answer session.

The card that I have chosen as my showcase piece uses what has to be my all time favourite stamp for this year JGS273 Wheat designed for Woodware by my friend Jane Gill.
The main panel has been created using an Embossed Resist technique.

I stamped the Alphabet Background FRS212 stamp (also from Woodware) onto white card using a black Versafine ink pad.
Make sure that the image is dry before stamping and embossing JGS273 Wheat over the top of the image using Versamark ink and Clear Embossing powder.
The colour has been added to the panel using Distress inks.
I also re-stamped the Wheat image onto the panel having first spritzed the stamp with water, this removes the distress ink to leave a ghosted image.

The blue card has been stamped using undiluted thin bleach. Don't forget to clean your stamp as soon as you have finished using it. 
This technique will not work with all card stock so you will have to experiment with what you have, but it will work with most colours of Bazzil card stock.
I also stamped and embossed the image over the top of this using Versamark and clear embossing powder. 
The greeting is part of a Hobby Art Greetings Background stamp all of which should be available from the lovely people at SirStampalot.
I must go and take my pills now, I'm still rattling but I am going to get back to work on Monday.
I have already warned them that I will need to have a stool at the till so that I can sit down when ever I need to and the boys will have to do any of the heavy lifting.
Don't forget that there is still time to enter the latest challenge over at Our Creative Corner which this week is  Make Your Own Background.
This is definitely one of my favourite things to do so I'm of to check it out myself and then have a play - Internet and Sciatica willing that is lol.
Happy Crafting and huge hugs
Kimx

A Happy Birthday Boy

Hi All
I hope that you are all having a great weekend.
Did you get to go to a Firework display, we could here them going off around us all evening but we stayed indoors and crafted, much more fun in my humble opinion!!
I am happily resident at my usual table at Sirstampalot, where my holiday started on Friday evening, if a little later than planned.
We spent 3 hours on a BP garage forecourt waiting for the AA, home away from home you might think lol.
Janice and Andy were getting rather concerned and it did mean a very late finish to the day, we didn't arrive till nearly 11pm, but poor old Becki and her Andy still had to continue the rest of their journey to Manchester so we were in bed long before them.
They very kindly made a detour to drop me off on the way to visit Andy's little boy for his birthday.
I was a good substitute Granny and send a card with them, I hope that he liked it.

Once again my Lili of the Valley die cuts came to my aid.
I added all of the new ones to my stash when they launched them a few weeks ago, and of course I think I already own all of the older designs of which this is one.
I love stamping as you know, but sometimes I just don't have the time, and so a pre-coloured image just makes things so much quicker to put a card together.
I always take the topper to my current stash of background papers to match things up and then it just grows from there. I think this one was actually made following a sketch that was on one of the challenges at the time but I never got around to entering it.

I cut the image out using a Nestie.
I have decided that one of my tasks when I am here in the shop is to label all of my dies so that I can tell you which ones I have used. So much easier to do when you can lay them all out in front of the ones hanging in the shop. It might take me a while though so I will use it as lie down moments to relieve the back pain. A change of position but still craft related.

The background papers are all from my stash with some faux stitching added to each panel.
I also added a stamped and punched strip, some Card Candi and gems.
The greeting is also from my bits box but I think it might be Hero Arts or perhaps Penny Black, sorry not quite sure.
We have had a bit of a lie in this morning since the shop isn't open for a class, but we will be heading off soon I think as there is always plenty to do and my craft table is calling me.
Have a great day, plenty of Crafting I hope.
hugs Kimx