A Sketch challenge at Inkspirational

Evening Everyone,
I hope that you have had a good weekend.
We seem finally to have seen the last of the snow, and the start of the torrential rain that the weathermen predicted.
It has been perfect weather for Crafting, as if I need an excuse.
I have been catching up on some challenges, now all I have to do is post them all in time lol.

My card tonight has been made to enter into the Sketch challenge at Inkspirational.

I have created the circular background panel for the card using another couple of Jane Gill's new stamp sets JGCL566 English Leaves and JGCL567 Leaf Selection.
I am hoping that the catalogue and stamps will be available very soon.

I stamped the Maple leaf from one of the the sets onto a piece of pearlescent background paper that I had made previously using Starburst Stains. I stamped and embossed using Versamark and clear embossing powder, and then stamped and embossed the image again, overlapping some of the previous images this time using Walnut Stain Distress ink and clear embossing powder.
Finally I stamped again using Walnut Stain Distress Ink without embossing.
Having wiped away any excess ink I stamped the Tree Names randomly over the leaf background using Timber Brown Stazon ink.

The circles were cut out using my Nesties and then mounted onto a piece of blue card that had been stamped with the same Tree Names and Timber Brown Stazon.
The greeting is from another Woodware stamp set called FRCL207 Ribbon Banners.

The gems were coloured using Promarkers and I have even been a very good girl and embellished the envelope.
Better get to bed now, enough play for today as it's back to work tomorrow.
hugs Kimx

A little bit of Upcycling

Evening Everyone
Are you having a good weekend, plenty of crafting I hope.
Those of you that know me will know that I very rarely add a greeting to the inside of a card until I am ready to send it so that it can be stamped to personalise it for the recipient.
Well on this occasion the same can be said for adding a sentiment to the front of the card.
I have unfortunately needed several 'Thinking of You' cards over the last couple of last weeks, but with little or no time to make something from scratch that I would feel completely happy with.
So instead I decided to 'Upcycle', is that the correct terminology for recycling these days :O)
I looked through my not inconsiderably large stash of cards and found several which I felt would be quite suitable with the right sentiment attached to the front.

This first card is made using one of the lovely Decoupage stamp from Imagination.

This card is another that I have already blogged and has been sent to a friend who used to live next door when I was a child.
In those days everyone was referred to as Auntie or Uncle, even friends and neighbours, it was seen as a term of endearment.
In fact to this day I still find it hard to call my real Aunt and Uncle by only their Christian names as it somehow feels disrespectful. How silly does that sound when you are in your 50's lol.
Hugs Kimx

Technique Tag No 2

Evening Everyone
Here we are at the beginning of another weekend. I can't believe we will be in February at the end of next week, soon be Christmas :O)
We will be creating our second Technique Tag at Davina's tomorrow, weather permitting of course!
The Ladies will be working with the fabulous Magenta stamp Retro Romance 37.257Q to create a card for a Valentine, Anniversary or Wedding.
The original idea for the class came from the card I posted a couple of weeks ago (Vintage Hearts and Love) and so the Tag focuses on stamping and embossing in Gold and then sponging and colouring using Distress Inks. There is also a recap on the Faux Stitching and how to 'shrivel' Organza Ribbon.

 Of course I had to have a play with some of the left over bits and came up with this card which they can also copy if they prefer.

I used the same stamp only this time I stamped and embossed in White before sponging. I also only used part of the image.

 The hearts have been coloured using Pearlex which has made them difficult to photograph.

An Embossing Folder, lace border punch, swirl, dotty ribbon and pearls, what more could you want for a romantic gesture.
Just one more year to go in my Photographic organisation from my blog posts so I think I will try and get that finished tonight so I can have some guilt free crafting tomorrow.
Hugs Kimx

A little more Bargello

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day without too much new snow.
We had quite a bit in the night, but fortunately the roads are fairly clear and it appears to be disappearing slowly. Let's hope there is no more tomorrow.
I have spent a very 'uncrafty' afternoon and evening. The nearest I have got to anything craft related is clearing my desk so that I can put the laptop down with out it squashing anything.
I have been catching up on some commenting and trying to organise some photos.
I have pictures of literally hundreds of cards and it is not always easy to remember whether I have blogged them or not, so I have been pasting them all into a folder so that it it easy for me to check without scrolling through a years worth of blogposts.
Boy how sad am I!!
Now I haven't quite finished yet so I am going to share another of the cards for the new Woodware catalogue as I know that I am safe with them, they were hush hush so no chance that I have shown you them yet lol.

This is another of Jane's wonderful designs.
I have done a little Bargello paperwork in the background, a technique that I was reminded of over at Technique Tuesday.

I used background papers available from Woodware, some tiny coloured gems and of course some matching Card Candy made with a small circle punch.
I might be able to get a little more done before I go to sleep, if I'm lucky.
hugs Kimx

Just a little thought from Woodware

Evening Everyone
What a shame I can't take my own advice and blog early in the afternoon, before playtime. That way I wouldn't be struggling to stay awake whilst writing the post lol.

This is another sneak peek of one of the cards that I made for the new Woodware catalogue.
I am hoping that my hard copy should drop onto the door mat any time soon.

This card was made using a combination of masking and sponging as well as a little dry embossing along the edges of the panel.
It is not often that I work directly onto the card but this is the result of one such occasion.
Hope you like it.
hugs Kimx

It's a White Wedding

Evening Everyone
Another very quick post this evening as once again time has got away from me.
I have spent the evening working on a card for the latest challenge over at Our Creative Corner, one of my favourite challenges.
This week they are looking for White with a Decorative Edge.
Create a card or project white on white with a decorative edge. Your card must be entirely white with the exception of the sentiment which can be the colour you like. Any embellishments you use have to be white as well and if you are using rhinestones they have to be silver.

Boy is that a difficult one, especially to get decent photos of the finished article.
I confess that I have added just a touch of Spun Sugar(baby pink) Distress Ink to the stamped image (A Magenta stamp) because I just couldn't get anything to stand out without it.
I decided that it would be perfect as a card for a Wedding, what do you think?

I hope that I have followed the rules, all the flowers are white and made using my DooHickey dies.
The Heart Embossing folder in the background has had white Metallic Rub On added to it, although that does not show up in the photos very well at all.
I also added white Organza Ribbon and assorted pearls.
I'm sure that someone will need a wedding card at some point this year.
Why not give the challenge a try, it certainly gets you thinking.
hugs Kimx

A Belated Birthday challenge at Crafty Cardmakers

Hello All
Here we are at the start of yet another week, I wish someone would slow things down please, this year is disappearing far too quickly.
Today we start a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and it is my turn to be the host.
As I am always notoriously late with sending my cards it seems appropriate for me to choose a Belated Birthday challenge. Any image, Stamped or Digi, will do but your card MUST include a sentiment indicating that the card is for a belated Birthday, for example - Sorry I missed it, Have a very Happy Unbirthday, Better late than never, Your birthday came, your birthday went, here's the card I should have sent!!
Once again we are sponsored by  Milk, Coffee Digital Stamps with 5 images for the winner.
We also have a new sponsor joining us, the wonderful guys at Sir Stampalot  with a set of stamps and an Embossing Folder.

I made this card using a fabulous stamp set 11081MC Aviator Benton that I bought from SirStampalot.
I also used a Magnolia background Fence and Summer Background which I stamped, embossed and coloured using Distress inks.

The sentiments are all part of the stamp set and I have cut them out using a couple of Magnolia DooHickeys also available from SirStampalot.

Benton has been stamped and embossed on Watercolour card and then coloured using Brushed Corduroy Distress ink. I fussy cut him out and shaped him with my large ball tool and soft mat before adding him to the scene using silicon glue.

I made a mask and added some sponged clouds to the background and also the little dots using the tiny stamp from the set.

The blue background paper is from my stash and I added some tiny gems to the flower centres, and glossy accents to the ladybird.

The brown card has been embossed using a Sizzex Clock Folder and then sponged with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. It is a little hidden under the gauze, my new favourite embellishment.
I look forward to seeing what you all come up with for my little challenge, but please remember to follow the rules, and make sure that you have a suitable sentiment on your card.
Don't forget to check out what the rest of our lovely team have come up with.
Hugs Kimx

Happy Birthday to one and All

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good crafty weekend, tucked up in the warm away from the snow, if you are in England anyway.
I have been busy making sure that I am up to date with my cards for this week. Tomorrow in particular is very Birthday heavy for me with three to deliver, including one to my Sister.

This is one of the cards that I made.
The background panel has been made using a piece of background paper, Distress inks and a couple of stamps including the leaf which is Penny Black I think.

The panel was in my bits box, but I thought that it worked perfectly for this card for a man.
I added a die cut leaf which I have embossed with clear embossing powder.

The Birthday Greeting is from Hobby Art and has to be one of my favourite sentiment stamps at the moment.
I cut the panel in to three before mounting it on to the card.

The brown background paper has been embossed using a Craft Concepts folder called Christmas Vine.
I have even been a very good girl  and decorated the envelope.
I had better get to bed now.
Although some of the local schools are closed tomorrow, much to the delight of my Granddaughter, I will have no excuse not to get to work as I live about 2 minutes away.
Stay safe and warm
Hugs Kimx

A Purple Hedgerow

Evening Everyone
I hope that you are all tucked up in the warm enjoying some Craft Time. It is much too cold and snowy to go out, well that's my excuse anyway.

Unfortunately this week as well as having to make 'Baby' cards, I have had to make a couple of Sympathy cards, which has been hard given that this week was the 12th anniversary of my Son and Dad's passing.
Where does time go to so quickly?

This card was made using JGS272 Hedgerow from Woodware, stamped and embossed using Versamark and clear embossing powder on to white card which has wording stamped onto it in black.
The colour has been added using Adirondack Colourwash ink to create an Embossed Resist panel.  

Once the panel is dry I trimmed it to size and edged it with gold embossing powder before running it through my Cuttlebug using an Embossing folder.
I added a little Metallic Rub-on to help to highlight the embossing.

I added some shrivelled Organza Ribbon and a sentiment from Woodware FRCL154 Salutations.
The stamping down the left hand side of the card is my trusty Leaf Flourish F6042 from Hero Arts.
We seem to have escaped any further snow today, so let's hope that that remains the same for tomorrow.
Night night.
Hugs Kimx

A card for a Great Auntie

Evening Everyone.
What's it like in your neck of the woods?
I thought that we had escaped the 'white stuff' this morning when I peeped through the curtains but unfortunately the weather men got it right this time.

The kids all got sent home from school early, so they thought that it was brilliant, and we are now surrounded by heaps of soggy clothes after they just had to go out in it to play.
Oh to be young, I just wanted to curl up under a blanket with a nice hot cup of coffee lol.

So here is a card with a much warmer feel to it. Let's hope that it puts you in mind of warmer days to come.
As I told you I have made several 'Baby' cards lately, one of which went to my Sister-in-laws Nephew.
I thought it would be nice to send her a card, as a new Great Auntie.

I used another of my Lili of the Valley pre-coloured images cut out using a Circular Grand Nestie.
I had made it to enter into the challenge over at Sketch Saturday, but once again I am too late to enter. Never mind there will be a new challenge starting there tomorrow.

 The background papers are from my stash and I added some tiny crystals to the flower centers.
 The greeting is from Lili of the Valley.

I also added a little sparkle and glossy accents to the image.
No work till Monday for me now so I think I shall stay in the warm and play with my Crafting Toys.
Stay safe and warm and have a great weekend.
Happy Crafting.
Hugs Kimx

Shabby Chic for a Baby Girl

Evening Everyone
I hope that you have had a good day and that you are not too cold.
We don't appear to have any of the thick snow here that the weather men have been predicting.... as yet, I will just wait and see when I peep through the curtains tomorrow morning before I go to work. I suspect that I will be in need of my very unflattering thermal underwear lol.
Now as you know I just love the challenges over at Our Creative Corner, and so no week would be complete without making a card for it.
This week they are looking for Shabby Chic Style, in their words  'Shabby Chic' style is generally characterized by a time-worn look achieved by inking and distressing.  There are layers of softness that can be achieved by the use of ribbon, lace, and crochet trim.  You will need to include feminine embellishments, such as buttons, pearls, glitter, and any other sweet embellishment. 

I have had several Baby Congratulations cards to make this week so it seemed the perfect fit.
I have used a Lili of the Valley pre-coloured image cut out using Labels 22. I added some Antique Linen Distress Ink to the edges of the image while it was still inside the nestie along with a faux stitched border.

The background panel that it is mounted onto is a piece of brown cardstock which has been embossed using a folder designed by Crafts Too.
I distressed it a little and added plenty of Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

I used the lovely sketch over at CLP Challenges for my layout.

I also used some gingham, as requested in the challenge at Sweet Stampin.
The other background paper is by Magnolia with my favourite swirl stamped over it using the Brushed Corduroy ink.
Of course no 'Shabby Chic' card would be complete without a few pearls, a ribbon bow and punched border.
Off to bed now, see you tomorrow, lets hope without any of the white stuff :O)
hugs Kimx

Thinking of You Dad

 Thinking of You Dad, today and always xx

A card for Mr Tickle

Evening Everyone,
And a very late one for me it is going to be. I am still sitting in the pub, nursing my diet coke and waiting for my lift home!!

I did tell you that this was a very useful background stamp for a man's card.
This time I have stamped and embossed it (JGS303 Tree Names) in black and then sponged Old Paper, Frayed Burlap and Faded Jeans Distress Ink all over it.

The leaf stamp is from a Stampendous clear set SSC022 Fall Foliage, and the sentiment is from a Woodware set FRCL207 Ribbon Banners.

 I have done some extra stamping with plain water as well as the Distress inks on the sponged panel.

Of course some Card Candi finished it off rather nicely.
I don't usually spend time in the pub, but I finally managed to hand deliver the card to Andy (the Mr Tickle of the title) who is my daughter's boyfriend, and as she has been working I stopped for dinner and a drink and then they will drop me home once last orders have been called.
Much nicer than getting the bus in this cold weather I think you will agree, so I will put up with the very late night.
I have not been totally inactive as I have taken my laptop with me, but sadly no crafty playtime for me today.
Still tomorrow is another day as they say.
Nearly home time.
hugs Kimx

A picture less post and a quick reminder

Evening Everyone,
No pictures tonight I'm afraid as I got side tracked this afternoon, and of course the snow/rain didn't help in the photography department.
And now I'm just too tired to write anything so I'm going to call it a night.
I will try and do better tomorrow.
Oh but by the way, don't forget to watch Sue from Imagination tomorrow on QVC at 1pm and 10pm, they do some truly fabulous Decoupage stamps and stencils.
hugs Kimx

Some very English Leaves

Evening Everyone
I can't believe that it is Sunday evening again, where did last week go to?
I hope that you have had a good weekend.
I have managed to get quite a few things done, but as usual it has got too late to get any decent photos, so I thought that I would share a card that I made for the new Woodware catalogue instead.

I had such a great time back before Christmas playing....I mean working with all of Jane's fabulous new designs.
This is one of her fantastic background stamps JGS303 Tree Names which I stamped and embossed in black and then sponged dye based inks over the top of the image.

I also added some stamped leaves using another stamp set JGCL566 English Leaves. they are both such useful stamps I think you will agree. Fantastic for men's cards.

I used some of the Woodware Ribbed Kraft card as a background with plenty of stamped and embossed leaves. I also punched some out using the small Woodware Maple Leaf punch.
I know that the catalogue is at the printers as we speak and should be available very soon, as are the stamps.
Must get to bed now, another working week awaits.
Sleep well.
Hugs Kimx