1,2,3 Challenge at CraftyCardmakers

Evening Everyone,
What happened to the glorious Bank Holiday weather that we had a couple of weekends ago? Thankfully it wasn't quite as cold as they were predicting, in our neck of the woods at least.
I spent a very relaxing Sunday and Monday finishing off cards from Saturdays class on Watercolour Stamping with Embossing Folders.

As it happens I got so carried away that I completely missed posting my card for the latest challenge at CraftyCardmakers.

Glenda is our host for the challenge where
 We would like to see your creations using 3 of one thing, 2 of another and 1 of a third. For example, 3 patterned papers, 2 die-cuts, 1 image. It would be helpful if you could mention in your post what your 3,2,1s are!

I created a background using a circular embossing folder and Distress Stains cut into panels (3)

I added Tim Holtz die cut Wildflowers (2),

and a sentiment (1). 

As usual I got a bit carried away in my determination to use up all of the bits and pieces, so I will share some of them today, and the rest on an other occasion.
I would say tomorrow, but knowing how my blogging skills have been lately that might be a vain hope lol.

Have a great day, if you can avoid the rain.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

Happy Birthday for yesterday Megan

Evening Everyone,
Not quite two posts in a row, but there was a very good reason for that.
Yesterday was my eldest Granddaughters 19th birthday, and I had chosen one of these cards to give to her.

I have just spent the last hour writing my rather wordy post, only for the bloody computer to swallow it up without saving it. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
As I have to start work at stupid o'clock again tomorrow, I have abandoned all plans to rewrite it. So you will just have to put up with loads of pictures and no text.

The one advantage to the very early start, is the equally early finish which means I will be able to get away to see the littlest grandchildren for my sleepover all the sooner.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

The Results of an Inky Afternoon

Evening Everyone,
Did you had a good weekend? I certainly did.
We had a fabulous, if rather inky class on Saturday, inspired by a technique that I found on YouTube.

The lovely Tracy Dutton from Lavinia Stamps has posted several clips using the Gelli Plate, inks and Brushos.

It creates fabulous backgrounds

which can then be used with some of the wonderful stamps that she has designed.

I am always on the look out for new techniques for the Girls to play with, so this was perfect.

They love the Gelli Plate and inks, so it was great to add in some Brushos/Colour Bursts for extra interest and colour combos.

I was disappointed with mine at first, because of course they didn't look like Tracy's, but as I am always telling the Girls,

backgrounds look totally different when they have been stamped on and trimmed down.

I used a combination of trees, foliage and fairies

along with the odd crow

and deer, and ended up extremely pleased with every one of them.

I added the moon mask to all of them which just seems to finish things off perfectly.

I am also a complete convert to the Versafine Clair inkpad for perfect stamped images.

This is often so hard to achieve with a solid image like these beautiful fairies.

I painted some of the stamped images with bleach to remove some of the colour,

and also added some subtle shimmer with a sparkle pen along with the Gelli Roll glaze pen to define the outline of the moon.

I did say that it was a very inky class, as the Girls's hands prove.
My Sunday were spent in the very enjoyable task of turning all my bits of background into the stamped and finished cards that I have shared here. Well some of them anyway. I do try very hard these days to finish off everything that I started in class, otherwise they end up in the bits box which never seems to get any smaller.
I thought that as this was a rather picture heavy post anyway,  I would keep some of the cards for another day. You never know I might even manage to blog two days in a row.
Off to the gym now with my friend. It has been quite a while since we have managed to get there so today is going to be really hard. Never mind you have to start somewhere I guess.
Have a great day.
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

Rest and Relax

Hi All
What a glorious Bank Holiday weekend we had...….most unusual given that it usually rains, although it has reverted to type here where we have had torrential rain on and off today lol.
While most of you were enjoying the sunshine over the weekend, we were still open for business as usual at the garage. It was heaving with customers, mostly on the look out for BBQ items. They also managed to demolish the huge stack of Easter Eggs that we had. In fact one customer put it very well when she said that it looked like a plague of locusts had descended and stripped the shelves bare.
As well as the shop, and petrol, we also run a WBC (Wild Bean Café for those of you not in the know) which attracts lots of regular customer who come in for their daily caffeine fix.
One such regular, 'Mr Large Latte and All day breakfast' (now know as Richard) was at pains to point out that we had missed his birthday a few days ago, so I decided to surprise him with a belated birthday card when he popped in the following day for his usual breakfast.

He works on the building site just up the road, so I though that this is probably how he likes to spend his down time. The sentiment is from Woodware.

I made a couple of other cards while I was at it, to add to my stash.

They all use some of the fabulous digi images that I bought from Lili of the Valley.

Definitely my go to place for a quick card.

The chicken wire is a new die that I bought at Ally Pally a couple of weeks ago.

Glossy accents added to the stacked sentiment dies helps to make them pop.

This was my first thought for Richards card, but as he is an electrician I decided that this wasn't quite right.

This is almost certainly how many people spent the Bank Holiday weekend.
I hope that you are enjoying your day today, whatever you are up to.
I'm trying very hard to stay awake and stop impersonating a nodding dog. Perhaps I will just close my eyes for a minute or two...….
Happy Crafting and hugs
Kimx

An Easter Chick, or a new baby card?

Evening Everyone,
How long has it been?
I really need to get back to this blogging lark. I don't know where the weeks are disappearing to.
Here we are nearly at Easter. At this rate it will be Christmas again before we know it :O)
I don't do Easter. I'm one of those mean 'Mam-mas' who give their Grandchildren books instead of Easter eggs. They get so many, and there is so little actual chocolate in them that I would rather buy them a bar anyway. How miserly does that sound?

We have an Easter challenge running at CCM at the moment. (It finishes on Saturday)
Since I don't make Easter cards, I decided to search through my numerous boxes in the hopes that I might find something suitable that I had previously made.

What I came across was this rather cute chick card which must be at least 10 years old!!

I loved the image and thought that it would actually make a rather sweet baby card, so I did a little bit of repurposing and came up with something that I am much more likely to use.

I felt that the background was a little too heavy for a baby card so I did a little fussy cutting to an image from my stash of toppers and hey presto a usable birthday card.

Having made the changes however I failed to place them on the CCM challenge blog.

Lets hope that it doesn't take me another couple of months to stop by again.

Hope you have had a great evening.

Hugs Kimx

Green for CCM - 11th March

Afternoon Everyone,
I'm sorry that I have been absent again, but it has been a rather hectic couple of weeks.
I should qualify for shares in British Rail given the number of times that I have been backwards and forwards to Kent. My daughters baby has been very slow to appear and Mum is very fed up and uncomfortable.
We are still waiting, although at the time of this scheduled post we should be at the hospital for an induced labour so hopefully I will have to make an addendum some time later today lol.
STOP PRESS - Jack Adam Reygate Tickle arrived at 18.25 on 11th March 2019 weighing 8lb 6oz.

How very appropriate then that I should chose this card for the latest challenge over at CCM. Our lovely host Marlene is asking for you to Make it Green, and I think that this fits the bill rather nicely.

I was asked to make it to celebrate a pregnancy, and since it is rather early in the whole proceedings, I decided to play it safe and go with green as a very gender neutral colour.

The central image has been die cut from a fabulous old calender that I had in my stash. It came free with a cardmaking magazine, many years ago, and it is full of wonderful Penny Black images designed by a lady called Sherri? I can't remember her surname and I'm not at home to look at the rest of the calender to find out. Sorry.

I used several of my stitched circular dies and matched the image to papers and ribbon from my stash.

The sentiments are from Altenew which I love.
I hope that you can find the time to join in with our challenge, and that I have news of our newest addition later on today.
In the mean time, Happy Crafting and Hugs
Kimx