Sun Kissed fleur.

Hi lovely crafters.

Well haven't we been lucky with the sunshine this week here in England, gosh you could have been fooled into thinking we do actually get a summer lol....
well spring ... well warm day or two. hmmm 

Anyway did everyone had a fab bank holiday then ?

I am settling into a new job after leaving the one I was in for 12 years and I am doing fine. I certainly have a lot more crafty time and no longer working on my Saturdays which is aways going to be a good thing.
This week I shared with you my fabulous news regarding The Heartfelt Creations DT so today was the launch of their newest collection called Sun kissed Fleur and I was lucky enough to receive the entire pack last week so today I would like to link and share with you the first card I made for them.

This collection was so easy to work with and the flowers all cut out from one die , so you can make 10 flowers in one pass through the machine, plus you can stamp all 10 before you cut them out so the possibilities are endless.

Lots of distressing and just look at the papers. 

Emma Lou has put some really inspiring videos on to The Heartfelt blog and 

I would love to see some of your comments on it as you have up to the 14th of this month to add your comment before someone wins this entire new collection worth over $180. How generous hey...

So have a great Thursday tomorrow and it is nearly the weekend with our short week following the Bank holiday .. what do you plan on doing  with your weekend and who will be crafting?

 

love as always my crafty friends

 

Kim 

xxxxx

Valentine's Day Style.

Hello everyone,

It is Saturday evening (late) lol as usual and I have just finished doing my blogpost for Craftwork Cards.   They have been having a really busy week as they are opening a retail outlet at their factory in Leeds. I so wish I lived nearer so I could run workshops etc., but I hope to do some in the summer at least, so if you live in that area and would like to go along, they are so lovely and are having a opening night and weekend this week. 

In honour of Valentine's day this week, I thought some of you might be in the mood for some lurvvvvving... haha so I created a box in my style using some Craftwork products of course, so here goes...

This is the view from above and you can see how I matted and Layered some pretty paper etc. before cutting out some shapes and adding them to each end. I then began making the large flower to the top left.

These are the sides of the box with letters inked and mounted onto black card, cut out and added on top of a piece of crochet ribbon, and then seem binding in a subtle pink shade.

This is one end of the box with the little jewel hanging from a jump ring pierced into the flower I made.

And here is the same seem binding tied into a messy bow with a small heart and key added.

This of course is the last end with a little heart key attached to the crochet and it swings as the box is moved. Of course, anything can be added to the box, chocolates or bubble bath fizzers of notelets, pot pourri, anything really, just to show you care so much, but of course everyday is for that not just Valentine's day!

On this theme I want to say that I appreciate everyone stopping by and really do enjoy reading your comments and having interaction with you all. So, it seemed a good time to leave my links to my facebook, twitter etc. so you can chat to me anytime should you want to say hi or even ask how to create anything you have seen. So links will all be below at the end of this post.

I have just heard form the lovely Linda at Memory Maze Design that our boxes of goodies are all ready to be shipped! So, of course I will be showing you all what I can create with their chip board shapes too; I don't think I have ever seen such detailed chip board anywhere! And we can also design our own pieces and Sally the owner will cut them digitally, so that means you will be seeing some really intricate and fab detailed work coming through, so keep popping back and of course I will let you know the dates to go peep at the site too but, as I say, below are all the Addy's. 

Have a great weekend and I hope to post again tomorrow.

Crafty Hugs

Kim 
xxx

Facebook
Twitter
Craftwork cards
Memory maze
kim.robertson70@googlemail.com





 

Autumn or summer? you choose...

Good evening, everyone!

Well, it is Sunday evening at 9pm and I have had a lovely weekend, just the right mix of relaxing but not too much. I have done some shopping and got a nice bargain or two for my daughter to take on holiday soon.

I managed to get some boots with a huuuuuge discount for me too, so I am a happy bunny. I have caught up with friends and a few chores and then in the middle of all that a little of my favourite thing... a lovely card for you all to see. How about you, did you have a good weekend? Are you still enjoying it or are you relaxing in bed after preparing for the next round of rat racing back to work?
If you crafted what did you make? I'm feeling a little inquisitive I think, haha... Well without further ado... Here is my little bit of the opulent I think:

So pretty and girly too...

My backing card was a blank from Craftwork of course as they are so very sturdy and definitely would never buckle like Bambi legs while standing proudly displaying itself oh nooooooo there surely isn't much worse than trying to stand a card and it just sliding down like a drunken sailor down a wall. hmmm random... 

• I took some milk card and die cut the matching Grand label 1 spellbinder.
• Repeated with my Beautiful Creamy Craftwork paper with swirls foiled in gold... (very strokeable) in the next nesting spellbinder. Matted and layered then down with my Collall multi use glue. Seems to give strength and stability to the card front.
• I then took a co-ordinating paper in a more latte tone and tore around three edges and inked them with Lord Tims (ahhhhhhhhh) Distress. I also took a water brush and made the raw pieces slightly wet so I could roll it easily around the edge of a brush but you could use anything tweezers a ball tool absolutely anything you are familiar with using. I adhered this to the right opening side of the card, which I forgot to say is 8x8.
• I took a thin strip of gold mirri which has a leaf pattern embossed into it and ran it down the middle edge of this paper. Not sure why other than I liked it and it called to me.
• Then die cut a D-lite pattern and added it on the left in latte card, also a circle from the same mirri and a CWC sentiment which was mounted on foam to raise it a little. 
• I took some ribbon form Crafter's companion with a ruffled crinkly edge in a champagne colourway which looks so pretty, I made a bow added stick pins and a decorative clay element to the middle, those of you who know me know I just cannot leave a bow naked, I do like to add something and on top of that I added a Candi. I set that aside to dry out while I made a start on cutting my flowers for the bottom.
• I took the same shades of papers and cut some spirals with my Grand Caliber and then sat making them up and curling them, gluing them and getting them to look how full I wanted them. I also cut some random circles out of my ribbon, some medium some small, and stood them on my craft mat, holding them with a metal pokey tool I added heat until the ribbon buckled and melted  a little making it look sooo pretty and then added a sparkly brad in the centre to hold them together. Now, I must thank the amazingly talented and super nice Sue Wilson for this I saw her demo it on Create and Craft and dived right in to try it, it's fab so Thanks Sue. Lastly, for this section I took my Mirri and cut out the leaf pattern by hand just randomly and cut two leaves for either side and mounted it on foam just in the middle for a little shaping, I also added a Candi on each.

My dressed bow .

My Flower section.

Sentiment on Mirri and D-lite in Latte.

• So, after this I glued my bow in place and my flowers too, I finished off with a few Candi but also some pearl swirls cut from one large group of swirls, which was enough to do three different areas of swirls peeping out from the bow etc.
• My last piece of work was to stamp my beautiful personilised Clarity stamp on the back simply saying Designed by Kim. And to decorate the inside as all cards need that to complete them and make them look finished and professional. Below is the inside finished simply and elegantly with Craftwork card's gorgeous papers.

So lastly, I wanted to share some news with everyone, as you all know I am now designing proudly for Craftwork Cards in the UK and having a great time as the team have to be the nicest people I have ever met in craft so far and yesterday I did my first blog post for there blog which was great and very well recieved, it was the same as I posted yesterday on here but if you fancy a look over on their blog all are welcome.

http://craftworkcards.blogspot.co.uk/

Now, I was lucky enough to be chosen to also design for another company called Memory maze this week and I am so super excited. They are based in Australia, and the co-coordinator is Linda Thompson who is very talented with scrapbooking and they make the chipboard shapes used in scrapping and card making, altered art etc. and I can't wait to get started, we are planning for a March start by the time I get my pack so please watch this space, I am sure the eagle-eyed of you will have seen another badge go up on the blog anyway, haha...

Their blog is definitely worth peeping at too and is http://memorymazedesign.blogspot.co.uk/ and there is a feature on me on the first page at the moment, yay!

I think this must be my longest post haha! Sorries if you got bored or yayyyy if you like long posts. Have a super fab Monday and hopefully I will be back Tuesday for more postiness.

Thanks to everyone who left me comments on my Craftwork blog and my facebook /twitter sites. I appreciate every word and will always answer you. Kind words take a moment but mean so very much.

Crafty hugs

Kim xxxx

Another Santa note..

Well good evening my lovelies!

Well hasn't it turned cold woooo every night from work I rush in and shiver 'til I get my steaming tea to wrap my hands around! Winter is definitely breathing down our necks now... with the icy fronds encountering our extremities turning them red first then blue... Making patterns in the air with our breath on the icy morn. Ooo I should write a story with literature in that vane.

I started this  card really by making up all the little flowers from Craftwork's Christmas pad. so I had them all sitting there jostling in the box for my attention, pick me! pick me! haha...

Next I took an 8x8 card base (still my favourite size) and with Versamark ink, I stamped holly leaves around the edge, I used Pan pastels to rub over and add the green to the inked sticky surface. I water coloured some red berries in in odd places to just draw your eye in.

• I matted the first mat with a sheet of red glitter paper from Craftwork Cards Christmas pad on to gold mirri.
• Next, I took a sheet of the embossed card in one of their pads and ran over 2 colours of Ink from His lordship sir Tim holtiness.. fired brick and pine needles. Just lightly to bring out the embossing a little, which was then matted onto mirri too.
• My bow was American seem binding which is so soft and lovely and flexible to work with. Adding a button to the centre of the bow and 2 stick pins made sure Mr Bow was not naked...
• I die cut the labels 20 large sheet of paper and ever so slightly inked and added it to the card, I coloured my sentiment from the pack, cut out a little die cut to add to the frame around the sentiment and then piled on all the gorgeous flowers and flourishes, some card candi too.
• Added my gorgeous Clarity personalised stamp with my name on to the back, et voila... tis done..

As always I hope You enjoy looking at the card and maybe trying a few things out too
Crafty Hugs.
Out for now
Kim xxx

A Note From Santa.

Good evening all...

Hope everyone had a good weekend and Monday was bearable... I really am not a Monday person , the day I like is Thursday , Thursday is an underrated day I think... it is a nearly there day that is unless it is your Saturday to work, which it just happens to be mine this week errrkkkk... Anywho .
Another Christmas in the Craftwork Inn and A note from Santa was my inspiration...

That and I love this ribbon I found at a local market stall, It has lots of flecks of gold sparkle in the fabric and the ends are wired just enough to mould it into prettiness.

Here is a close up of my lovely sparkly swirls and flowers made with the gorgeous sparkly
Craftwork cards papers , you can just see the embossed back ground , I ran the paper through my m-bossibility folder and ran an ink pad really lightly over it in gold.
then matted my sparkly paper over an added my flowers again made from the flowers in the paper pad.

A spotty Happy Christmas inside with accents in Candi completes my little 6x6 card, part of my project for Craftwork Christmas 2012.
Has everyone started making their cards yet? or are you last minute crafters?
If anyone is on facebook feel free to add me or send me a message or ask anything Crafty, I am always happy to help.
My addy is
www.facebook.com/kim.robertson.3551
Plus I post my cards there too ...
Have a great Monday evening everyone.
Kim xxx

Gnpe xmas card.

Good Evening Folks
Well tonight I was coming home from doing a couple of hair cuts..(past life) lol
Another form of art hey.
Well it dawned on me how cold windy and rainy it was and that's when it hit.. winter is clawing at our heels again.. errrkkk. I don't like the cold at all, it makes me miserable but at least we put on heating and cuddle up and craft, some don't have that so no more feeling sorry just get on with the craft I say... My daughter has a good way to get hot though as I lay up here cuddled up and getting warm she is downstairs leaping around getting fit to Shaun T and his Insanity workout programme. It's quite soothing listening to the rhythmic sounds of her feet pounding on the floor over and over and over.. hmmm maybe not but it works she is very fit and tiny.
Anyway enough of my ramblings... Still using my lovely Bohemian kit from Craftwork cards I challenged myself to make a xmas card .
The sparkly paper is so pretty I knew I could and I already had their sentiments in the little round disks so off I went.

• I used a card blank I got from QVC the other week which had baubles hanging on the sides so using that as inspiration I cut a piece of black card in half and made sure they were the same.
• Then chose a piece of paper and cut the parts I wanted from it to mat on to the black pieces.
• I took a strip of paper and punched the edge making it decorative. Then punched some large circles and some slivers of black card.
• It was just a case of mounting it on foam and matting and layering the baubles with the sentiment circles on the front of the card, using the black slivers as chain replacements for the baubles and adding lots of Candi in strategic places.
• On the inside I matted again the same paper on black and added another couple of baubles with the sentiment sayings for Xmas and then noticed on the left hand side I managed to pick up a bit of ink on my nice white card... arrrggg oh nooooo , don't you just hate that so I punched out a strip to match the front and added that to left side and then punched small bauble shapes and added the black slivers as little chain type hangers for the balls.
• I added my name stamp to the back as always to finish off.

I'm happy with the result I know we all love a good traditional Xmas card with Santa and Rudolf etc but I think there is also a place for some classy and elegant designs too and the paper from this pad definitely fits the bill.
I posted all my samples up to the girls at Craftwork cards today so they will have them for the show at the weekend, I really wish I  was going with them but I wish them all a really happy and fab time at the show and hope it is really productive too.
Have a good one Girls.
Have a great Thursday all.
Kim xx

Bohemian Prettiness

Good evening, all!
I've had some time off work so I have finished off my samples for the paper craft show over the weekend; I promised to post them off for Thursday. Here is another of the cards using Craftwork cards fab kit The Bohemian lace collection.

I was a little sneaky with this one and used the front packing page of the pad as I liked the pink wrap.

• I matted the paper from the pad onto some sparkly paper and added it to my 8x8 card base. Then I cut out the wrap of the paper pad which had the pretty circle pattern which you can see above the flowers.
• I then took one of the silver frames and inked it lightly with Milled lavender distress, I raised it up on foam pads but stuck it on top the pink circle then added a sentiment also inked in the mid of the circle.
• Then decided to emboss the chain and key on the pattern in the paper to make it stand out. I took another page cut out the birdcage and embossed that too. I  shaped it and mounted it on 2 layers of foam just in the middle of the cage.
• I cut out the butterfly shape and punched the pattern out of the wings, adding some bling along the body. I added some gold lattice net type stuff under the body too. 
• Next, I made a few flowers and added some metal little keys on top of the ones on the paper and some metal leaves with the flowers.
• Lastly I had a little card heart pressed from the middle of a birdcage in the kit and embossed it in pink and white, then added it to the top right of the card.

All in all a very pretty card from a pretty kit and I have loved using it.

Hope you all had a great day, it's been miserable and windy all evening so here's hoping for a sunny day tomorrow!
Kim xxx

Pick of the Bunch

I was asked by the lovely Julie Hickey from Craftwork cards if I could make some cards for the great Northern paper craft Extravaganza coming up soon. She gave me a gorgeous pad of paper and frames and new candi so I could have some inspiration as I worked; it was all from the new bohemian range which is glittery goodness and very lovely... Tonight I sat and made two cards which turned out really well with lots of embossing, over stamping and inking/blending which I love.

I have broken it down into a few pics so you get to have a proper look at the embellishments which are in the paper pad which I have inked and curled and moulded, added Versamark and embossing powder, heated, then added mica powder and heated again which allows the mica to sink into the enamel and so becomes permanent, so no rubbing off with handling.

It took a fair while to complete, even though it looks simple because the glittered paper is so beautiful. Julie is also going to ask her friend Nikki up at Leeds to photograph these cards to add to the  craftwork cards blog which is great. Thanks again Julie, such a lovely lady!

• I took an 8x8 card base and added some pink card, I used some American craft card in valentine colours. I trimmed my sheet of paper from the Bohemian pad and Layered it on to the pink mat. I punched a thin strip of paper and added to the left hand side.
• I took one of the frames and added some colour to it and some spray glitter to give it a lift. Then I added some rock candy paint all over and dried with a heat tool til it was all cracked but sparkly. I decided it wasn't dark enough so I rubbed more ink into the cracks, I love the effect here! After adding the little sentiment on top of the frame here, this section was complete. I have to say in this picture (because the lighting is rubbish) the frame looks orange, but it is in fact pink and distressed a little.
• I moved on to the tag next.
• The tag came in my Bohemian goody bag I received from QVC the shopping channel, and it matches the free pad from Julie so i inked it with my Distress Inks and then covered it in Versamark and embossing powder and heated, I will never tire of the change as it transforms... I did the process again to make it really smooth and shiny. I added my ribbon through the tag also and a small piece of the thin punched loopy paper to add to the tag.
• I popped out lots of flowers from the pad and curled them, inked them and to some I added bling, some candi, and some I curled some tiny swirls for the centre of flowers.
• My insert was the same design paper without the glitter all over, so it could be written on. I took the piece of paper that the flowers were attached in and used it as a mask with my Pan pastels. I stamped the amazing Clarity stamps sentiment onto it. 
• Lastly I had a skeleton leaf, not everyones fave but I added versamark and embossing powder to it, melted it in and did the Mica technique again. I added it to the upper right corner with a flower. Some of the flowers I used I also enamelled as you can see in the last pic. You can see just how much beautiful glitter is on this paper in this one too.

Well it is now gone 2 a.m... I'm sure my son is still partying from his birthday and rightly so! lol But I have to hit the sack as back to work in the morning.

Night bloggers, and I hope you like my card, If you go to the GNPE then I wonder if you will see my card there... Let me know! I have my very own stamp which Clarity stamps made and I love it, I have never had  Polymer stamps so good as Barbara Greys.

So look out for my stamp if you go to the Craftwork cards stand.. I really wish I was going, I truly would go to every show if I could, and be part of it all.  Big sigh lol.

Have a great weekend and look out also for lots of new posts.
Kim xxxx

Pink Roses

Hi all.
Hope everyone is having a good start to their week. Wednesday has just started with it being 12.53a.m here. Before I go off to sleep I thought I would add a little card here for you all to view. I really would be very happy to read your comments if anyone would like to do so. I also will be sending out a card to the first person who does leave a little comment as previously mentioned, that person will also get a shout out on my blog and other social media sites.

Now to the pretty card, as you can see it was a quick creation though very pretty.

• I started with a Kraft card base 8x8, stamped a sentiment inside and my logo on the back.
• I took my pink vintage paper and inked edges and corners with Tim's Tattered Rose and a little Victorian Velvet. I do this for two reasons, the first to blend the edges to give it a much softer look so the focus changes as you view the card. Secondly, this way you don't have stark white edges therefore a more professional finish. I added a ribbon and a sentiment wrap from craftwork cards and attached the whole thing to the card base.
• I took a core candi mat form Kanban and instead of ripping the edges to expose the coloured core in the card, I put some thick foam on to the back right against the edge and added some glue around its edges.
• I then folded back the scored pieces as I said instead of ripping them off, this makes a little platform raised up for a topper or flowers or anything really, In this case though I'm using a Kanban rose topper, which is stunning and speaks for itself, needing hardly any embellishment.
• I added the topper and a bow and also two coloured pins in the top of the topper but pushed into the foam under the platform. I was happy with its simplicity, it's an elegant card.

Have a great Wednesday guys and come back tonight for a new post featuring a dartboard, a number and a bottle of champagne. It was a fun and different commission with lots of elements.
Kim x