The colour of Purpleness.

So, Monday again already, although a few hours before work yet... My temperature a little more settled, I thought I would make up for the lack of posts last Friday/Saturday with an extra one!

This card is another that was featured proudly (look at it puffing out its chest) in this month's Create and Craft magazine.

It is a complex little character although not instantly recognisably so... oh dear, you would think I was discussing some fine wines... No, but a fine card it is! I have another picture and you may see from it why it is more complicated than first thought:

That's right, it is partly acetate. Therefore, me being slightly OCD about details and covering up workings and bits, find it slightly more challenging to make an acetate card as I can't possibly have white showing in the centre unless it is the part left to write on. Therefore I used a lot of dusty concord in this one and lots of backing paper too.

• I started by taking a Dawn Bibby stamp and stamping her flower image and leaves all over a piece of A5 card. I stamped a few extra onto a scrap piece and cut them all out and inked them, I took the smaller size and stamped another three and cut and inked them too. I curled the edges glued them and left them aside.
• Then I inked the stamped page and using a water brush took some extra ink and coloured in the edge of the flowers and some leaves too. I attached my acetate to the A5 card and took some purple Papermania Capsule collection paper edged the side and covered the working edge of the card too. 
• I measured a smaller piece of card for the front middle panel and inked it a lot, I then stamped on my same flowers and coloured them as before, then took the flowers I had made and curled and attached them to the newly stamped ones and found something pretty for the middles. I had cut a pretty wavy edge on this card which was of course the unpearlised side of centura pearl, Anyone who knows me knows I love to use the back of this to stamp and the ink blends so perfectly on this too.
• I used four sparkly Brads to attach this to the front of the acetate card. Then I needed to cover this on the inside, so I took a matching piece of paper and covered the inside. I stamped out the sentiment, and inked the edges to match and attached this too.
• My ribbon was an ivory/cream colour so I inked this too and dried it carefully as I didn't want it to wrinkle or burn. I wrapped my card with it and added sparkly pins to the knot. I matted and layered sentiment for the front of the card and the cover on the back was my last touches.

It was featured on page 20 right at the top which was very nice and I hope it will be the first of many. Have a great Monday, don't forget to come back, feel free to comment and chat or ask to see anything, I will always help.
Kim x

Happy Christmas Bauble

• A small xmas card today too. I was sitting chatting and playing with a piece of silver shiny card and stamped out 2 circles, that was it... I immediately saw baubles so...
• I took a piece of card and embossed it and added some forest moss Distress Ink to the edges and also some bundled sage. 
• I took a couple of ribbons and wrapped it around the embossed card. 
• Laying out my Baubles where I wanted them to sit I placed my sentiment where I wanted it to go and Drew in black pen a chain for each Bauble.
• I raised each Bauble on foam to stand them away from the card. and stuck them down, the same with the sentiment.
• I added jewels to the disks to make them sparkle and used tones similar to the inking. 
• then I mounted the card onto the base card which had Baubles foiled onto the sides in silver which is very pretty.
• The last thing was to tie a bow for the left hand chain on the Bauble and add more jewels to the edges and it was finished. 

All this from sitting holding a piece of shiny card... It was a very quick card to do but I'm sure someone will be happy to receive it for Christmas time. 

Especially for you

Hello Crafters
First of all Happy Sunday, Hope your all having a great weekend out there in blog land, I've been tucked up in bed most of it with a rotten cold so no new posts last couple of days. Today I got up and decided I must get some new cards to photo and share with you all.

I found this lovely little topper of the Hedgehog in the pinny watering her Daisies in the garden and wondered what I could do to bring it to life. 

• Firstly, I added some glossy accents to the middles of the Daisies Which looked pretty I added some also into the water can but somehow it wasn't enough to look like water so then I added some micro beads (these things are actually smaller than a pinhead.) the effect was lovely although you can't really see by the photo but it looks like water spilling over.
• Next I matted it onto a toning piece of card stock.
• I took an 8x8 base card (which I use a lot as I like the amount of room this square shape gives you to create.) And found a lovely green backing paper I inked it slightly to give it a bit more tone and found it looked a bit flat so added some lace embellishments in the form of rub ons to the bottom of the card and also to the top left and bottom right for balance to the topper to be placed.
• I wrapped a thin ribbon around the green backing paper and made a messy bow ready to add at the end to match.
• So I stuck down the and added the topper onto the lace rub on added earlier. I took a sentiment and distressed it a little and used a little white pen to go over the 'Especially for you ' text as it looked a little too perfect. 
• I attached my Bow and then found some lovely natural flowers in my crafty stash so added a few top right and bottom left again with the balance in mind. and my last addition was to added a small flourish which I cut down from a larger one in my kit. to beside the sentiment.
• Of course I added an insert as I feel no card is complete without something to finish the inside whether it's a matted and layered sentiment or a personalised text or even a pretty paper with a sentiment but never a blank card. 

So that's today's card, hope you liked it and that you pop by an see the extra items to be added this week.
Kim x

A Darters dream.

As promised, my commission was for a lady, from her work mates. They said that her fave things were pretty much darts, booze, and a laugh! So this was the result of internet trawling lol!

I think I did very well and even downloaded a poem especially for Darters called The Darters Prayer.

Hope you enjoyed your extra post.
Goodnight all
Kim xx

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

Time.

Evening Blogland!
How's your day been?

This is a late post but I simply had to put up a card, even though the photography in this light is not great at least you knoq I'm here everyday to show you lots of crafty goodness.

This card is one I made a short while ago. It was when I first got some Debbie Moore Embossing Powders.

I also used the technique of stamping into melted ultra thick.

• I took a Kraft card base distressed the edges and added a ton of ink to the edges (good old Tim).
• Next I chose a Craftwork Cards Vintage 8x8 paper in a tan colourway, cut it down slightly and used three different Distress Inks to add colour and blend the paper really well at the edges. I used Vintage Photo, Walnut stain and Aged Mahogany. 
• Leave the paper aside to dry a little, or you could use a heat tool. I took some Ribbon and Bakers Twine and coloured them with the Inks to match. 
• After drying the string thoroughly I wrapped it round the paper and secured on the back, cutting off any bulkiness (if only it was that easy to diet lol).
• Next I secured the paper with string and ribbon attached to the card base and set aside. I took a Mat and Layer and ran them both through my little textured impressions machine, the larger piece is actually Mirri card, I sanded them both back a little to reveal the embossed clocks.
• I covered them both in Versamark which is really a sticky ink that embossing powders or Micas etc can adhere to. Then added little blocks of matching colours ready to be melted with the heat tool.
• Once melted and sanded  I roughed up the card, reopened and flattened out, I took some Glossy Accents and highlighted the clock faces in places.
• I took a pile of ultra thick and put it on my craft mat (non-stick, Heat proof) and very slowly melted it down. 
• I stamped my clock from Creative Expressions into a part of it waited for it to harden a minute and then bent the craft mat so it popped off . That's a great technique and it looks so cool.
• I laid all the pieces so far onto my card base that already had the paper and string etc stuck down.Adding ribbon to the small Mat. I found how I wanted them and stuck them all atop of the ribbon and twine with Pinflair glue gel. I also stuck my melted utee with this.
• Lastly I took my small pocket watch embellishment and stuck it to the card dabbing the edge with a little Versamark, sprinkled on some utee and carefully melted it, taking care not to remelt the piece we stamped into earlier. 
• I added a sentiment on the top right hand corner which I distressed with the same inks to match.
• To finish wrote a nice quote in white pen on bottom right.     

I wonder if you will try that or it isn't your thing?  For me this is one of my favourite things to do, just to sit and play and see what happens and how the art takes you. I was pleased with the result and enjoyed the process and was up to my knuckles in Ink and un melted utee that I managed to blow everywhere. I've seen a much better heat tool by Sheena Douglas, whose art I love, which disperses the heat much more gently so you don't lose half your powder! Haha!

Thanks for stopping by
Kim x

                                                                                                                               

A Little Bit Macrame

Well Tonight I thought I'd leave the inks alone as I have work in the morning and with inky fingers working in a hospital may not be  a good look.
I didn't have any black cord so I looked for some beads that went with my purple cord and there they were little lilac and pink roses. So pretty.

I decided to do a Square Macrame knot, very simple with double knots in between each bead. I will post a full instruction of how to do each knot. and some earings etc.

I used the moving adjustable knot and  left the cord free on the ends with little knots rather than add beads etc as I want to wear it tomorrow and didn't want to clank the glass beads on the tables at work all day. That's how to get told not to wear jewellery at work, But in stealth mode no one knows.. shhh!!

I did a close up on the knots and they may be a little blurry, working on a better camera but for now  I wanted to show the knot as they look complicated but they really are very easy.

This took 20 mins from the first thought to the last knot, why not try it!.

Hunkydory kit

This is yet another of the cards I made using the free kit from Hunkydory from the Donington Show, I have stretched it by adding mirri board,cardstock and card blanks. It seems to be going on an on!

I'm enjoying using it and purposely haven't added any card from Hunkydory's other christmas kits to see how far this lovely gift stretched and it is doing very well. I think I could get another 3 cards still from it.  Wow! Thanks Hunkydory.

Red Grasses

Morning All!

How are we this sunday morning?

I was up until silly o'clock working on a design project for Stamp Addicts.

Doesn't time fly when you are enjoying yourself?

 How much time do you lose to craft?

Right, today's little number is actually 8x8 so not so little.

• I started with a base of Kraft card, which I love. It's also very trendy in the card making world right now.
• Then chose a lovely Red backing card from Kanban. It is actually much redder than in the picture, but my craft mat seems to darken it. I inked it around the edge very lightly paying more attention in the corners.
• I took a smaller peice of white stamping card, Barbara Grays from Clarity stamps (which are great) and distressd it alot. 
• Dried it with heat gun and used my Tombo glue stick to make that gloopy mess described on a previous card. Poured on the Frantage powders in the shabby colours.
• The fun bit: heat guns ready. Ink up your stamp ready and melt your powders. Drop in your stamp, push it down and remove it. There, a nice sharp image.
• Rip the edges and Ink them all, no white edges here.
• Add to card with a nice red organza Bow and Two black stick pins.
• A sentiment and some little black stones balance the card nicely.

So, That was a very simple little card with a nice technique to practise that's very effective.

Have a lovely Sunday 

Xmas card will be posted bit later.

Kim xx

Creative little number

Hi all... It's Saturday 1st of September and I just got in from work. I did not want to get up this a.m after having a week off and seeing my lovely son, and having son and daughter together at home like the old days... ahhh miss them.

Anyway the card for today is an interesting one, as it looks so simple but it has a few little tricks up its crafty little sleeve, haha!

The heart on left and the butterfly on the right were both made with crafters clay and moulds. Amazing this stuff is! It dries as light as a feather as it is made from paper, so weighs nothing at all. I used trusty pinflair glue gel to stick it on to the card and it attaches really easily.

I added a little versamark and some gold mica powder, perfect pearls from Tim would be great too. Then I made a little frame of 2nd generation stamped butterflies and a bolder one in the centre. Next I chose some papers, ribbon and a greeting and hey presto as they say... a newcard was born.

Have a great saturday!
Kim x