Catching up!

Hello hello and happy Friday everyone! I've been back for a few days from a fab long weekend away but haven't quite got round to blogging yet...so there's lots to catch up on! (Long post warning!! )

The WOMAD festival was fabulous, in spite of the rain. (Wouldn't be a true British musical festival if it didn't pour for hours though would it lol!) Tantalising sights, sounds and aromas from all over the world - saw some great bands, ate some fabulous food and even joined a dance workshop!

I didn't take many pics because of the rain but I do love this one - these two kiddies were loving the music, dancing on their parents' shoulders, how cute do they look holding hands - it just summed up the atmosphere to me:


I left the happy campers to their soggy tents and headed off to a lovely hotel (camping at festivals is so ten years ago for me lol! I do love camping though having said that!) I then had a fabulous few days visiting my best friend and her family in Wiltshire - it's so special spending time with her baby girl...we did fun things like eat chocolate cake:

...and went for a long walk:


So, back to stamping! I was working on my computer yesterday when I had an email from the lovely Debbie....congratulating me on winning last week's Hero Arts blog challenge!!! I had no idea so headed on over to see if she wasn't winding me up! Apparently not, and I was thrilled to see I'd won the fresh face winner prize (and $50 of Hero products - woo-hoo! Thanks Hero!).

The challenge was to make a monochromatic card - I was in a pink and shabby mood when I made this last week:

Recipe:

Stamps - Three Ferns/Dots and Flowers/Thank You Messages (All Hero Arts)
Ink - Hibiscus and Sweet Blush (Papertrey)/Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)
Card - Kraft/Vintage Cream/Hibiscus and Sweet Blush (Papertrey)
Other - sewing machine/adhesive pearls/Martha Stewart border punch/Prima flowers/pink button/linen thread(SU)/Tim Holtz Distressing Tool

It was my best blogging buddy Steph's daughter's second birthday last Sunday, and I reached for more of my Hero stamps to make her card:




The Hero Arts elephant is paper pieced with SU papers (Tea Party); the chipboard number 2 is coloured with Copic markers then covered with Glossy Accents for a shiny finish. 'Today' is spelt out using Papertrey's Fresh Alphabet.

Recipe: Stamps - Elephants (Hero Arts)/Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Card/Paper - Sweet Blush (Papertrey)/Stamper's Select White (Papertrey)/ So Saffron (SU)/ Tea Party DSP (SU)
Other - Circle Nestbilities/sewing machine/So Saffron striped ribbon (SU)/ Maya Road chipboard number/Copic Markers/Glossy Accents

And here's a PTI card I've posted on A Passion for Papertrey, details over there :)




And finally...if by any chance you're still with me I want to thank a few lovely ladies for bestowing these awards upon me :)

Thank you Tina and Alex for this:


A big thank you to Sara for this:



And to Bev for this:


Thank you so much ladies - I'm so tickled you thought of me!!

Oh, and one more thing (honest!)...there's some fab candy around at the mo, up for grabs by some even fabbier gals:

Emma's:



Steph's:



Oh and we've got the following up for grabs on A Passion for Papertrey too :)



Phew.. that's me done! I promise tomorrow's post will be much much shorter!! Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Kate x

Hero blog hop!

Today is the I {Heart} Hero Arts Blog Hop! To enter you were asked to make a thank you card, tell your Hero Arts story and say why you are thankful for Hero Arts....so here's my card:


Recipe: Stamps - Birds and Branches/Thank You Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink - Memento black/Colorbox Chesnut
Card - Kraft and Stamper's Select White (Papertrey)/So Saffron DSP (SU)/Bitty Box Papers (Papertrey)
Other - Sewing machine/chipboard flower coloured with pink Copic marker/yellow button/linen thread (SU)/scallop edge punch (SU)/Copic Sketch Markers

It was thanks to Jennifer McGuire's blog that I fell in love with Hero Arts stamps - I'd been stamping for a while and been aware of them of course, but it her cards that made me buy a Hero Arts catalogue (which I remember drooling over for hours!!) pointed me to the Hero blog and got me involved with the challenges.

I'm thankful for Hero Arts because I love the quality and range of their products, I love meeting new and fabulous stampers through their products and I love that they have amazing designers who continue to inspire me, Jennifer McGuire in particular, who is one of the most inspiring artists in blogland! If I'm lacking in mojo it I head to her blog and it soons comes a knockin'! Here's to Hero!!

So that's me - now if you want to join in or check out the rest of the blog hop have a lookie here.

I'm heading off to the WOMAD music festival this weekend, and in true English festival style it looks like Wellies will be the dress code, but that's ok - I have some funky ones ;) Then I'm going on to stay with some friends in Wiltshire so I'll bid you all a fabulous weekend and see you next week!

Kate x

How many colours?!

Just catching up on some challenges I did last weekend (and only just getting round to posting now..typical!) Can you believe this is the first Kristina Werner Color Inspiration challenge I've ever done?! I've always meant to but have often been scared off by the number of colours!! Three is about my limit, but look.... I made myself do this one with SIX colours!


OK, five and white but even so, it WAS a challenge for me!! I combined it with last week's Hero Arts blog challenge which was to take inspiration for a project from any card on the re-vamped Hero Arts blog. I used the second card down on this page as my inspiration - I wanted to play with distress inks and water :)

Recipe:
Stamps - Bold Flourish/Thank You Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black/ Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks
Card - Stamper's Select White (Papertrey)/Certainly Celery (SU)/Rose Red (SU)/Iris (Memory Box)
Other - paper flowers/brad (SU)/linen thread (SU)/Martha Stewart Arch Lattice Punch

I'll hopefully be back in a bit with a card for today's Hero Arts blog hop...catch you soon!

Kate x

For a friend

Dawn's colour challenge is one of my favourites - she always comes up with such fabulous combinations, here is this week's:



I love these colours together!! Here's my sample:



I normally colour these fabulous flowers in but I really love the effect of just stamping their outline too, they're so stylish!

Full card details are on A Passion for Papertrey.

Thanks for stopping by today and the kind advice for helping my neck - it doesn't take much for it to flare up but thankfully it's much better today. See you soon I hope!

Kate x

Challenge Crazy

I went mad for challenges this weekend! Although in typical fashion I didn't get round to actually photographing them and entering them!

This card is for last week's Mojo Monday sketch using Summer by the Sea:



Recipe:
Stamps - Summer by the Sea/Oval All
Card/Papers - Dark Chocolate/Always Artichoke/Whisper White/Tea and Crumpets DSP
Other - Copic Markers/Pretty in Pink/Scallop and Oval Punches/Scallop Border Punch/Rectangle Nestabilities/Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Here's the sketch:


And two more PTI Birdwatching cards:



(Card details on A Passion for Papertrey)

Off to find some painkillers and a pillow now, my neck has flared up again and this computer is only making it worse.... nighty night!

Kate x

Starry fun

After a week off Stamp With Us is back with another challenge for you! Today it's a colour challenge, taking inspiration from this photo:


I loved this challenge - I got to use lots of bright fun colours, turquoise and kraft!


The big stars are from the fabbo In the Stars set, as are the small green stars stamped on the white layer.

Thanks for visiting today and be sure to check out all the other DT's samples over at the Stamp With Us blog!


Kate x

Recipe:

Stamps - In the Stars
Ink - Real Red/Tempting Turquoise/Yoyo Yellow/Certainly Celery
Card - Kraft/Whisper White/Read Red/Tempting Turquoise/Yoyo Yellow
Other - Star Punch/Green buttons/Sewing Machine/Tempting Turquoise Ribbon/Linen Thread

Tweetie Pie

Here are a couple of cards i just posted over on A Passion for Papertrey (along with all card details) - loving my Bird Watching set:

This was Jules' birthday card:


And for a family friend:

Must dash - I'm meant to be driving up to Wales to get a fast track passport, but can I find my birth certificate...can I???!!

Kate x

For the cook

It was my best friend's birthday this week and as she runs her own cake-making business I thought this super cute apron from the Hero Arts What's Cooking set would be perfect. I paper pieced it with the adorable Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers. I love cute aprons and now I want a pretty pinny just like this lol!

After I'd made the card I couldn't work out where to put the sentiment then remembered how flexible clear stamps are so slightly curved it so it stamped snug to the apron :)

Recipe:
Stamps - What's Cooking (Hero Arts)/Vintage Picnic Sentiments (Papertrey)
Card - Real Red/Sage Shadow (SU) Paper - Early Bird (Cosmo Cricket)
Other - Red ribbon (Papertrey)/Martha Stewart border punch/adhesive pearls

And here is another project I made for the same friend that I posted on A Passion for Papertrey this week for our template challenge - I made her some cupcake toppers for an upcoming photoshoot:




... and made a case to hold them in using Papertrey's free Recipe Wrap-Up template:







Thanks for visiting!!

Kate x

Just my luck..

It's the law of sod isn't it - you indulge in a bit of retail therapy for some new summer dresses then a few days later summer disappears. More October than July here today! Think I may have to go in search of some sun now...

Here is the inspiration piece I chose for last week's Inspiration and Themes challenge at In Love With Stamping - this mug just jumped off the John Lewis website at me - no surprise if you know my favourite colour!



Here's my card based on the mug:


Love love these flowers from the Playful Petals set in the current mini catalgoue - so fun to colour in and cut out! I coloured them with Copics and cut out another flower for the centre to give it some dimension.

Thanks for visiting today, send me some summer if you have some so I can wear my dresses lol!

Kate x

Recipe:

Stamps - Playful Petals
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Card/Paper - Whisper White/Tempting Turqouise/So Saffron
Other - Tempting Turquoise ribbon/Martha Stewart Embossed Zig Zag Punch/Copic Sketch Markers/Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Christmas in July!

Well this is a first!! I have actually made a Christmas card in July! I must add that this staggering feat is in no way down to me being ridiculously organised, more that my lovely upline Jenny challenged her downlines to make a Christmas card. I feel way ahead now and will probably leave the other hundred odd to a week before Chirstmas lol!

Have a great week peeps!

Kate x

Recipe: (All supplies Stampin Up)

Stamps - Perfect Presents
Ink - Ruby Red/Old Olive
Card/Paper - Chocolate Chip/Whisper White/Holiday Treasures DSP
Other - Tag Punches/Scallop Edge Punch/White Grosgrain Ribbon

Les fleurs

It's always great to have a backlog of projects to post for weeks like this when time has flown and I've barely entered my craft room! I made this card a while ago for a dear family friend in Australia who celebrates her birthday this week.


I immediately fell in love with this Sweet Fleurs stamp from Hero Arts - stamped onto Kraft cardstock and coloured with Copics and a white gel pen.

I treated myself to a new (well second-hand) sewing machine today - I've been asking a bit too much from my wee Janome Mini and have now gone to the opposite extreme and bought a real workhorse that apparently can sew through lead lol!! Don't think I'll be attempting anytime soon mind you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kate x

Recipe:

Stamps - Old French Writing/Sweet Fleurs (Both Hero Arts)
Ink - Old Olive (SU)
Card - Kraft (Papertrey Ink)/White (Papertrey Ink)/Old Olive (SU)
Other - Oval Nestabilities/Copic Markers/White gel pen/Stickles/white button/thread

For the kids..

Today's Stamp With Us challenge is to make a children's birthday card - I paper pieced the balloons from Crazy for Cupcakes with papers from the Junior Varsity set and used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up the sentiment.

The men's Wimbledon final has just started so that's me out of here! Sadly with no Mr Murray but I'm a big Federer fan so fingers crossed for him (not that he'll need it!).

Thanks for visiting - don't forget to check out the other Design Team's samples at the Stamp With Us blog and details about how to enter!

Kate x


Recipe: (All supplies Stampin Up)

Stamps - Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink - Rose Red/So Saffron
Card - Rose Red/So Saffron
Paper - Varsity Junior DSP
Other - Rose Red Double Stitched Grosgrain ribbon/Crafter's Tool Kit/Scallop Edge punch/brads/On Board Lots of Letters (retired)

Happy 4th of July!

A very Happy July 4th to all my American friends! I have many wonderful American friends and have made many trips to the US so I'm raising a glass to you all from the other side of the pond!

The only time I've been in America for the 4th of July was several years ago when I was travelling around with a friend - we were in Texas for Independence Day and were a bit disappointed not to see one of the big firework displays we'd heard about. It was only when I got back to England that an American friend over here reminded me that pyrotechnics are banned in Texas! Sod's law!

Here's a card I made for all my American friends using Papertrey products.


Details are on A Passion for Papertrey .... and speaking of Papertrey what a lovely surprise this was!

Thanks for visiting!

Kate x

Complementary challenge

Last week's Hero Arts challenge was to use complementary colours - I went for purple and yelllow, not a combination I'd usually use (not a big purple fan!) but I really like it - just a quick, simple card.

Getting excited about the Murray match this afternoon, it's going to be a good one - c'mon my son lol!!

Have a great weekend people!

Kate x

Recipe:
Stamps - Birds and Branches/Dots and Flowers (Hero Arts)
Ink - Chestnut Roan (Colorbox)
Card - So Saffron (SU)/lavender (Memory Box)
Other - Corner Rounder Punch (SU)/Threading Water Punch (Fiskars)/White gel pen/Copic Sketch markers