Stop and smell the flowers

Hands up who needs a few extra days in the week! I'm a bit snowed under at the moment  - work, study,  planning classes, organising concerts - oh and am moving house at the weekend... not much time to play or craft :(

Work calls but here's a little card I made recently for a friend - she likes green!

Stamps: Sweet Fleurs (Hero Arts) Through the Trees (sentiment - PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink, Card: New Leaf (PTI), Other: Copic Sketch Markers, rhinestones, twine (PTI)

Reminds me I must make time to stop and smell the flowers this week - I hope you do too!

Hugs,

Sympathy Tree

What a glorious day!! One of the real benefits of having long, cold winters is that it makes you appreciate beautiful, warm days like this SO much more!!

I was feeling so summery during the week that I bought the first bottle of Pimms of the year! Guess what I'm doing tonight? ;)

Here's a card I recently made for my friend Jules, who sadly recently lost her dear grandmother.



Recipe:

Stamps - Hero Arts
ink - Memento black/Antique Linen Distress Ink
Card - Kraft/Pretty in Pink/Colorbox Chalk Ink - brown
Other - White gel pen/Copics/embroidery thread/pink button

Now, where's that Pimms....!!

Kate xx

Magic Toadstool

Just a quick post to share another CAS card for Lucy's current challenge - I hadn't used this toadstool stamp set before. It's super fun to colour and I bet there's a lot of fairy magic going on under there!




Recipe:

Stamps - Mushrooms (Hero Arts)
Card - Stamper's Select White/Pure Poppy (PTI)
Other - Gingham Ribbon/Pure Poppy button (PTI)/Square Nestabilities

Have a good evening!

Kate x

Woody Thanks

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. On Saturday the choir I sing in performed a concert in Exeter Cathedral. It was a lovely setting, gorgeous acoustics and the concert went very well. We're a chamber choir of around twenty voices so with only four or five voices per part there's no resting on your laurels!!

But on Sunday my recurring neck problem reared it's ugly (and very painful!) head and I spent most of the day drugged up in bed and sadly had to miss a big family party. The only upside was that I managed to make a few cards in the evening!

This one is for last week's CAS challenge on Splitcoast - to make a card using Green and Brown. Not my normal go-to colours but I quite like it...





Recipe:

Stamps - Hero Arts
Ink - Colorbox chalk
Card - Dark Chocolate/ New Leaf (PTI)
Other - New lead button/Spellbinders Circle Nestabilites and Tag Die

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kate x

Inspired by...

A card inspired by the fabulous Jennifer McGuire - I was browsing through some of her work and loved her simple, one layer cards using pencils to colour on kraft cardstock.



Recipe:
Stamps - Hero Arta
Card - Kraft (PTI)
Other - Prismacolour pencils/white gel pen/corner rounder punch

Did anyone see Tim Holtz demoing his and Ranger products on QVC last night? Apparently he only does one UK show a year, I couldn't believe how fast things were flying off the shelves! I treated myself to one of his new books- they were selling by the thousands!

I'm off to London today for a few days to go on a journalism course - I'll catch up with you all at the weekend!

Kate xx

Happy New Year!

Recipe:
Stamps - Santa (Hero Arts)
Paper - Cosmo Cricket
Other - Aqua Mist ribbon (PTI)/Copic Markers/White gel pen/sewing machin/red brads/oval punches (SU)


So this my last Christmas card of 2009 to share, and now 2010 is just around the corner!

I'll be away in the US for the next two weeks so if I don't get a chance to stop by your blogs over new year I hope you all have a fabulous time and that 2010 is a healthy and happy year for you all - see you in the new year!

Kate x

Butterflies and Diamonds

I hope everyone's had a good Saturday! I had a very easy relaxing day after a very busy one yesterday - had a hair cut and a bit of retail therapy this afternoon, then tonight cooked a lovely meal and kicked back with a large glass of white in front of Strictly - I'm so glad Phil's still in!!

This is a card I made a few weeks back for a challenge on the Hero Arts blog but forgot to post on here - the challenge was to make a card using a technique that was featured on the Hero blog. I chose an emboss resist technique using acrylic paint daubers as featured by the wonderful Jennifer McGuire.


Recipe -
Stamps - Dots and Flowers (Hero)/Butterfly (Hero)
Ink - Red (Colorbox chalk)/Versamark/Distress Ink
Card -Kraft/Vintage Cream/October Afternoon DP Other - Clear e.p/sewing machine/linen thread/corner rounder punch/pearls/Snow White Acrylic Paint Dauber (Ranger)


I stamped the background with Versamark, embossed with clear embossing powder then sponged white acrylic paint over the top, wiping it off to create this background - I love this effect, and think it looks great on the kraft. Must use this technique more often!

Over on A Passion for Papertrey I just posted this card (along with all the details):


It was near impossible to take a good photo of this card because it was stamped with silver metallic ink - it was a commission for a Diamond Anniversary card for a friend. That's 60 years of marriage - wowzers!!! I chose Papertrey's Damask Design set because I thought the elegance of the set fitted the occasion.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Oh and don't forget to put your clocks back - time for me to go into hibernation lol!

Kate x

College Days

A little card I made for a dear friend in California who started at college this Autumn - ah, university... those were the days! I've always thought some day I might go back to uni and do a little less partying and a bit more work lol (no regrets though ;)!

Kate x

Recipe:
Stamps - Hero Arts - Owl and sentiment/Lined Paper backgrounder (CHF)
Card - Kraft (PTI)
Other - White gel pen/spiral punch (SU)/Melon Berry ribbon (PTI)

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 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

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

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

Birthday boy

I think the only consolation of the dip in temperature since our mini heat wave is that I seem to get more achieved - when it's that hot I didn't even want to spend any time in the shade of my craft room so at least now I might get a few things done! (Of course I'd rather it stayed that hot all summer though!)

Here's a card I made for a very dear friend in America, trying to get over that cards-for-a-man problem ;)


Brown and blue - my go-to male colours (probably should expand my boundaries in that regard!), along with a Hero Arts stamp coloured with Copics.

Do you like the funky background? I picked that up from the fabulous Jennifer McGuire - embossing a piece of coloured card-stock (must have a white core) with the Cuttlebug swiss dots folder, sanding it to reveal white dots, then colouring the dots with markers.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, it's been a fascinating day for a self-confessed news junkie like myself so who knows what the weekend will bring?!


Recipe:

Stamps - Birthday Frame and Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink - Memento
Card - Memory Box Vanilla Bean/Stamping Up Bashful Blue
Other - linen thread/button/Cuttlebug embossing folder/Copic markers/stickles

Stamping simply

Here are a few Hero Arts cards I made when I was having a play last week - you know one of those special crafting sessions where there's no agenda to make a card for anyone or anything, just to get inky! So just a couple of quick and simple efforts...

The flowers on this one are coloured with a white gel pen:


Stamps - Birds and Branches (CL219)/Thinking of You Messages (CL140)

And some more of those cute Matryoshkas:


Stamps - Dolls (Hero Arts - CL289)

I hope everyone had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend! Over the weekend I lapped up as much sun as possible and yesterday spent the day with one of my closest friends from University and her gorgeous baby girl - check out this smile (her not me!)!



Thanks for visiting!

Kate x

Hero challenges

I've recently discovered the Hero Arts blog and their weekly challenges, I'm a huge Hero fan and recently treated myself to a few more of their fab stamps :)

Last week's challenge was to take inspiration from a given selection of cards in the Hero gallery, I chose this one and here's my version:



Recipe:
Stamps - CL289 Dolls (Hero Arts)/ Thinking of You Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - Copic markers


Oh, so simple! I love these Russian dolls, they remind me of the many dolls I saw when I visited Russia several years ago. I'd really love to go back, such a fascinating country.

The latestt challenge was to use dots on a card which I tried to do without it looking too 'busy' - dots on the stamp, dotty paper, dots in the punched border and the button elements.



Recipe:
Stamps - I Care Frame Messages (Hero Arts)
Card - Kraft (PTI)/So Saffron (SU)/Bitty Dots papers (PTI)
Other - Copic Markers/buttons/Fiskars border punch/pink thread


Thanks for visiting, I wonder if it will ever stop raining!

Kate x