Happy Birthday Buddy

Morning folks....it's The Furry Boy's Birthday today... I can hardly believe my beautiful bundle of golden deliciousness is 5 years old....crikey where does the time go.  He is just the sweetest boy although prone to occasional hooligan moments as you all know but I wouldn't change him for the world...he is a real character and I love him to bits. Because I work from home he's my 24/7 cubbyhole companion..sleeps at my feet and is the best hot water bottle on winter nights...snuggles up to me when I'm sad...doesn't do grumpy or sulky...believe me he's had some right old telling offs but within seconds he's back to being my best friend again...us humans could learn a thing or two from our canine friends...don't you think.
Mind you when he first arrived at Chez Kath...he was in real danger of being sent back to whence he came...after 14 years of having a Goldie who was a true gentleman with impeccable manners and so obedient...we were totally unprepared for this hyper bundle of naughty snuggliness who ate all the flowers in the garden...dug up all the plants and loved to show off his party trick of digging huge craters in the grass at every opportunity.  But we've survived the Terrible Two's..The Tiresome Three's..The Frazzled Fours and do you know...I think he's finally grown up and become sensible...now there's a statement I may live to regret...we've now got a mutual understanding called COMPROMISE...I forgive his little occasional misdemeanours and he puts up with the crafty tantrums and messy cubbyhole...it's all about give and take.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL BOY

here's to many more fun years together....

I love the expression on this pup's face....just like The Furry Boy when he's knows he's been naughty.

I had a small problem with the lettering...I have oodles of Foam Thickers bought yonks ago from QVC in a bumper kit but not enough in brown to spell out the Furry Boy's name...so to use up the colours that I am unlikely to use...out came the PM's...

and a little tip...they don't dry as quickly as they do on card....be patient unlike me or you will end up leaving your fingerprints on the lettering...

and how lucky is the Furry Boy to receive this gorgeous card  from his bestest buddy Anesha...

Well it's time for our morning stroll and then home for coffee...cake and opening parcels.

Hugs Kath xxx
from Polly by e-mail

What's on my Workdesk Wednesday

Morning folks...yes it's the middle of the week...Wednesday and that means it's time for all us nosey parker crafters to play along at Julia's place....WOYWW...throw open our crafty room doors for the world and his wife to come in for a snoop....so what's on the cubbyhole desk today...

no prizes for guessing it would be Spellbinders and Card Candi....and because we can use any of the products from Spellbinders Cross Promotional Partners...I am doing my best to make a dent in the huge mountain of MME papers that reside in the cubbyhole...

and of course there would be no crafting done without these...my trusty specs which I have to say I'm inclined to leave in the strangest of places....so perhaps not a great idea to keep the spares in the same place...

and woohoo look what arrived in the mail yesterday....a gorgeous gorgeous tote from our lovely bloggy buddy Anesha....The Furry Boy's Number One Fan and no it's not my birthday...

check out the beautiful stitching and one of Anesha's gorgeous crocheted flowers...thank you so much Anesha...you are so kind...I'm totally gobsmacked....it's beautiful and I will treasure it forever.

But before we get down to the crafty job in hand....I am going to have a seat outside and finish my cuppa which by the way is yet another cubbyhole must-have.

The Cubbyhole Crew will be celebrating tomorrow....donning our party hats for a very special occasion...so pop over and join us which reminds me...someone may not be too happy if he doesn't get a card.  And I don't want to tempt fate but it looks as though Mr Sunshine has decided to visit my neck of the woods...gorgeous gorgeous morning...fingers crossed he likes it here and decides to stay.

Hugs Kath xxx

All in a Day's Work

Morning folks...crikey it's Tuesday already and we are rushing at the speed of knots towards the end of June...half the year gone already and for all the Mum's out there...the joys of the school holidays. Wimbledon is hotting up with Top Seed Wozniacki and the Williams Sisters out...Federer -Murray - Djokovic and Nadal through but hey Del Potro took him right to the wire...what a cracker of a match. I'm more than a little bit miffed that the rest of the country seems to be basking in the sun and yes you've guessed it...we've had it dull and teeming with rain...it's just as well as the crafty list is growing by the minute. And talking of JOY...I was definitely not feeling it yesterday....all set to get stuck into Spellbinder and Candi heaven when I remembered one of those jobs that I just absolutely LOVE...NOT...the step-by-steps for my Fiskars Christmas Project which is going off in the mail today to appear in some magazines coming to a newsagent near you in the not too distant future.

Should have just pulled up my big girl knickers at the time and got it out of the way but I must have had one of those procrastination moments..never a good idea. Hence the knickers I was wearing yesterday were definitely of the grumpy variety and you could say I had a face to match....it's not all plain sailing in the cubbyhole all of the time but hey ho all in a day's work as they say and to be honest...not the end of the world when it comes down to it.
But that was yesterday and it's a brand new day....I've ditched the grumpy knickers and hopefully am back on track. Time for our morning stroll but before I go there are some Sweet Candi Goodie bags sitting on my workdesk waiting to wing their way to some of the lovely bloggy buddies who pop over each and every morning to keep us company....I just don't have time to visit all the lovely folks who leave comments...if only there were 36 hours in a day but believe me I really appreciate you taking time to visit and your kind words...

ANESHA

KATHLEEN

CHRISTINE

SANDRA

e-mail me your addresses girls and keep an eye out for the postie...
And what's on my workdesk today.....some sneaky sneaky peeks...

Catch up with you all tomorrow over at the phenomenon that is Julia's place...aka WOYWW and no prizes for guessing what will be on my workdesk.

Hugs Kath xxx

A Moment In Time

Morning folks....I had a fun class on Saturday at Simply Create with super duper crafty girls who were absolute stars....OK we did run over ever so slightly but that was probably down to all the chitty chatting that was going on....and here's what we made using Annie Sloan Chalk Paints...Versailles and Old White and gorgeous stamps and papers from Bo Bunny's Time Collection...Hero Arts Typewriter Letters and yummy Seam Binding from The Ribbon Girl coloured with a Promarker.

the finished article...

And I had a fabulous catch up morning yesterday with my lovely "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" buddies Anne & Debbi....a quick shop in Hobbycraft and then off to M&S for coffee and a putting our heads together session....yes our next Craft Workshop is in the planning stages...so watch this space folks.

But back to the job in hand....it's going to be a mad frantic week in the cubbyhole and we have a very special day coming up on Thursday...catch up with you all tomorrow for hopefully some Spellbinder and Candi peeks and I will be announcing where the Sweet Candi Goodie Bags will be heading.

Hugs Kath xxx

What's on the Agenda today

Morning folks...wooohoo Mr Sunshine is back and it's a glorious morning...NOT...don't believe everything you read....after donning his hat briefly yesterday afternoon he's decided to take it off again and have a flexi day off.  The Furry Boy and his Mum are in for a rather wet morning stroll and I think it's safe to say that we are likely to have the woodland all to ourselves on a silly o'clock rainy Sunday morning apart from the odd rabbit or two.
But I have no room to criticise....talk about the pot calling the kettle black...after two days of deserting the cubbyhole I've decided to make a weekend of it...I'm taking a trip to Hobbycraft this morning with my "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" buddies Anne and Debbi...a little birdie called Alison told us that Steampunk charms are in stock...how could we resist checking it out...and if you want some you'd better get there before we do.
I'll be back in the cubbyhole tomorrow....and a sneaky peek of what I'll be working on for the next few days...

the Design Team over at Craftwork Cards are in mega excited mode....

Craftwork Cards have been invited to join Spellbinders in their Cross Promotional Partnership....the Spellbinders and Craftwork Cards Design Teams will be getting creative with the fabulous Spellbinder Dies and Card Candi and over the coming weeks the Craftwork Cards Blog will be posting the Design Team's creative ideas and projects and there will be a chance for you to win some Spellbinder Dies.

I haven't forgotten about the Card Candi goodie give-away parcels....will get to it tomorrow and will be sharing what we made at my Altered Art Class at Simply Create yesterday.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend whatever you're doing

Hugs Kath xxx
To answer Sarpreet's question....I fix Card Candi with 3D Foam Pads...but Lynda has left a comment with an alternative suggestion....

Penny Black Saturday Challenge..Week 157

Morning folks....it's Saturday and time for another challenge over at Penny Black Saturday...hardly seems a week ago we were mega excited about celebrating our 3rd birthday....hugest thank yous to all those who sent us birthday wishes and joined in our birthday blog hop.   I didn't have a prize hidden on my blog but there are 5 fabulous prizes out there waiting to be claimed...pop over to Penny Black Saturday where all will be revealed..

The challenge this week is...

STITCH IT UP

yes we want to see stitching on your creations this week....whether it's the real thing or a bit of faux...a stitch related image or just some stitching embellishments.. it really doesn't matter and something just a little bit different from me this week....I love this etching style stamp and decided to go with a bit of  monochrome...

Image: Penny Black....4183K Sparkle

inked with TH Distress Ink...Black Soot

Papers: G.C.D...Paris Night

Seam Binding & Divine Twine....The Ribbon Girl

In Circle Sentiment...Craftwork Cards

and we have a fabulous prize this week for one lucky winner who will be chosen at random and announced next Saturday from a brand new sponsor...

the lovely Melanie & Linda at

Penny Black 3944H - 365

Penny Black 3944H...365 Days

I had a fabulous day out yesterday with my lovely crafty buddy Carol....all weathers in one day...brilliant sunshine..a little spit of rain...heavy rain and then hailstones at Alford didn't dampen our spirits...that's Scottish weather for you.  I'm off to pack up the car for my crafty class this afternoon at Simply Create.   Look forward to seeing all your stitching creations this week and I'll be popping by for a visit.

Enjoy the weekend everyone and happy crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

I'm having a jolly kind of a day

Morning folks...the crafty list is bang up to date apart from one major project which I will be getting my teeth stuck into next week....no not literally although it does involve yummy Candi and it just goes to prove that the promise of 2 days off meeting up with my lovely crafty buddy Carol has been a great incentive for me to knuckle down and get stuff finished in super fast time rather than my usual...got all the time in the world...faffing around mode.

But before I tell you what's on the itinerary for today..I'm going to bore you with a bit of local history.  Carol and her hubby arrived yesterday and I had a lovely catch up dinner with them last night in their fairy tale castle hotel set in 30 acres of stunning scenery on the banks of the River Dee...built in the 19th century inspired by Balmoral Castle 40 miles upstream this imposing mansion was the home of the Ogston family..local soap merchants before becoming a hotel and because Carol and Brian won't be staying there tonight...I can now tell you that it is believed to be haunted by a white lady who lingers around a painting of Katherine Ogston the wife of Alexander Milne Ogston...aka "Soapy Ogston"...the story goes that the ghost is either Mrs Ogston or the daughter of a former owner who was raped and became pregnant...later killing herself and the child....I've stayed there many times after family weddings but thankfully the lady in question didn't make an appearance...believe me I would have been hot footing it out of there as fast as my little legs could carry me. But enough of the spooky local history.

Carol's hubby has decided to play golf today leaving the crafty girls the whole day to do what we do best...CHAT...probably a wise decision so I'm donning my chauffeur/tour guide hat and we're hitting the road...perhaps a visit to Rustiques at Milton of Crathes...popping in by to say hello to Moira and the first coffee stop of the day...

and we could head across country to Alford...the car knows the way so no Sat Nav required and by the time we arrive after all that setting the world to rights we'll be ready for a yummy lunch at The Bistro and we couldn't possibly not pay a visit to Simply Create for a big welcome hug from my lovely buddy Anne....more coffee...lots of chat and of course a little crafty spend before we head back to the cubbyhole to meet The Furry Boy....Carol's special request....oh dearie me...does she know that the bundle of golden deliciousness loves visitors and does welcome in a big way.

But before I take off to spend the day with my lovely buddy Carol...just time to share more cards from Craftwork Cards gorgeous Sweet Meadow Collection...

and after feasting your eyes on all those gorgeous colours....
time for something a bit different...a monochrome sneaky peek...

Catch up with you all tomorrow for another challenge over at Penny Black Saturday and woohoo the girls on the team will be announcing the winners of our birthday blog hop.

Hugs Kath xxx

Sweet Meadow

Morning folks....RAIN...RAIN and more RAIN....is it time to get building the Ark.  I'm convinced I'm right about this weather thing...a pattern seems to be emerging...Mr Sunshine has gone part-time and just turning up when it suits him...and at the moment that's not a lot.  I wonder if he would be willing to share his flexi work rota with me so I can mark the calendar and plan my days....crafty stuff when it's chucking it down and "out and about" when he decides to put his hat on again.  I'm sure we would all be happy to settle for 3 days of sun in a week...better than none at all.  Oh for the good old days..those long hot summers when you were a child...running around all day in shorts..T-shirts and sandals...definitely no socks required...the winter duds were all packed away at the beginning of June and didn't see the light of day again until the end of September and I can't remember ever owning a raincoat.....was it really so idyllic or is it just the old memory playing tricks on me.
But enough waffling from me about that much discussed topic...THE WEATHER...it's time to share some of the cards I've made with the Sweet Meadow Project of the Month Kit from Craftwork Cards.....choc a bloc with lots of yummy goodies...you can check it out HERE...

could this be a new trend...upside down Card Candi

So has Mr Sunshine turned up for work today or is it going to be another "chucking it down" kind of a day...can't hear any pitter pattering on the window but I'm off to stick my head out the door before I decide on today's apparel.  Almost caught up with the crafty list....just a few bits and bobs to add to my class kits for Simply Create on Saturday...and then I'm footloose and fancy free for 2 days. Catch up with you all tomorrow for more Sweet Meadow cards and a sneaky peek...remember to pop over and check out today's give-away at the Craftwork Cards Blog

Hugs Kath xxx

What's on my Workdesk Wednesday

Morning folks....crikey before you know it's Wednesday and I'm playing catch up again....lots of crafty stuff to cram in because the cubbyhole is going part-time this week....yes we are on a three-day week...I'm escaping the crafty shackles for a couple of days to meet up with my lovely buddy Carol and her hubby Brian who are on holiday in Edinburgh at the moment and are popping north tomorrow for a visit....the very same Carol who came along to the Artsycrafts Event with me (our hot date with TH) and very kindly gave me a place to rest my weary head for 2 nights...we were so excited counting down the sleeps...went into meltdown on the actual day and now it seems so long ago.
But let's cut to the chase...time to play along with Julia and all her crafty cronies over at WOYWW.  So what's on the workdesk today....well the cubbyhole has been invaded by Craftwork Cards...I'm working away with my DT Project Kit for this month....Sweet Meadow and it's absolutely yummy...

my favourites are the Embossed Washed Papers....

they look as though they've been piped with icing.....good enough to eat...don't you think...

and the Card Candi Store in the Cubbyhole has just received a delivery of new stock....crikey speak about Card Candi Heaven...just as well they're not of the edible kind or my bum would be in mega danger of looking like the back of a bus...I might just be kidding myself....perhaps it does already...

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop...forgive the pun and with lots of duplicates it would be so rude not to share as my Old Mum taught me all those years ago...so I will be having a bit of a sort out and some Sweet Candi parcels will be winging their way to some bloggy buddies.  And I'm not the only one in sharing  mood...Craftwork Cards Blog are having some great give-aways...a GIVE-AWAY-A-DAY for the next 28 days and hey you can also grab yourselves some fabulous Craftwork Card bargains in the SALE...click HERE 

Much as I would love to stay and chat...the crafty list is calling.   I'll be back tomorrow to share some of the cards I've been making with the Sweet Meadow Collection.

Hugs Kath xxx

More Ribbon Girl Fun....

Morning folks....I'm always mega excited when my monthly DT kit pops through the letterbox from The Ribbon Girl....I can't wait to open it and drool over the Ribbon Girl yumminess within and if you're wondering if this is another addiction....got it in one. Ribbon...Lace...Seam Binding...Divine Twine and buttons give me a warm fuzzy feeling and send me into raptures of delight.   Don't worry I'm not going doolally...just telling the world and his wife how much I love The Ribbon Girl goodies and it's time to share some more cards I made with this month's kit.

I decided to try and make flower petals with May Arts Loopy Trim and it was easier than I thought.   Fix one end of the trim to a large Sticky Dot...shape into a petal...fix the other end to the Sticky Dot...trim and fix to card....once you have all the petals in place..cover the Sticky Dot centre with a brad.  The gems came from a Crystal Flourish which I cut up and coloured with Promarkers and don't you just love that gorgeous Cotton Lace.
This card was inspired by my lovely Hero Arts buddy Shari Carroll who did a fabulous watercolour technique using Tim Holtz new Distress Stains...yes inking your stamps with the dauber on the bottle...why didn't I think of that....to watch Shari in action....pop over HERE

finishing off with this gorgeous Pale Pink Organza Sheer Spot Ribbon

and Pale Raspberry Pink Dewdrops

And guess what's arrived in the cubbyhole....yes the Rolled Daisy Die.that Shari featured on her video along with a couple of other must-haves...can't believe I've managed to live so long without these guys..

a big thank you to Tracy from Dies to Die For for sending them supersonic mail to arrive in the cubbyhole the next day and I've had a little die-cutting session stocking up on gorgeous rolled flowers...

made with the yummy felt from....yes you've guessed The Ribbon Girl.

And hey it's Midsummer's Day....well that's a bit of a misnomer if ever there was one..how can it be Midsummer when Summer has barely graced us with it's presence yet....well not in this part of the country for sure...I think I've sussed out the weather...one day nice and dry...the next miserable and wet and today I think is going to be the latter so I'm off to put the kettle on and then look out the rain jacket and boots for our morning stroll.  Today's also the longest day....ENJOY...whatever the weather.  Catch up with you all tomorrow when I'll be sharing what's on my workdesk over at WOYWW

Hugs Kath xxx