Red White And No Longer Blue

Hi folks...thanks to all my lovely regular bloggy bud visitors for your get well wishes...my chill out day seems to have done the trick...this old veteran has yet another adventure under her belt and once again has lived to tell the tale...all that hob-nobbing at Her Maj's Pad seems to have stirred the patriotic in me and with the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations on the horizon and the Olympics following close behind...I've been bitten by the old Red White and Blue bug and I'm not the only one...

The Ribbon Girls
have a gorgeous 

Red White and Blue Give-Away

a bumper parcel of yummy goodies including these cute Union Jack buttons...

click on the link for details on how to enter

and if you're too impatient to wait and see if you are the winner...you can find all the goodies right now over at The Ribbon Girl...

And hey it's the first day of May...tell me...will you be dashing outside at dawn to wash your face in the May Dew...no I didn't think so...me neither...I fear it's a little bit too late for this old crafty crone and what's wrong with a few wrinkles anyway or to give them their correct scientific name...laughter lines...according to the mirror my life so far has been an absolute riot. Time to share a quick Red White and Blue playtime crafty offering from the cubbyhole crew...

And after a weekend of lovely Spring like weather...I have a question...

WHO'S GONE AND TURNED ON THE TAP ON AGAIN...

rain...rain and more rain on the way...

So now I'm back in the swing...today's going to be a play day with my yummy parcel of DT goodies from The Ribbon Girl..need to get creating for the May Colour Challenge coming soon and woohoo the colours for this month are right up my street.

See you all tomorrow over at WOYWW

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

Miracle Cure Required...

Morning folks...well my fabulous fun day out on Saturday has turned into a major medical assistance required drama...crikey my legs are refusing to play ball in fact I'm struggling to put one foot past the other right now and for someone who is used to 3 one-hourly walks per day with the Furry Boy I am obviously not the super fit wrinkly old athlete that I thought I was...soaking in a warm bath or the human equivalent of horse linament as yet hasn't done the trick...may have to try some WD40 or I wonder how long the waiting list is for leg transplants.  It's not nearly as bad as I'm making it sound...10% aches and pains...90% miffed that it curtailed this action woman's plan for the rest of the weekend but I've nobody to blame but myself for strapping my Grandma style "everything but the kitchen sink"..."prepared for all emergencies" rucksack to my back but like the true athlete that I am (no sniggering please) I'm putting a brave face on it and smiling my way through the pain barrier (hubby probably would disagree).
But I did manage to hobble my way into the cubbyhole yesterday and finish the labels for my ink palette...

I just need to put my "major concentration required" hat on to finish filling the wells...making sure I've got the right colour in the right place...crikey they almost all look identical...so check and double check...definitely look before you leap...

Another day of light crafty duties might just do the trick so I'm claiming a comfy sofa for a day of checking through all those Crafty Mags for inspirational projects to file away for future reference...

and I think lots of cuppas and tasty morsels...

might just be what the doctor ordered to get me back to full fitness.  With Tim's May Tag for "Tags of 2012" due any day...fingers crossed it works.

See you all tomorrow with hopefully a crafty project or two

Hugs Kath xxx

Edited to add: good question Kat...slight problem...where am I going to put the 9 new Distress Reinkers for the 3 Limited Edition Seasonal Sets...answers on a postcard please...

My Royal Appointment

Morning folks...I had a very special day out yesterday at Her Maj's Scottish home set in the beautiful scenery of Royal Deeside and before you get excited...she wasn't in residence and my invitation wasn't by royal appointment but every bit as special...it came from my gorgeous grandson Brodie who was taking part in The Balmoral Fun Run...Primary School Boys 1.5km...it's not everyday that I get an invitation to be on a cheerleading team so how could I refuse after being reassured there would be no running required on my part...I wouldn't have to wear a ra ra skirt or wave any silly pom poms...but what was I going to wear...well you never know with the weather in this neck of the woods so I packed the car with clothes for all seasons...luckily the rain stayed off and the sou'wester and wellies were not required...hey we even had a blink or two of sun...

starter's orders and they're off...a quick wave for the cheerleading team...

crossing the line in 10m 22s...(official race times posted HERE)  and not 12m ...blame Grandma's dodgy timekeeping...

proudly showing off his medal

and well done to Brodie's Mum Karen and Uncle Gary for completing the 10K race...

goodness knows how they are all feeling this morning but my legs are in major protest mode...mind you I think I walked the equivalent of a Marathon but it was a great family day out...great atmosphere cheering on the runners...

strolling around in the breathtaking mountain scenery...no wonder Her Maj loves Balmoral so much...it's practically on my doorstep and I've been many times but it never fails to capture your heart...it's a magical place in the most beautiful setting...

but all that invigorating mountain fresh air doesn't half make you hungry and I'm sure if Her Royal Highnessness had known we were coming she would've laid on afternoon tea in the finest bone china cups and a plate of those teeny "3 in your mouth at one time" cucumber sandwiches...we had to settle for lunch in the Royal Cafe instead and delicious it was too...well done to The Balmoral Estate for a very well organised event but we would expect nothing less from a Royal Household...this was probably a piece of cake compared to organising a Royal Wedding.

Today's going to be a bit of a laid back "chill out and rest those weary legs" kind of a day but I may venture into the cubbyhole to finish off creating labels for the latest Timmie Toy to arrive in the cubbyhole...

an ink palette for all my Distress Re-Inkers.... 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Penny Black Saturday Challenge...Week 199

Morning folks...it's the weekend already and I can't remember it coming round so quickly away back when I worked 9 to 5 and Saturday means it's time for another challenge over at Penny Black Saturday...I have a sneaky feeling that you all rather enjoyed last week's "No Patterned Paper" challenge going by the fabulous entries...the winner has been chosen so pop over and check it out...it may be YOU.

The challenge this week is...

MAY DAY

we would like to see lots of spring theme creations and hopefully that might persuade our British weather to play ball...I'm sure just like me you are fed up of the rainy chilly miserable spring we've had so far...

and we've got a fabulous prize this week for one lucky winner who will be chosen at random and announced next Saturday from

4 Rolls of Kendra Crystallised Lace
in fabulous summery colours...Hot Pink...Light Pink... Lime and Opalised White

why don't you pop over and browse their fabulous online shop....lots of  "the more you buy...the more you save" offers and jam packed with gorgeous must-have new ribbons and buttons

But it's your turn now to get your Penny Blacks inked up...I'll be popping over to pay you all a visit during the week to see what you've created...have a great weekend and happy crafting.  I'll see you all tomorrow with news of my Royal Day-Out.

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

A bit of this...that and the other...

Hi folks...how are you all this morning...it's stopped raining (for the moment) and time for a round-up of what's been going on in the cubbyhole. I had a fabulous fun day yesterday with the lovely Huntly Hooligans...thanks girls for your wonderful company...it was great to meet up with you all again...laughter is truly the best pick-me-up in the world and it's free. I arrived home with a spring in my step and set to work finishing off the kits for The Altered Art Night at The Papeterie...one more job ticked off the craft list.

So what's on the agenda for today...you know by now that I'm one of the world's "skidding in by the seat of my pants" kind of crafters...so my Penny Black Saturday's DT card is top of the crafty list but at the moment it hasn't got further than the "thinking about it" stage.

I know that you've probably been tossing and turning all night pondering what I used for the raindrops on yesterday's card...

NO...well I'm going to tell you anyway just in case there's anyone out there who is a little bit curious...it's the little push out's from the "A" from Tim's fabulous Word Play die...

and after die-cutting for 50 kits...I had enough raindrops for a torrential downpour. As much as I would love to sit here and chat...I need to get my super fast skates on and get that DT card made because guess where I'm going tomorrow...Balmoral Castle by special invitation...

yes Her Maj's home on Royal Deeside...exciting I know but the thing is there are now a few more dilemmas in my life...should I be practising my curtsey and do you think I should wear a hat.

I'll see you all tomorrow for another fabby challenge over at Penny Black Saturday.

Hugs Kath xxx

What The Heck...

HI folks...I survived the mega magazine removal job yesterday... JUST...crikey my poor old back is wondering what hit it...they are all now safely tucked away in the garage until I decide their fate apart from the 5 or 6 that came to bed with me last night and after finding some cracking projects which kick started some ideas for future workshops...it looks like I'll have to check out 10 years worth of copies...well you never know how many crafty jewel ideas might be hidden in there.  Here we go again...the hoarder in me is now at loggerheads with my super organised obsession for decluttering the cubbyhole...what stays and what goes is now the dilemma...I did tell you I was a lost cause didn't I. No time for declutter decisions today I should be getting my skates on with the prepping for the Altered Art Night at The Papeterie...only a week away...

but the die cutting production line isn't exactly floating my boat this morning...I'm feeling a little bit stir crazy with the never ending rain and you know me...I'm the proverbial "chasing my tail" "skidding in by the seat of my pants" kind of crafter...why change the habits of a lifetime when you have the opportunity to skive off on a jolly...a "dance in the rain" and splash in the puddles" kind of a day. I'm meeting up with the Huntly Hooligans aka Carol...Aud...Maureen...Helen and Lily for a bite of lunch and a good old natter...what the heck...tomorrow's another day...if only all decisions were as easy to make.

and a couple of "crikey I wish it would stop raining" cards...

 I wonder if you can guess what I used for the raindrops...

The bad news is it looks as though it's going to be wet right through the weekend so to save your sanity...why don't you pop out to The Papeterie on Saturday for a crafty cure-all...the good news is...2 of my crafting buddies will be there to thrill you with exciting free demos...

DEBBI...The Queen of Promarkers will be demonstrating the best ways to use your Promarkers and Flexmarkers (10.00am-1.00pm)
and
ERIKA will be showcasing the latest products from Personal Impressions including making your own tissue tape...distress techniques as well as using Spellbinder Dies and Embossing Folders (10.00am-4.00pm)

and then you can join DEBBI for a Flexmarkers Masterclass (1.30pm-3.30pm)...a hands on class which will give you the chance to try out Letraset's fabulous Flexmarkers...there are still a few places available so contact Charlotte on 01224 802337 to reserve your place

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx