What's on my Workdesk Wednesday...

Morning folks...wow yesterday didn't half turn out to be a mega exciting day...real edge of the seat stuff but after more than a few gulps gasps and breath holding moments on my part...the GB Eventing Team rode home with a Silver Medal in the Team Event....huge congratulations guys you did a great job....

but all that excitement took it's toll...crikey I feel as though I jumped every fence and aged about 10 years watching the "right down to the wire" final few rounds and after a couple of days of couch potato laziness I'm itching to get back to some crafty stuff.

It's hard to believe it's the first of August already and it's Wednesday...time to pop on over to Julia's place and meet up with all the lovely WOYWW folks for a crafty snoop of what they're up to.

So what's on my workdesk this morning....

NOT A LOT....

not that I haven't got anything to do...in  fact I've got a list as long as my arm but before I can get started on some Sizzix die cutting...I need to pop out and source some supplies...

and look what arrived in the Sizzix goodie bundle...another snowflake die for the cubbyhole collection

I wonder who told them about my snowflake addiction...

But short and sweet it has to be today...I've got our morning stroll...shower and breakfast to fit in before I can take off for a morning of fabric shopping followed some playtime in the cubbyhole.  

Catch up with you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Having fun with Alcohol Inks...

Morning folks...before we get to the "having fun with alcohol inks" bit...I have to say that yesterday's Olympic Sofa Marathon was thrills...spills...against the clock "sitting on the edge of your seat" excitement at the 3 Day Event Cross Country...well done to team GB now sitting in Silver Medal position in the Team Event going in to today's showjumping...fingers crossed for clear rounds all round...I'll be locking the door...taking the phone off the hook...a nail biting time...

GAME ON...Mary...Nicola...Zara...Tina and William....YOU CAN DO IT

Sadly barring disastrous rounds by the top 3...none of the Brits look to be in contention for Individual Gold so I'll be hooting and tooting for the veteran "still at the top of his game" 56 year old Mark Todd...probably the world's best ever 3 Day Eventer and after winning 49 major titles throughout his career...no-one deserves another Olympic GOLD more than him....COME ON TODDY and CAMPINO

Edited to add: in the world of horses and eventing...things can change in a heartbeat...after brilliant clear rounds...Mary King and Tina Cook are now in contention for a medal....come on...do it for the girls...

Back to the crafty stuff...a big thank you to all the lovely crafty girls who came to my Tim Holtz Masterclass 2 at The Papeterie on Saturday....

we had lots of fun playing with alcohol inks on different mediums and for those of you who have never dipped your toes into the world of alcohol inks because you think it has to be all dark and grungy....we were in "Clean and Simple" mode...pretty and soft was the order of the day...

 on acetate and gloss paper

on shrink plastic

finishing off with a tag and the first stamping of this must-have Hero Arts Feather Stamp....

See you all tomorrow over at WOYWW and with the cubbyhole having been more or less abandoned in favour of all things Olympic...who knows what will be on my workdesk

Hugs Kath xxx

A Crafty Retreat...

HI Folks...hot of the press news flash coming up...

THE PAPETERIE 

Aberdeen is proud to announce dates for their first ever...

CRAFT RETREAT

Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd September

 Sounds tempting doesn't it...a chance to ditch the household chores...get away from it all...a fun weekend of crafty playtime with lots of like-minded crafty folks....

click HERE for more details

but you don't have to miss out on the fun if you can't manage to escape for a whole weekend...why don't you come and join Debbi Charlotte and this old crafty girl at a...

PAPERCRAFTS EXTRAVAGANZA

on Sunday 7th October

10.00am - 4.00pm

You will create 3 fabulous projects...all materials supplied.

free tea coffee juice and water available throughout the day

and a yummy buffet lunch

the chance to make new crafty friends and a guaranteed fun day

Places are limited so to book a place

call Charlotte on 01224 802337

Hope to see you there

I'll be back later to share yesterday's excitement and what we got up to at my Alcohol Ink Workshop at The Papeterie on Saturday

Hugs Kath xxx

Olympics versus Crafty List...

Morning folks...I had a bit of a Olympics Versus The Crafty List dilemma yesterday...according to my furry partner my entering the Olympic Sofa Marathon is going to play havoc with the Crafty List deadline schedule but surely the logistical department of the cubbyhole crew can come with yet another "adapt and overcome solution"...after all they've had plenty practice and remember...where there's a will...there's always a way.  So out came the Events Guide and a marker pen and after lots of negotiation...a bit of digging my heels in and sticking to my guns...I think we've cracked it...an "everybody's happy" viewing list.

yet another use for those fabulous Distress Markers...

I just need to make sure I stick to my allotted viewing slots or I may well have a "down tools" full blown mutiny on my hands.

Back to sharing some more "tart up your stash" Christmas cards from yesterday's Kraft Resist post and if you have no idea what I'm talking about...basically changing the papers you're not so keen on into something more up your street.....

simply swiped over with Distress Stain Picket Fence softens down the dark colours
 and leaves a gorgeous slatey grey/blue paper

this one is even darker...

but with another swipe of Picket Fence followed by Broken China...it's growing on me by the minute...

but no demo would be complete without throwing a bit of Distress Ink Pad Blending and Perfect Pearls Misting into the mix...

I'll be back tomorrow to share what we made at our afternoon Alcohol Ink Workshop...I'm off to consult the Sofa Marathon Viewing List...get the kettle on and who says I can't sneak in a quick Olympic peek whilst I enjoy my morning cuppa.

But before I dash off...hot off the press news from The Ribbon Girl....

fabulous new goodies have just arrived in their online store...

Mini Makes kits from Rose Cottage Kits exclusive to the Ribbon Girl...

if you would like to win this beautiful Lavender Mini Makes Kit hop on over to The Ribbon Girls

and get your name in the hat....there's another give-away on the Ribbon Girl Facebook page...

woohooo 2 chances to win.

Hugs Kath xxx

Kraft Resist Christmas

Morning folks...after 7 years in the planning they are finally here....let THE GAMES begin and I have to say I'm feeling rather proud of Great Britain right now and looking forward to 2 weeks of fabulous sporting entertainment...think I may well be struggling to drag myself away from the box cheering on Team GB.
I had a fun day yesterday at The Papeterie kicking off the morning with a "I'm still in "a la" Christmas mode" demo...something a little bit different...time for a bit of a thinking outside the box using the gorgeous papers from Tim Holtz Kraft Resist "Christmas Memories" Paper Stash...perhaps not the papers that you would immediately rush to for making Christmas cards but with a little bit of stamping...embossing in white and playing with Distress Stains...a complete transformation from this...

to this...

That was one of my favourite papers from the pack but there are others that are very dark with large bold alphabets which...to be perfectly honest...I didn't think would be my cup of tea for a Christmas card...

but us crafters like to get maximum mileage out of our crafty purchases so I'll be back tomorrow with some ideas for using those not so likeable papers in your stash. My Olympic Sofa Marathon begins...a day of feet up chilling out...hope you have a fun day whatever you're doing.  

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

Christmas Fun...

Morning folks...woohooo the weather's been great hasn't it over the last few days...let's hope it holds up for the Olympics...sun...sun...sun all the way unlike the cubbyhole which seems to be doing the whole Winter in July thing...snowflakes everywhere at the moment...
Debbi Charlotte and I had a fun night at our Christmas Altered Art Evening at The Papeterie...thanks to all the lovely crafty girls who came along to play and here are the three projects we made...

at my work station a cute Snowman to decorate your Christmas Mantlepiece...

 binding Charlotte's fabulous Calendar Book...

waiting for the glue to dry on Debbi's gorgeous decoration... 

Well it's ta ta for now from me...I'm all set for another day of fun and frolics at The Papeterie...I'm thinking I should just take my bed over and move in permanently...see you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Edited to add: wasn't the Olympic Opening Ceremony just FANTASTIC..loved it...well done Danny and London but was it a good idea staying up until the very last minute...feel as though I've been pulled through a hedge and probably have the looks to match...gotta hope a nice hot shower wakes me up and sorts out the scary look.

A trip down memory lane...

Hi folks...I knew that you would love the beautiful sketches of my adorable Furry Boy by the mega talented Alexandra and just wanted to say a big thank you for all your lovely comments from one slighty biased soppy old Mum. I'm chilling out and winding down in my jammies and slippers...yes they've turned again...after a fun evening of Christmas Frolics at The Papeterie. It won't be long before I'm heading up the hill to Bedfordshire and an hour at the computer in the company of Mr Picasa editing photos ain't floating my boat right now so I'll share all the Christmas Altered Art news with you on Saturday.
It's been a bit of a mad old week but I'm getting back up to speed with the crafty list...the Sizzix commission makes are done and dusted. I had great fun making the projects using fabric felt and stitching and it didn't half stir up some memories from way back...the days of the wooden boilers long before sliced bread or mobile phones...days that lots of you are far too young to remember.  My love of stitching took off when I inherited an old Singer Treadle Sewing Machine in my teens...no plugging into the National Grid in those days...it was all down to pedal power and the getting the knack of co-ordinating your feet...a bit like riding a bike. I'd never done any machine sewing before but being a "jump in with both feet" "I can do anything if I put my mind to it" kind of girl...I invested in a few Butterick (remember them) patterns...a few yards of material and I was hooked...after one or two absolutely "wouldn't be seen dead outside the door in that" outfits I was running up the latest fashions...remember this was the age of the mini skirt and hot pants made in the most outrageous colour palettes...I thought I looked so cool in my flower power hippy pyschedelic creations...believe me you would cringe too if you saw the photos. It's definitely rekindled my love of stitching so the electrically powered all singing...all dancing...sewing machine will be getting a lot more use.
If you've got this far you're probably thinking she's off on a waffle again and you're absolutely right...no cards to post today instead I'll leave you with some sneaky peeks of what we've been getting up to in the cubbyhole this week...wouldn't want you to run away with the idea I've been skivving off again...

the stitching makes...

hope I can share them with you soon...

and Saturday's Demo Samples...
lots of snowflakes...Christmas is just around the corner don't you know...

Time to hit the sack...I need all the sleep I can get to tackle tomorrow's "least favourite job"...the dreaded step-by-step's..oh joy of joys...big girl knickers and lots of coffee required and then time to pack up the stuff for Saturday's demo and workshop at The Papeterie....life on the cubbyhole crafty hamster wheel returns to normal.

Night Night...Sleep Tight Everyone

Hugs Kath xxx