Another Give-Away...

Hi folks...can you believe we're into the 8th month of the year already and who was I kidding when I predicted that the DIY project would all be done and dusted by now...looks like the project manager has failed miserably in the Grand Design Stakes to bring it all in on time never mind on budget...probably because I underestimated the time it takes to paint just ONE DOOR but I'm looking on the bright side...3 doors down and number 4 just needs a shiny coat of gloss and that's the family room finished...

just 2 more doors to go in the little hallway and the finishing line is in sight...hoop-dee-do I'll be dancing on the ceiling...running around like a loon and I may even pop a cork or two in celebration...BUT hang on a minute...thoughts of celebrating may well be a bit premature...there's a little niggling doubt floating around in my head...do I really like this pale cream colour...NOT SURE...do I wish I'd gone for a more light mushroomish hue...PERHAPS...do I want to paint the walls all over again...DEFINITELY NOT...will it grow on me...MAYBE or will it drive me crazy and in 6 month's time I'll be doing it all over again...WHO KNOWS. It's decision time and while I ponder...a cuppa and a quick scan through this month's copy of Craft Stamper is what I fancy and guess what...they've doubled up on the delivery again...I need to get on the phone and see what's going on...

but it does mean that you can have a copy too along with the free stamp which is rather gorgeous...leave me a comment here before 8pm on Saturday 3rd August and I'll announce the winner on Sunday.

Toodle-oo for now...see you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Be careful what you wish for...

Hi folks...there's a very true saying... "Be Careful What You Wish For".  After Saturday's melting daytime temperatures and a night spend tossing and turning in the sauna atmosphere upstairs...crikey I've no sooner fallen asleep than I'm awake drenched in sweat and not the ladylike little bit of perspiration either...that horrible "will have to get up and wipe myself down with a cold flannel" sweaty betty feeling and there are only so many times you can turn that pillow for that blissful for a moment cold side of the pillow feeling...I was praying for a little respite from the heat.  And voila...Sunday morning dawned cool...dull and a little bit drizzly...perhaps I would be spending the day in the garden after a quick trip to The Papeterie to retrieve my left behind heat gun....yes Miss Memory always seems to forget something. But that was the least of my worries...little did I know the weather had a great big surprise up his sleeve...my quick trip turned into a very scary "did I drive into a car wash by mistake" adventure...torrential rain like I've never seen before...the "could hardly see beyond the car bonnet" kind of rain...I was expecting to see the wipers take off never to be seen again at any minute and what possessed me to take my usual short-cut winding country road route...even crawling through knee deep water at a snail's pace gave the car roof a sudden impromptu hose down and oh boy the sensation that your rudderless mode of transport may be floating is not an experience I would like to repeat.  But heat gun retrieved I arrived home feeling 10 years older...a bit shook up...very soggy and in need of just one more trauma-relieving Melt Pot playtime session...

But today this "getting too old for scary adventures" crafty person is playing it safe...DIY may not feature very high up the list of exciting pastimes but hey when you don't have that many of your nine lives left...painting a door is as about as adventurous as it's going to get for the foreseeable future.

I'll see you all tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

Melting Point...

Hi folks...everything's got it's melting point and oh boy did we come close to ours on Saturday at The Papeterie...trust Summer to choose that particular day to return to our neck of the woods...the sun was streaming in those big "lots of light" windows...6 Melt Pots were cooking at the UTEE setting all day and despite 2 fans running...well greasy plooks and sweaty bettys might be the best way to describe the state of us all by the end of the day but with our usual good humour we soldiered on and had great fun...

 capturing little charms and trinkets forever in UTEE filled Bezels...

playing with Texture Treads and trying our hands at a little bit of marbling...

I love it when you give crafty folks a tiny bit of inspiration and before you know they are off and running with it...putting their own spin on things...I really do have the bestest job in the world...thanks again girls for being crafty superstars...for your wonderful cheerful happy faces company in spite of feeling that you'd been spit roasted in the process...I'm looking forward to you sharing with me your fabulous future Melt Pot Makes.
But I'll be playing with an entirely different medium today...I'm resisting the current temptation to dip everything I see in a glossy coat of UTEE....determined to crack on with the DIY painty stuff...I know not nearly so much fun but hey someone's got to do it so it's a hot date day with a paintbrush. Time and tide wait for no man...in 2 days time Mr H will be posting his August tag...we're on time's slippery slope and the year's running away with us...before you know it will be...yep Christmas

I'll see you all tomorrow to share the last of the Melt Pot makes.

Hugs Kath xxx

Ground Breaking News...

Hi folks...a rather catch your attention blog post title this morning...sadly not exactly accurate...more like a load of old waffle but before I bore you all with today's dilemma...I do have some important news to share...the winner of the Manic Monday Papermania Give-Away is...

MARG (14)

congratulations Marg...if you contact me with your address I'll get your goodies off in the mail and there's more news...the FISKARS FUSE HOBBYCRAFT DEMOS in Edinburgh this coming weekend and Aberdeen the following weekend have been postponed and will be rescheduled for September/October...I'll let you know as soon as I have definite dates.  Which means that after working my cotton socks off to be prepped for what I thought was going to be a "working 3 weekends on the trot" start to the month of August...I've now got a couple of "free weekends" on my hands and my mind has gone into major boggle mode...decisions decisions....do I continue with the DIY...so close to the end now that a few days of frantic paintbrush activity might just finish it off...on the plus side...I could get the curtains rehung...

and my library of favourite books and CD's back in place...

on the other hand will the old joints stand up to back-to-back days of crawling around on all fours painting those never ending skirting boards...perhaps it might be best to space out the pain...or perhaps I could hop online and book a few days get-away from it all...no internet...no phone signal just peace and quiet somewhere remote in a little but 'n ben...

sounds good BUT will the weather be kind...walking the hills with the rain running out the a**e of your breeks is not a fun pastime or do I treat myself to a cubbyhole crafty play week...me and the Hero Arts Stamp-a-Story goodies that arrived more than a month ago and up to now haven't had a sniff of an ink pad but what do you bet that will be the week that Summer returns...scorchio temperatures turn the cubbyhole into a sauna and that means one hot sticky grumpy crafty person.

But first there's today big decision to ponder over...an appointment at the hairdresser has sent me into that old familiar "what's a girl to do" mode...do I go for short...short...nice and cool if the sun decides to return or just a little tidy up to keep the old barnet cosy if that old North Wind decides to blow...see what I mean...weighing up the pros and cons and making the all important "GO FOR IT" decision doesn't come easy for this "I'm not indecisive...I just can't make up mind" dithery old crafter. But one thing's for sure...I'll see you all tomorrow to share our Melting Pot Fun Afternoon Class at The Papeterie

Hugs Kath xxx

Melt Pot Fun...

Hi folks...time to share my fun Melt Pot morning class at The Papeterie yesterday with a full to the rafters class of my favourite crafty girls...

I have to say I was a little bit concerned that someone might need emergency finger first aid but hey they listened to my "been there...done it and got the T shirt" advice and took to it like ducks to water...Ace Melt Pot Wizards each and every one and I'm happy to announce no fingers were harmed in the making of each canvas but I do suspect that certain persons were secretly hoping for a little bit of combustion excitement...just enough for the hunky firemen to dash in and rescue us all.

And here's what we made with Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap...Distress Paints...Stamps and Tattered Florals Die...Texture Treads...UTEE...Treasure Gold and Cosmic Shimmer Mica Flakes...

It looks like they all loved this little pot as much as I do...the stock flew off the shelves...from 10 to NIL in the time it takes to say UTEE. Charlotte will be getting more back in stock ready for the

17th AUGUST 

when I'll be back at The Papeterie along with this little must-have crafty tool for a....

MELT POT DEMO

10.00am - 12.00pm

followed by

MELT POT MAKE AND TAKES

1.00pm - 3.00pm

so if you've been toying with the idea of buying one...come along...have a play and let me show you what this wondrous little pot can do. I'll be back later in the week to share the gorgeous bits and pieces of jewellery we made in our Melting in more ways than one afternoon class.

Hugs Kath xxx

"12 Tags of 2013"...July

HI folks...yes I was as shocked as you are going to be when I tell you I just went and completely forgot about the tag for this month's "12 Tags of 2013"...crikey I hope Mr T doesn't read this...heavens above how could such a travesty happen...it may have been the excitement of managing to grab a place on Tim's Workshop in Coventry on the 29th August or could it possibly be that the old memory is deteriorating at a faster rate of knots than I thought...well I'm giving ME the benefit of the doubt and going with the first option.

and because I was going to be skidding in by the seat of my pants on this one and knew for a fact that I didn't have the Old Glory die...it was a "what the heck - grab the first die from the top of the pile" crafty session...it's sad I know but I have to confess to storing my dies in alphabetical order...it's that old "a place for everything and everything in it's place" Mrs Fussy Knickers obsession that I suffer from...

Now all you ornothology buffs will be wondering what species of bird this is...not the US Bald Headed Eagle that's for sure...let just say it's one of the artistic licence "adapt and overcome" variety...a rare species indeed.

I'm loving the brayer technique...wow that is one cool way to make a fabulous splotchy stripey look background and check out that fabulous Rocky Candy Distress Crackle painty look but I'd better hop over and link this boy up before the deadine runs out. I'm all set for a fun day at The Papeterie for my Melt Pot Madness class....protective clothing...fire extinquishers and evacuation procedures are in place...NO... not  for me I've already got asbestos fingers from years of hot glue guns and the like...it's for the hooligan crafters that will be joining me for this "Health & Safety are on RED ALERT" class and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

In the meantime have fun and enjoy your weekend.

Hugs Kath xxx

Rainy Day Fun...

Hi Folks...yesterday's weather was certainly nothing to write home about...couldn't make it's mind up one way or the other...dull and drizzly one minute with occasional blinks of the sun but us Scots are a hardy breed and after all our skins are waterproof so the oldies...the grandkiddies and the Furry Boy headed off for a "whatever the weather" day out starting with a game of football in the park...

 a little bit of  limbering up on the exercise machines...

while His Nibs partook of his favourite pastime...chewing the biggest stick he could find...

perhaps the weather might be better a little further inland...so we hitched up our wagon and headed to Alford for lunch and in true sods law fashion...the weather was even worse there and the Junior Driving School closed temporarily...

time to head indoors and a stroll around the Transport Museum...

but voila the clouds rolled back and the sun came out...a quick dash outside for some junior driving instruction on a more conventional means of transport...it looked great fun...sadly no adults allowed...

the grandkiddies are still on provisional licences as the heavens opened again and the school closed for the day...the scary driving test will be taken at a later date. A little bit weary and ever so hungry we headed home for tea...all in all a great fun if slightly soggy day. And I had to giggle as I think my driving was being scrutinised on the way home by the soon to be let loose on the road grandkiddies.

I'll be back tomorrow to share...oops my nearly forgot all about it...Timmie Tag

Hugs Kath xxx

This That and The Other...

Hi folks...crikey we're heading again for the end of another week and things haven't quite gone as planned in the crafty department...despite my great intentions of coming home from the Hobbycraft and yummy lunch out trip to get stuck into the list of stuff to do...I ended up vegetating on the sofa and probably like everyone else on the planet was glued to the box for our first glimpse of His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge...

I'm not a Royalist by any manner of means but I truly believe that William just like his Mother and Kate are the best thing that has ever happened to the Monarchy...how unstuffy they are...ditching all those old fashioned royal protocols...William with his sleeves rolled up and Kate making no attempt to hide her "still got that baby bump" tummy...happy and relaxed proud parents and I had a little giggle at William's obvious relief that he managed to fit the child's car seat first time. I just hope the world's media now leave them alone to enjoy the first precious weeks of bonding with their beautiful baby boy.

And talking of boys...the gorgeous grandkiddies will be arriving today for some fun time with Grandma and Grandad but with the weather playing silly beggars...yes we've had the thunder lightning and torrential "stair rods" rain too...that's put paid to my plan of a day at Stonehaven beach...a picnic lunch...an ice cream from Aunty Betty's and Fish and Chips for supper so I need to come up with an indoor pastime that will burn up some of that exuberant energy that all kids are blessed with.

But first I'll be burning a bit of midnight oil to finish off the kitting for the afternoon class at The Papeterie on Saturday...making our own Melt Pot Jewellery with Mixed Media Bezels...

toodle-oo for now and I'll see you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Glad...Sad and Spitting Fire Mad...

Hi folks...let's kick off with THE GLAD...how chuffed was I when this gorgeous thank you card popped through my letterbox from the lovely Lorraine who won the Craft Stamper give-away...

an e-mail to let me know that the parcel has arrived safely is really all that's required...casting no aspersions on our Royal Mail (prone to lose stuff occasionally) postal service but it definitely makes my day when lovely crafty folks take the time to make me such a beautiful card...love the image and Lorraine's gorgeous colour work...I have a box full of little treasures such as these so a big thank you Lorraine for your kind thoughtfulness...it means a lot.

Just to let you know that I'm devastated that my lovely dentist has apparently gone over to the dark side...all of a sudden he's joined the ranks of the bad guys...the SAD news is the old gnashers are in need of some TLC...I'm even more SAD that I'm booked in for another 2 torture and trauma visits...my teeth are on edge just at the thought.
I'm definitely a "wear my heart on my sleeve" kind of a person...if you pop over regularly you'll know exactly how I'm feeling on any particular day and today I'm MAD...spitting fire MAD in fact. The ugly side of the human race never fails to get my dander up...shocked...reviled and upset after reading some folks comments on Facebook about our wonderful Royal Baby news...the birth of a baby is a joyous occasion for every couple whether you're Royalty or Mr and Mrs Joe Bloggs down the street and if they've nothing nice to say...well to put it bluntly...they should keep their mouths shut and crawl back under the stones from whence they came...to call a little innocent baby a free-loading brat says more about their level of intelligence and moral fibre than anything else and believe me that was one of the mild ones...the rest were unfit for publication here. Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing but sadly the anonimity of social media sites seems to give people the idea that it's OK to be downright nasty and malicious...say whatever they like...make peoples' lives a misery and there will be no repercussions but things may be a-changing...folks are fighting back...standing up to these nasties...the "Don't Blame Facebook" documentary the other night made very interesting viewing...a nasty internet troll being tracked down and getting his come-uppance made my night and went a little way to restoring my faith in human nature.
OK rant over...the day can only get better...the morning stroll with my furry partner always lifts my spirits...a morning with the staff at Hobbycraft Aberdeen with the promise of coffee should be fun and meeting up with a friend for lunch will continue the mood so toodle-oo-for now and I'll see you all tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx  

Happy News + the grumpy stuff...

Hi folks...the world is a-buzz with the fabulous news of the arrival of a bonny bouncing baby Prince...William and Kate have now become a happy little family and I can't help but think about Diana...how proud she would be and what a wonderful hands-on Grandma she would have been...not to mention our exclusive club would have been welcoming it's most glamorous member. And to celebrate the birth of the Royal Baby...there's a right ROYAL GIVE-AWAY over at The Ribbon Girl Blog. And there's more happy news...my gorgeous grandkiddies are coming to stay on Thursday meaning that the crafty schedule requires a little bit of shifting around...the kitting has been brought forward by a day or two and just for you...a few sneaky peeks of the Melt Pot Madness Canvas for Saturday's Kath's Klub Class at The Papeterie...

and then there's the grumpy stuff...yesterday turned into one of those "well excuse me" kind of days...just when I thought I had the whole week planned down to the minute...technology stepped in and threw a wobbly...Mr E-Mail kept bouncing my Fiskars back to the wall deadline work stuff back into my Inbox and that's where it still is...what are the chances of him being in a co-operative frame of mind this morning because I don't have time for another battling technology day...far more pressing things to be concerned about...yes it's my date with THE DENTIST day...my 6-monthly check up...fingers crossed he doesn't find something that needs doing, something that involves lots of poking and prodding with my old mouth jammed wide open for what seems hours and I can never fathom why they freeze your mouth...then start a conversation leaving you incapable of forming any word that is vaguely recognisable in the english language while drool runs down your chin. The best case scenario is I only need a scale and polish...crikey what am I saying...that has to be the torture to beat all tortures...the noise sets your teeth on edge while that water suction thing damn near chokes you...can you tell I'm not exactly over the moon about the prospect...yep big girl knicker time...time to calm down and think positive...this time tomorrow it'll be over and with a little bit of luck I won't have to go back for another 26 weeks.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Manic Monday Give-Away...

Hi folks...the crafty schedule has well and truly gone into over-drive...it's looking like it's going to be a busy old week in the cubbyhole...after chilling out over the weekend enjoying a bit of the old sunshiney weather I'm back to being the proverbial hamster on the wheel again and kicking off the week I have a Fiskars Christmas Scrapbooking Nordic themed Commission to finish off...

photograph...get in the mail and not forgetting my favourite job...typing up and e-mailing the dreaded step-by-steps before moving on to the next one...

Tuesday I've got the dentist but we won't dwell on that too much...Wednesday...Mr Fuse and I are taking a trip to my local Hobbycraft for a bit of staff training...Thursday I'll be kitting for Kath's Klub at The Papeterie...Friday I'm kicking up my heels and escaping for some girly fun with the Friday Girls and Saturday...I'm at the Papeterie...looks like the word this week is going to be...BREATHE
And I have a little give-away for you...I used a Papermania Goody Bag for the Nordic themed commission...the 12 x 12 papers were perfect for the job but I'm left with oodles and oodles of stuff that I probably won't use...

A4 Christmas Papers...

Stamp...Decoupage Card Kit...Tags...Bows and Red Velvet Ribbon 

so get your names in the hat by leaving your name with Mr Inlinkz before 8pm on Sunday 28th and I'll announce the lucky winner bright and early on Monday morning.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

The Ribbon Girl Colour Challenge...July

Hi everyone...time for a brand new Colour Challenge over at The Ribbon Girl blog and the colours chosen this month are to celebrate all the fabulous blue sky weather we've been enjoying...

BLUE AND WHITE

I seem to have a paintbrush permanently welded to my hand at the moment so no surprise then that it's yet another paint-a-box project...a great excuse to use up another of these cheap as chips papier mache boxes I bought from The Papeterie for £2.99...

yes you did read that correctly 4 nesting boxes for £2.99...great bargain. After a quick coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which just happened to still be on my wordesk from yesterday's project...a bit of stamping and decorating with gorgeous Ribbon Girl goodies...voila a cute gift box...

Stamping on papier mache can be a bit daunting...think rough uneven surface and I apologise if I have shared this little trick with you before...ink up your stamp and lay the sides of the box on to the stamp and press from inside...you probably still won't get a perfect impression of your image but hey it all adds to the vintage shabby look...

as always there are fabulous prizes to be won from

our friends at Lily Of The Valley

and

The Ribbon Girl

and wonderful inspiration from the rest of my fabulous teamies including our Guest Designer for this month...the lovely and very talented Tracy Payne...so what are you waiting for...hop on over and join in the fun.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and happy crafting...I'll see you all tomorrow with a Manic Monday Give-Away.

Hugs Kath xxx