Sneaky Peek Saturday...

Hi folks...I'm flabbergasted that it's the last day of November already...crikey this year has just flown by and it's St Andrews Day so I'm wishing all my fellow Scots where ever you may be in the world...a very happy day and although I'm not a whisky drinker...I may just manage to join you all in a wee dram of the water of life tonight.
Yesterday didn't quite go according to plan...still shocked by the realisation that Christmas is just around the corner I got a call from the man with the buckets of plaster reminding me he will be arriving bright and early Monday morning to work his magic on the hall and staircase. So it was a "in a bit of a tizzy" day lifting the carpets...umpteen trips to the skip to dispose of them (I'm now on first name terms with the guys at the local recycling depot by the way and may well be on their Christmas Card list for this year) and then relocating furniture...in other words moving the clutter somewhere else...all in all a day that can only be described as...

D.I.Y....1 - CRAFTING...0

so nothing much to share today apart from some sneaky peeks of what's coming tomorrow...

And decisions...decisions...do I pack up the car today ready for an early start to Sunday's Car Boot Adventure...not sure...the weather has turned decidedly chilly and wintry looking...I don't fancy standing around for hours with frozen feet and a north wind chilling the old bones but there aren't many Sundays left...so the question is...do I move all the clutter out to the garage and wait until the Spring or bite the bullet and go for it.  Mrs Indecisive is still sitting on the fence...just can't make her mind up.

But one thing's for sure...I'll see you all tomorrow over at The Ribbon Girls for the last challenge of 2013.

Hugs Kath xxx

Cooking by gas...

Hi folks...after getting the "12 Tags of 2013" settled comfortably in their new accommodation...the next task was  finding a suitable residence for the 30 tags from Creative Chemistry 102. I'd already tried the spacious open plan house idea but with so many tags all jammed into one space...the doors wouldn't close so it was back to pondering...deliberating and racking my brains for a "divide into small sections" solution.
And as it happens...it was sitting right there on the shelf staring me in the face...the worn covers that I had bought specifically for this very purpose and seem to have forgotten...

 and matching page pockets perfect for holding tags

the only excuse I can muster for being such a numptie is "that the earlier in the week" lightbulb moment overloaded this crafty old brain...blew a fuse in the memory department and caused a bit of a spectacular short circuit crisis in the cubbyhole.

But the covers need a little bit of decoration and I have the very thing...

and the moral of the story...why try to make life complicated when Tim has already done all the hard work and come up with the perfect solution. Back to cooking by gas and a messy inky stampy kinda day.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

"No Way Jose"...

Hi folks...wishing all our crafty American Cousins...a very Happy Thanksgiving...a time of feasting and fun...enjoy.
On this side of the pond...the best laid plans have gone a bit haywire...it was a real "No Way Jose" moment when I tried to fit the 30 tags from the Creative Chemistry 102 class into my newly decorated Eclectic Elements Journal...

there were just too many layers and what's the point of having a book if the darned thing won't close...time to admit defeat...switch on the thinking cap and try to come up with a solution. I was determined this was not going to be another of those white elephant finished projects...taking up space but serving no useful purpose. What I needed was one of those rare occurence megawatt lightbulb genius moments and hey presto after a few flickering attempts...I've hit upon a "killing 2 birds with one stone" idea and it's now the new home for the tags from

"12 Tags of 2013" 

Now being a bit of a thrifty Scotswoman...I only used my precious Eclectic Elements fabrics for the front cover...all the other pages were covered with papers from Tim's French Industrial Paper Stack but as Eclectic Elements are based on Tim's paper designs...they fit together beautifully...a perfect "back of the net" match.

In my crazy cubbyhole declutter...I decided that the large wall canvasses storing 3 years of "12 Tags" had to go along with their accompanying layers of dust so I'm rather pleased that I've found the perfect home for this year's tags although I have rather shot myself in the foot...yes I need to find time to decorate another 2 journals to house tags from "2011" and "2012".

 and the cubbyhole's resident poseur was making sure he got a bit of the action...

But what about the Creative Chemistry 102 tags I hear you ask...well I've managed to find the perfect home for those too...I'll be back tomorrow to tell you where they will be residing but first I need a cuppa and a lie down in a darkened room...being a genius is such hard work.

Hugs Kath xxx

From bedlam to boredom and back...

Hi folks...it's official...the no work regime ain't working...instead of the intended having lots of playtime...I've fallen into that age old trap...the more time you have on your hands...the less you get done...the cubbyhole crew have been struck down with the dreaded lazitis virus...the kettle is complaining of being over worked and the sofa cushion has a permanent dent from overuse...in other words the daily routine has just flown out of the window.
Not exactly helped by the Furry Boy's alarm clock either...it seems it's eventually adjusted to the time change but has gone beserk in the other direction...sleeping in until 8-9 o'clock is playing haywire with my body clock...you stay up later at night and before you know you're in a vicious circle of can't be bothered doing anything. It seems we've gone from the usual cubbyhole bedlam to boredom all in the space of a few days.
But help was at hand when the old brain kicked in....the one that's used to constantly coming up with insane ideas to help this old crafty girl out of a tight spot and what better way to halt the idleness than a much needed declutter of the cubbyhole...the "wish I'd never started" solution to get things back to normal...
So with a mountain of black bags...we got stuck in...clearing the walls of all the old projects ready for a freshen up make-over in the New Year...

and a "taking no prisoners" ruthless clear out of all the stuff I never use...none of the "that might come in handy...back in the drawer" nonsense...boxed up and delivered to a local cardmaking group before I could do my usual dithering...once it's gone it's gone as they say. But like all  my "brilliant but insane" ideas...this particular mad moment task grew legs...well if a job's worth doing...it's worth doing right...every nook and crannie was cleared...every surface cleaned within an inch of it's life...the keepers are back in place and the last of the clutter will be accompanying me on a trip to my local Car Boot on Sunday...weather permitting.

I've been "from bedlam to boredom and back" in the last few days but hey it's worked wonders curing me of my lazitis syndrome...since then I've been cracking on with my "Eclectic Elements" Journal which was intended for all my Creative Chemistry 102 tags but that idea hit the skids in spectacular "No Way Jose" fashion and I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about that particular cubbyhole saga.

Hugs Kath xx

"12 Tags of 2013"

Hi folks...crikey it just seems like yesterday that we were all anticipating the very first "12 Tags of 2013" tag way back in January and in the blink of an eye...it's November and time to play along with this month's tag...

and once again I'm in the "skidding in by the seat of my pants" category all because of that age old problem that I seem to suffer from...memory loss...bad filing...call it what you will but I was convinced I had white chalk somewhere in the cubbyhole but I'm darned if I can find it. So I set off on a chalk finding expedition to my local supermarket and guess what...plenty of coloured but not one stick of white to be had and with no time to trudge around town hunting down this elusive product...I e-mailed the enabling guru...my lovely buddy Anne to ask if she could point me in the right direction and lo and behold a package containing the white gold arrived in the cubbyhole the very next day...typical of my lovely buddy...how kind she is.
And it's thanks to my fellow TH addict...the sweetheart that is Anne that you're about to feast your eyes on the cubbyhole version of this month's tag at all...

I'm loving the Blueprint Framelits and a big shout out to Tim and Sizzix for bringing us the fabulous Magnetic Platform...it makes lining up your dies and stamped images an absolute piece of cake...however did we manage without it...

But I might have known that my bold woohoo statement  "the work stuff is up-to-date...bring on playtime" would jump up and bite me on the bum...no sooner had the words passed my lips than an e-mail from Fiskars popped into my Inbox with a PDF of all the fabulous new 2014 products which are currently making their way to the cubbyhole with project commissions attached but c'est la vie...it's all part and parcel of the crafty job I love.  I'm itching to share them with you all but for now I'm under strict "stapled lips...very hush hush" orders...oh bother.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Layering Stencils...

Hi Folks...after a break for lunch it was back to the crafty table for more fun with all my lovely Kath's Klub girls and here they are...heads down...deep in concentration...

 doing what us crafty girls love best...making lots of mess and

 having lots of fun with Tim's Layering Stencils Blueprint Stamps and Framelits and Distress Glitters...

and here's what we made...

A huge thank you to all the crafty folks who have attended my demos and workshops at The Papeterie in 2013...it's been an absolute pleasure and lots of fun to have your company...wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2014.
I'll be back tomorrow to share my tag for "12 Tags of 2013"...yes another last minute Annie effort.

Hugs Kath xxx

Fun with Remnant Rubs...

Hi folks...another fun day at The Papeterie with my lovely Kath's Klub girls...the morning workshop was all about "Remnant Rubs" so after colouring the background using Weathered Wood Distress Paint...a little bit of blending with Distress Inks and stamping an image...

it was "do your own thing" time to decorate both cards with Tim's fabulous Remnant Rubs and here's what we made...

and we couldn't have a Christmas workshop without a little bit of Frantage...

I'll be back tomorrow to share what we made in the afternoon.

Hugs Kath xxx

It's playtime...

Hi folks...believe me I'm crossing my fingers and touching wood while I utter the following bold statement because going by past experience...it's more than likely to jump up and bite me on the bum but the work stuff is finally up-to-date and woohoo as from Monday it's going to be cubbyhole playtime...no deadlines...no kitting...just me having fun and catching up with the pile of goodies purchased over the last few months and currently lying neglected in a corner.  Top of that pile is the bundle of gorgeous Eclectic Elements fabrics from Tim Holtz...

a "killing 2 birds with one stone" project...a major "dipping in and dipping out" work in progress...my fellow Tim Holtz addicts may well have an inkling of what I'm up to...

but for those of you who may have been abducted by aliens or been off on your holidays to another planet...it's the huge task of filing all my tags from Creative Chemistry 102 into the journal that Rob MDF Man gave me at Birmingham...instead of painting...inking and distressing the covers...I've decided to put the sewing machine to good use and make patchwork versions...one down...one to go.

I have another treat in store today...I'll be spending the day with the lovely Kath's Klub girls at The Papeterie...guaranteed to be a day of fun laughter and crafting and a little bird tells me it's someone's birthday...woohoo does that mean there will also be CAKE.

I'll see you all tomorrow to share what we make.

Hugs Kath xxx

Sneaky Peek Friday...

Hi folks...yes sneaky peek Friday is back...sharing close up snapshots of what we'll be making at tomorrow's Kath's Klub at The Papeterie and it's hard to believe this is my LAST workshop of the year and what a year it's been...lots of gallivanting here there and everywhere...sharing my passion for all things crafty with lots of lovely crafty folks. But before I go off on yet another tangent reminiscing about this that and the other...I'd best get a move on and share the sneaky peeks of tomorrow's crafty makes using lots of TH goodies...

Distress Paint...Remnant Rubs...Layering Stencils and Blueprint Stamps...

But it's tally-ho time...I'm off to get the workshop kits and supplies packed up...see you all tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

Creative Cardmaking...

Hi folks...the snow has gone...disappeared as quickly as it arrived and we're back to boring black tarmac again but hey ho I doubt if we've seen the last of it...temperatures are barely above freezing so it's that time of year when the cubbyhole crew retreat to our crafty cave to crank up the christmas card production line or head to the kitchen to make the Christmas Cake and plan the Christmas Menu and that means I'll be flicking through the M&S foodie catalogue and getting my order in before the cut off date.
But back to the crafty stuff...have you got your copy of this month's Creative Cardmaking Magazine along with the fabulous Craftwork Cards give-away and lots of gorgeous inspirational projects from the Design Team...if not...you need to pop along to your local craft shop and get your hands on a copy...

and what a give-away...lots of gorgeous Christmas Red and Green papers along with 2 sheets of die cut flowers sentiments banners...ribbons and pearls and here's what I made using the give-away goodies...tags from the Kraft Tag Pad...some chipboard letters and of course...Candi

See you all tomorrow...sneaky peek Friday is back...

Hugs Kath xxx