Tim Holtz Playtime...Day 4

Hi folks...sadly my last day of sharing for now what I've been making with my new Tim Holtz goodies...

and probably my favourite card of the week using the fabulous Shadowpress Wishes Sentiments Set and Layered Dragonfly Die and matching embossing folder and I couldn't resist revisiting the Distress Crackle Paint technique from July's "12 Tags of 2014"

I was tempted to add something else to the card but decided for once to leave well alone and let this gorgeous die and embossing folder do the talking...

and to prove the versatility of Tim Holtz products...a clean and simples card if that's what floats your boat...

I swiped 3 pieces of scrap card with Distress Paint Dabbers...Picked Raspberry...Evergreen Bough and Wild Honey and then embossed.  As you would expect from Tim...all his products are high quality...the depth of the shadowpress is amazing...allowing me to trace easily around the lettering with a black fine liner pen...

and the butterflies were die cut from the left over scraps using the dies from the French Flight Stamps and Die set...I've still got the beautiful Eclectic Elements fabric to play with but it won't be today because I'm clearing the decks ready for the grandkiddies coming to stay tomorrow...playtime will take on a whole other meaning and tomorrow is the first day of August...can you believe it.

Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz Playtime...Day 3

Hi folks...I'm having so much fun PLAYING with my new Tim Holtz goodies...no clock watching or work deadlines to nail...just me...my furry partner and a great big fan running on full power...yes it's back to HOT...HOT...HOT again and as promised I'm sharing what I made with the Holly and Pine Branch images from the Christmas Blueprints 4 set.
I was dancing a merry Christmas jig when Tim announced that the Merriment Collection was coming back this year....I love this Paper Stash Pad and all the accompanying Idea-ology...with only a few bits and pieces left in the cubbyhole...it was welcome news indeed and woohoo there will be some new additions too...

a little bit of embossing with a Versamark ink pad through the Holiday Knit stencil before sprinkling with White Embossing Powder and Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without some Festive Berries Glittery sparkle...

I stamped the Pine Branch Blueprint image with Black Archival...cleaned off the stamp and then inked only the Pine Branch with the Iced Spruce Distress Marker adding a little shading with Pine Needles...

adding some Platinum Distress Stickles for a bit of Christmassy sparkle and surprise surprise that Gothic stencil makes another appearance...

See you all tomorrow
Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz Playtime...Day 2

Hi folks...the sun is still shining in my neck of the woods but the muggy humidity has gone...replaced by a lovely fresh cooling breeze...my kind of Summer and bedtime just got a lot more appealing...the Furry Boy is back on the duvet instead of snoozing the night away on the tiled floor of the en-suite and let me tell you I've been tempted to join him in the quest to get cool.
But back to the crafty stuff and another fun playtime day with my new Tim Holtz goodies...

using the Christmas Blueprints 4 Stamp Set and probably my favourite stencil to date...Gothic

I couldn't resist adding a little bit of Frantage and my favourite Remnant Rubs...

I stamped/coloured the pine cone 3 times and cut out to create a 3D effect...

and my favourite image from this Blueprint set...the gorgeous Poinsettia

adding words from the Christmas Words Stencil...a few random snowflakes using the Holiday Knit Stencil and yes more Remnant Rubs...I fear I'm addicted

I'll be back tomorrow to share what I made with the Holly and Pinebranch images from the set.

Toodle-oo for now from this "kid in a sweet shop" happy crafty person

Hugs Kath xxx

Tim Holtz Playtime...Day 1

Hi folks...I never thought I'd be so pleased to see RAIN over the weekend and with it...a drop in the sizzling temperatures but it looks like it was only a brief respite from the heatwave. To be perfectly honest this old body isn't built for heatwaves anymore..there's only so much clothing you can remove at my age before it becomes an affront to public decency and spare a thought for my bundle of golden deliciousness who has no option but to soldier on wearing his big thick furry onsie.  And right now I'd sell my soul for just one "out for the count" cool sleep filled night...wafting a sheet up and down to cool off ain't easy when it's pinned to the bed by a 4 stone furry hot water bottle...not to mention the fact that the cubbyhole is out of bounds come afternoon when it turns into a crafting in my underwear sauna...
But after a rummage around in the loft to unearth the "only used once in a blue moon" fan...the cubbyhole crew are back in business and planning a few days playing with our new Tim Holtz goodies kicking off by mixing some of the old with the new...

Eiffel Tower and Script Embossing Folders

that Practical Publishing sent us from their new online shop...My Papercraft Store 

using up scraps from Tim's Vintage Shabby Paper Stack...the very first Paper Stack I bought...the one that started me off on my addiction for everything from Mr Holtz along with the new French Flight Stamp and Die Set...

and a Paris themed shadow box made using the Postage Stamp Die...

I love the detail on the Eiffel Tower Stamp and check out those gorgeous butterflies...inked with Distress Markers...Picked Raspberry and Frayed Burlap...

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Storage Review...

Hi folks...I've been thinking for some time that the cubbyhole storage needs a major overhaul...particularly in the stamp and matching die category.  I used to store the stamps in small CD envelopes like the one here with the dies on a separate magnetic sheet but as you do...I never seem to put them back where they should be and consequently it's a major hunt to match them up next time I want to use them.  

So I resorted to storing the stamps and dies in the same envelope which I have to say was a recipe for disaster...can't tell you how many of the little dies I've lost...

so when the Zutter Magnetic Die & Stamp Storage System arrived in the cubbyhole to road test from the lovely David and Brenda at Craft Obsessions...by jingo I think we've cracked that particular problem...this storage solution may well be the answer to all my prayers...

It's basically a Really Useful box well known for being strong and sturdy with an ingenious way of storing your cling stamps and dies. The box comes with 3 A4 reversible storage sheets...the front magnetic face holds both dies and cling stamps...the back face only cling stamps...3 washable frosted protector/divider sheets...the perfect way to keep your dies and stamps separate and a very simple but clever easily-put together easel system...

which holds the storage sheets on display for easy viewing...just a quick flick through and you've found what you want.

 I'll be using mine to store all my Tim Holtz Christmas stamps and dies...

and there's room for one more sheet of stamps...making 4 in total...holding an amazing 16 sets of cling stamps...extra storage sheets are available sold separately in packs of 3...

Craft Obsessions have these boys in stock but can't display them on the website at the moment...so if you want to reorganise your storage and make your life a bit easier...give David and Brenda a call on 01202 814061 or e-mail brenda@craftobsessions.co.uk for more information.

Now that the storage is sorted out...I'm off to have a play with my new Tim Holtz Stamps and Dies...I'll be back tomorrow to share what I make.

Hugs Kath xxx

Sun...Sea...Sand

Hi folks...isn't the weather just absolutely glorious...far too scorching to stay cooped up in the cubbyhole so Brodie Oliver and Grandma set off yesterday for a day at the beach in the picturesque town of Stonehaven...

if you head for the coast in my neck of the woods...you can almost always guarantee a cooling breeze or a howling gale depending on the season but yesterday Stonehaven was SIZZLING and the outdoor heated pool was already busy at 10 o'clock...

As the name suggests Stonehaven has a stony pebbly beach so we headed for the little bit of soft golden sand at the harbour...

 for a paddle and a yummy picnic lunch...

 provided courtesy of M&S...

and for pud...a delicious ice cream cone which was melting faster than we could lick it...

And at the end of a fun day...it's that moment when you sit back in the car and feel as though you've stepped into an oven...if not for Air Con I would have been throwing caution to the wind and driving home in my underwear.
Enjoy your weekend everyone...have fun in the sun but please be sensible...unlike the masses of folks walking around Stonehaven looking like boiled lobsters.

Hugs Kath xxx

Pretty In Pink...

Hi folks...woohoo another gorgeous bundle of goodies  from Craftwork Cards landed on my workdesk last week...the beautiful Pretty In Pink Paper Pad...Midas Touch card and sentiment toppers...Elegance Pivot cards and lots of new Candi as featured on yesterday's Create and Craft shows...

and I'm sure you'll be able to tell which papers were my favourites...

you won't have seen any of these on the show...my samples didn't arrive in time...let down by Mr "Go Slow" Royal Mail and for all I know they are still sitting in a sorting office somewhere between here and there...

 a simple bloom made by layering up Candi

 a kaleidoscope of gorgeous butterflies

 love the pivot cards but they are a bit of a nightmare to capture with the camera...

and what are the chances of this one arriving in time for Julie's birthday...

I'm off on a little jaunt today...not with the Friday Girls but with my favourite Boys and seeing as the weather is forecast to be absolutely scorchio again...I think a day at the seaside would go down a treat...a paddle...a picnic and a great big ice cream to cool us down.

Hugs Kath xxx

Happy Days...

Hi folks...I'm a little bit wary of saying it out loud or putting this statement in writing but BROADBAND IS BACK...hubby replaced the BT master socket and discovered that my years hooked up to the internet have been something of a miracle because in his words "you've been wired up all wrong"...NO not me personally although not everyone would agree...but no matter it's sorted now and the cubbyhole crew are back in the land of super duper speedy Broadband and that means Happy Days...well...until the next technology wobble.
I was a little bit confused when I opened the door to my lovely postie last Friday...pacing the cubbyhole impatiently waiting for 2 jiffy bags...one from Craftwork Cards and the other from Craft Obsessions with my Timmie goodies...so what on earth was in this big box...then I spotted the magic word "Zutter" and put 2 and 2 together.

The lovely David and Brenda have very kindly sent the Zutter Magnetic Die and Stamp Storage System for me to road test so watch this space...

and snuggled up inside my bundle of Timmie goodies...

but no time to play today...the bird's nest barnet is destined for the chop followed by a fun date with my lovely dentist and in between I'll be on the sofa with a cuppa tuning in to watch my lovely buddy Julie Hickey on Create and Craft with a Craftwork Cards One Day Wonder and a gorgeous new Paper Pad..."Very Pretty" and "Pink"...oops...too much information perhaps...you can tune in too at... 

8.00am -11.00am -2.00pm - 4.00pm -7.00pm

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

"12 Tags of 2014" July...

Hi folks...I'm skidding in by the seat of my pants for this month's tag and no excuse really because there were little or no adapt and overcome moments this time round...just the fact that time runs away from us sometimes...

"12 Tags of 2014" July

and here's the cubbyhole version...

I don't have the BigZ die for the seahorse so I used the mini set but he didn't half look lost all on his lonesome...definitely needed a buddy for company...I'm sure I've read somewhere that seahorses mate for life so meet Mr Seahorse and his missus...

I love Tim's cracked glass technique but you know what they say...a watched kettle doesn't boil and patience is not a word in my vocabulary so I can't resist a sneaky peek every 5 minutes...the excitement of waiting for the Distress Crackle Paint to work it's magic...perhaps I need to get out more...

I'm completely up-to-date with all the work stuff...foot loose and fancy free so bring on some playtime with all my new TH goodies.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath