Potting Shed Pop Up Flower Adventure...

Hi folks...crikey...gee whizz can you believe it's the first day of October already...the weather's still surprisingly warm and sunny but let's get real...it probably won't be long before the North Wind shall blow and we shall have snow but I'll be enjoying my first cuppa of the day out in the garden with the Furry Boy and our feathered friends including Robbie who flew in about a month ago while it lasts.
But back to the crafty stuff and Saturday's second workshop project using the fabulous Potting Shed Collection from Craftwork Cards...

and in what can only be described after the event as a moment of madness...I decided to share the Blooming Marvellous tutorial from my Craftwork Cards buddy...the very talented Neil Burley on how to make a pop-up flower...

it's all about folding squares of paper and cutting to create 6 petalled flowers which are then glued together in a specific way to create the pop-up mechanism...easy peasy on paper...not so in practice perhaps but hey it was lots of fun and we got there in the end although I suspect that some of the girls including myself have aged a good few years in the process...

And before I put my Fiskars hat on and get cracking with  the kitting marathon for the NEC workshops...I've been having some road test fun with the fabulous "new to the market" product...Stick-It and will spill the beans tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

Shadow Box Project...

Hi folks...I'm still in chill out mode after a busy weekend at The Papeterie Retreat...a huge thank you to all the crafting superstars who came along and made it one fabulous fun weekend and woohoo I'm continuing the fun with a day out with the Friday Girls...partaking in 2 of my favourite pastimes (apart from crafting that is) eating and shopping. Strangely enough I don't have loads of pics to share from the Retreat because I was so busy teaching chatting that most of the time I forgot to take the camera out of my bag.
We kicked off Saturday with the Shadow Box project...90 minutes of die-cutting fun with some of my favourite Tim Holtz dies...Postage Stamp Frame and the French Flight Framelits set...

watercoloring with Distress Inks

creating a box to turn the Postage Stamp frames into a Shadow Box...

But before I head off for a kick up my heels day...there's the small matter of 2 boxes of workshop materials to tidy away...

and I'll be back tomorrow to share what we made at the second workshop of the day with Craftwork Cards "Potting Shed" Collection.

Hugs Kath xxx

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Oh Dear Me...

Hi folks...another Retreat been and gone...why does time fly when you're having fun and it's Monday morning...the beginning of another hectic week but I'm taking a few days off from the day job...chilling out with the Friday Girls and my adorable bundle of golden deliciousness who I have to say has been on his bestest behaviour since the stinky deer poo misdemeanour on Thursday.  I didn't chicken out of a return visit on Friday although he did get a good talking to on the way there and in true Furry Boy "never 2 days the same" style...I couldn't believe my eyes when we arrived back at the car with one "clean as a whistle" Golden Retriever...I wonder how long that will last but hey ho that's the joys of sharing my life with the "adorable most of the time" Furry Boy.
And people who live in glass houses should not throw stones...I had my very own "oh dear me...look at the state of your hands" moment when I managed to sneak in a little play time with the fabulous Distress Spray Stains...did you really think I would be able to wait and here's a quick card made with the left over scraps from some of my colour combination experiments...

if you're unsure what your must-have colours are going to be...one thing is certain...top of your shopping list has to be the Metallics...the shimmery sparkle they add to your projects is amazing...

 and I love how easy it is to create a background with just a quick spray through a stencil...

 can you tell I'm well and truly hooked...

check out the incredible shimmer you get from spraying Brushed Pewter on to black card...

and a little bit of advice from this "been around the block" crafter...try to keep your free hand out of the way of the nozzle otherwise you'll end up with one hand the colour of a milk bottle and the other with a rather fetching Vintage Photo sun bronzed look and if you fall into the "lethal with anything sprayable" category like me...I suggest perhaps creating your very own customised spray booth...I reckon an old cardboard box should do the trick and keep my coffee cup...scissors...trimmer and everything else within a 100 yard radius from requiring a big clean up.
I'll be sharing some of the projects we made at The Retreat this week...in the meantime I'm off to have a quick play with the fabulous Stick-It...have you ordered yours yet.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Spooky...

Hi folks...I had a fabulous fun day yesterday at the Papeterie Retreat and the bonus is...I get to do it all over again today...in the meantime I'm sharing another September Inspiration Emporium DT project for the Inspiration Journal blog...what every cute little ghost or ghoul needs to hold all their "Trick Or Treat" goodies...

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to work I go...see you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

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EXCITED X 3

Hi folks...I'm so excited...I'll be leaving soon heading to The Papeterie to spend the weekend with all the lovely folks who are attending The Retreat...it's guaranteed to be 2 days of fun filled crafting with great company and yummy buffet lunches to enjoy....I do love my job but it can hardly be described as work.

and the resident hooligan is ever so pleased to get his snoozy space back but not for long...the workshop kitting for the NEC is next on the crafty list...

And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one weekend...I'm over the moon...like a kid in a sweetie shop because the fabulous new Distress Stain Sprays have arrived in the cubbyhole...bad planning time wise but hey ho I guarantee a "spraying everything in sight"  play session is sure going to brighten up my Monday morning...

And there's more...thanks to the lovely David and Brenda at Craft Obsessions for sending me a brand new product to try out...a very exciting "new to the market" product...one that all us lovers of diecutting are going to go absolutely crazy for and it's called...

STICK-IT

do you struggle sticking down those intricate die cut shapes...well no longer will you have to fiddle around trying to apply tiny dots of glue....Craft Obsessions and my lovely buddy Ken Oliver have come up with a must-have solution to that tricky adhesive problem...the one product you will not be able to live without and you can get it HERE...do not delay folks...this one is going to fly off the shelves. I'll be looking out my fiddliest dies and giving Stick-It a road test on Monday.

Toodle-oo for now and enjoy your weekend...whatever you've got planned

Hugs Kath xxx

guess who's on the naughty step AGAIN...

Hi everyone...it's your favourite gorgeous bundle of golden deliciousness popping on to say Hi...

but "gorgeous" is not the word my old Mum would have used to describe me after yesterday's lunchtime forest walk...

it started off as normal...me up front ambling along wagging my tail with my super duper sense of smell set to high alert as usual...

with my old Mum bringing up the rear and keeping an eye out for a lunchtime snack...

half an hour in...all is well...nothing out of the ordinary in this peaceful part of the world...

I did get a "good humoured" ticking off for standing in this muddy hollow but hey that's nothing new...it's the normal day to day "in one ear and out the other" stuff...little did I know it was all about to kick off big time when I caught a whiff of something interesting...something that some of us find irresistible...

a HUGE PILE OF DEER POO...and yes I couldn't resist having a good old roll in the "doggy world" equivalent of Chanel but crikey nothing prepared me for the  "all hell let loose" rollicking that followed...

so can anyone tell me why I decided in a "don't know what came over me" moment of utter "in for a penny...in for a pound" madness...to return to the scene of the crime and do it again...

no way was the "sorry Mum" cute face going to cut the mustard this time...you just know you're in big big trouble...that you've definitely lit the fuse when you hear the schoolmistress voice..."GET IN THE CAR"

(that was a bit of a relief...I thought I might be left to walk home alone)...

a bit of a wind tunnel journey home with all the windows open...mind you it did help to drown out the unladylike language coming from the front and I knew what was coming...another rollocking from Dad...the indignity of being smothered in tomato sauce to get rid of the smell...then lathered in shampoo and nearly drowned by the garden hose.
OOPS...OOPS...OOPS...I've well and truly blotted my copybook this time...I'm right up at the top of the "in the bad books" list and how long I'll be stuck on the naughty step is anybody's guess. Have I learned my lesson...now that's the million dollar question isn't it...the problem is I've inherited that male selective hearing gene from my Dad and am blessed with the same atrocious memory as my old Mum...so I would have to come down on the side of...NOT A CHANCE.

Big Hugs and Snuggles from this naughty Furry Boy
BUDDY xxx