Go Where Your Heart Takes You...

Hi folks...if you've received the new March Distress Colour - Mermaid Lagoon you'll know exactly what I mean when I say it's the most gorgeous blue...love love love it and it sits alongside Cracked Pistachio and Abandoned Coral beautifully...that's what I  love about the Distress Palette...you could close your eyes...pick out any three and voila...I bet a dime to a dollar they would all go together perfectly...

The first day of April already..can you believe it...where does time go...before you know we'll be thinking about Christmas again...do you ever wish you could make time stand still or in the words of the song "stop the world I want to get off".

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

looking on the bright side...

Hi folks...I haven't quite thrown off the doom and gloom feeling...losing an hour out of my day on Sunday didn't exactly help...neither did the fact that my weekend viewing has changed somewhat... no more swashbuckling adventures with the "cor blimey" Musketeers on Friday night and I sure am missing my Top Gear fix...looks like I'll have to resort to consoling myself with repeats on Dave or digging in to my huge Top Gear DVD Library and the shocking news that the next series of  Downton Abbey will be the last is almost too much to bear but there is one tiny consolation...a programme that has raced to the top of my "must watch" list...now could it be the breathtaking scenery of the Cornish coastline...the twists and turns of the plot or perhaps it's Captain Poldark that has set my pulses racing at 9pm on a Sunday night...you bet your life it is.. he should come with a "so damned sexy" Government Health warning...

Take a deep breath and keep calm girls...it"s difficult I know but try to drag your eyes away...you can always scroll back up for another look after checking out my sneaky peek of yesterday's playtime project and tomorrow's blog post...

But it's back to the crafty list for me...must put all thoughts of the latest guilty pleasure to the back of my mind...not easy but hey ho who ever said life was fair.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

A Monday Morning Rant...

Hi folks...it's Monday morning and I'm in the mood for a rant or two...starting off with last week's give-away...once again the winner has failed to claim their prize...a minor irritation in the scheme of things but I always wonder why folks enter these things in the first place if they have no intentions of coming back to check if they've won but hey ho...a slight inconvenience in my daily routine but it's now been redrawn and the new winner is...

ANNE F (11)

please please please e-mail me with your address Anne so that I can get your parcel off in the mail.
Edited to add:  woohoo Anne has been in touch...Post Office here I come

And I can't help but think that the world is going absolutely bonkers when the Director General of the BBC has been given a police bodyguard after receiving death threats over his decision to sack JC...what planet are these fanatics on...for goodness sake it's just a TV programme...one of my absolute favourites I have say and I'm disappointed...very disappointed that Sunday nights will never be the same again...no more hilarious adventures from the "Three Motoring Musketeers" but rules are rules...you just can't go around punching people no matter who you are...although that particular rule doesn't yet seem to apply to over-paid footballers. The BBC absolutely made the right decision although their motives may have more to do with repairing their reputation after turning a blind eye for years to the behaviour of Jimmy Savile and his like rather than upholding standard HR policies. What I want to know is...how can something like this be headline news for weeks...once again the British media were like wolves moving in for the kill...yesterday's talented TV journalist is today's devil incarnate until they find someone else's back to stick their knives in. He did wrong...he's been punished...let's move on.

And that may happen sooner than we think...it's time for the mania associated with the run up to THE GENERAL ELECTION...just shoot me now and spare me the endless discussions...party political broadcasts...debates...leaflets through the letterbox...phone calls and doorstep candidates...time to hibernate perhaps or head to the cubbyhole for some sanity saving therapy...I'm sure this bundle of TH goodies will do the trick...

along with a daily stroll in the company of my laid back "doesn't watch the news" bestest buddy...

Hugs Kath xxx

Sod's Law Weather...

Hi folks...well I didn't make it out to the garden yesterday...after a whole week of blue sky sunshine the weather decided to play silly beggars and surprise me with chucking it down RAIN so I decided to tackle the second most pressing task on the list...the kitchen...domestic goddess I am not but hey I surprised even myself that it was all done and looking ever so sparkly spick and span by lunchtime only for it to go horribly wrong when a certain Furry individual returned from his lunchtime stroll and decorated the hall...the kitchen and everywhere in between with muddy splatters. But I left Dad in charge of the wet soapy cloth and steam mop while I headed to the cubbyhole to continue with The Retreat project production line...prepping chipboard album covers...2 coats front and back x 2...may be one of those "requires lots of coffee and big girl knickers" kind of jobs but it sure beats mopping up after one wet hooligan dog.

and I was just getting into my stride and hitting the halfway mark when Mr Sod's Law decided to stick his oar in...the rain stopped and the glorious blue sky sunshine was back...I have to confess to being sorely miffed at the time but willpower won the day and voila...another project bites the dust.

and if I can work my persuasive magic again today on the cubbyhole crew to get Kath's Klub projects for Saturday finished and kitted...I may well be having a "woohoo time to play" fun day tomorrow with the new kids on the block.

Toodle-oo for now
Hugs Kath xxx

A little hiccup...

Morning folks...I've had a blinder of a week...ticked lots of stuff off the crafty list but also had a complete nightmare with a project I can usually make in my sleep...I just couldn't get my head around the scoring measurements for some stupid reason and this is probably Version 6 or 7...

finally the "get a grip woman" atitude kicked in and all is good...

pathetic I know...makes you wonder how I managed to land a job as a Fiskars Demonstrator working with gadgets and tools because sometimes the simplest of tasks makes my brain turn to mush and don't mention my inability to translate the simplest of instructions...suddenly I'm confronted with a foreign language of gobbledegook....if a door says "PUSH" nine times out of ten I will "PULL"...get my drift...so this particular fait accompli merits a great big round of applause....a cuppa and feet up for the rest of the day. Unfortunately I am the slave as well as the boss around here so I doubt that's going to happen. So what's on my list of things to do today...well where do I start...take your pick...

there's a door and frame in the cubbyhole that requires painting...

along with 2 humungous units still waiting the Annie Sloan treatment...

a list of crafty stuff as long as my arm
a kitchen that would be condemned if we had a visit from Environmental Health

and a garden that looks like an Amazonian jungle

so if the weather behaves...I'm tempted to put the traumas of measuring chopping and kitting behind me and spend the day outdoors armed with secateurs and a pile of bin bags...a "short back and sides" mega pruning session may be just what's needed to give the old brain a rest from all the techy stuff. A killing 2 birds with one stone adventure...a day topping up the Vitamin D and giving the garden a Spring make-over sounds good to me.

Have fun whatever you decide to do today

Hugs Kath xxx

A "drop everything" project...

Hi folks...the chopping and kitting was put on hold yesterday...in favour of a "drop everything" quickie project for Fiskars and I'm certainly not complaining...the squeeze punches are a joy to use requiring no effort at all from my creaky old wrists...a welcome break from battling with the mountain of tough chipboard...

and now that project's in the bag and the photos are done...

it would be such a shame to waste the contents...

coffee and chocolate eggs for breakfast...how wickedly decadent and very naughty...

I've just got the instructions to do this morning and then I'm off on a jolly...not with the Friday Girls but a meet-up with the lovely Georgina from Practical Publishing who's paying a flying visit to The Papeterie today...any excuse to skive off for coffee...cake and chat.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Give-Away Winner...

Hi folks...time to cut to the chase and announce the winner of Saturday's Give-Away and it's....

ELAINE COUSTLEY (98)
give-away has not been claimed so it's been redrawn
 and the winner will be announced on Monday 30th March

The cubbyhole crew are back in the crafty swing...the last few days have been a hive of activity...all hands to the pump cracking on with the projects for The Retreat and woohoo...another one bites the dust...

loving the luscious look of the fabulous Inka-Golds..

and all 24 kits are done and ready to go...

but it's back to the boring stuff...just like any other job there are the tasks that don't exactly float your boat and chopping chipboard is definitely right at the top of that list but hey ho...ever onward...best foot forward...the quicker we start...the faster it'll be done...

See you all tomorrow
Hugs Kath xxx

NEC Shopping...

Hi folks...I have to say I was a little disappointed with the Hobbycraft show at The NEC this time round...lots of my favourite retailers were missing...especially my one-stop shop for all things Tim Holtz...the lovely Brenda and David at Craft Obsessions and apart from Saturday it didn't seem to be as busy or as manic as usual...

not the normal jam packed "one step forward-two steps back" aisles which was great for the visitors...not so good for the retailers and would you believe I couldn't find anything Tim Holtz anywhere and that was a shocker for this "number one" fan so the cubbyhole stash purse stayed shut until I spotted this on MDF Man's stand....perfect for holding Distress Markers...

with enough spaces left for the rest of the 2015 new colours...talking of which my pre-order Mermaid Lagoon goodies should be arriving any day now from Craft Obsessions. Of course it will need a coat of paint but hey that's a job for a rainy afternoon and not necessarily in 2015. And then I spotted this...

a fabulous work caddy which in practice is supposed to keep your workspace clutter free...

with a cup holder...tool tidy and waste paper bin with a removeable liner...in reality...we'll see how it goes but I have a sneaky feeling that Mr Dyson won't be made redundant anytime soon...

 and a girl can never have enough Fiskars scissors...

but I've left my favourites until last...look what I found on a little trip into the Sewing For Pleasure Hall...

this "hardly leave the house without a scarf of some description" girl just couldn't resist these beautiful scarf pendants...packaged in a sweet organza bag making them perfect for gifts or a little self indulgent treat for yourself...

and to make up for the lack of TH goodies at the show...I was delighted to find a Happy Mail parcel waiting for me when I got home...

Whether the old body is ready or not it's going to be a back to work day...with The Retreat at The Papeterie only 4 weeks away...I need to get a wiggle on but I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner of Saturday's Give-Away and you still have until 8pm tonight to get your name in the hat.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

Thank You...Thank You...Thank You

Hi folks...I'm still hanging in there trying to kick start the old body but in the meantime I have to say a huge thank you to the 238 ladies and 2 brave gentlemen who joined me for 4 days of Fiskars fun at The NEC...

superstar crafters each and every one with a few hooligans thrown in for good measure...you know who you are...thank you all for your wonderful company and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again in November. A very special thank you to Letraset who very kindly provided the Promarker pens for the workshop. But of course it's not all about work...there are yummy lunches...coffee breaks and chill out evenings to look forward to...

in the company of my fabulous Fiskars family...

tucking into a yummy dinner at our favourite Indian restaurant...Indian Dream in Solihull...gorgeous food and super friendly staff...

and it was lovely to catch up again with our bestest Fiskars bud Rach over a yummy carvery dinner on Friday night and spend 4 days working alongside the fabulous team from Colemans...the gorgeous Jo-Karen-Katy-Tricia and Kim...thank you girls for all your help and support.

Would you believe I've just unpacked my crafty purchases so if all goes well with the "easy to put together" instructions I'll be sharing my must-have goodies tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx