What a week...

Hi folks...I started off the week with a rant about greed and injustice and here we go again...love it or loathe it...modern technology and social media bombard us all on a daily basis with reminders of everything that's wrong with the world we live in...it's depressing isn't it and for me and animal lovers everywhere this week has been tough...a rollercoaster of anger...utter disbelief...disgust and sadness at...

Man's Undescribable Cruelty

There are no words to describe what I think of the cowardly ******* who wounded this beautiful animal...stalked him for 40 hours before shooting him...removed his skin and that gorgeous majestic head...for what...another trophy on his wall.  Whether he's extradited to Zimbabwe to be brought to justice or not...he has to look his kids in the eye everyday for the rest of his miserable life and see their shame for what their Dad does for fun.

but sadly this is just the tip of a very nasty iceberg...
did you know about Canned Hunting

a shameful heartbreaking but very lucrative trade in South Africa which indulges the sick fantasies of rich businessmen. Like millions of others across the globe I'm outraged and have been signing petition after petition but will it make a difference...I doubt it...not until Governments stand together to put a stop to this barbarity...Australia has already banned the importation of hunting trophies...the UK and the EU are debating the issue and if the US Government decide to include the African Lion on the Endangered Species list...it could make a real difference and protect these beautiful animals from egotistical maniacs and their disgusting interpretation of the word SPORT. Already there is a tiny glimmer of light at the end of this dark tunnel of depravity...Quantas KLM Lufthansa Singapore Airlines and Emirates have announced a ban on transporting their disgusting trophies...three cheers for the good guys.

BUT just when you think the idiocy can't get any worse...our Government have approved the reintroduction of pesticides that will kill millions of bees in the UK...

no bees...no pollination of plants...no food...in years to come we could be importing thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables adding billions to the national debt...not forgetting the huge increase in our carbon footprint...worst case scenario...fruit and veg could become endangered species in the UK or disappear from our supermarket shelves completely. Laughable...ludicrous...the stupidity of the people who are supposed to represent us is unbelieveable...you couldn't make it up if you tried. Seriously I despair of the kind of world we are creating for future generations and can't help but wonder if God ever regrets the day he created Adam and Eve.

Enjoy your weekend...especially the gang who are heading to the Wendy Vecchi Workshop in London...you all know who are...have fun girls...I'll be with you in spirit.

Hugs Kath xxx

Construction in progress...

Hi folks...it's hard to believe it's the last day of July and forgive me for thinking July should be warm and summery...seriously it feels more like October and would you believe the "snow" word was even mentioned this week by the boffins from the Met Office. But the weather is the least of my worries at the moment...the cubbyhole is on red alert...it's time to look out my best pair of specs...

and face my demons...confront my nemesis and try to get my head around...
the dreaded "how to put together" instructions

the good news is...there are pictures

and before I head to grab my hard hat and hi-viz jacket...I would like to say a huge thank you to my lovely sweet friend Paula for including me in her 

Craft Conversations With The Pros

hugs Kath xxx

A crafty itch...

Hi folks...I confess I can be so easily distracted from the job in hand...you know that feeling when you get a crafty itch and you just have to scratch it...on this occasion it was those new Layering Stencils that upset the crafty schedule. My old faithful well-used stencil storage...a Tim Holtz Blogworthy Link from way back in October 2013...was looking a bit tatty around the edges...

so time for a bit of a mini make-over...a new acetate overcoat should keep him looking good for another few years and applying adhesive behind the new stickers holds everything in place...

but he was beginning to bulge at the seams...I can identify with that feeling for sure...time to create separate storage for the Christmas Layering Stencils...

a killing 2 birds with one stone adventure and a chance to play with the Alphanumeric Dies...

But before the rest of the cubbyhole crew send me to the naughty step...it's back to the workshop list but first I need to recharge the old brain cells and make sure my specs are firmly fixed on my nose....yes you've guessed...it's construction time and there are instructions involved.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Back Down To Earth With A Bump...

Hi folks...I'm back down to earth with a bump...August is going to be crazy busy in the workshop department so it's high time I got my act together and jumped back on to the hamster wheel production line. Project 1of 6 for the September Craft Retreat at The Papeterie...only 5 and a bit weeks away is almost done and dusted...

oops naughty sneaky peeks...

and don't you just love when a plan comes together...the birdie dies and accessories stamps have safely touched down in the cubbyhole...hoop-de-doo-de-doo...just in time for my feathered friend to get a cute make-over...

ready for his shaking a tail feather or two debut at The Retreat...just like his Mum who is currently dancing around the cubbyhole like a crazy loon doing her best impression of the Birdie Song...no...not a pretty sight...I agree.

Getting your hands on the Bird Crazy Dies at the moment is like searching for a needle in a haystack but a little birdie told me that they are back in stock over at Craft Obsessions...so click HERE and hurry...hurry...run don't walk before they fly off the shelves again. But if you happen to miss out...leave your e-mail address and the lovely David and Brenda will contact you as soon as they are back in stock.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

A sobering thought...

Hi folks...now here's a sobering thought for a Tuesday morning...it's the last week of July and only 4 and a bit months or to be more precise 151 sleeps until Christmas Day...scary huh...maybe not. For years I've been so frustrated that we couldn't get our hands on the latest Christmas crafting goodies until October/November and then it was a crazy headless chicken frenzy of trying to fit in a bit of crafty Christmas playtime amidst the madness of shopping wrapping and cooking but times they are a-changing. How excited am I that a certain Mr H has released his Christmas Collection in JULY....yeah...Christmas is coming early to the cubbyhole...

soon there will be fabulous STAMPS to play with

and gorgeous ALTERATIONS to have fun with

and I can't help but mention those Crazy Birds 
who as we speak are making their way across the Atlantic en route to their new home

god speed and happy landings my little feathered friends...

and Santa's come early...the first yummy Christmas in July parcel has arrived...

all I need now is...the delivery of a huge box filled to bursting with extra hours in the day

Can I end by saying a huge thank you to each and everyone of you for your comments here and on Facebook and all the personal e-mails you sent showing your support for Karen Burniston...the original designer of the Accordion Card Concept...it truly gladdens my heart that once again the caring crafting community can see the injustice in this and is willing to speak out for what is right. What's done can't be undone and I'm not naive enough to think that this practice will never happen again but I know that we as consumers can make a difference by making responsible choices about what we buy and where we shop...you just have to look at the once mighty Tesco "king of the heap and untouchable for years" as a case in point...they rode roughshod over their customers once too often and are now seeing their profits fall and their market share tumble.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath 

Back in the cubbyhole...

Hi Folks...it's back to the cubbyhole for me and the fun of opening the parcel pile that arrived while I had my "entertaining the grandkiddos" Grandma hat on...top priority is my DT parcel from Inspiration Emporium and hoop-de-doo...snuggled in there is Tim's fabulous Alphanumeric die set...102 dies = crafty alphabet and number heaven...

it's going to be so much easier to create layered up words when there are multiple dies of each letter and to speed up the hunt for a particular letter I decided to fix them all on to magnetic sheets. But then the "why stop there" organising fairy in me kicked in so I intend doing the same with the rest of the Thinlits family...creating labels to help identify those "I struggle to read backwards" scripty words which in theory should also ensure they all end up safely back in their envelopes.

but with only two down and a whole lot more to go

I'll be putting the kettle on and settling down to the task in hand...have fun whatever you're doing today.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Spot The Culprit...

Hi folks...crikey it's Saturday already and I've had a whirlwind week with the grandkiddos...the weather's been glorious...yes the silly man from The Met got it wrong again. Day trips out and about...picnic lunches...playing board games and football in the park...

alfresco sunshine suppers and fun movie nights...

and it was all hands to the pump in the frantic search for the missing tennis ball...it took us quite a while to spot the sneaky "practicing to be a Wimbledon ball boy" "finders keepers" culprit...

Sadly my guests have returned home and after a week of playing with the little kiddos...I'm off out with the big variety...aka the Friday girls. I hope you enjoy your weekend and I'll see you all tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

The Tale of the Bird Crazy Catastrophe...

Hi folks...let it not be said that everything always goes according to plan in the cubbyhole...this been around the block crafter has more than her fair share of  chucking projects in the bin moments but you can guarantee that if it does go pear shaped...you're going to hear about it. Let me introduce you to 3 very unhappy Bird Crazy friends...

and my disastrous attempt to create the circle halo effect I used on yesterday's card all because I didn't warm up my brain...make sure my ears were working properly or indeed give our beloved Professor my undivided attention when I watched his "HOW TO" video (sorry Mr H). And I know exactly where it all went pear shaped...it's important that you rub the glaze gently into the paper and because I used the textured side of the watercolor paper...this obviously didn't happen and that's why I ended up with colour where I didn't want it...

and a Bird Crazy Catastrophe...

So the moral of the story...don't do as I do...do as Mr H says and you'll be fine.

Hugs Kath xxx

Hello Sweet Friend...

Hi folks...I've been having a little fun with my Bird Crazy Friend and a brand new product to join the Distress family...Distress Micro-Glaze which Tim uses on this month's tag over at "12 Tags of 2015"

"Now there’s a way to seal your Distress projects with the new Tim Holtz® Distress Micro Glaze™. The perfect water resistant sealer for craft projects, Micro Glaze™ is ideal for sealing Distress Inks, Markers, Stain, Paint & more. Easy to apply, Micro Glaze™ dries to a smudge resistant, waterproof finish. Perfect for use on paper crafting projects, watercolors, and ink jet printing.

I stamped the Bird Crazy image with Black Archival...coloured with Distress Markers and used Distress Micro Glaze to create a circle halo effect around the bird and the flowers which were stamped with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink...then applied a watercolour wash of Fossilized Amber and voila...cool or what...

which is more than can be said for yesterday's effort...all because...well...let's leave that Bird Crazy catastrophe tale until tomorrow...in the meantime you can watch Tim's video on how to use Distress Micro Glaze HERE.
I can't wait for my Bird Crazy dies and Crazy Things to arrive from Inspiration Emporium and if you've been hunting the internet to get your hands on these elusive items...you can find them HERE....US Shipping is $5 and International $10 and if you use my code "allthatglitter" at checkout...you'll get 10% of your order.

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

Waste Not...Want Not...

Hi folks...today I'm sharing some cute gift bags I made for this month's Colour Challenge over at the Ribbon Girls.  When I receive my DT parcel of goodies...I always check if I have anything left over from previous kits that will match this month's colour theme and found this...

you know what us crafters are like...we can't bear to throw away even the tiniest bit of paper ribbon or lace and voila...a pretty pillowbox gift box made from almost nothing at all...

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com