All Hands On Deck...

Hi folks...it's been all hands on deck to get the last minute bits and bobs finished off ready to hand the Fiskars Workshop Kits over to Mr Hermes for their journey south...

 While I de-clogged and refilled the glue bottles and re-inked the Distress Ink Pads...

 the Furry member of the crew checked everything into the box...

Lots of you have been asking about the canvas that I use for workshops. I buy it in a huge roll from a trade supplier...not cost effective if you just want small quantities so I had a root around in the cubbyhole and found a Canvas pad that I bought last year from Amazon...this is not thin canvas effect paper but the real deal...10 sheets of 12" x 9" 290gsm Coated Textured Artist Quality Canvas very similiar to what I buy on a roll but much more affordable...

Royal & Langnickel Canvas Paper Artist Pads

The last day of September...can you believe it and with a brand new tag from Mr Holtz due tomorrow...I should be playing catch up with the crafty stuff...will I be having a "Spooky Halloween" day in the cubbyhole...

or enjoying an Indian Summer day in the garden...

And when it comes to the weather it would appear that you can't please all of the people all of the time...especially the woman we met on our lunchtime stroll yesterday...I commented on the lovely sunny day to which she replied "but it's a bit chilly if you're out of the sun"...for goodness sake...some folks always have to see the negative in everything...why can't these miserable "cup half empty" moaning minnies just enjoy the moment...you're a long time dead as my old Mum used to say.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

A fun Day with Canvas...

Hi folks...I'm sharing the Canvas Palette Art project we made at Saturday's workshop at The Papeterie...a fun day working on canvas panels...stencilling with Gesso...Distress Ink and Texture/Embossing Paste...

stamping the sentiments and outlining with a Letraset Fine Liner pen...

my favourite flower from the Flower Garden Stamp Set stamped on Ranger Watercolor Paper...

and coloured with Distress Markers

 finishing off with Remnant Rubs and a doodled border...

Hugs Kath xxx

Hats off To Crazy Things...

Hi folks...Monday morning comes round again and with only a few days left in September I sure get the feeling that 2015 is racing away from us and before you know we'll all be in Christmas card making mode but today I'm sharing a fun "tongue in cheek" card...I just couldn't resist a little playtime with the new Crazy Things Framelits and the Regions Beyond Paper Stash Pad which goes to show it isn't just for Halloween.

I'll be back tomorrow to share what we made at Saturday's workshop at The Papeterie...in the meantime I'm off to make a start on the projects for the October class which will have a "no surprise there" Christmas theme.

Hugs Kath xxx

Sneaky Playtime...

Hi everyone...surprise...surprise I managed to sneak in a little play with the new Crazy Things Framelits...

I'll be sharing tomorrow...

Today I'll be in the garden enjoying the sunshine...doing a bit of tidying up...there's a definite Autumn feel in the air so best enjoy the last days of summer while we can. Crikey after all the rain we've had this month...it's beginning to look like a jungle out there...

Enjoy what's left of the weekend
Hugs Kath xxx

We have a winner...

Morning folks...the sun has got his hat on...hip hip hip hooray. I'll be deserting the cubbyhole again for a fun day crafting at The Papeterie with lovely crafty folks for company and lots of yummy products to play with...

The car's loaded up and I'm good to go. But before I do...there's an important announcement...the winner of the Fiskars Give-Away is...

MISTEEJAY

please e-mail me with your address Toni and your punch will be popping through your letter box soon
if you didn't win this time round...keep your eyes peeled for more give-aways coming soon

In the meantime...hope the sun is shining where you are...have fun whatever you've got planned this weekend...the Autumn TV viewing is off to a great start...yahoo Strictly's back and Downtown tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

Blah-de-blah-de-blah...

Morning folks...if you've popped over hoping to see some crafty stuff...I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed...yesterday did not go according to plan...playtime was put on the back burner...

when impromptu visitors came to call...2 lovely "going back a long time" buddies that I haven't seen for a while decided to pop in for coffee and a chat...not together but separately...great minds think alike apparently. Crikey I was just recovering from the first frantic "Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare" search for something tasty to have with our cuppa when...ding dong the doorbell went again and again when the visitor I've been stalking...yeah Mr Postie arrived right on cue with this...

Needless to say...many cuppas...lunch and a marathon chatting session later it was all hands to the pump to give the cubbyhole a bit of a spruce up and get rid of all the kitting marathon evidence...I have to say I'm mightily impressed with our new helper...he's not a fussy eater like his big brother...he just gets on with the job and gobbles up everything in sight...the spiders are running scared...there's not a cobweb in sight and the early morning toast particles are gone from the computer keyboard...

then it was time to knuckle down to packing up the materials for tomorrow's workshop at The Papeterie...not what I had planned for my day but hey that's life and spending time with good friends is a real tonic which reminds me I have another dose of feel good medicine to look forward to today with the Friday Girls. And if you haven't entered my Fiskars Give-Away yet...you have until 8pm tonight to get your name in the hat.

I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner

Hugs Kath xxx

Happy Days...

Morning everyone...you may not know that this huge tennis fan is also passionate about Rugby so it goes without saying that I'm ecstatic and very proud of Scotland's Bravehearts...what a fantastic start to their Rugby World Cup campaign...an impressive 45-10 win over Japan running in 5 exciting tries in the second half...

and there is only one song guaranteed to stir the hearts of Scots across the globe on such occasions...Flower of Scotland written by Roy Williamson of The Corries in 1965...now adopted as our national anthem and sung at every Scotland Rugby Team game...there is no more moving emotional experience than singing this stirring anthem at a packed Murrayfield accompanied by the Massed Pipes and Drums and as if that wasn't enough excitement for one day...the NEC Workshops kits are done and dusted...all packed up and ready to go...once I find a big enough box...

and I suspect the workshops are going to be rather sparkly affairs...the glitter foam certainly doesn't qualify for the "no shed" category but hey it is the Christmas show after all and this Fiskars Fairy is cool with the head to toe glittery sparkly look.

and with the work stuff up to date...bring on playtime...

See you all tomorrow
Hugs Kath xxx

Wilted Violet...

Hi folks...happy mail has arrived...thanks to the lovely Brenda and David at Craft Obsessions for their super duper speedy delivery once again....yeah Wilted Violet is in the house...thank you Tim...finally I've got my crafty mitts on the colour I've been dreaming of...

I'm feeling a bit like a Wilted Violet myself after Sunday's tennis excitement...the old day after the day after syndrome has kicked again. And after yesterday's messy but lots of fun project...I'm sharing a clean and simple card...a colloboration with the Furry Boy to make one of his special give-away cards to include in Anesha's parcel using Wilted Violet and Twisted Citron...

and it seems the Furry member of the crew has also been bitten by the "just can't get going" bug

Perhaps we need a snuggly sofa day to recover from the exertions of kitting...crafting and tennis.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Embracing Imperfection...

Morning folks...just a few bits and pieces to finish and The NEC kits will be done and dusted...a bit of a tedious repetitive task but hey every job has it's "why am I doing this" moments. It seems so long since I made something just for the fun of it and like most crafters...I find myself going through phases of not being happy with anything I create...beating myself up when things don't go according to plan...caught up in the striving for perfection mindset until common sense kicks in and the "embrace imperfection" ethos of my hero Tim Holtz gets me back on track.
So I'm sharing my "throw caution to the wind/get rid of all your inhibitions/the best fun you can have with your clothes on" Palette Art project...

I gessoed...spritzed...dabbed and spritzed again...die cut...fiddled and faffed...drybrushed and stencilled

a great way to use up all the little bits and pieces you've been hoarding...

and at the end of it all...I looked like The Yeti and the cubbyhole resembled a war zone but... 

am I happy...YES

is it perfect...NO

does it matter...NOT A JOT

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Back on the hamster wheel...

Hi folks...WOW...what a fabulous day at the Davis Cup Semi Finals in Glasgow...the atmosphere was electric...9000 excited tennis fans singing Scotland The Brave with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers well and truly rocked the arena...a sea of "Back The Brits" T-shirts cheering on Team GB and woohoo Andy Murray played a blinder and we're through to the final. It may take my legs a few days to recover from the constant jumping up and down and my voice from all the cheerleading renditions of "Let's go Andy...let's go"

 

but it's Monday morning and back to the day job...the cubbyhole crew will be back on the hamster wheel...time to kick some ass and get the kits for the Fiskars NEC Workshop finished...packed up and on their merry way. It's never a great idea to start a job and then come back to it weeks later...it may take me some time to figure out where I left off and try to make sense of my scribbled hieroglyphics on the kitting list...

and I couldn't do it without my trusty Fiskars tools...my faithful chopper-upper who makes light work of multiple layers of cardstock at a time...

 Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer 12"

and for smaller bits and pieces...

my trusty Fiskars Bypass Guillotine 22 cm

and with only 6 weeks to go before I'm winging my way to Birmingham...we need to get a wiggle on...looks like it's going to be a big girl knickers and lots of coffee kind of a day and I may just manage to sneak in a bit of Downtown Abbey viewing when we break for lunch. But Mr Mojo's back in the room and I have a craft project to share...so until tomorrow.

Hugs Kath xxx

Tennis and Technology...

Hi folks...by the time you've struggled out from under your duvet...I'll be on my way to Glasgow to cheer on Team GB at the Davis Cup Semi Finals and having watched the last 2 day's play on TV...I'm super duper excited...

sitting comfortably with a coffee...letting Scotrail do the driving...watching the landscape whizz by and thanks to the on board Wi-Fi...able to keep in touch with the outside world...check what you're all up to on Facebook and if I understood what Twitter was all about...would now be reassured that Stephen Fry was alive and well and enjoying his morning cuppa.

Back in the day...I used to look forward to a 3 hour train journey...passing the time in conversation with my fellow travellers...NOW that technology rules our every waking moment...the chances are I'll be sitting within earshot of a mobile phone moron...intent on telling everyone on their speed dial list where they are...what they're doing or where they're going and always in a booming voice so that everyone is involved in the conversation whether we like it or not...so no chance of a snooze then.  It's going to be a long day...I won't get home until after 11pm and shock horror...this Downtown Abbey addict is going to miss the first episode of the last series...I'm in shock...can't believe it but thank goodness for I Player because I don't have a clue how the tape thingy works.

Have a fun Sunday whatever you've got planned

Hugs Kath xxx

Woof...woof...we have a winner...

Hey everyone...it's the weekend...happy Saturday from your favourite bundle of golden deliciousness...

It's time for me to announce the winner of the Simply Homemade Magazine and gorgeous freebies...

Woof...Woof...it's
CRAFTING QUEEN

please e-mail us with your address Anesha and we'll get your parcel off in the post first thing on Monday. And oh bother...no lazy Saturday for us...we're back on The NEC production line...240 Snowman hats/noses and scarves to die cut for the Fiskars Workshop Kits...so best get to it...

See you all soon

Big Hugs and Furry Snuggles

BUDDY xxx

"12 Tags of 2015" September...

Hi folks...we're cooking by gas and back in the swing...a fun time was had by all creating this month's tag for

"12 Tags of 2015"

and not even one or two adapt and overcome moments could dampen our spirits...

I decided to go for a softer look using Alcohol Inks from the Lights Palette...Silver Fixative instead of Gold and Clear Matte Texture Paste instead of Gloss...

it's hard to see the texture until you tilt and turn the tag to the light...

 wow wow wow...loving the gorgeous shimmer 

It's Friday and that means a kicking up my heels day out with my bestest buddies...lunch/shopping/lots of chat and fun company...what more can you ask for. And you have until 8pm tonight to enter The Furry Boy's Give-Away...click HERE to put your name in the hat.

Hugs Kath xxx