Chaos In The Cubbyhole...

Hi folks...hands up if you're as fed up of this dismal dreary wet weather as I am...day after day of water running out of the a**e of my breeks on miserable doggy strolls...not to mention the "three times a day" change of trousers for me and vigorous rub downs with a towel for His Nibs and not forgetting that unmistakeable WET DOG aroma hanging in the air. But in between times...we've taken refuge in our cosy and dry crafty space and been having fun with the Fiskars New 2016 Products and the Cubbyhole currently looks like a bomb has hit it...a right old midden but in my little world...CREATIVITY seems to go hand in hand with CHAOS...

 reducing the working area on my desk to postage stamp proportions...

and a sneaky peek of Project Numero Uno...made entirely out of some of that left over Fiskars packaging...

and another after raiding the "aluminium can" recycling bin...

Fingers crossed that Mr Mojo keeps the ideas coming...the rest of the cubbyhole crew with the help of Mr Dyson will make short work of the resulting debris. Have a great day whatever you have planned and don't let the weather put a damper on your weekend. 

Hugs Kath xxx

The Right Tools For The Job...

Hi folks...it's always exciting when new products arrive from Fiskars...

but before we can play...there's the challenge of releasing them all from their tough as anything plastic overcoats...dynamite is out of the question so we decided to bring in the big guns or the biggest gun in the cubbyhole arsenal to be exact...

Fiskars Classic - Dressmaking 25cm Stainless Steel Scissors

(Let me just add before I get my knuckles wrapped...I have 2 pairs of these fabulous scissors...one I use for fabric identified by the ribbon tied around the handle and this pair for paper and the above mentioned packaging demolition derby)

I'm over the moon that Fiskars sent me a brand new Stamp Press...a replacement for it's as old as the hills and a little worse for wear predecessors ...this is one of my favourite Fiskars tools ever...I use it on a daily basis for stamping everything from big cling stamps...it makes life so much easier...no more hovering...holding a big acrylic block and hoping you've got the positioning right...

and the grid on the see through plate makes it easy to line up your card and stamp your sentiments perfectly too...the good news is you will soon be able to purchase them again in the UK...

I have a few projects in mind for the stubborn plastic packaging and the corrugated cardboard product protectors...so won't be throwing those away...

And the moral of the story...life is a whole lot easier if you use the right tools for the job.

Hugs Kath xxx

Hello there...

Hello There...how are you all today. I'm sharing some bright and funky notecards...

I made with a "surplus to requirements" page from my Wanderlust 2016 Kate Crane Travel Journal project and some new goodies I ordered from Simon Says Stamp...

If you visit here on a regular basis...you'll know that I'm a sucker for anything floral and love love love this Radiant Sunflower die

and couldn't resist the gorgeous Hand Lettered Hello set of sentiment stamps from WPlus9 with all the additional words suitable for any occasion...

I'm off to put the kettle on...pull on my big girl knickers...limber up my muscles and remove the last of the Fiskars goodies from their packaging...happy days.

Hugs Kath xxx

Ombre Effect Give-Away...

Hi folks...I'm back to share sneaky peeks of my "Ombre Effects" projects featured in this month's issue of Simply Homemade and if you haven't got your copy yet...it's on sale now in newsagents and supermarkets...

I used Fiskars 1.5" Heart Power Punch to punch through layers of cardstock to create the Ombre 3D hearts in the top photo. The Power Punches will easily punch their way through lots of different thick materials...corrugated card, cork, funky foam, thick plastic packaging, PVC, balsa wood, shrink plastic, magnetic sheet, aluminium cans and milk cartons to name but a few and it just so happens I have a spare one up for grabs....perfect timing for all your Valentine projects. 

So if you would like to put your name in the hat...leave your name with Mr Inlinkz below before 8pm on Monday 1st February and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday morning. In the meantime I'm off to unpack the parcel of new 2016 Fiskars products that arrived in the cubbyhole on Friday...

and woohoo...I'm excited that one of my favourite Fiskars tools...The Stamp Press is back and will be on sale in the UK soon.

See you all tomorrow
Hugs Kath xxx

Happy Birthday Resist...

Hi Everyone...the last week of January would you believe and tonight Scots across the world will be celebrating the birthday of Scotland's Bard...Rabbie Burns with a plate of Haggis Chappit Neeps and Mashed Tatties all washed down with a generous glass of the water of life. Haggis...the "Great Chieftain o' the Puddin Race" is an acquired taste for sure...one of those "you either love it or loathe it" kind of delicacies.
But back to the crafty stuff...today I'm sharing a sneaky look at the "Resist Stamping" cards I made for this month's issue of Simply Homemade...

featuring Hero Arts favourites with lots of Distress Inking...

and how chuffed was I...that this one made the cover...

along with one of my "Ombre Effect" projects but I'll share that one with you tomorrow and I also have a give-away so make sure you pop by.

Hugs Kath xxx

It's Tag Time...

Hi folks...here we go again...setting off on the first of our monthly adventures in the company of Mr Tim Holtz...in other words...it's time for...

"12 Tags of 2016"

I'm over the moon Tim has decided to continue this wonderful tradition despite his hectic schedule and hey what a great idea to revisit some old techniques...

"it's a balance between the excitement of new products and remembering to use what we already have. so i've decided to change things up with the "12 tags of 2016-technique remix"

allowing all us collectors to use up some of our previous purchases and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say...they are many. I loved the Chalkboard and Industrial themed techniques first time round and no surprise that I couldn't resist using my favourite stamp set from 2015...the gorgeous Flower Garden...

Have a great weekend whatever you've got planned...it's teeming down with rain here so I may well spend it snuggled up under the duvet...see you all on Monday

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com

Thumbs Up...

Hi folks...it's good news...the dodgy digit has been given the thumbs up...passed fit to return to work although it's still a bit swollen but there's no room for lame ducks on this crew so he'll just have to knuckle down...excuse the pun...

I've been feeling a little bit down in the crafty doldrums since Christmas...suffering from that familiar "can't seem to gee my ginger" syndrome but all it needed to get me back in the groove...was a little "12 Tags of 2016" playtime with the January Tag which I should be sharing tomorrow barring any accidents or interruptions.

And on my way home from the hospital...I took a little detour to The Papeterie to pick up some goodies for my projects at The Retreat in April which should keep me out of mischief for a while.

Hugs Kath xxx

Shiver Me Timbers...

Hi folks...greetings from "we don't have snow but it's very chilly" Aberdeenshire...-5 degrees in fact which even for us hardy Scots is "Shiver Me Timbers" weather...

perfect conditions for locking ourselves away in the cubbyhole for a bit of crafting fun...

but right on cue and just in time for elevenses...ding dong...the door bell rang and the cubbyhole was invaded by the Friday Girls armed with cake and a bag of M&S goodies for lunch...needless to say...it turned out to be a "coffee after coffee...stuffing our faces and lots of chit chat" kind of a day....not complaining...just saying. And it's not looking good for today either...my thumb and I are off to the Fracture Clinic...hopefully for the last time...it's almost back to normal but definitely not liking this chilly weather one bit.

Fingers crossed that Thursday will be TAG DAY.

Hugs Kath xxx

Blame The Furry Alarm Clock...

Hi folks...oops...we're clocking in a little bit late today...well who in their right mind wants to tumble out of bed at silly o'clock when it's pitch black and chilly outside...when the Furry Alarm Clock rolls over...sighs contently and snuggles down again...who am I to argue. After all there's no urgency...the workshop kits are done...all packed up and ready to go... way ahead of schedule...

and if I can get myself in the Step by Step Instructions groove after our "wrapped up like Nanook Of The North" morning stroll...

 we'll be ticking another fun Fiskars Workshop Kitting Adventure off the list...

and hopefully putting on my "12 Tags" hat to have fun with the January Tag.

See you later

Hugs Kath xxx

Chop...chop...

Hi folks...I hope you all had a fun weekend...mine didn't quite fall into that category...I was stuck in the cubbyhole on a "chop chop...let's get to it" mission to kit up the Fiskars Workshop Projects for The NEC...starting off with trimming 240 sheets of white cardstock to the required size and thank goodness for my best friend...the Fiskars ProCision Trimmer who makes short work of 3 sheets of 320gsm card in one go and still cuts like a knife through butter. It's one of those "I've started now so I'll finish" kind of jobs because there's no room in the cubbyhole to leave everything lying around...

so we moved on to scoring the card to create a gift bag...one of those "you need all your wits about you" tasks...

and then back to the "mind over matter" chopping...with the help of some boogie woogie music playing in the background...endless cups of coffee and the mindset that...each one on the completed pile is one less on the still to do pile...

and hey presto...the Procision can have a rest and hand everything over to the collating department in the kitchen...

No matter what job you do...there's always a tedious task or two that you have to grit your teeth to get through but let's not forget every job has it's consolations too...

Fingers crossed they'll be all packed up and ready to go today and then I can get back to the crafting just for fun stuff.

Hugs Kath xxx