Fiskars Give-Away

Hi Everyone...crikey can you believe there are only a few days left in November...before we know the countdown to Christmas will begin...the usual headless chicken marathon to get everything ready for the big day. My plans for a burning the midnight oil weekend getting to grips with the crafty list turned into an adventure of a different kind when my new laptop arrived. My old faithful Dell Desktop has been on the way out for some time and I've put off replacing it simply because of the time it takes to get acquainted with something new. Crikey technology has certainly moved on...it's now all singing all dancing with lots of gizmos and I was a little wary of how I would get on with Windows 10. After spending most of my weekend deleting all the apps I'm never going to use...transferring essential stuff from the old computer and personalising the desktop for easy use...I'm not going to lie...there were times I was tearing my hair out and ready to throw it in the bin but persistence is my middle name and no way was I going to be beaten by a modern day box of tricks. Woohoo...we're now up and running and this geriatric technophobe is embracing the latest technology and loving it...although the touchpad is driving me nuts...wireless mouse is top of the shopping list and Contana's future employment hangs in the balance...reminds me of that irritating Sat Nav woman...I know my memory is a little bit dodgy but I don't need her to remind me to buy a loaf of bread or pick The Furry Boy up from the vet...well not yet anyway.

And I'll probably be missing in action for the rest of the week...time to hit the "2 days behind schedule" crafty list...lots of top secret/can't even share sneaky peeks stuff so I'm having a little Fiskars Give-Away and it just so happens there's an Intricate Leaf Punch looking for a new home...

 

and here's a canvas I made for Fiskars a few years ago using the punch...

The give-away will close on on Saturday 3rd December at 8pm and I'll announce the winner bright and early on Sunday morning so to put your name in the hat...click on the Inlinkz tab below.
For lots of Fiskars inspiration along with hints and tips on how to use their products...why don't you pop over and join the wonderful community on the Fiskarettes UK Facebook Page.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

O' Christmas Tree...

Hi Everyone...welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog...thank you for joining us for last week's Trio-Tastic challenge...we hope you can join us this week too because...

and the theme for this week is...

O' CHRISTMAS TREE

it's hard to believe that Christmas is less than 4 weeks away

and it will soon be time to decorate our own Christmas Trees for real

I decorated an Idea-ology Burlap Panel to create a non traditional rustic "way out of my comfort zone" Nordic look.  I applied a coat of Gesso around the front edges and sides of the panel...

 then die cut Holiday Knit strips from the Dapper Stash Pad...

fixed them to a panel of Substrate Sheet using Distress Collage Medium to create the look of a Norwegian cosy hand knitted sweater...

I die cut 3 trees from white cardstock using the TimHoltz/Sizzix Thinlits Woodlands Die and layered them up to create a thicker tree...

which made it easier to ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink...I did the same with "Believe" from the Sizzix Thinlits Holiday Script Words Die

I die cut the tree again from Denim Textile Surface and filled in the negative spaces on the cardstock tree...I was amazed at how snuggly they fitted and not nearly as fiddly as I thought...just like doing a jigsaw really...the only one that didn't want to co-operate was that little blighter at the top but he was no match for the Tim Holtz piercing tool.

I used Grit Paste with the Snowflakes Layering Stencil and decorated the snowflakes with self adhesive pearls...added a Crinkle Ribbow bow and rusty jingle bells from my stash...

I created splatters with White Gesso using Tim Holtz Splatter Brush...

cut the numbers from the Dapper Stash Pad and fix to an Idea-ology Fragment with Glossy Accents.

You can find all the products I used over at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp online store...just click on the links below...

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and as always you all have the chance to win a $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2 pm CET to join in...

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

Panic Stations...

Good morning all...let's cut to the chase...no point in beating about the bush...it's panic stations big time in the cubbyhole. This crazy old crafter got a rude awakener yesterday morning when Facebook reminded me that this time last year the personal Christmas production line was ticking along nicely...

whereas this year...it hasn't even begun. But it did reinforce the need for a huge kick up the butt and after a straight 12 hour shift in the cubbyhole yesterday...lots of "can't share yet" stuff has been ticked off the crafty list. And with no time to take my usual two hour "walk the Furry Boy and have something to eat" break in the middle of the day...I resorted to a quick trot around the block and very naughty drastic measures...shovelling a a quick coffee and 2 Twirls down my throat...I know not good and if I keep going at this rate...I will be mixing the christmas cake with one hand...making cards with the other and could end up looking like one big roly poly crafter by the time Christmas arrives.

And of course...it's Friday (Black Friday no less and yes I have been a bit naughty and grabbed a few bargains) which means another day of gallivanting with the Friday Girls and when you've only done one and a bit day's work in a 5 day week it looks like I'll be having a "burning the midnight oil/all hands to the pump" weekend. Have fun whatever you have planned and I'll see you on Monday to share my DT project for the brand new challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

Shiver Me Timbers...

Hi folks...Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA...eat drink be merry and have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Brings back memories of spending Thanksgiving in New York with my sister watching Macy's fabulous Parade but boy was it COLD...for someone who is used to cold winter weather...this was bone chilling...teeth chattering COLD with an accompanying arctic wind blowing right up the Hudson river...we over-dosed on life saving hot take out coffees every 30 minutes and had to resort to buying ear muffs to try and fight off the hypothermia...we laugh about it now but hey if there's a next time...we'll be packing hot water bottles and a suitcase filled to the brim with thermal Michelin Man clothes.
Winter is definitely just around the corner...it's decidedly shiver me timbers weather here too...the champion snowball catcher is very disappointed we've had no snow but arctic temperatures of 6 and 7 below make for chilly slippery slidey morning dog strolls and despite my duvet coat and snuggly cosy hat...the wind always seems to find that gap in the Nanook of the North armour making me rather envious of The Furry Boy's amazing multi layered thick cosy coat with built in furry knickers.

And this has not been a productive week...I just can't seem to get back into the crafty swing...I've been sneaking away from the cubbyhole and snuggling up on the sofa watching TV wrapped up in a certain someone's blanket or putting my feet up for toasting my toes on the radiator coffee breaks in between the "shiver me timbers" canine outings.

But hey we're nearly at the end of another week...time to get my butt back into gear and finish off next week's DT project for Simon Says Stamp...

a reminder that Christmas is less than 4 weeks away and soon the man of the house will be asked
to head to the loft to retrieve our very own Woodland specimen along with it's decorations and the annual tantrum will commence...mumping...moaning...lots of groaning and if he had a pram...etc...etc but the Furry Boy and his Mum will be taking refuge in our crafty space until the hooha dies down...

best crack on and power up the production line...catch you all later

Hugs Kath xxx

Back to reality...

Hi folks...I had an amazing weekend at the Ministry of Mixology Workshops in Coventry...

lots of fun and laughter in the company of wonderful crafty friends...

making fabulous projects with Andy Skinner...Brenda Brown and Mark Gould...

fun make and takes and a hilarious raffle prize photo booth ceremony on Saturday evening and you know what they say...what happened in Coventry-stays in Coventry but I suspect that some of the photos may well be doing the rounds before too long. A huge shout out to Di and Tony from Tando Creative...the whole M.O.M team for all their hard work to make the weekend so special and the staff at the Holiday Inn for looking after us all so well.
But all good things come to an end...I was sad to say goodbye to all my MOM friends and set off on the long journey back home. And the bit I always dread...the boring flight...trapped for an hour and ten minutes with the "technology has killed the art of conversation" brigade noses stuck in their I-Phones. A great big thank you to Flybe for saving my sanity on this occasion by sitting me next to a YOUNG decidedly HUNKY and very CHATTY oilman on his way to a 3 week stint on the rigs...coffee and good company are a great mix and before we knew...it was gear down and 5 minutes to landing. What a gentleman and credit to his generation...he insisted on carrying my very heavy "yes there was a bit of crafty shopping done over the weekend" bag off the plane...through the airport and out to the taxi rank.  How refreshing it was in this "I'm alright Jack...sod everyone else" world we live in to meet such a lovely kind young man.
But it's back to reality and the day job again...catching up with the weekend laundry...the neglected household chores and a new week of crafty deadlines...however...not entirely all doom and gloom...there are memories of  fun times with lovely crafty friends to treasure and "I just couldn't help myself" purchases and goody bag contents to drool over...

and not one but two happy mail parcels from Simon Says Stamp arrived in my absence...

woohoo at last I've got my hands on the Distress Marker Storage Tin and I can't wait to try out Tim's new Distress Mixed Media Heavystock and Eclectic Elements threads.

Every cloud has a silver lining and there are definitely perks to being back in my "just me and the Furry Boy" crafty space again.

Catch up with you all soon
Hugs Kath xxx

Trio-tastic...

Hi Everyone...it's Monday...a cold and frosty start to the week with temperatures of minus 6...Jack Frost was definitely nipping at my nose on my morning doggy stroll...winter is on it's way and I suspect it won't be too long before we have snow and it just so happens that is the theme of today's post.

Welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog...thank you for joining us for last week's "Thanks/Thanksgiving" Challenge...we hope you can join us this week too because...

and the theme for this week is...

TRIO-TASTIC

(Use Three Of Something)

I very rarely make a Christmas project that doesn't feature a snowflake or two so I decided to indulge my passion for Mother Nature's amazing ornaments by decorating a canvas with three Snowflake products from Tim Holtz...Sizzix Stacked Snowflakes BigZ Die...Snowflake Layering Stencil and one of my favourite snowflake stamp sets...Mini Weathered Winter.

I started off by applying Gesso to the canvas and once dry, fixed the Stacked Snowflake die cuts in place with Distress Collage Medium...

 I then applied Texture Paste through the Idea-ology Snowflake Stencil and left it to dry before applying a coat of Distress Collage Medium Crazing over the whole canvas. The crazing effect doesn't show up in the main photo but you will see it in some of the close up shots...

Time to look out the Distress Crayons and have some fun and I couldn't resist trying out the Stormy Sky Crayon from the brand new Set 7...

I used Stormy Sky on the Texture Paste Snowflakes and Stormy Sky and Hickory Smoke for the background...blending them together with my fingers and used a moist baby wipe to remove some colour from the Die Cut Snowflakes. I then created shadows around the Die Cut Snowflakes with Walnut Stain fading it out with the help of my Detailer Water Brush...

I stamped the snowflakes from Mini Weathered Winter with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ranger Super Fine White Embossing Powder...

 and used the Stripes and Holiday Type stamp set inked with Black Archival to add some text...

created splatters with Picket Fence Distress Paint and Distress Mica Spray (you can see the crazing in these shots)

I stamped the log cabin image from Holiday Drawings with Potted Soil Archival Ink on to white card and placed behind an Idea-ology Frames and Trims Industrious Sticker...highlighted the detail with the Picket Fence Distress Crayon and added some Remnant Rub Snowflakes and Holiday Talk stickers...

 finishing off with Crinkle Ribbon and Twine bows and a Tiding Token...

You can find all the products I used over at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp online store...just click on the links below...

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and our fabulous November Guest Designer Anita Houston. As always you all have the chance to win a $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2 pm CET to join in...

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

InLinkz.com