Textured Tag Book...

Hi folks...I'm popping in on a wing and a prayer...the BT gremlins have decided it's time to have some fun with my phone line and broadband connection...I won't go into details but let's just say that the Helpline man from Delhi and I are not best friends at the moment so with one eye on the computer screen and the other focused on that light which is currently blue...here's hoping I can get to the end of this post before it turns to flashing orange again...a quick share of what we made in the afternoon class at Kath's Klub at The Papeterie...a tag book to hold Tim Holtz or Wendy Vecchi stencils...creating lots of texture with Wendy's fabulous Embossing Pastes...

Transparent...White...Silver and Textured Crackle

a beautiful rainbow of gorgeous flowers...

and we were having so much fun...we decided to sneak in a quick fridge magnet

a new recruit at Kath's Klub...isn't she cute

Hugs Kath xxx

A Stamp-It...Stencil-It Day...

H folks...another fun Saturday at The Papeterie with the lovely crafty folks who come along to my monthly Kath's Klub and this month's take-home goodies were the Stamp-It...Stencil-It Sets from Wendy Vecchi along with Carnation Red and Leaf Green Archival Ink Pads to make bright fun zingy Summery cards in the morning class...

I'll be back tomorrow to share what we made after lunch...having lots of fun with Wendy's fabulous Texture Pastes...

Hugs Kath xxx

And for all my Kath's Klub buddies...there will be workshops on 30th August...Christmas with Kath and Tim Holtz...

Beside The Seaside...

Hi Folks...the third Sunday of the month and it's time to join The Ribbon Girls for another Colour Challenge...the colour chosen is...

AQUA/TURQUOISE

so we're off on a trip to the seaside...

I made two wall hangings which may find their way to my ensuite bathroom

I started off with blank chipboard 4.5" squares painted with a layer of gesso...then coloured them with Peacock Feathers and Broken China Distress Paint.  I then coloured Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste with small amounts of the Distress Paints and spread roughly across the surface.  I added more texture using the White Embossing Paste and Wendy's Leaves Stencil and also smeared the paste around the edges. Once the paste had dried I mixed up the Pebeo Glaze Resin and had great fun dribbling it here there and everywhere and left it to dry overnight.

Then it was time to decorate with Mixed Shells...Prima Treasures Sea Collection Resins...Mini Dahlia Vintage Teal...Self Adhesive Pearls and Twine

a close up of the Pebeo Glaze Resin dribbly bits

Pop across to the Ribbon Girls Challenge Blog to check out the gorgeous creations from my fellow team mates and our Guest Designer for this month...Tracy Payne and the prizes up for grabs this month.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend
Hugs Kath xxx

Postcard from Paris

Hi folks...I'm back again with my usual monthly post over at the Craftwork Cards Blog and this time I've been playing with the gorgeous Postcard From Paris Paper Pad...haven't decided yet whether it will be a wall hanging or an album cover.
I started off with an 8"x8" piece of chipboard and covered it with the Map paper (the papers just happen to be the same size so no point in making life complicated.  I coloured the edge with the chisel nib of a black Promarker...great for hiding the unsightly edges of the chipboard and creating a frame for your work at the same time.

The alphabet letters are Grunge Paper Alphabets from Tim Holtz coloured with Black Soot Distress Paint.  I embossed the big "P" with the Postcard Embossing Folder from you know who and sanded it back to give a bit of texture.  The Eiffel Tower...Postage Label and Pointy Finger are French Industrial Salvage Stickers (yes from TH)

I cut Grunge Board into odd sized tiles...covered them with the Postcard From Paris papers and edged each one with the black Promarker. I then stamped each tile with small sentiments or icons and decorated with Alphabet and Chit Chat Stickers.

As there are no die cuts flowers available with the Postcard From Paris papers...I had a rummage through my Craftwork Cards stash and found a few sheets left over from the Blush Rose Collection and what do you know...a perfect colour match...

And I'm off to the seaside tomorrow with The Ribbon Girls so why don't you join me for a paddle
Hugs Kath xxx

Oops...oops...oops...

Hi folks...stand by your beds and prepare yourselves for a shock...while prepping the tag books yesterday with Annie Sloan Versailles Paint...I love this gorgeous soft olive colour...

help ma kilt the old cogs started whirring and before I stop myself...I was test dabbing the cubbyhole wall...

well say no more...nod nod wink wink...the old paintbrush may not hung up after all. I was intending taking the whole of August off...a bit of a break from crafting...time away from the cubbyhole to recharge the batteries but if that little guy on my shoulder who persistently comes up with "good ideas" has anything to do with it...I may well have to rethink that plan...could well end up being a "PAINTING" holiday or perhaps...after a naughty naughty e-mail from the lovely Brenda and David at Craft Obsessions to say they had lots of the new TH goodies in stock...a "STITCHING" or "STENCILLING" holiday...

And yes I was powerless to resist...another OOPS...OOPS...OOPS shopping moment but hey my Postie always says I'm keeping him in a job...only too happy to help matey and just in case hubby's around when it arrives...it's just another DT parcel.

See you all tomorrow to share another Craftwork Cards project

Hugs Kath xxx

Just When I Thought...

Hi folks...well what do you know...just when I thought it was safe to pop my head over the parapet and the paintbrush had been hung up for a while...Brodie and Oliver asked if this old crafty Grandma was up for a little bit of face painting...the German and Dutch flags no less for World Cup Day at their Summer Soccer Camp so after a quick Google to check colours and a bit of a shaky hand first thing in the morning...voila...job done.

and it's looks like I just can't get shot of that paintbrush...I'll be finishing off the prepping of the tag books for Saturday before I set off for a "ladies who lunch" day out with the Friday girls and yes I do know it's only Thursday...

but...and it's a great big BUT...Tim Holtz has well and truly set the cat amongst the pigeons with a happy mail delivery...I'm sorely tempted to take a rain check...stay home and play...

but it's my turn to drive and to buy lunch...so playtime has been put on hold and just when I thought I was gradually making my way through the must-have TH wish list...blimey Tim launches even more gorgeous new stuff...the wish list now resembles the supermarket receipt from a weekly shop and the bank manager has fainted...oops...oops...oops I've been naughty again and am waiting for another "on bread and water until the end of the month" parcel arriving.

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Kath xxx

Woohoo...it's official

Hi folks...woohoo it's official and I'm cock-a-hoop...shouting from the rooftops...the Chez Kath Make-Over is finally finished...the stair carpet is down and it's heaven...all squishy and soft like walking on a cloud and peace and quiet is restored...no more mega rumbles of thunder as The Furry Boy hurtles downstairs...

and once my sleep-over guests have departed...I'll be heading for the cubbyhole to get stuck into the crafty list...I've been chasing my tail with the Fiskars makes...

and the DT stuff...a trip to Paris...

and having fun with Pebeo "dribbly glazy stuff" or to give it it's proper name...Glaze Resin

and more fun with the gorgeous
"Magic of Christmas" Collection from Craftwork Cards...

See you all tomorrow
Hugs Kath xxx

A Vintage Flora Happy Accident...

Hi folks...I'm sharing the first of 2 posts this month over at the Craftwork Cards Blog and oh boy I was finding it hard to choose between all the fabulous collections of papers and kits released recently until I came across the gorgeous Vintage Flora Paper Blox Pad that I had completely forgotten about...naughty...naughty but I bet that sounds familiar...

6" x 6" pad containing 72 sheets of gorgeous papers (9 sheets of 8 designs)

plenty to indulge one of my favourite pastimes...cutting out floral images to create a 3D effect

I decided to make a criss-cross card but should have plugged the old brain in first...because instead of fixing the cards together so that the cut-away flaps were coming from either side...crossing over each other to create an envelope style card...goodness knows what I was thinking...I had one flap folding in from the left and the other folding down from the top and just when I was thinking "bin and back to square one" I realised I had just created a "happy accident" twist on my original idea ...an "all's well that ends well" card.

I fixed the top folding flap down...cut strips of paper and threaded with ribbon to fix to each flap...otherwise the card was not going to close...

fussy cut lots of flowers from the one of the papers, fixed in place with 3D foam pads and decorated with White Enamel Accents finishing off with In Circles Sentiments...

But must dash I'm going to be burning the midnight oil to get ahead of the game...the grandkiddos are coming this morning for a sleep-over and the guys will be arriving shortly after to fit the stair carpet...woohoo

Hugs Kath xxx

A Fun Weekend At The Papeterie

Hi folks...the lovely Sue Wilson and Julia Watts waltzed into town to spend the weekend at The Papeterie with lots of lucky crafty folks...Sue taught 3 workshops on Saturday...

while Julia demonstrated in the other classroom...then they reversed roles on Sunday...sadly two "absent without leave from the cubbyhole" days in a row would really have been chancing my luck.
This was Julia's first visit to The Papeterie and you can't come to my neck of the woods without trying out an Aberdeenshire delicacy...a yummy buttery (rowie) with lashings of home made strawberry jam...

 looks like it was going down rather well...

the cards Julia made with Sue's new dies...embossing folders...stamps and accessories...all in stock at The Papeterie or they were when I left on Saturday...

a fun day away from the cubbyhole...chatting with crafty mates...drinking coffee and yes there were cakes...made by The Papeterie's Master Baker Extraordinaire...our lovely chum Doreen...

It's back to the cubbyhole for me on a dull dreary Monday morning...Summer's disappeared to be replaced by "rain forecast" weather and just to add to the doom and gloom...it's going to be a step-by-step instructions...time for the big girl knickers kind of a day but tomorrow I'll be back to share a "it could only happen in the cubbyhole "Happy Accident" project.

Hugs Kath xxx