May The Fourth Be With You...

Hi folks...I'm a bit late to the party this morning after yesterday's pottering around in the garden session...cutting back shrubs...tidying up borders and pots meant the old body needed some serious coaxing just to get out of bed. The problem is I don't do that whole "Rome wasn't built in a day" thing...I'm more a "I've started...so I'll finish" kind of a girl and that's why at this moment in time I'm walking like a pregnant duck and wondering where I put that can of WD40.
Spring has finally arrived...the plants are beginning to wake up from their Winter slumbers and put on a bit of a show...

so it was time for me to do my bit and get rid of the grime that Winter left behind and that can only mean one thing...don the "fashion statement" welly boots and look out the power washer...

the magical wand that powers it way through the grime but should come with a Government Health Warning...get the angle wrong and you'll have a mouth full of spray and a mud splattered face...

but once everything starts to dry...there's a feeling of  "before and after" satisfaction despite the fact I'm soaked to the skin and the old body is in need of some serious pampering...

And with the garden tidy up not quite finished...will it be another "garden" day...well that all depends if this morning's stroll with my Furry Companion loosens up the achey muscles but hey...let's be optimistic...all will be well...after all...it's National Star Wars Day...so May The Fourth Be With You and ME especially...

Hugs Kath xxx

Have You Ever Felt...

Hi folks...I'm back in the cubbyhole after spending the weekend in the company of my crazy mates...the Friday Girls...gallivanting around the countryside despite the "all seasons in one day" weather and come evening the intrepid adventurers were ready to crash out and watch TV (crikey the final episode of Line Of Duty had us on the edge of our seats) or continue our ongoing Scrabble Champion battle or in my case...with a magazine commission nipping at my heels...catch up with some crafty homework using my bulging at the seams  "have you ever FELT you're showing all the symptoms of suffering from yet another addiction" box of yummy felt...

getting ahead of the game with some very relaxing felt decorative stitching...

magazine commission naughty sneaky peek coming up...

And with only 3 days left to tackle this week's list of things to do...I suspect it's going to be one of those "oh what the heck" kind of weeks...for starters...that rarely seen lately yellow ball in the sky is back...so do I continue with the garden tidy up or just have a "there's always tomorrow-12 Tags of 2016" play day....decisions...decisions.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

Home Decor with Prima...

Hi Everyone...I hope you are all enjoying your May Bank Holiday weekend...a new month and a new week which means it's time to head on over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog...thank you for joining us for last week's "Show Us Your Metal" challenge...we hope you can join us this week too because

and the theme for this week is...

HOME DECOR

this week we are creating something to decorate our homes...it could be a canvas...a wall hanging...a candle holder...coaster...whatever takes your fancy and we are showcasing... 

PRIMA FLOWERS PRODUCTS 

you don't have to use them to join in but we would love to see how you use them if you do. 

If you visit here often...you'll know I've got a bit of a thing for canvasses...not sure how many are currently stored in the cubbyhole but I just couldn't resist looking out some Prima goodies and adding to the collection...

I started off by priming my 8" x 8" canvas with a layer of gesso and once dry I fixed down torn strips of paper from Prima's Life Time A4 pad with Ranger Multi Medium Matte and to take away the stark whiteness of the gesso...applied a thin wash of Gathered Twigs Distress Paint all over with a damp baby wipe.

I used Tim Holtz Halftone and Rings Stamp Set inked with Gathered Twigs Distress and Black Archival Inks to create some background interest...love this stamp set...it's gone right to the top of my favourites list...

and added Prima "The Archivist" Statement Stickers sealing them down with Distress Collage Medium Matte...

giving me a base to apply Vintage Photo Distress Crayon which I rubbed in with my finger and then removed some of the crayon from the surface of the stickers with a slightly damp paper towel...

I mixed the Art Basics 3D Transparent Matte Gel with the Art Stones and applied randomly over the canvas...

and used Wendy Vecchi's Crackled Textured Paste with the Splatters Mini Stencil from Set 3...

Then it was time to colour the beautiful Penmanship flowers from Prima with Tattered Rose Distress Spray Stain and colour the leaves with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink...

I fixed Prima Mechanicals to the centres of the flowers...

and metal numbers that I had in my stash along with sentiment stickers from "The Archivist" Statement Stickers Pad. To finish I dripped Picket Fence and Tarnished Brass Spray Stain over the canvas to create a random splattered look.

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

I can't wait to see what you all create this week

so have fun and happy crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

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