The Altered Element Magic Circle

Hi folks, I have my last DT make for this Month's Enchanted Challenge over at The Altered Element blog. I have a loose interpretation of the challenge for you! Bear with me :) Ok so if you think Enchanted and think of a magical interpretation, then side step to Magic as a subject and slight of hand tricks then you have the inspiration for my make today - which I have called 'Magic Circle' LOL! Ok so it is a little loosely based on 'Enchanted' - I did warn you!

I've used stamps from two of the Creative Expressions stamp sets: Vintage Games and Vintage Aviation. I've also been heavy with the old Rangers Tim Holtz Distress inks for this one!

Ooo and some exciting news - I was picked as a Ginger Gem over at Gingersnap Creations for my Neutrals Plus One challenge entry! Thanks Guys you made my day!

Have a wonderfully magical Saturday!

Kim

SCACD New Artist Blog Hop

A BIG Welcome to the release day of stamps from the NEW artist over at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design!

Carmen Medlin - The Reflections Release

We Quixotic Paperie girls are sooo excited to be joining in with SCACD to celebrate this wonderful new artist that has joined the SCACD talented group of stamp designers! Of course you will be able to get your hands on these gorgeous new stamps from Quixotic Paperie!

So for the blog hopping fun you need to start over at Suzanne's blog Scrap Bitz. If you are hopping away already then you should have arrived at my blog from the lovely Chris Olsen.

For my make I've have used the lovely PrrrrFect Friends. 

I've also used Prima So Cute and Prima Flower Sequin Centres.

So as you might have guessed if you are in the UK/EU you can get these lovely new stamps from Quixotic Paperie. If you are in the USA then pop along to Susana's Custom Art and Card Design and for those of you in Canada you can get yours from Art Du Scrapbooking.

WIN, WIN, WIN!

We have some extra hopping fun for you! Susana and Elaine have been ever so lovely and are offering a 20% off voucher (not including p&p) from their respective shops SCACD and Quixotic Paperie to a randomly picked commenter and so is Susana's friend Denise at Storage Units, Ink And More. There are FIVE vouchers up for grabs (one from QP, three from SCACD and one from SU Ink & More) so don't forget to leave a comment on all of the blogs in the hop! 

Your next Hop Stop is the fab Alex Pearl Princess.

Happy hopping!

How Did We Get To Thursday Already?

A make! A real fresh off the desk make today! 

It has been one of those weeks where I haven't had a chance to get my fingers dirty, besides the fact that I could not sit at my desk as my chair was full of stuff, I've just been busy with other things. What things? I have no idea! But things that kept me from working! 

Well to be honest it was work really just not getting my fingers dirty kinda work. Monday was a sorting, planning and doing DT work day, Tuesday was a research and getting ready for a workshop I was running in the evening, Wednesday was a bit of a rest day (Oops!) with some planning and designing thrown in. 

So today? Today is a MAKE day - yahoo! 

My make today is inspired by the Cute Card Thursday challenge this week which is:

So Transparent!

Oh isn't he a cutie? Well I think he is cute! LOL! He is from the My Cute Stamp Eeek! It's A Monster set available over at Make The Day Special.

The sponsor this week is The Stamp Shoppie

Right I better go make some stuff before you start thinking that I've stopped or something! 

Lots of Monster thanks for dropping by today.

Kimx

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

It's What's On Your Work desk Wednesday! I've managed to clear the floor up this week, so I can get to my desk - but this week I can't find my chair under all the mess! LOL! So for me it is What's On Your Work Chair Wednesday :)

Oh Bless!

Before I pop off to try and get some work done...Don't forget the yummy Blog Candy over at the Quixotic Paperie Store blog.

Byeeeeeee....

Crackle On!

Hi Guys, we have had some questions about how I did the crackle on the frame for my recent Enchanted Seamstress make. So we thought it would be a good idea to put a quick 'How To' post together for you all.

This is such a wonderful and really easy technique. I first came across it some time ago from a Youtube video but more recently Craft Stamper did an article about the technique too.

For the technique you will need:

Acrylic paints

PVA glue (yes I have a HUGE bottle of PVA glue!)

Brush 

A palette for the paint and PVA

The item to be altered

Step One

Paint your item to be altered with the first coat of acrylic paint. Pick which colour you want to come through the crackle, dark colours are perfect but you can do all sorts of colour combinations so don't be afraid of trying different colours. You can always have a play on a spare piece of paper to see the end effect before using your item to be altered.

Important bit - let the first layer dry completely.

Step Two

Once the first layer is dry start covering it with your PVA. Don't dilute the PVA, a nice consistency of soft, fluid caramel is about right. Cover the whole area and don't feel that the layer has to be thick, but don't make it so thin that it drys before you can get the next layer on.

Important bit - Don't let this layer dry

Step Two

As soon as you have covered the item with the PVA start covering it with your acrylic paints, again don't thin the paint. I don't even change brushes, as you can see my palette has room for both the paint and the PVA. I like a smooth layer so keep the brush nicely loaded with paint, again it isn't a thick layer but not too thin otherwise the effect will be a bit 'lumpy'.

Important bit - leave it to dry. 

You can use your heat gun but I like to just leave mine overnight.

The PVA and Paint dry and you get contraction and this is what makes the crackle, you can actually see the crackle develop nicely as the item drys.

We would love to see any makes where you have used this technique just come back and leave a comment so we can have a nose!

Have fun!

Kimx

Pin It

Altered Element Quick 'How To'

Do you remember this recent make I did for The Altered Element called Enchanted Seamstress? Well we got some questions asking how I got the crackle effect on the frame so we thought it would be helpful to put a quick 'How To' post and you can find it on The Altered Element blog if you are interested.

Don't forget to check out this month's challenge as well, you still have a few days to enter and be in with a chance to win a £10 The Altered Element Voucher - Yum!

Have an enchanted day.

Blog Candy AND New Stamp Artist Alert!

What a way to start the week! It is BLOG CANDY time! Wahoo! 

Elaine is holding a blog candy over at the Quixotic Paperie Store blog Quixotic Inspirations to celebrate a NEW stamp Artist joining the Susana Custom Art and Card Design fold.

But we ain't telling you WHO the new artist is! Well not until the stamp release date 29th October 2010 when the QP DT will be joining the SCACD DT for a release day blog hop.

A date for your diaries!

Oh and the candy? Pop on over to Quixotic Inspirations to join in!

Oh Boy And Configurations!

Arghhhhhhh! I'm not a natural early riser...So when I keep waking up in the early hours of the morning for no reason what so ever and then can not get back to sleep it tends to make me a little manic - Eek

Or should that be more manic than usual?

Hey ho! What can you do? I am somewhat prone to insomnia attacks and general problems with actually getting to sleep. My gorgeous man helps me to sleep by reading to me, isn't he lovely! He didn't realise that it was in his contract (very small print) poor boy.  

Sleeping generally annoys me, I feel it is time I could be doing other things. Well until I don't have any and then I start to be a bit stranger than usual like making a cup of tea and leaving the milk out next to the kettle and putting the teabags in the fridge - you know the type of thing! Making a card then sticking it to the table! I'm sure we have all been there? Haven't we? Anyone? 

Oh the joys!

LOOK! A distraction from my insomnia-driven madness... Look at these...

The new Tim Holtz Configurations available over at The Altered Element. 

Oooooo they look fab! They are customisable shadow boxes - how cool is that? I love shadow boxes!

Did I distract you sufficiently from the lack of sleep jabbering? 

Oh look the sun is coming up.

Good night

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Card That Wanted To Be A Bookmark

My make today is a mixed media bookmark that I made for Make The Day Special. It had a bit of a journey this bookmark! It started life as a card and I wasn't happy with it so I changed it to a tag and still wasn't happy with it! Finally it turned into a bookmark and I am reasonably happy with it LOL!

Do you get days like that too?

The main stamp is the lovely Suzi Blu Love Yourself - which you know how much I love LOL! I've also added a bit of faux stitching with the Unity Key To Joy Kit which is still on special offer another favourite kit!

Hope your day is less indecisive!

Kimx

Steampunk Lavina For Cute Card Thursday

Hey Guys it is Cute Card Thursday and this week we have a lovely sketch and are sponsored by Kraftin' Kimmies Stamps.

Yesterday I gave you a little hint of the card I was making for today on my WOYWW post, it was a kind of before picture. Here is the after picture!

I've used the gorgeous My Mind's Eye Meadowlark Dawn paper and tinted it with Ranger Tim Holtz Distress inks. That fab journaling plaque is also from the Meadowlark Dawn kit. I think the Meadowlark Dawn paper is one of my ultimate favs this year!

I've also added some extra interest by stamping out swirls and flourishes from the lovely Stempelglede Stamps Oriental Butterfly kit available over at Quixotic Paperie and I also used these stamps for the little butterfly.

This lovely lady is Kraftin' Kimmies Stamps Moonlight Whisper Lavina - just love her, well into my Steampunk at the moment! Have you seen the new Christmas themed Moonlight Whispers? Fab!

Right off I must go again, love you and leave you!

Have a lovely day and thanks for dropping in.

Kim

Materials:
Stamp -  Stempelglede Stamps Oriental Butterfly kit; Kraftin' Kimmies Stamps Moonlight Whisper Lavina
Ink - Versafine Onyx black; Ranger Tim Holtz Distress inks
Colouring - Prismacolor Pencils; Sansodor
Papers - My Mind's Eye Meadow Lark Dawn paper
Usual Suspects - Paper trimmer; double-sided tape; silicone glue; Scissors

What Is On Your Work Desk Wednesday - Yikes!

Mega quick post today to share with you the mess that is my work station - YIKES! I need to clear up! I've been so busy...excuses, excuses. 

I'm in the middle of my DT pieces for Cute Card Thursday and Quixotic Paperie and I have my gorgeous Stempelglede stamps out...more of that later! Then I shall be doing my Make The Day Special  DT make...Kate has some wonderful Christmas cards on the MTDS blog from yesterday - lovely!

More indication that I'm getting lots done? The floor is slowly but surely filling up! Soon I will be trapped at my desk unable to move!

Don't forget to pop other to The Stamping Ground to see all the other WOYWW creative messes!

Have a productive day folks!

Kimx

Enchanted Seamstress

As promised I have my first DT piece for The Altered Element to show you. Every month The Altered Element runs a themed challenge and for October the theme is:

Enchanted

If you drop by The Altered Element blog you can find out how to join in the challenge and be in with a chance to win £10 Voucher to use in the shop. You can also see all the lovely inspiration from the amazing DT.

I've called my enchanted make - Enchanted Seamstress and she is a small altered canvas panel in a frame.

I covered the canvas panel with some old dress pattern tissue which I picked up from a charity shop and then lightly covered with white Gesso. I used a little bit of Rangers Tim Holtz Distress inks on the panel and then added a bit more texture with the inks and a Crafters Workshop Mask. The button and lace finish the panel.

I covered the frame with Gesso too then painted with brown acrylic paints. The final layer on the frame was PVA and Eco Green Paints Sand, once the paint was dry I then added low-lights with Rangers Tim Holtz Distress inks. 

The image uses the Catherine Moore Mannequin Cafe 3 (which is on special offer at the moment!) and coloured with inks.

The wings I've made from one of my favourite products and I think this might be the first time I have shown it here on my blog - it is Lutradur a fabulous non-woven polyester material which has lots of different uses including colouring, stitching into and burning - all of which I have done here!

Before I go you might be interested to know that Lynne has a REDUCED section that she has been adding to in the shop. It is to make way for new stock - so time to go a shopping I think LOL!

Thanks for popping by.

Have a lovely day.

Kim

Materials:

Stamps - Catherine Moore Mannequin Cafe 3; Studio G Alpha

Ink - Staz-on; Archival 

Usual Suspects - Golden Gel; scissors

Other - Gesso; Small Canvas Panel In Frame; Eco Green Paints Sand; Rangers Tim Holtz Distress inks; Crafters Workshop Mask; Button; Lace; Lutradur CS700 (70); PVA; Thread; Wire; Acetate; Sewing machine; Dress Pattern tissue

More Mixed Media Hearts For A Monday

Back to Crafty Makes today! Hope you all had a good weekend and managed to get lots of crafting done! I didn't do that much crafting over the weekend. I did manage to finish my first DT make for The Altered Element but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it!

Today's make is part of a series of four mixed media cards I made a few weeks ago, each of them were different and I showed you one in September. Two of them I sent to family members and two of them I put up into my Etsy and Folksy shops.

The one I show you today is the one I sent to my mum :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Kimx

I *Heart* The BBC

It is not like me to express opinions on my blog for anything other than crafting stuff but when I saw this YouTube clip by the musical comedian Mitch Benn about the BBC I just knew that I wanted to share it. 

I love the BBC and it breaks my heart to think that it is being threatened because of certain greedy commercial forces (don't get me on this subject otherwise my blog will become extremely opinionated and I will start to sound like an angry old woman!). 

Anyway I hope you enjoy it :)

Anniversary Mini-Us, The Greeting Farm style

Welcome to the weekend folks. David and me had our eighth Anniversary last week! Eight years of being together and we still like each other! Actually, we still love each other :O 

(Hurrah! My crafting obsession hasn't completely scared him off yet!)

This card is a little anniversary 'Mini-Mes' of David and me :) Ahhh bless! (honestly that is exactly like us except we are just a little bit taller LOL!)

Have a lovely weekend you all!

Kimx

Cute Card Thursday - What's Buggin' You?

Another week has flown by at extra fast forward speed! For my Friday make I've got my DT make for this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge which is:

What's Buggin' You?!

Include a bug on your card. Ok so I went a little different on this one, well we see lots of butterflies, ladybirds and bees on cards and I love them all but how often do we see a beetle (other than ladybirds of course!)? Beetles can be pretty too! Tee Hee!

I thought that the lovely Flowers For Mom Elisabeth Bell SCACD stamp would make a cute little Autumnal gardener and found after a quick Google search that there is a red Autumnal beetle, so if you look amongst the leaves you will spot him!

Hope I haven't scared you away with my beetle :)

Have a lovely Friday.

Kim

Make The Day Special Sale And Gingersnapping!

Hey Guys, I've gone all distressed for my make today and I've used a stamp from the Unity Key to Joy kit with a sentiment from the Unity Life Becoming kit, two of my favourites Unity stamp kits. 

You might be pleased to know that Emily currently has a special offer on these two kits as well as on a number of the other big Unity store kits in the Make The Day Special shop! Wahoo! Today is shopping day!

My make was inspired by two challenges over at the fabulous Gingersnap Creations blog. The inchies are from the Gingersnap Creations challenge GC71 and the colour combo is from the Gingersnap Creations neutrals plus one other colour challenge GC72.

You will also find this card in my Etsy and Folksy shops!

Thanks for popping by folks!

Kim

Materials:

Stamps - Unity Key to Joy kit; Unity Life Becoming kit

Inks - Archival coffee; Various Ranger Tim Holtz Distress inks;

Usual Suspects - Silicone glue; Golden Soft gel

Other - Calico; Corrugated card; Eco Green Acrylic Paint; Bondaweb

New Quixotic Paperie Challenge And Elisabeth Bell Stamp Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the Quixotic Paperie Elisabeth Bell SCACD Winter Window Spotlight Blog hop.

If you have landed here from Jacqui's Blog Cat's Whiskers then you are hoping in the right direction. If not then hop over to Elaine's blog Quixotic Cards to begin.

We have an extra special blog hop for you today. The Quixotic Paperie DT plus our very special guest the talented Kim Gruetzmacher (from Crafts By Kim and member of the Susana's Custom Art and Card Design Design Team) have all been playing with the lovely new Elisabeth Bell SCACD Winter Window Stamp to give you lots of ideas for your Winter makes.

But the reason why this is an extra special blog hop is that it is an introduction to our new once a month Quixotic Paperie Challenge which this month is:

Christmas Is Coming

Make a Christmas card and/or gift and join in the challenge see Quixotic Inspirations for all the details.

Here is my Quixotic Paperie Elisabeth Bell SCACD Winter Window:

I've used Viva Decor Holo Iridescent glitter liner to add some sparkle and the beautiful papers from My Mind's Eye Meadowlark Dawn and Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather with a little Heart pearl to finish.

For UK/ EU customers this beautiful stamp is available at Quixotic Paperie. If you're in the US/Canada you can buy it direct from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design.

You next port of call is The Store blog: Quixotic Inspirations.

Thanks very much for hoping by and enjoy the rest of the inspiration. Don't forget to join in on our new challenge...there is a fabulous prize up for grabs!

What A Start To The Week!

Oh my goodness, what a start to the week! I found out yesterday that I was one of the runners up for The Greeting Farm Notebook challenge with my Walk in the Park Notebook.

But then I was doing my daily look through my reader and found that I was over at the Club Anya and Friends blog as the Monday Mystery card to CASE! Wow, you should go see how the Club Anya DT have CASEd it! Fabulous!

Wahoo! How exciting! I was so surprised on both counts!

Also the lovely Elaine has my Walk In The Park notebook up on the Quixotic Paperie front page as well! Yay me LOL!

That isn't all! The lovely Helene had my little Julia Bug Witch card posted up on the Alota Rubber Stamps blog in September and I'm on the Alota Rubber Stamps shop page too!

Tee Hee!

So before I go all completely gooey with excitement I thought I would share some news you might find really interesting:

Elaine is running a special stamping offer over at Quixotic Paperie:

Between 11th October 2010 and 13th October 2010 (i.e TODAY Finishes at 12 midnight tonight) you will find 10% off all in stock items (excludes pre-orders) in the Rubber Stamping section at Quixotic Paperie!

This includes those essential items - EZMount and Memento Inkpads, as well as a fantastic range of stamps!

Right, I have a huge list of things to do today, DT work and commissions. But also before you go the Quixotic Paperie and a special guest has a fab blog hop for you tomorrow...watch this space.

Catch you later my fluffy bundles.

Sorry for the unprovoked self tooting! LOL!

Kimx