A Weekend Full Of Demos

If any of you happen to be in the Woking Hobbycraft on Saturday or the Staples Corner Hobbycraft on Sunday then do come over to say 'Hello' won't you?

(This was my desk at Orpington a few weeks ago)

Yep, I've got some more demos for Kuretake this weekend, I'll be in Woking from 10am-4pm and Staples Corner from 11am-3pm, so see you there!

Have a fun Friday

Kim

Fly With Me

Hey up Tuesday blog hoppers how you all doing? Do you remember the quick peek of a demo sample I was in the middle of making that I showed you on Thursday? Well I have another sample to show today, this time it is a complete project and not just a peek!

It's a Basically Bare hanger with a bit of a steampunk theme.

I've used the Bare Basics Gears set and run them through my Cuttlebug in an embossing folder and painted with acrylic paints.

The hot air balloon is from the Up Up and Away Basically Bare set and I treated the canvas balloon with a bit of ZIG Fabricolor twin colour through a mask and then stamped with Archival and added some stitching.

So lots of textures to play with! All the Basically Bare items are available from the Kuretake Shop btw.

I have some other samples to show at a later date but before I go I just wanted to let you know about my new article in the latest issue of Papercraft Essentials PE81.

It's the Kiss stamping masterclass and I've used Hero Arts stamps for this one, hope you like it!

Thanks for popping by and have a fun Tuesday!

Kim

Edit: I'm linking this up to Brenda's blog Bumblebees and Butterflies for Tuesday Treasures, don't forget to pop over and checkout the links and Brenda's lovely stamped purse.

Flying By With A Work In Progress And Demo News

Just a bit of a fly by from me today, I'm in the middle of some last minute sample making for my demo this Saturday at Stamp Addicts in Bedford.

Here is a little sneaky peek at one of the samples...

You guessed it I'm doing a Basically Bare Demo for Kuretake this week.  He is one of the felt Owls from the Stackabellies Owls kit and I've done a bit of stitchery on him.

Right, well I better get on. Hope to see you between 10am-4pm at Stamp Addicts. I won't be the only person demoing, it is a free demoing event so should be great fun!

Kim

Flying High In A Hot Air Balloon

How about a little trip in a hot air balloon today? I've always liked the idea of it but have yet to try it, what about yourselves? Ever been for a hot air balloon flight? What is it like?

I don't think we would fit into this little hot air balloon though! It is one of the Basically Bare from the Signature Range available from Kuretake, it is called Up Up and Away and you get two balloons in the set - a fabric one and an acrylic one, with a corrugated cardboard basket and a chipboard basket.

This one is the acrylic balloon with the chipboard basket.

All the colour is from the ZIG Painty Markers and I've used a collage background. The little flower button is made from the Basically Bare Bare Basics Blossoms and Leaves.

I've got full instructions on how to put this make together if you are interested - it is on the Kuretake blog.

Have a lovely flying Wednesday!

Kim

Home Tweet Home And Some More Demo News

Before I tell you about this week's Demo how do you fancy a little altered canvas? It is a little sample I made for Kuretake recently and I've been meaning to blog it for a while now.

If you saw the Create and Craft show on the 23rd March you would have seen a tiny peek of it as they showed the ZIG Painty Markers and Basically Bare Stackabellies Birds and Basically Bare Blossom and Leaves also available over at the Kuretake shop. 

I also used some Washi tape and gesso with a little bit of stamping for this make.

And the leaves were coloured with ZIG Art and Graphic Twin pens.

The little chipboard bird was covered with a book page collage before adding colour with the Clay coloured ZIG Painty marker.

Home Tweet Home!

Ok so Demo time again on Saturday (21st April). This time I will be in the Orpington Hobbycraft from 10am to 4pm. See you there!

(This was my demo table from Staines last week.)

Have a glorious Thursday.

Kim

Spring Into Flowers With ZIG Calligraphy Pens

I've been doing lots of ZIG Calligraphy flowers in my demoing recently so perfect time to be making little ZIG Calligraphy flower backgrounds for this month's Kuretake challenge over on the blog which is all about 'Spring' and all the DT have been doing lots of lovely flowery makes.

Have you tried using the ZIG Calligraphy pens to do flowers yet? It isn't hard once you have worked out how to do a 'S' or a 'C' shape then all you need to do is to remember to turn the paper after each petal and join the tops of the shapes. Check out the Kuretake channel on YouTube to see how.

My piece is a mixed media journal page called 'Spring Dress Form'.

Do you remember the work in progress from last week? Well this is what it turned into! I built up a torn paper collage onto kraft paper then painted it with acrylic paint.

I used the ZIG Calligraphy pens to draw the flowers, butterflies and vines, then used various stamps to add the extra texture.

You can get the two tone petals by blending the pens and again you can see more on the Kuretake channel on YouTube to learn how to do this.

The dress form is stamped on acetate, book page and card.

Don't forget to keep checking out the Kuretake blog this week for information on how to join in - there might be prizes too *wink*

Have fun.

Kim

 EDIT: ps. the Dress form stamp is from Character Constructions Clearly Constructed Paperdoll Parts range and you can find them over at That's Crafty.

Catching Up...

Hey Boys and Girls, how are you all doing? Having some creative fun?

It has been busy here in Kimberley Towers, as you can tell from the slight dip in posting on the blog - D'oh! Blog Posting Fail!

So here is a catch up.

As you know I did my second Hobbycraft demo for Kuretake in Greenford last week.

My next Demo is this Saturday, 14th April, in the Staines Hobbycraft, 10am to 4pm - See you there! BTW have you been checking out the demo page on the Kuretake blog to see if there is a demo in your area?

The Easter break seemed to just fly by! We took advantage of the fact that the whole of London seems to have gone away for Easter and went out and about to take in some sights. 

We had a little trip to the Saatchi Gallery to take in some contemporary art, which is always worth a look.

But I'm also managing to get a bit of art done myself, which makes a change! Here is a little peak at a work in progress...

We shall see what it turns into! And yep that is the washing machine and the kettle, I'm in the 'painting section' of my studio, yes you guessed it - the kitchen!

Hope you have all been having fun too.

Catch you later you creative souls.

Kim

ps. the kraft book is attracting some attention! It is a recent find on the sales table of a Paperchase if you are interested!

Demo, Demo!

Hey Guys, it is another week and another Demo for Kuretake.

This week I'll be at the Greenford Hobbycraft from 10am to 4pm this Saturday 7th April 2012.

This is a piccy from my set up in Croydon last weekend. Mmmm lots of pens :)

Hope to see you there!

Catch you later.

Kim

Review - ZIG Cocoiro Lettering Pen From Kuretake

Buffy from Kuretake recently sent me one of the ZIG Cocoiro Lettering Pens from their Japanese Stationery range to try out - so it is review time!

So the first thing to notice about the ZIG Cocoiro Lettering Pen is that you can choose the colour of the body and the colour of the ink. You can even choose the type of tip for the black ink. 

It is kind of like a mix 'n' match selection for your pens. Currently you can choose from ten colours of the Cocoiro pen bodies and six ink colours for the Extra Fine Refill and a black Refill Ball Tip as well at the Kuretake Shop.

I had the Sky Blue body with the Dark Green (colour not currently available from the Kuretake online shop) Extra Fine Refill to try out, each arrived in their own little plastic sleeve. Once unwrapped you can remove the temporary cap from the refill, save it for later as it will be useful if you have lots of refills to swap around with, remove the cap from the body and slip the refill in. The refill screws into the body to keep it in place, then you can replace the lid that came with the body.

The end of the refill pokes out of the end of the pen so that you can see what ink you have in the body and the whole pen is extremely light to carry. It is very quick and simple to put together and you can easily swap in a different refill in no time at all. But to be honest I would probably have a couple of different coloured bodies too 'coz I like the colours and I am a bit of a pen fiend!

The Extra Fine Refill tip is a stiff brush and you can get a variety of ultra thin and wider marks so when you use it for writing you get a flow of thick and thin lines. Same with drawing too, the flow of the tip across the page means that the line thickness will change as you move the pen. It takes a little getting used to but with some practice you can use this to your advantage, say for making the trail of the mark thin out at the end for example.

There is a little dryness to the ink flow that I'm not used to with Kuretake products so that also took a little getting used to. But I found that if I used the pen more slowly and made the marks with more purpose (i.e. didn't scribble at high speed) then it wasn't a problem. The ink is not waterproof so don't use it on your unfinished art journal pages or anywhere that might come in contact with liquid.

This is a great pen for doodling and writing in your notebooks or Smash books. The 'interactiveness' of changing the refills really appeals to me as it means I can change the ink colour to match my mood - and yes I do frequently change pen colours to match my mood! No really - I do! 

If I was doing some full on drawing I might grab one of my other Kuretake ZIG pens first but I would quite happily sit there doodling into my notebooks with a ZIG Cocoiro pen - just stay away from me if you spot me using black or red LOL!

Enjoy perusing the yummy colours!

Kim

(Disclaimer time- you guys know I'm on the Kuretake Design Team, I don't get paid for my reviews or opinions but I do get product. I still try to give you my honest, unbiased opinions to the products I test whether I'm on the design team or not.)

Lots Of Excitement!

Ok so you might have noticed from the lack of blogging and commenting that I've been a teensy bit busy recently. But I've cleared off some of my commissions; cards and makes have been posted and before starting on some new commissions I'm trying to get some planning in so that my blog doesn't look so abandoned when I get really busy! 

I'm very excited as I also have some new work to plan for. I will be starting on a new branch to my creative journey, one I can't wait to get my inky fingers into, I'm doing some demos for Kuretake at various Hobbycraft Stores in and around London. 

I've put a list up in my sidebar and I would be tickled pink if any of my blogging buddies are around and want to come and say hello! 

My first demo will be in the Croydon Hobbycraft 10am-4pm 31st March 2012. 

So mark the date in your calendar and see you there!

Happy creating!

Kimx

Kuretake Challenge No: 2 - Doodle Mania

Do you know what time it is?

It is Doodle Mania Time!

I like a bit of a doodle, do you? Then get your Kuretake pens out, Doodle away and then link it up over at the Kuretake Blog! You could win some YUMMY prizes if you do!

I've been a doodling, well to be honest I'm pretty much always doodling and here is my doodling Kuretake DT piece.

It is a journal page and a bit of a work in progress, but you can see what I've done so far.

The background was made with scraps of newspaper, glitter glue, a mask, ZIG Art and Graphic Twin pens and ZIG Calligraphy pens.

The doodling used some of the ZIG Painty pens and ZIG Opaque writer, but I've also used a white ZIG Posterman as well, which is one of the most useful pens you can get as it allows you to go back over areas you want to change the colour of, you can see I used it for the flowers and then went over the top with a Watercolour BrusH2O System and the ZIG Art and Graphic Twin pens and ZIG Calligraphy pens.

Don't forget to pop on over to the Kuretake Blog to see all the lovely DT makes for a bit of inspiration and to join in too!

See you later.

Kim

Inspiration Monday {Rainbows}

I'm starting this week with a HUGE splash of colour for my La-La Land Crafts Inspiration Monday make.

Be warned it is COLOUR OVERLOAD!

I've used one of my favourite Lukas - Lil' Rocker Luka, he makes me want to get my guitar out - I can't actually play it, but I keep meaning to learn!

Well the La-La Land Crafts Inspiration this week was Rainbows, so I might have taken it a bit literally! 

I called this one School of Rock with the Hero Arts Formulae background you see? The background wash uses ZIG Art and Graphic Twin pens - lovely and colourful! 

Well I did warn you it would be colourful!

Don't forget to go checkout the other DT makes today and Friday on the La-La Land Crafts blog and link up your makes at the Customer Gallery.

Do you have or know of any crafty kids? If you do then don't forget to check out the La-La Land Crafts for Kids blog too where there are bi-monthly challenges and a chance to earn 'Marci Money' towards stamps just for participating in the challenge.

See you all later.

Kim

Bring On The Love And Make Your Own Colour Spray Using Kuretake Pens

Are you looking for some love? Well you have found it!

Some inky love with Kuretake for the season of love and for Kuretake's new Challenge, have you had a chance to check the Challenge out yet? There are some amazing prizes!

Materials: ZIG Memory System Calligraphy Antique Burgandy and Rose, ZIG Fabricolor Twin Red, ZIG Opaque Writer Anniversary Ivory, Basically Bare Bare Basics Hearts Set 2, Basically Bare Bare Basics Hearts Set 1 and Basically Bare Bare Basics Buttons. 

I used the ZIG calligraphy and fabric pens to make my own colour Spritz for using with a mask on the large Basically Bare fabric heart, and here is how I did it:

You Will Need:

 ZIG Memory System Calligraphy Antique Burgandy and Rose

ZIG Fabricolor Twin Red

A non-stick sheet (craft sheet, plastic, acetate)

Small empty spray bottle

Pipette/ Eye-dropper

Perfect Pearls or Cosmic Shimmer powder

Water

Mini-scoop or thick tweezers

Step One - Scribble!

Scribble the pens onto the non-stick sheet to build up some colour. I've used all three pens but you can easily mix and match to make your own colours.

Step Two - Just Add Water

Pour a drop of water directly onto the scribble of colour and mix the colour into the water. Try to keep the pool of water in one large drop, don't spread in around the sheet or break it up into smaller droplets.

Step Three - Suck!

Suck the coloured liquid up in the pipette (eye dropper) and put it into one of the empty spritz bottles. You can repeat Steps 1-3 as many times as you like to build up colour and volume. If you want to make the colour more intense use a drop of the coloured water from the spritz bottle on the scribble of ink instead of fresh water in Step 2.

Step four - Bling It Up!

If you want to add a bit of sparkle to your spritz then add a pinch of mica powder such as Perfect Pearls or Cosmic Shimmer to the bottle and mix well. Use your Kuretake colour Spritz as you would any other colour spray for a week then give your bottles a good wash with mild soapy water before making more.

There you have it, your own tailor made sparkly colour spray. I used it here through a mask on the fabric heart and to change the colour of this seam ribbon.

Don't forget to checkout the new Kuretake's new Challenge. 

Enjoy!

Kim

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