Happy 100th Issue Papercraft Essentials!

Papercraft Essentials has reached its 100th issue!

Well done Papercraft Essentials! They are celebrating with some very useful tag dies with the magazine and free downloadable papers too. So don't forget to check it out this month.

Anyone going to be at the Croydon Hobbycraft this weekend? Come and say hello if you are, I'll be demoing the Fiskars Fuse on the Saturday.

Have a fun weekend.

Kim

A Little Bit Of News...

It's Friday, almost the weekend, which also means a heads-up for a little bit of weekend reading...

How about the latest issue of Papercraft Essentials? Issue 99 is out in the shops...

I've got a step by step guide showing how to make a Christmas wreath using the lovely XCut A5 die set available from docrafts. But you will also spot some gorgoeus makes from Elaine Hughes with her phenomenal colouring in this issue, so well worth checking out!

In other news I'm going to be in Reading tomorrow (Saturday) demoing the Fiskars Fuse.

I'll be in Hobbycraft from 10am to 6pm so come say hello and if you can't make Reading then checkout the other Fuse Demos going on around the UK.

Finally, I just wanted to remind you about my Silhouette Cameo Tutorial Series I've been running this month.

It is my last instalment on Sunday so don't forget to pop on by.

Catch you later.

Kim

All That Glitters Is Not Gold...Oh Wait A Minute - It Is!

Ok so it might not be real gold but it sure does sparkle and glitter like gold and make your projects look just that bit richer. What am I going on about? Well, it is an old favourite that has been kind of getting a bit of a reboot over the last couple of years or so - Gilding flakes.

I've been playing with the Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes. 

I wasn't really a Gilding Flakes person, to be honest so I thought, I would give them a little run for their money and see if I could change my mind about them. I have always loved the look of a touch of Gilding Flakes used sparingly on a mixed media piece but could not be persuaded on some of the full-on use of Gilding Flakes in old school cardmaking. 

But, as I've said they have had a little bit of a reboot and you can find some gorgeous makes using Gilding Flakes. So I think I've changed my mind about them. What I would say though is they are a little messy to use as they fly everywhere even in a big box, but then the results are so shiny so it is worth a play!

If you check out the current issue of Papercraft Essentials, Issue 98, you will find a whole masterclass from me on both Gilding Flakes and Gilding Wax and I've tried to give them a bit of a more contemporary spin.

I used the Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes and Creative Expressions Gilding waxes and you will find lots of colours in both ranges now. I used the Umount Floral Silhouette A5 Stamp Plate for my makes and another thing I found really useful for use with the flakes is the Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter glue.  

You can spot an extra make from me over at the Papercraft Magazine's new website.

So shiny! Oh if only I did have a pot of gold, *sigh*!

I would love to hear about your experiences with Gilding Flakes, do you like to use them in your projects? What do you use them for?

Catch you later.

Kim

PS. this issue of Papercraft Essentials has all the details for entry into the Papercrafter of the Year competition - if you are at all interested in entering, (and I encourage everyone to enter!) go hunt it out now and start cracking!

The Latest Magazines To Look Out For

Magazine time. I'm a bit late on these heads-up so hopefully you have seen these mags already but I thought I would give you a shout out anyway!

 So first up is the latest issue of Papercraft Essentials, issue 97.

In this issue Lee Campbell, the editor, has introduced a fabulous new feature. It is a full 12-step article and to kick this off I've done a resist stamping project using clear embossing and inks, one of my favourite techniques by the way.

If there is anything you would like stepped out in more detail, say a technique or a particular project then go drop Lee a note over at the Facebook page or over at the Papercraft Essentials Twitter stream.

You will also find the lovely Tracy Evans making her debut in this issue! YAY Tracy, great to see you in Papercraft Essentials!

The next magazine heads-up is for Creative Cardmaking 57.

I've not seen this issue yet but the cover looks very pretty and there is a Polka Doodles kit with it too! I should have a Summery glossy embellishments article in this issue using ICE Resin and Glossy Accents with Glitter and some lovely American Crafts papers. 

Right, that brings this week's reading up to date!

Have a lovely Wednesday.

Kim

Anybody Caught The Latest...

Papercraft Essentials? Issue 96 is out...

Bit of reading in the sun I think! Yay Summer! Oh yeah it is summer! Hold on, sorry, got a bit side tracked! So this month I have some DIY embellishments using polymer clay and embossing powders in moulds and a smidgen of a summer theme - not that I'm getting obsessed about the sun being out or anything!

Hope you are enjoying the sun but if you are looking for a bit of indoor time don't forget The Amazings review I wrote a week or so ago, I believe the link for getting your first class free still works. I'm kind of curious about the Silver Metal Clay class, if any one has taken it, I would love to know what you thought.

Catch you later

Kim

This Month's Papercraft Essentials...

Kettle on, biscuits out, cupcakes made - it is magazine heads-up time!

Papercraft essentials issue 95 and my offering this month are some fun DIY paperclips shapes. Shaped paperclips are really hot right now! Tee Hee! Might make good Father's Day cards if you are a bit stuck, just saying.

But the magazine has some fab inspiration as usual. You will find a lovely shadow stamping masterclass from Liz McGuire, and a fab quick masterclass about getting chalkboard looks from Andrea Neville to name but a couple of the articles in this month! The freebie are some vintage summer themed Acid Drops and Whatnots stamps and papers.

Hope you enjoy it!

Kim

Don't forget my Cricut giveaway!

Some Reading For The weekend

If you are on the look out for some new magazine inspiration then take a peak to Papercraft Essentials Issue 94.

My article this month is a Gesso masterclass and I've used Mona Lisa and Melle Papillon designed by Alex Smith for Penny Black because I just had too! - Kind of fell in love with them!

The new Craft Stamper is also out and I have a card in the Ready Steady Stamp section.

But if you are also looking for something to do this weekend then you might fancy checking out the new group Pinterest board I've started called Art & Craft Tutorial Favourites. 

As I said to folks on Facebook the idea is that it is a place to collect and share our favourite tutorials and workshops for papercrafts and mixed media. They can be tutorials or workshops you have tried or want to try, they can also be your own that you want to share, that is fine too! 

I'm hoping it will develop into a handy board to flick through if we are looking for some inspiration, a recommendation for something new or just to help inspire us out of a creative rut! What do you think? 

If you aren't on Pinterest yet and want to join then this link should lead you there and straight to the new board to follow once you've signed up, well at least I think it should! If you are already on Pinterest then you will find the board here.

Are you interested in being a contributor to the board? If so drop me a line and I'll link you up! It is open to all papercraft and mixed media enthusiasts.

Hope to see you there!

Have a fun weekend.

Kim

Have You Seen...?

Time for a magazine update and a couple of articles from me, plus lots of lovely articles from lots of other folks too of course!

So first up is Papercraft Essentials issue 93:

I've got a Cut Out and Keep with some yum dies from La-La Land Crafts, you can find them over at Crafts U Love too, and my own pastel papers called a Medley of Pastels which you can find in my Etsy shop. Yeah, I think I need to work on my paper names!

Then there is Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 109:

I've got a watercolour backgrounds article in this issue using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos and Stamper's Big Brush pens, well not just backgrounds actually, I've made the embellishments with the Gelatos and Stamper's Big Brush too. You also get a lovely butterfly die with this issue - pretty!

Enjoy your coffee break.

Catch you later.

Kim

Some Weekend Reads

Hey guys, some new magazines to keep an eye out for. You probably have seen these in the shop already as I am a little late with my heads-up! But better late than never?

So this month's issue of Papercraft Essentials, Issue 92, is giving away a bow maker in the cover which is quite a hand little tool if you are anything like me and end up with scrabby (is that a word?) hand-tied ribbons!

I've got an Alcohol Inks Masterclass in this month with lots of ways to use alcohol inks in your makes.

Then there is Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 108:

Now in this one I've got tips for carving your own stamps from different soft carvable products - one of them erasers, so no excuse not to try it yourselves if you haven't already! You can see one of the cards in the bottom left hand corner.

Right, I'll catch you later! Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway running at the moment! [UPDATE: Giveaway now CLOSED]

Have a fun weekend.

Kim

Some Weekend Reading

It is Friday, a new weekend is just about here, that means it is time to get a couple of magazines, a big cup of tea and put you feet up! YAY! And if you just so happen to be looking for a couple of magazines how about these two? Tee Hee!

Ok, so magazine heads-up:

Papercraft Essentials Issue 91 was out last week...

and it has a yum butterfly and flowers embossing folder and some Core'dinations card as the cover gift. I was lucky enough to get to play with the cover gift a few months ago to spark some ideas for your making and I would absolutely love to see what you come up with, so give me a shout if you put any up on your blog.

 But there are also some of my altered sardine tins in this issue too, Easter themed and fun for the kids to have a go at.

The next magazine is really a bookazine and it is the second volume of The Complete Guide to Digital Crafting...

Ooooo! Now this one has some fabulous digital bits and bobs on the 2 Cover CDs including...wait for it...some papers designed by me! I know! That is a bit of a shocker! I've also got a little interview on starting to design your own papers and some makes as well. This bookazine has a wide range of lovely digital inspiration so you might want to add it to your collection!

Enjoy your reads.

Kim

New Issue Of Papercraft Essentials

Ooo...Have you seen the cover stamps on the current Papercraft Essentials? Yum! I'm going to stamp these up when I have a mo, very cute.

The latest copy is issue 90 and I have a really fun article showing some different things to do with pencils, all sorts of pencils, to make backgrounds, colour images, you guys know how much I love using pencils. 

I've matched them with some of Sam Poole's and Creative Expressions fabulous street and graffiti stamps - Urban Life, Urban Beat and Anything is Possible.

Loving the graffiti looks at the moment!

By the way if you are thinking of buying Papercraft Essentials through the Practical Publishing website then just have a quick look around as they have some reduced magazines on offer, but they are going out of stock quickly!

Catch you all later.

Kim

News And Heads-Up, Magazines And Stuff.

I've dropped a bit behind on my Magazine heads-up notices. I'll be honest, I lost track a little bit of where we were with the magazines I had work in and when they were hitting the shelves. I like to check the issue in case my makes haven't made it before I start shouting about it and I think I missed a Simply Cards and Papercrafts. *Sigh* I think it might have got lost in the mail and that threw me a bit! D'oh!

I do these heads-up blog posts mainly for me to keep track of what I've had published and where, it is a bit more interesting to me than my excel sheet that I try to keep myself organised with. But I am wondering if there might be a better way of doing it and if readers of my blog are actually interested?

Well, for want of a better way of cataloguing and spreading the info on my magazine articles here are some heads-up! *Cheeky Grin*

So the magazine I have missing currently from my files is Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 104 which was on sale in November - I only had two cards in that one, but I can't check as I don't have a copy - so apologies on both the late heads-up and not being able to check if the cards are actually in the issue!

But I do know that I have a little card in Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 105 - (well spotted Toni and thank you!) and this was out in December.

Ok so another late heads-up, this time for Papercraft Essentials Issue 89 which came out just before Christmas. 

I got to play with the fabulous Washi 12 by 12" sheets from WRMK. Tee Hee!

I shall endeavour to keep more up-to-date with when the magazine articles hit the shops for 2013 or I think of some better way of sharing the info that isn't so narcissistic!

Before I go, don't forget my Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft^® Giveaway. If you haven't signed up already you only have a day left to throw your name in the bag to win some beautiful colouring materials. Good Luck!

Final bit of info is that I'm having a bit of a craftroom clearout on Ebay if anyone wants to snag some bargains. 

Catch you all later my lovelies.

Kim

Heads-Up, Shout-Outs And News

Hello lovely Arty fluff bundles, I hope that you are all doing ok this week, getting some creativity done in-amongst all the other demands on your time!

I have some heads-up, shout-outs and news to share today, but I will admit I am starting to the lose the plot a bit so if I am repeating myself I apologise!

So the heads-up first, the new issue of Papercraft Essentials, Issue 88, has been in the shops for a week or two.

The lovely Editor for Papercraft Essentials, Lee Jepson, let me riffle through my stationery supplies for this one and boy was it fun! Yeah, you all know I have a bit of a paper and pens fetish - 'coz you all have one too - don't deny it! Hope you enjoy the article!

Practical Publishing have a new website, by the way, and you can buy single magazines directly from them through PayPal by the looks of it! That is quite cool.

*****

The shout-out next and this is a shout-out for the lovely Anneke De Clerck from Some Fiddling On The Kitchen Table who has made some wonderful Christmas themed altered sardine tins, wow, how gorgeous! So thought my fellow sardine tin altering enthusiasts might enjoy taking a peek at them.

*****

And now the News... I'm patting myself on the back (sorry for the shameless self-promotion *sigh*) - I made runner-up again for the IndigoBlu round in the Craft Stamper Stamper of the Year 2012 Competition and I'm tickled pink - big grin! 

Ok enough of that unbecoming bragging!

And onto the next bit of news that might interest my fellow paper-obsessed friends. The Papermill have invited a few bloggers to come visit their mill in the beautiful Lake District and I'm lucky enough to be one of those bloggers. I'm hoping to take some piccies and share my day with you in the near future so keep your eyes open for that and if you love your paper and card then pop on over to the Papermill blog.

Ok lovely hoppers, I'm off to finish up a make and get some step by steps ready, so I will catch you all later.

Kim

A Guest Design Team Call And Some Magazines To Look Out For

Hey lovely arty/ crafty hoppers, what have you all been up to? How is your arty/ crafty week going? Well I hope?

I have a heads-up for you, any of you folks interested in trying the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® products I've been showing here on my blog then you might want to check out the next Guest Design Team call that is up on the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® blog now.

I have a new make for the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® blog going live tomorrow - Yikes! I better write my own blog post for it!

In the meantime there are some yummy magazines to look out for -

Papercraft Essentials Issue 87 is out...

I have some bright cards using the new Hero Arts Neon ink pads - Oooo LOVE! But you will need your sunglasses - Tee Hee!

Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 103 is also out...

I only have a couple of cards in the Cardmaker's Challenge but I mainly wanted to do a shout out for Kevin from McCrafty's Cards wonderful monochrome with highlights card on page 11! Yay Kevin!

Right well, I have a post to schedule and some designing to do so I shall catch you all later.

Look after yourselves.

Kimx

Magazines To Look Out For...

Hey all, what are you up to today?

It is a day of getting ahead with my DT makes for me. I plan to knuckle down and make 12 DT items - Mmm we shall see if I manage it later!

So far I have 11 of them designed and sketched out with papers chosen for 7 of them. I'm just taking a bit of break to give you a heads-up on some magazines you might want to checkout.

First up is Papercraft Essentials Issue 86

I have a Masking Masterclass in this issue using some super cute Lawn Fawn Stamps from Make The Day Special. Hey - checkout the cover gift - oooo sparkly!

Sorry! Distracted by sparkly.

Next up is Simply Cards and Papercrafts Issue 102

I only have a couple of cards in this one for an Autumn Birthday, but you don't get it for my cards do you?! It has lots of lovely makes and another fab cover gift which I will definitely be using at some point.

Ok, so I have another magazine that you might be interested in and this one is a Special feature book magazine for HOTP called Vintage Christmas.

It comes in a box envelope 'coz there is just so much stuff with it! You get the full craft kit including the papers, die cuts, stamps, CD-Rom and then loads of inspiration in the magazine. So if you are looking for some gorgeous vintage Christmas ideas then definitely check this one out!

Right, I better crack on. Wish me luck! 

Hope you all have a great creative Tuesday.

Kim

Papercraft Essentials - Collaged Creations

The latest issue of Papercraft Essentials, Issue 85, will be hitting the shops very soon, if it isn't on the shelves already, and in this month's magazine the lovely Lee Jepson (Editor of Papercraft Essentials) asked me to do an article making lots of collage backgrounds repurposing those sometimes overlooked paper sources. Oh yes one of my pet passions, as you know!

I had a lot of fun with this one using PanPastel to colour my collages and stamps from Creative Expressions and even some Basically Bare items. 

But get this - you can get a little preview as there is one of the makes as an extra on the Crafts On The Net site and it has the step by steps and everything!

Enjoy!

Kim