Mix It Up Monday: Tin of Cards kit

Do you like my post-modern industrial backdrop? Underneath the skylight in our future kitchen was the brightest spot I could find in the house on such a rainy, miserable day. Of course it’s raining: it’s a Bank Holiday here in the UK.

Last night I realised that I have run out of Mix It Up Monday projects to show you, and I have no space for crafting. Fortunately I have my Tin of Cards Project Kit and all I’d done at that point was open it, take out the contents, look at them and return them to the tin. Several times actually. 

So, with a couple of additional products, to fulfil the colour combo requirements, I quickly threw together this simple card. At least it’s a bright and cheerful combination for a pretty dismal day!

Tin Of Cards Project Kit [138378]

Watermelon Wonder 1" Dotted Lace Trim [138425]

Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock [138344]

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack [133787]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Caturday: Cute little kittens... and an extension update

Aren’t kittens the cutest? There has been an influx of kittens at Woodland Nook lately. So many that I never did get a handle on all their names. This litter were named after chocolates and biscuits but that’s all I know. I think these two have now been rehomed but I had to share this cute picture.

A less cute image is one of our new kitchen...

We now have interior walls, which gives you a much better idea of the space available, and windows and doors, which means we can open up into the rest of the house and remain secure. This will mean most to those who have visited my home but I took this picture standing in the old kitchen, which has now been opened up into the extension. The space in the foreground will be the new kitchen, with a step down (due to issues with levels) into the living room beyond, with the French windows overlooking the garden. The small space on the right, behind the wall, will be the “craftorium”; it’s not really big enough to sit and craft inside but it will be fantastic to have somewhere to store all my supplies in one place.

Lots of progress has been made this week; as well as the walls and windows, we’ve had our “first fix” by the electrician and plumber, which means we’re all wired and plumbed up ready to go. Next week the ceilings will be fitted and plastering begins! Exciting... but messy.

Christmas Workshop - now only ONE place left!

UPDATE: Now full, sorry. Thanks to all those who booked! 

Like it or not, the nights are drawing in and Christmas is on its way. We also have a fabulous catalogue coming your way on 1st September. Unfortunately I’ve been unable to provide you with many sneak peeks (apart from this one) because of the building situation at home. Crafting is entirely off the menu for now. And I hardly dare confess this but it’s also not a priority; the day-to-day challenge of preparing meals in the front room with nothing but a kettle, microwave and sandwich toaster at my disposal is beginning to take its toll. 

But enough of my culinary woes, back to Christmas…

I have a Christmas Workshop coming up (don’t expect homemade cakes, sorry!) to launch the new Autumn/Winter catalogue. It takes place on 19th September, 1.30pm-4.30pm in Horsley Woodhouse (DE7) and should be a fun afternoon for all.

At the event you will make seven cards, including three shaker cards from the new To You and Yours project kit. The cost is £15, with a discount for members of my current Virtual Hostess Club. All the details and registration can be found HERE, but hurry! There is only ONE place left and registration closes automatically on Saturday, 6th September, or before if full. 

Hope you can make it!

Mix It Up Monday: Gift boxes with Vintage Leaves

I decided I should make a little more effort with this month’s gifts for my Virtual Hostess Club members so put together these little boxes. I used the box board which makes things really easy and then die-cut the leaves with my new Vintage Leaves bundle. 

This project is, of course, for Mix It Up Monday and I have to say that this is the first combo I haven’t been keen on so far. I’m not convinced that the Cucumber Crush goes with the tones of the other three, but the boxes are made now and there’s no going back. 

What’s inside? Just a little treat for the VHC ladies to enjoy while they browse their Autumn/Winter catalogues, which will be heading their way with their orders!

Gift Box Punch Board [135863]	Vintage Leaves Photopolymer Bundle [140235]	Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set [138946]	2-1/2" Circle Punch [120906]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]
Delightful Dijon Classic Stampin' Pad [138327]	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad [126986]	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad [138324]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]	Early Espresso A4 Card Stock [121686]
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock [124390]	Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock [138345]	Cucumber Crush A4 Cardstock [138342]	Gold Baker's Twine [132975]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Caturday: Cromford cat

A visit to Cromford - and, more specifically, the wonderful Scarthin Books, resulted in the spotting of this black and white cat. It was clearly not keen on having its picture taken, refusing to look at the camera at all. It was also one of those cats that remains frustratingly just out of reach, although it did allow a little German girl to stroke it for a while. 

Further along the road, I spied this unusual “Cat Crossing” sign. There seems to be a trend for the Aussie style of road sign in Cromford, as I’d previously spotted the two below. I’m pretty sure there are no crocodiles in Cromford Pond, nor koalas in the surrounding trees, although stranger things have happened…

Sneak Peek: Do bears? (Thankful Forest Friends)

Have you ever sat at your crafting table and thought “I wish Stampin’ Up! made a stamp of a …”? I’m sure you have; as varied as the offering is, we always seem to want more. 

But have you ever ended that sentence with “pile of poo”? That’s the situation I found myself in when making this cheeky card for the teenage son of a friend. We all know what bears do in the woods, so when I found myself in the happy position of having a gorgeous new woodland embossing folder and a cute new bear stamp, I knew exactly what card I wanted to make. 

So, without looking at the supplies chart below, can you guess which stamp set I used to make the bear’s “leavings”?

This is, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, your first sneak peek from the new Autumn/Winter catalogue, which goes live on 1st September. You’ll love it. It has a bear stamp in it, and a woodland embossing folder… and so much more, including an acorn stamp (that’s on next month’s order) and wooden embellishments and and and… and that’s even before I mention the dreaded C word! Just wait until you see the gorgeous festive Edgelits! 

Want a catalogue? Anyone ordering from me this month will get a free one with their order, so just drop me a line!

Meanwhile, I should tell you that I inked the embossing folder with Tip Top Taupe ink and a brayer before embossing the cardstock (bit of trial and error here as I always seem to end up inking the wrong side; in future I might just do both to save time). Also, I cut a slit in the embossed cardstock so that I could slide the bear behind the tree. 

Thankful Forest Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139723]	Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139673]	Ovals Collection Framelits Die [129381]	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]
Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [126965]	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [133646]	Project Life Journaling Pens [135304]	Sprinkles Of Life Photopolymer Stamp Set [139971]	Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker [119680]
Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock [133683]	Tangelo Twist A4 Cardstock [133684]	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock [121695]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Giddy goat

This project started out as a tasteful leaf card but quickly evolved into a silly goat. I was playing with watercolour background using the the block technique but it just wasn’t going my way. 

The technique I was trying to use involves scribbling on your clear block with markers, then spritzing it with water before pressing onto Whisper White cardstock. I think I was spritzing too much because the Pool Party and Mint Macaron just disappeared into each other, so I tried again without the water and got this textural effect instead.  

I decided this looked a little like a grassy hill, which was the perfect spot for my paper-pieced goat. The goat looks happy about it anyway. 

I was going to keep the card really simple with just one or two layers, but decided I’ve done a bit too much of that lately, so added some of our lovely new corrugated cardstock to add more texture. And the jute ribbon is quite fun on this project; having removed all but two strands from a strip, I was left with some pretty – and very subtle – fringing, which glistens in certain lights. 

My colour combo, in the end, was Mint Macaron, Pool Party, Soft Sky and Tip Top Taupe… so qualifies for Mix It Up Monday, as this is a combination from my In Color Charts. 

Building update: The builders plan to knock through from the new extension this week, so we’ve moved out of our kitchen and are making do with a kettle and a microwave for a while. It’ll be fine, apparently. And people keep telling me it will be worth it, so I hope they’re right!

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328]	Kraft And White Corrugated Paper [138317]	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock [138343]
Card Stock A4 Soft Sky [131292]	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325]	Clear Block D [118485]	Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker [131904]
2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers [133654]	Blender Pens [102845]	White 1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Jute Ribbon [137904]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com