Monday 31 January 2011

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off

and I have promisted to sleep all afternoon 
Yours
kitten xx

Sunday 30 January 2011

New card

While I have been browsing through your blogs I have noticed (see, I have been looking!) a few people that have been using the same pattern paper to make all the detail layers.  Got to have a go at that one thinks me.

It's a brilliant effect!  The image I have used is a digi from Bugaboo - she does such cool modern stuff - a real breath of fresh air.


Depending on how the pattern falls - to make an A5 card like this takes about half of a 12" square.  Do the background piece first - then add a long thin strip and a squarer shape.  There are no rules - just play about.  I can see me using this idea loads.
Yours
kitten xx

Friday 28 January 2011

Stretch N Bubbles

It's Friday - so there is a new digi for just $1 in the Stretch N Bubbles shop

The image I have used today is a Stretch N Bubbles teapot - HERE


The cards I made with a sachet of chocolate in for the winter were really popular, so I wanted to do something fro the summer with fruit teas.






This is dead simple - A4 sheet of card cut long-ways - then fold as a Z.  Cut the corner off the back flap to shop the teabag







Yours
kitten xx

Thursday 27 January 2011

Do You Stack Up? #4 PATTERN

Thank you to everyone who played along with us for DYSU Challenge #3 Pink.. wow what fun we had going to each and every blog and drooling over the amazing pink details you added to your creations. I can't believe we have 189 entries.. you all ROCK!!


So get on your patterned PJ's and join in on the fun!! Create something using as many or as little patterned paper, ribbon, brads, fabric, etc.. as you want!!

We have 2 great sponsors for this weeks challenge....
Stitchy Bear -$10 Gift Certificate to their store HERE.


and Black Leaf Design located HERE who is giving the lucky winner the Sweet Cupcake Digi Stamp Set.


The image I am using is from Stitchery Bear

And is called Butterfly Love.


I use tons of patterned papers - so I had to think of something new for this theme.  This is an old applique technique to build up layers of fabric.

Print out 2 copies of the digi and cut the whole skirt from one of them.  Use that as a template to cut the base layer - and then add the upper layers to make the folds.  It is a fiddle - but it's great fun.  I have put a tutorial on my site for you

The wings are different too - all I did was to trace over the digi lines with a gold metalic marker.  It left is beautifly light and simple to go with all the patterns.  A gold gem and a gold line of liquid pearls are on the outer edges.

Yours
kitten xx

Monday 24 January 2011

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off


Yeah - in your dreams kid!  When I started taking on design jobs - no one told me that I would be spending hours more at the computer.  Ladies, I have just spent 3 hours commenting on all the wonderful entries that you have entered in the Do You Stack Up? challenge - WOW is all I can say - you are all fantastic.  Have you entered yet?  Well LINK here.

My replies may seem a little short and simple - but they are all individual comments - not a stock 'paste'.  And it takes hours - still have 40 left to catch up + Tuesday and Wednesday.  And I have to say that I don't reply to the replies - unless you ask a question that needs answering - again 'hands up' - time.

AND thank you to all of you who check out my latest DYSU card and comment - I really do love getting comments - again - time folks!!!  (I still have my stall to run as well as my shop and blogs!).

Gosh I am lovin' the buzz. 

Hugs


Yours
kitten xx

Sunday 23 January 2011

Stretch N Bubbles

Gosh I am so tired today - can't keep my eyes open - had to stop at the bench because I was starting to make silly mistakes.

Last time I used this image from Stretch N Bubbles I used soft tone H2Os and pearl card - I really wanted to look at a more 'wicked' version.

It is amazing how different you can make them look with a colour make-over.  I must experiment with red and black next.

I am also entering this in the Wiff Of Joy guest designer request - you never know - they might like it.


Yours
kitten xx

Saturday 22 January 2011

New idea

I am defiantly in 'Box' mode at the moment.

I saw a picture of such a pretty 'purse' looking box - of course I didn't have the template or materials - but I loved the idea.

So - what I do have is a nestibilities Label 9 (or is it 8).  So I cut the biggest label as the background - and the next one down as the pattern - then I worked backwards to make up a box section to sit in the middle of the front and back.

People often ask me for the sizes and how to copy something - and I am sure you all think me mad when I say I don't really know I just make it up as I go along.  But I really do.  It may take me several attempts - but I really just do fiddle about - take notes - adjust ans keep trying until I am satisfied.  For example - these boxes are great - but next time - the centre needs to be 1cm smaller to show off the curves a bit more



After I made a large one - I used 2 smaller ones and re-calculated the middle section


Next I plan to use the smallest ones and see how that turns out


I guess the morale of the story is - yes you can - get out the paper and play

Yours
kitten xx

Friday 21 January 2011

UK ART RAFFLE: JANUARY

UK ART RAFFLE: JANUARY: "Happy New Year all I hope you have all had a good Christmas and are ready for another fab, fun packed crafting year. Ready - set - go ..."

Yours
kitten xx

New idea

Something a little bit different for you today - I have been experimenting with DVD and CD covers

The each take a sheet of 12" paper and have a card back.  The BIRD is from stretch N Bubbles and the LITTLE DANCER is from
It took me several goes to get the sizes correct but I finally carcked it.  I have put the layout sketch on my site - it's still in the rough stages so let me know how you get on


Yours
kitten xx

Thursday 20 January 2011

Do You Stack Up? #3 - PINK

Do You like to be Challenged? Do You like Prizes? Do you like to be inspired? Well if you said yes to all of these things "Stacked Up" Then this is the Challenge Blog for you :)

The theme for this weeks challenge over at Do You Stack up? Challenges is:-


Think pink

The image I am using is from Bugaboo Stamps

And it is 'Cuddle' from the 'Love' section.
Jodies stuff is really great - very modern and trendy - fab for younger people and teenagers (we all know how hard they are to please!)
So I made a wedding card.  This image could be an engagement - or congrats on expecting - moving in together - anniversary as well as a valentine


Yours
kitten xx

Tuesday 18 January 2011

New Dragons

I found some new dragons - you know me and dragons!

http://dragonslairdesigns.com/shop/  These are more cutsie that Lisa Victoria's - lovely round faces.  Plus all sorts of other things too

I made this card with one of the images - hoping they will consider me for the DT even though I am a bit late.  The dragon's tunny, nose and the fairy are shaped and layerd and his tummy is painted with the green translucent H2Os to make it shimmer.

He is so cute



Yours
kitten xx

UK ART RAFFLE: JANUARY

UK ART RAFFLE: JANUARY: "Happy New Year all I hope you have all had a good Christmas and are ready for another fab, fun packed crafting year. Ready - set - go ..."

Yours
kitten xx

Monday 17 January 2011

Day Off

Monday is normally my day off - but I have been sitting here updating my Do You Stack Up? work - have you entered yet?  You really should - loads of wonderful things to win.

Any way - you know what it's like - you click on a blog - you follow a link - you discover a new site - that takes you somewhere else - and before you know it - you have a file of new favorites saved - a few new digis to play with - a loads of new info - and you have not made any progress at all on the blogs you are supposed to be commenting on :-)

Hay it's my day off and I am 'working' - so I can play too




Yours
kitten xx

Sunday 16 January 2011

Castle dogs

Just had to show you.  'She who grows daily' - chic lab - still puppy!! - came for a couple of hours today

Thing is - do I tell her she has now grown out of the palace guard dog's bed?

She is such a sweetie


Yours
kitten xx

Work

Just thought I would share this with you all - on my desk at the moment is one of our lakes local churches Memorial Book.

I am bringing it up to date for them,  It is hard to find any calligrapher these days - never mind one locally - and one who can still work with a plain formal hand - so I do a few church memorial books.  This one has only just found me and I have about 6 years worth to catch up with.

I don't charge for church work - I kind of look of it as payback for a God given love of all inks.  This job is going to take me quite a while - 30 odd names and each one has to be ruled up - scribed - given time to fully set before the guide lines are erased (the times I have smudged because I have been too impatient to wait! - can't do that with these books) - then start on the next name/page.

Hands  up - I love it.  Each person had family and is missed and I am giving that back to Congregational family - how cool is that?

This will take me 5 or 6 weeks before it goes back in it's case - so all I can say is - it is in good hands and I will do my very best for you all


Yours
kitten xx

faverates

You know I must have 1000s of digis now - stuff I am working on - stuff from suppliers - stuff you pick up free - stuff that I am testing ans is note even on the market yet.  But, you know, you still get faverates - and this darling litter terrier is one of mine.  I come back to it again and again - you never really know how an image is going to work until you get your colouring into it - and this is just a shear joy to colour





Since all it has done here for days and days now is rain - I got my little doggie out again.

Red coat this time - desperate to go walkies in the wet - just like my Wills



Yours
kitten xx

Saturday 15 January 2011

LIFE

I just have to share this with you -

It has been torrential rain ALL day - but The Palace Guard Dog insisted on taking the old goat to the woods for a swim

Drawn by a very wet, soggy, hubby   http://www.grenville-evans.co.uk/

Yours
kitten xx

Stretch N Bubbles

You know how much I like to tinker with the digis.  I have had an idea brewing for a while now and this darling little house from Stretch N Bubbles was just perfect for it.











What you do is to take an A4 sheet of white card - and add a line of the digi image by sizing it then copy and paste as many times as it takes to fill the whole LONG side.

I wrote my greeting by hand - but you could use the text in your program to add some word art.

Then - on another sheet of the same white card - print a single image the larger size - cut it aquare, mat it in black and raise it over the printed strip.

Simples

Have a play about with a line of flowers - that would look good too,



I am showing this card in the following challenges
Creative Cottage - something new (my digi)
Sweet Stamping Challenge - different something different (first time I have tryed this idea out)
Craft Your Days Away - anything
Top Tip Tuesday - anything
Stamp Challenges - use a digi
Crafting Journey - use a digi
Cute Card Thursday - monochrome
Ai Factory - anything


Yours
kitten xx

Friday 14 January 2011

UK Art Raffle

Wow - it's the beginning of the month (yeah - always playing catch-up me) and it's the new challenge on the UK Art Raffle

This month we are allowed to explore on a more peraonal leval what we want to do more of this year.  Me?  How hard is that?  Dragons - ink - more art projects - ink - more inks - copics - - -  oh and did I mention inking.

Sooooo my project is a picture - acetate panel alcohol inked from behind and backed with silver stars and patterned paper - with a seriously cute dragon ballet dancer coloured with Copics - plus a bit of bling

So pretty - but you have to enter the raffle to stand a chance to win it
Yours
kitten xx

Stretch N Bubbles

I have done a tutorial on my paper applique technique
I used this wonderful cupcake image from Stretch N Bubbles

This image is nice and open and it's better to have something fairly simple to start with








This is the finished card - so hop over to my site and check out how it's done




And don't forget the new $1 digi today - cute little puppy


Yours
kitten xx

Thursday 13 January 2011

Do You Stack Up? #2

Do You like to be Challenged? Do You like Prizes? Do you like to be inspired? Well if you said yes to all of these things "Stacked Up" Then this is the Challenge Blog for you :) The theme for this weeks challenge over at Do You Stack up? Challenges is:-
No stress - distress!

The image I am using is from Whoopsidaisy and is from sheet 137 (4 designs for £1.99)


She draws the sweetest little girlies and they are lovely to colour.  I was determined to avoid the sugar pink look for my little dancer so went for a darker blues/brown look.  All the paper edges are torn, and the fan effect at the top is inked all round the edges.  All the background papers are flat - but the girl and the mat are raised up - which give all that shadow effect
I hope you like her.

Yours
kitten xx

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Prairie Fairy

On a roll here.  Things are settling down in to the next year nicely - so I thought I would submit to Prairie Fairy.  I am about 6 weeks ahesd with the Do You Stack Up? and mastering the challenges better now, so I am up for more!!!!

It is mostly a scrapbooking blog and I am always saying I don't do enough pages - especially since last summer.  You can see my past pages HERE - there are loads futher down.

I am entering this card

It was designed as a valentine image - but I made it a birthday one.  I prefer to colour my images with Copics - and the shocking pink gems really make it stand out.  I love the way you can change digis about - make 'em big - make 'em small - backgrounds - single big statement - it's fantastic.


Yours
kitten xx

Tuesday 11 January 2011

UK Art Raffle

We are up and running again - so please do join in.  Without you there are no prizes - with you there will be loads up for grabs.

This month is a free-for-all really - what do you like doing best?  Me? - that's ink then.  I have a project underway with my fave stamps - my fave Copics and ink - ink - ink + plus my new toy!!!

Do come over and join in

http://ukartraffle.blogspot.com/2011/01/january.html


Yours
kitten xx

Monday 10 January 2011

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off - so I am just chillin'

Just have to say huge thanks to all the guys that have dropped by and added a message to my blog.  Woo Hoo - that is just so fantastic, so glad to have you drop by


Yours
kitten xx

Sunday 9 January 2011

New card

Now - you know me - I can't do simple / elegant - and I am not know for lovie stuff really - but you know - once in a while - just, the odd once in a while - I see an image and . . .  . . .


This image is from http://www.etsy.com/listing/56657796/my-hearts-on-a-string-digi-stamp and when I saw it - I just know



This is A5 - but folded the other way so it is long and thin.  They have stopped making envelopes for this size (don't know why) so when I finish my stock I will have to make them to fit - it's worth it - it is a super shape.

Anyway - just the image about 4cm square - coloured and matted on red, with gold wire wrapped round it - then raised over a red satin ribbon.  The inner is red to match

And that's it

 get the idea!!

Yours
kitten xx

Saturday 8 January 2011

Challenges

This little minx is actually a Halloween from Stretch N Bubbles.  I am a great beliver in getting the most from your stash.

I saw it and thought of Valentine or a 'lovie' card.  And I thought I could enter it in several challenges.  Having taken advice it's ok to enter one card for several challenges at one go

So this is going into
Fab N Funky - who have 'anything goes'
Digi Doodles - who have 'buttons'
Digistamps 4 Joy - who also have 'buttons'
Creative Insperations - who have 'something new' - I have only just got this digi





Yours
kitten xx

Friday 7 January 2011

LIFE

fidget had a 'nutritiional consultation' this morning.  As we don't 'do' cold - dark - frost - snow - night - scary - and (since mummy has been poorly) much getting out of bed at all really!!!  I thought I had better get him weighed.  Well - not too bad really, over all doing well but slightly 'podgy'.  Well that's just about all of us isn't it?  We have a few tips on how to reduce the calories without making him feel deprived and we have to go back next month to be weighed again.

So - what I need is a 'mummy' to take care of me and feed me the right things, cuddle and snuggle me and make sure I get enough sleep and fresh air - any takers???

Yours
kitten xx

Thursday 6 January 2011

Do you Stack Up? #1

This is it everyone - we are live and cooking

Do You like to be Challenged? Do You like Prizes? Do you like to be inspired? Well if you said yes to all of these things "Stacked Up" Then this is the Challenge Blog for you :)


The theme for this weeks challenge over at Do You Stack up? Challenges is:-
Cute as a button
The image I have used is from Di's Digis
New one to me - really pretty images to work with.  The drawing is light and delicate and there is loads of datail to colour.
The buttons I used are the tiny red stars on the backing paper and the image corners.  Yes they really are buttons - so tiny, but I actually tied a tread through the holes so you could see they are buttons.  I wanted to keep it wintery - but avoid any Chrismas tones. 
The black 'fur' on the coat is a briliant technique - Flower Soft.  Just lay a good coat of the tackier PVA and sprinkle on some Flower Soft, and press in gently.

Here is my card - I used the wonderful 'Shopping Spree'
Enter over at Do You Stack up? - there are loads of prizes to be won

Yours
kitten xx

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Challenges

Serious burst of spring needed round here after all the decorations have been put away for another year

This wicked little madam is from Stretch N Bubbles HERE


And I used her to create a card for the Drunken Stamper challenge this week.

The theme is - what you got new for Christmas . . . .

I got the Cuttlebug Animal Prints embossing folders and used them to do the peacock feathers background (inked with brown, blue and green), and the snake skin on a glitter gold pearl.  The background paper is also new - it's Prima Fairy Flora, and is just drop dead gorgeous.

I also got my H2Os out to paint the dress - they have been a bit overlooked since I got my Copics



Yours
kitten xx

Monday 3 January 2011

Stretch N Bubbles

Well here we go gang - 2011 another fab, fun packed year of crafting lies ahead of us.  I have some great stuff lined up

- my post with Stretch N Bubbles will continue so there will be more of Alison's lovely images to use
- the Do You Stack Up? challenge blog launches next week with a whole host of new ideas and companies for you to try out
- I shall be at Prom Art all summer and I am really looking forward to it - so 'hi' to all the guys there
- I aim to post a new image everyday on Twitter - so become a follower to keep up
- I shall be listing a new card for sale everyday on Facebook - so you can join me there too.

I have this month's new images from Stretch N Bubbles - so - let's get going. 
This darling little house is available HERE


I wanted to keep it really simple so it would suit my quest to be mare 'male' friendly.  The background paper is actually a reproduction of a Victorian map so I kept the colouring really muted to make to look antique too.  And just for once - it has tp be said it's so rare - no glitter - no proper gems - only 4 mat black pearls in the corners




Yours
kitten xx

Saturday 1 January 2011

SALE

My very favorite website is having their sale.  I have to admit that I am not the best customer.  As I really do work from scratch and make all my own stuff - I don't really buy all the trendy stuff.  I love patterned papers (which I have just stocked up on) - and I use loads of gems/pearls - plus my inks - there is not a huge lot more in my office.  A cuttlebug folder is a special treat and a nestability or Martha Stewert punch is a big pressie.

I have used Craft Obsessions for several years now - and David is super - always there is you email or phone.

So anyway - go spend some money - you know the government wants you too

http://www.craftobsessions.co.uk/9675thesale9675_1677.php


Yours
kitten xx