Pretty in Pink

Here is my card for the Lilli of the Valley "Pretty in Pink" monthly challenge.  I don't have a huge selection of their stamps but this one I really love and have used many times.  Hope this one is pink enough for the challenge!  I actually made it for my neighbour's birthday hence the french greeting!

Today has been busy getting things together ready for our departure on holiday.  More washing (unfortunately that means more ironing later - don't you just hate it!), suitcases out ready for the packing to begin, pedicure and manicure ready for the beach, then have been out in the garden trimming one of our trees which has put on far too much growth for its own good!, then into the polytunnel and weeded, fed the tomatoes and melons and pinched out all the growing tips to ensure some good size fruit all round!  Harvested today:- cornichons (gherkins), french beans, runner beans, peas, courgettes, chillis.  Still no tomatoes yet but at last they are starting to colour up - hooray!  We were getting concerned as they are so late in ripening this year and even though they are a good size and we have had some hot weather we haven't had one to eat yet!  I read somewhere to pick a few green ones to allow the others to develop and to stop watering for a day or two.  I did this and low and behold they have started to ripen.  Could be coincidence of course but I'm just glad they are on their way to ripening now - can't beat a freshly picked tommie warm and straight from the polytunnel!!

Enough of my meanderings for today.  Hope you are having a good day!

Krafty Kim x

Summer Time!

........ and the livin' is easy!  Sorry, just had to say it.  Must be missing singing with the choir as we have broken up for the holidays now!

Just writing a line or two as we have been busy making jams and jellies this morning with the fruits we have harvested from the garden.  Hubbie made some more blackcurrant jam as the last jar was eagerly finished off by our visitors last week and we only had strawberry jam left in the cupboard!  I made some redcurrant jelly with the last of the currants - just a small jar as it is my first one and I am now debating with myself as to whether I need to waterbath it as the recipe suggests?!?  If anyone knows please send me a comment.  I have sterilised the jar in the usual way and it was hot when I put the jelly in the jar so not sure why I would want to waterbath it as well?  Any helpful advice will be greatly appreciated.

I have had a card crafty week as there are a few birthdays coming up in the next few weeks so thought I would get them done as it involved five cards but between two households so have been thrifty and sent two packages with all the cards inside!  We are also away for a few days next week so wanted to make sure they were done before I leave!  Here they are:-

 A gold card base matted and layered with cardstock and metallic paper.  A lovely donkey pyramid decoupage embellie, self adhesive paper lace and I added some gems (which you may not be able to see!) onto the lace to bling it up.  Perfect for a teenage girl's birthday.

I used some papers from the fab Making Cards magazine‎.  I added some highlights with a gel pen and 3 Card Candi's to finish off.

Our friends are both 70 this year so the above card is for the lovely Kay.  I used Making Cards ‎paper for the image (from their Flowers special edition), embossed some pearlescent cardstock, wrapping the mat with a ribbon and finishing with a punched border.

Some more from the lovely Making Cards for Men special edition magazine  (can you tell I am a fan!) I matted and layered onto chocolate cardstock and the image onto gold mirri card.

I also made this card for my lovely sister who is sadly in a home at the moment so I try to write a chatty note to her every few weeks inside a card.  Love these black outline stickers which I have used with double sided sticky paper with gilding flakes (a copper mix) and added a simple "just a note" rubber stamp.

It has been a busy few weeks with visits from family and friends but very enjoyable as the sun shone all the time and the little ones had so much fun running around the garden and dipping in and out of the splash pool!  The weather makes all the difference and we have been experiencing the best summer since we moved here!  It started out poorly which didn't help growing my plants and veg but it is making up for it now - hoorah!

We went to Chateau Villandry in June which was fabulous and the gardens were just - wow!!  We went with our good friends Bob and Pam and stopped overnight in Amboise which also was lovely.  Had a little taste of some Saumur wine and a tour of the "caves" there which was fascinating.  I have never seen so many bottles of wine in one place (not even at chez nous - hehe only joking!!)

Looking forward to our break by the sea now and meeting up with my cousin and his wife.  We are going down to Narbonne on the train so intend to take a bit of crafting to do along the way to keep me amused on the long journey!  I will post again on our return with news of our visit.  

Enjoy the sunshine and thanks for stopping by! 

If you have any questions or comments about my post, please leave them below - thanks!

Krafty Kim x

Pergamano and others

It's been a long time since my last posting but it has been busy here with one thing and another. The weather hasn't helped and so all the sowing of seeds and preparing the garden and potager ready for the growing season has all been delayed but now the weather has perked up a bit it has been "all systems go!" and trying very hard to catch up with everything.  

Life has a funny way of throwing things at you and my other half has been in hospital recently and I am having continuing back problems so all in all the thing that we love the most has been tough these past few months but it has also been our saviour in keeping us going and giving us the exercise and pleasure to continue!

Anyway just wanted to share a couple of recent cards I have made.  The first was a Star Wars themed card for my great nephew who just loves the films and all the toys and paraphanelia that goes with it.  He turned 6 last weekend and I believe he enjoyed the card.  The other card is including a bookmark which is my first attempt at Pergamano which I am quite pleased with as a first attempt and sufficiently so to send it as a birthday gift for my aunt who lives in Belgium and who turns 102 years old next week!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment even just to say "hi" so I don't think that I am talking to myself on here!!!lol

Kim

New Arrival!

Just had to share my good news with you.  I heard last night that I have a new great niece!!  Her name is Eva Louise and she weighed 7lbs 15.5oz.  She is truly beautiful too.  I have seen a photo already as she is home and my nephew sent us a piccie across the sea to us in sunny (today!!) Brittany.  Can't wait to meet her in a few weeks time to have lots of cuddles.  

Below is the card I have made for her using one of my favourite baby digi images from Mo's Digital Pencil which I coloured with Promarkers.

 I cut some baby images with my trusty Silhouette and voila! a card fit for a princess!

Hope you like it.  That's all for now!

Kim x

Crafty Day!

Had a good crafty afternoon today.  I managed to finish off the "coffee filter" flowers that I started last week which I am quite pleased with.  I have left them drying in the cottage so will take a photo and post here in the next few days.  Also made a few spiral flowers and punched ones from my scrappy paper stash so feeling happy I have some new embellies for my stash!  One of the crafty ladies also brought along her newly acquired stash of parchment tools and materials today.  We are all novices so it will be a learning curve but Steph has lots of books too so we are going to have some fun together learning the art of parchment work - is Pergamano the collective name for it?  I don't know but maybe someone will tell me!  I have already picked out a bookmark to be my first project.  I am hoping it will be fairly simple for my first project but am looking forward to "playing" and learning with the crafty ladies over the next few weeks.  

Its getting colder here and forecast to freeze some more.  Still managed to rain on us again this morning but hopefully that will be the last for a few days at least!

Hope you are warm where you are!  I'm off to put another log on the fire!

Thanks for stopping by.
Kim x

Happy New Year

Hoping you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year!  It was good "chez nous" with lots of festive fun, friends, food and drink!!  Now for the diet and getting back to reality!!  Not going to diet as I don't really believe in the faddy ones but just healthy eating and everything in moderation!  Hubby is feeling poorly at the moment as he has had toothache since New Years Day so not getting much sleep and a bit grumpy to boot!!  Very unlike him, so he is currently catching up on some zzzzz's (and giving me an opportunity to blog a much belated post!) 

Thought I would share with you some easy to make gifts I have given to some crafty girlfriends for New Year - some itsy bitsy 2013 calendars that are on cards so they can stand proudly either on the dresser, next to the computer or such.  Really simple to put together and could be adapted to your own design using punched flowers perhaps from your scrap paper stash!!  I got the calendar download "free" from here:-  http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.fr/2012/09/2013-mini-calendar-printable.html

I cut an A4 card blank in half lengthways to make two calendar cards and then decorated them accordingly.  I used silicone glue to make the "binding" at the top of the calendar - just hoping this will work OK in practise!!   I have written a New Year message inside the card but you could of course put anything you like or maybe use it for a January birthday card and gift in one!

It is turning a bit colder here today after all the rain of the past weeks and I am really hoping that it will continue to get colder and kill off all the nasty germs and viruses that are floating around us in these mild, damp conditions.  We need the frost so everything dies back properly and we can make a clean start for the growing season ahead too.  I am hoping so much that it will be a better summer this year. 

Wishing you a peaceful and "crafty" New Year!!  Til the next time ....... xx

Just Us Girls Challenge

It's been a while since I've blogged but it has been a strange year with lots of challenges in the garden, with family, the weather and some sad times but that perhaps is for another time, another blog.

Tonight, I picked up this JUGS Challenge and I immediately thought of Christmas (could be because I'm frantically making the last few of my personal cards!).  I have made cards in the past but not managed to post them so this will be my first (all being well!!)  Hope you like it!  I used some pretty paper I had in my stash and added an embellishment and a french New Year sticker greeting (well I do live in France!)    

I will be posting more of my Christmas cards in the gallery in the next few days.  Happy crafting folks!  I'm off to jar up this season's batch of mincemeat (must remember to add the obligatory glug of brandy!!  Thanks for stopping by.

Kim