Retrosketches #196

Hi Bloggers!

Happy New Year to you all.  Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2016.  I haven't blogged for a while, I know, but a lot has been happening in our world - the latest being a new furry addition to the family in the form of Layla.  She is a cross Cocker Spaniel (not sure what she's crossed with though!). As those of you with puppies will know they are very tiring and time consuming!!!  Love her to bits and she is doing very well with house-training and obedience but had completely forgotten how much work puppies are and of course crafting has somewhat gone out of the window!  However, I have had the first crafty afternoon of 2016 today and I used a Retrosketch to get the inspirational juices flowing.

Here is my take on the current project #196.  I took a square Kraft card and matted some chocolate brown Co-ordinations card onto it.  Then cut some gold Co-ordinations card and some white card which had been embossed with sunflowers.  I put a cream/gold border down the middle of the two then popped an embellishment from Making Cards magazine onto 3d foam to give some depth.  The sentiment is also mounted on 3d foam pads.  I cut the horizontal card from gold and added some gold jewels into the left hand corners.  Hope I have done it correctly but I will submit it and see what happens!  It certainly kept me focussed after all the Christmas card making.

I will try and blog again in the next few days (puppy permitting!!)

Exploding Box

Just a quick posting today to show my "exploding box" card that I made for a friend's engagement.  The insert cards had different designs (along the lurrrrv theme of course!!lol) and some messages.  

They are really fun to make and I thank the Card Making Tips group on Facebook for their great inspirations!

Thanks for looking in!

Krafty Kim x

POP UP CARDS

Here are a couple of pop up cards I made recently - hope you like them (Jenny?)!!

The boxes are made with double-sided card and embellishment flowers are die cuts and matching outline stickers fixed to card and cut out.  Some bird and butterfly acetate embellishments added to finish with a sentiment.

I love these cards because they produce an impact but fold flat for posting and so long as you don't overload with embellishments they cost the price of a standard card to send!!

Thanks for looking!

Krafty Kim x

A Huge Tree felled and a couple of cards!

I know I haven't posted in a while - main reason is I have been making up for lost time while recuperating from my hip operation and now that I am nearing fitness again I have been out in the garden doing all the necessary Spring time jobs.  Monday the tree surgeon came along and took down a huge Monteray Pine in the front garden which had become far too big for its proximity to the cottage and after the winter storms and some large branches being blown down we decided it was time for her to go!!  Of course, large trees bring lots of branches and tons of wood so that has added to the workload somewhat this week!  Here are a few photos of the action!

Tree before: 




Being dismantled!:-

Done!  The trunk has been left by our request so that we can make a feature of it with climbing plants - clematis, rose, honeysuckle (well that's the plan anyway!!)

Here are a couple of cards I managed to make last week before it all became very busy.  They are both using papers from Making Cards magazine - the special edition Say It with Flowers and the latest edition with the dogs.  I thought they were cute and made good alternative "male" cards (always happy to find some solutions to the male card conundrum!!

Another reason I am not a prolific blogger (yet!) is that I have the feeling that nobody is reading them!!  So make a girl happy and at least write a brief comment below to let me know you have dropped by and maybe "Follow me" if you would like to see more and give me the inspiration to carry on!?? 

Thanks for looking in!

Krafty Kim xx

Birthday Flowers and tutorials

A happy Saturday to you all!  Apologies for not posting for a while but since my hip op I have been busy exercising and trying to get my strength back.  Its great to be pain free but I've learnt that you cannot be complacent when it comes to daily exercise as the muscles really need to be strengthened to support the new hip and do all the movements you haven't been able to do for a while!  Anyway I have had more opportunities to make cards and also re-organise my crafty cottage.  Thats a job in progress and thanks to Tiffany and Get Organised thescraprack.easystorecreator.com, I finally think that my space will be more user friendly and productive!!  I haven't been able to run to a purchase of the Scraprack yet but there are lots of ways you can use her ideas before you take the plunge!

My friend Debi had a birthday today and I decided to make her some origami flowers as a little pressie.  We went out with some other friends for a lovely chinese meal at lunchtime and celebrated with some yummy chinese goodies!  Here are the flowers I made her:-

I also wanted to share some tutorials with you which are really great.  The lovely Claire of making-handmade-cards.com has added some tutorials to her website and they are really worth a peek!  They are using her lovely printable cardmaking kits that you can buy from her website.  Pop on over to her website and you will find lots of cardmaking ideas and the chance to subscribe to her free newsletter and other cardmaking freebies too!

Another post tomorrow about the exploding box I recently made for a friends engagement.
Off to watch the final blind auditions for The Voice - I love it!!

Hope to see you here tomorrow!

Krafty Kim

Classic lady

Just a quick post to show the card and box I made for my lovely sister Jenny for her birthday.  I took them to the UK with me at the beginning of October and she loved them.  I filled the box with some lovely little French chocs which she loved.  I haven't had chance to post since then as I have been in hospital having a hip replacement operation which as you can imagine has put me out of action somewhat!  Still I am starting to feel the crafting mojo returning and I am going to get my lovely hubbie to bring a table from my crafty cottage to the house and I am going to carry on with Christmas card making tomorrow.  I am going to sit in the conservatory with the good light and will enjoy the change of scenery of the sofa of the last few days.

I cut back a DL blank card and matted on some card stock on the front.  Some pretty peacock 12x12 paper was cut to size on the inside and a white diecut placed for the sentiment.  I edged the topper with some fine silver borders and added the happy birthday sentiment on foam pads.  A couple of jewels were added to finish with a matching ribbon around the whole card finished with a bow.

I used some 12x12 double sided cardstock for this pillow box and cut it with my trusty Silhouette.  Filled with chocs it made a pretty gift box!

Thanks for popping by.

Krafty Kim

Weekly Challenge

Hi folks!  Hope you are enjoying the weekend and the sun is shining wherever you are!  It is another nice warm sunny day in Brittany and I have managed to spend some time in the garden this morning.  The chickens needed some help with the housework so they are all clean and debugged.  The old girls haven't laid for a few weeks now so not sure whether they have retired themselves or whether they are just having a rest?!?  There are a lot of feathers blowing in the wind around the run so am thinking they are just having a well-earned rest (but I need eggs for cake making!!!)  Never mind, the bantums have been laying regularly so not a problem (just have to double up as they are only little ones!).  Another job this morning has been clearing and preparing parts of the veg plot that have finished producing and sowing with green fertiliser.  I have used Mustard this year and hoping it will improve the ground and surpress the weeds during the winter months.  

The following is my "Furry Friends and embossing challenge" contribution.  Have been busy for a week or so and just realised I didn't post my card but here it is anyway:-   

This is the true challenge card as I have used an embossing folder for the snow

I made this one at the same time and added glitter to the background paper which actually makes it look embossed!

The cute penguins are freebie downloads from Papercraft Inspirations (2011) and I have coloured them with my Promarkers.

My other half has injured his knee so I have been busy running around after him while it is healing so have not had my usual weekly crafty afternoon with the ladies, therefore I don't have any other photos to post but as soon as I do I will post them here.  

Just thought I would share with you two photos of our cat, Elvis, who is such a character.  His latest trick is to get inside a pillowcase and have a sleep!!  He loves to get inside things and he has been very naughty of late and has discovered he can pull down the kick boards in my kitchen and then climb around underneath and behind all the cupboards.  I've tried soaking him with water but he still comes back for more.  I have therefore given him an old pillow and case for him to climb into, to try and distract him.  It does work sometimes but he still goes back to the kitchen to dismantle it!!!  Not wanting to permanently fix the kick boards in place but maybe I'll have to.

Well, I had better make a cuppa first and then head back out to the veg patch.  More onions to pull out for drying (its fine and windy today) and sow a bit more Mustard to take its place.

I have a few birthdays to make cards for so card making later while watching the first of this season's Strictly Come Dancing - at last some decent Saturday night viewing!!   Have a look in the Gallery for other cards I have made.

Happy weekend.

Krafty Kim x