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

Red & Green Challenge

Another sunny, hot day in Bourgerel and a crafty afternoon in the cottage.  My crafty friend, Jenny, finished off her red and green card challenge today and here are the lovely results!

So you see, red and green isn't just for Christmas!!  Love those poppy dies and the trains in decoupage so good for the tricky male cards we have to make.  Well done Jenny!

So the next challenge is ...... furry friends incorporating an embossed layer.  Drop by next week to see what we come up with!

Until next time.

Krafty Kim x

Crafty Cottage Challenge

Hi there!

Have been back from our hols for a week or so and after a lot of frantic gardening to get everything back up to speed, I have finally found a few moments to post something.

Narbonne on the French Mediterranean coast was a lovely region - lovely countryside, plenty of vineyards and lots of fresh fish to eat!!  It was however extremely hot and so we did a little visiting in the mornings and then a few hours swimming (and fishing) on the beach in the afternoon.  We were there to catch up with my cousin and his wife so there was plenty of time to chat and exchange news as it was too hot to do much else!!  

I did manage to make several decoupage embellishments to use on my cards whilst on the train journeys so I did get my crafty "fix" while away!

This week at the crafty cottage I set a challenge of "Red and Green" - could be Christmas but doesn't have to be!  Below are the two cards I made - originally I was thinking it would be a good chance to make some more Christmas cards but then realised I had a couple of cards to send this week and ended up making them in red and green which was good fun.  I am hoping to get pics of what the other ladies made and will post them later in the week.  

I am planning to make the challenge a weekly thing to add a bit of inspiration and fun to the crafty cottage afternoons, but who knows, if others want to join in it could become global!! 

A get well soon card for a friend in the UK.  Used a Martha Stewart punch to border the cat image which I got from Making Cards magazine, layered some of the background paper onto silver mirri card and thread some ribbon through the tag which is mounted on 3D foam pads.

A thinking of you card for our good friend's who have lost their brother in law after a long battle with cancer. Thought the poppies quite fitting.  Background paper and poppy embellie from Making Cards with flowers special edition and Darice poppy and butterfly embossing folder.  Although you cannot really see on photo but I have highlighted the edges of the poppy and parts of the embossed flowers with a silver gel pen and then popped a couple of green gems in the top corners of the embossed layer..

That's all for now folks!  Thanks for stopping by!

Krafty Kim x

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