It's Been a While... No time to Blog Just CREATE!!!

Guess who's a guest tutorial author on Splitcoast Stampers..... 

I Know...

SO.... 

A while back, the very talented Beate from Splitcoaststampers offered me the chance to do a tutorial on SCS. Imagine my surprise, of course I jumped at the opportunity & finally today is the day...

 It goes live! Yippee!!!

You may remember the original Steampunk Top Hat I made way back here?

This is a spookier variation using the same template you can find a copy here or here...

NOW EVEN BETTER then that is I managed to create a video tutorial... ok three videos, I really struggle to create these my editing is non existent and forget working out the voice over bit, I was seriously happy to find I can just add music over it!!! Then I've simply added notes for the actual steps lol! I hope you enjoy and it's not too long winded... any feedback would be great! 

I really like this latest version can suit all those difficult males in our lives LOL!!! The book in the stand is still a working box so can hold some special keepsake!

I have one of these telephones in real life.. collecting dust now but it worked so well for ages. I've heat embossed the die cut with black powder yummy!!!

I would truly love to see any top hat makes out there... as for this little beauty, it will be up for sale very soon I will post the details then!

Thank you so much for stopping by,

Have a wonderfully creative day

HuGs Kim ♥

Carole's Crafts Class

I was absolutely delighted to find a brand new craft shop in High Wycombe, Carole's Crafts, the nearest craft shop is probably about 20 miles away. They have all sorts of wonderful things in there... some lovely stamps, beads, dies and yummy paper products,  etc, I could go on, lol.

The reason for this is I will be teaching a mini class next Saturday 4th August... this will be my first craft class I'm very excited... It starts at 10am, a nice time of morning so join me for a couple of hours of fun and crafting. We will be creating decorative stamped magnets, I will show stamping & colouring and all supplies are included!

So if you're visiting the High Wycombe area it is in the Chiltern Centre... you cannot miss it, it's next door to primark, the same side as the Post Office. Carole's Crafts are still sorting out telephone and internet services so if you pop me an email or leave a comment if you're interested in attending I will get your name on the list!

Thank you have a wonderfully creative Day

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Wearable Art!

It's been quite a day here the weather can't decide to rain or snow... Definitely an indoors day and I actually managed a little crafting time! I worked on a tag for the Tim's 12 tags of 2012 but will blog about that soon, here's a piece that I made recently which fits perfectly with Grungy Monday 37: Tim Holtz Wearable Art!

This is a neck piece I've made using Tattered florals die, still one of my all time favourites. The larger flowers have been layered, it includes a rose creation and a few swirled roses. 

The layered flowers have a fringed centre.

Notice the papers mmmm, yummy ranger distress core'dinations, I have painted a sealer onto each flower petal, phew, I'm hoping it will keep the piece stronger and a little bit waterproof!

This is me wearing necklace, I have it on a chain that threads through the filigree shape.

Next is a little heart shaped brooch see two wearable art pieces...

Based on the necklace just with a different colour combination, love these colours and match distress inks perfectly.

This is a much clearer picture of the fringe centre.

And just because it's good to see here's what the back looks like, simply die cut from Tim's heart movers and shapers.

Well, I'm hoping to get a little more blog time in, frustrating that I have to download google chrome every time I want to post...

Have a wonderfully creative day,

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Distress Stain Picture frame

Hello there, wanted to stop by with a little gift idea I have over at Quixotic

I wanted a gift for my sis from my two little ones, the top picture is of the handsome Dillon, then a little drawing he did in the middle and last but by no means least the adorable Maoleidigh! Not sure the photo shows them very clear!

 I have stained the wood with Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Broken China, love the result! Then I have stamped Stempelglede - Grunge Collection on the frame and enhanced with perfect pearl powder.

The Make It Crafty - Butterfly Leaves - Lasercut Chipboard have been coloured with Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Wild Honey and Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Forest Moss.

Then embellished with Viva Decor: Glitter Liner - Holo Iridescent, I also rubbed a little of the glitter onto the frame too! 

Okay so... this will be my last post for a while as I'm having a blogging break...

Thank you so much for stopping by hope you have a fabulously creative day!

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Love Life and Live ~ Steampunk Top Hat & Stand

It's MONDAY!!! which means, we have a new theme set at...

and this week is Anything Goes!!!

WOW my final project as member of this Awesome Team sniff sniff.

I was inspired by these Steampunk Debutante papers.

I had the idea to create a steampunk inspired top hat, using grungepaper, texture fade, cafe perfect pearls (fabulous match to the papers) and gears. The top and brim are cut using ovals nestabilities, and I simply pleated the hat into shape! I can see me making a whole lot more of these.

This is the back of the hat, wish I'd have thought to put the eyelets in before I constructed the hat ROTFL!!! but still, managed and threaded some copper coloured elastic through.

I even lined the inside with fun flock, I mixed a few colours together to get this shade!

The Small easel is the base for the hat stand adhered to a large fragment, adorned with Art Parts and memo pin embellishments, one dangly using Steampunk gears stamp.

I cut flowers from Tattered florals and 3D flowers using grungepaper and the colours were matched using distress inks. So check out the goodies at...

And then why not pop round to the rest of the team's stunning projects!!!
THE director ~ Linda Elbourne

Candy Colwell ~ Dan ~
Kim Costello <~ You're already here

Linda Coughlin ~ Lori Hassler ~ Lynne Forsythe

Nancy Crissinger ~ Nancy Wethington ~

Sarah Engels-Greer ~ Terry Wietsma-Girbes.

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a beautifully creative day!

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Simon Says Stamp and Show Some Embossing!

It's MONDAY!!! which means, we have a new theme set at...

and this week is Some Embossing!!!


I have incorporated both heat embossing and dry embossing!

The cover to my mini sketch book has been doubled distressed using Victorian velvet, aged mahogany, walnut stain and black soot distress inks. Using a gorgeous texture fade.

The leaf art part has distress stain and clear embossing powder.

The spine has been adorned with an array of different embellishments! All quite meaningful, the leaf back to my natural artist passion, the butterfly to learn to change, the pearl for keeping pure, the lock and key to unlock my skills and then imagination! Phew! far tooo deep for a Monday morning ha ha ha!

I have been holding hoarding onto these scrummy cotton rag art paper for ages it was so nice to make something I might use with them. I've used an old sizzix cheque book die, sorry not sure if you can find it now.



These embellishments are made using clear art film and Tim Holtz kraft resist card!

Then I created inked tabs along the edge using inspirational words.

So check out the goodies at...



And then why not pop round to the rest of the team's stunning projects!!!

THE director ~ Linda Elbourne

Candy Colwell ~ Dan ~
Kim Costello <~ You're already here

Linda Coughlin ~ Lori Hassler ~ Lynne Forsythe

Nancy Crissinger ~ Nancy Wethington ~

Sarah Engels-Greer ~ Terry Wietsma-Girbes.

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a beautifully creative day!

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Stitches? and Stitching!!!

It's MONDAY!!!
I'm very late posting so much going on at home, it's really came to a head with a weekend spent in the hospital as Dillon suffered a head injury that needed surgery, there must be over seventeen stitches along his hairline... bless him, he's fit and recovering extremely well from it all!

which brings me onto the new challenge at...

and this week is Stitching!!! I know!!!

I completely indulged in my love of sewing for this challenge, creating a very aged looking bunny from a Tilda pattern.

 

To start, the bunny's muslin fabric was stained with antique linen and vintage photo distress stains. I definitely needed my scrubbie after that!

The ear lining and outfit are stamped with Wendy Vecchi's fabulous ticking and check background stamps, using distress ink directly onto the fabric. So pleased with how it came out!

The front I simply stamped this wonderful flower and finished off with some poppers.

So check out the goodies at...

And then why not pop round to the rest of the team's stunning stitched projects!!!

THE director ~ Linda Elbourne

Candy Colwell ~ Dan ~
Kim Costello <~ You're already here

Linda Coughlin ~ Lori Hassler ~ Lynne Forsythe

Nancy Crissinger ~ Nancy Wethington ~

Sarah Engels-Greer ~ Terry Wietsma-Girbes.

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a beautifully creative day,
give your loved ones BiG HuGs!!!
Kim :)

Gift Set Tutorial

Over at Quixotic today I have a written a little tutorial on...

 creating a pencil and notepad gift set, so easy to customise and give as a special gift.

To begin take the cover off a mini notepad or jotter,

remove it on the back too Cut some kraft cardstock to recover the pad remembering to continue the cover to the back.

Use a corner rounder to shape the corners, simply hold a few pages at a time instead of struggling with too many.

Stamp A Pen Friend image on the front with coffee archival ink, ink edges.

Create a box envelope the depth of your pencils, I've used scallop circle die to give decorative flap.

Attach a large metal snap or (circle card and eyelet), then ink edges.

Secure some twine to the back before constructing the envelope.

For the cover cut three pieces of chipboard, two just a bit bigger then the box envelope and a spine the depth of pad and envelope.

Adhere patterned paper to the two large covers and ink the edges.

I've cut a strip of sticky back canvas for the spine, lay the covers and spine directly onto the sticky side allowing a gap between pieces.

Then adhere another strip of patterned paper to cover the two ends, and score the channel's to secure.

Next it's simply a matter of adhering the pad and the pencil envelope in place.

I've added more twine for tying a closure.

For the front, stamp and colour your image, fussy cut leaving a border and matt onto black card, then fix on the front with dimensional adhesive.

and here's the copics I've used!

I hope you feel inspired to try creating a little papercrafted gift too!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

BiG HuGs Kim :)