Kool Kitty Musings

Here's hoping it's not too busy!

I have a day off tomorrow to go Christmas shopping with my mum for our annual festive jaunt around John Lewis and Fenwick's not to mention countless other shops... must remember to pack my camera and my credit cards!

I finally got some little white battery operated lights that I want to use to place in a glass bowl/vase with baubles for a bit of a table light installation, but we shall see how that plan goes as I don't have the random little baubles for it yet and still need to decide on the glass container.

Also hoping there will be some nice felt bundles in John Lewis but if not, think I might need to invest in a sample chart for this esty store that was recommended, I think it's the same quality as PTI felt so great for diecutting:

Source: etsy.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Also I am perilously close to feeling a state of panic at not having anything really sorted for Christmas yet. But it will all be fine.

As long as I manage to make some more Christmas cards this Saturday I'll be fine!

At least the festive tunes will keep me going. ;o)

A new die for the collection

When I saw this: 

Source: mypapersecret.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I immediately fell in love.

And I was most delighted to read that the landscape scene was from a border die.

Namely this one:

I really look forward to playing with it.

Oh and I am now happy to also be a full-time owner of RadLab. Yay! Got to love those black Friday deals plus a handy well-timed voucher too. :)

Kind of makes up for someone nicking off with my blue recycling box... grrrr. The day has been full of yings and yangs but I am now off to get my tea and plonk myself in front of the telly. ;o)

52 Cards Challenge: Week 48

Welcome to the last prompt of the month.

This week's elements are:

Rub-ons: If you are like me there will be a whole stack of these in the bottom of a box somewhere dating back quite a few years! I've not used rub-ons in ages, so a good excuse to check through the stash pile.

Pearls: My favourite little addition to card projects. Especially the teeny tiny ones from kaisercraft.

Vintage: Well you can go with any interpretation for this. Old era papers, ephemera, printables, or just plain old distressing.

And yep, it's another Christmas offering from me!

I made two cards to fit this challenge, but wasn't so happy with how the first one turned out:

Paper: Basic Grey
Sticker: Basic Grey
Label: Basic Grey
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Glitter rub-on: Making Memories
Other: Stickles, 3D foam, chalk ink

The reason I'm not so happy with how it turned out is the way the glitter rub-on appears in most light, it doesn't photograph that well and looks rather blurry and not so glittery...  Bit of a shame...

As for the second card, well the Distress Stickles were still drying when I had to take the photos as I was almost out of daylight, so the glittery border will look a lot better once it dries:

Paper: Basic Grey
Chipboard: Basic Grey
Rub-ons: Luxe designs (stitches)
Felt: PTI
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Dies: Spellbinders
Pearl: Kaisercraft

The Stickles are Shabby Shutters so should be a nice compliment to the moss green ink of the greeting once dry and flat. :)

Happy creating!

Continuing with the snowman theme....

Here's my Christmas card for today. :o)

Paper: Basic Grey
Label: Basic Grey
Stamps: PTI
Chipboard: Basic Grey
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Other: 3D foam, sewing machine

So yep, keeping it simple seems to be working OK for me at the moment.

I have quite a lot of these labels and bits from BG's Jovial range to use up, but alas haven't got much in the way of paper left that goes with them.

Oh well, I am sure there will be something in my stash that will fit the bill. ;o)

Hard to believe

that this time last year it was non-stop snow... today it has been full of blustery gales and dark, dark clouds.

Hence the reason I kind of got caught up in this all day instead of getting anything productive done:

A fantastic read, and a new author to add to my chick-lit arsenal, witty and warm and I admit to shedding a few tears... I am really glad I got her other books out of the library along with this one, now I just need to NOT crack open the next book since I need to make more things along these lines:

Paper: Crate Paper
Die cut and sticker: Crate Paper
Stamp: PTI
Die: PTI
Other: 3D foam

I used the current sketch #245 over on the Card Positioning Systems blog to get me started. Think I shall be needing more sketches to get me going with my Christmas cards at this rate... and yes, I think clean and simple Christmas cards might be the way to go at this late stage in the game!

Movember madness

Over on the DCM blog this week Samm has set a wonderful dare in honour of this month, the month of Movember, the month of the moustache.

Oh yes.

Personally, I am not that much of a fan of the moustache as a permanent feature... I think the 80s and the popularity of the extreme moustache due to such examples as this:

and the Genghis Kahn looks sported by many a young man about town has a lot to answer for. Although saying that, Magnum without his moustache would have been very bizarre indeed.

Mind you there is room for some moustache admiration:

Uh-hum...

But moving on... to my card in honour of Movember:

Papers: Echo Park, Basic Grey
Stamp: PTI
Die: Spellbinders
Alpha stickers: October Afternoon
Other: 3D foam, Distress ink, Moustache printable

Very dapper eh?

And if after visiting the other Design Team blogs you're looking for more moustache inspiration, well how about these little gems from Pinterest:

The ultimate Movember style guide:

Source: somethingshidinginhere.com via gillie on Pinterest

 

My favourite Movember homage:

Source: glamour.com via Vaishali on Pinterest

 

Some great props for some wacky photo shoots: 

Source: google.co.uk via Julie on Pinterest

 

A very graceful way to wear your moustache, if you're so inclined: 

Source: wanelo.com via Laura on Pinterest

 

These really make me chuckle:

Source: gthegentleman.tumblr.com via Carlos on Pinterest

 

Source: etsy.com via Gigi on Pinterest

 

And I would love to see this in action - hilarious:

Source: etsy.com via Glenda on Pinterest

 

And of course, there had to be a Keep Calm and...

Happy 'taching!

Journal your Christmas - slight envy of the festive-green kind...

Well, quite a while I ago I decided that I'd be sitting out JYC this year. As last year's album seemed quite definitive for me - and it was completed from start to finish.

But all this talk and excitement about JYC has got me a little nostalgic. I really don't think I can commit to an album this year, I mean I still haven't made all my Christmas cards yet! But I think I will play along in a little retrospective way.

At least there's 2008:

And 2010:

...to look back on and enjoy all over again.

In fact when I made my little spinner in 2008 I had in mind that it would be something that would come out if its little box every Christmas to enjoy, over and over again.

I'm not usually one for looking back through my scrapbooks (which is odd considering the whole point of scrapbooking - for me it's the making that I enjoy more at the moment) but these two projects are ones I rather love looking back at and reminding myself just what I made and when. :)

Anyway, as the prompts come into my inbox I am planning to repost some entries, share random thoughts they inspire and some photos, and who knows the odd Christmas card too? At least I won't feel like I am missing out, but I will definitely have fun catching up with all the new journal entries from those playing along.

I may even find a nice few pins to drool over - any excuse!

52 Cards Challenge: Week 47

I cannot believe how quickly the 52 week mark is almost upon us! Scary right!?

Well, I am happy to report that the prompts for this week are at least slightly on track with the time of year. :)

• Foam pads - such an essential item in my stash, that this element is always a nice one to see
• Christmas - if you don't celebrate it or don't need to make anything Christmas-themed, you can always go with Winter or another seasonal idea
• Red - ahhh a very apt colour at the moment. I don't think I use it enough!

Here's the card sample I made for this week:

Cardblank: DCWV
Paper: Echo Park
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Stickers: Echo Park
Rub-ons: Crate Paper
Stamp: PTI
Snowman: Basic Grey
Other: 3D foam, string, glitter paper, cardstock

I seriously love that little felt snowman.

I am a bit bummed at the moment that none of my cards are coming out anywhere near what I planned. I wonder if my mojo is needing a little recharging. I just don't feel I am doing justice to my stash, or indeed managing to "use" the really nice stash I have. Time and time again I have reached for my nordic WMS stamps only to end up changing my mind and making something else. :o\

Oh well, there is always next week, right?

In the meantime I hope my creative mojo makes a reappearance as I really could do with making nice cards again! hehe

This week I have mostly been shopping...

So like I said the other day, my Christmas shopping has so far been a bit of a failure. For other people.

But not for myself and the house.

I finally got my little Sheep-deer from TK Maxx. The first time I saw him I thought he was a reindeer, but on closer inspection when I went back to TK Maxx this week, he is in fact... more of a sheep. I may yet make him antlers...

 

I managed to stock up on some nice baking items. Some fab baking cases plus accessories, including mini cases which needed a mini muffin tin. Some silicone jelly like baking moulds in Ikea, some nice sized silicone hearts that can either make 4 separate heart cakes, or 2 heart sandwich cakes... festive jelly beans for decrating, and some Christmas sprinkles in Lidl that looked just perfect.

I also finally have a domed cake stand - for £9.99 from IKEA. Hurrah.

More seasonal tableware was purchased in M&S with these red felt coasters and matching placemat.

Keeping on the red theme, I now have a lovely little slow cooker to get me through the winter months and free up the hob and soup pan for other things. :)

I finally managed to find a long and wide scarf in Zara... and didn't break the bank on it. To date all others were too short for wrapping round a few times and creative knotting...

Yesterday the delight that was Boundary Mills yielded a nice shoe shopping experience - so many pretty Hush Puppy shoes in one place. I bought the above in purple, plus:

...in dark brown, and these:

Which are a little bigger than the others, but I think will be fine with an insole or even thicker winter tights. :)

And finally, thanks to Jean, I have been reunited with a good-sized bag of Candy Corn M&Ms:

In addition to the shopping, there has been some making:

It started last weekend with our "annual" gingerbread house-making afternoon... which included an emergency dash for new gingerbread cabins when the IKEA gingerbread houses were opened up and all broken, but will make great cheesecake bases! So as we got to work on these little houses, complete with the white gunky icing included, it was a real fight to keep all the walls and roofs attached...

Lola just watched on hoping to hoover up any victims of the gingerbread house collapse...

Wednesday night I went with Becky to a craft night at her church and we made:

This lovely little flowerpot snowman, who I am sure will appear in many upcoming Christmas-themed snaps.

And this lovely felt heart ornament, in which I finally learnt to blanket stitch - it could have been tidier, but I am sure I could make some more of these with different felts, especially in nordic colours... and cut the hearts with my nestabilities. :)

And although not made by me, had a lovely lunch out in Tynemouth yesterday with my friend Kel, hot chocolate dessert for her:

And the most delicious cherry and almond scone for me:

I loved the chintzy decor in the shop and it was like a real Christmas shabby glam grotto. :D

And speaking of making, I had best get on and get a few projects done while we still have daylight available!

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

My it feels like the week has flown by since Monday...

And I am really thankful for the scheduler function in Typepad as I am typing this very late in the evening/early morning... it has been that busy this week.

I attempted to start my Christmas shopping this week... for gifts for others... and ended up just buying stuff for me... deary me. But I have made quite a few lovely purchases, made a couple of nice new crafty items that weren't paper-related and had my fill of festive Starbucks in ONE day... and tonight I am off up to my friend's after work armed with 6 bottles of vodka for a vodka tasting evening (they are all different flavours - only the best don't you know - and one is the famous lemon vodka my Uncle in Chicago makes) and a nice meal, so should be a very good night. Then the weekend to recover and recharge and who knows, get some real progress in my Christmas card making!

But anyway, on with today's crafty creation. This week's challenge on the DCM blog is based on the theme of water.

Paper: MME
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, Banana Frog, PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Other: 3D foam, Copics

Cute little whale, bless! Of all the dies in my arsenal, of which there are a few..., I get the most use out of these scallop edger dies from PTI. This is the medium one in action. Now I just wonder if the MFT scallop edges are similar or just different enough to require a purchase! I am also after a pinking edge die like the new one from PTI... wonder if there are any other manufacturers out there who have one. I cannot cut a straight line with a pair of regular scissors never mind ones with a zig zag edge!

Also while I was at it, I used up the scraps from this card to make a matching gift tag, with a nice bit of felt too...

I have a feeling I also need to start on my Christmas gift tags too!

Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. ;o)

52 Cards Challenge: Week 46

Welcome to another Monday morning prompt, this week's elements are:

I am really wanting to concentrate on my Christmas cards now, so I may not manage to get all the elements on my cards for upcoming prompts, but I think I've ticked all the boxes this week. Including glitter galore for the glitz and glam aspect.

Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Chalk ink, Distress Stickles, Stickles, glitter paper, 3D foam, satin ribbon

It's been a while since I used this stamp set, and I forgot how nice the branch and leaves work together. No doubt will be using it more in the upcoming weeks!

Have a creative week!

In a festive mood

Last week I trialled a recipe to see what it'd be like for Christmas:

I made mint choc cupcakes for our crop using the Hummingbird bakery chocolate cupcake recipe and just switching out vanilla extract for a drop or two of peppermint flavouring in the frosting. The end result looks a bit like mint choc chip ice cream! I need to perfect my colouring skills with colour paste that's for sure!

The end result was quite nice, but I am not totally sold on Dr Oetker mint flavouring, the Silverspoon one that Becky has smelled a lot nicer.

So dilemma, I am wanting to make some of those red and white swirl peppermint cupcakes for Christmas: 

Source: flickr.com via Andrea on Pinterest

 

But not sure whether get the Silverspoon flavouring instead.

Also I tried out this technique recently (another Pinterest find): 

It works great, just NOT with Tesco cling film, you really need something stronger so not sure what to use... is there industrial strength cling film in the supermarket? LOL

Anyway, off gingerbread house decorating this afternoon. Yes, a tad early - but the last 2 years we have had to cancel due to snow, this year the gingerbread house will be made! 

No doubt with a lot of mess! lol

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

Or any jewellery really...

Which is a good thing as this week's dare is from my fellow PTI stash lover, Sharon. The challenge is to make a card inspired by jewellery, and this is the item I used as my inspiration:

Source: etsy.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And here's what I came up with:

Paper: MME
Dies: Die-namics, PTI
Stamps: My Favorite Things, Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Other: Twine, button, 3D foam, pattern wheel, chalk ink

I love this new paper pad from MME, the greys are lovely in it and those doily patterns very lush! I used my little tag die from MFT to create the little birds on one of the tiny tags from PTI. The main greeting is stamped with the dark grey Prima chalk ink and I really wish I'd stamped the "so tweet" with grey ink too but too late for that!

Still loving my pattern wheel for tracing stitch lines... very handy. :)

Happy weekend crafting!

52 Cards Challenge: Week 45

Welcome to a rather frosty Monday morning prompt for this weekly challenge. It is rather frightening how close we are getting to week 50! Never mind 52!

This week's elements are:

I made a rather simple Christmas card for my offering that looks a lot nicer in real life than it photos:

Stamps: PTI
Other: Stickles, Prima grey chalk inks, Versamagic white chalk ink, Versacolor pigment inks

I am really liking how the Prima chalk inks stamp on kraft and on that white ink - very lush, I had to order the rest!

Happy crafting!

Happy birthday daring cardmakers

It's a rather special milestone this week for the DCM blog, hard to believe but this week's dare marks a special anniversary for the DCM dares!

Also it's the first Friday of November, so this week's dare is a return to our flowers of the month series.

November's flower is the chrysanthemum and since I need all the help I can get with my Christmas card product right now, I've gone for a festive number...

Card blank: Kraft from Papermania
Paper: Basic Grey
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Felt: PTI
Dies: Marianne, PTI, Spellbinders
Brad: Crate Paper
Other: 3D foam pads, White chalk ink, Distress Stickles, white brilliance ink, Versacolor Celadon

I think you can only just see in this pic that the felt is indeed a dark green, and not black! That would make for a rather spooky Christmas card... ;o) I love the branch die from Marianne, great with felt through the Cuttlebug.

Also making the flower was a doddle. You need 3 sizes of flower die or punch, cut 2 each of the large and medium flowers, and 3 of the centre flower. Then ink the edges and cut into the petal dents, crumple them up a bit and assemble with a brad. I really like how the blue of the reverse side of the paper shows through as well.

And those Waltzing Mouse festive label stamps are lovely to use and so yum with a bit of Rock Candy Stickles for vintage sparkle.

Roll on the next Christmas card when I can try out my new Spellbinders tags from yesterday's little trip to the Hobbycraft sale. ;o)