The year that was

It's been a funny old year. After finally plucking up the courage to leave my job from hell my creativity flourished and all of sudden I found myself invited to Design Teams (Rubber Dance and Tando), winning awards including the Compendium of Curiosities top spot (amazing!), and being honoured to be asked to Guest Design at PaperBabe Stamps AND A Sprinkle of Imagination.

Other highlights included being taught some awesome workshops by Andy Skinner, France Papillion, and Mark Smith of JMTV; having a commission in Beads and Beyond magazine; celebrating my first anniversary, joining the madness that is the Moxley crop, and making some wonderful new friends.

I thought I'd round up this year of creativity with some of my favourite makes from 2014 (in no particular order). Hope you enjoy! Here's to an equally crafty 2015.

Gorgeous MoonGirl :)

Keepsake box for Rubber Dance

Xmas Wreath for Tando

Bee Canvas

Andy Skinner Workshop

Guest for PaperBabe stamps

My CC3C Winning Entry!

Slide Mailer for Rubber Dance

Tim's Tag May

Notebook

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

K xxx

Tim's Tags meets my Design Teams!

Today I am sharing my take on Tim's 12 tags of 2014 for December.

As soon as I saw the tag Tim had made I thought of the gorgeous deer chippies that Tando make and knew they would work a treat with the new Rubber Dance Winter Wonderland stamps I helped to design.

To begin with I used Tim's technique to make the background with lovely Distress Stains (LOVE these). I didn't have any Frosted so I used Frosted Film which took embossing lightly and added a lovely frosty look to the tag. I used texture paste and Distress Glitter again to make the 'snow', adding splatters of white paint over the Frosted Film.

The greeting is simply stamped and watercoloured with Distress Ink. I also added some bling just to make it a little bit more snowy!

Reindeer Small Running

Winter Wonderland Stamps

See you in 2015 - Happy New Year!
Katy x

A Very Merry Christmas!

Me and my snowman wish you a very merry one!  Can't take ANY credit for this little cutey as it was a class taught by my dear friend Barb Gasby. She does folk art commissions too (much more pro looking than mine LOL!).

The little holes now have jingle bells attached :)

K xxx

Da Vinci inspired with Rubber Dance

Really quick post for me today - this time of year is so hectic it's hard to find time to craft! Anyway, I thought I'd share a last minute gift idea today, for anyone who is as disorganised as me!

This is a shop-bought notebook I got (it's really cute and teeny weeny but you could use any notebook). The stamping is applied direct to the book (word Dream) and with tissue paper - I stamped the Da Vinci lady onto tissue and applied the image to the book with Glue N Seal - you can see it looks like part of the book and has blended totally with the background. Love working with tissue paper in this way.

The book's finished with some splatters of ink and another coat of Glue N Seal to protect it. Quick and easy but a lovely stocking filler.

The stamps are Da Vinci from Rubber Dance:

Have a very merry Xmas all!
Katy x

Feeling Frosty with Tando and Rubber Dance

On the Tando Blog today I have a quick tag for you today featuring a one of my favourite Tando Masks - joined snowflakes. I sprayed my tag with Distress Stains over the mask to make a background and embellished it with a large snowflake from the Tando pack of 5 Snowflakes, which I covered with gesso and Distress Glitter in Rock Candy so it's lovely and sparkly! The greeting is from the brand new Rubber Dance set that I designed alongside Bibi :). Hope you like it.

Winter Wonderland by Rubber Dance

Pack 5 Snowflakes

Joined Snowflakes Mask

Lots of love,
Katy xxx

Guest Designer - A Sprinkle of Imagination

I was delighted and very flattered to be asked by Trish to be a guest designer for A Sprinkle of Imagination as part of their 12 Designers of Christmas series. I am among some distinguished company, so no pressure LOL! Keep checking back all through December for lots of inspiration.

I made a Christmas decoration using a box canvas which I reversed to make a shadow box. I covered the outside in book page which I knocked back with Antique Linen Distress Paint then edged it with gilding wax and added a little stamping with Stampotique's Abstract Foliage. I created a panel for the inside of the box again using stamping and book page.

The 'snow' is created by adding modelling or texture paste roughly with a spatula then sprinkling it with dry Distress Glitter in Rock Candy to make it sparkle. I added 'snow' to my tree branch too and also glittered the festive berries.

Inside I dangled painted, glittered snowflakes (Tando) from monofilament so they hang and move. Noel and the poinsettia are Tim dies. My robin is one of Dina Wakley's Scribbly Birds stamps - I thought he was suitably fat and jolly to be a robin!

Hope you like my creation and remember most of the goodies are available from A Sprinkle of Imagination.

Katy x

Frosty the Snowman

Something a little different today! Been making a lot of jewellery as gifts recently with Xmas coming up - can't share those as it would give away the surprise but I can share these that I made for me :).

My snowmen are made from crackle quartz rounds and haematite disc beads and wire scarves made from teeny tiny seed beads. How very festive!

Normal paper-based service to be resumed shortly!

Katy x

Cabinet Card for Rubber Dance

Here's a sneaky peek of my project featuring over on the Rubber Dance blog today, including some instructions for this faded, retro-style colouring technique. Hope you like!

I used the gorgeous Nostalgic Couples set for this project (the stamp of the couple - called Retro Couple - is also available as a single).

CO3-L Nostalgic Couples

Katy x

Stampotique Challenge - Anything Goes

I've been poorly sick so not making for the last couple of weeks so I decided to ease myself back into the creative process with a mini project on a small tag for the Stampotique Challenge this month.

I used cute little Goglin and also grasses and foliage, all from Stampotique.

The toadstool is Tando and the awesome sentiment is a Rubber Dance one - if you love Stampotique stamps then you need the Sarcasm Superpower set! It's perfect for quirky makes.

See you soon,
Katy x

New Stamps!

Quickie from me today but had to share my excitement about these brand new stamps from Rubber Dance - but then I would, cos I helped to design them along with lovely Bibi.

Get yours over at Rubber Dance - with 12% off right now to celebrate owner Bibi's birthday!

Really hope you like them!
Katy x

Feeling Festive with Tando

It's a Christmassy theme this week over at the Tando Challenge blog and my contribution is a jolly sleigh stuffed with sweet treats. I hope you will join in for your chance to win some yummy Tando goodies! Now that's a Christmas treat!

I covered the Tando sleigh in patterned paper before edging it with paint and glitter.

I don't have a lot of Xmas stash so I reused some seasonal decorations instead on this piece. Along the sides I added mini tinsel (from Homebase) and along the top edge some icicles cut from a Christmas garland. The bells (on the rear edge) and mini stockings (inside) are also tree decorations (from Poundland too, so very cheap and merry!).

For my focal point, a Tando snowflake is covered with gesso that's been sprinkled with holographic glitter whilst wet. The runners have a tough of faux snow.

I felt my sleigh should have a licence plate on the back and here the Tando bookplates came in perfectly! I finished the embellishment with glitter brads and a mini bow.

Inside the sleigh I've tucked tasty treats! My candy canes are inside part of a kitchen roll tube covered in matching pattered paper, to make them stand up neatly.

I used these lovely Tando goodies (oh and one final note before I go - don't be daunted by the flat packed sleigh - it's super easy to put together!)

Sleigh

Large Bookplates

Pk 5 Snowflakes

Thanks for stopping by and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Katy x