Inkyfingeredcat

So one of the products I was sent to play with from Kingston Crafts for my DT work was an adhesive mega kit and it was released by hobbymaker tv on 5th January so can now share what I did with it.

Well it certainly was full of really useful items – double sided tape of different widths, red tape of different widths, glue dots of different sizes and lots of different colour adhesive foam dots. As I say really useful – but then I had to think of a way of showing off what having this range of adhesive could help create. So as it’s an odd thing to show off I thought I would blog all three things I made in one post …

Well one of the first thoughts I came up with was to use it as a way of adding gilding flakes to a project – so that became my first project.

I decided to decorate a little decorative wooden heart I had in the stash (it is the same as one I covered in glitter glue for another project I shared a few months ago) so I chose the widest of the red tapes and totally covered the surface of the heart.

I then removed the cover sheet off the tape to expose the sticky and rubbed the gilding flakes all over the top. I just love how this looks – and it makes me wonder why I haven’t done this in ages!

Then it was time to decorate the heart – in reality I could have done both sides with the flakes and left it like that as it looks so pretty – but decided to create a little more interest to the front.

I added the die cut elements all cut from the scraps of either everyday cardstock or spring slimline papers that were on my desk. I then added the stamped sentiment and stamped some tiny hearts and cut them out to scatter a few onto the cluster. I then added a shiny plastic bird I had chosen from the Spring shrink plastic set.

All of these I added with the double sided tapes which stick really well – even on the gilded background.

Finished off with some string and waxed thread to create a hanger to the decoration.

So I think that made good use of the adhesives and created a really cute little decorative piece that could either be added to the front of a card or a gift.

Next up is a shaker card – after all adhesive foam is perfect for giving the dimension needed for a shaker element – especially as each sheet comes with the long strips around the edge as well as all those individual squares.

Well I actually use the red tape too on this to make sure the acetate was stuck well to the card frame and then the foam strips for the edge of the acetate to raise it from the back.

I added a lot of sequins and shiny bits in my shaker and themed it to the Summer Collection papers and shrink plastic pieces for those cute ice lolly’s.

You can see when I tilt the card that the coloured foam works so well at making the card look finished too!

I did use the normal double sided adhesive on this too just to stick all the layers into place both inside the card and out!

Aren’t shaker cards just so cute?

Glue dots are also in the kit but I didn’t end up using them on these projects specifically – but I thought I would mention when I do normally – and that’s for adding a bow to a project – a glue dot is always my go to for the best adhesive to use – it doesn’t bleed through like wet glue and the easiest way to do it is to add the bow to the dot on the roll and then peel up and stick to the project!

So finally I have my double sided adhesive project – well I use it all the time but I guess the thing that is great is that it comes in all the widths of tape – so I decided to try and show that off… so went back to the gilding flakes again …

I took a panel of the black everyday cardstock and used the different size of tape to create some diagonal stripes across the panel. I tried to keep them straight but not worried about spacing them evenly.

I actually think if you had different colours of foiling or gilding flakes separate this would be good to add different coloured stripes – I don’t though mine are a mix of flakes of different colours. So I peeled back the tape covering and rubbed the flakes over the tape …

Just fabulous! I trimmed the panel down to be just smaller than a card front and then added a frame of black.

I decided to keep the topper simple after all the focus should be on all that shine from the gilding!

So a die cut sentiment onto a white die cut circle and then some card Candi to finish that corner off!

So a fun blog post with three projects all featuring the mega adhesive kit – but obviously nearly all my projects feature the kit – just usually the adhesive is more hidden! 🤣

I did spot my shaker card on tv too back on 5th January … so officially this is another ‘as seen on tv’ posts! 🥰

Happy crafting!

Catherine

A few days ago I shared a postcard I made for a swap using the Swallowtail stamp and said to watch this space … well here is the second project I made using it … another postcard but this time one I am using to decorate a calendar I bought in December but didn’t get a chance to start making the art for! This was heavily inspired by the calendar art I’ve been seeing a friend share on her blogs and social media – thanks Pauline x

This time I did multicoloured stamping using distress oxides and then clear embossed over the top.

I then used the same colour oxides to do some additional stamping, splattering and edging.

So pretty!

I then simply adhered it to the January page on my calendar …

And hung it up next to the desk (I really need to sort out the basket that’s underneath it!

So a simple project but a nice one to make something for displaying every month!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I decided to use the page kit that I got from Sarah at Hey Little Magpie and make this page with a vintage feel that was perfect for the photo of my grandad and grandma.

I did add in some additional bits and pieces from the Spice kit from 49th & market too – plus the waxed thread.

But mainly I kept to the layout Sarah had designed with the kit.

I also added in some gold paint splatters at the end as it felt wrong to have no mixed media!

I did remember to stick the camera on for the process so you can check this out on YouTube.

We should have all been crafting together at the crop today but the weather disrupted our plans as the snow and ice is still making the back roads treacherous so safety first – I am going to make sure I get my crafty fill today at home (& a little spend at Hey Little Magpie as missing out on a browse in Sarah’s pop up shop!).

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hi – back with another card – although this is a slight cheat because this is actually the card I made for my parents for 2024 Christmas but never got around to blogging!

I went with a stencilled and inked background using two different snowflake stencils. This way I also could use it as my ‘use a stencil’ entry for a competition over on UK stampers forum.

I then added some die cut stars which are in lots of different but similar colours. I stacked some for additional dimension and then scattered them on a diagonal line across background.

I then decided to focus on the sentiment with an embossed sentiment that was die cut and stacked! I then decided to raise that up on the die cut banner – I inked that slightly and then added some foam adhesive underneath to raise it up. I added some silver thread underneath to add in a different texture.

I then added some of the little stamped and die cut stars too and the sequins in three colours to add sparkle!

I framed the inked background with a layer of a dark purple and then had a larger layer of the pale blue underneath. I did add foam adhesive between those two layers to add the dimension on the card.

Love the colour combo for this card.

So a cheat post for me this week – but still at least it is something I could share that is festive!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

The fabulous Martin has decided to share a sketch daily on his socials and so I took the first of those sketches he created on 1st January and made a card which is actually one I will swap as part of the UK Stampers Forum swap.

This is the card I made.

I followed the sketch reasonably closely…

Obviously the sentiment I had to play around with slightly and moved the horizontal strip up to accommodate the Happy die cut above the Birthday die cut.

I also added an extra layer of cardstock to bring the dark purple out in the papers more.

I used old making cards magazine papers (yes I am trying to use them even outside of the first of the month challenge) and the feathers inspired me to get my old waffle flower feathers stamp set out for the focal feature.

I wasn’t keen on the feathers on the circle on their own though so grabbed an Alpaca Pals stamp to add the white heat embossed squiggle circle onto the pink die cut.

That worked well in giving the feathers somewhere to sit.

I added the sentiment and then had some circle die cuts sitting in a pot in a purple colour that I thought worked well.

I distressed the edge of the pink layer of cardstock to expose the white and then made the card blank out of another purple cardstock – so it’s a very pink and purple card in the end!

Loved using the sketch – no way I will be able to do all 365 but it was fun to get one done now and we will see how many others I manage over the course of his (insane) challenge of one whole year of sketches! Good luck Martin!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Another couple of pages made using the Everyday Stories album kit from Kingston Crafts which was debuted on Hobbymaker tv at the weekend – this time documenting our trip to the zoo!

Well I thought that this was the perfect way to document some of my favourite pictures from the day and the system is so simple to use it meant the page was done in next to no time at all … both sides!

As with previous pages I have shared I have used two inserts as it is initially going to be used on the tv … but when I get back I will recombine it into one insert back and front to save room … for another event to be documented!

Simple pages = quick and easy scrapbooking! And here they were on the tv …

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I decided to try and join more of the swaps this year over at UK Stampers forum – so started with the Postcard one.

The only rules are to make something that includes stamping and can go flat in an envelope for posting. So I grabbed an oldie but goodie – Swallowtail!

I decided to stamp it onto the pale blue cardstock and clear emboss and then use Brushos to add the colour.

I started with just a spray of water and sprinkling the powders for the first layer but then I added definition by painting the pigments into the areas I wanted to define adding scarlet for the second colour.

I love the effect of this and how the colour bleeds with the water. I am so pleased I refound my brushos – they’ve been missing for about 6 months as they had fallen behind a box on the shelf. I had come so close to rebuying them as I missed playing with them – thankful I resisted!

I edged the panel and stuck it onto another panel of blue and then edged that before adding it to the white postcard. I then worked on the sentiment which I stamped onto some scrap patterned paper and edged with the ink. Then I added three die cut hearts which I added some clear glitter glue to so they are sparkly.

A fun project and also good to get an old stamp out to play with … watch this space though because I couldn’t resist keeping the stamp out to play with again!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I’m going to try and join in the challenge to make a decorated tag for UK Stampers Forum every month this year to make a decorated tag – I managed a few last year but not all!

This one I went with some new to me stamps from Altenew that I bought in the sale at Seven Hills Crafts but wasn’t sure exactly what my plan was!

I covered a tag I made from packaging with silver acrylic paint to and it a little shiny and a fun background. Once dry I added some stamping using the arrows and some archival ink to add some fun shapes into the background.

I also added the Aim High sentiment using Versafine which is darker than the archival ink.

I then decided to add a rainbow element with some patterned paper larger arrow stamped images which I fussy cut and then adhered down.

I then decided that a rainbow of butterflies would be fun! So I took the Concord & 9th dies to cut them out of scraps of cardstock and some black for the bodies of the butterflies.

I stuck them down and then covered them with a bit of scrap and splattered the background with some black gesso.

I then worked on the sentiment. I went with the stamped first part and then die cut the letters for the final part. I stacked the letters twice and then added them to the tag with the stamped element layered a couple of times and then added the adhesive foam to give it more dimension.

I decided it needed something more so I punched and stacked some hearts from black and then added the white doodles once I had glued them in place. i also added some white dots to the die cut letters.

I edged the tag with archival ink to frame the tag – I always like the finish this gives it!

I also added the pearl accents for a final embellishment to the tag.

I used a scrap of dark grey lace for the top.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

One of the products that Kingston Crafts sent me to play with is Beautiful Moment album with the Everyday Stories papers – an 8×8 album with precut cards, inserts and embellishments (cardstock stickers, rub ons and puffy stickers). Each of the inserts is sectioned into quarters and it is such a simple way to scrapbook your memories – choose a card for each quarter, add your photos and any journaling and embellish as you wish – and the stack of cards it comes with are fab – so many to choose from.

Martin was on hobbymaker.tv with this earlier today so I’m delighted I can start sharing the projects I made!

I decided to start off by documenting the little trip to Cheddar in Somerset that me and the hubby took in July. I printed photos mainly two per 6×4 so I could cut them in half for the inserts – I did do a few that were square but just shrank them down so I knew they would be less than 4” tall.

I decided which photos for which page and then found cards I liked to either fit the feel of the photos or the colours in other cards.

Then I set about embellishing and telling the story on each page.

I would normally do them back to back but as they were made primarily for the tv I did one sided only – when I get them back to keep I will combine them into back to back pages to save my inserts for other pages I can make in the future.

Obviously you don’t have to use the album just with the supplies it comes with – I did some just using the kit and then I started experimenting a little … on this page I embossed the two plain colour panels with a Fern embossing folder and then die cut some trees from other cards to add as embellishments.

And on this page I started grabbing stickers from the stash to add elements and stamped some leaves onto the cards to make them match each other.

This final page documenting the trip of me and hubby I added in the stamped and embossed hearts as a starting point for adding in extra bits.

I also had to share this pic of the hubby and I watching the tv and getting to see ourselves … 🤩

I’ll share other projects I did with the kits in another blog on another day … but this was very much my starting point – keeping it simple and using it in the easiest way possible – print photos and stick them in!

Of course you could go even simpler and just print 4×4 photos off and just slot them in too – but you know me – I like to go a little mad and add some bits and bobs!

Now off to do some cleaning before Martin is back on tv again at 5pm for the next show!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I’ve decided to try and share scrapbook pages on Saturday’s this year to keep me in the zone with doing them – so Scrapping Saturday! I’m starting with one I made for my DT projects fro Kingston Crafts.

I decided to make a 8×8 scrapbook page using the Kingston Crafts summer collection papers for the main feature – although I also added some shrink plastic as it worked with the image I thought!

I started with some distress oxide ink using the usual packaging technique and then left it to dry. Then I cut some strips of the paper – mainly the one with the waves and then added in a few strips of the shell and the text one too.

Next I added some stitched circles – I actually ended up taking this up to bed to do whilst I listened to an audio book as I was doing this quite late at night.

The next day I decided on the papers to stack under the photo which I thought worked well in giving some contrast but still tied in with the background.

I decided to use the same ones but a plain white piece of cardstock to separate the side.

I added them all at angles as it worked well and raised it up with foam adhesive.

I then took the shell themed paper and fussy cut out the shells to add as embellishments.

I added the shrink plastic Beach Vibes words and the flip flops too as embellishments too – and then some blue card candi too. I added in a bit of the journalling onto some white.

Really love how this came together (and it is actually better than I was expecting which is always nice!).

Happy crafting!

Catherine