Where have I been and what have I been doing?

Hello Everyone.

Firstly I would like to apologise for my absence and for how quiet I have been and with not posting on here for a while.

I thought I would update you all.... Well where do I begin..... Firstly I have been back and forth with Hospital appointments as I have been getting tested for Sleep Apnea as I am not sleeping when I should be so this is having a big knock on effect on my every day life. 

Today I had my final appointment and thankfully it is not Sleep Apnea but Insomnia which I already had a gut feeling it would be so it has been a waste of time really, but I am glad to know for sure and can now go back to my G.P and see what the next step is.

At the beginning of this year, my Nan was rushed into hospital with what was suspected Sepsis, thankfully it turned out not to be that BUT she had suffered a severe heart attack which had caused a blood clot which was in her neck (we didn't know) to travel into her head and split into two and she also has one in her leg. My Nan has Dementia and brittle bones so is very fragile as it is, this had been a big knock on effect on her to the point of we were told to prepare for the worse as she may not make it as she was bed bound, not eating, drinking or being able to talk....... I am thankful to say she is still with us and is fighting very hard and is not in hospital but back in the care home where she is getting all Palative care, yet she is still fighting and is slowly getting there but as we have been here before when it was my Grandad we know that anything can change at any time again. But for 87 years old she is doing well considering and is a tough cookie.

So as you can imagine with that going on and Christmas being a hard time for me my mojo had upped and left and it has only just started to slowly come back when it comes to my papercrafting, mixed media art etc........ BUT I have not stopped crafting altogether I have actually been really busy with my crochet business since all this with my Nan it gave me that push to get that business out there as it is something my Nan taught me to do.... My crochet can be found on Facebook, Conscious Crafties, and Instagram just search for

 Nana's Precious Stitches.

ANYWAY enough of my blabbering on and probably boring you all but if you have got this far thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and I hope that you will continue to follow me on crafty journey. I have a commission piece to share with you all and some new Scrapbook layouts :) 

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

October Mission Inspiration

Hi Crafters

Today I thought I would share with you all a new art journal page I have done after following the October Mission Inspiration by Mike Deakin.

I have been a followers of Mike's for some time and love the mission Inspiration prompts but have not got around to trying one until now... For October Mike put together 2 versions and of cause I went with the Halloween one.

Here are the prompts

Now for what I have done following these prompts 

I love how this page turned out especially as it was my first time taking part int he Mission Inspiration, the quote I have added to my page reads " Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, voices whisper in the trees TONIGHT IS HALLOWEEN" The quote is by Dexter Kozen.

The products I have used for this page are as follows:

Pebeo Dyna Acrylic Paint - Iridescent Green Yellow

Dyusions Paint - Pure Sunshine, Tangerine Dream

Indigo Blu Acrylic - Aladdin

Fabric

Black Gesso

White Ink Pad

Damask Stamp

That's Crafty - Skull Stencil 

White Gel Pen

I hope you like what I have done and it gives you some inspiration, If you would like to check out Mission Inspiration you can fdn the group >> HERE <<. Each month new prompts are released.

Kelly 

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Colour Revamp and Retirement List

Hi lovelies

So it is that time again for Stampin' Up! the retiriement stage where lots of products will be gone for good to make way for the AMAZING NEW products in the NEW catalogue which launches 1st June.

Not only do we have lots of amazing new products to look forward to BUT a Colour Revamp, So what is a colour revamp?

Well every 5 years or so Stampin' Up! retire some colours, introduce new colours AND bring back some retired colours on top of the usual new in-colours.

So what is going and what is to come?

Which colour(s) will you be sad to see go? For me personally i will miss Elegant Eggplant, Soft Sky, and Island indigo.

In order to keep bringing you the most current and on trend colours, Stampin' Up! decided it was time to give the colour collections a makeover.

Let's take a look at the NEW colour collctions

So colours are leaving, so if you are wanting ink refills for your ink pads or aany of the coordinating products, get them now! They are only available while stocks last and they are going quick!

Another update for you all to do with the ink pads is that we have a NEW ink pad case design, beginning 1st June 2018 all colours will come in the new cases which are AMAZING so much easier to open and stack-able. Ink refills are also being re-done with a new formula to stop the foaming which has been happening with some of the colours BUT don't worry this formula can still be used on the ink pads you already have.

You may have noticed all the ink pads are on the retirement list DON'T WORRY the above is why so not all of them retiring just the case design, so you will still be able to get them, the only ones retiring are listed at the beginning of this bog post.

So along with the Colour Revamp we have the Retirement lists

All retiring products can be found on my store >>> HERE <<<

Remember everything that isn't a stamp set is "While Stocks Last"

In the retirement you will notice the BUNDLES, the stamp sets and dies are carrying over BUT NOT AS A BUNDLE. So if you have your eye on a bundle GRAB IT QUICK to save 10%.

Well that is all for now but I shall keep you all updated as much as possible, don't forget I have a facebook group specifically for my Stampin' Up! where I will go live with any important info and so on. You can find my group >>> HERE <<<

Kelly

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Vanity Case Gift Box

Hi all

Today I would like to show you another gift box but this time for the ladies this one would also be ideal for little girl's for party favours and more.

Here is the vanity gift box, this is not my original design this was done by a fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator and I have done it in my own style to share with you all.

I will of cause do a tutorial on this gift box just like I shall do for the suite case for you all so please do check back for that and for the Shadow Box Frame tutorial which is coming next week.

The products used to make this beautiful vanity case are as follows:

Stampin' Trimmer

Simply Score Board

Wisteria Wonder Cardstock

Very Vanilla Cardstock

Falling In Love Designer Series Paper (Retired)

Silver Foil Sheet

Tear & Tape Adhesive

Tombow Glue

Urban Underground Embellishments (Retired)

Bone Folder

Corner Punch (Retired)

White Signo Gel Pen

Velcro Dots or Magnets

Now lets take a closer look at it 

Front View

Side View

Inside showing the mirror (using Silver Foil sheet)

Open side view

Doesn't it look beautiful, You can even add a gift tag onto the handle if you wish to make it that more personal. You can also do like on the Man's Suite Case and put the end protector bits on using a 2" circle punch.

The overall size of this gift box is 12cm long and 7.5cm wide, it would be the ideal gift box for nail varnish, jewellery or even to use as a little keepsake box or for decoration. So many possibilities with this stunning little box. I loved making this and bringing it to life and can not wait to do the tutorial for you all, I have a few ideas for the colours of my next one.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the female version and it inspires you to give it a go as soon as the tutorial is on my blog.

Don't forget to use this months Hostess Code 6HYKZY3Z on any order of £25 minimum excluding postage and get a gift from me.You can shop with me at MY STORE 24/7 and your orders will be shipped directly to you.

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Forest Friends

Hi all.

Well I am back again as I managed to get in my craft room again today YAY!!, So i decided to do a make with some bits I hadn't got around to using yet.

I am really chuffed with this piece love how the colours have come through and how the whole thing comes together perfectly.

So here it is 

Forest Friends

To do this piece I used the following products:

Smooth white card

Distress Inks

Distress Marker

Inkylicious Stamp 

Inkylicious Stencils

Lavinia Stamps

WOW Embossing Powder - Gold 

The picture really does not show how beautiful and vibrant the colours really do look, I really enjoyed doing this piece and already have my next make idea. So make sure to keep a look out for that :D 

Xx The Crafty Bat xX