52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2018

Welcome to my blog of makes and the 52 Week Challenge. 

You will find the list of prompts for this year and 2017 by clicking the button to the right hand side of the "home" button.  The list will be updated weekly, usually on a Sunday evening or Monday morning.

This challenge is not meant to be torture to complete, it is very loose, you do what you can when you can - I know that life gets in the way of our crafting, so there is absolutely no pressure.

The Prompt for Week 1 is "Old and New".  
This is totally open to interpretation, so go with whatever you fancy.

I made two tag examples for the challenge this week (usually there is only one).

For both tags, I have used Tim Holtz Distress Inks to create the background.  I die cut the numbers (embossed the 2017 ones using an embossing folder) and the stars and stamped various areas.  On both I have used sticky alpha letters.

It would be great if those who are following this challenge could upload their creations to the challenge facebook group. where there will be an album for each week of the prompt.

Upload your tag/card image onto the appropriate album for others to see and comment on.  You are more than welcome to leave a link to your blog/page in the description too so that others can have a nosey at your creations and you can get more traffic to your page.

Happy New Year to you.

2018 Enjoy The Journey Card

For Christmas, I was fortunate to receive a set of Tim Holts Distress Oxide inks.  We've had a house full of family and friends for the past week, so now that it is more quiet, I took the opportunity to have a play with them.

I started by covering white cardstock with the "Wild Honey" oxide ink.  I then covered the card with a Visible Image stencil called "Fibres" and used the "Picked Raspberry" shade of Oxide over the top of the stencil. I removed the stencil, cut the area down.

I then die cut the 2018 numbers and stuck them to the middle of the card.  I used a Stamper's Anonymous stamp for the "Enjoy The Journey" sentiment.  I've used a honeycomb stamp around the edge by Creative Expressions.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2017 Summary

I can't believe how quickly this year has passed, especially taking part in the 52 week challenge.  

Throughout the year, after making each tag, I have put it into a box and not looked at them since, so it was nice to open the box today and remind myself of my makes.  There were too many to put in one photograph, so here they are in two pics.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my tags.  I have decided to continue the challenge for 2018.  Each Sunday night/Monday morning I will post a prompt with a tag I have made on the theme.  

Several people have shown an interest in taking part in the challenge, so I have started a group on Facebook called "A Crafting Niche - 52 Week Mini Art Card Tag Challenge".  Anybody is welcome to take part.  There is absolutely no pressure with this challenge, do what you can of the challenge and upload it to the group to share with your fellow crafters.  I hope you'll join me in 2018.

Sam x

Week 52 - 52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2017

So here we are, the final week of the 2017 weekly challenge.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and to thank you for taking an interest in my little blog of makes.

The prompt for Week 52 is "The Tree".

The background for this tag is once again made by using Tim Holtz Distress Inks, in shades of yellow, orange and pinks. I have also black inked a couple of corners.

The tree image is a stamp by "Designs by Ryn" and is called "Stylised Tree Set".  The script text is a stamp by Oak House Studio.

I have heavily used Stickles glitter glue on this tag and also self adhesive gems for the ornaments.

Don't forget, if you would like to see the prompts for the previous weeks of this 2017 challenge, you can click on the button to the right hand side of the "home" button for the full list.

Tis The Season Christmas Card

I thought I would share my last Christmas card make of 2017.  

A brief over view is patterned striped paper, layered with a sheet of velum.

Die cut figures, hearts and sentiment frames.

Stickles and self adhesive gems to finish.

A Christmas Aroma

Yesterday, I studded a couple of oranges with cloves and tied them with ribbon.  It has made a lovely festive smell in the house.  Rosie the dog seems to like it too!

Week 51 - 52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2017

Can you believe it, this is the penultimate tag prompt for the year.  The prompt for Week 51 is "The Church Window".

For my tag, I started off with a Tim Holtz Distress ink background in purple shades.  I like to save my distress ink off-cuts from previous pieces, so I end up having lots of coloured strips.  I decided to put them across the mauve background in a diagonal angle.

Using a Memorybox die, (sorry, I don't have the packaging for this die and don't recall the name). I cut the decorative diamond shape in black card, layering it over the multi coloured background.

I then stamped the dove and used watercolours to paint the grey colour.  I found a punched sprig of leaves and stuck it to the tag, and then added the dove.

Finally, I die cut the word "Peace" using the Stampin' Up set called "Christmas Greetings Thinlits".

Don't forget, if you would like to see the prompts for previous weeks of this challenge, they can be found to the right of the "Home" button at the top of the page.

Also, I'd love to see your creations.  You could post them on the "A Crafting Niche" Facebook page.

Penguin Tag (Papercraft Essentials issue 152)

I made a quick tag last night, using off-cuts from previous projects and the free die set that came free with Papercraft Essentials magazine - issue 152.

Embossed background, using Stampin' Up "Softly Falling" folder, which I then painted using water colours. Layers of white card to create a snow landscape. I then die cut the penguins and stamped & die cut a sentiment. Finally added some Stickles glitter glue to create a sparkly look.

Week 50 - 52 Weeks Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2017

The prompt for Week 50 is "Uniform".

Now this prompt can be interpreted in a couple of ways.  I opted for the route of clothing rather than "things looking uniform".  I may make another tag using that way of the prompt.

For the background of my tag, I have used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in shades of yellows and blues.  I've then used a Visible Image stencil called "Time Tunnel" for the swirl using a darker shade of Distress Inks.

I found an old Paperartsy stamp set called "Gentlemen - plate 2" and stamped the man and text background in Versafine ink (the "Old Days" sentiment is from the same set).  I then used Stamper's Anonymous stamps to grunge up the background and inked the edges a little too.

Don't forget, If you would like to see the prompts from the earlier weeks of this challenge, you can click on the tab to the right hand side of the "Home" button (just below the blog title).

I'd love to see any creations you have made relating to this challenge.  You can add share them on the "A Crafting Niche" facebook page.

A New Family Member

Apologies for the lack of crafting yesterday and more than likely today too. You may remember that a few weeks ago we said a final goodbye to our gorgeous girl Polly.  Since then, our house has seemed so empty without a dog.

Yesterday, we drove to Hull and back to collect this gorgeous girl called "Rosie".  She is a liver and white coloured springer spaniel and is 14 months old.  She is totally loopy and we love her already.  Here she is exploring the back garden in the hail.

Penny Black "Caroling Trio" Christmas Card

There is something very nice about returning to an item you have had in your craft stash for years.   This wood mounted Penny Black stamp called "Caroling Trio" is one of those items.  It always stamps like a dream and I still love the image.

I stamped the "Caroling Trio" image onto card using a Versafine ink pad.  I used my water colour pencils to colour, adding white dots of snow with my white Signo Pen and Stickles glue to add a little sparkle to the card.  Once dry, I die cut the image using a Memorybox "Stitched Rectangle" die. I punched some snowflakes and added some Stickles to the centre.  The "Seasons Greetings" sentiment is by Woodware.

Here's a close up image which hopefully captures some of the sparkle detail.

Swirly Happy Birthday Bird Card

Dodging the remaining Christmas cards I have to make, I decided to play with a bird stamp instead.

I used my Misti to stamp the bird and the sentiment, then created a mask to temporarily cover them.  I then used a foam pad to blend the Distress Ink background from yellow, through, orange to brown.  I then splattered different shades of ink from a paint brush.  I then used my Stampin' Up "Gorgeous Grunge" speckled stamp for the black specks of ink. I then removed the masks and coloured in the bird with two shades of brown Promarkers.I was reasonably happy with the finished result (below).

I then had a blinding bit of inspiration to add further interest.  I used a Visible Image "Time Tunnel" stencil and a "Picked Raspberry" shade of Distress Ink to create the swirl.

Woman Of Spirit Tag

I've had a lovely day out today, having a long over due catch up with a friend who is also a crafter.  The obvious choice to meet was somewhere that sells craft stash and cake - we indulged in both!

This evening I've been faffing with a tag.  It has the usual Tim Holtz Distress Ink background.  This time in pinks and coral shades.  The central heart area is a Hero Arts Stamp called "Spirit Heart - E3391).  The rest of the tag is made up of stamps that I've had in my stash for years and have no idea who made them.  I've also used an off-cut of a Memorybox honeycomb die cut too.

Snowy Forest & Deer Christmas Card

I've continued to play with the free stamps from the December issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine, making this card.

It has a background of grey and blue distress inks.  With a layer of die cut tree trunks and a snow drift placed over the top.

The deer is stamped in Versafine ink and cut out, with a dob of Stickles glue for the red nose.  The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up set called "Winter Memories".  I then added a little shadow using a water colour and some Papermania "Holographic" embossing powder to add a little shimmer to the snow areas.

Here's a picture of the cover of the Crafts Beautiful magazine if you want to get a copy for yourself:

Week 49 - 52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2017

This week, I've noticed that the wind is tumbling the leaves around the garden, so knew I wanted to reflect that in a tag, which I have managed in this tag.

The prompt for Week 49 is "Together"

Again, I have started out with a background of Tim Holtz Distress Inks in assorted shades of yellow with a touch of orange.

Both the owl and the tree branch that they stand on is from a free set from the December issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine.  I stamped these onto the tag.  

Don't forget, you can check out the previous prompts for this challenge, by clicking on the tab to the right hand side of the "home" button just below the banner.

Also, don't forget to like the A Crafting Niche Facebook Page too.


Here's the magazine and stamp set in case you want to purchase your own copies.

I then coloured the owls using Promarker pens.  

Next, I turned my attention to the background.  I used a little stamp from the Visible Image stamp set which has leaves in fight, which I stamped using Versafine ink. The "Love" sentiment is a stamp by Stamper's Anonymous.  I finished the tag by inking the edges of the tag in darker shades to pull the eye to the central image.

Birds on a branch Birthday Card

Like me, my friend has a December birthday.  The closer you get to Christmas the less likely people remember about your birthday and I find I quite often am given what I refer to as a "garage card"!  You know the one, where it's an after thought and it will often fall over after an hour of being on display because of the poor quality.  Because I know how this feels, I always make an effort to make this friend a card specific to her.

For the background of this card, I used different shades of yellow, orange, pink, red and purple Distress Inks.

Using my Misti, I positioned and stamped the two sentiments (both from a Stamper's Anonymous set ref: THMM108) using a Versafine black ink.  Still using the Misti, I stamped the bird on the branch.  This was a free stamp from the December 2017 issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine.  

Then using a Stamper's Anonymous honeycomb stamp, I added two sections to the bottom and to the right hand side.  Next, using the Stampin' Up "Gorgeous Grunge" stamp set, I added some foxing dots in black.

Finally, I added some white dots across the surface to add a little lightness using my white Signo pen.

In case you would like to buy the Craft Beautiful Magazine, this is the cover and stamp set you need to look out for (I got my copy in Tesco).

Silver Anniversary Card

I made this card to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of our friends.

I used an Apple Blossom "That Folder" embossing folder on black cardstock.  I used a Versamark ink pad on an Apple Blossom "Wavy Sentiment" stamp and then heat embossed using Papermania "Superfine Silver" embossing powder.

Using a die, I cut the bow with hearts in a silver glitter paper.  I finished the card, by adding some self adhesive silver coloured gems.

Here's a close up in case the embossed background can't be seen in the larger image.

Frostyville Tag

It feels like I've not made a tag for ages, although in actual fact it is about a week.

This tag has got a Tim Holtz Distress Ink background in shades of blues and greys.  It can not really be spotted in the photograph, but there are areas of Papermania "Holographic" embossing which gives a nice sparkly/ice look.

I had a couple of off-cuts from the Memorybox "Frostyville Border" die (no.98146), so added them to the top and bottom.  I then added a stamped "Let It Snow" sentiment (free from a magazine) and punched some small snowflakes.  Finally, I added some Stickles glitter glue to the snowflakes and small self adhesive gemstones.

Bright & Beautiful Christmas Cards (Stampin' Up)

This morning I have been playing with a Stampin' Up double stamp set called "Bright & Beautiful"

On the black background card, I have heat embossed the stamped design using a Versamark pad and Papermania "Enchanted Gold" embossing powder.  The sentiment on this card is by Woodware.

On the white and pink card, I have stamped using a Ranger Adirondack Brights ink, in a shade of "Raspberry".  Again, the sentiment is by Woodware.

On the white and green card, I have stamped using a StazOn ink in the shade called "Emerald City".  The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set called "Winter Hills".

Snow Scene Christmas Card (Stampin' Up Softly Falling embossing)

I have continued my play with the stamps that came free with the Crafts Beautiful magazine. 

I've used a Stampin' Up embossing folder called "Softly Falling" for the background.

I stamped and then die cut the snow scene image, colouring it with water colour pencils.  At the base of the card, I added a sentiment using a Woodware stamp.  Finally, I punched some small snowflakes, adding them to the card and topping with some stickles glitter glue.

Here's a photo of the magazine and stamps, so you know what to look for in the shops if you also want to purchase it.