52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 1

Hi, how are you doing?  Ready to see the end of 2023 and looking forward to 2024?

The way the dates have fallen, I decided to make today the start of the "52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge" for 2024.

The challenge for 2024 is weekly.  I will provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024:

The prompt for Week 1 is "Do more of.... in '24"!

I know some of us like to make resolutions, but sometimes we disappoint ourselves if we don't keep to it, so instead I thought this was a more gentle approach.

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The thing that I would like to do more of in 2024 is "Sewing".  I like sewing, be it clothes, soft furnishings or patchwork & quilting and for some reason I always push away from it.  I have lots of patterns and fabrics ready to use, so this is my little nudge to do more of what I enjoy... sewing.

I started off with a standard size tag measuring 8x16cm, mine are in a manila/cream colour.

I had been rummaging through my off cuts of scrapbook patterned papers. I came across a section of a My Minds Eye patterned paper, which had flowers, a cream background with alined design and the words "Love you forever".  I decided this was the paper and colour scheme that I would work around, gathering papers together that I felt would work well together.

I stuck a dark patterned red/deep pink patterned paper on to the tag to cover it (the paper is what you can see in the top right hand side.

I then tore the edge of the My Minds Eye paper so that the tear would sit diagonally from top left to bottom right.  I inked the torn edge with "Vintage Photo" Distress Oxide ink and then stuck it in position on the tag using a wet glue.

In my stamping stash, I found a stamp with a bit of a tape measure or ruler on it (I don't recall who made the stamp as I have had it for years).  I stamped this in a couple of areas in second generation stamping, so that it was there, but not overly obvious using Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink.

As one of my sewing loves is patchwork and quilting, I used a Julie Hicky "Layers, Frames, Banners and Hexagon" die set to cut small hexagons in various patterned papers with a small design.  I stuck those into position too then on three added tiny stitch detail using a fine point pen.

I then moved on to stamping.  I used the Stampers Anonymous "Haberdashery - CMS105" cling stamp set to stamp the label of a cotton reel on to a piece of white card, I used Versafine Clair "Chianti" red ink.  I then coloured it with Distress Oxide "Vintage Photo" ink and fussy cut, sticking it on the bottom right hand corner.

I used the same stamp set to stamp the "Lengthen or Shorten" pattern diagram, and the "Pattern Adjustment" text which I stamped vertically,  using Versafine Clair "Acorn" ink.  I stamped the pattern diagram out again on a piece of kraft card, fussy cut it and glued it into position over the original one.  I then gave it a few brush strokes of "A Wink of Stella", to give a lovely subtle golden shimmer.

I used the Stampers Anonymous "Tiny Text - CMS394" cling stamp with Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink to stamp the words "Do What You Love", which I thought was quite apt.  I glued it into position at the base of the text.

I inked the edges of the tag using Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink then mounted the tag on to dark brown card.

Finally, using the computer I typed the word "Sewing", Soft Furnishings, Making Clothes and Patchwork and Quilting and printed the page off.  I covered the text with "Vintage Photo" Distress Oxide Ink, then cut to size and glued into position on the tag.

Stampers Anonymous festive tag

I felt the urge to use my Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous stamps, so made this gift tag. 

Starting with a cream coloured tag I used Versafine Clair "Pinecone" dark brown ink to stamp the pine cone branches which is part of the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous stamp set called "Forest Floor CMS422. Then using Versafine Clair "Chianti" dark red ink, I stamped the berries which is from the same stamp set.

I used "Library Green" Ranger Archvial Ink through the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Gingham Layering Stencil - THS134".

I then used "Plum" Ranger Archival Ink through the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Flourish Layering Stencil. - THS032"

I stamped the sentiment, part of the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Cozy Christmas - CMS444" stamp set using Versafine Clair "Chianti" dark red ink.

I used a red Posca Pen and a white gel pen to colour the berries.  I used Derwent Inktense pencils to colour the fir cones then edged some of the cones using a gold shimmer gel pen.

I edged the tag using "Ground Espresso" Distress Oxide Ink and then mounted it on to a piece of red card. Drawing around the tag itself with a gold shimmer gel pen.

Canal/Folk Art three hand painted flowers on a wooden disc

More play using some of the techniques learnt at the Canal Art & Signwriting Masterclass I recently attended.

I've used the paints I had in my stash, so I painted the twelve inch wooden disc using some Frenchic paint I'd used on a previous furniture project..

Once dry, I used Tim Holtz Distress Paints, Acrylic Paint and PaperArtsy chalk paints.

I'm still learning, but I feel I'm starting to get to grips with this style of art.

Canal / Folk Art hand painted card

You may recall, earlier in the month I went on a Canal Art / Signwriting Masterclass.  Since then I have had a little practice with the techniques I learnt, using the paint supplies I have in my craft stash.

This morning I couldn't sleep, so decided to get up and have a painting session making this card.  It is a far cry from Canal Art, I think I'd call it more "Folk Art Style".  I have a lot more practicing to do to get the brush to work in my favour, but I enjoyed the calming process of painting.

I used a selection of paints I already had, some with more success than others.  I mainly used Tim Holtz Distress Paints with some Paperartst chalk paints (which were less of a success, the white isn't solid enough, but lesson learnt).

For the sentiment, I used a stamp from a Lavinia Stamps set called "Heartfelt Verse" stamped in Versafine Clair "Glamorous" pink ink.

Daisy B "Dapper Gent" Birthday Card

Here's a card I made for a male friend.  I'm not happy with it for a couple of reasons, but maybe that is me being a bit picky - One of them being the sentiment isn't quite central, no idea how I managed that!  I doubt very much that he will notice.  My Hubby didn't when I showed him.

For the male image, I used a stamp by Daisy B called "Dapper Gent" stamped in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink then coated with Wow! clear embossing powder and heat set. I then stamped the image again on a piece of paper, fussy cut it and used it as a mask for the stamped area, while I worked on the background.

With the mask in position I used "Chrome Yellow"  Archival Ink through the Visible Image "Strobes" stencil.

I then used "Shadow Grey" Archival Ink through the Visible Image "Halftone" stencil.

Next I used "Orange Blossom" Archival Ink throguh the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Chevron Shifter Layering Stencil - THS127".

Then I used "Cobalt" dark blue Archival Ink with the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Grime - THS130" stencil, edging the card with the same colour.

Removing the mask, I coloured in the stamped area of the male, using a paint brush to apply "Tattered Rose" Distress Oxide Ink for the skin and "Faded Jeans" Dsitress Oxide Ink for the clothing.

I used a silver glitter gel pen to go over the outline of the male and also added some dots of sparkle to the background too.  I then mounted the card on to a 7x7" card blank

I used Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink to stamp the sentiment, which is part of the Daisy B stamp set called "Men Sentiments".

Lavina Stamps "Robin" card

I came across a tag I had made last year, which was inspired by a tutorial by Emma-Jo of Lavinia Stamps, so decided to make a card loosely based on that.

I masked off the edges of the card using a low tack tape, then used five shades of Elements Inks for the background colours:  Sundance, Confetti, Violet Chalk, Della Blue and Dark Denim.

I used the "Dark Denim" Elements Ink through the Lavinia Stamps "Ivy Stencil. Then splattered water droplets from a fan shaped paint brush to give a more textured background. I blotted then wafted my heat gun over the surface to ensure it was dry before stamping.

Retaining the masked edges, I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Fern Branches" off the edge of the card using Versfine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

Using Versafine Clair "Warm Breeze" ink, I stmaped the Lavinia Stamps "Holly" leaves around the base of the card.

I then used Versafine Clair "Pinecone" dark brown ink to stamp the birds, which are part of the Lavinia Stamps "Bird Collection set", adding red Posca Pen to the breast area.

I used a white Unibal Signo Pen to draw on the snow on the branches,  A gold shimmer gel pen around the holly leaves.  A red Posca Pen for the holly berries and a yellow sparkle Posca pen for little glimmery sparkly dots across the surface of the card, which sadly don't really show up too well in the photograph.

Lavinia Stamps "Wallace" Birthday Card

I made this card for my nature loving friend.  I have already given her the birthday present, a hedgehog hibernation house for the garden, so I decided the card had to reflect that gift somehow.

For the large "Happy Birthday" sentiment, I have used a "Hobby Art Ltd" stamp set called "Greetings for Friends - CS158D", stamped in Wow! embossing ink and coated with a Wow! silver coloured embossing powder and heat set.

For the small corner image, I have used three Lavinia Stamps sets.  I stamped one of the hedgehogs from "The Wallace Family" stamp set in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  

I then stamped the "Lavender" and the small lavender stamp from the Lavinia "Flower Pots" stamp set in two shades of Versafine Clair, using "Shady Lane" green ink for the stems and "Monarch" purple ink for the flower heads.

I grounded the hedgehog and flowers using "Weathered Wood" Distress Oxide Ink, applied with a paint brush. I then gave the hedgehog body some colour, using "Frayed Burlap" Distress Oxide Ink.  I painted on some grass too, using "Mowed Lawn" Distress Oxide Ink.  

Finally, I added some dots of pink and purple Posca Pen to give the impression of flowers in the grass.  Then mounted the card on to a piece of grey paper and then on to a white card blank.

Day 24 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge - The Final Day

It is Day 24, the final day of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge and I am already missing it!  I have absolutely loved taking part this year.  Karen always has the ability to inspire me.  So I would like to say a big thank you to Karen for planning, sharing her ideas, taking the time to video her tag making and commenting on all the posts on Social Media.  Karen is a total star in my eyes.

The Day 24 tag is all about using your favourites.  I've used my favourite colours and techniques on this tag.  

Starting with a white piece of tag shaped card, I used three shades of Distress Oxide Inks, using Salvaged Patina, Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch.

I splattered water droplets over the surface to achieve a bleached speckled look to the background.  I then splattered some silver metalic paint over the surface in the same way.  I used a heat gun to dry the surface.

Next I used the Funky Fossil Designs "Vintage Script" stamp, in second generation stamping using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

The next layer to go on the tag was using "Chipped Sapphire" Distress Oxide Ink through the Visible Image "Ye Olde Christmas Stencil". I then gave it a blast of the heat gun to totally dry the surface.

The next step was using Wow! Embossing Ink and Wow! "Bright White Super Fine" embossing powder with the Visible Image "Peace, Love & Hope" stamp set for the word "peace" and the "snowflakes.

I inked the edge of the tag with Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink.  I used glue tape to stick the tag to the dark blue card.  Finally, I added sticky backed gems to the snowflakes and the background for a bit of sparkle.

Front Cover for Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge

Now that the end of Karen Telfer's tag challenge is in sight, the last tag is tomorrow. I decided I needed to create a front and back cover for my book ring of 2023 tags.  This is what I made.

I've used a design very similar to one I made recently, but this time there isn't a stag but instead I created a line of text in matching ink and printed it out, cut it to size and then use a gold gel pen to decorate around the Stampin' Up "Merry Patterns" sentiment, stamped in Versafine Clair "Chianti" dark red ink.

Day 23 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" Challenge.

 

Well it has been a bit of a marathon, but I am now up to date with my tags, ready for the final one tomorrow.

The main image is part of a Woodware stamp called "Poinsettia Corner - JGS360", which I have heat embossed using Wow! Rich gold embossing powder on the tag, but also on two small pieces of card.

I used the same Wow! embossing powder to stamp and heat set the sentiment, which is part of the Simon Says Stamp set called "Tiny Words - Christmas".

I coloured the stamped poinsettia images using Distress Oxide Inks, the colours I used are:  Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness for the leaves and Festive Berries and Candied Apple for the petals.

I fussy cut the two flowers on the small pieces of card.  I used foam pads on the underside of the petals and wet glue in the middle.  Once in postion I added some Ranger "Glossy Accents" to the very middle of the flower and dropped some tiny bronze coloured beads into it.

I mounted the card on to a piece of green card then coloured the berries using a red Posca Pen and a white gel pen for highlights.

Day 22 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" Challenge

 

This is my Day 22 tag of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

For the tag, I have used the candles, fir branch and the sentiment from the Stampin' Up stamp set called "Merry Patterns".

I stamped the candles and sentiment in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink, stamping the fir branch in Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" green ink.

I coloured the background with two shades of Distress Oxide Inks, using "Antique Linen" for the inner area, edging with "Festive Berries" Distress Oxide Ink.

Masking off the candles, I used Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink with the Funky Fossil Designs "Vintage Script" stamp, stamped in second generation stamping.

I coloured the candles with a paint brush using "Festive Berries" Distress Oxide Ink and yellow and orange Posca Pens for the flame.

I grounded the candles by painting a shadow using "Weathered Wood" Distress Oxide Ink and added berries to the fir branch using a red Posca Pen.  Finally, mounting the tag on to a piece of grey card.

Day 21 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge

I'm still playing catch up with my tags after a few days away, but I am getting there! This is my Day 21 tag of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

I've used a plain white tag, covering the surface in "Antique Linen" Distress Oxide Ink and then edging the tag with "Festive Berries" Distress Oxide Ink.

I lay a Funky Fossil Designs stencil over the top of the tag, securing it in position with a piece of low tack tape.  I then used four shades of Ranger Archival Inks through the stencil.  The colours that I used are:  Watering Can, Plum, Library Green and Red Geranium.

At the base of the tag, I stamped the "Yuletide Greetings" sentiment, which is part of the Simon Says Stamp set called "Tiny Words - Christmas".  Finally, I mounted the tag on to a piece of pinkish coloured card.

Day 20 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" Challenge

 

This is my Day 20 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

On a plain white tag, I used Versafine Clair "Glamorous" pink ink to stamp the Funky Fossil Designs "Fa La La" stamp.  I used the same ink to edge the tag too.

I used a selection of colours of Paper Artsy Fresco Finish "Chalk Arcylic" paints to paint the squares and rectangles to create the impression of gifts.  I used gel and Poscal Pens to decorated the gift shapes and then mounted the tag on to a piece of purple card.

A Two Day Canal Art and Sign Writing Course with Andy Russell and Phil Speight

 

I have long had an interest in canal art, both the history of it and the design aspect. Back in August of this year, we attended a charity auction, one of the lots was a two day Master Class with Phil Speight and Andy Russell to learn the basics of sign writing and canal art.  Hubby was the successful bidder and said it was my Christmas/Birthday present.  I was thrilled.

The course was held this weekend at the workshop at Overwater Marina, in Cheshire.  There were around fifteen of us on the course, a real mix of ages, abilities and reason for being there.  The first day we did sign writing, lead by Andy Russell. The second day we learnt the basics of the traditional roses.

I loved every minute of the course and am quite happy with what I have achieved.  There are aspects that I struggled with, I've never worked in that medium of paint.  I'm more used to water colours, inks and acrylic paints not these smelly ones that appeared to "go off" quite quickly.

The word "Talwrn" is the name of the village that I live in, the board is about one and half metres wide.

Now I am back home, I need to practice what I have learnt.  I have a large galvanised old fashioned looking watering can that I want to paint, but I will leave it until I am better at the craft.

Day 19 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

I'm playing catch up on my tags again as I was away at the weekend attending a course.  I'll share with you what I was up to in my next post.

This is my Day 19 tag of "Karen Telfer's 24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

For my tag, I used two Lavinia Stamps the "Mystic Swirl" and "Christmas Charms", stamped in Wow! clear embossing ink, coated in Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder and then heat set.

I then created the background colour using two shades of Distress Oxide Inks:  "Twisted Citron" and "Lucky Clover".  I deliberately kept the darker ink away from the hanging star, to give the impression that the star is shining light. I rubbed over the heat embossing with a cloth to remove any ink that was over it.

Next, I used a fan shaped paint brush, dipped in water and tapping the brush over the surface of the tag, creating tiny droplets, I then blotted the water, which left a lovely bleached splattered look.

I used the same technique with metalic gold paint to add tiny gold flecks across the surface of the tag.

Finally, I mounted the tag on to a piece of red card and outlined the inner tag with a metalic gold pen.

52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge - Taster Tag for December 2023

Here we are on the 1st December already, this year has passed at such a scary rate.  This is the fifth and final taster tag of 2023.  From January 2024, I will be providing you with a weekly prompt at 7:30am on a Sunday morning.  

The challenge is very relaxed, you can do as much or as little as you would like.  I know how life can get in the way, but I really hope you will join in.  There is a Facebook group for this challenge where you can share your tags with the other members taking part of lurking.  Here is the link to the Facebook group.

The prompt/theme of the December 2023 challenge is "Festive".  I'm aware not everybody celebrates Christmas, so if you are one of those people, just put your own spin on it.

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This is the tag that I have made for the December challenge with a prompt theme of "Festive".

I used a manila coloured tag for the base, colouring it with "Confetti" Elements inks.  I then used the same ink through the Visible Image Stamps stencil called "Distressed Bricks".

Next, I used "Emperor Red" Elements Inks through the Visible Image "Ye Olde Christmas" stencil, which is like an old fashioned font of writing.

I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the Visible Image "Christmas Carol" number area on the bottom left hand side of the tag.  I used "Nocturne" again to stamp the Visible Image "Holly" too.

On a piece of white card, I stamped the Visible Image "Holly" again, but this time using Versafine Clair "Green Oasis" ink.  I then coloured the holly with three shades of Derwent Inktense pencils, using Beech Green, Vivid Green and Fern colours.  I used a red Sharpie pen to colour the berries,before fussy cutting the holly and sticking it into position over the exisiting stamped holly.

I added highlights to the holly and berries using a white gel pen, then coated the holly leaves in "A wink of Stella" which provided a lovely golden shimmer to the leaves.

I inked the edges of the tag using Versafine Clair "Green Oasis" ink and then mounted the tag on to green card,

Finally, I added Ranger "Glossy Accents" to the berries and also to the area on the bottom left where the number 25 is.