52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 5

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 5 is "Paint Play"

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This is my Week 5 tag.  There are so many different ways paint can be used, so I enjoyed having the freedom to "see what happens" making this tag.  It's unusual for me as my tags tend to be more structured but I went a little out of my comfort zone making this one.

I used a plain white tag and three shades (a light and medium green and a turquoise) of Cosmic Shimmer Iridescent Shimmering Water Colour Paints.  I used them with a little water and allowed the paint to run down the tag.  I used a Tim Holtz hand held blowy tool (sorry I don't know what the correct term for it is, but I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about) to blow the paint down and across the tag.  After each colour, I used the heat gun to dry the paint before I used more.

I then used gold and white paint to create fine splatters across the surface using a fan shaped paint brush and tapping the paint off the brush on to the tag.

Once dry, I mounted the tag on to a teal coloured card and then stamped the sentiment, which is part of the Lavinia Stamps set called "Heartfelt Verse" stamped in Versafine Clair "Twilight Ink".

Here's a photo of the first five tags of the challenge that I have made.  All very different in theme and techniques.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 4

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 4 is "Print"

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This is the tag that I have made for the Week 4.

I started with a white tag that I swooshed through "Tea Dye" Distress ink to give a mottled background.

I tore up a page of an old book that had text and balance sheets on it, tearing the pages into small sections then sticking, using a wet glue on to the tag. 

I then used the Funky Fossil Designs "Funky Circle" stencil with Ranger Distress Matte Texture Paste.  I used my heat gun to accelerate the drying.

I then lightly spritzed the Dylusions "Lemon Zest" ink spray over the tag, again using the heat gun to dry it.

I used the Funky Fossil "Alpha Numeric" stencil with "Leaf Green" Archival Ink in the non raised areas of the tag. 

Next I decided that the "Funky Circle" textured area wasn't standing out enough, so I went around each section with a black fine liner pen, then added dots of black Ranger "Enamel Accents" to highlight the circles.

I decided the tag needed something vertical.  I used the Funky Fossil "Vintage Script" stamp with Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.  I inked the edges of the tag in the same ink while it was out.

I got out my Sizzix "Big Shot" die cutting machine and cut the Funky Fossil "Zen Mandala" in white card and stuck it into position using wet glue.

Finally, mounting the tag on to black card, I added the finishing touches by using a Tim Holtz Idea-ology "Small Talk" sticker and added white dots of Ranger "Enamel Accents".

Funky Fossil Designs "Indian Mandala" Card

A quick card, using the Funky Fossil Designs "Indian Mandala Stencil" with a metalic copper/gold coloured paint, applied through the stencil with a finger dabber.  It flooded a little bit in one area, which lost some of the stencil pattern, so I decided that was where I was going to put the sentiment.

I used a piece of kraft card and a sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp set called "Tiny Words - Birthdays", stamped in Wow! Clear embossing ink and then coated with Wow! Earthtone Blueberry Embossing Powder and then heat set.  

I then mounted the mandala on to a piece of kraft card and then on to a white card blank. I mounted the sentiment on to a piece of the dark blue card and used black foam pads to elevate the sentiment over the problem area of the stencil.

Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Time Travelers CMS157" Tag

I am still not 100% right after my pneumonia, which has meant I've not really been in the right frame of mind for crafting.  

Today, the weather is so bad, with raid hurtling against the window, crafting seemed to be the natural thing to turn to. It was so lovely to spend a little time at my craft desk, but I am totally exhausted now, so will likely take a nap later.  Anyway, the result of my little crafting session is the grungy looking tag.

To make this tag, I used some patterned paper by Funky Fossil Designs, from their "Textures" pad for the background.

I inked the edges in Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink.

I then added some darker blue areas using Versafine Clair "Blue Belle" ink, applied with a finger dabber.

Over the top of that using a Brilliance "gold" coloured ink, I stamped the shapes using the Funky Fossil Designs stamp set called "Abstractions".

Using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I stamped the gentleman, which is part of a Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous stamp set called "Time Travelers CMS157".  I then stamped the image again on a piece of white card.

Using the image on the white card, I painted areas using Distress Oxide Inks, using "Victorian Velvet "for the skin, "Tumbled Glass" for the eyes and the shirt and "Gathered Twigs" for the jacket and waistcoat.  I fussy cut the image and inked the edges using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, then using wet glue, stuck the image on to the tag over the stamped image.

I dug out my Cosmic Shimmer "Summer Meadow" gilding flakes and added some to the surface of the tag.

I used two Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous Idea-ology sets for the word stickers, using the "Small Talk" and "Chit Chat" sets.

Finally, I mounted the tag on to dark blue card, drawing round the edge with a gold gel pen.  I also drew around the word stickers using the same pen too.

Lavinia Stamps Birch and Elm River Walk Card

 

This evening I had a play with some of the Lavinia Stamps trees making this card.

I started by stamping the Lavinia Stamps "Birch",  "Elm" and one of the "Small Trees", stamped in "Acorn Brown" Versafine Clair ink. I used a white gel pen on part of the tree trunks and a black fine liner on the other side of the tree trunks.

I used three Q-tips (one for each colour) to create the leave canopy using Versafine Clair "Verdant", "Shady Lane" and "Green Oasis".

Once the ink was dry, I gave the card a wash of Distress Oxides, using Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood and Bundled Sage.  I then built up the colours using Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness, Mowed Lawn and Faded Jeans Distress Oxide inks.

I drew on the fence mid way on the card then coloured it with a brown Derwent Inktense Pencil,

I used the Lavinia "Foliage Set" of stamps with three shades of Versafine Clair inks (Verdant, Shady Lane and Green Oasis).  I added dots of different colours of Posca Pen to give the impression of flowers

I added depth to areas colouring in using a 2B pencil.

Personal Impressions Boy's Favourite Things" Robot Birthday Card

Our Grand Son will be eight years old in February, this is the card I have made for him.  He's a very young eight as he has Downs, so I feel he will like the robot on this card.

I stamped the robot figure and balloon in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink and then stamped them again on post-it notes, fussy cut the image and used them as a mask.

With the masks in position, I used a Creative Expressions rubber cling stamp with Versafine Clair "Warm Breeze" ink, across the surface of the card.

I then used two shades of Ranger Archival Inks, Chrome Yellow and Orange Blossom through a Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Strings THS004" stencil.

I then used one of the stamps in the Funky Fossil Designs stamp set called "Abstractions", stamped in Versafine Clair "Blue Belle" mid blue ink for the dashes area and the trio of circles.  Using a blue and orange Posca Pens for the dots, adding extra colour.

I used an orange and red Posca Pens to colour the balloon.  Using wet glue to add a die cut numer eight, stamping a "Happy Birthday" sentiment using Versafine Clair below the die cut.

I decided the robot didn't stand out enough with my original plan, so altered it by stamping the robot on to red card and fussy cutting it.  I used wet glue to stick the head and limbs, using foam pads for the torso to make it stand out more.  

I stamped the robot torso on to a piece of white card, colouring it with a metalic gold gel pen, fussy cutting the rectangle and inking the edges in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.  I used wet glue to stick it on top of the elevated chest area of the robot.

Finally, I added touches of white and gold gel pen to areas of the card, before mounting the card on to blue and then orange paper and then on to a white card blank.

Penny Black "Doggone Sweet 40-391" Birthday Card

I keep a list of cards I need to make, and although this isn't needed until mid February, I like to try and keep on top of my list, so that I don't have to make something in a hurry, or worse still have to buy a card.

I thought the dog on this stamp was a double of the recipeints dog, so I felt duty bound to use it. The stamp in question is a rubber cling stamp by Penny Black called "Doggone Sweet 40-391", which I stamped in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  I used thes same ink to stamp the Simon Says Stamp sentiment, which is part of their "Tiny Words - Birthday" stamp set.

I painted the stamped image using Distress Oxide Inks.  The colours that I used are:  Spun Sugar, Antique Linen, Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon and Weathered Wood for the shadowing/grounding.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 3

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 3 is "Blocks of Colour"

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I've opted for what should be a relatively straight forward tag to make, so if anybody is a little behind, it should be a quick make, also it allows for a little scrap busting, using up some of those small pieces of paper and card that we don't like to throw away.  Here's how I made my tag.

Starting with a plain white tag base, I lay the Clairty stencil called "Framework Circle Stencil" over the top of the tag.  Using a blending brush, I applied "Lost shadow" Distress Ink through the stencil and removed the stencil.

I then raided my drawer of paper and card scraps, opting for plain colours that I felt worked well together, cutting them into strips and rectangles then sticking them in to position.

I then used a sentiment from a Lawn Fawn stamp set called "Simply Sentiments", stamping the word "Hello" in Versafine "Monarch" purple ink.  I used the same coloured ink to  edge the tag, then mounted the tag on to a piece of dark blue coloured card.

Hobby Art Ltd "Abstract Flowers CS175D" Tag

 

I've had a tag play session today, it's a just because I wanted to play tag.

Starting with a plain tag, I pulled a page from an old Welsh hymn book and stuck it over the tag, cutting the page down to the size of the tag.

I then used three shades of Dylusion ink sprays:  Lemon Zest, Fresh Lime and London Blue.  Dabbing the surface with a piece of kitchen towel then drying the surface using a heat gun.

I then splattered the surface of the tag with Orange and White coloured Posca Pens. I then inked the edges of the tag using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.

On a piece of white card, I stamped three flowers, leaves and a circular design, using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.  I then fussy cut all the pieces.

I used two shades of Derwent Inktense pencils (applied with a paint brush) to colour the pieces using the "Mango" colour for the middle of the flowers.  "Iris Blue" for the leaves and the edges of the round designs and then a purple Posca Pen for the dots within the round discs.

I glued everything into position using a wet glue, then mounted the tag on to a piece of orange card, creating a vibrant, cheerful looking tag.

Visible Image "Antisocial Butterfly" card

On the Country View Crafts facebook page the theme for their January 2024 challenge is "Be Wordy", so I decided to make a card for the challenge. As I hadn't used my Visible Image stamps and stencils for a while, I decided to use them.

I used Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink to stamp the main central image, using the Visible Image "Antisocial Butterfly" stamp set.  I coloured the butterfly using two shades of Derwent Inktense pencils, using "Cadmium Yellow" and "Persian Red" shades.

I overstamped the butterfly using the "crazed butterfly" which is part of the Visible Image "Antisocial Butterfly" stamp set, stamped in Versafine Clair "Blue Belle" ink.

I used "Chrome Yellow" Ranger Archival Ink through two areas of the Visilbe Image S"trobes Stencil".

Next, I used "Monarch Orange" Ranger Archival Ink through the Visible Image "Breakout Stencil".

Through the Visible Image "Supernova Stencil", I used "Pebble Beach" Ranger Archival Ink.

I then used the nesting circles in the Visible Image "Off The Grid Stenicl" with Ranger "Shadow Grey" ink.

For the small dots in the top left and bottom right corner, I used the Visible Image "Two Tone" stencil with "Monarch Orange" Ranger Archival Ink.

In the bottom left and top right edges, I stamped the Visible Image "Grunge Flourish" using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink.  I used the same ink to stamp the two words "Antisocial Butterfly" which are also part of the Visible Image "Antisocial Butterfly" stamp set.

Next, I used Versafine Clair "Morning MIst" grey ink to stamp the "Transform" and "Metamorphis" which are both part of the Visible Image "Wings of Change" stamp set.

Finally, I inked the edges of the card using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink.  I used a blue Posca Pen to colour in some of the stamped circles, then mounted the card on to dark blue card and then on to a white card blank.

Birthday Bubbles Card

Over the Christmas period, I noticed on Instagram that there were several posts where people were sharing photos of bubbles they had made using various techniques.

I'm still under the weather and didn't want to do anything too technical, but decided to paint my own bubbles.

I drew round a couple of objects, drawing two sizes of circles, some overlapping others and also drawing some off the edge of the water colour card.

I used "Cosmic Shimmer Iridescent Shimmering Water Colour Paints" to colour my bubbles, using a white Posca Pen for highlights and a 2B pencil too.

I stamped the "Birthday" sentiment using a stamp from the Hobby Art "Greetings for friends - CS158D" stamp set, stamping in Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink.

On the computer, I typed the word "Bubbles", printing it in a similar blue to the stamped sentiment.  I then die cut the sentiment and stuck it below the "Birthday" word.

Finally, I mounted the water colour card on to a piece of dark blue card and then on to a white 6x6" card blank.

52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 2

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 2 is "Winter"

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This is the tag that I have made for the Week 2 - Winter prompt.

I used a piece of white card, cut into a tag shape. I masked off the lower (snow/land) area with a piece of copy paper.

For the area above the masked area, I used "Blueprint Sketch", applied with a blending brush.  I then added "Chipped Sapphire" and then "Villainous Potion" Distress Oxide inks.  I used a fan shaped paint brush with water, tapping the brush over the inked area so that it became covered in tiny droplets, then blotted and left to fully dry.

Removing the mask, I used "Tumbled Glass" and "Lost Shadow" Distress Oxide Inks with the Lavinia "Hill Mask" to create the impression of snow drifts.

I used Versafine Clair "Fallen Leaves" ink to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Birch Tree" and "Small Trees".  I then used "Weathered Wood" Distress Oxide Ink painted below the trees to create shadow and grounding.

I used a white Signo Unibal gel pen to outline some of the branches of the trees.  I added splatters of white bleed proof paint to the sky area to replicate snow.

I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Pippin" the small hare in Versafine Clair "Pine Cone" brown ink, adding a few touches of white gel pen to him.

I then stamped the hanging heart, which is part of the Lavinia Stamps "Fairy Charms" stamp set, stamped in Versafine Clair "Tulip Red" and "Nocturne".  

Finally, I mounted the tag on to dark blue card and added touches of silver glitter gel pen to areas of the hanging heart.

Lavinia Stamps "Carriage Dwelling" New Baby Card

I'm sharing a card I made a while back but for some reason didn't upload it.  The card features a Lavinia stamps stencil and stamp.

I masked off the left and bottom edges of the card, using low tack tape.

I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Carriage Dwelling stamp" using Versafine Clair "Warm Breeze" ink.  I used the same ink to stampe the Personal Impressions sentiment (sorry, I don't know the reference number or name of the stamp set).

I made a mask of the carriage, by stamping the image on to a post-it note and then fussy cutting the shape, popping it over the stamped image on the card.

I lay the Lavinia Stamps "Waffle Stencil" over the top of the card and used two shades of Ranger Archival Ink through the stencil, using "Shadow Grey" at the bottom and "Periwinkle" for the higher area, fading the colour out towards the top and the right hand side.

I used Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink with a Lavinia Stamps "Hill Mask" to create the ground the carriage stands on.

Finally, I coloured the carriage using Derwent Inktense pencils water colour pencils applied with a paint brush.  I used a green fine liner pen to draw the grass adding little dots of pink Posca Pen for the flowers.  I use "Weathered Wood" Distress Oxide Ink, applied with a paint brush for the smoke coming out of the chimney of the carriage.

I removed the stencil and the mask and coloured the carriage uisng

Happy New Year 2024

Hello, thanks for popping in.  I just wanted to take this opportunity of saying thank you for visiting and commenting on my little blog of makes and to wish you a very happy and healthy 2024.

The back end of December wasn't very kind to me, I have pneumonia, which has totally wiped me out.  The anti-biotics are working ,but I am still far from well, which is why there hasn't been any crafting content for over a fortnight.

The new "52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024" started yesterday.  You can find the Facebook group by following this link, where you will see the lovely tags/cards made by others taking part in the challenge, you can also upload yours too.  I do hope you might join in.

Anyway, have a fabulous new year.

Love Sam x