Mini tag book

The last 2 weeks I have been following the tutorials published for the Fodder Challenge #3. You can still register (it's free) to access the tutorials until the 4th of August, after which they will form part of their next Fodder school lessons.

This project is using the tutorial no 9 by  @meganquinlanstudio and some of the items I made in lesson 1.

Inside pages:

With the tags out of the pocket pages:

Quite an easy project and I thoroughly enjoyed using "old" stamps to decorate it, mostly STAMPlorations but also Rubber Dance (front cover) and Polkadoodles (Back cover) as well as a Unity sentiment (centre tag).

I had hoped the Fodder Challenge would help kick my creativity back into action and spur me into crafting and yes, it did that and took me out of my comfort zone too! Well worth doing, even if "fodder" is not your go to style of crafting.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Allsorts and SSS Wednesday challenges

Valentine's card - Together

Happy day! Today is the day of our new Country View Challenge, hosted this month by Jane who has chosen "Be Sentimental" as this month's theme.

Of course we expect to see lots of Valentine's cards but the main thing is to have a sentiment, a phrase or some inspiring words... so quite a lot of options.

For my Valentine card I used quite a few oldies:

First I cut a piece of masking tape the same size as my base card: 6"x6" and stamped the heart (Papermania Sew Lovely - part of a magazine freebie I believe and probably 10 years old...) on it. I then cut it out, keeping both innie (the heart) and outie to use later.

I left the heart stamp on the stamping platform so I was sure to have the stamp in the right place when I came to stamp it on the base card.

I positioned the outie on my base card and stamped a texture through the heart opening, here a Create A Card stamp by Impression Obsession with a canvas texture.

Then I stamped the heart on the base card, phew perfect placement!

I positioned the innie onto the base card to make sure the sentiment I was going to stamp was in the right place and straight... When happy I took the heart mask off and stamped on the base card.

I added a background with a stencil from the Mini Stencil Set THMST010 (Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz) and some Distress inks.
Finally I added some other words as some sort of embellishments, both by Rubber Dance, the quote by Josiah Holland and the "Always" from a very well liked Nostalgic Couples set and the Together from the Beautiful Words set.

This is taking me back to stamping at its best and, if the object of your affection is far away, perfect for posting as it is absolutely flat with no added weight!

Over to you now, have a look at what the DT made on the Country View Challenge blog and link up your project to the challenge for the chance to win a £20 voucher for the Country View Craft shop, just make sure you follow ALL the rules (they aren't that many...)

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the SSS Wednesday challenge

Mellow Fruitfulness

Welcome to my second inspiration post for our Country View Challenge! The lovely Debs has chosen the theme  "Season of Mists and mellow fruitfulness" and thinking about fruits and harvests I decided to make this this journal page: 

I stamped and masked the pears (Perfect Pear by Rubber Dance) with coloured inks, and over stamped with the screen stamp (Mixed Media Marks #1) also from Rubber Dance, which I embossed in white EP.

For colours,  I used brushos on the background and watercolours for the pears.

The sentiment is from the stamp set by Katzelkraft stamp (KTZ 135).

Time for you to create something for our Country View Challenge for the chance
to win a £20 voucher for the Country View Craft shop, only 2 weeks to go so hop to it!

Thanks for coming by,

Craftyfield      I am entering the Paperbabe, We  Love Stamping challenge

Chilli Hot

I wanted to join in a few challenges this weekend to push me into doing something despite the hot weather... It was (still is) hard to breathe and the cloud cover was keeping the heat in even at night.

… it is seriously hot!

Like my man, who has a birthday coming up... hence this card
 

To stamp the chillies from the Spice it Up stamp set by Rubber Dance,  I made use of my favourite tool, the stamping platform, which is essential for this result as I stamped first in colour, sometimes twice to get variation in the colour (I used Kaleidacolor inkpad with red and oranges) and then over stamped in Versamark.
For powders I used Wow! clear EP and Primary red EP "mixed" directly on the image.
The left most chilli is made up of 2 of the stamps in the set, I think the "wrinkly" one is supposed to be a dried chilli but I used it as a shadow texture on the "fresh" chilli.

For the sentiment, I partially stamped the "you are so hot" and combined it with the "Seriously" die-cut (STAMPlorations) and the "HOT" from the same stamp set as before.


To finish I was going to add some splatters but the control freak in me had a panic attack at the thought and instead I fished out an old stamp set by The Artistic Stamper, Messy Art (probably retired now). It has mostly large "splats" aimed at journaling but this particular bit is perfect for cards and I inked individual ink splats, stamping without a block exactly where I wanted them. It's all about control....
  
Now off to cool down...

Thanks for visiting today!
I am entering the SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday, Allsorts, Lost Coast Designs, The Artistic Stamper, and Stamping Sensations challenges.

Beside the Seaside

Welcome to August and a new Country View Challenge, which this month I am hosting! I chose a theme to make me dream: the Seaside. I want to see beaches, boats, ports, beach huts, deck chairs, bathers etc… You can choose to illustrate underwater scenes too, but a single fish/seahorse/shell will not do...

This tag came by chance as I was playing with the Gelli Plate. I was searching for the perfect shape to test a technique with and grabbed this old stencil, a metal one, with a small image of a lighthouse. My initial idea came to nothing, I think because the paint had dried too much but, with nothing to lose, I added some white paint through the stencil and took the print. A bit of coloured pencils on top and voila, a naïve lighthouse scene!
My Summer Fun and the quote are from the same Rubber Dance stamp set, Retro Beach.
Have a look at what the DT made on the Country View Challenge blog and I hope you will play with us and share with us your Seaside!
Don't forget you will be in with a chance to win a £20 voucher for the Country View Craft shop if you link up your project to or challenge!

Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the SSS Wednesday, Paperbabe  challenges.

Ready for Love

Happy New Year!

 

The end of a decade, wow, I must have blinked for a long time because I could swear the New Millenium celebrations were only last year!

 

New Year, new month also means new challenge at Country View! Monika chose Love for the theme (any kind of love) which gives us an incentive to make these Valentines...

 

Here's mine:

I used a whole 6x6 paper for my background (it does look paper pieced and sewn but it is just the design).
The focal image is one from Rubber Dance. I added a "button" made from cork (plastic corks should not exist!) over the stamped button.
From the same set I stamped the key and the Forever message, a Tattered Lace border die threaded with ribbon and 3 stems from the Sizzix Thinlits Wildflower Stems #2

You have a whole month to enter the challenge and be in with a chance to win a £20 voucher for the Country View Craft shop. quite handy with all the Christmas spend showing up on the credit card statement...

Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the Allsorts, Craft Stamper TIMI,  challenges.

Lady in black

I know, I know, it's been quiet over here for the last 2 weeks... No particular reason just a host of things (of the boring variety) have kept me away from the crafting table. Normal service should resume in February but in the meantime I did manage a fairly quick Clean & Simple make with an old favourite stamp.

I used the Dancing girl image from  the large Art Nouveau silhouettes set from Flonzcraft, which I believe is also available as an individual stamp.
The sentiment is from the Rubber Dance set "Adore me" and I embossed it with Wow embossing White Twinkle.

To finish I punched the corners with a Martha Stewart punch. Ahhhh… feeling nostalgic now!!!

Let me know in your comments if you have some of Martha Stewart punches and if you still use them!
Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the  SSS Wednesday, Craft Stamper, Lost Coast Designs, Stamping Sensations, Fashionable Stamping, Uniko Studio and The Artistic Stamper challenges.

New year, new dawn

Hello crafters, this month the theme of our Country View challenge is Landscape/Cityscape, chosen by yours truly. Regular visitors know scenes are my thing so there you are…

Mini scrapbook album

I have a photo heavy post for you today, showing a mini album created with a single 12x12 sheet of designer paper which doubles up as a (special) Birthday card.

The front cover is stamped with an image from the Art Nouveau Silhouettes stamp set from Flonzcraft and I added a title with die-cut letters to which I applied gilding flakes.

On the first page I placed some photos and added stamped motifs (Katzelkraft, Prima and more).

Page 2 feature stamps from the Sew Sweet Stamp Set by Rubber Dance and an embossed corner with some Stampendous Frantage powder (the stamp is a CAC by Impression Obsession)

On page 3 more Rubber Dance stamps from the Retro Beach set, some embossed in Wow Vanilla powder

Page 4 uses stamps from Katzelkraft Paris Monuments and Paris Notre Dame sets.

Finally the back cover is adorned with another silhouette from the Art Nouveau Silhouettes stamp set from Flonzcraft.

Pure stamping pleasure and a lot of ink, although the background is patterned paper. To read up on how to make these types of book , you can look here for a tutorial. This has to be one of the easiest album to make, as it only need a few folds and one cut! Since this paper was single sided I added a cover from another piece of paper and a spine too. The construction allows for pockets if you want and I placed a tag in mine, bearing my birthday message for the recipient.

Thanks for coming by,

I am entering the Mini Album Makers, The Artistic Stamper, SSS Wednesday Challenge and Paperbabe Stamps challenges.

Come aboard!!!

This summer whizzed by and it's time for our September Country View Challenge! The theme is Planes, Trains, Automobiles hosted by Miriam. It had been a while since I played in my journal so...

Memories of summer

Time for a second inspiration piece for our Country View Challenge on the theme Sun, Sea and Sand chosen by Corrie. I have made a card with another piece of alcohol background on Yupo using Tim Holtz's Alcohol lift ink.

Sun, sea, sand and alcohol

With the sweltering heat no wonder we are thinking of holidays in the sun at Country View Challenges….

I wouldn't recommend throwing alcohol in the mix, but hey, I had to try my new supplies, fresh out of Tim Holtz' release. I tested the Alcohol Lift Ink and I am now sharing the results of my experiments.

Dare to Dream

The written word, our theme for the Country View Challenge this month, is perfect for Journalling, after all journals are originally all about words! Today I'm showing a journal page featuring stamps for my journaling instead of handwriting as I don't like my own…

What a hoot

This month for our Country View Challenge, Monika want us to Be Humorous... a theme I approached with trepidation I can tell you! And then I had a (rare) moment of inspiration and I came up with a play on words, witty if not laugh out loud.

Altered Drawer box

Hello crafters, I am back for a second inspiration piece for the Country View Challenge "Pimp It Up" hosted by Evelyn.

I have transformed a Papier mâché drawer box into a Vintage heirloom.

Wish you were here

Hello crafters, I am back for a second inspiration piece for the Country View Challenge on the theme "Postcard size", chosen by my teamie, Sue.

This time I went with both the size (6"x4" or A6) and the theme "Postcard" using some of my Rubber Dance Travel themed stamps.

Behind the door

Hello crafters, thanks for visiting my blog today, I have something to show you that has been on my mind for ages... I think since I got this door die!

The closed door gives a bit of mystery to the card and, hopefully, generate some excitement!

Dream come true

After the holidays I'm trying to re-boot my Mojo and making tags seems to be an easy way to get creative again.

Glistening snow and winter trees

No snow yet over here but the temperature has plummeted and we could well be in for some white stuff very soon!

Which reminded me of that fun snowman stamp from Rubber Dance so I decided to make a winter card that I could use either for Christmas or for New Year, or any other impromptu occasion that may come along this winter.

Be prepared with a spare card, that's the crafter's motto, isn't it?

 

I first stamped Mr Frosty and masked him with masking fluid (liquid frisket). I then cut some hills from masking tape. With the bottom of the card protected, I  applied water diagonally in stripes and sprinkled some Stormy violets Infusions (Paper Artsy) and some Brushos in green and violet. Whilst still wet, I splattered some iridescent paint on the background. The effect I was after was the Aurora borealis and this worked quite well, I think.

I stamped the trees in black ink (Stampscapes) and shaded the areas between the hills to define them with a grey watercolour pencil.

I added some glitter mixed with gel medium on the hills for the glistening snow, a sentiment from the Winter Wonderland, also from Rubber Dance, and some colour to Mr Frosty to finish.

More photos to try and show the changing colours according to the light:

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I am entering the Rubber Dance colour challenge (I used glitter rather than the colours) and Forever challenge, Lost Coast Designs, Vintage Journey,  That's Crafty, Stamping Sensations, Addicted to stamps, SSS Monday Challenge, We Love To Create, Creative Artiste and Craft Stamper TIMI challenges.

Inspired by travel

New month, new challenge at Country View Crafts, where the theme is Stencils, hosted by Gabrielle.

Lots of scope with this theme so I decided to make a journal page and experiment.

On the left hand page I used the stencils with acrylic paints, applied with a piece of Distress foam.



On the right I used a technique akin to brass rubbings. The pages of my journal being fairly lightweight, even after a coat of gesso, this technique  still works with a thin stencil like this.

To take the "rubbing" I hold the coloured pencil very flat against the page, pressing quite firmly and the design appears as by magic! (my inner child had lots of fun with this...)


In the next step, I added washes of acrylic paints in yellow, orange and magenta (DecoArt) across the page and, with a sponge, added black paint all around to frame the pages.

Onto the stamping... I have many stamps related to travel, here I used Rubber Dance Globe map, La Mappa, Venezia and Vintage Hotel receipt  which have been added to the Country View Crafts shop. I used a variety of ink colours to give an impression of faded ink.

Finally, I couldn't help but throw in some die-cut words from the Adventure and Vacation WordsThinlits by Tim Holtz/Sizzix.

I hope I have inspired you to join in our challenge, remember there's a £20 Country View Crafts voucher for grabs, so crack out the stencils and start crafting!

Thanks for coming by,
 I am entering the Rubber Dance Forever challenge.