Winter scene under the stars

Hello crafters another winter scene... this time I went for the more whimsical with the Lavinia Honeysuckle cottage (LAV687) fit for a fairy and the starry sky of a magical Christmas... 

I stamped and masked the cottage and created paper masks to colour sky and hills with Distress inks.  

In the sky I stamped and embossed the stars (LAV152 Stars Mini); on the sides of the card I stamped the fir tree (LAV478) with both green and brown inks (Versafine).  

I used colour pencils for the cottage and added some shimmering white ink (brilliance Moonlight White) with a sponge on top of the hills, roof and fir trees as if snow had settled there. But since this wasn't noticeable enough, especially in photos, I also used white gel pen on the trees and rocks. 

I considered adding a sentiment at the bottom and maybe will do later! 

Thanks for coming by, 

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Stamping Sensations (favourite colour is blue),
                                                        SSS Monday, and Lost Coast Designs challenges 

Christmassy Robin Card

This year I have had a bit of an obsession with "floating" frames, this card uses a similar but simpler version (quicker) of this one here. 

I created an aperture in a panel of kraft cardstock and I added die-cuts of pine tree branches which I coloured with inks, crayons and sprays (don't ask). I popped up the whole on foam pads before adhering to the card base. 

The sentiment (Diesire) and the snowflakes (Papertrey ink) have been die-cuts out of glitter paper.
Pip, the red breasted robin, is die-cut using the printed image (Two Red Robins). 

Finally, I spattered some acrylic paint for a bit of Christmas snow... 

And if you wondered, yes, I am still loving the effect of the extra dimension this technique gives to a card. If you want to see more they are Tropical Frame (sloth) and Autumn Leaves. 

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday
                                                         and Allsorts (my B is for Bird)challenges

Rice Paper Christmas decor

Hello crafters, 

I am back again for a 2nd Country View Challenge inspiration make, where the theme is "Christmas". I have upcycled a coffee jar again for another Christmas table centre piece. Warning this a photo heavy post... 

I used 2 of the postcards from the Stamperia  All Around Christmas Rice Paper (DFSA4808) and scraps of translucent paper with inclusions (at least 20 years old...). I applied the DecoArt Decoupage matte medium to the glass, smoothed the rice paper down and applied a layer of medium on top of the paper as well. 

  

That layer allowed me to add some white Distress crayon on the mistletoe berries to make them pop.	I used a silicone tip to smooth the crayon. I couldn't resist adding some light touches of Distress crayon on the leaves and the bells.	On the tree side I added Enamel accents on the tree, here and there,

Distress crayon on the bells and liquid glass on the baubles.

On the top of the jar I applied gel medium and dusted both glitter and Glamour Sparkle for a frosty effect. 
Some twine and a snowflake pendant serves as finishing touch.

Do click on the photos to get a closer look.

Some photos at night...

  

I hope you will join us in the Facebook group to enter our challenge, anything Christmassy will be welcomed for our Country View Crafts challenge, as long as you use products or brands stocked at Country View Crafts. If you do you could win a £25 voucher to win...

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Creative Artiste challenge

Scenic Winter Card

Hello crafters, 

December starts today and it is time to kick up a notch our Christmas crafting! So cards, tags, decor pieces... anything Christmassy will be welcomed for our Country View Crafts challenge, as long as you use products or brands stocked at Country View Crafts. 

To start us off I made this scenic card with the Katzelkraft stamp set Birches Forest (KTZ285) 

I stamped and masked the chalet and some of the trees before creating sky and hills with Distress inks and paper masks.

I added colour to the chalet and trees with pencils, and a sentiment from a retired Katzelkraft set stamped on a scrap piece of vellum. 

A few touches of white gel pen on the branches and the roof to finish.

I will be back in 2 days for a second make and hope you will join us in the Facebook group to enter our challenge. There is a prize to win...

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield     I am entering the Allsorts, Lost Coast Designs 

                                                          and SSS Monday challenges

Sledging boy

Me again! Another Christmas card, with a Vintage image but in a CAS and bright style.

 I first stamped the Crafty Individuals Little Snow Baby (CI-240) inking just the boy and sledge with black Versafine. 

Then, after cleaning the stamp still in the stamping platform, I inked the stars and border with embossing ink and used detailed white powder to emboss. 

The embossing resisted the application of Pan Pastel over the top to give me the background colour. 

I layered the image on a piece of shiny blue paper with glints of gold and created a white aperture mat to frame the whole.

I hope you like my card!

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Allsorts and We Love Stamping challenges

Brushos and Gelli plate

Hello bloggers,

Today I have 2 cards that could either be Christmas, or as I plan New Year cards. Both use Lavinia stamps and the oval and circle backgrounds have been printed using the Gelli plate. 

I made the background by inking the circle plate with light blue dye ink and sprinkled a tiny bit of brushos, Turquoise for the sky and Moss green for the "hills". Using my stamping platform, I stamped that first circle. Then I inked the plate with pigment ink and over stamped the background for a foggy effect. 

The Fairy Fir Tree (LAV478) was then partially stamped 3 times.
A few die-cuts to finish (Sizzix). 

The background was made the same way as before, except I splattered some acrylic ink for snow instead of stamping pigment ink.
The oval die-cut is from Craft Companion.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield         My first card is entering the Lost Coast challenge.

Christmas decor piece

It's Saturday!! A weekend of crafts awaits... 

To start you off I will share my Country View Craft Challenge  inspiration make for the Repurpose  challenge. 

The glass container is an instant coffee jar, onto which I have spread gesso, gel medium mixed with sparkles and glass beads.

The piece de resistance is of course the collection of leaves, acorns and berries I have moulded with the  Stamperia Silicone Mould A5 Woodland Mushrooms : 

If you wondered, the other half of the mould has the mushrooms!

I stuck the elements on the jar with a mix of gel medium and white paint and added varying mixes on top as if covered in snow.

I'm hoping it will be a nice table centre piece for the holidays, especially at night...

The other side of the jar...

What will you make to enter our Country View Crafts challenge and be in with a chance to win the very mould I used? The challenge is run in Facebook and you will have to join our friendly group first.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Creative Artist challenge

Pointsettias and PATP

Still crafting for Christmas... today a card, inspired by the Lost Coast challenge. 

I don't tend to stamp on patterned paper but that is because fussy cutting fills me with dread. 

I stamped all the layers of 3 Elegant Pointsettia (John Next Door) on an antique paper, a Little Sizzles Classic paper pad, with Versafine Onyx Black. I fussy cut them and layered 2 to a flower attaching them with brads on a piece of white cardstock. The irony is that there was a matching die for this stamp and having waited too long to get them I found out none were left! 

The sentiment is a die-cut by Yvonne Creations (YCD10057). 

I matted the whole on another piece of the same paper pad which I punched with a Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page. Still revisiting old stash... 

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Lost Coast and Stamping Sensations challenges.

Christmas tags

The Christmas crafting is in full swing and today I am doing tags! These are reserved for special people/gifts because they do take a bit of time to make.

I stamped the Crafty Individuals CI-503 Pinecones tags in Versafine Clair in shady Lane, Pinecone and Versafine Onyx black for the sentiment. A stamping platform is indispensable for this as I inked each area separately with a big inkpad and this what is time consuming!

I then cut along the stamped tag shape.

That's it... but isn't this stamp set gorgeous!

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Allsorts  and  Stamping Sensations challenges

Recycled box

Hello crafters, for this month Country View Craft Challenge, where the theme is Repurpose, I have given a makeover to a large-ish biscuit box. 

I made a masterboard with Deco Art Mixed Media Fluid acrylics and the Stamperia - Sir Vagabond Aviator New York City stamp set. 

First, I calculated the length of paper I would need to go round the box, plus 1/2" tab to stick the paper onto itself. 

This was the first time I had to call on π since I left school and finally the sweat and tears of those geometry classes were (almost) worth it! The full length of the paper is 20", and with so much space I used all the stamps in the set and had to repeat them too!

Once dry I used Mod podge to stick the paper onto the box, applying the glue bit by bit to avoid it drying before I was ready. 

I finished the top of the box with tissue tape to protect the paper when taking the plastic lid on and off. I selected a piece of patterned paper to stick in the centre of the lid (you can see a bit of it at the back of the picture) to make the red a bit less overwhelming. 

Boxes are my favourite objects to upcycle as they make good storage item at no cost and can be replaced easily for a change of decor or usage. What will you make to enter our Country View Crafts challenge and be in with a chance to win a lovely Stamperia mould? The challenge is run in Facebook and you will have to join our friendly group first. 

 
Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the Stamping Sensations and We love stamping challenges

Secret Garden

Hello crafters! 

Today is a special day... I am featuring as GDT on the Creative Artist Challenge blog, where the theme is Anything Mixed Media goes!  I would usually have paints involved for a Mixed Media make but my muse decided otherwise... 
I was itching to use wood again and make a door hanger (see my previous one here) with a garden theme. 

For my base, I die-cut my wood panel (this is very thin food tray wood that I upcycle) and embossed it with the Sizzix/Tim Holtz 3-D Texture Fades Embossing Folder - Lumber (662718).

My background "garden" is a piece of sprayed cardstock in Distress Oxide Blue print, Tea dye and Cosmic Shimmer - Pearlescent Airless Mister in Hello Sunshine.  

All the garden elements have been stamped, die-cut and coloured with pencils and are all from the Crafters Companion Country Lane collection.

For finishing touches I added the embossed "garden" a stamp by Paper Artsy (ELB02) with Cosmic Shimmer in Aurora. It's a very thick EP with lots of small speckles that blew all over which gave that imperfect look (my heat gun is over enthusiastic shall we say!)

Finally, I dug deep into the stash to retrieve Flowersoft! Anyone remember how popular this was? I felt positively virtuous using it as, let's face it, my pot hasn't seen a lot of action and yet, at the time, I had to have it.

I hope you like this make and pop over to the Creative Artist Challenge blog to see all the DT makes and link up to the challenge.

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the SSS Wednesday, Addicted to Stamps and

                                                        Allsorts challenges

Exquisite Halloween

Hello crafters, today I have a bit of inspiration for our Country View Challenge over on Facebook on the theme of Autumn Magic. This time I went "Halloween", mainly because I used stamps Tim Holtz included in his Halloween release although the botanical, script and advert could be used for any occasion! 

I prepared the background with Cloud 9 Cobble Stones ink (Lisa Horton), it's a "blending ink" and yes,  it does blend well in the same way as Distress inks. 

I used all 3 stamps in the Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz CMS453 set. The large floral I inked with Scattered straw and Walnut Stain Distress Oxides for a wilted look.

I added Ideology label stickers, Paper dolls and a spray of "blood" with an old Unity stamp.
I mounted the scene on a piece of black Core'dination cardstock (Black Magic), which I embossed with a goo design (another antique find from my stash - Pop Culture by Cuttlebug) and sanded. 

If you want to enter the Country View Challenge for a chance to win a stamp set from Tim Holtz's latest release and haven't joined our Facebook group yet, hop on over and click on "Join Group", answer a few questions and upload your project(s) in the album. But be quick as there are only 5 days left to enter...

Thanks for coming by,

 Craftyfield   I am entering the SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday challenges

                                                         and Lost Coast Designs