The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter M

Here we are at the penultimate Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and the letter M.

It seems to be an annual event - my mojo heads off at this time of year and it disappeared when halfway through making Christmas cards, so making my postcard for this letter was a struggle and I'm not particularly enamoured by my efforts. I have chosen the word  music.

I sponged Distress Ink over my card and dabbed off some of the ink with a baby wipe. I randomly stamped over the background before stamping and embossing the music. Finally, the treble clef die cuts, punched bird and dictionary definition were added. On scanning the postcard I've just noticed that the bird on the left looks as if it has a worm in it's mouth!

Postcard Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printing Card 300gsm
Black card
Inks
Distress Ink - Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron
Versamark
Detail black embossing powder
Stamps
Music - Kaisercraft Sheet Music CS757
Background - Stamp Addicts Grunge 1 SA-6062
Die-cuts
Treble clef - Marianne Creatables LR0167
Bird - Tim Holtz punch

Thank you for visiting my blog and I wish you a...................

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter Y

The latest letter in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge is Y and as I have finally got out my Christmas stamps in readiness to make a few cards, I have chosen the archaic word for the Christmas season - yuletide.

I brushed Festive Berries Distress Ink over my postcard and then over-stamped using the same ink with a variety of stamps. The main image was stamped with Versamark and embossed with gold sparkly embossing powder and the berries coloured with a bright red Copic marker. I edged the card with part of a pine needle stamp and finished with the dictionary definition which was computer generated.

Postcard Recipe
Card 

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks

Distress Ink - Festive Berries, Pine Needles

Versamark

Embossing powder - Personal Impressions Gold Sparkle

Copic marker

Stamps

Script - Crafty Individuals CI-058

Tree - Crafty Individuals - CI-257 

Snowflake - Crafty Individuals 

Main image - Crafty Individuals CI-141

Pine needles - maker unknown 

Other 

Dictionary definition - computer generated with "Typewriter" font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Bling It Up

I'm really not a bling and glitter sort of person, so the fortnightly challenge on the Craft Barn blog to use "super sparkly, shiny, glitzy bits" in colours of purple, turquoise and green was indeed a challenge.

I started by stamping snowflakes with Versamark on a square piece of card and embossed them with clear powder. I then sponged Peacock Feathers and Shaded Lilac Distress Inks over the card. Sandwiching the card between two pieces of copier paper I ironed over them to melt and remove the embossing powder to leave the white snowflakes. The tree was then stamped and embossed with a glittery embossing power and coloured rhinestones glued onto the branches. The square was then matted onto a piece of pale mauve card. A sentiment was stamped onto card that had also been sponged with the same Distress Inks and die cut and attached to complete another Christmas card. That makes a grand total of two!

The Peacock Feather Distress Ink on the background of my card has registered as blue in my photo but it is turquoise in real life and I haven't really been able to capture any of the sparkle. 😞

Card Recipe
Card
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm
Craft Creations Card - Morphing Mauve
Inks/Embossing Powder
Distress Ink  - Peacock Feathers, Shaded Lilac
Versamark
Wow Clear Gloss Super Fine Embossing Powder  WA01SF
Wow Little-Lou Purple Glitz Regular Embossing Powder WS17R
Stamps
Snowflake - Crafty Individuals
Tree - PaperArtsy Squiggly Ink Swirls & Curls SISC5
Sentiment - Crafty Individuals
Other
Rhinestones

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter I

What has come over me? There are still nine days to go before the close of the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge for the letter "I" and I've finished my entry! Usually I'm just skidding in by the seat of my pants.

A long time ago I "won" a set of Leonardo da Vinci stamps on that well known auction site and then they just joined so much other unused stuff in my craft room. So it was time to give them some love and use them for on my postcard to illustrate my chosen word - intellectual. Another first for me this week was having a go at the retiform technique - crossing lines and interstices to you and me.

I started by brushing Wild Honey Distress Ink (DI) over my card  followed by a layer of Rusty Hinge DI. I stamped Leonardo' s head and then created the grids using Vintage Photo DI. I then masked off each section in turn and stamped with the other elements on the stamp plate. Ground Espresso was sponged around the edge of the card and then the dictionary definition added to complete the postcard.

Postcard Recipe
Card

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks 

Distress Inks -  Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso

Versafine - Onyx Black

Stamps 

Da Vinci plate - Judikins/Stamp Addicts

Other

Definition - computer generated Typewriter font   

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Poppy

To incorporate a poppy into a project is the current Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge  but the design must be monochrome with a splash of red.

It's been far too long since I used this Crafty Individuals poppy stamp and it is the perfect size for an atc. The flower head was coloured with pencils and the word "remember" stamped onto a piece of card and cut to size. A smidgen of Hickory Smoke Distress Ink was sponged  around the edges of the word and the finished atc.

ATC Recipe

Card 

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks

Versafine Onyx Black
Hickory Smoke Distress Ink
Coloursoft pencils
Stamps
Poppy - Crafty Individuals CI-210
Remember - Crafty Individuals

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter U

It's the turn of the letter U to step into the limelight in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and my chosen word is uniformity.

I choose to use just two Distress Inks - Twisted Citron and Wilted Violet - which are my current favourites. I brushed my postcard with the violet and and then stamped it with the blotchy text. The butterflies were stamped onto card that had been coloured with the green ink and then cut out. The postcard was finished with a computer generated definition. No faffing around this week, simple and to the point!

 
Postcard Recipe
Card

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks 

Distress Inks -  Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet

Ranger Archival - Watering Can

Stamps 

Background - Crafty Individuals CI-436

Butterfly - Crafty Individuals CI-437

Other

Definition - computer generated Typewriter font  

 

 

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Fireworks

The current theme in the Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge is fireworks, so glitter and sparkle are the order of the day.

I started my card by sponging a square of black card with Opalite Reflective Interference Ink (Nordic Blue) which I've had in may stash for years but keep forgetting to use! I then stamped the Visible Image swirl over the top with Versamark and embossed with silver sparkle embossing powder. The square was matted onto a a piece of textured silver card. The little girl was stamped onto white card, coloured with Copic markers and cut out. I added the stamped sentiment to the card blank and finished with rhinestones in the centre of the swirls.

Sorry about the quality of the photo, I had intended taking the photo in the garden but by the time I got round to it this afternoon it was raining hard.

Card Recipe
Card
Card Blank - Craftwork Cards
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Black card
Silver card
Inks   
Opalite Reflective Interference Ink Nordic Blue
Memento Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Copic markers
Embossing Powder - Personal Impressions Silver Super Sparkle
Stamps
Swirls - Visible Image Universal set
Girl - Crafty Individuals CI-292
Sentiment - Crafty Individuals CI-449
Other 
Pink rhinestones

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter V

I had a choice of words lined up for the letter V in the Craft Barn Challenge but finally plumped for "vase".

For the previous challenge I went with a vintage feel so this time around I thought I would go with a modern look and in doing so use a background stamp that I bought as part of my Craft Barn prize voucher I won recently,

I started by stamping the middle vase in Archival Jet Black and then stamped the other two in Archival Watering Can - I wanted it to look as if they were in the distance.  I'm not sure if I really achieved my aim. I then used the background stamp around the edge before colouring the dots and image with Coloursoft pencils. I edged the postcard with Distress Ink and then using glossy accents  filled in the main vase. The dictionary definition completed the card.

Postcard Recipe
Card

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks Card

Ranger Archival Jet Black

Ranger Archival Watering Can

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Stamps

Vase - PaperArtsy JM22

Background - PaperArtsy JM05

Other
Glossy Accents

Dictionary definition - computer generated Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter E

The letter E has been pulled out of the hat for the current Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge. My chosen word is "elegant" and I think my stamp fits the bill perfectly. I'm sure if this lady was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, Darcy would comment "Wow! your neck line is fabulous".

I started my postcard by stamping the image and masking it with an oval die-cut. Then I stamped the swirls with Versamark and embossed them with white detail powder. The card was then brushed with Distress Ink. I removed the mask and went lightly over the whole card with another layer of Distress Ink. The image was coloured with Copic markers, a Gelly Roll pen and pencils. I didn't colour the book area correctly so rather than starting all over again I covered it up with a flower and added another at the top to balance it. I don't usually add any embellishments on the postcards as although I will never post them I like to think that if I did they would arrive intact. However, on this occasion needs must!

Postcard Recipe
Card

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks

Memento Tuxedo Black

Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Barn Door

Sakura Gelly Roll Pen XPGB#725

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Stamps

Lady - Artistic Stamper 

Swirls - Judikins C351

Other

Paper flowers

Flat back pearls

Embossing powder - Cosmic Shimmer Detail True White

Dictionary definition - computer generated Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Books

I've made a little notebook (4.5ins x 3.5 ins) as my entry into the current Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge which is "Books".

I started by using a Bind-It-All to punch the holes for the wires in copier paper to make the pages and some card (rescued from a used board backed envelope) for the covers. Then I painted both sides of the card with Nougat PaperArtsy Fresco paint and brayered over the top with a selection of  Fresco's paints. The inside of the covers were stencilled using a script mask - luckily I remembered in time that the inside cover needed to be t'other way up when stencilling other wise the script would have been upside down when the cover was opened! The outside front and back covers were stencilled using my latest mask which I bought with my prize voucher won recently in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge. I then added some Treasure Gold around all the edges of the covers before binding the book.

Now at this point I had intended to add a frame around an image of an elegant lady reading a book but realised I would cover up the the prettiest part of the stencilling. So that idea was dismissed but I felt it needed something else. I rummaged around in my ribbon collection feeling sure that I had some brown ribbon but no, every other colour but, so I dyed some seam binding with Distress Inks.

Notebook Recipe
Card
Recycled envelope
Copier paper
Paints/Inks
PaperArtsy Fresco paints - Nougat, Chutney, Tikka, Seaweed, Snowflake
Distress Inks - Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive, Walnut Stain, Peeled Paint
Treasure Gold - White Fire
Stencils 
The Crafter's Workshop - Mini Art Is 
Tim Holtz Layered Stencil: Doily Item Number CA1705
Other
Seam binding
Bind-it-Wires 5/8"

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter X

It's finally been pulled out of the bag - the letter X in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge. There is so little choice. For the previous Alpha Challenge in 2013 I used xenogamy (cross pollination) and didn't want to do a repeat of that word, so I dipped into the dictionary and come up with xerophyte which is a plant that needs very little water.

I don't have a cacti stamp in my collection but I found a picture on line which I printed off (I hope this isn't considered cheating!) and coloured it with Distress inks. I stamped the birds in flight and added the computer generated dictionary definition.

Postcard Recipe

Card

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Inks

Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain

Ranger Archival Jet Black

Other

Computer generated definition - Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - All Around The House

Thinking outside the box (substitute box for craft room) is the current Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge. We need to use something that can be found around the house i.e. shaving foam to make a background or perhaps junk mail or that piece of corragated card that you've kept waiting for a challenge like this to come along.

It's a good few years since I've used lemon juice to create a background so it seemed like a good idea to revive the technique. I spritzed some lemon juice onto a piece of cream linen card - I used the non textured side - and then kept heating it with my heat gun until I achieved the desired colour of brown. I cut the card down to make a tag and inked around the edge with Ground Expresso Distress Ink. The leaves were stamped onto white card that had been sponged with autumnal colours of  Distress Ink and then cut out. The quote was computer generated. A length of seam binding coloured with Distress Inks was added to complete the tag.

Tag recipe
Card
Craft Creations Cream Linen Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Distress Inks - Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Ground Expresso
Stamps
Leaf - Inkadinkado
Other
Lemon juice
Quote - computer generated - Papyrus font
Seam binding

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter O

I started my postcard for the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge just after the revealing of the letter to be used but then the Paralympics began and I had to resume my summer of sport watching. It seems I have done very little else these past few months!

The current letter is "o" and I have chosen the word octagon. Like so many crafters I have a few (thousand) scraps left over from projects and it really is time I started dipping into them to justify the reason for having kept them. I cut the octagons from some scrap background pieces and over stamped them with stamps from a new Crafty Individuals plate that I won for a knock down price on the auction site. The background was brayered using some left over paint from a previous project and then stamped using Distress Ink. The dictionary definition was computer generated.

Postcard recipe
Paper Card 
White recycled card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks/Paints 
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
PaperArtsy Fresco Paint
Ranger Archival - Jet Black, Watering Can
Stamps 
Crafty Individuals CI-207
Other 
Definition - computer generated Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter H

It's the letter H this time around in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and so many words to choose from, in contrast to the letter Z, the previous week's task. I've chosen the word hinge from my long list of possible contenders.

I started by painting my postcard with PaperArtsy Fresco paint and then covered it with Crackle Glaze before adding another layer of paint. In the past I've never been very successful with Crackle Glaze but this time it came out pretty well. While it was still a little damp I sanded some of the paint away to give a distressed look. I painted the die-cut hinges and escutcheon black and then embossed with black embossing powder. I found some silver peel-offs which I painted brown and used for the screws. I finished by adding the computer generated dictionary definition.

Postcard Recipe

Card 

Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm

Paints

PaperArtsy - Inky Pool, Mermaid, Chutney

PaperArtsy - Crackle Glaze

Eco Green Acrylic Paint - Black

Other

Die-cuts

Circle peel-offs 

Dictionary definition - computer generated, "Typewriter" font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Blue

Good grief, it's only the end of August and I've made a Christmas card! I've had the new Crafty Individuals robin stamp sitting on my desk for a couple weeks waiting to be inked and I decided to team him up with some blue snowflakes. Blue is the the theme of this fortnight's Craft Barn Challenge.

I stamped the snowflakes directly on the card blank using Brilliance ink. The stamp was a freebie from Craft Stamper magazine a few years ago and it has been well used. The robin was watercoloured with Distress Inks before cutting out.  The sentiment was stamped, embossed with silver fine detail powder and matted onto a piece of card that had been edged with the Brilliance ink. I thought the bird needed some Christmas cheer so I gave him a little Hero Arts Santa hat.

One Christmas card down but I have no doubt the rest won't be made until we hit December, as usual!

Card recipe
Card
Craftwork Cards card blank
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue
Memento Tuxedo Black
Versamark
Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Barn Door, Dried Marigold
Stamps
Snowflake - Craft Stamper freebie
Robin - Crafty Individuals CI-456
Sentiment - Crafty Individuals CI-142
Hat - Hero Arts B2588 Santa's Hat
Other
Silver fine detail embossing powder
Stampendous Ultra Fine Crystal Glitter

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter Z

When playing Scrabble I don't enjoy drawing the letters X or Z and the same goes for the Craft Barn Challenge. It had to happen eventually and this is the week the letter Z has been drawn.

There are not many words in the dictionary to choose from and I have gone with the word zeta - the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. Zentangle was not a choice as that word has been copyrighted and presumably will not appear in a dictionary. I decided to tangle my background but I certainly didn't get any zen from Zentangling - I found it a very stressful process! I would much rather have pieces of paper that I can move around freely before deciding their finished position.

After drawing the design I computer generated the Z and definition, cut them out and glued them to the postcard. This week the challenge has a twist - add one ore more pearls to the project - so I finished off with three flat back pearls.

Postcard Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card  300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Sakura Micron Pigma pens
Hickory Smoke Distress Ink
Other
White flat back pearls
Z and dictionary definition - computer generated

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Beach Scene with a Beach Hut

I've spent the last week at (a virtual) Copacabana Bay so the current Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge to create a beach scene, which must include a beach hut, is very apt. I'm just scraping under the wire with my entry to the challenge as it has been so difficult to tear myself away from the sofa and the Olympics!

I started my card by creating the sun with Distress Inks (DIs), masking it and then brushing on inks for the sand and sky. The beach huts, gulls, A-board and kite were all stamped onto card, coloured where necessary and cut out. The sentiment was also stamped on to card which I cut using an oval die before slicing off the unwanted bottom half and brushing with DI. The huts, gulls and sentiment were glued to the background which was layered onto black card and then onto the card blank. The "For Hire" board and kite were attached to the card with silicone to give some depth. With hindsight I feel the sand is a bit wishy washy and I should have added some darker shades of yellow here and there.

Well time to get to my sofa-beach for another week of sport - it's a good job the Olympics only come round every four years!

Card Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Black card
Card blank - Craftwork Cards   
Inks
Ranger Archival - Jet Black, Watering Can
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade, Peacock Feathers, Frayed Burlap, Broken China, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold
Stamps
Beach huts & gulls - Crafty Indvduals CI-278
"For Hire" board & kite - Crafty Indvduals CI-454
Sentiment - PaperArtsy Hot PIcks HPXT03

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter C

As I used cat images on my last two postcards I've made for the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge I thought I had better find something completely different than use the word "cat" for the letter C.

My husband and I were discussing where time disappears to these days. We are quite sure that in our childhood, days seemed to last so much longer! With that in mind I dug out an unused stamp and combined it with a stencil that I had just received as part of my prize for my winning entry in the Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge.

I started by brushing the card with Dried Marigold Distress Ink (DI) before stencilling the sun's rays with Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge DI's. The image was stamped with Versafine and then a touch of watered down DI was added along the bottom of the grass. The computer generated dictionary definition completed my postcard.

So, a simple entry this week as a reminder of those bygone long summer days of childhood in the late forties and fifties.

Postcard Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card  300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint
Stamp 
Stamp Addicts Gone Fishin' plate SA-5013  
Other
Dictionary definition - computer generated Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Clean & Simple

This fortnight's Craft Barn Challenge is clean and simple - projects must only have one image and one sentiment on a background of our choosing.

It's taken me awhile to embrace the clean & simple look but I have really warmed to it of late. I picked Twisted Citron and Wilted Violet for my colour palette for this card but couldn't decide which way round to use them, so I finished up making two. I think I prefer the one with the green splat background.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Memento Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks - Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet
Stamps
Butterfly - Crafty Individuals CI-437
Splats - PaperArtsy MN72
Sentiment - PaperArtsy Tops & Tails SITT3

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter N

It's the turn of the letter "N" in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge. I originally went with the word "number" be really didn't like the finished result and started again with "night" as my new chosen word. I'm much happier with this finished postcard.

I began by stamping the cat image onto a piece of card, cut it out and then brushed it with Distress Ink. I then positioned the cat on the postcard to gauge where to stencil the wall. Next I stamped the moon and masked it so I could apply Distress Inks in various shades of blues and Hickory Smoke to create the night sky. The stars were stencilled on before gluing on the cat and finishing with the dictionary definition.

Postcard Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Memento Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks- Ground Espresso, Hickory Smoke, Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans
PaperArtsy Fresco paint - Snowflake
Stamps
Moon - maker unknown
Cat - Tim Holtz
Stencils
Stone Wall - That Special Touch
Stars - That's Crafty Dinky Stencil

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Butterflies

The Craft Barn Challenge is certainly varied - the previous challenge was "A Dog under the Sea" and the current one is "Butterflies"!

I started my card by making a wrinkle free Distress Ink background which I then stamped with the Crafty Individuals film strip and coloured the butterflies and flower with Distress Inks. The large butterfly was stamped onto white card, cut out and coloured with the same colours as the images on the film strip, before adding some Stickles for a bit of sparkle. The background was mounted onto black card and then onto a white card base (not blue as it appears in the photo). I finished by attaching the large butterfly with some silicone glue to give a 3D effect. 

Card Recipe
Card
Base card – Craftwork Cards
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Distress Inks – Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap, Old Paper, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Walnut Stain
Versafine Vintage Sepia
Stamps
Crafty Individuals CI-451, CI437
Sentiment – Craft Stamper freebie
Other
Stickles – Diamond

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter W

I've unearthed a stamp I haven't used for some years as it fits perfectly for the next letter in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge which is "W". The word I've chosen is "whisker".

I have kept my postcard very simple as I feel this stamp lends itself to a monochrome palette. All I added after stamping the image and border with Versafine was a very light wash of Distress Ink to the eyes.

Postcard Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Peeled Paint
Stamps
Cat - maker unknown
Border - Kaisercraft Texture Edges CS155

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - A Dog Under the Sea

I thought it was April 1st when I saw the subject of the current Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - A Dog Under the Sea! Definitely a challenge! So I've given it my best shot and made an atc.

I only have two dog stamps - I'm not a dog lover. So I chose this little one which I've had for years and never inked.  Having stamped the image I coloured it with Distress Ink before creating the wrinkle free background. I don't have any masking fluid so my dog turned blue! I tried to rectify this and painted over him again with the original colour but this gave him a greenish tinge! Well, he probably is feeling a little seasick as he does have his tongue out and no oxygen bottle!

I downloaded the June Craft Stamper digital images and reduced the size of the weed and fishes before printing out. The images were coloured with Coloursoft pencils and cut out. I only  glued the seaweed along the lower edge to give it some depth. I drew some air bubbles and filled them with Glossy Accents and added tiny beads along the lower edge to represent the seabed.

ATC Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Distress Inks - Old Paper, Broken China, Salty Ocean
Memento Tuxedo Black
Stamp/Images
Dog - maker unknown
Digital Images - Craft Stamper Magazine June 2016
Other
Glossy Accents
Seed Beads

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter K

It's the turn of the letter K in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and I have chosen the word "kindness". 

Throughout this challenge I am using a postcard size base (6" x 4"). In 2014 this was also my chosen format for the Craft Barn Lyrics and Quotes challenge using a portrait orientation. This time around I decided to challenge myself and make all my entries in landscape. However it can leave me with a lot of space on one side or other of the card but isn't that what a challenge is all about - to find a way round? For my postcard this week I have overcome the space problem with a rather lovely sentiment I found on the web.

I started by sponging Distress Inks onto my card and them adding some background stamping. The feet were then stamped in Archival ink. The little girls, a well used Crafty Individuals image, were stamped onto card and coloured with Copic markers. The sentiment and dictionary definition were computer generated and I finished by edging the postcard with gold pen.

Postcard Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers
Versafine Onyx Black
Ranger Archival Watering Can
Copic markers
Pen-touch Calligrapher gold pen
Stamps
Flowers - PaperArtsy EM23
Dots - Stamps Addicts
Girls - Crafty Individuals CI-277
Feet - The English Stamp Company
Other 
Sentiment and dictionary definition - Computer generated

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Stars

Stars are the star of this fortnight's challenge on the Craft Barn blog.

I stamped the image with Versafine ink, coloured it with Distress Ink and added some Stickles to the stars. I then matted the image onto a piece of card that I had dusted with the same colour ink that I had used for the girl's dress.  The stars were stencilled onto the base card before attaching the image.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Scattered Starw
Stamp/Stencil
Crafty Individuals - CI-071
Stars - That's Crafty Dinky Stencil

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter T

Time is running out for me to submit my entry to the current Craft Barn Dictionary Challenge and I will have to go with my fifth attempt! Still not really happy with the end result - there is one placement of an image that is bugging me and my eye keeps being drawn to it but I shall have to live with it. I'm not telling what it is, I will leave you guessing!

I have chosen the word "tailored". I dusted some Old Paper Distress Ink over the reverse of a piece of linen cream card and added the PaperArtsy splats in the same colour. The background images were stamped with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The elegant lady was stamped onto card with Versafine Sepia ink coloured with pencils and Copic markers and then fussy cut. The dictionary definition was computer generated and the postcard finished with a dusting of Distress Ink around the edges.

Postcard Recipe
Card
Craft Creations Cream Linen Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Distress Inks - Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Fired Brick
Versafine - Sepia
Copic markers
Spectrum Noir pencils
Stamps 
Splats - PaperArtsy MN72
Cotton reels - PaperArtsy MN65
Sewing collage - PaperArtsy MN66
Sewing machine & button - Crafty Individuals CI-328
Elegant lady - Crafty Individuals CI-322
Postmark - maker unknown
Other
Definition - Computer generated

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Two Different Papers

The inclusion of  two different papers on a project is the current Craft Barn's Weekly Challenge.

I've used a digital image as the focal, coloured with alcohol markers, for this card. The flowers were stamped on to vellum and coloured on the reverse with the same colour used to for the girl's dress.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Striped paper - Peppermint Stripes BP-AP-CD14 Bella Press
Flower paper - BoBunny
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Light brown card
White vellum
Inks
Memories ink pad - Pink
Picked Raspberry Distress Ink
Copic markers
Promakers
Stamps 
Flowers - Fourth Dimension
Other
Digital image from Pink Petticoat
Martha Stewart punch
Pink gems
Spellbinders die

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter A

A is for..... well my choice in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge was "Author".

I started by brushing my postcard (6" x 4") with Milled Lavender Distress Ink, an under used ink pad in my collection. Then, using the same ink, I stencilled the words and then stamped the main image who I assume are the Bronte Sisters, Jane Austin and Mary Shelley. The figures were masked before stamping the ink blobs and then the pen nibs around the edge. I added a dictionary definition which  was computer generated and used a silver pen around the edge to frame the postcard.

 Postcard Recipe 
Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks
Distress Ink - Milled Lavender, Stormy Sky
Versafine Onyx Black
Stamps/Stencil
Main Image - PaperArtsy Buttons - Plate 4
Blobs - PaperArtsy MN57
Pen nibs - Tim Holtz
Stencil - The Crafter's WorkshopTCW261s Mini Art Is
Other
Dictionary definition -  Computer generated Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Sun & Yellow/Orange

This fortnight's Craft Barn Challenge must include sunshine and yellow/orange on a project.

I started my card by scraping PaperArtsy Matte Glaze and Brusho granules over a piece of card with an old loyalty card to create the sky. The beach huts, sun, child and seagulls were stamped onto card, coloured and cut out before attaching to the background. I then added the sentiment directly onto the base card.

I'm undecided whether I like the sky but it's too late to start again. And now taking the photo I've managed to get an ink stain on the base card. Grrrr!

Card Recipe 
Card
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm & 250gsm
Light brown card
Inks
Brusho - Ost. Blue, White
PaperArtsy Matte Glaze
Memento Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Festive Berries, Squeezed Lemonade, Peacock Feathers, Ripe Persimmon, Frayed Burlap
Copic marker  E00 Skin White
Stamps
Beach Huts, Sentiment, Seagulls - Crafty Individuals CI-278
Small child - Crafty Individuals CI-277
Sun - Craft Stamper freebie

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter J

The next letter destined for illustration in the Craft Barn Challenge is J and again there is a twist in the challenge - the finished project must have a dragonfly in evidence.

My chosen word is June, when gardens and landscapes are possibly at their best in this country - well in my eyes they are!

I'm using a postcard format for this year-long challenge and I began this card by applying Distress Inks for the background. I then stencilled some clouds with Fresco paint and stamped the meadow stamp several times across the card. I painted a piece of card with Pearl-Ex and then over-stamped it with the dragonfly image, cut it out and attached it to the postcard. The dictionary definition was computer generated and printed onto a piece of card that had been dusted lightly to match the green background.

Sadly the iridescent paint on the dragonfly doesn't show up on the scan. 

Postcard Recipe 
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks 
Distress Ink -  Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Mowed Lawn, Black Soot
Ranger Archival Jet Black
PaperArtsy Fresco paint - Snowflakes
Pearl-Ex #685 Spring Green
Stamps & Stencil
Summer Garden - Crafty Individuals CI-385
Dragonfly - maker unknown
Scenic Clouds stencil - Inkylicious
Other
Sentiment - computer generated, Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Red and White with a bit of Black

Red and white with a bit of black is this fortnight's Craft Barn Challenge.

I chose to use white space on my card. I stamped a piece of card with a flower stamp using black ink, coloured the blooms with a Copic marker and added white dots to their centres. The only red card I had to matt my piece onto didn't match the red of the flowers so I used a square of white card and coloured around the edge with the same marker I had used for the images. I then matted the stamped sentiment in the same way.

Card Recipe
Card 
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks 
Memento Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Copic Ciao R27 Cadmium Red
White Posca pen
Stamps
Flower - Hero Arts E3346 Zinnia Bloom
Sentiment - Woodware JWS03

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter S

The letter "S" in the Craft Barn Alpha /Dictionary Challenge should be easy-peasy but no, we have to incorporate a shell in our project. I didn't want to do another seaside themed postcard as I did one for a previous letter, but what to do? Nothing came to mind until I was having a long leisurely bath - I do a lot of thinking in the bath! There was obviously a connection between my bath and the stamp that came into my mind - my nude stamp! Then my thinking moved on to the girls who performed at the Windmill Theatre who'd have a feather or scarf "strategically" placed. I had found my word.

I started the background on my postcard with the wrinkle free Distress Ink technique which I never tire of using  - I love the serendipity result. I then stamped over it using various stamps. I brushed some Distress Ink onto a piece of card and then stamped the image, cut it down to fit the postcard and edged it in gold. I cut around the woman's arm and hand and tucked in the shell which I had cut from a sheet of teabag folding images that has been in my stash for years. The photo corners were die cut and Treasure Gold applied to the embossed parts. As I had too much space on the right hand side of the card I cut a flourish from cream linen card and applied some Distress Ink to soften it.

 

Postcard Recipe

Card

Anna Marie  Smooth Stamping Card 300gsm

Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer 200gsm

Brown card

Craft Creations cream linen card

Inks

Distress Inks -  Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Old Paper, Frayed Burlap

Versafine Sepia

Pen-touch Calligrapher gold pen

Treasure Gold - White Fire 

Stamps

Script - Crafty Individuals CI-161

Diamonds - Kaisercraft CS152

Crackle - Kaisercraft CS876

Nude - The Artistic Stamper

Dies

Photo corners - Spellbinders

Flourish - Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes

Other

Computer generated dictionary definition - Typewriter font

Shell - Craft Creations tea bag folding sheet MP008

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - April Showers

I started my card for this fortnight's Craft Barn Challenge at the beginning of the week and then life got in the way and have only just had an opportunity to finish it. The theme for this challenge is April Showers.

I began the background by stencilling the clock using a die-cut as a stencil and then brushed over the top with various Distress Inks in shades of blue and a hint of grey.  Once that was done I added some random stamping. I then coloured a white Umbrella Man die-cut with Distress Ink and stamped it with raindrops before gluing it to a black die cut to give the illusion of  a shadow. I saw this on a project on a blog post recently but can't remember where. If it was yours, thank you for the idea. The background behind the sentiment was coloured with the same blues as the main background and stamped with raindrops. The words and background were then matted onto black card before attaching to the card blank.

 

Card Recipe
Card 
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Black card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks
Distress Inks - Salty Ocean,  Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamps
Chequers - PaperArtsy ELB22
Small circles - PaperArtsy SM15
Raindrops - Designs by Ryn Water Effects 1 UM-M1
Sentiment - Stampers Anonymous  Good Thoughts CMS085
Lines - plastic loyalty card
Circles - glue stick lid
Other
Clock stencil - Tim Holtz die cut
Die-cuts - Tim Holtz Umbrella Man die

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter D

There is a twist in this fortnight's Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge with the addition of the colour pink somewhere on our project illustrating a word beginning with D.

I dismissed the word "dance" as I used that in the 2013 Alpha Challenge and chose dog-rose. My chosen stamp also depicts another word starting with D - dragonfly.

Firstly I brayered PaperArtsy Fresco paint on my postcard and stamped leaves around the edge. The Crafty Individuals image was stamped a couple of times on card and a complete one was cut out and coloured with pencils and Distress Ink. I unearthed a box of hardly used Pearl-Ex powders and mixed a green shade with a little with water and Gum Arabic (as a fixative) to paint the dragonfly. It has a lovely delicate shimmer which sadly the scan hasn't picked up.  I cut some of the roses from the other stamped image and coloured those with pencils before adding the computer generated dictionary definition.

 
Postcard Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks/Paints
PaperArtsy Fresco - Ice Blue, Very Berry, Snowflake
Pearl-Ex powder - Spring Green #685
Distress Ink - Broken China, Fired Brick
Memento Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival - Watering Can
Coloursoft pencils
Stamp
Crafty Individuals - Butterfly Mornings and Wildflower Afternoons CI-410
Other 
Computer generated dictionary definition - Typewriter font 

   

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Rabbit and an Oval

The challenge set this fortnight over on the Craft Barn blog is to use a rabbit and an oval on a project.

I have made a whimsical card (well I think it's whimsical!). I may have used some artistic licence as I think the rabbits may in fact be hares but I don't have any rabbit stamps.

As I was playing with my rather neglected and little used Gelli plate the other day for something else I decided to make a background with it for this card. I made a stamp by die cutting some ovals from fun foam which I mounted on a piece of strong card with double sided carpet tape.

I was rather chuffed with the prints I made.

The rabbits were stamped onto card and the words computer generated before cutting out and then lightly brushed over with some Distress Ink to take away the starkness of the white. Then I added a touch of watercolour to the hats and my rabbits were all ready to party.

Card Recipe
Card
Base card - Craftwork Cards
Black card
Recycled white card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 200gsm
Inks/Paints
The Works acrylic paint
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Distress Inks -  Old Paper, Mustard Seed
Other
Words - computer generated Segoe Script font

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter G

The letter "G" takes centre stage this week in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and I have chosen the word gull for my entry.

The background for my postcard was brayered using Fresco paints. The lighthouse and gulls were stamped onto card, cut out and glued to the base card. I very lightly coloured the lighthouse and its surrounds before adding my computer generated dictionary definition.

Postcard Recipe
Card /Paper
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm   
Copier paper 90gsm  
Inks/paints
PaperArtsy Fresco paints -  Ice Blue, Snowflake
Memento  - Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival - Cornflower Blue
Copic markers
Spectrum Noir pencils
Stamps
Lighthouse/large gull - Crafty Individuals CI-397
Medium & small gulls - Crafty Individuals CI-278
Edge stamp - Kaisercraft - Texture Edges CS155

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Circles

The task set by Jane for the Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge is to use circles on the background of a project.

As I need a birthday card for a man in the next week or two I used this prompt to get down and make it now rather than the day before it's needed.

I chose three bright Distress Inks to give my card a happy, sunny feel. I stamped the four circle images randomly on a square of card. I die cut a tag, brushed it with ink and stamped the sentiment. The tag was attached to the card with a brad and the square of card then matted onto black card before attaching to the base card.

Card Recipe 
Card
Base card and stamped square - Craftwork Cards
Black card
Inks
Distress Inks - Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron, Ripe Persimmon
Stamps
Circles -Stamp Addicts Grunge 1  SA-6062
Sentiment - Stamp Addicts Dot Happy Birthday SA-7110
Other
Brad

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - Letter R

Details of the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge can be found here. 

The letter we have been given to play with this fortnight is R and I have chosen the word railing. I did rather regret the choice when I tried for the fourth time to get the railing stamp lined with the previous stamping! I've never mastered the art of using a stamp positioner so it was a case of drawing some guide lines on my acrylic block and squinting! I think the result is more or less straight. I then stamped the flowers, masked them and repeated the process across the postcard. The flowers were coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils and the sky created by brushing over Distress Ink. I printed the dictionary definition onto card and glued it onto the postcard.

Postcard Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks
Memento Tuxedo Black
Versafine Onyx Black
Broken China Distress Ink
Spectrum Noir pencils
Stamps
Flowers - Crafty Individuals CI-411
Railing - PaperArtsy Urban Snapshots Wrought Iron 3 - USWI3
Other
Computer generated words - Typewriter font

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Clean & Simple

Clean and simple is the Craft Barn Challenge but the project must include a flower and a sentiment.

I took a deep breath and stamped directly onto my card base and for once the images were perfect. The flowers were coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils and flat back pearls added. Job done!

Card
Base card – Craftwork Cards
Inks
Memento Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Spectrum Noir pencils
Stamp
PaperArtsy JOFY32
Sentiment – Craft Stamper freebie
Other
Flat back pearls

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge 2016 - Letter L

This fortnight the spotlight falls on the letter L in the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictioary Challenge and I have chosen the word lace.

I started by punching the holes to lace the ribbon through. They had to be positioned  to one side as that's as far as my hole punch would reach. Although my lace background stamp is quite large I had to stamp the image twice and I then embossed with clear powder. I was left with a join line between the images not helped by the fact that I had managed to turn the stamp around before the second stamping. In order to cover the line I stamped the corset image three times onto card that had been sprayed with Dylusions and then black embossed the image. They covered the flaw perfectly. The eyelets were put in place and the ribbon threaded. My dictionary definition was computer generated and as my chosen word can be a noun or a verb  I have gone with the noun definition otherwise there wouldn't have been any room on my postcard for anything else! I finished the postcard by running a gold pen around the edge.

I have broken one of my own challenge rules with this make - that the postcard could be sent as it is. However, the ribbon may cause havoc in the Royal Mail machinery, so if I did feel the need to post it, it will have to go in an envelope.

Postcard Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm & 200gsm
Inks/Embossing Powder
Versafine - Satin Red, Onyx Black
Dylusions Ink Spray - Postbox Red
WOW Embossing Powder - Clear Gloss Super Fine WA01SF
Black detail embossing powder
Pen-touch Calligrapher gold pen
Stamps 
Lace - Inkadinkado 603 90355.Y
Corset - maker unknown
Other
Eyelets
Black Ribbon
Computer generated words - Typewriter font