The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge - December

Surely we can't be at the end of 2015 already! With the end of the year brings the last calendar challenge but before I get on to my December tag I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Craft Barn for this hosting this challenge and also the weekly challenges. I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part and a special thanks to Jane for the work she puts into keeping the blog running and the ideas to challenge us. Thank you also to everyone one who has visited my blog during the year and to those who have left comments - it is very much appreciated. Finally, I wish you all a very happy 2016.

Ok, back to business. The colour silver and a Christmas tree (or more) are to be used somewhere on this month's project. December is always a frantic month - well it is in my disorganised world so I've kept my tag calm and simple. I had some brayered background  left over from my Christmas card making so I stencilled on some snowflakes and then stamped stars in between - they are there but hardly showing even in real life! Then  I stamped the images and embossed in silver before adding some seam binding coloured with Distress Ink.

Tag Recipe
Card
White card
Inks/Paints
PaperArtsy Fresco paints - Ice Blue, Mermaid, Snowflake
Broken China Distress Ink
Versamark
Silver detail embossing powder
Stamps
Crafty Individuals CI-326 & CI-257
Other
Snowflake stencil - Dutch Doobadoo Ice Star
Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Ink

And the end of the line - twelve months of tags.

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Tree(s)

Here we are at the last Craft Barn Weekly Challenge of 2015. Amazingly I have only missed one week during the year.

For this last week our project should include at least one tree. I started by making a sheet of background paper applying PaperArtsy Fresco paints with a brayer before stencilling on some snowflakes. I stamped the Crafty Individuals image on to the background and coloured the trees and letters with some shimmer coloured pencils that have been in my stash for years and never used. I then added a bit of sparkle to the stars with a Sakura glitter pen. The image was again stamped onto a piece of white card.  The jolly robin was painted with Distress Inks and his hat with Twinkling H2Os before cutting him out and sticking him to the card with his top half lifted from the card with silicone glue for a 3d effect. The base card was stamped around the edge with  JOFY's Snowflakes image and again coloured with the coloured pencils.
Sorry it's not a very good photo but the light has been so poor recently.

 Whatever way you celebrate the festive season I hope you  "Have a Very Jolly Time".

Card Recipe
Card
Base card – Craftwork Cards
White card
Silver Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm
Inks/Paints
PaperArtsy Fresco paints - Ice Blue, Mermaid, Snowflake
Distress Inks – Frayed Burlap, Ground Espresso, Dried Marigold, Festive Berries, Mermaid Lagoon
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Memento Tuxedo Black
H2Os - Solar Gold
Sakura Gellyroll glitter pen
Crayola Shimmers  metallic coloured pencils
Stamps
Jolly Robin - Crafty Individuals CI-375
Snowflakes - PaperArtsy JOFY JM07
Other
Snowflake stencil – Dutch Doobadoo Ice Star

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Christmas Presents

The given subject for the Craft Barn Weekly Challenge is Christmas presents and to include the colour red on a project.

My Christmas card making having started well, is now going very slowly so my make this week just had to be another card and a quick one! This is the first outing for this stamp which I had completely forgotten I had bought just after last Christmas and the only stamp I have with parcels on it. I coloured the image with alcohol ink pens. Then I dusted Distress Ink around the edges before mounting it on silver card and then on an embossed base card. I glittered the snowflake die-cuts ...........  and my craft room ...........and down the landing........and the stairs.............Just amazing where that stuff turns up!

Card Recipe
Card 
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm
Silver card
Inks 
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Ranger Archival - Watering Can
Distress Ink - Festive Berry
Copic markers
Promarkers
Stamps 
Girl - maker unknown
Sentiment - Stamp Addicts SA-7105
Die/Embossing Folder
Snowflakes - Joy  Crafts 6003/0051
Cuttlebug Holly embossing folder

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Folding

As luck would have it this week's Craft Barn challenge is folding and I had just made a paper folded angel when it was announced. She will adorn, along with some other makes, the tree I will be decorating for the Christmas tree festival at our parish church. Local organisations are invited to join in and I'm dressing it on behalf of the Pre-school Learning Alliance supplies shop I run. I'm making various decorations using materials that we sell to give parents ideas on simple things that their children can make. I will also hang paint brushes, glue sticks, pens, tubes of glitter etc on the tree. It's all good community fun (and free publicity).

I stencilled snowflakes with white paint onto two pieces of sugar paper (about A5 and A6 size) and then folded them concertina fashion (I cheated and used my Houghie board). I die-cut a white circle of card and and drew on the face before free cutting some hair to stick on the face. I finished off by bending a gold pipe cleaner into the shape of a halo.