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

The Craft Barn Fortnightly Challenge - Hearts

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge has become a fortnightly challenge to fit in with the Alpha/Dictionary Challenge.

The challenge this fortnight is to use a heart(s) but not a red one in a project.

Some time ago I bought a bag of oddments of Christmas Decorations from the charity shop and there was a rather sad looking heart amongst them and this seemed the ideal opportunity to dust it off and give it new lease of life.

I gave the heart a couple of coats of gesso to cover the remains of gold paint, glitter and a large blob of glue that I coudn't remove. I then painted it over with two layers of Paperasrtsy (PA) Fresco paint. I used the same colour to paint a piece of tissue paper before stamping script on it. I tore the tissue into pieces and glued it to the heart with PA Matte Glaze. I had intended to then paint the heart all over with the glaze but I got carried away making up the flowers and forgot! The flowers were die-cuts from scraps, spritized with water and screwed up and left to dry naturally before carefully opening and gluing together. A pearl bead was added to each of them. A little Distress Ink was rubbed over the edges of the flowers and the leaves and attached to the heart.

Heart Decoration Recipe
Inks/Paint
Claude Hellmuth Studio Gesso
PaperArtsy - Ice Blue, Matte Glaze
Ranger Archival Coffee
Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Stamps/Dies
Crafty Individuals Stamp - CI-161
Tim Holtz Alterations - Spring Greenery 659573
Tim Holtz Alterations - Flower Garland 657824
Other 
Plastic heart
Tissue paper
Pearl beads
 

The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge 2016 - Letter F

The letter for this fortnight's Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge is "F". However there is a little twist to the challenge - the finished art piece must include a heart somewhere. I have chosen the word fidelity, but could have used faithfulness as they have much the same meaning. My chosen format for this year's challenge is landscape postcard size - 6 x 4ins.

For the background I stencilled Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the two corners of the card then dusted over the top and stamped with the same ink. The large heart was stamped using Satin Red Versafine and embossed with clear embossing powder. The image of the couple was re-shaped from a square to a heart and attached to the large heart. I stamped the love stamp with Coffee Archival but the heart didn't show up too well so I stamped it again on a piece of card to match the colour of the large one, cut it out and glued it to the postcard. I finished my postcard with a computer generated dictionary definition.

  
Postcard Recipe
Card 
Base card - Anna Marie Super Smooth Printer Card 250gsm
Inks
Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Versafine - Satin Red
Ranger Archival - Coffee
Stamps
Music - Crafty Individuals
Script - Crafty Individuals CI-161
Large heart - Etched Heart Stamp Addicts SA-7036
Love - Craft Stamper (Feb 2016) freebie
Flourishes -Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes 97632  
Other
Image of couple - Crafty Individuals from Miniatures "Peoples and Places 2"
Wow! Embossing powder - Clear Gloss Super Fine WA015F
Sizzix Thinlets Mixed Media die used as a stencil
Computer generated words - Typewriter font