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