52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 49

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2025:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The prompt for Week 49 is "Baubles"

I started with a white tag and stamped part of the Funky Fossil Designsbauble (part of their Elegant Ornaments stamp set), by using Versafine Clair "Fantasia" purple ink and the torn edge of a piece of copy paper to mask the lower section (that would be under the snow.

Using Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink, I stamped the squirrel, which is part of the Funky Fossil Designs "Hedgehugs" stamp set.

Using a circle as a mask, I then coloured the background, using two shades of Ranger Archival Inks.  I used Violet and then Majestic Violet on the outer edges.

Retaining the position of the circle mask, I then used a fan shaped paint brush to sprinkle white dots of white paint over the surface of the tag, drying with a heat gun.

I coloured the squirrel using three shades of Distress Oxide Inks.  I used Tea Dye, Rusty Hinge and Gathered Twigs.  I coloured the bauble using "Spun Sugar" Distress Oxide Ink.  Once it was dry, I gave it a coat of "A Wink of Stella" which provides a lovely subtle gold shimmery sparkle to the bauble.  For the snow area, I used Tumbled Glass, Lost Shadow and Pumice Stone Distress Oxide inks and a 2B pencil for shading.

Finally, using Versafine Clair "Fantasia" purple ink, I stamped the "tis the season" sentiment, which is also part of the Funky Fossil Designs "Elegant Ornaments" stamp set.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 48

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2025:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The prompt for Week 48 is "Trees"

Starting with a white tag, I created the background colour, using "Sky Blue","Prickly Pear" and "Leaf Green"  Ranger Archival Inks with one of the Lavinia Stamps acetate "Hill Masks".

Next, I stamped the trees, using the Lavinia Stamps "Birch" and "Small Trees" stamps with Versafine Clair "Pine Cone" dark brown ink.  I then stamped the Lavinia "Small Pixy Houses" and the "Ducks" in the sky, using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

I used a white gel pen for highlights.  Then used yellow, orange and white Posca Pens for the flowers.

For the leaves on the trees, I used a cotton bud / Q-tip with three shades of green Ranger Archival inks.

Lavinia Stamps "Star Sticker Stencil" and the "Christmas Joy" tree

I had an inky play session making this Christmas card. 

I used five colours of Distress Oxide Inks for the base, after applying each colour I gave the card a blast of the heat gun, before moving on to smoosh the next colour.  Creating lots of layers.  The colours I used are the following:  Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo and finally Speckled Egg.

I then used the star from the Lavinia Stamps "Sticker Stencil 2" set with "Peat Moss" Ranger Archival Ink to highlight the edges of the star.  Within the star, to the left hand side, I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Snowfalls" verse using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

Next I used a Clarity Stamp stripe stencil to apply three lines of blue to the right side of the star, using "Cornflower Blue" Ranger Archical Ink.

Next I used "Tiger Lily" orange coloured Ranger Archival Ink through the Lavinia Stamps "Honeycomb" stencil in random areas.

I splattered some white paint across the surface of the card and gave it a blast of the heat gun to ensure it was fully dry before they next stage.

I moved on to the stamping next.  Using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink I stamped the "Christmas Joy" tree and the word "Peace" which is part of the Lavinia Stamps "Seasonal Words" stamp set.

Finally, I used glittery gel pens to add baubles to the tree.  A black and white pen to define the tree trunk and a gold gel pen to outline some of the sentiment.

Lavinia Stamps "Believe" Card

Do you believe?

For this clean and simple card I have used two stencils by Lavinia Stamps "Waffle" and "Words 1" with Archival Inks. I used "Shadow Grey" and "Carnation Red" colours.

I used Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" to stamp the Lavinia "Star Cluster", stamping the fairy, which is part of the "Fairy Foragers" stamp set in Versafine Clair 'Nocturne" black ink. I added some sparkle to the wings and the stars using a Gelly Roll pen.

Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas 2025" - Tag Book Covers

Now that Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas Tags 2025" has come to an end, I have made a front and back cover for the tag book, suspended by a book ring.

I covered a couple of tags with some scrapbook paper which has Christmas colours on it. 

I then used the Visible Image stamp set called "Let It Snow" stamp set with Wow! Clear Embossing pad and Wow! Bright White Embossing Powder and heat set the snowflakes and the dots.

I die cut the 2025 in dark blue card then printed out the "12 Days of Christmas" on the computer and stuck them to the tag.

Lavinia Stamps "Mooch" Christmas Card with Pan Pastels

A Christmas card for a cat mad friend who isn't feeling Christmas this year.

I've used two shades of Pan Pastels (Hansa Yellow Tint & white) with the Lavinia Stamps "Moon Mask"

I've used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp "Mooch" the cat, a "Witch Hazel" branch and one from the "Small Robin" stamp set.

I used Van Goch Pastel Pencils for the shading below Mooch and for the red on the robin.

Finally, stamping the sentiment, which is part of the Simon Says Stamp set called "Tiny Words - Christmas".

Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas Tags 2025" series - Day 12

Well, here is my Day 12 tag of Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas Tags 2025" series.  I am already feeling bereft, knowing there won't be a tag to make tomorrow.  I have loved making every one of them.  If you would like to take a look at Karen's tutorial for this tag, click on this link.

Here's a photo of all my 2025 tags together.

For my Day 12 tag, I used four shades of Distress Oxide Inks:  Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet and Villainous Potion to create the background colours.

I then used Versafine Clair "Lilac Bloom" to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Christmas Words" stamp.

Next, I used Versafine Clair "Fantasia" purple ink to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Small Fairy Fir Tree" and "Fir Tree" in first and second generation stamping.  I used the same ink to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Christmas Greetings" sentiment at the bottom of the card.

Finally, I used a fan shaped paint brush with Dr. Ph. Martin's white bleed proof paint, to splatter across the surface to replicate snow falling.