52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 6

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 6 is "Love"

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For my Week 6 "Love" tag, I used a plain white tag for the base.

I used Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink to stamp the large and small Lavinia Stamps "Hummingbirds" off the edge of the tag, but with their beaks close to each other.

I used a Lavinia Stamp "Moon Mask" with "Sky Blue" Ranger Archival Ink for the spotlight area in the centre of the tag.

I then used ink left on my blue blending brush to give a hint of colour through the Lavinia Stamps "Leaf Trellis" stencil to the top left and bottom right of the tag.

Next, using a ruler and a black fine liner pen, I drew some vertical lines through the centre of the tag. I then used Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink again to stamp the word "Love" which is part of the Lavinia Stamps "Live the life" stamp set.

Moving on to the finishing touches, I used the "Mint Leaf" Derwent Inktense pencil, applied with a paint brush to colour the wings of the birds.  Once dry, I then added "A Wink of Stella" over the top of the colour to give a lovely subtle gold shimmer.  Finally adding a few dots of black Ranger "Enamel Accents".

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 37

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024:

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 37 is "Rays of light"

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For my Week 37 - "Rays of light", I started by stamping Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink to stamp the Penny Black  wood mounted "Cala Lillies 282K" stamp" image.

I placed the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous "Rays Stencil THS003" over the top of the tag and used two shades of Ranger Archival Inks, using "Shadow Grey" and "Sky Blue" colours.

I coloured the stamped image in using Derwent Inktense Pencils, applied with a paint brush.  The colours that I used were Lemon, Spring Green, Applie Greenm and Malibu.

I added extra detail using a 2B pencil, a Gelly Roll pen called "Clear Star" to give a subtle shimmer and a few dots of white Ranger Enamel Accents.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 33

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024:

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 33 is "Kraft"

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This is the tag that I have made for the Week 33. Starting with a kraft card tag base, I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Logan" hare using Versafine Clair "Pinecone" brown ink.

I then used the Lavinia Stamps "Waffle" stencil with "Bundled Sage" Distress Oxide Ink around the hare.  

I inked the edges of the tag and then brought the colour in around the hare using Versafine Clair "Pine Cone" brown ink using a finger dabber.

I masked off the hare and added black and white splatters of Posca Pens.  Then added colour to the hare using Derwent Inktense pencils.

Visible Image "Lilies with love" Birthday Card

I've had to push myself to craft ,as I have several occasions where I need to make and send cards coming up.  This one is needed next week.

From a previous project I was planning, I had stuck a square of patterned paper on to a  7x7" white card blank, so I decided to use that as my base.  A bit risky as I wasn't sure of the quality of the paper and how stamping the ink on to it would be:  would it bleed etc?  Fortunately it took the ink fine.

I used the new Visible Image "Lilies with love" stamp set for the central image, adding extra circles from the Visible Image "You are not alone" stamp set, all stamped in Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.

I then added the "Happy Birthday" sentiment, which is part of the Hobby Art Ltd stamp set called "Greetings for friends CS158D", also stamped in Versafine Clair "Twilight" ink.

I used three shades of Derwent Inktense pencils (Spring Green, Fern and Fucshia) applied with a paint brush to colour the image.  I added some touches of orange Posca Pen to the middle of the lilies and finally added some white dots of Ranger "Enamel Accents".

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 87

Today is Day 87 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay challenge, this week is inks week for me.

Starting with the inner image, I used Versafine Clair "Twilight" ink to stamp the jelly fish, which is part of the Visible Image "Dare to swim" stamp set.  I coated the stamped image with Wow! Clear embossing powder and heat set.  I then covered the body and the water circles with Pebeo Drawing Gum.

I moved on to colouring the background, using Distress Oxide Inks (Speckled Egg, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Peacock Feather).  I then dipped a fan shaped paint brush into some water and tapped the brush over the background letting tiny droplets of water settle on the Distress Oxide Ink background.  After a few seconds, I mopped the surface with a piece of kitchen towel, which left a lovely speckled look.

I used Versafine Clair "Twilight" ink to stamp more air bubbles and Versafine Clair "Bali Blue" ink to stamp the fish on the right hand side.  I then used Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" ink to stamp the sea weed.

I rubbed off the masking gum and then painted the body of the jelly fish using Derwent Inktense pencils, applied with a brush.  I used a white Posca Pen to accentuate the air bubbles.

I then moved on to the larger background.  On a piece of white card, I lay the Visible Image "Fibres" stencil over the card, then applied two shades of Distress Oxide Inks through the stencil, using "Cracked Pistachio" and "Tumbled Glass" shades.  Finally I mounted the jelly fish piece on top of the stencilled background, using double sided sticky tape to stick the two together.

Lavinia Stamps "Snailcap Mushrooms" and the bird card

I am stalking the postie today.  My order of the new Lavinia Stamps is due to arrive within a three hour window.  I really hope it arrives sooner rather than later!  To keep myself occupied, I've had a play with some of my existing Lavinia Stamps.

I stamped the Lavinia "Snailcap Mushrooms" in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  I then stamped "Pipin" the hare in Versafine Clair "Portobello" brown ink.  Stamping the bird, from the "Bird Collection" in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

I gave the background a light wash of "Bundled Sage" Distress Oxide Ink.  Stamping the sentiment from the "Heartfelt Verse" stamp set in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

Next, I moved on to colouring the undergrowth, using two shades of Distress Oxide inks (Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn) roughly applied with a paint brush.  I then added the idea of flowers using dots of coloured Posca and Gel Pens.

I coloured the mushrooms with Derwent Inktense Pencils and white gel pens, adding shadows with a 2B pencil. Finally, adding tiny dots around the mushroom heads using the Lavinia "Mini Dots" stamp with Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

Andy Skinner "I'll be your umbrella" Card

 

I was up very early for some reason this morning, so decided to craft, making this card.

I started by masking off the edges of a piece of white card, marking on the masking tape the approximate placement where the stamp would be.  I used a technique Eileen Godwin shared a couple of years back, where you create lines of colour off the edge of a piece of paper/acetate/ruler.  To do this, I used four shades of Ranger Archival Inks, using Sky Blue, Garden Patina, Leaf Green and Watering Can.

I then stamped the image, which is an Andy Skinner stamp called "I'll be your umbrella", purchased from Country View Crafts.  I used Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink to stamp in.  I added colour to the stamped image using Derwent Inktense pencils.

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 82

Today, is Day 82 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay challenge.  This week is all about using inks.

For this card, I have used lots of Ranger Archival Inks with stamps and stencils from Visible Image. 

I used the Visible Image "Strobes" stencil with two shades of Ranger Archival Inks, using "Sunflower" and "Tiger Lily" shades of inks.

I then used the Visible Image "Supernova" stencil with "Monarch Orange" Archival Ink.  I then used the same ink through the Visible Image "Leafy" stencil.

Next, I used the Visible Image "Halftone" stencil with "Sunflower" Archival Ink.

Next, I used "Cornflower Blue" Archival Ink through the Visible Image "Ripples" stencil.

I then used the Visible Image "Bloom & Grow" stamp set, to stamp the finger print and the baby, using the new Versafine Clair ink called "Very Peri".  I used the same ink for the Visible Image "Scripted Streets" stamps and the "Creative Chaos" stamp set for the dots/circles.

I went around the edges of the card using "Monarch Orange" Archival Ink blending towards the middle.  I then edged that in Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.

I used the "Twilight" ink again to stamp the "Bloom and grow" sentiment across the page.

I added a few white and blue lines to the "strobes" area using Derwent Inktense pencils.

I went around the stamped baby image using a black fine liner pen as I wanted it to stand out a little more.

Finally, I used white and orange Posca Pens across the card to add extra depth of colour.

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 51

Today is Day 51 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100dayartplay challenge.  This week is about working with the gel plate.

I applied Elements "Graphite" ink to the gel plate with a brayer.  Then from a fan shaped paint brush, I splattered water droplets and little bits of diluted paint on to the gel plate before taking the impression, which resulted in this pretty background.

I used two Paper Artsy acrylic chalk paint - Candy Floss and Cerise, along with two Decoart Americana Acrylic paints - Plum and Snow (Titanium) white to paint the flowers.

For the stem and the leaves, I used Derwent inktense pencils.

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 45

Today is Day 45 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay challenge.  This week is all about stamps and stamping.

I started with a white piece of card, cut in to a tag shape.  I used the stamps from two Visible Image stamp sets, using "See Everything" and "Creative Chaos", stamped in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink and then coated in Wow! Clear Embossing Powder and then heat set.

I used a blue and a yellow Derwent Inktense Pencils to colour the iris of the eye.  I then used yellow, orange and light blue coloured Posca pens to colour in various sizes of dots. Finally, mounting the tag on to co-ordinating blue card.

Hobby Art Ltd "Abstract Flowers CS175D" Tag

 

I've had a tag play session today, it's a just because I wanted to play tag.

Starting with a plain tag, I pulled a page from an old Welsh hymn book and stuck it over the tag, cutting the page down to the size of the tag.

I then used three shades of Dylusion ink sprays:  Lemon Zest, Fresh Lime and London Blue.  Dabbing the surface with a piece of kitchen towel then drying the surface using a heat gun.

I then splattered the surface of the tag with Orange and White coloured Posca Pens. I then inked the edges of the tag using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.

On a piece of white card, I stamped three flowers, leaves and a circular design, using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink.  I then fussy cut all the pieces.

I used two shades of Derwent Inktense pencils (applied with a paint brush) to colour the pieces using the "Mango" colour for the middle of the flowers.  "Iris Blue" for the leaves and the edges of the round designs and then a purple Posca Pen for the dots within the round discs.

I glued everything into position using a wet glue, then mounted the tag on to a piece of orange card, creating a vibrant, cheerful looking tag.

Day 14 of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge

 

I'm an early bird getting my tag done and out of the way today.  This is my Day 14 tag of Karen Telfer's "24 Days of Tage 2023" challenge, with a theme of "vintage".

For the background, I used a page from an old second hand Welsh hymn book.

I used Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink to stamp the Stampscapes "Pines & Rocks 195G" image.  I used a pale blue Derwent Inktense pencil to add touches of colour, then I inked areas using "Coffee" Ranger Archival Ink.

I edged the tag with Versafine Clair "Pinecone" dark brown ink and then used a "Destress Tool" to roughen up the edges, before I glued the tag on to a piece of blue card.

Day 7 of "Karen Telfer's 24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

 

I'm still playing catch up with my tags, but I am nearly back on track.  This is my Day 7 tag of "Karen Telfer's 24 Days of Tags 2023" challenge.

Using Kraft card for the base, I splattered Dr PH Martins white bleed proof paint from a fan shaped paint brush to replicate the snow.

Once dry, I stamped the bird which is part of the Tim Holtz / Stampers Anonymous stamp set called "Crazy Birds, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink. I then stamped the bird again on a piece of white card. I coloured the stamped image on the white card using Derwent Inktense pencils, applied with a paint brush. then fussy cut the body and stuck it over the image on the tag.

I used a Woodware stamp with Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" dark green ink to stamp the holly leaves.  Again, I used Derwent Inktense pencils to colour the leaves then fussy cut them, sticking them into position below the bird.

I used more Dr Ph Martin's white paint to add snow to the edges of the holly leaves, applied with a very fine paint brush.  I then added a little dusting of Pin Flair "Ice Diamond", (it's looks a bit like ice/snow).  I then added some sticky backed red gems for the berries.

I used a Simon Says Stamp for the sentiment, it's part of their "Tiny Words - Christmas" stamp set, stamped in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

Finally, to add a little sparkle, I added tiny areas of Lavinia "Moon Dust" silver glitter.

Sweet Poppy Stencils / Stampscapes Oak Branch Card

This morning I have had a play with my little used "Stampscape" stamps, paired with a couple of Sweet Poppy products to make this card.

I started with the Stampscapes "Oak Branch" red rubber stamp, stamping it in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.

I then used "Sky Blue" Ranger Archival Ink, through the Sweet Poppy Stencil called "Floral Trellis Backplate".

I stamped the sentiment, which is part of the Sweet Poppy "Hugs & Kisses" stamp set, in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" and "Acorn" ink.  I then Inked the edges of the card in "Shady Lane" too.

I added colour to the tree using Derwent Inktense pencils, colouring the trunk and also adding a lighter shade of green to areas of the tree canopy.

Finally, I mounted the card on to a piece of green card and then on to a white card blank.

Lavinia Stamps "Floral Wreath" Birthday Card

I made this Birthday card this morning, using an off-cut of a Brusho paint background I'd had hanging around for a while, so I have no idea what colours I have used to create the coloured background.

Using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink, I stamped the Lavinia "Floral Wreath" and the "Waffle Flower" sentiment.  I then inked the edges of the card, before mounting the card on to a piece of blue card and then a white card blank.

To colour the wreath buds, I used a Derwent Inktense pencil, called "Mineral Blue" applying the colour with a paint brush.  Once dry, I used "A Wink of Stella" to provide a lovely subtle gold shimmer over the wreath.

Lavinia Stamps "Forest Leaf" gift tag

Over at Lavinia Stamps this weekend, Tracey Dutton, Jo Rice and Sarah Anderson had a craft off, making a tag using the new Lavinia Stamps "Forest Leaf" stamp, so that prompted me to have a play too, making this tag.

I used a manila coloured tag for the base then used two shades of green and two shades of orange Ranger Archival Inks.  The colours I used are:  Prickly Pear, Fern Green, Monarch Orange and Bright Tangello.

Using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink, I stamped the "Forest Leaf" stamp in the top left corner and then again in the bottom right corner.  While the "Twilight" ink was out, I inked the edges of the tag.

I used Versafine Clair  "Warm Breeze" turquoise ink to stamp the "Winter Spice" verse over the peachy/orange coloured areas.

I then used Versafine Clair "Twilight" to stamp the sentiment, which is part of the Lavinia Stamps "Heartfelt Verse" stamp set.

I then started to colour the leaves using Derwent Inktense pencils, applied with a paint brush.  I gave the lighter areas of the leaves a few brush strokes of "A Wink of Stella" to give some shimmer to the leaves.

I then used some copper coloured metallic paint and a fan shaped paint brush, tapped to produce tiny splatters of colour across the tag.  I gave the surface a waft of the heat gun to ensure it was fully dry, before mounting the tag on to some dark blue card.

Lavinia Stamps "Winter Whispers" Fairy Catkins wreath card

This is project number six using the new release "Winter Whispers" stamp set from Lavinia Stamps, I think this shows how much I like this collection.  It just works so well with the existing Lavinia range.

For this card, I used the Lavinia aperture circle from the "Sticker Stencils - Set 5" with "Lost Shadow" Distress Ink to give a quiet background circle for the wreath.

I then moved on to the stamping, starting with the stamp from the new release called "Fairy Catkins" stamped in Versafine Clair "Acorn" a mid warm brown ink.

Next, I moved on to stamping the leaves using the Lavinia Stamps "Oak Leaves" stamp, stamped in two shades of Versafine Clair Ink:  "Summertime" an orange coloured ink and "Acorn" the brown ink.

I coloured the leaves with a selection of Derwent Inktense pencils and a gold gel pen.

I moved on to stamping the berries, I think this berry stamp came with another Lavinia Stamp, but I don't recall which one.  I stamped the berries in Versafine Clair "Chianti" dark red ink.  Once dry, I then coated the berries in red Posca Pen, adding dots of white gel pen, where I thought the light might hit the berries.

Using Versafine Clair "Summertime" orange coloured ink, I stamped the sentiment in the middle of the wreath.  The verse is called "Winter Spice".

Finally, I added some dots of gold gel pen and added a few highlights to various areas of the wreath using a white gel pen.

Lavinia Stamps "Winter Whispers" Forest Leaf gift tag

While the new release by Lavinia Stamps, called "Winter Whisper" stamps were out on my desk, I decided to make a tag.

I stamped the new "Forest Leaf" stamp in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.  I then coloured the leaves using rwo shades of Derwent Intense pencils (Apple Green and Mineral Blue). I then coated the leaves with "A Wink of Stella".

 I used one of the small Lavinia Stamps blending brushes, to apply "Shadow Grey" Archival ink through the Lavina "Waffle Stencil".  I then used the remaining blue ink on a large blending brush to fade the colour out towards the top and the left hand side.

I used a small Lavinia "Berry" stamp with "Chianti" Versafine Clair ink, I then coated the berries in red Posca Pen and added some touches of white to give the impression of light hitting them.

Finally, using a fan shaped paint brush, I splattered the surface of the tag with small dots of gold paint.  Once dry, I then mounted the tag on to a piece of dark green card.

Penny Black "Delicate Florals 40-103" Birthday Card

Another early start today, but I quite like the quiet and stillness of early morning.  It allows my mind to drift without the interference of the tv, radio or the dog barking.  I had a lovely little play session making this pretty card. 

I used a Penny Black cling stamp for the image called "Delicate Florals 40-103".  I coloured the stamp with three shades of Distress Markers (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Worn Lipstick), I spritzed the stamp with water then stamped the image on to water colour card.  I gave it a quick blast of the heat gun to dry the surface.

I used a wet paintbrush to bring some of the colour to other areas of the stamped image and then used three shades of Derwent Inktense Pencils (Spring Green, Leaf Green and Pink Flamingo), applied with a paint brush for extra depth of colour.  I gave it another blast of the heat gun then added a touch of subtle shimmer using a gold sparkle gel pen.

Finally, I used Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink to stamp the sentiment, which is also by Penny Black and is part of their "Not older, Better 30-896" clear stamp set.

Lavinia Stamps "Flower Pots" Card

Moving away from pumpkins today, I thought I would use of the quieter, less obvious stamp sets which is part of the new release from Lavinia Stamps, using the "Flower Pots" set. 

I used two lengths of low tack tape to provide an area I could stencil through.  I lay the Lavinia Stamps "Waffle Stencil" over the card and used "Violet" Archival Ink to create the patterned horizontal band across the card.

I stamped the new Lavinia "Flower Pots" in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist".  While the ink was out, I also stamped the "With Love" sentiment, which is part of the Lavinia "Heartfelt Verse" stamp set.

I stamped the lavender (also part of the flower pots set) in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" for the stems and "Monarch" purple for the flower heads. I then stamped the green foliage in the other post using Versafine Clair "Verdant" green ink.

I coloured the flower pots using "Burnt Orange" Derwent Inktense pencil, applied with a paint brush.

Finally, moving on to the grounding of the pots, I used a paint brush to paint "Lost Shadow" Distress Oxide Ink.  I added a touch of 2B penil right below the pots for a little depth of shadow.