52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge

Tuesday, 10 November 2026

Lavinia Stamps "Elderskip LAV1040" Artist Trading Card



This is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the day.  I used a piece of grey card for the base,  Stamping the Lavinia Stamps "Elderskiip LAV1040" in Versfafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  I used the same ink with a torn edge of a piece of paper to create the landscape.  I then used a Lavinia "Acetate Circle Mask" with "Morning Mist" again to edge the circle.

I coloured the sky using Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink with a blending brush, then stamped the trees, Lavinia Stamps "Small Pine Trees LAV836" using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  I then coloured the scene using Van Goch Pastel Pencils.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Embrace Nature TE71" Bumble Bee Artist Trading Card



This is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for yesterday, I had the day out yesterday, so am playing catch up.  

I used a piece of cream coloured card for the base. Stamping the circular frame, the bumble bee and the sentiment, all part of the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Embrace Naturre TE71" stamp set, in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

I used `'Vivid Chartreuse" green Ranger Archival Ink with a blending brush from the edges towards the circular frame.  I then painted "Pumice Stone" Distress Oxide Ink between the frame and the bee.

I coloured the bee using two shades of Distress Oxide ink, "Wild Honey" with a touch of "Rusty Hinge".  Adding a "Wink of Stella" to the wings of the bee to fgive a lovely shimmery look.  Finally using a gold gel pen to add dots over the green background.

Sunday, 8 November 2026

Paint Splattered Christmas Wreath Artist Trading Card


This is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the day.  I came across the background yesterday, while "shuffling" things around by my craft desk.  I loosely remember making it.  Acrylic paints, lots of splatters - it was a messy session, that will rarely be repeated, as I don't like a messy project!

I cut the background down to size, using a corner rounder on the four corners.  I rummaged in my box of die cuts and found an assortment of bits that worked ok together.  I think many of them come from a Sizzix / Stampin' Up die set called "Pretty Pine Thinlits".  Once glued into position, I used a red Posca Pen to replicate berries and a white Posca Pen for highlights on the berries and leaves, finally adding some dots of "White Opal" Liquid Pearls across the ATC.

Lavinia Stamps Books Birthday Card



How can I be a Grand Mother to a thirteen year old, is the question I am asking myself.  Surely she is still a little girl running round the garden looking for fairies? That's how I think of her, but she is actually a beautiful and very tall girl, who will be celebrating her thirteenth birthday this week.  She is a real book worm and devours books within a very short time, so I decided the birthday card needed to be book related.



Fortunately, Lavinia Stamps came to the rescue as I have their book stamps in my collection.  I stamped the books in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.  The stamps that I used are:

  • LAV970 Miniature Books 
  • LAV958 Book Of Lost Words
  • LAV962 Cures and Curses
  • LAV964 Fairy Handbook

I then partially painted the background using "Victorian Velvet" Distress Oxide ink, leaving the top left corner white, so that there wasn't an over load of colour. I then painted the book spines using other Distress Oxide Inks.  The colours I used are:

  • Blueprint Sketch
  • Mowed Lawn
  • Scattered Straw
  • Picked Raspberry
  • Salvaged Patina
  • Wilted Violet

Once dry, I then added touches of gold gel pen to areas of the spine and used a 2B pencil and a paper stub to add shadows below the books.

I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the sentiment,s aying "Birthday Girl" which is part of the Waffle Flower "Over sized Hello 271309".  I then used the Lavinia Stamps "Numbers LAV797" stamp set with Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink to stamp the numbers one and three, colouring them in "Salvaged Patina" and "Wilted Violet" Distress Oxide Ink.

in the bottom left corner of the inside of the card, I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Book Of Spells LAV959" stamp, then used Versafine Clair "Morning `Mist" grey ink to stamp the stars using one of the Lavinia Stamps "Mini Stars".  

A Crafting Niche "52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2026" - Week 45


 

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2026:

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 45 is "In Profile / Silouette"

This is my Wek 45 tag, "In Profile / Silhouette.  I started by using the Tracy Evans "Circular ST6" stencil with two shades of Ranger Archival Ink, Garden Patina for the bottom and Cobalt for the top area, leaving the central circle white.  I then added a few strokes of a blending brush that had a bit of black ink remaining on the bristles to darken the mood a little as it looked stark against the background.

I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the bird, which is part of the Tracy Evans "Create A Garden TE66" stamp set.  The flowers are from the same stamp set and are stamped in first and second generation stamping also using "Nocturne" black ink.

Finally, I added some white dots to the sky, using a Posca Pen and printed out the words "Moonlit Blackbird" and glued into position.



Saturday, 7 November 2026

Lavinia Stamps "Christmas Pud LAV1089" Artist Trading Card



I had a little move around of things by my craft desk and came across a book page that I think i had used spray inks on.  I decided to use the piece up on an Artist Trading Card (ATC), ending with this little ATC.

I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Christmas Pud LAV1089" and thier "Holly Tree LAV1090" stamp.  I then stamped them again on to a piece of white card.

I then painted the images on the white card using Distress Oxide Inks.  The colours I used are: Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness and Lucky Clover. I fussy cut the shapes and glued them over the stamped image on the ATC.  I used a red Posca Pen to colour the berries, a white gel pen for highlights, a 2B pencil, paper stub and black fine liner pen for shading.

Finally, I added a word sticker saying "joy" because for me Christmas food is always joyous.  finally, inking the edges of the ATC using "Shady Lane" Versafine Clair ink.


Friday, 6 November 2026

Penny Black "Farm Fresh 40-834" Artist Trading Card

 


This is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the day,  I have used Versafine Clair "Sand Dune" beige coloured ink to stamp the Penny Black "Farm Fresh 40-834" slapstick cling rubber stamp.  

I then painted the stamped image, using four shades of Distress Oxide inks Dried Marigold for the jug, Mowed Lawn for the grasses and Shaded Lilac and Wilted Violet for the lavender.  I used "Pumice Stone" Distress Oxide Ink for the background colour.  Shading the stamped image using a 2B pencil and a paper stub, finally adding a word sticker saying "pure and simple".