Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Magnolia TE43" Monochrome Christmas Bauble

For the base of this card, I used black card, laying the Tracy Evans  "Bauble 2 - SS7" stencil over the top, securing with a low tack tape. I used "Titanium White" Pan Pastel, throught the stencil applied with a foam applicator, making one lighter thatn the other.

ON the darker side of the bauble, I stamped the magnolia, which is part of the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Magnolia TE43" stamp set, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.   I used a white gel pen to brighten the lines within the stamped image and for the lighter areas on the right hand side of the bauble. Finally, I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink again to add some darker shadows to the left hand side of the bauble.

Funky Fossil Designs "Bees Geometric" stamp set and "In The Groove" stecil Bee Card

I'm attempting to use up little bits of cards that I have saved for those "just in case" moments.  The background of this card is one of those.  It was made with Pan Pastels through the Funky Fossil Designs "In The Groove" stencil on the gel press.

Using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I stamped the bee and the honeycomb.  Both of these are part of an old Funky Fossil Designs stamp set called :"Bees Geometric".  I used Posca Pen, a black fine liner pen and a gold gel pen to colour the bee image.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2026 - Week 30

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 30 is "Black Birds"

The base of my tag was tones of green and yellow Dylusions spray inks.  I used "Cobalt" Ranger Archival Ink through the Visible Image "Strobes" stencil.  I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the bird, part of the Visible Image "Leave Your Fears Behind" stamp set and their "Into The Woods" stamp set for an additional tree. Using the same ink, I stamped part of the spray from the horse in the Visible Image "Stay Wild" stamp set.

I inked the edges of the tag using "Cobalt" Ranger Archival Ink.  I used an orange Pan Pastel through part of the Visible Image "Breakout" stencil.  I then added dots of orange and white Posca Pen splatters.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "One of a kine - TE54" Artist Trading Card

I'm late in the day with my Artist Trading Card (ATC), so here it it.

I started with a piece of grey card by rouding the corners.  I then placed the Tracy Evans Boutique Dsigns "Snippet Stencil Leaf - SS32) over the top of the card and applied "Yellow Ochre" Pan Pastel through the stencil.

Once the stencil was lifted, I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink to stamp the snowdrops and the sentiment, which are both part of the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "One of a kind - TE54" stamp set. I used the same ink for the edges of the ATC.

I then used a black pen to go round the edge of the leaf and a gold coloured gel pen to draw extra detail on the leaf.  Around the edge of the leaf, I used an orange and a white Posca Pen to add dots to the background, circling some of the orange dots in  a black fine liner pen.

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 53

Today is Day 53 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay challenge.  This week is all about the gel plate.

I've used Pan Pastels through the Funky Fossil Designs "Batik Stencil" to create the pattern in the background. 

Over the top of the pattern, I have used a black pen to draw Zentangle doodle designs, drifting from the top left to the bottom right hand corner of the card.

Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay Challenge - Day 23

It is Day 23 of the Tiffany Johnson Creative #100daysartplay challenge.  The theme for this week is use household items.  

How long is a piece of string... For my Day 23, I have used string, a "household item that lingers in the drawer for years and rarely gets used.  

I started with a piece of kraft card measuring 5x5".

I used a circle mask to make the background circles, using "Light Gold" Pan Pastel through the mask.  I added splatters of black and white Posca Pen then mounted the card on to a piece of dark blue card and then a piece of white card.

I die cut a circle in the same kraft card, then coated one side with a wet glue and wound the string in circles till I reached the edge of the die cut.  On the underside of the disc, I added foam pads then popped the disc in the middle of the card.  Using wet glue again I drew a trail and stuck the string to it.

I printed out the phrase "How long is a piece of string", cut it to size then mounted the phrase on to a piece of dark blue card, sticking it in position using double sided tape.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 6

The challenge for 2024 is weekly.  I will 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 Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024:

The prompt for Week 6 is "Skeleteon Trees or Leaves"

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This is my Week 6 tag, working to the prompt of "Skeleton Trees or Leaves".

For the base, I used a white tag.  I coloured the whol tag with "Sundance" Elements inks.  I then positioned a moon mask where I wanted the moon to be, as I knew I would forget it when I got to the darker colours.

Next, I used "Russet Orange" Elements Inks, leaving a section of yellow but covering the rest with the orange.

I moved on to "Emporer Red" Elements Inks, again leaving some of the yellow and orange before covering the rest of the tag.

Finally, I used the "Merlot" Elements inks, for the dark sky around and above the moon area.  I gave the tag a blast with my heat gun before creating a white halo around the moon using a white Pan Pastel.  I added some mottled areas to the moon itself, by using a finger dabber with "Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.

I then moved on to the stamping.  I used the Visible Image "Into the woods" stamp set with two shades of Versafine Clair Inks:  Nocturne and Morning Mist.

Finally, I mounted the tag on to black card and added a few stars in the sky, using a white gel pen.

Lavinia Stamps "Seren" and the fairy dust card

It was a Lavinia Stamps session first thing this morning, making this card. 

I found a small 4x4" off cut of Lavinia Scenescapes paper, so decided to work within that space to make a card.

In the central area I used "Leaf Green" Archival ink through the Lavinia "Honeycomb Stencil".

I then used white "Pan Pastel" through the Lavinia "White Orbs" stencil around the top two thirds of the card.

Using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink, I stamped the Lavinia "Seren" the fairy, "Mrs Wallace" the hedgehog, the "Fairy Dust" sentiment and the "Small Branch" on either side of the card.

Using Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" and "Green Oasis" I darkened the top right hand corner of the card.

I then created the landscape by using a Lavinia "Hill Mask" with Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" ink.

I added lighter areas using Van Goch pastel pencils.  I added white dots to the "Small Branches" to replicate white berries.

I then used a yellow and orange Posca Pen, to brighten the lantern, using a pastel pencils on the outer edge of the lantern.

I used Versafine Clair "Green Oasis" with one of the stamps from the "Foliage Set" of stamps.  I then used yellow and orange Posca Pens to create the impressions of flowers on the foliage.  

I used a gold shimmer gel pen on the fairy and the spines of the hedgehog.

Funky Fossil Designs "Doodle Alpha Blocks" Diet Journal Cover Page

Funky Fossil Designs recently released a stamp set, that shouted to me to use in my diet journal.  The stamp set arrived in the post today, so I got busy creating a page... I appear to be in orange mode today, this being the second orange coloured make of the day!

I started by digging around in my background folder, where I found two backgrounds using Funky Fossil stencils with Pan Pastels.  I used the "In the grove stencil" and the "Lots of pips stencil", I don't recall which Pan Pastel colours I used.

I distressed the "Lots of pips" background by using a white pastel pencil and dragging a green Versafine Clair ink over it.  I then stamped the Funky Fossil "A7 Sea Life stamp in Versafine Clair "Rain Forest".

I did cut the "In the grove" background and inked the edges of it in Versafine Clair "Rain Forest" green ink and then stamped the Funky Fossil "Doodle Alpha Blocks" in the same ink. I used a wet glue to stick the circle on to the "pips" background and then stamped the word "Journal" in the same ink.

Finally, I added touches of white gel pen to areas of the letters and dots of "Outrageous" Liquid Pearls to the "Sea Life" pattern in the background.

Lavinia Stamps "Indra the Moth" on an archival ink background

Inspired by a demo by Eileen Godwin, I created this card.  For the base colour, I used three shades of Elements Inks:  Sundance, Confetti and Della Blue.

Here's a short video clip which shows the glittery surface of Indra.

I used Wow! "Mistletoe Magic" embossing powder and their clear ink pad to stamp the moth image and then heat set.

I used Archival Inks through several Lavinia Stamps stencils:  Dynamic, Elegance and Posy.  Using White Pan Pastel through "White Orbs" stencil.

Using "Purple Delight" Versafine Clair ink, I stamped the "See a fairy make a wish" verse.

I stamped the "Inspire" word, part of the Lavinia "Inspire Me" stamp set in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.

I inked the edges of the card twice.  The first time using "Twilight" dark blue ink creating a broader coloured edge, then on the very edge, I used "Nocturne" to make the whole thing stand out a bit more.

I used a white Signo gel pen on the moth to highlight some of the design on the moth. 

I then used white and black enamel accents for extra detail, finally mounting the card on to a white card blank.