52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2024 - Week 1

Hi, how are you doing?  Ready to see the end of 2023 and looking forward to 2024?

The way the dates have fallen, I decided to make today the start of the "52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge" for 2024.

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 1 is "Do more of.... in '24"!

I know some of us like to make resolutions, but sometimes we disappoint ourselves if we don't keep to it, so instead I thought this was a more gentle approach.

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The thing that I would like to do more of in 2024 is "Sewing".  I like sewing, be it clothes, soft furnishings or patchwork & quilting and for some reason I always push away from it.  I have lots of patterns and fabrics ready to use, so this is my little nudge to do more of what I enjoy... sewing.

I started off with a standard size tag measuring 8x16cm, mine are in a manila/cream colour.

I had been rummaging through my off cuts of scrapbook patterned papers. I came across a section of a My Minds Eye patterned paper, which had flowers, a cream background with alined design and the words "Love you forever".  I decided this was the paper and colour scheme that I would work around, gathering papers together that I felt would work well together.

I stuck a dark patterned red/deep pink patterned paper on to the tag to cover it (the paper is what you can see in the top right hand side.

I then tore the edge of the My Minds Eye paper so that the tear would sit diagonally from top left to bottom right.  I inked the torn edge with "Vintage Photo" Distress Oxide ink and then stuck it in position on the tag using a wet glue.

In my stamping stash, I found a stamp with a bit of a tape measure or ruler on it (I don't recall who made the stamp as I have had it for years).  I stamped this in a couple of areas in second generation stamping, so that it was there, but not overly obvious using Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink.

As one of my sewing loves is patchwork and quilting, I used a Julie Hicky "Layers, Frames, Banners and Hexagon" die set to cut small hexagons in various patterned papers with a small design.  I stuck those into position too then on three added tiny stitch detail using a fine point pen.

I then moved on to stamping.  I used the Stampers Anonymous "Haberdashery - CMS105" cling stamp set to stamp the label of a cotton reel on to a piece of white card, I used Versafine Clair "Chianti" red ink.  I then coloured it with Distress Oxide "Vintage Photo" ink and fussy cut, sticking it on the bottom right hand corner.

I used the same stamp set to stamp the "Lengthen or Shorten" pattern diagram, and the "Pattern Adjustment" text which I stamped vertically,  using Versafine Clair "Acorn" ink.  I stamped the pattern diagram out again on a piece of kraft card, fussy cut it and glued it into position over the original one.  I then gave it a few brush strokes of "A Wink of Stella", to give a lovely subtle golden shimmer.

I used the Stampers Anonymous "Tiny Text - CMS394" cling stamp with Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink to stamp the words "Do What You Love", which I thought was quite apt.  I glued it into position at the base of the text.

I inked the edges of the tag using Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink then mounted the tag on to dark brown card.

Finally, using the computer I typed the word "Sewing", Soft Furnishings, Making Clothes and Patchwork and Quilting and printed the page off.  I covered the text with "Vintage Photo" Distress Oxide Ink, then cut to size and glued into position on the tag.

Ranger Tim Holtz "Distress Water Colour Pencils" first play session

In an earlier post, I mentioned I had ordered the Ranger / Tim Holtz Distress Water Colour Pencils from "Art From The Heart" .

I had a lovely mail box full of goodies today, including the new Distress Water Colour Pencils, so I of course had to have a play, creating this tag.  I went full on grunge, something I've not done for a while and to be honest, I enjoyed every minute of it!

I used one of the backgrounds I'd prepared a couple of days ago, using Tumbled Glass and Tea Dye Distress Oxide Inks for the base.

I stamped in black Archival Ink, uisng a couple of Stampers Anonymous red rubber stamp sets:  Haberdashery - CMS105 and a sentiment from the Perspective Set - CMS213.  I didn't keep note of the colours of water colour pencils I used, just picking up the ones that I was drawn to.

I found the Distress pencils really easy to use.  I liked that you could lay a lot of colour down at once, but also they way they can be diluted.  One of the best things about them is that they are a continuation of the lovely collection of colours already in the existing range, which I have a whole lot of love for!

For me, this tag shares my love of paper crafting and my addiction to sewing so I love it.

Stampers Anonymous Travelling Companion Tag

This is a tag I started a couple of weeks ago, it then got put away and forgotten about.  I came across it this morning and thought I'd finish it.

I created a background using an assortment of Distress Oxide inks. I then used the Stampers Anonymous "Rays" stencil with `'Evergreen Bough" Distress Oxide ink.

I used the Stampers Anonymous "Haberdashery CMS105" stamp set for the dress makers form/dummy.

I used the Andy Skinner "Tornado" stencil with a shade of red distress oxide ink. I then stamped the wing and the scrolls using the Stampers Anonymous "Regal Flourish" stamp and "Vintage Photo" Distress Oxide Ink.

Finally I added a Stampers Anonymous "Clipping Sticker' for a sentiment and highlighted areas with a white Posca Pen.