Week 2 - 52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2018

There has been a fabulous response to the start of the 2018 challenge.  You can see the tags made by checking out the Facebook group.  The prompts for previous weeks and the ones for the 2017 challenge can be found by clicking the button to the right of the "home" button below the blog title. You are more than welcome to join in this challenge.  There is no pressure, do as much or as little as you like.

The prompt for Week 2 is "Vintage / shabby".  I wanted to leave it quite loose so that you don't feel under too much pressure.

Here's my example for the Week 2 prompt.  I had a few ideas in my head about what I wanted to include for this tag.

Firstly I started with a section of cotton weave canvas which I inked, scrunched then re-inked and then ironed flat.  I then got a cream coloured tag and inked the edges in darker shades.  I used a little tool to distress the edges a little too.  

I have never used my sewing machine on a papercrafting project, but decide to ring the changes and sew the canvas layer onto the distressed tag, (I deliberately made the stitching quite rough and did not adjust the tension so it wasn't very even).  I then stamped some text and also used a coral/seaweed stamp from a Stampin' Up set called "By The Tide".

At this stage, I paused for a few hours as I couldn't formulate how I wanted to move forward. Firstly, I layered and stuck down two layers of lace with a frayed end, down the middle of the tag. I found a section of an old die cut in red and positioned it at the top of the tag.

I decided to die cut a wreath using Stampin' Up "Swirly Scribbles" die.  I punched some foliage using a Martha Stewart punch and found some small white paper roses in my stash.

I stamped the bird (I'm not sure what the stamp set is as I purchased it second hand) and then coloured it in using Promarkers.  I then positioned it with sticky foam pads on top of the wreath so it has a 3D look.  Finally, I knotted some thread through a wooden heart shaped button and then stuck it down.

I hope you enjoy the challenge.  Have a good week.  Sam x

Stamper's Anonymous Mini Bouquet and Oxide Ink Card

I have continued with playing with the Oxide inks and spritzing the stamped image, creating this card using Stamper's Anonymous "Mini Bouquet" stamp set, Tim Holtz Oxide Inks and a Papertrey Ink sentiment from their "Signature Greetings" stamp set.

Distress Oxide Seed Head Card and Tag

As crafters, sometimes we have difficulty turning off our thoughts.  I had one of those situations today.  I had planned to work on something totally different and had a blinding idea that I had to try out.

I am relatively new to using the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks, so I'm still learning about the way they work and how to get the best out of them. 

I had an idea of getting a smudged look to stamped images using the oxide inks, so decided to see how it worked in practice.  I used a Stamper's Anonymous stamp for the seed heads and a Stampin' Up stamp from their "Iconic Occasions" set for the sentiment.  I added a water colour wash for the sky. I'm really happy with the way it has turned out, so I made a card and a tag out of the practice piece.

This is the practice piece which I was able to cut down to make the card and tag.

Dance To It Tag

I played with the stamps that came with the Creative Stamping magazine (issue 52), again this morning and made this tag.

It has an oxide ink background.  In hindsight I should have used the normal Distress Inks as I would have got a more vibrant colour instead of the muted shades I ended up with, but we live and we learn.  All the stamps are from the magazine set and have been stamped using Versafine ink.  I've also used some green Stickles glitter glue to lift the colour a little.

Guitar Birthday Card (Oxide Inks)

I have several cards to make between January and February so thought I'd better get cracking.

I was inspired by some stamps that came free with Issue 52 of Creative Stamping magazine, (lots of music related stamps) and decided to at least knock one card of my list of makes.

I created the background using Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks.  I stamped the guitar using a Versafine ink.  The red circles are a Stamper's Anonymous stamp.  The sentiment is a Stampin' Up stamp from their "Sale-a-bration Big Day" set.

Here's the front cover of the Creative Stamping magazine and the stamps that come with it.

Reading Challenge - Goodreads 2017 Update

Each year I take part in the Goodreads reading challenge, 2017 was no different. 

I set myself a total of 50 books to read.  On checking my total, I see I actually read 76 books, so I am pretty impressed with that.  

For 2018 I have set the same total of 50 books for the year as I don't want to put myself under pressure.

Do you take part in the Goodreads challenge?

Take Flight Oxide Ink Tag

Today I made a quick tag using the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks to create a beautiful background that lends itself to a skyscape.  I used a  Penny Black cling stamp called "Skyward" for the trees and a Bee Crafty stamp called "Winged Things" for the birds.  

I created the "Take Flight" title by using a new gadget I received for Christmas.  A Brother P-touch H100LB label maker. It's the first time I've used it, so I'm finding out what it can do, but I can see its versatility, especially if I don't have a stamp with the words I need.  (I used  a tape with black lettering on a clear background, using the "shadow" font).