Friday, 6 November 2026

Creative Artiste #132 November 2026

  ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste is a monthly challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered the challenge last month. Your projects were all wonderful and our winners have been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"
We have opportunities to be a Guest Designer for all our winners.


Today I can show you the large monolith, 11.5" x 8" (29 x 20 cms), that came as part of a set of three MDF monoliths from Samantha K.. I kept with the colour theme of the smaller panels I used last month but added some poppies to celebrate November's Remembrance Day.

Most of the techniques and mediums are the same as last month.


1. I prepped the main panel and extra elements from the Mixed Media Backing Pack, also from Samantha K, with white gesso and some random stamping. I covered the homemade greyboard tags with paper that I created with images and a flower from the Shabby Autumn Flowers set from 
 from Art House Whimsy.
2. Once the ink was dry I used texture paste and Aall and Create stencil #20.


3. I gessoed some small panels from Samantha K's Mixed Media Backing Pack and trimmed images from Art House Whimsy's Gear Head Wings and Things and Flutter Fusion 4.
4.  I added random stamping to the panels and fixed the images from Art House Whimsy. I used the texture paste and stencil on them too. 


5. I used an old poppy stamp from Bee Crafty on red card and cut the flowers out. I shaped and layered some of them up for dimension. I used the sentiment too.
6. I coloured some resin butterflies I'd made with DecoArt fluid acrylics Hansa Yellow Medium and Cadmium Red Hue.


I randomly sprayed Distress Stain Vintage Photo and Fossilized Amber over the large monolith. I then added a few splashes of watered down DecoArt Quinacridone Gold Fluid acrylic, then some of the random stamping and texture paste.


I assembled the elements on the monolith by layering them with Prima 3D Gloss Gel. 


I added the poppies and sentiment.


Lastly I added the butterflies and some short pieces of frayed string.

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter our challenge as many times as you like. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the fabulous mixed media projects created by our multi talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" mixed media creations in our 
November challenge. 

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

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Sunday, 1 November 2026

Crafts Galore Encore November 2026

So far it looks like a mild start to November. I hope the weather stays nice as I have a very busy month ahead with lots of visiting, shopping, organising, school plays and crafting. 

But, before all that ....

.... Welcome to a new challenge at the

Thank you to everyone who joined in with last month's challenge. The winners have been announced on the challenge blog. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. There is a full list of rules on the challenge blog.

Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"
and our sponsor this month is:



who are offering a prize of 2 digi images to our lucky winner.


I have used a 6" (15 cm) card blank to make my first Christmas card of 2026.
I started by cutting the front of the card blank in half vertically to make a "short fall" card. I used papers from First Edition 12" paper pad Winter Wishes to line the inside of the card and on the front panel. I matted the papers onto silver mirri card.


I chose to work with the delightful Snow Ride image and coloured it with my Copics. I die cut the image in a circle and matted it onto a die cut scalloped circle before fixing it to the front panel to overhang the shortfall. 


I stuck small pearlescent gems on the image and created the sentiment on the computer. I added a small bow to finish the card.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using All Dressed Up images.
Grab some inspiration while you're there and enter your "Anything Goes" creations in this month's challenge.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

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Friday, 2 October 2026

Creative Artiste #131 October 2026


 ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste is a monthly challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered the challenge last month. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"
We have opportunities to be a Guest Designer for all our winners.

I recently purchased an MDF Monolith Pack from Samantha K. The pack has three different monoliths, an 8" x 4" (20 x 10 cms), an 8.5" x 5.5" (22 x 14 cms), and a large one at 11.5" x 8" (29 x 20 cms). I have used the two smaller ones here to create an Autumnal display.

I also used some of the elements from the Mixed Media Backing Pack, also from Samantha K.


1. I started by prepping the boards and bases with white gesso and then randomly stamping a small text stamp over the boards and bases.
2. and 3. I used AALL and Create stencil #20 with texture paste to create texture on the boards.
4. I printed out some images of flowers from the Shabby Autumn Flowers set from Art House Whimsy and glued them onto homemade greyboard tags.
The other Art House Whimsy images I used are from Gear Head Wings and Things, Flutter Fusion 4 and Grit and Grace.  I also had some butterfly images from the Butterfly Effect Tags set by 7 Dots Studio. I trimmed the images and glued them to some of the MDF panels from the Samantha K Backing Pack and used the text stamp lightly on them.


5. I sparingly used Distress Sprays Vintage Photo, Fossilized Amber and DecoArt's Quinacridone Gold Fluid Acrylic to add touches of colour to the image elements.
6. I also coloured some paper flowers and mini paper clay butterflies.
7. I used the Distress sprays and lots of water to add colour to the Monoliths and bases.
8. I fixed all the elements in place with Prima's 3D Gloss Gel.


Once the glue was dry, I added more of the sprays and paint for definition.


I finished by adding some tufts of string to both Monoliths and blacking the edges with ink.

*I will used the large Monolith for another project*

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter our challenge as many times as you like. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the fabulous mixed media projects created by our multi talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our 
October challenge. 

I have entered this Monolith pair in the following challenges:


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Thursday, 1 October 2026

Crafts Galore Encore October 2026

October means the start of months of dark evenings and chilly temperatures. I'm not quite ready for that just yet, so, I've made a Summery card to celebrate my sister's birthday this month. I know she'll agree with me.


While I still dream of Summer...

....Welcome to

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog. 

Thank you to everyone who joined in with last month's challenge. The winners have been announced on the challenge blog. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. There is a full list of rules on the challenge blog.

Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"
and our sponsor this month is:


who are offering a prize of 2 digi sets (4 images in each set) to our lucky winner.


I started with an A5 card blank (21 x 15 cms) and matted it with a turquoise textured card. I chose a butterfly patterned paper from First Edition Paradise Crush to layer on a red card and added a panel along one side of another Paradise Crush paper onto turquoise card. 



I chose the Summer Cocktail digi set which has 4 fabulously colourful images of fun looking drinks. I printed one of the images and matted it onto turquoise card.


I created the sentiment  squares on the computer and matted them onto red card, then I finished the card with a blue bow and some blue gems.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using Conjurer of Dreams images.
Grab some inspiration while you're there and enter your "Anything Goes" creations in this month's challenge.

I have entered this in the following challenges:


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Friday, 4 September 2026

Creative Artiste #130 September 2026

Back to school and back to rainy weather. Ugh!!!
On the plus side that leaves plenty of time for crafting now. Yay!!!

So ....

 ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste is a monthly challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered the challenge last month. Your projects were all wonderful and our winners have been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"
We have opportunities to be a Guest Designer for all our winners.

Back at the beginning of July I attended a weekend craft workshop with 3 fabulous tutors. There were four classes and it was pretty intense. A heatwave at the time didn't help either, but, I actually ended up creating one of my all time favourite projects. 

The project is a wooden board and measures just under 12"x 8" (30 x 20 cms). The class was taught by Anna Dabrowska aka Finnabair and was the last class on the Sunday afternoon.

When I first saw the project created by Finnabair, I thought it was just a large piece of rice paper stuck on the board with some embellishments added. Easy! But it wasn't at all. In fact there are only five little strips of rice paper that I added to the project. The background is all paints, inks and textures around a printed image that I transferred.


The main lesson in the class was how to transfer a printed image onto a chosen substrate. There were several images we could choose from and I fell in love with this one, such a beautiful young woman. I actually messed up the transfer and was so upset I wanted to give up there and then, I was hot, tired and frustrated. Anna encouraged me to carry on and gave me a few helpful tips.


Part of the process was to create depth with background stamps, texture through a stencil and with scraps of paper.


Always great fun in Anna's classes is creating interest with embellishments and learning how to layer and balance the groups.


The final step was to use paints on both the embellishments and background to tie everything together.
To finish I darkened the edges of the board with black ink.

This project went from being a near reject to a treasured piece of art hanging in pride of place next to me. I will forever be grateful to Anna for encouraging me to carry on.
And, because I very nearly gave up on finishing this project, but ended up loving it, I have named it "Perseverance".

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter the challenge as many times as you like. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the fabulous mixed media projects created by our multi talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our 
September challenge. 

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

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