Creative Artiste #126 May 2026

 This is the second blog post today, please scroll down to see my Crafts Galore Encore challenge post.

 ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste

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.

I have created a fantasy underwater canvas that measures 8" (20cms).

 

I started by priming the canvas with a coat of white gesso. 

1. I used my own texture paste through part of AALL & Create stencil #87.

2. Once dry, I sprinkled on Lindy's Gang powder Guten Tag Teal and Lindy's Magical Caribbean Blue with water to add colour.

I then prepped the elements and left them to dry before adding to the canvas.

3. I die cut some foliage using Tim Holtz Holiday Greens dies and coloured them with Lindy's Gang shaker powder Lederhosen Laurel and water.

4. I die cut the Fantasy octopus and Spellbinder's anchor several times each. I layered and glued them together for strength before painting them with DecoArt acrylic paints (in photo) by dabbing the acrylics on with an old brush.

5. The bubbles are laser cut greyboard from Tando. I sprayed them with a DecoArt Mister in Primary Cyan.

6. I dabbed the shells with a watered down orange acrylic.

To assemble the canvas I fixed the Tando bubbles to the canvas then added the ferns and the octopus with Prima 3D Matt Gel.

I tucked the anchor in the corner and finished the canvas with a couple of strings of beads.

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 

May challenge. 

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

Creative Artiste #106 July 2024

  ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste

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.

I have made a tag.  It measures 7"x 4" (18 x 19 cm). The tag, cogs and clock are all made of thick greyboard and are from Tando Creative. 

I started by giving the tag a coat of white gesso and then adding texture paste though the Diamond Life stencil #70 from Aall and Create. 

I painted the cogs and frame with brown acrylics and finished them with touches of gold acrylic. I set them aside to dry.

I painted the tag with DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Prussian Blue Hue and Cobalt Turquoise Hue, also Golden Teal Fluid Acrylic. I used a lot of water to move the paints around and blend them.

I added touches of white acrylic and gold acrylic and sprayed them with water to blend them into the blues.

I used dabs of the Golden Teal acrylic and DecoArt Prussian Blue with white acrylic paint to colour the clock. I finished it with some gold acrylic. The padlock was painted with gold acrylic.

I assembled all the elements, using Heavy Body Gel, starting with the lovely gold lace ribbon. 

Then I add the cogs, clock, frame and padlock.

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 

July challenge. 

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

https://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com/2024/07/a-perfect-time-to-craft-open-challenge.html

https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/ltccb-81-anything-goes-ltccb-80-winner.html x

https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/07/miucb-72-anything-goes-optional-veggie.html x

Creative Artiste #97 September 2023

Already September and the little princess will be back at school next week. To say we've had a disastrous summer is an understatement. Following a phone call to say my wonderful brother had had a suspected stroke at the end of June, I headed 300 miles away from home to be with him. It ended with him passing away from a cancerous brain tumor last week. All so shockingly sudden! I've hardly seen the little princess this summer, but I did make it back home to celebrate her birthday at the weekend. It was a much needed relief to do something happy after our family tragedy.

And now, to keep moving forward .... 

 ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste

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.

Due to the very upsetting couple of months I've had,  I haven't really had time to craft, but, I did manage to finish off a project I started at a Tando Creative Ministry of Mixology craft retreat in April 2017. This was started in a class with Kate Crane. The class involved a Divided Box, some tags and embellishments. The products are still available on the Tando Creative website.

The large square tag measures just under 6" (15cms) and is made from thick greyboard. It was supplied with the Tags Kit. I started with a thick coat of white gesso. 

*All the bits and pieces received a coat of white gesso to start with.*

I then used a Brayer to add the colours, starting with the lighter ones and finishing with black gesso around the edges. I used DecoArt fluid acrylics Cobalt Teal, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Green Gold. I sometimes diluted the colours with white gesso to get lighter shades. Finally, I stamped some text randomly over the tag and splattered with a white Posca pen.

The whimsical houses were from the Embellishment kit. I started this one with DecoArt Vermilion Fluid Acrylic. I then used DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle medium before adding a top layer of Cobalt Teal. I used my fingers to paint the smaller bits with Green Gold and ran a black Copic pen around the edges before sticking them on the tag with PVA glue.

I used the crackle step on the roof for the second house and finger painted the window and door with Cobalt Teal Hue and white gesso. The tree was hand cut from extra greyboard. I used Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Green Gold, then finger added some dabs of Quinacridone Gold. I edged all the pieces with a black Posca pen before adding them to the tag.

The cloud was hand cut from leftover thick greyboard. I painted it with Cobalt Teal Hue and finger added white gesso. Again I edged it with black before sticking in place.

Last was the arrow. It was part of one of the Tando Kits from that day and left all by itself in the box. I painted it with Cobalt Turquoise Hue and added dabs of Quinacridone Gold before adding the black edges and sticking it down. I randomly added some dots to the tag with a black Posca Pen to finish.

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.

And meet a new team member!
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:

Creative Artiste #93 May 2023

 Another Bank Holiday weekend in Britain! This time for the King's Coronation. It gives us another chance for a family visit and celebration. It's certainly been a wonderful Spring so far with all the family gatherings we are able to have. They might have seriously cut into my crafting time but I do love being able to spend quality time with my family.

So, before the weekend starts ....

 ....Welcome to a new challenge at

Creative Artiste

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 have made a set of four mixed media cards this month. I can leave them like this or add a sentiment to them when I decide to use them.

It's a lot of fun - and very messy - making mixed media cards so I like to make a few of them at a time. That way I can stick to using the same mediums and similar products for every stage.

I started these cards by blending DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Turquoise Hue and Prussian Blue Hue with water on 6" (15cm) squares of mixed media card. Once dried I used a 3rd generation stamp technique randomly on the card squares with some Aall & Create stamps.

I then used texture paste through some Aall & Create stencils on each piece and added some more colour by spattering Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink. I also splattered the squares with black and white Posca pens.

I coloured some stamped flowers firstly with watered Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink then with Broken China Distress Oxide and water and cut them out. I added touches of  White Posca pen to details on each flower and edged each one with black pen.

I stamped some words and cut them out. They were coloured with watered Distress Oxide Faded Jeans and then Distress Ink Mermaid Lagoon with water. I ran a black pen around the edges to add definition.

I assembled the card fronts with some painted Tando Creative greyboard pieces and added some cheesecloth twists I'd tied with strips of turquoise lace. Then the flowers and words were fixed in place using a combination of foam pads and Soft Matt Gel.

I coloured four card blank edges with Faded Jeans Distress Oxide, randomly added stamping and black Posca splats before fixing the Mixed Media panels in place with Soft Matt Gel.

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 wonderful mixed media projects created by our multi talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our 

May challenge. 

I have entered this card set in the following challenges:

https://lovetoscrapchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/ltscb-161-anything-goes-ltscb-160.html x

https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/ltccb-74-anything-goes-ltccb-73-winner.html x

https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/05/miucb-65-anything-goes-optional.html Top Pick

Crafts Galore Encore December 2021

The countdown to Christmas has begun in earnest now. A letter to Santa has been posted and the tree is up and decorated. Just presents to wrap, cards to deliver, food prep to be done etc. But, before I can sort all that ....

.... there is a new challenge starting at

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:

Gecko Galz

who are offering a $25 voucher for their Etsy shop to the lucky winner.

I have made a set of four gift tags for my grandchildren's Christmas presents.

The tags are Tando Creative Mixed Media Boards and all measure 5.5" x 3" (14 x 7.5cm) I punched holes in the tops of the tags for the ribbons.

I started by covering the tags with a couple of coats of white gesso. Once dry I added two of the papers from the Merry and Bright ATC collection.

I used the Santa Claus Lane collage set. There are two pages in the collection that are packed with fabulous vintage Santas. I cut out four Santa images and mounted them on white card which I distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink. 

I printed colour coordinated sentiments and fixed them to the tags along with little strips of lace. I also added ribbons from Fantastic Ribbons to the tags.

I finished the tags with some wooden decorations which I painted and some coloured 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 Gecko Galz images.

Grab some inspiration while you're there and enter your "Anything Goes" creations in this month's challenge.

You will also find the details of the DT Call for Crafts Galore Encore. So, if you want to join our team, please apply.

Lastly, 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

and keep staying safe!

I have entered these cards in the following challenges:

Creative Artiste #61 June 2020

I shouldn't have mentioned the nice weather we'd been having as, since then, it's been grey and chilly. Hopefully it's been nicer where you are and that it returns to more summery weather here. So, while we wait for the sun to shine again ....

.... There is a new challenge at

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a 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 in May. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"
and we have opportunities to be a Guest Designer for our winners.

I started this project by making two panels after being inspired by a Finnabair video. I didn't know what to do with the panels once they were assembled so I created a base for them to make just one big (16"x 12"/ 41cm x 31cm) project.

The panels and base were created the same way. I started by gessoing some thick greyboard and then randomly stamping over it. Next, I used texture paste though stencils. Aall & Create's Tribal Lines stencil on the base and Dutch Doobadoo's Art Gears on the panels.
The elements are from various Tando Creative kits, my greyboard leftovers and whatever was to hand.

I die-cut the cogs from normal card and layered them up. They were then painted with rusty colours and added to the boards along with Prima's Artstones.

The frames were made the same way as the cogs and the wings are from paper clay in Prima moulds. (Thank you Pam!)

Once the panels were attached to the base I painted everything using DecoArt Fluid acrylics and water. The colours I've used are Hansa Yellow Medium, Magenta and Quinacridone Violet.
I finished with paint splatters and dry brushing with DecoArt Metallic Gold acrylic paint.

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter our challenge up to three times. 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 June challenge.

Stay safe everyone!

I've entered this project in the following challenges:
http://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.com/2020/06/more-mixed-media-challenge-anything.html Top 5
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2020/06/miucb-38-anything-goes-acrylic-block.html x
https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/ltccb-47-june-anything-goes.html x
https://sandee-and-amelie.blogspot.com/2020/06/sandee-june-2020-steampunk-challenge.html x

Creative Artiste #53 September 2019

I survived the six week challenge! Yay!! Six weeks is a long time to occupy a small person but we coped and I even found some time to be creative. So ....

....Welcome to my September challenge post for 

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a 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 Challenge #52 in August. Your projects were all wonderful and our winners have been announced on the blog.

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

I have a present I made for my daughter's birthday to show today. She loves miniatures and it looks lovely on her dresser.

The kits for the bookcase and books are from Tando Creative. The bookcase measures roughly 8"x 8" (20cm x 20cm).

I started by assembling the bookcase and painting it with a few DecoArt brown acrylic paints. Once dry, I used Black Soot Distress Ink through a Tim Holtz stencil to create the wood pattern. I used Pebeo's gilding wax to finish the edges.

Some of the books have a bendable spine and the smaller ones need to be glued together. Once the books were put together I painted them all with varying shades of DecoArt's brown acrylics and glued papers from my stash onto them.

I used small, random stamps on the book covers, smudged Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges and added touches of gold Pebeo gilding wax.
The book pages were all papers I stamped with text stamps and cut to size. I glued the pages in place and inked the edges.

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

I've entered this project in the following challenges:
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/miucb-29-anything-goes-3-d-project.html Winner
http://welove2create.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-9-anything-goes-mixed-media.html x
http://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/more-mixed-media-challenge-anything.html Top 5
https://lovetoscrapchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/ltscb-125-anything-goes.html x

Creative Artiste #44 November 2018

Chilly temperatures and the clocks going back means Autumn is here and it kick starts with fireworks this weekend in the UK as we celebrate the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. We are looking forward to a local organised firework display and hoping that all animals and people stay safe. 

Now, welcome to my November post for

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a 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 Challenge #43 in October. Your projects were all fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are sponsored by the fabulous

Tando Creative

I have made another tag, and yes, I've used blue again ...

The base is a 7"x 4" (18cm x 10cm) greyboard tag from Tando Creative. I started by giving the tag and some random greyboard shapes from my stash a coat of white gesso.

I used Distress Oxides, Spiced Marmalade and Broken China, with water to colour everything by dipping and drying until I was happy with the results.

I then used an ephemera stamp and  Carabelle's "Un regard sur mon histoire" stamp over the tag and the shapes. Once dry  I fixed them onto the tag with gel medium for dimension.

I took one of the butterflies from Tando's Butterfly Grab Bag and gave it a thick coat of white gesso. While it was still wet I dipped it into the leftovers of Oxide ink from colouring the tag. I wound some of Hannah Oxberry's super rusty wire available from Tando and fixed it to the tag with the butterfly on top.

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

Enjoy your weekend everyone and stay safe if fireworks are involved.

I've entered this tag into the following challenges:

http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com/November challenge
http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.com/2018/11/novembers-challenge.html x
http://notjustcardschallenges.blogspot.com/2018/10/october-challenge-anything-goes.html x
https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/ltccb-28-november-anything-goes.html
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/11/miucb-19-anything-goes-aperture.html

Creative Artiste #43 October 2018

After spending the month of September doing card demos I managed to find some time for messy crafting, yay! So...

... Welcome to my September post for

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a 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 Challenge #42 in September. Your projects were all fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are sponsored by the lovely

Scrapmatts & Papertole Australia

Today I have a tag to show you. I've broken out of my blue phase as you can see.

The base is a 7"x 4" (18cm x 10cm) greyboard tag from Tando Creative. I gave it a coat of gesso to start with, then a wash of DecoArt Americana Light Buttermilk acrylic paint. I added some splodges (technical term) of DecoArt Americana Dark Chocolate acrylic paint and watered them down and mopped them up to create a mottled effect. I dabbed Dark Chocolate around the tag edges.

I made up some texture paste with DecoArt Americana Baby Pink acrylic paint and passed it through Scrapmatts Plus Sign stencil randomly over the tag. I then used Carabelle's "Un regard sur mon histoire" stamp over the tag and added some cheesecloth scraps. I splashed some paint over the tag to finish the base.

I started building up layers by taking some pieces of Scrapmatts Chipboard Sticks and covering them with DecoArt Americana Bahama Blue acrylic paint. I added DecoArt Crackle Paste and once dry dabbed the Dark Chocolate paint and water over the crackle. I added them to the tag.

I had an old bag of various Kaiserkraft ephemera and picked out some of the bits to use. I scruffed the edges, stamped onto them and and dabbed the watered acrylics on them. I splashed some of the watered paint over them and mounted them onto the tag with gel medium.

I took two of the words from Scrapmatts Assorted Words set and dabbed them with the Dark Chocolate acrylic paint and heat dried them. I repeated the process until I was happy with the textured look. After fixing the words in place I finished the tag with some Prima Artstones, paint and gel medium.

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

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

I've entered this tag into the following challenges:

http://welove2create.blogspot.com/2018/09/challenge-13-anything-creativemixed.html
https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/ltccb-27-october-anything-goes.html
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/10/miucb-18-anything-goes-monochrome.html
http://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.com/2018/10/more-mixed-media-challenge-anything.html
http://abitmoretimetocraft.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-bit-more-time-to-craft-challenge-77.html
http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com/2018/10/october-challenge-and-apologies.html