Crafts Galore Encore January 2023

 Happy New Year everyone!

Here's hoping 2023 is going to be a healthy, happy and prosperous year for us all.

It's gong to be a busy week to start the year. The Christmas tree needs dismantling, the decorations need packing away and the children are still off school and need entertaining. And I still need to find time to play with my new crafty presents.

Meanwhile .....

.... there is a new challenge starting today 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:

Hetty Clare

who is offering a prize of 2 digi images for our lucky randomly drawn winner.

I have made an 8"x 8" (20 x 20cm) card to celebrate the beginning of the new year.

I have used papers from The Gift of Giving paper pad by Craft Consortium. I have matted the papers onto red card. I printed the sentiment and cut out the individual words. I matted them onto the red card.

The image I chose is called Happy Hour. I coloured it with my Copics and matted it onto the red card.

The paper pad has a page of just images and I cut some balloons and the champagne bottle and glasses out for embellishments. I fixed them to the card with foam pads for dimension.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using Hetty Clare 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:

Creative Artiste #89 December 2022

 ....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'm a firm believer in recycling and I'm not keen on single use plastics, so, I wanted to do something with the bowl a take away salad came in. I turned it into a snack dish to use for all those naughty nibbles we like too much at Christmas. 

The first thing I did was to use a DecoArt gold acrylic paint through an Aall & Create stencil around the bowl on the outside. I also painted under the rim too.

Next, I coloured some white tissue paper with red DecoArt Media Mister. Once dry, I tore the tissue into strips and glued it around the outside of the bowl with PVA. I then used a brush to dab gold acrylic randomly around the bowl.

To finish off I painted four glass beads with the gold Acrylic and stuck them to the sides of the bowl with some green beads.

Now I have a dish in my favourite Christmas colours of red, green and gold. It will get plenty of use over the festive period, and maybe beyond.

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 

December challenge. 

This is the last challenge of the year and Creative Artiste will be taking a well earned break in January. The crafty fun will resume on Friday February 3rd 2023.

Enjoy the festive season everyone!

I have entered this dish in the following challenges:

https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/11/miucb-62-anything-goes-optional-open.html x

https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2022/11/ltccb-71-anything-goes-ltccb-70-winner.html x

https://artydivaschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/11/november-challenge-and-october-winners.html x

Crafts Galore Encore December 2022

December seems to have come around very quickly this year and I feel that I'm already behind with all the preparations. The tree needs to be decorated, presents bought and wrapped and cards written and posted. And then there's the food shopping and preparation. At least there are the school and group Christmas concerts and parties to look forward to. I need to get a move on or I won't be ready in time.

Meanwhile .....

.... there is a new challenge starting today 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:

Gekko Gals

who are generously offering $25 to spend in their Etsy store.

I have a set of Christmas cards I made for our little princess to give to her teachers and group leaders for Christmas.

The cards are all A6 size (14.5 x 10.5 cm).

All the cards feature papers from the Frozen Mini ATC sheet. I made half the set in portrait orientation and the others in landscape. They all feature more or less the same layout with a background layer and a matted band.

I matted the images from the Santa Clause Lane collage sheets onto white card.

The cards are all decorated with die-cut snowflakes, a printed sentiment and lots of glitter.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using Gekko Gals images and papers.

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

I have entered this card set in the following challenges:

https://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-perfect-time-to-craft-open-challenge.html x

http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.com/2022/12/december-2022-christmas.html x

https://classicdesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/12/classic-design-challenge-december-12.html x

http://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2022/12/december-challengechristmas-dreams.html WINNER

Creative Artiste #88 November 2022

Well the weathermen weren't wrong about the rain this week but they forgot to mention the 30 mile hour (50 kilometre) winds! We were very brave and had a fun outing to a local marina where we really struggled to walk straight. We rewarded ourselves with some crafty goodies, so, in the end, it was a good trip out.

But before we play with our new toys....

  ....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.

This month I have an upcycled biscuit tin to show. I've gone back to my comfort zone of circles, gears, blue and brown.

I white gessoed the top of the tin and then dabbed it with a coat of white acrylic. Once dry, I added a layer of DecoArt One Step Crackle. To colour the lid I used DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Prussian Blue, Cobalt Turquoise and Cobalt Teal in an ombre effect across the tin. I used those same colours for the wooden words.

I made the resin gear elements. Some are using a clear resin which gives a lovely translucent effect when painted. They were all painted with Dark Chocolate DecoArt acrylic and Fluid Acrylic Quinacridone Gold and arranged on the tin with Prima Heavy Body Gel.

I used texture paste through a cogs and gears stencil around the base of the tin. Once dry I painted the tin with Fluid Acrylics Quin Gold and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and also a few touches of Dark Chocolate acrylic. 

 

I finished the base with a coat of Mod Podge Gloss Finish. I tried to create a leather look as I want the tin to have an overall masculine finish so I can gift it to my brother for Christmas.

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 

November challenge. 

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2022/11/ltccb-71-anything-goes-ltccb-70-winner.html x

https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/11/miucb-62-anything-goes-optional-open.html x

https://mixedmedialovers.blogspot.com/2022/11/letters-challenge-19-van-mixed-media.html winner

https://artydivaschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/10/october-challenge-and-september-winners.html x

Crafts Galore Encore November 2022

 It's half term here in Wales this week and, unfortunately, the weather is of the usually predictable rainy kind. We will need to pick our activities carefully to avoid getting too wet. Fortunately we have a few ideas that don't involve umbrellas and wellies.

But first.....

.... there is a new challenge starting today 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"

We don't actually have a sponsor this month but we do have a prize of a

£15 Etsy Gift Card

for our lucky winner.

The team was free to use any product we like to make our projects this month.

I'm choosing to showcase two commissioned birthday cards that I have recently made featuring  

images from The Paper Shelter.

The images are instant downloads and all come with a black outline digi and a coloured digi, both in Jpeg and png format. Also included is a backing frame paper and the coloured image on the backing frame paper. 

The papers for both cards are from The Gift of Giving 12"x 12" (30 x 30 cm) paper pad by Craft Consortium.

On this first card I started by colouring the edges of an 8"x 8" (20cm x 20cm) card blank with a pink Copic pen. I then layered a cheerful bunting paper onto plain lilac card. Next I added a dropped panel of balloon paper.

This card features the super cute image called Happy Birthday. I used the png black outline digi and coloured it with my Copics in colours that the little girl recipient loves.

I finished the card with the age of the little girl and a printed sentiment. Both were matted onto card coloured with a pink Copic pen.

For the second card I inked the edges of an 8"x 8" (20cm x 20cm) card blank with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink. I matted the balloon panel paper onto card edged with the Distress Ink and added a paper doily.

This adorable image is Cupcake Birthday. I again used the black outline png digi and coloured it with my Copics. I matted it onto card edged with Distress Ink.

I finished the card with a printed sentiment banner and lots of pink gems.

Both cards were commissions that have now been received. 

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see all the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using their own choice of  images.

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

I have entered the 1st card in the following challenges:

https://classicdesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/11/classic-design-challenge-november-11.html DT Fav

https://morgansartworld.blogspot.com/2022/11/morgans-artworld-challenge-11.html x

I have entered the 2nd card in the following challenges:

https://thepapershelter.blogspot.com/2022/11/challenge-532-something-yummy.html Winner

https://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-perfect-time-to-craft-open-challenge.html

https://worldwideopendesignteamchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/10/world-wide-open-design-team-challenge-10.html x