The 20th Century

Another fortnight has gone by and it's time for another Craft-Room Challenge, it's Zoe's turn to choose the theme and she has chosen The 20th Century.

Here is what she has to say about the challenge.

For this challenge I thought we might look back to the last century.   Enough time has passed since 2000 for the edges to have blurred and softened, so we have 100 years of events; fashion, memories and history to draw on.    Your project can be anything at all that is clearly and distinctly 20th Century in inspiration.    Little reminder here Steampunk is Victorian in style and that is 19th Century so a Steampunk character will not qualify, we are looking here for echo's of the 20th Century.   Please tell us how your have been inspired for your project.

Our sponsors for this challenge are: Tando Creative. One lucky winner drawn at random will get a surprise parcel from Di the owner.

I wasn't sure what to do for my DT piece as there is a lot of material to choose from, in the end I chose the Swinging Sixties, I was a teenager in the sixties and have lots of happy memories, the music and fashions were fabulous. I remember flower power, the ban the bomb marches and I love the bright colours of pop art.

For my DT piece I've done a journal page, I used felt tips to colour it in.

The rest of the DT have made some lovley samples, they would love you all to visit the Craft-Room to take a look.

Here Comes Summer

It's time for another Craft Room Challenge and it's the turn of the lovely Maria to choose the theme and she has chosen Here Comes Summer.

This is what Maria has to say about why she has chosen the theme.

We're all hoping that summer is on it's way, and it certainly seems to be after a glorious couple of weeks here in the UK, and some of you will be thinking of your summer holidays too, so I thought this would be a perfect theme for this time of year.  Your creation can be anything you want, cards, scrapbook layouts, wall hangings, altered items, in fact anything whatsoever which makes you think of summer.

Our very kind sponsor for this fortnight's challenge is Liz Welch from Rarebird:

Please click on the banner to visit Liz's online shop, Rarebird, with all the Friendly Plastic you could ever want, together with lots of exciting things to use with it. 

This is the card I have made for the challenge.

I decided to use some Creative Expressions stamps that I've had for a long time and don't get used very often.
The background was coloured with Distress inks and the images were stamped onto white card. I coloured them with Promarkers, then cut them out and adhered them to the card.

This is a close up of the plane and banner.

The rest of the DT have made some beautiful samples so please take a trip to the Craft Room Challenge to take a look.

Craft Room Challenge - Stamp Your Own Background

Thank you everyone that entered their fabulous postcards in the last challenge - I'll be choosing my favourite three this week and the results will be posted Tuesday 21st May.

The latest Craft Room challenge is to make your own background using rubber stamps.
The sponsor for the challenge is The Stampman - they have £10 for the lucky winner of the random draw to spend in their online store.

Here is the card I made for the challenge.

I stamped the white flowers with Versamark and embossed with clear powder then I coloured the card with Distress Inks. I then stamped the rest of the background with Distress Inks.
I used PaperArtsy stamps apart from the fern [Stamp Addicts] and the plant kindness and gather love [Stampotique].

The rest of the DT have made some fabulous samples so why not pay them a visit to take a look.

Alpha Challenge - W

W is the letter for the latest Alpha Challenge  at the Craft Barn but there is a twist - we have to put circles in the background.
The word I used is Wheels.

I painted the background with DeckoArt acrylic paints then stamped the bicycle. I then coloured one of the wheels with a felt tip and randomly stamped the wheel on the page. I then drew the circles using a circle stencil and my Sharpie pens. I then stamped the honeycomb pattern with white acrylic paint and used my white Posca pen and black pen to write the letter W and Wheels.
The stamps I used are.
Stampers Anonymous for the bicycle.
The Artistic Stamper for the white honeycomb.

  I always forget to do a close up of the word in the dictionary - but I remembered this time.

Valentine

It's the first challenge of the year at the Craft-Room, the theme for the challenge is Valentines and it has been chosen by Nikki.
Before I show you my card I'd like to thank you all for entering the tag challenge, the entries were fabulous and I'm going to find it very hard to choose my top three.

Our sponsor for the challenge is Crafty Individuals.

I coloured a white card blank with peacock feathers Distress ink. I decided that it was too strong a colour for what I wanted so I adhered some white lace round the edges of the card.
I coloured a Sizzex Alterations embossing folder with peacock feathers and wild honey Distress ink and then embossed some white card. I coloured the edges of the embossed card with vintage photo.
Using a Heart Squares Spellbinders die I cut two squares.
For the image I used a Crafty Individuals stamp masking the face before colouring it with wild honey.
I used a Marianne die for the hearts.
I embellished the card with a couple of pins and some seam binding that I coloured with peacock feathers.

The rest of the Design Team have made some fabulous samples so why not visit the Craft-Room to take a look,

Punches and Die Cuts

Another fortnight has gone by so it's time for another Craft-Room Challenge. It's Mervi's turn to choose the theme and she has chosen Punches and Diecuts.
We had some fabulous entries for the Time challenge, I don't envy Suzanne having to choose her top three.

The wonderful Rare Bird are the sponsors for the challenge.

  
I started my card by colouring the edges of my card blank with holly berries Distress ink and adhering some Gecko Galz background paper. I embossed the holly branch with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, I coloured it with iced spruce and bundled sage Distress ink. For the holly I used a Sizzix/Alterations Holly Branch die and coloured the pieces with Distress ink, I then added some frosted lace Stickles. I die cut the sentiment with the Sizzex/Alterations Christmas Stacked Words die and coloured it with holly berries Distress ink and the stickles. I embellished it with some ribbon. 

The rest of the design team have made some wonderful samples so why not take a trip to the Craft-Room to take a look. 

I'm entering my card into the following challenges.
Challenges 4 Everybody Anything Goes.
Dream Valley Challenges  Anything Goes.
The Crafty Bloggers Network Christmas Anything Goes.
The Stampman Emboss It.

Clean and Simple

It's time for the first CRAFT-ROOM CHALLENGE of 2012, the theme has been chosen by the lovely Esther and she has chosen Clean and Simple.

I started my card by embossing lines on a card blank using my Hougie Board and then added the ribbon. I stamped the main image onto white card with Marvy ink. and matted it onto a peachy coloured card and then matted this onto dark brown card, I then attached it to the card and stamped the sentiment.
The stamps that I used are.
Penny Black for the main image.
Rubbadubbado for the sentiment.
Why not click on the link at the start of the post to go and see the fabulous samples that the rest of the DT team have made and don't forget that to be elegable for the Craft Room prize draw you must display the Craft-Room logo in your sidebar.

Poinsettia Wreath

Thank you everyone that joined in with the Handmade Flowers challenge, we had some beautiful creations. The latest CRAFT-ROOM  challenge is Diecuts and Punches and has been chosen by Nikki.

For my DT piece I made this wreath using the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettias dies. This set of dies are great as they emboss the flowers as well a cutting them.
I started by cutting a cardboard ring and wrapped strips of patterned paper round it. I then covered some card with some sticky backed aluminium  and cut 7 of the large Poinsettia flowers and 7 of the next size down and 7 leaves. I covered the flowers and leaves with a black acrylic dabber and wiped of the excess paint just leaving black paint in the embossed areas. I coloured the flowers and leaves with Stazon. I attached a small flower to one of the larger flowers and then adhered them to the cardboard ring, then I adhered the leaves. I wrapped some gold ribbon round the wreath and made a hanger and bow. I adhered some gold beads to the centres of the poinsettias. The last thing I did was to shape the petals and leaves.

I'm looking forward to seeing your creations and don't forget to be eligible for the prize draw you must have the CRAFT-ROOM logo in your sidebar.

Handmade Flowers

 

It's my turn to choose the theme for this fortnights Craft-Room challenge and I have chosen handmade flowers, you can make anything as long as you have made the flower/flowers on your work.
For my card I coloured some white card with tattered rose Distress ink and stamped a large corner flourish with dusty concord  then I matted it onto a card blank and put a black peel of strip round the edge . The image is from a Gecko Galz collage sheet. I backed the image with some doilies and my flowers are made with doilies with a button in the centre. I added a few black gems.

Craft-Room Christmas Candy

This beautiful Indigo Blu rubber stamp plate could be yours  from the Craft-Room on line shop. To find out how to win click on the photo in my sidebar.

This Candy will run until 24th December, the winner will be announced on Tuesday the 27th so the winner will have their prize in time for all those spring cards we all like to welcome the new year with.   Good Luck

A Postcard From Paris.

I can't believe that another fortnight has flown by and it's time for the next Craft-Room Challenge. The theme this time has been chosen by the lovely Debi and she has chosen Travel/Postcard.

 

I know I called my DT piece a postcard in the title but it's really a 9.5 inch by 7.5 inch canvas. I started by painting the canvas with a cream colour then adding a little bit of blue, then I stamped various images to do with Paris but my stamping kept going wrong and I kept adding more paint that mixed with the stamping ink until it became a horrid muddy background, fortunately I had a lot of images to cover it. The three main images are from the Gecko Galz Picture Perfect collage sheet, and all the other images were stamped and then coloured with vintage photo Distress ink. I attached some black lace to the sides of the canvas and attached some beaded ribbon to the middle image then I adhered all the images to the canvas and added some metal corners. When it was finished I decided that I wanted some touches of gold embossing so I applied some Versamark with a stencil brush to parts of the canvas and embossed with gold. I got a little bit heavy handed by the time I got to the bottom.
The Moulin Rouge stamps that I used are by Hampton Art and the Eiffel tower ticket is a Stampers Anonymous stamp.

Why not pop over to the Craft-Room Challenge Blog to have a look at all the fabulous work that the Design Team have done and don't forget that to be eligible for the prize draw you must have the Craft-Room logo in your sidebar.

Favorite Colour.

First of all I would like to say a big hello to all my followers and welcome my new followers. I really do appreciate you liking my work enough to follow me and I enjoy reading all your comments.

I've not felt like crafting or blogging for a few days because of a nasty little bug that sent me to my sick bed, but I'm feeling a lot better now apart from a cough and bunged up nose. I'm very behind with leaving comments on blogs but I hope to try and catch up some time this week.

For the challenge at JUST FOR FUN this week we have to use our favorite colour, so my card has to be green. Last week my Winter Distress inks arrived from the Craft Room so I used the colour evergreen bough to colour a piece of card using the direct to paper technique, then I stamped the trees with iced spruce, I distressed the edges before attaching it to a white card blank. I stamped the robin onto some of the coloured card and cut it out using a Spellbinders die, I matted it onto some white card that had also been cut out with a Spellbinders die. I attached it to the card with some gold ribbon so that it dangled. I stamped the greetings and added a snowflake charm.
The stamps that I used are
Artimio for the trees.
Andy Skinner for the robin.

A Card For A Man

It's time for another CRAFT-ROOM challenge. This time it's the turn of the lovely Mervi to choose the theme and she has chosen Fathers/Male.

For my card I covered a card blank with some coordinating papers. I've used Stampers Anonymous stamps and Spellbinders large circles and small scalloped circles dies. It was a very simple card to make, everything was matted and layered and embellished with brads, cogs and chains.

I'm entering my card into a couple of challenges:
Quixotic Inspirations sketch challenge.
Come and Get It  anything goes.

Nevermore

Time for another CRAFT ROOM CHALLENGE. This week the theme is Black and White.
I started with a black card blank that was white inside and I used a Martha Stuart punch on one edge so that the white inside showed through. I then stamped and embossed Edgar onto a piece of white card, punched out the top edge and wrapped some black thread round it then I attached it to the card blank. I then stamped various images onto another piece of white card and attached this to the card blank. The Nevermore was stamped and embossed onto white card.and then matted onto black card, then I printed the verse from  the poem on my computer and matted it onto black card. The birds were die cut with a Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations die.
All the stamps that I've used are Cherry Pie Art Stamps.

Why not visit the Craft-Room Challenge Blog to see the lovely samples that the rest of the Design Team have made.

Don't forget to put the Craft-Room logo in your sidebar be eligible for the prize draw.

Craft-Room Challenge. Felines

Thank you everyone that entered our Anything Christmas Challenge. We had a lot of wonderful entries and it's going to be difficult to choose the top three.

The CRAFT ROOM CHALLENGE this week is Felines and it has been chosen by the lovely Zoe.

I love cats and have a few beautiful cat stamps but for my DT piece I decided to use my Bagpuss stamps and decoupage sheets. I'm a big fan of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin and I love Bagpuss, the saggy old cloth cat.

For the background I used paper out of the decoupage kit and stamped Bagpuss onto some pink card. The main image is 3D decoupaged and the mouse and bird I just used a single image.
I used my computer to do Bagpuss's poem.

Don't forget to be eligible for the prize draw you need to have the CRAFT-ROOM logo in your sidebar with a link to the Craft-Room shop.
The rest of the Design Team have made some lovely inspirational samples, so why not take a look.

I'd also like to share with you a couple of pieces of needlework that I did over 20 years ago.

This is a piece of blackwork that I made for my mum and now have inherited back.

This cross stitch piece I made for me and it lives on one of my kitchen walls.

Craft -Room Treasure Hunt

The wonderful people at Indigo Blu have given us some stamps to offer you all as blog candy!  You can enter over the next 4 weeks until 17th October 2011.
To find out the rules and how to enter just click on the blog candy photo in my side bar and who knows you could be the lucky winner.

Craft-Room Challenge, Masking.

Thank you everyone for entering the White On White Challenge, all the entries were fabulous.
The latest Craft-Room challenge is Masking and it has been chosen by Esther. You can use ready made masks, stamping or both.
Don't forget to display the Craft-Room logo with a link to the shop to be eligible to enter the draw for a £10 Craft-Room voucher.
Here is my sample.

I coloured a piece of white card with dried marigold and antique linen Distress ink then stamped the clock, bicycle, hand and men with black Archival ink, I then masked the four images. I stamped various bits and bobs onto the card and distressed the edges, then I went round the card with faded jeans and vintage photo Distress ink. When I removed the masks I took out some of the background colour from the images with a water brush to make them a bit lighter. I used some cogs and chain to embellish, then I coloured the edges of a white card blank with vintage photo and attached the decorated card to it.
All the stamps that I used are Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamps except for the Inkadinkado happy birthday.
I do hope you will visit the Craft-Room Challenge Blog to look at the Design Teams fabulous samples and then enter the challenge.

I'm entering this in the Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog Men/All Things Male Themed  Challenge.

Craft Room Challenge No 6 White on White

Thank you everybody that entered the Craft-Room Summer Holiday Challenge, the entries were fabulous.

Now on to the latest challenge that has been chosen by Nikki and she has chosen White on White.
I started of by stamping some feathers onto a white card blank and embossing with some glittery embossing powder. I don't know who makes the stamp. Then I embossed a piece of white card with a rose Cuttlebug embossing folder and rounded the corners of. Then using the lotus Spellbinders Pendent die and my Epic Six I cut two pieces and cut them in half and attached them to the sides of the embossed card then I attached the whole thing to the card blank. I made some parchment feathers and stuck them together to make a fan, then I attached a tassel that I'd made by fraying some white satin ribbon and wrapping cotton round it, then I attached the pearls, this is just a piece of card with some sticky backed pearls attached to it. The other embellishment that I used is some pearl strands.
For lots of inspiration visit the Craft-Room Challenge Blog to see the fabulous work that the rest of the team has done.
My photography is not very good, it should look a lot whiter than this.

 Close up of the parchment feathers.

Craft-Room Challenge 3

Thank you everybody that entered our altered doll challenge - all the dolls were fabulous.
This time it's Mervi's turn to choose the theme and she has chosen SUMMER BIRTHDAYS. I hope you'll all enter but don't forget to be eligible for the prize draw you must put the Craft-Room logo in your side bar with a link to the shop.

I've always loved Sweet Peas and my mind goes back to when I was a child - my dad grew them every Summer and he would give me some seeds to plant in my little bit of garden. Their scent is glorious.
I've had this Joanna Sheen stamp for a while and never used it so I decided it was time to take it out of it's packet. I started of with a white card blank and stamped the sweet peas down the right hand side of the card leaving them black and white, then I coloured the edges of the card with Distress Ink. I then stamped the sweet peas and plant pot on to some white card and coloured them with watercolour pencils and a water brush. I then coloured the edges with Distress Ink and then distressed the edges with a distressing tool before attaching it to the card. I'd stamped some butterflies and coloured them with watercolour pencil then cut them out and attached them to the card and I lastly added a bit of ribbon.

Craft-Room Challenge No 2

Well here we are at our second Craft-Room challenge. We had a fantastic response to our first challenge, thank you everybody that entered  I've never seen so much lovely work in one place and I hope you will all join us in our second challenge.

The theme for our second challenge is Altered Paper Dolls.

I must admit that when I heard what the theme was I panicked a little bit then I remembered that I had stamps that I could use and here is the result  my little dancer.
The stamps that I've used are by Character Construction and I coloured them with Promarkers. The head I cut from a photo in a dancing magazine, I was lucky that she had a mask on that went with the dress. I put stickles round the edge of the mask and covered the dress with stickles. I coloured some tassels with Promarker to match the dress then attached it to the back of the skirt. The last thing I did was to attach some small flowers and some pearls.