The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge..... Week 7

It's week 7 of the Calendar Challenge at The Craft Barn and here is my entry for the week. I embossed the bla blas, then inked over with distress inks, coloured in the lil lady with distress inks, sewn some lines for her to stand on, calendar attached and voila it's done.

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge - Purple and Embossing
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Text ATC's and my upcoming blog-over

Things have been a little quiet on my blog for a week or so now. I was just catching up on life, you know cleaning, cooking, washing, shopping.... xmas shopping!!! And I don't wanna stress myself too much always having to produce things to show here. I feel I put myself under a lot of pressure. So I have decided to have a little blog break, I'll still post the odd challenge as I love taking part in some challenge. But for the next 2-3 weeks it'll be real quiet here. Cause I'm having a BLOG-OVER! No that's not a hangover for blogs, it's a make over for blogs. I feel the design of my blog is a bit tired I just want to make it that much nicer to look at, a cleaner blog if you know what I mean. So I won't be resting as I'll be working on that and also a DT application.

I just want a fresh "start" for my blog as I'm getting more interest in my work, guest designer invites etc I just feel I owe people to up my game a bit. Posts may become fewer in the future but the quality will be going up. I am hoping to do more tutorials, there will definitely be another blog candy coming up before christmas, after all it's the time of year to give away goodies. Overall an improvement, I have come a long way from my card making early last year to the grungy and sometimes colourful mixed media creations I do nowadays.

In the meantime I leave you with 2 ATC's I rustled up last night using one of my favourite stamps from Art Journey, the text background. It just work so well with absolutely everything. I am entering these into the Text Challenge at The Art Journey Challenge.

Crafty Advent Calendar Swap..... come and join in the fun

Do you love Christmas? Do you love the time leading up to Christmas? Making decorations and cards and writing little lists of what to get for everyone? If you do then maybe you'd like to join in my little advent calendar?

I got the idea from my bloggy friend Milla in Finland, she just started hers and I loved the idea so much that I just have to make one of my own.

The idea is that you pick a day and for that day you send me a little present. In return I send you one, whether you use it as part of your own advent calendar or just have a little extra pressie to open at Christmas thats your choice. This is a good opportunity to get to know other people and their crafts, browse your swapees blog and find out what they like. Email them. Ask questions. And then send a little present they will enjoy. This could be anything from a handmade item, crafty items such as charms, ribbon etc. A stamp you may have spare. Or you could go out and buy a small something. It's not about spending lots of money, it's about sharing the love for christmas and getting to know people.

I myself love anything crafty, I love stamps and Tim Holtz grungy style stuff. Vintage. Old photos. Photobooth pictures. Rusty keys. Ribbons and fibers. I do love nice socks, even though they aren't crafty. My boyfriend collects Tic Tacs so any foreign (by foreign I mean not german or british) ones be fab. Small notebooks. Jordi Labanda illustrated things. Art Journaling. These are just a few of my likes.

So if that sounds like something you would like to be part of then leave a comment and/or email me at anikraft@hotmail.co.uk.

1.
2. Milla
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Heni
8.
9.
10. Milla
11.
12. Chloe
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Swap Bot
20. Milla
21. Swap Bot
22. Swap Bot
23. Swap Bot
24. Swap Bot

Artsy Crafts with Lynne Perrella

I'm sure I mentioned the fab Artsy Crafts workshop I went to at weekend a few times. Well today I'd like to share with you the project we created on the saturday with Lynne Perrella.

My piece is very tame and neutral in colour whereas everyone else went a bit colourcrazy with a lot of stenciling and bright colours. I kinda wish I had done something more colourful but maybe I just felt a bit scared. Nevertheless, if you have seen my recent colourful tags inspired by Lynne you know that her colourful creations have rubbed off on me in the end.

I just added some finishing touches to this today with a bit of ideaology and spray inks. It is not my favourite piece but as I said before sometimes it's about the journey not the destination.

More inspiration fom Lynne Perrella

If you have seen my recent tags in true Lynne Perrella style (one I showed was actually made by her) you will not be surprised to see this strangely colourful mirror.
I love working on these Ikea mirrors, cheap and cheerful and plenty of space to decorate on. I used a whole lot of old family photos here and went mad with paints, stencils and crayons. Loving the messy way of crafting at the moment and not caring and planning things too much, just grab some crayons and go.
Not a hundred percent on whether I like this particular piece but it's not always about the finished piece is it, it's about the fun you had creating it. And what you can learn from it.

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge..... Week 6

It's week 6 in The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge, which means we are halfway there. Mine is a little smaller this week, I was lacking inspiration a bit with the Turquoise & Lace theme, but thought I don't have to make it overcomplicated do I? Something small and simple. Not everyone was a big and bold calendar, so here it is.

Lynne Perrella inspired Tags

It's been a bit quiet on my blog for a few days but there is a reason, I spent a weekend in Warrington at Artsy Crafts. Having taken part in Lin and Leandras workshops before I just couldnt miss this one, it had a special guest - Lynne Perrella.
I must say I had not really been familar with her work before but liked what saw on her website and I like to learn new things and venture out into different angles of crafting and so I just booked myself 2 day workshops with her. As always it was well organized and I met a lot of lovely people. The projects we did with Lynne still need some finishing touches and I will share them with you when they are ready. In the meantime check out this You Tube video to see everyone's work.
But the main inspiration I took away from this weekend was Lynne's love for oil pastels. She gave us a quick demo on a tag how she layered pastels with paints and stencils and I am totally in love.
The tag on the left is one Lynne did or me using an old photo of me and my sister. The next one is one I made using the same technique. And then the other two are ones I did at home yesterday. I also created a whole mirror in that style - I'll share that some time this week.
So overall a fab weekend, the venue was nice, the people were even nicer and I have taken away loads of inspiration. Thanks Lin and Leandra and everyone involved and especially thanks to Lynne - you are amazing!

The Disco-Tag (get it?!?!) will be entered into the Tag Challenge at The Stampotique Designers Challenge.