Wednesday 29 October 2014

Donna's sparkly vintage stocking is hung already!

Hi everyone!  >:o)

We're going out with a bang today as it's our last project post for October. Donna is here to share this gorgeous, vibrant and seasonal project with us all...



A very sparkly tag for my second make for this challenge...

...there are more details and pics on my blog.     Donna xx



Wow, a breathtaking tag Donna, it's a beauty - thank you!!  >:o)

There we are then folks, we've reached that time where we have to remind you to finish up your project and link it as you have just 2 more days to get it done!  We'll be back on Saturday to launch a brand new challenge, we hope you'll join us!

Chris and the team xxx

Monday 27 October 2014

Let it snow, now please

Good morning all!  >:o)

It's Monday morning and what better to bounce those blues away than some sparkle...?  I'm a long way towards completing my Christmas cards and those I make on behalf of friends and for my charities so all I want now is some snow please - I LOVE SNOW! >;o)



Mirri card, shiny brads, glitter and gilding wax all comprise my 'Sparkle & shine' requirements. This is another of my Christmas cards for the big box full that is accumulating in my craft room. With die cutting, stamping and embossing all coming together you can find the details of what I've used and how at My corner of Heaven.  Chris xxx



I love mixing contemporay with vintage, sparkly with shabby, so I guess you'll either love it or hate it, lol.

We have a few days to go for you to complete your projects and enter them - the more the merrier!  We also have one more project to share with you from the DT and that will be from Donna on Wednesday - see you then!

Chris and the team xxx

Saturday 25 October 2014

Hold tight, Susan J has gone to the circus!

Welcome to the weekend folks!  >:o)

We have a gorgeous project for you today and it's from the last of our guests for this month. Susan has been carving out quite a name for herself in blogland and she's here today to share her project on our theme...



I have all my life been interested in drawing and graphics, so it was a wonderful world to discover the different stamps there are available and almost to everyone's taste. But I must admit that the stamps I like the most is Tim's and stamps that have a bit grungy style.

It was great to be selected as one of the Top3s on the challenge Word Play on Country View Challenge and be asked if I would be guest designer. It is always a joy to participate, also as a player, and I am happy to show my version of Glitter and Shine. It's a great topic for there are plenty of options, and it's fun to see what proposal other creative players come with.




A fabulous take on our theme Susan and a gorgeous project - thank you!

One of the things the DT pride ourselves on is bringing you a diversity of projects to share as we know that crafters, and our followers, have such a multiplicity of genres and abilities. So far this month we think we've achieved that, but we're not done yet!  Susan's project is our last guest post but we still have more to come.  I'll be here with my second project on Monday, hope to see you then.

Chris and the team xxx

Thursday 23 October 2014

Beautiful thoughts from Dagmar

Good morning all,

We're delighted that Dagmar is joining us today!  She has had a busy few weeks with exams which is why, as August's winner,  she could not take part in the challenge launch line-up. But here she is, exams behind her, having made herself very busy with our theme...



Hello, my name is Dagmar, I am married and live with my man and our three dogs in our large house with lots of space for creative ideas. I am since about 3 years   infected with the stamp virus and am very excited this month as a guest designer to be there to be able to inspire you. I wish you lots of fun and creative ideas.

http://schaerfchenskreativwelt.blogspot.com/2014/10/tag-goldener-herbst-golden-autumn.html 
I  am very happy to have been invited once more to be guest designer at Countryview Crafts Challenges. My project was somewhat delayed and only comes now, as I had to sit several exams during September.  In Germany we have the expression “Golden Autumn” – this was the inspiration behind my design.
 
For this 20.5 by 10 cm sized tag, I started by colouring the background with Distress Inks. Next I stamped several leaves on the background; (all Rubber Dance stamps/Norway). Some of the leaves were stamped with a glue inkpad and then I sprinkled them with gilding flakesI pressed them down firmly and when it had all dried, brushed off the excess, so that the stamped impressions appeared with a lovely, shimmery, metal effect.

Next I created some more leaves, in part just in the same way, and in part stamped with Stazon. I fussy-cut them out, shaped them a bit and then adhered them to my tag, partly with foam pads, for extra dimension.
 
 
The dragonfly was stamped on transparent foil with Stazon, more gilding flakes were attached on the back of it and then I also cut it out.
 
 
Finally I stamped the text onto wide ribbon (stamps again from Rubber Dance), glued it onto my tag, the edges inked with gold and the whole piece matted onto dark red card stock.




What a beautiful tag Dagmar, the gilding flakes are a timely reflection on the time of year and a great tie in to our theme - thank you!

Well, we have a week to go folks to the end of the challenge so please get busy. >;o) 

See you on Saturday when we have another fab guest post that you won't want to miss!

Have a great day!

Chris and the team xxx

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Astrid's getting into Christmas cards...

Hi everyone!  >:o)

With the recent blustery winds and rain how could we avoid the fact that it's that time of year when our thoughts cast forward to Christmas? We can no longer put off the card making, can we?  Well, Astrid's reached that point and is taking advantage of some of the latest Tim Holtz products to create this gorgeous Christmas card...




Sparkle and Shine as a theme just always suggests Christmas to me, and so having this theme for our challenge this month was a great incentive to get another Christmas card done. I played with several Tim Holtz dies and the new Distress Sprays to add some extra sparkle to my project. For details, please visit my blog.



Beautifully nostalgic Astrid and a fab way to show off that snowflake - thank you!  >:o)

Don't forget to mark your diary for Thusday as we have another guest - Dagmar! She will be here strutting her stuff for us all to share, see you then.

Chris and the team xxx

Sunday 19 October 2014

Vintage sparkle from Trace

Happy Sunday folks!  >:o)

Now you might think that Doreen's challenge of 'Sparkle and shine' would be the last thing you'd associate with either a vintage or shabby genre. Today Trace is showing us all just how it's done with this poignant, seasonal, vintage make...



For this piece I have again gone for a festive make using vintage sparkle and another of the found relatives card. I love creating with these cards and if you would like to know how I made this please see my blog here .



This is gorgeous Trace and proves that vintage and shabby can incorporate almost anything - fabulous, thank you!

Have we inspired you to join in yet? We hope you're all busy out there putting together projects to enter......? Whether you are or not, we'll be back again on Tuesday with another wonderful make from a DTM - Astrid. We hope to see you then.

Chris and the team xxx

Friday 17 October 2014

Bryan's gone abstract with mixed media

Good morning everyone!  >:o)

This morning we have another guest post for you, Bryan of GeezerCrafter. Bryan is relatively new to crafting, has been blogging since April and won a Top 3 merit in our (August) Word play challenge. Today he is sharing a mixed media canvas with us...



Hello, my name is Bryan and I have been crafting for a few years after discovering stamping. I love anything messy and inky and experimenting with all sorts of mediums. The best thing about crafting is that everyone is willing to share their knowledge, I have learnt so much, so a big thankyou to everyone!!!

For this challenge, I have made a mixed media canvas using Matt acrylic paint, cut n dry foam, die cut metal leaves, gilding flakes, silver ink, Madeira jewel holographic thread, solder, glass crystals. I hope you pop over to my blog to see more.  I would like to say how proud I am that my creation for the Word Play challenge was picked, and I really enjoy taking part in the challenges.



This is such fun Bryan, thank you for sharing it with us!  >:o)

On Sunday we're back with another post from the DT and this time it's Trace. Don't miss it!! >;o)

Have a fabulous and crafty weekend everyone.

Chris and the team xxx

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Alison's got sparkly triplets!

Hi folks!

It's mid-week so what could be better than a gorgeous project to lift the spirits of those at work who'd rather be home crafting? >;o)  Wherever you are and whatever genre you craft, you won't be disappointed with this wonderful trio of tags from our very talented Alison today...



My second offering for Doreen's Sparkle and Shine challenge this month is a trio of tags - and they're probably one of my favourite things things I've done in recent months.  I had an absolute ball throwing all sorts of glossy mediums and sparkly bits and bobs at them!  And the words came bubbling out, full of the excitement of my (at that point upcoming) trip to New York.  Come and see all the details over at Words and Pictures.



Wow, these are gorgeous Alison and we're loving the textures - thank you!

It matters not whether you're a card maker, scrapper, journaller or whether you prefer tags, home decor or 3D projects. You might like cute or contemporary or you might like vintage or shabby - whatever your preferences, we'd like to see them.  You can enter as many times as you like as long as your project meets the theme and you follow the rules.  Our (random) winner receives a £20 shop voucher from our generous sponsor, Country View Crafts online shop. We also award Top 3 and Special Mention blog badges. All of our winners are also invited to be guests here with us to share their talents.  >:o)

We're half way through the challenge but there's lots more to come. Our next post is another guest, a Top 3 winner from August, Bryan, so we hope to see you all back here on Friday.

Have fun!

Chris and the team xxx

Monday 13 October 2014

Sue D is still in the sun - Happy birthday Sue!

'Morning all!  >:o)

Happy birthday to you-oo, happy birthday to you-oo, happy birthday dear Sue-oooooo, happy birthday to you!!  Yay!!!  It's Sue's birthday today.... can you tell? >:o)

Yes, Sue is sharing her birthday with us today as well as her second make for the month and she is endeavouring to hold back autumn to languish in the last few rays of summer sunshine...



Nope it's still not Christmas, in fact I'm in the sunshine for my birthday today.
I've used lots of shiny acetate and glass paint for my colourful flowers, and full details can be found here at Sue The Iron x.



Such a beautiful make Sue and what a great sentiment too.... gorgeous, thank you!

Wherever you're crafty thoughts are at the moment, still in summer, moving into autumn, firmly planted at Halloween or looking forward to Christmas, we want to see what you're making please. Remember, the only requirement for this challenge is to use something sparkly and shiny.  (We do ask that you make yourself familiar with the rules so that you don't disqualify yourself but they're standard and simple.)  The winner of our challenge is chosen at random so that everyone has a chance as we encourage crafters of all levels of experience and of any genre.

Our lovely Alison (Butterfly)  will be here to share with you on Wednesday so join us then.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Chris and the team xxx

Sunday 12 October 2014

Nautical challenge winners!

Hello all! >:o)

It's that time again when we announce the lucky winners of our previous challenge. We think perhaps the nautical theme really tested you last month but, regardess of that, all the entries were fabulous - thanks go to all that attempted it! >:o)

I think this is the first time we've had an entry being chosen as the winner (by random.org) as well as receiving a Top 3 accolade but that is exactly what has happened....



WINNER OF THE COUNTRY VIEW CRAFTS' £20 SHOP VOUCHER

The winner chosen by random.org who will receive £20 voucher to spend in the shop is:


Congratulations Georgie C  of Little Blue Craft Box!!  >:o) 

http://littlebluecraftbox.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/under-sea-shell-theme-thank-you-card.html






JENNIE'S TOP 3 & DTMSM CHOICES

As the nautical theme was chosen by Jennie, she has the honour of choosing our blog merit badges. Here are her choices:

Top 3

http://littlebluecraftbox.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/under-sea-shell-theme-thank-you-card.html
"Georgie has created a stunning mixed media card with the most beautiful textures, subtle colouring and great layering of papers. I particularly love the way the central shell has been set in Glossy Accents to make it appear as in the water."


http://argeum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/by-sea.html
"Ruth has put together a wonderful double page art journal spread which really showcases what you CAN do with very little in the way of supplies.  I love the use of the feathers and wonderful subtle colouring."

http://pearshapedcrafting.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/on-ocean-waves.html
"Chris was inspired to make this fabulous travel wallet which is packed with  wonderful pockets full of vintage epherma and details. What really caught my eye though was the wonderful alcohol ink background."


DTMSM (DT Member's Special Mention)

http://lovelightandpeacebonnie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-sea-is-calling.html
 "Bonnie has made an amazing detailed tribute to her father's love of the sea in such a tiny tiny space.  Quite amazing!"



WELL DONE & CONGRAT'S to all of our winners - beautiful, beautiful projects, thank you all so much!  >:o)

Don't forget to enter this month's challenge, Doreen's 'Sparkle and shine' theme. We have another fab' post for you tomorrow from Sue D, see you then!

Chris and the team xxx

Saturday 11 October 2014

Nikki's gone all out in canvas!

Hi everyone, welcome to the weekend!

Our post today has been contributed by a guest, the talented Nikki Acton who is already making her mark in blogland despite being a recent author. Nikki has decided on a canvas to sparkle...



It was an honour to receive the Design Team’s ‘special mention’ for the Word Play challenge in August and a pleasure to guest design today. I have been crafting for nearly a year now and started by blog at the beginning of 2014. My style varies but I am naturally drawn to inky, grungy and vintage with a relatively neutral pallet. I like trying new techniques and ideas and get as much pleasure out of the process as the end result. I love themed challenges as it provides a focus and makes me create in different ways; to tell a story, convey an idea, represent an image or discover a new style.

Sparkle and Shine was a challenge for me, not being a ‘natural fit’ for my style. I didn’t want to create something overly feminine and decided to use a small canvass which I painted in silver acrylic.

I cut some 2 inch square pieces of greyboard and painted them with black acrylic. I then added several layers of clear embossing powder to each one to create the shine. I masked off areas of each embossed panel (with torn post it notes) and added a further layer of versamark, this time embossing with silver glitter embossing powder to the selected areas only. Originally I planned to add quite a lot more embellishment but I really liked the shiny, sparkly twinchies and wanted to keep most of them on show.

I stamped 3 butterflies with versamark on black card and embossed with the same sparkly powder. I then mounted my embossed panels and butterflies onto a another piece of card before adhering to the canvass.




What a fabulous sparkly piece of artwork Nikki and such a kewl idea - thank you!

Wow, the variety we've seen so far this month is terrific but wait until you see what else is coming, we haven't finished with you yet! LOL  Sue D will be here on Monday with something else totally different so don't forget to join us.

Have a great day!

Chris and the team xxx

Thursday 9 October 2014

Jennie's in tatters!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Today we have another project from a DT Member and it's Jennies turn.  Despite the post title, this is an absolutely gorgeous make, we love the fact that Jennie has created a beautiful Christmas card using one of her inimitable, stylised flowers - she is 'Flower Queen' after all, regardless of the time of year!...



I thought I would give the Tattered Poinsettia die the shabby treatment and have made this blowsy Christmas flower using papers from the the Merriment paper stack. There is a short tutorial on my blog for the flower which I spritzed with Smooch Spritz before it dried, so it really sparkles! Another great centre piece for a quick to make card layering more papers from the Merriment stack.



Tattered and shabby but totally to die for Jennie, a fabulous card - thank you!

Jennie has demonstrated that you can take a theme and make it your own!  We're hoping that you're all busy out there coming up with your own ideas of what constitutes 'sparkle & shine'.

On Saturday we have another guest, Nikki, our DTMSM winner from August. Hopefully you'll join us here to see what she is sharing. >:o)

Have a great day!

Chris and the team xxx

Tuesday 7 October 2014

Helene's crafted a sparkly new friend for Halloween!

Hi everyone, I hope our UK followers have their woolies unpacked from the mothballs?  Brrrr, a definite chill in the air, autumn is definitely here!

We're really loving what we're seeing, some beautiful entries already entered, thank you!  For those of you who have yet to get your mojo working we have another gorgeous project today from Helene, one of our Guest DTMs this month, a Top 3 winner from August.  Helene has come up with another very different make...



Helene Huber is known in the cyber craft community by her toddler bonnet photo and the name 2amscrapper.  She considers herself a paper crafter who likes to dabble in altered art and mixed media.  Currently she writes for Unruly PaperArts blogozine and is on the design team for:   Gecko Galz, My Artistic Adventures, and Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC.   She plays at Tag Tuesday and likes to enter on-line craft challenges whenever time permits.  She has been published in Take Ten and Stampers Sampler magazines. Her blog is LOTSA SCRAP found at http://2amscrapper.blogspot.com/


My current passion is the Prima doll stamps created by Julie Nutting.  I've taken one of the stamps to create Glinda the Good .   Sparkle and shine for her dress and crown come from Core'dinations silver glitter cardstock, wide shimmery ribbon, and Starfoam heart stickers. There's a glitter star for her wand and Stampendous silver dot sparklers to shimmer in the night sky.  I used Graphic 45 papers to create a Halloween theme.  For those of us who like to dress up on Halloween and want to be good while treat or treating....



We're loving your style Helene!  A very different take on Halloween and such a beautiful interpretation of Doreen's theme - thank you!

How are you all doing out there?  Do you have something in mind?  If not then perhaps Helene's project will inspire you to something you'd like to make. We have lots more to show you with projects being posted every other day. (The days we don't post here we are posting on the shop projects blog so do pop over there and take a look too if you have time!  >:o)  )

Next up is our lovely Jennie, on Thursday, so we hope to see you then.  

Have a fabulous day!

Chris and the team xxx

Sunday 5 October 2014

Gabrielle's glamming up the stencilling!

Good morning everyone!

Today it's Gabrielle's turn to share her second project and what a beauty it is!  All of our DT Members have their own style and a particular genre that they specialise in and Gabrielle's contemporary, journalling style just works beautifully for all the projects she turns her hands to!...



I thought I might try something a little different for my second project this month and made a wall hanging. The leaves are stencilled and painted on and the flowers are stamped onto vintage book paper that was adhered to Clearly for Art to add dimension. The centre of each little flower has Distress Glitter and the larger flowers have clear embossing paste for added shine! As always, there's more information on my blog!




This is gorgeous Gabrielle and a reminder that summer is not quite over - thank you!

How are YOU doing, have you thought of what you might like to put together and enter yet? If not, hopefully this will offer some inspiration. Rememer, we post new projects here every other day most of which have links to a step x step post for you to look at on the DTM's or guest's own blog.

Our next post is from a guest, a previous Top 3 winner, Helene and she will be here on Tuesday so do join us then. 

Have a fab' day! >:o)

Chris and the team xxx

Friday 3 October 2014

Doreen's 'Merry & bright'

Hi everyone!

We've kicked the month off in grand style with our fabulous procession of projects so now we're into the team's personal contributions. Our Doreen is taking the lead this month as it's her challenge choice so here is her second make for the month...



Hello I am back with another Christmas card, I am determined to have them all made in plenty of time this year...
It was very hard to get the glitter to show but I can assure you the trees are covered with it.
Details on my Blog here.



It's over to you now to get busy making. Your project can be simple or more advanced, contemporary through to vintage and of any genre you like. We appreciate crafters of all standards from beginners upwards which is why we choose the winner of our shop voucher at random (using random.org) - everyone has a chance of winning!

We will be back on Sunday for Gabrielle's second project, we hope to see you then.

Have a great weekend!

Chris and the team xxx

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Welcome to October's challenge!!

Good morning to you all, welcome to October's challenge!!  Now you might think that, being autumn and the month of Halloween, that we'd be following a seasonal theme....?  Nope, this month our lovely Doreen is choosing the theme for the challenge and she has decided to open it right up with the fabulous theme of......


Those of you that want to create Halloween pieces can do so, but the theme is completely open. What we want to see is a clear dose of anything that sparkles and shines so metal, foil, glaze, glossy accents, glitter, enamels, lustre paints and shiny finishes, acetate, mirri card, buttons, whatever you can think of that will meet the theme!

We invite all to enter, wherever you are in the world and the winner will receive a £20 shop voucher from our fabulous sponsor, Country View Crafts. Doreen will also be choosing her Top 3 entries and our Special mention award for the one she thinks has shown the most original and creative representation of her theme - all of whom will receive blog badges.  We also invite all of our winners to join us the month after the winners' announcement as guest designers.

For the launch of our challenge, ALL of our wonderful DT Members have created a project to get you thinking and to offer some inspiration. (Normally the line up would be led by our most recent winner but Dagmar cannot join us until later this month so do watch out for her project later on.)  Here is our sparkly line up...



Well this months Challenge has been set by me, and when I think of Sparkle and Shine I think Christmas....Lets face it we only have about 11 weeks left till the big day.
 I have gone for a misty, frosty look for this card. Full details can be seen on my blog here.


I love our monthly challenges as they really make me think! I don't really do much with sparkle or shine usually so I was really challenged! For my first project this month I made a tag using metallic glaze paint, glossy accents, clear embossing paste and a little distress glitter. I enjoyed it so much I made a Christmassy one! You can see that one on my blog.


Having recently purchased (at long last) the Tattered Poinsettia die I was inspired to make this fabulous flower which Tim Holtz showcased on his December 2013 tag. I thought it would make a perfect sparkly centre piece on a Christmas card - my first of the season. There are more details on my blog and a link to Tim's flower tutorial.


Sue D
I'm not prepared to give up on Summer just yet so I'm staying in the garden for my 1st project.
 
We have gilding flakes, and all manner of shiny things, and you can find more details here at Sue The Iron x


I love all things vintage and the found relative cards make the perfect festive vintage make with a hint of vintage sparkle. For all the details please see my blog here .


Sparkly shininess is fairly unusual for me, but I had lots of fun playing with Doreen's theme this month.  This first piece is full of gilding, and it also has a satiny ribbon and even some glittery accents!  Come over to Words and Pictures to see all the details.


When I saw the theme of the challenge, I was delighted, as I knew this would be the perfect chance to start on my Christmas cards. I kept the card relatively plain without to many embellishments, so it will be easier to post. There is lots of Sparkle on the snowflakes, but it was hard to capture that in the photo. More details of how I put it together, can be found on my blog.


Ok so I had great fun with the embossing powder and distress glitters for Doreen's great challenge and it also gave me the chance to a) start my Christmas cards and b) open a new pack of  Tim Holtz stamps. There's plenty of sparkle and shine on this card.


 I'm busy making Christmas cards to sell for my charities and I also make loads for my friends who don't craft but love to give handmade cards. Seizing the opportunity of this fabulous theme, I've used textured silver mirri card, crystals, glitter, silver gilding wax with some shiny heart-shaped brads just to put the cherry on top! Details of the what and how can be found on My corner of Heaven. Chris xxx


With Christmas fast approaching and with a them of Sparkle and Shine I just had to create a festive make! So got the glitter, some gilding wax and a few dies to make this Christmas bauble......
 ..more pics and details are on my blog.   Donna xx



There we have it, a lustrous line-up to get you started. We're hoping to see lots of lovely, sparkling entries as we start the countdown to Christmas. Your makes don't have to be seasonal, you have complete choice of topic, just remember to include something that sparkles and shines! (Before entering, PLEASE read our rules if you're not familiar with them as we would hate to see you disqualify yourself - they are very precise and simple.)

We will be following our usual schedule by posting a new project every other day throughout the month, some from our DTMs and some from our guests, so please do pop back and visit to see what they are sharing with you.  Most of all, have a wonderful month and HAVE FUN - GOOD LUCK! >:o)

Chris and the team xxx