Saturday 27 February 2016

Vintage Collage by Astrid

Hello all and thanks for dropping by here today. Well, there we are, nearly at the end of the month....
For my second "Make your Own Background" piece I decided to create a vintage collage page for my techniques journal.
If you would like to see more details of how this page came together, please come over to my blog where I have a detailed step by step of how I put this together.

Well that's it and this is actually also my very last project as part of the Countryview Crafts Design Team. I have very much enjoyed being part of the team, but life is taking me in different directions so I felt it was time to move on.....

There are however still a couple of days left to join into the challenge, you can find all the details here
Hope to see you there!

Thursday 25 February 2016

Ink and stencil background cards

Hi there. For my second project this month I decided to use a little colour! My background was first created with various distress inks added with cut and dry foam to white card. I then laid my stencil over the top and spritzed with water before laying kitchen towel over to remove the spray and some ink. I love the water colour effect this creates. I made two others - a little different - please pop over to my blog if you would like to see them!
Nikki
Addicted to Art

Tuesday 23 February 2016

My second piece

Hello everyone, Debs with you today, sharing my second piece for this months fabulous Challenge Make your own backgrounds. My background was built of many layers.

I had such fun with this background that I thought a simple drawing would look best and I didn't want to cover up all the different layers. If you would like to see how this all came together please visit my blog for all the details.

By for now and I'll see you soon! Take care, hugs Debsxxx

 

Sunday 21 February 2016

I Love You For Your Brains

Hi, it's Sue here, with my less than romantic Valentine's Day Card. I'm afraid I don't do pink and fluffy very well, but I LOVE these Brett Weldele stamps.
More details can be found here on my blog. (yes I know it's late but I'm a technical numpty so better late than never lol)
I hope you like it, and remember there's still plenty of time for YOU to join in xx 

Friday 19 February 2016

DT CALL

Hi Everyone we are looking for some new members to join the Design Team.

Are YOU interested?

If so, we're looking for someone with the following credentials: 

* An experienced crafter with a good knowledge of the current craft market, genres, techniques and products, particularly those sold on the Country View Crafts web shop:
* Someone who been blogging their own craft projects regularly for at least 6 months (preferably, though not essentially, using Blogger):
* Someone who can re-size photos for the blogs and can host a challenge post and a winners post:
* Can contribute at least 2 projects per month:
* Has the time to contribute to commenting on our linked entries:
* Can commit to being part of the DT for a minimum of 12 months.

If this is you, please contact Susan at sales@countryviewcrafts.co.uk providing the name and a link to your blog and explaining how you feel you meet the credentials above and what you feel you can offer if you were to be chosen as a new Country View Crafts Design Team Member.

CLOSING DATE:   Friday February 19th 2016

Crazy bird on purple background





Hello there, it's Monika here with the second piece of the MAKE YOUR OWN BACKGROUND challenge. This is an ATC for a friend who loves the purple colour, who loves to sing and who has a green bird although not this type :-) If you would like to see my tutorial, please click on my blog here.


Wednesday 17 February 2016

Double Dragonflies

Hello all!  Alison here with my second bit of inspiration for Sue's fabulous Make Your Own Background challenge.  Backgrounds are one of my favourite things, and oh how I love the wrinkle free distress technique!  For this pair of tags I did my usual double-trouble inky creating, but this time with an extra twist.


If you'd like to see the details, do hop over to Words and Pictures and check it all out.  Hope to see you there, and I hope you'll come and play along with us to be in with a chance at the randomly drawn prize voucher from Country View Crafts.

Alison x

Monday 15 February 2016

Be Your Beautiful Self

Hello to everyone! 

Jennie here today with my second project for Sue's wonderful challenge.

As a regular maker of backgrounds on my tags and scrapbook and journal pages I have found this a really fun challenge.  Today I am sharing a layered tag with the background of the tag made up of layers of texture paste, inks and stamping. 


Please do join me on my blog if you would like to see more the background!

Well we are half way through the month but you still have plenty of time to join us in our challenge and don't forget there's a great prize for one random lucky winner and also the chance to join us as a Guest Designer at some point in the future.

Have a great week everyone!

Jennie x





Saturday 13 February 2016

Halloween in February?!

I really enjoy making backgrounds - there is something really satisfying about adding layers of interest that are a visual feast for the eye! For my second project this month I made a Halloween background because we often only use these colours and stamps once a year and I wanted to show you that you can use them for other times too!
The background has three shades of orange and several stencils to start the background. Then I added stamps (including a spider!) to give the background more interest. To find out what the funny squiggles are for (near the arrow) please pop along to my blog where I reveal the finished page. Thank you for popping by today and please join in with us this month - we love to see your projects!
Gabrielle 

Thursday 11 February 2016

Background for Valentine's day

Hi Everyone - Brenda here sharing my second background for the month and taking a real opportunity to use it to make my hubbie a valentine's day card.


I love the shabby, vintage typography of the words and the technique for achieving the distressed look using distress paints and distress inks is one of Tim's but I have described more and finished the card with the details up on my blog today. It would be lovely to see you at Bumblebees and Butterflies.

Wherever you are on Sunday have a lovely Valentine's day with those family and friends that you love.

hugs Brenda xxx

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Inspired by Bottles Winner, Top Three and DTMSM

Hello everyone!  It's time to find out who our Winner, Top Three and Design Team Member's Special Mention are for Brenda's fantastic Inspired By Bottles challenge in January.

What a wonderful collection of bottle ideas we had for the last challenge - from altering bottles, adding mini bottles to projects, die-cut bottles, stamped bottles, even to using plastic bottles to cut and change into something completely different - so as you can imagine it's been very difficult choosing the Top 3 and the DTMSM, but here we go.

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First of all, here is the winner of the Country View Crafts Prize Voucher, as selected by Mr Random Generator.


That's Dawn from Crafting Dawn Til Dusk with this beautiful dictionary page spread.


Congratulations, Dawn.  Your voucher and winner's badge will be with you very soon, and we hope you'll come and join us as a Guest Designer here at Country View Challenges in the future.

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Now on to the Top Three, as chosen by Brenda, and in no particular order...
Brenda says: This little shadowbox has a selection of coloured mini bottles added to it and is a gift to the parents of a new born baby boy. The labels are so sweet and charming in the support the contents offer to the parents.

#16 Isle of Crafty Creations
Brenda says: I had difficulty choosing one of the altered bottles but this has been brilliantly and masterfully modified and disguised from a slimline, clear bottle to a chunky, textured, brightly coloured delight.

Brenda says: Die-cuts are always a great way to add texture and dimension to a project and these little painted acetate bottles add to the layering of different elements perfectly.

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And finally to our Design Team Member's Special Mention...


Brenda says: The post for this project is labelled 'Bottle- what bottle?' and it really had me intrigued as for the life of me I couldn't see a bottle on the card but there is a beautiful butterfly made from a plastic bottle and covered with gesso and scrapbook paper. Such a great idea.

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Congratulations to all our winners.  Your badges will be on the way to you shortly, and we hope you'll display them with pride.  Don't forget, if you'd like to take a closer look at any of the projects, you can click on the links to visit the blogs.

And thank you again to everyone who played along - fantastic creations all round.  We hope you'll come and join in with us on Sue's wonderful Make Your Own Background challenge.  There's fresh inspiration all month here at Country View Challenges, and another prize voucher on offer from Country View Crafts, not to mention the honour of being one of our special selections.

See you soon!
Alison and the CVC team x

Saturday 6 February 2016

Don't Dream it ... Be it!

Hello there! Rachel here today bringing you more inspiration in the hope you'll be able to join our challenge this month which is Backgrounds. I have done another journal page - this time using acrylic paints and a brayer, stamps and stencils.

You can see a step by step  method on my blog here.

Have a great day!

Hugs rachel x

Friday 5 February 2016

Dreams Come True




Hello to you all, I am back with my second background project,I have found this challenge so easy as I always make my own backgrounds.I hope you are enjoying making your own backgrounds too. More details for this can be found on my blog

Wednesday 3 February 2016

How You Doin

Hi it's Sue again with my second piece for this months 'Make Your Own Background' challenge. 
 I just wanted to use these guys 'cos they're new and they make me smile. I love the bright colours that you can get with Dylusion inks.More details can be found here on my blog and I hope you can join in this month.
Have a great week xx

Monday 1 February 2016

February - Make your own Background

Today Sue is challenging us to make backgrounds for a project, whether that be cards, journal pages, book covers, hangings, altered boxes etc, etc or whatever comes to mind. The team have put their thinking caps on and been making a variety of different types of backgrounds and don't forget if you pop back every other day you will find as adding more inspirational pieces to whet your appetite.

Let's take a look at what we have for you today -




Having received a lovely new set of stamps for Christmas I decided to experiment with them on a double spread journal page, making the background using as many of the stamps as possible along with stencils and distress inks. Please join me on my blog if you would like more details.

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Doreen


I have made a Monoprint background today using my Gelli Plate.
More details over on my Blog

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Debs


Hello everyone, Debs here, with a great theme for me, as I just love creating my own backgrounds, and use them in most of my art. It gave me the opportunity to use loads of layers with stencils paints and inks. Please visit my blog to see more.

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Rachel


I had such fun using my gelli plate to help create this bright background for a journal spread. I hope you can pop along to visit me at my blog to get step by step details! Big hugs. Rachel x

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This being February I decided to make a Valentines' card for my first project. The background was made with a gelli print. If you want to see more detail, hop over to my blog and Happy February!

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For the February Challenge of the CVC I have created a wintry canvas with Tim Holtz Umbrella Man. I was inspired by a black and white photo and I wanted to make my own version with my stamps and cutouts. If you would like to see my tutorial, please visit my blog and click here.

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Well, Sue could hardly have come up with a better theme for me... it's rare that I don't make my own background, and it's also often the case that the background is my favourite part, whether of my own or of other people's projects!  For this first tag I used my favourite inky background technique, wrinkle-free-distress.  Come over to Words and Pictures if you'd like to see some more details.


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I decided to make a card using a textured background I had previously created - incorporating scraps of text, texture paste and distress paints. I added a few flowers and sentiment to complete my arrangement.

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 Gabrielle


I was so excited to play along with the challenge this month. I LOVE making backgrounds with lots of paint, stencils and stamps. This background uses four stencils! TO see the background before this was finished, please pop to my blog! Gabrielle x

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Brenda

 I love making my own backgrounds and had great fun with stamps, crackle paste and inks to create the backdrop for my collage. I have more details on how it was constructed on my blog

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Thanks to everyone who took up the challenge last month to be inspired by bottles. There are some fabulous entries and the winner will be announced soon.
Have fun making your own backgrounds, we look forward to seeing them linked below.

hugs Brenda and the Team xxx