YAY !! It's our first BLOGAVERSARY !!!

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Yes, We are officially one year old and this month we're celebrating our BLOGAVERSARY !!! 

Our topic for this month has been chosen by Susan, our sponsor and owner of Country View Crafts, and Susan has chosen something very apt...

'PAPER CHASE'

The world is your craft box... you can make whatever you would like to as long as your project has a strong theme of paper! What could be easier?

As this is is such a special month, Susan has very generously sponsored TWO FIRST PRIZES OF £20 shop vouchers just for this occasion. BOTH WINNERS will be chosen by random.org so EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE of winning!  (Please do share some love and take a visit to her shop - CVC has some of the keenest prices we've seen and they offer free P&P for UK orders and very reasonable postage for orders going overseas.)

As usual, to whet your appetite, we're starting off with a line up from our talented Design Team which is headed this month by our guest - January winner, Saba, who joins us from Pakistan...

Saba

of Saba's Craft Land

"I am a creative person at heart, who loves to experiment with different mediums and techniques. Love taking on challenges and love love love creating things!"

http://sabas-craftland.blogspot.co.uk/

"Here is my Paper Chase themed project. Since it required a strong paper theme I used, as backdrop, papers from a vintage novel and layered it with a branch which seated a dark green owl and bright (nearly neon) pink roses. Since most paper is made from wood pulp, gave it a woody feel at the same time brightening it with neon flowers."

Brenda

of Bumblebees and Butterflies

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/

"I have four playing cards to share for our FIRST anniversary which include lots of different types of paper, - music score, old road maps, Tim Holtz papers, tissue wrap, tissue tape and tissue paper, plus lots of other goodies. I have so many paper stacks, old dictionaries and paper supplies it was a difficult job to know what to choose, but I am glad I managed a little dent in the mound."

Donna

of Donna's Little Crafty Corner

 http://www.donnaslittlecraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

"Warning you might need to put your sunglasses on for this one!! Love making paper flowers so a paper theme is the perfect excuse. Tim Holtz's new Jumbo Tattered Florals die combined with lots of shimmery cosmic shimmer spray = very inky fingers and one bright and cheerful wreath......."

Gabrielle

of crafty thoughts

http://gabrielle-price.blogspot.co.uk/

"When I stated to think about 'paper' and how to commemorate the first anniversary of our blog I immediately thought about grunge paper and that led me to use my favourite Wendy Vecchi stamps on an ATC! I love the idea of a flower growing out of an ink bottle... and I had to include my new Hashtag stamps as well as an appropriately numbered game piece! I love being part of this blog and have made some wonderful friends both on our DT and you all who contribute your terrific projects! So, happy happy first birthday and thank you for letting me be part of this fabulous first year!"

Jennie

of live the dream

http://www.jennie-livethedream.blogspot.co.uk/

"My love of paper stems from being given a lovely writing set and fountain pen when I was about eight or nine, so I decided to make a shadow box using the Tim Holtz Postage Stamp Die and fill it with letter writing items.  I loved making little postcards, stamps and paper rolls when I was younger too so this was a real trip down memory lane!  There are more photographs on my blog."

Sue

of Stamping Sue Style

http://www.stampingsuestyle.blogspot.co.uk/

"I have to admit I don't use alot of paper normally in my projects so I had to give this one some serious thought! The one type of paper that I do like to work with is from old books, I love the texture and weight of it and it's perfect for making roses with !"

Trace

of inkypinkycraft 

http://inkypinkycraft.blogspot.co.uk/

"Paper is quite an unusual supply for my crafty pieces, as I usually make my own backgrounds from scratch but I loved playing with paper for this piece, using some fab Tim Holtz papers which I distressed and inked and some old book pages which add great detail and interest to a piece. I also used the colours of the paper to guide the colour scheme for the piece. This is a fab team to be part of and I love creating  for them so hope you will all be able to join in our first birthday fun!"

Are you ready? Got some ideas? We're hoping that you're all going to join in and show us just how creative and diverse you can be with your papers!  The challenge closes at 23:50 on March 31st so you have plenty of time... Good luck! xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

Jennie's gone purple....

This month Jennie is bring up the rear with a stunning make that we hope will encourage to get your projects finished and entered! Jennie is well known for her flowers (check out her tutorials here) and this one is definitely a beaut!

www.jennie-livethedream.blogspot.co.uk

"I really enjoyed using my Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Paints  on this small canvas - they blend so beautifully yet retain the texture on the canvas.  They also worked well on the metal embellishments as well.   This is my first venture into making flowers with crinoline - such a wonderful fabric to work with and which takes Distress Inks beautifully.  

There are more details on my blog."

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Oh Jennie, a fabulous canvas and what gorgeous colours - thank you!

This is the last of our DT posts for this month but you still have until 11.50pm on the 28th to enter!

Next month is very special as it's our first blogaversary so don't forget to pop back and see what we're doing! xxx

Gabrielle has been painting with Frescos...

Today's post is another project from our lovely Gabrielle who absolutely adores her PaperArtsy stash. With her second make she's been busy in the garden with JOFY...

http://gabrielle-price.blogspot.co.uk/

"For my second project for 'Painty Pleasures' I again used PaperArtsy's fabulous Fresco paints but combined them with PaperArtsy's Jofy stamps. I am utterly in love with these stamps as they are so incredibly versatile! I hope you're enjoying this month's theme as much as we are!"

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A gorgeous make Gabrielle - thank you!

Hopefully we will have demonstrated just how diverse paints can be and some of their many uses to the point where you'll want to join in. We still have a week to go so please jump in and have a go. Remember, the (random) winner receives a shop voucher for £20 from our sponsor, Country View Crafts.

We're still not done, there's another stunner due in a few days time. xxx

Amanda growing love in her garden...

Hi everyone, we have a great treat in store for you today to beat off the bad weather blues - it's a beautiful canvas from Amanda of Treasured Moments of Inspiration. Amanda was our DT Members' Special Mention winner in December and this fabulous make certainly shouts out our theme this month of 'Painty Pleasures'...

"I have created a wall hanging using a canvas board. I first stencilled texture paste through Butterfly meadow stencil by Crafters Workshop, I then stencilled some random hearts in the same way . I then painted with several colours of Paperartsty Fresco paints. Once dry I then put the stencil back on and picked out the elements and painted in contrasting colours to make them stand out. In particular the butterflies and the hearts. I then made some wire hearts by bending them into the required shape using rusty wire I then laid them on some old  book paper which I had painted with London bus paperartsy fresco paint, as this is a translucent paint the text can still be read. The final touch is to fill them with crackle glossy accents and leave to dry. Once dry cut away the paper which leaves you with these wonderful wired hearts. I then dripped dylusions spray in turquoise down the piece. I then dulled the piece down with vintage photo and walnut stain. The words I have added just came to me as I was making the piece I like to make my own words up, they were printed on the PC and then cut out and applied to the hanging with multi medium."

 http://amanda-momentsofinspiration.blogspot.co.uk

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Such a special sentiment to match this stunning canvas Amanda - thank you!

Remember that February is a short month but we still have oodles of time for you to get your projects completed and entered.

More soon. xxx

Trace has had a play day!

Today our very talented Trace is presenting her second make this month and what a fabulous hanging it is!

"Well this piece was inspired by my love of Distress, Distress paint and creating monochrome layers.I indulged myself in plenty of playtime and even found that you can spritz with Distress paints! I mean how cool is that!"

 http://inkypinkycraft.blogspot.co.uk/

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What a gorgeous project Trace! Thank you!

We're half way through the challenge month folks and we'd like to see more of what  you can do. Please do check out the entries we've had so far..... beautiful!

Another guest appearance in a few days. xxx

Vibekke is our guest today!

Our project today demonstrates that paint can be used daintily and delicately. Our guest, Vibekke, was a Top 3 winner in December and she is sharing her beautiful floral box with us...

"The box itself is made of cardboard.
Papers: Maja Design and old book page.
Tools:   Spellbinders die flower.
The frog: is a little porcelain figurine frog
Other: Distress Ink, Ribbon, leaves from Wild Orchid and Flowers, Melisa Frances decor flower,
berries from Magnolia and Prima also, pink twine.
Studio Gesso paint, acrylic paint and cheese cloth that I have sprayed on with Shimmer mist from Heidi Swapp."

 http://www.mixpapers.com

"I painted with acrylic paint on the flower which is made from an old book paper side, cut it out with a Spellbinders die and took a brad on. All leaves and flowers I painted on with Studio Gesso paint before I glued those on with hot glue."

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This is so feminine and pretty Vibekke - thank you!

We really would like to see some more entries and hope that you're busy out there working on your masterpieces! We will have yet more for you in a few days. xxx

OMG, it's a triple treat from Sue!

Paint, paint, glorious paint! There are so many kinds - watercolours, oils, Distress paints, acrylics, even plain old emulsion house paint - and so many ways of using them. You can interpret this theme from cards and tags, scrapbooks and home decor to altered art so why not get YOUR paints out and join us?

To show you just what beautiful painty projects you can achieve Sue has created this stunning triptych which would grace any shelf...

http://www.stampingsuestyle.blogspot.co.uk/

"I love stencilling and add that to my love of Fresco Finish paints and I'm in total heaven! This project allowed me to totally indulge myself !"

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This is definitely a stunner Sue - thank you!

We hope this inspires you to search through your treasures and see what you can create.

More (with another guest) in a few days. xxx

Ana is making her guest debut...

Today we have a guest joining the team, one of our Top 3 winners from December, Ana K of Anina papirckalnica with this beautiful project:

http://anina-papirckalnica.blogspot.co.uk

"For this challenge I decide to alter wooden frame and make a nice old looking wall decor... I love how you can get that old or aged look in a "new" item with just paint. I used different paints and other media, for more details and quick run through the process, please visit my blog."

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This is stunning Ana, thank you!

We're delighted to see we have some fabulous entries already - please do check them out!

More on Monday! xxx

January’s winners

Following a fabulous amount of entries and so much creativity we’re delighted to announce our worthy winners….

Our winner (chosen by random.org) is:

#176 Saba of Saba's Craft Land Well done Saba! A £20 shop voucher is on it’s way to you.

Our Top 3 choices, chosen by Gabrielle, are:

	#15 Ana K of Anina papirckalnica Congratulations Ana!
	#58 Terry of TERRY'S WORK IN PROGRESS Congratulations Terry!
	#105 kanda of KandA Creative Moments Congratulations kanda!

And Gabrielle’s choice for our DTMSM (DT Members’ Special Mention) award is:

#124 die amelie of Von Pappe II Well done die amelie!

Well done to our winners and a huge thank you to all who took part. Every month we find it equally as difficult to choose our winners, there are so many creative projects!

More tomorrow. xxx

Donna's sharing some love...

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, we're off and running and the ball is firmly at the start of the first quarter! Already we have some beautiful entries - thank you!

Today we have Donna heading the field and she's sharing some love...

"Being so close to Valentines it was the perfect time to play with this little paper mache heart and some of my favourite distress paint....."

http://www.donnaslittlecraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

"More details on my blog."

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This is beauiful Donna, thank you!

We don't mind what kind of paint you use or how you use it as long as your project has a good dollop of it! We'd like to see how creative you can be and there's lots of time to get busy, you have until the 28th to submit your entry! The winner receives a £20 shop voucher to spend at Country View Crafts!

More in a few days. xxx

It's February and it's challenge #12

Is is us or has January just disappeared before our very craft rooms? lol We can't believe it!  Thank you to all of you who entered January's challenge, another bumper month with such beautiful entries. You are all so creative! As usual, our winners will be announced in about a week's time so please watch for the winners' post.

And now to February.... This month it's the turn of our very creative Trace to choose the challenge topic and Trace has chosen:

'PAINTY PLEASURES'

Your projects can be anything you'd like to make as long as there is a strong or base theme of paint. What kind of paint? Any kind of paint you like from watercolours to acrylics, oils to household paint, just paint, paint, paint.

As usual, we're kicking off our inspirational DT line up with our first guest for the month, winner of December's challenge...

kbrandy4 aka Hazel

of Hazel's Handmade Crafts

"I have altered an old tile using paint, papers, dies and embellishments. First I drilled two holes in the tile, painted it and then added some papers which I distressed and painted, a 'Tilda in Vintage Clothing' on a beautiful Spellbinders diecut and finished it with flowers and ribbons."

http://hazelshandmadecrafts.blogspot.co.uk

Trace

of inkypinkycraft

 http://inkypinkycraft.blogspot.co.uk/

"Well whilst paint is not my go to product I have fallen head over heals in love with the Distress Paints from the first few colours. They have some amazing properties and work so well with all the rest of the distress line, having some super cool reactions with water! So here is my painty playtime piece number one.. hopefully with a rusty feel?"

Donna

of Donna's Little Crafty Corner

"No hardship in choosing which paint to play with for this challenge........Distress Paint.....I LOVE it!!! Used it to create the background of this very large chipboard tag and also to paint the die cut 'umbrella man'....... "

http://www.donnaslittlecraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

"More details on my blog."

Gabrielle

of crafty thoughts

http://gabrielle-price.blogspot.co.uk/

"There is something really satisfying about paint. It can be used to cover large areas or to make delicate strokes. It's quite fabulous! For this Art Part panel I used PaperArtsy Fresco paint to cover the background and to highlight the flowers. I'm no painter by any means but painting a stamped image makes me look like I am!"

Jennie

of live the dream

http://www.jennie-livethedream.blogspot.co.uk/

"It is lovely to be back after a month off and I had great fun making these book covers for some of my Tim Holtz Stamp Sets.  I am quite a newbie to paints but I have really enjoyed using the fabulous Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Paints and the equally fabulous Grunge Paste to create the texture.  There are more details on my blog as to how I made the covers."

Sue

of Stamping Sue Style

 http://www.stampingsuestyle.blogspot.co.uk/

"Paint is my number one passion at the moment, there are so many different techniques you can use it for. I've used Fresco Finish paints and mixed it with embossing paste; painted flowers and metal; and stencilled with it too !"

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So there you have them - a diverse range of projects and techniques which we hope will encourage, inspire and motivate you to join in this month. The (randomly chosen) winner receives a £20 shop voucher and blog badge and we have 3 Top 3 badge awards as well as a DT Member's Special Mention badge to be won. All winners are invited to join us as a guest designer the following month.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

Donna may be last but oh my!...

Donna's second make this month is bring January's challenge to a conclusion and what a fab project to finish on! Nice one Donna!:

Donna

of Donna's Little Crafty Corner

http://www.donnaslittlecraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk

"Combined a bit of gelli plate fun and lots of blue tones to create my second monochromatic piece. I love the textures you get when you combine masks with the gelli plate. More details of how I put the card together can be found on my blog...."

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This is stunning Donna and great to see the Gelli plate put to great use, thank you!

Well, we have just today and 3 more days to go until we shut the doors and lock everyone in (or is that out? lol) so please get a shimmy on and get your projects finished and entered!

Good luck to everyone and please make sure you have the correct theme name (Monochromatic) mentioned in your posts.

See you all in February - phew! xxx

Jane is chasing the BLUES away

We're delighted that you're loving the MONOCHROMATIC theme this month, it's great to see so many creative entries.

Today we're joined by another of our Guest DTMs, another Top 3 winner from November...

Jane of Jane's Journal

"Hello I'm Jane from Jane's Journal. I was delighted to find out just before Christmas that my card made the Top 3 and that I was being invited to make a GD card for the next "Monochrome" challenge. I first found Country View Crafts and the challenge blog last year when I managed to buy the elusive Sizzix accordion die from them. It seemed most appropriate for me to make an accordion card for my GD spot today. 

I have made black/greys and sepia/browns monochrome cards in the past but I thought I would make something very different and a first for me....in blue. I used Distress inks to make the backing papers and stamped onto them with various floral stamps. I also made some butterflies using the same papers. The stamp is from Lili of the Valley and is one of my oldest favourite stamps called Dandelion Clock. I decided to keep to the monochrome theme even down to colouring her hair blue..the first time I have ever created blue hair!

The quote stamp is also from Lili of the Valley.

http://jane-janesjournal.blogspot.co.uk/

I have written a tutorial over at my blog to show how I brought my card to life. Do pop over to visit me there and say hello. Thanks so much Country View Crafts for having me today."

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This is stunning Jane, definitely a card to chase the blues away, thank you!

There's almost a week to get your projects finished and entered. Don't forget, one lucky entry picked at random will win a £20 shop voucher! We haven't finished yet, there will be another post in a few days. xxx