Sue D is a friend of Alice...

Good morning friends!

Now, you know how much we love to bring you diversity.... styles, genres, techniques...  This morning our clever Sue D has created a gorgeous scene in quite a different way...

---

Happy Sunday everyone, here's my second piece for the Simply Scenic challenge.

My Stampotique stamps are playing happy families, and more details can be found here on my blog x

---

Wow Sue, bright and colourful and certainly VERY creative, we love where you went with this - thank you!!

So many ways to express our theme this month.  Why not cast convention aside, do some lateral thinking and come up with your own take on 'Simply sceneic' and join in?

On Tuesday we'll be featuring another guest and we KNOW you're going to LOVE what she has come up with!  Make a date in your diary, we'll see you then!

Chris and the CVC team xxx

Sue B's tantalising sunset...

Greetings all!

Now, you've seen Nikki's photo's of sunsets but what about this?  Our talented Sue B has painted hers!  GorrrrrrrGeous!...

---

Sue B - scrumplescrunch

Painted in Acrylics, trying to capture a moment. I have been lucky enough to witness a few wonderful sunsets.

---

Wow Sue, a fabulous scene, terrific colour palette and what a stunning result, you must be sooo proud of this - we are, for you!  Thank you!

If you have no stamps or dies to make up a scene then why not try what Sue has done and paint one yourself?

We're half way through the month and we're hoping to see more of what you're all doing.  Remember that the winner of the £20 Country View Crafts shop voucher is drawn at random to give EVERYONE  a chance of winning.

We'll be back again on Sunday with Sue D's second project - don't miss it!

Have a great weekend,

Chris and the CVC team xxx

Samantha's gone all out with texture!

Hello there!

We're delighted to be publishing another Guest post this morning, from a previous Top 3 winner.  Many of you will recognise Sam by both name and creativity - she is here to share her take on our theme and it's beautiful!...

---

Hi, my name is Samantha Wade.

I live in the West Midlands with my husband Peter and two ragdoll cats (the girls) 

I have always been interested in crafts and addicted to paper crafting and all things creative.

You will find me in my craft room in my spare time or the garden which is my other passion.

Please come and visit my blog, http://craftroomdelights.blogspot.co.uk

The leaves on the tree have been created with glitter, micro beads, stickles.

The background scene has been made using brusho, 

The colours are, leaf green,moss green, orange, yellow and prussian blue,

They have been sprinkled in the right areas, onto canvas card from an acrylic pad, then sprayed with water.Then leave to dry.

Stamp pheasant,(free with a magazine), glitter his body then cover in glossy accents.

Cut a frame using Square Grand Spellbinders from pearl card, to fit the 7x7 card.

Tattered Lace die cut tree, coloured with distress ink,

 The leaves have been sprinkled with different grades of green glitter and micro beads,

 Then heated with clear embossing powder to keep them in place, then any gaps filled in with green stickles.

3d tree on to the card.

Hope you like my Guest Designer card, so pleased to have been asked to take part this month.

---

Beautiful colour palette, fabulous textures and a simply gorgeous make - thank you Samantha!

Our creative Sue B will be here on Friday with her second DT make for this challenge - don't miss it!!

Have fun!

Chris and the CVC team xxx

Nikki wishes she was there... again...

Good morning friends!

It's Monday morning but we're not going to let that spoil the day's mood are we? lol

For those of you who have never met Nikki, we wish we could bottle her verve and enthusiasm because it's just what we all need first thing on a Monday morning.  For those of you that have, you'll know exactly what we mean, lol!

Nikki is sharing another snapshot, literally, from one of her adventures earlier this year...

---

For my second Simply Scenic project this month I have created another scrapbook page. The sunset was taken on a beach in the Cape. After a beautiful day the evening was incredibly windy and quite cold with crashing waves - stunning! More details over at Addicted to Art today.

---

You said it Nikki, stunning, and a beautifully creative SB page too - gorgeous!

If you've been sitting there thinking you can't join in this month because you don't have any suitable stamps or dies then think again - you too can use a photo' and create yourself a SB page or, if you're not into 12 x 12 scrapping, how about an 8 x 8 or a journal page?

We'll be back on Wednesday with another GUEST project so see you then!

Have a great day!

Chris and the CVC team xxx

Announcing April's winners...

Good evening everyone, we hope you've had a great weekend!

It's time to announce the winners of last month's challenge.  As usual we have left it to random.org to choose the lucky winner of the £20 shopping voucher donated by our Sponsor, Country View Crafts, and here is what the generator produced...

---

WINNER

 #71 Krafting Mum Louise  http://craftingmumlouise.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/meljen-cats-and-kittens.html

 As the challenge topic was chosen by our lovely Sue D last month it has been her task to choose her Top 3 projects and the one to which she would like to bestow a 'Special mention' for originality and creativity in reflecting the theme.  These are her choices and comments...

TOP 3

25 Jane's Journal Jane's Journal: My last birthday celebrations

"I love the natural colours alongside the Kraft card."

75 Becky Crawsome Creations: Getting in touch with my frilly side!

 "Great use of die cuts and rusting techniques"

86 Kristiina paperimajuri: Adventure awaits special delivery!

"Love the washi tape and the black and white images against the paint splatters."

DTMSM (DT Member's Special Mention)

 

 "My special mention has to go to 83 Pamellia http://mylittlecraftthings.blogspot.ca/2015/04/a-vintage-journey-guest-creative-guide.html this is an awsome piece of artwork, and it started life as a pizza box!"

---

Congratulations to all our winners, emails are on their way!  Commiserations to everyone else and a HUGE THANK YOU for joining in with us - better luck next time!

Don't forget, we'll be back in the morning with another fab project post, hope to see you then - nite, nite!  >:o)

Chris and the team xxx

It's a stunning sea scene from Margik!

Good morning everyone!

Don't you just love Blogland?  It never ceases to amaze me how crafters from every walk of life and all parts of the globe come togeher to share their interests and passions here!  This morning we have a post from Margik who was not only the winner, but chosen as a Top 3 too!  Margik is here sharing her gorgeous make with us today...

---

Hello everyone, my name is Mar but I am known as Margik in the blog. I am from Spain. I am extremely honoured to be a Guest Designer at Country View Challenges this month and thanks so much to Chris and the team for this opportunity.

I enjoy spending time creating paper craft items, mixed media artwork, art journaling, mini-albums and altered projects from time to time. I also love painting and drawing. I wouldn’t say I have a particular style, only that it is very versatile. I like to try different things all the time, and I am always looking for new techniques. Whilst mixed media and scrapping is my number one hobby at the moment, I am also very passionate about music, literature, cinema, photography… love art in all its forms. I like to enter challenges and it’s definitely a pleasure to share.  http://margikscrap.blogspot.com.es/

 ‘Simply scenic' is a favourite theme of mine because I absolutely adore to do illustrations. So I decided to create a sea scene with a (22x22 cm) cardstock frame and the fabulous Lynne Perrella stamp as focal point of the topic.

I used acrylic paint and Crackle Medium DecoArt, crackle paint (Rock Candy Distress), a mix of paints and sprays (Archival, Distress, Adirondak), stamps, stencils, texture paste and embossing powder (Ranger), Distress markers, and some embellishments. I hope you like it!

---

Absolutely stunning Margik, so very creative - thank you!

Has Margik's make prompted some additional lateral thinking for you?  We hope so because we'd like to see what you're all doing and how you define our challenge topic this month!

Have a great weekend,

Chris and the CVC team xxx

It's the Scottsih Highlands for Jennie!

Hello friends!

This morning we're being treated to a gorgeous make from Jennie.  Now, we don't want to give out personal details but can we just say that Jennie lives in a such a beautiful, scenic place that she has been spoilt for choice for her projects.  This one is fab, fab, fab!

---

For my second project this month I decided to scrap a scenic photograph  on a mixed media background in order that the photograph remained the focus of the layout. The photograph was taken when we were tied up in the Caledonian Canal waiting to go on to Fort William and Loch Linnhe following day. It was one of those wonderful evenings in the Scottish Highlands when everything falls calm and quiet. Please join me on my blog if you want more details of the mixed media background.

---

Jennie, you have a style all of your own and coupled with this gorgeous photo' you have it nailed - thank you!

Whether you want to use personal photo's of where you live, where you've holidayed, where you honeymooned or something completely generic by way of designer papers, dies or stamps, it matters not - we want to see them ALL!

You have lots of time so if you've the motivation then enter more than one.

We have a special post on Saturday from a previous winner who was also chosen as one of our Top 3 winners too - very rare.  We hope to see you then!

Have fun!

Chris and the team xxx

It's a quirky spin from Gabrielle!

Good morning everyone, we hope you had a great holiday weekend!

This morning we have a fab twist on the theme which is a personal glimpse into the childhood of our lovely Gabrielle...

---

For my second project this month I recreated a little scene that I remember so well from school break times! Ok, we might not have worn hats but we did sit on a wall waiting to be called into the latest playground game! For more on how I made this, please do pop over to my blog! Gabrielle x

---

A great take on the theme Gabrielle and not just creative but soooo endearing too, thank you!!

So, how are you all getting on?  We hope you're getting the feel of just how liberal you can be with this theme?  We're dying to see what you all come up with so if you've got more than one idea then please feel free to enter as many times as you'd like.

We'll be back again on Thursday when our talented Jennie will be here with her second make, we hope to see you then.

Have a great week!

Chris and the team xxx

A wow of a scene from Donna...

Good morning everyone, we hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend!

As is our custom, we kick off our individual project posts with the theme owner going first so it's over to Donna...

---

A quiet scene with a solitary circling bird flooded with cool yet vibrant colour for my second make on this them...

...full details and some step by step pics are on my blog :)

Donna xx

---

A stunning scene Donna and what fabulous use of colour - gorgeous!  Thank you!

If you're a stamper then this theme will be right up your street, we can create such amazing scenes with creative use of our stamps.

We hope this is whetting your appetite...?

Our next post is Tuesday and Gabrielle will be here to show you what she has chosen for her second project.

Thanks for dropping by!

Chris and the team xxx

Welcome to May's challenge...

Happy May 1st everyone and welcome to this month's challenge!

Donna has chosen our theme for this month and what a great theme it is...

Whether you're a stamper, into your dies, perhaps you're making Christmas cards already, there are so very many ways we can create 'scenic' projects.

Here are examples from our talented DT to give you something to think about...

---

DONNA

So my turn to pick the theme this month and for my first make for the Simply Scenic challenge I've gone for a scene bursting with lots of warm bright colours...

...there are step by step pics on my blog :)

Donna xx

GABRIELLE

Donna set me a real challenge this month and so I've had to have a good think to what constitutes a scene! I chose to use a photo from a photographic session for my simple journal page (simple and a scene... think I just about fitted the brief!) More details, as always, are on my blog. Gabrielle x

JENNIE

I decided to use a favourite photograph of the Eiffel Tower for my art journal page and just about everything in my stash with a Paris theme! Please hop on over to my blog if you would like to see some more details.

NIKKI

 

The theme this month inspired to me to create a couple of scrapbook pages using photographs from my visit to South Africa earlier in the year. Be great to see you over at Addicted to Art if you would like to see some more details.

SUE B - SCRUMPLESCRUNCH

I have to admit that I struggled with Donnas Challenge this month, I constructed this collage/mixed media picture over a period of weeks, it was a case of stopping and coming back to it, adding media until I was happy with the look.

I have a step by step on my Blog.

SUE D

What a scary challenge this month from Donna, but a challenge wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't challenging right?

Here's my beach scene, and details can be found here on my blog x

TRACE

For my first project this month, having struggled a little with the theme I went for a collaged 

scene using all my favourite Tim Holtz goodies and a new house die . Some tissue tape, Decoart crackle paste and plenty of idea-ology helps to complete my scene. All the details can be found on my blog here. Trace x

ASTRID

A scenic card using some simple masking techniques and having fun with Distress Inks. For a step by step and more details, do come over to my blog.

CHRIS

I used some lateral thinking for this challenge.  My wall hanging depicts a scene from bygone days or perhaps it could a scene from a play....?  Step x step pictures can be found here, on my blog.  Chris xxx

---

Thank you team, so many different takes on the theme and all beautifully done!

We hope these have inspired you to join in....?  Our lucky (random) wnner will receive a £20 shop voucher from our generous sponsor, Country View Crafts and 4 others will be chosen by Donna to receive blog badges.

Please remember to familiarise yourself with our simple rules before you link so that you don't disqualify yourself.

Have a great holiday weekend, we'll be back with the first of our individual project posts on Sunday, hope to see you again then!

Good luck!

Chris and the team xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

Nikki's krafting with texture

Hello out there!

Well, we've reached the end of the month - where did it go?

Nikki is bringing us our final post for the month and she's been busy...

---

Nikki

For my first make earlier this month I completely covered the Kraft card with inks and paint. Today I  wanted it a lot cleaner and love how the card is a great surface for stamping and embossing. A few more details over at Addicted to Art today.

---

This is great Nikki, what a fab way of showing us how simple stamping with kraft can be so effective - thank you!

Well folks, if you haven't joined in yet, you have until 11:55 pm tomorrow to get your project finished and linked.  We'll be back on May 1st with a new challenge so until then...

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Chris and the team xxx

Ana's wowing us today!

Hello dear crafters!

This morning we are absolutely delighted to post the project of not only one of our regular challenge entrants and Top 3 winners but of someone who is making quite a name for herself!  Artistic, talented and always ready to contribute, we welcome the very talented Ana K!

---

Hello dear crafters... I'm really delighted to be here with you again. My name is Ana and I am from beautiful Slovenia. Creating came into my life by accident, but quickly I became addicted...I love everything old or old looking and that you can see in my creations...I love to create mainly collages, but I also love making altered projects and books...during creating process, I completely “eliminate rest of the world” and I can say that crafting is my escape from reality...

For this month challenge I decided to make a collage...Craft card is perfect for crafting and can be used in so many ways….with a help of scissors and white acrylic paint can be easily transformed into wood looking background….

---

Ana, this is so beautiful and such an artistic and creative way to use kraft card - thank you!!

Crafters, you have just a few days left to finish your projects and enter, we hope you will!

Have a great day!

Chris and the team xxx

Jennie has a telegram from Paris

Hello there!

We're kicking off the weekend with a wow of a project from our Jennie...

---

Jennie

 This is such a great challenge for me as I nearly always use Kraft cardstock for the base of my cards! I have decided to make an easel card for my second piece this month and also used some Kraft die cuts in my collage. I love adding soft colours with the Kraft and the pinks of the handmade flower (Victorian Velvet and Seedless Preserves Distress Ink) go so well I think. There are some more details on my blog if you would like to join me.

 

---

This is gorgeous Jennie, demonstrating just how beautiful kraft can look - thank you!

We have just under a week to go folks so please start thinking about making your entry if you haven't done so already!  >;o)

We'll be back on Monday with our final guest post for April and the only clues we'll give you are that she is carving out quite a niche for herself and we're fortunate to see her as one of our regular entrants here at CVC.... don't miss it!

Have a great weekend!

Chris and the team xxx