Craft Barn 2013 Calendar

Here are my 12 tags for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge made over the last 12 weeks.  I thought I'd better make something small so that I had a chance of finishing the challenge.

I decided I'd make the calendar for my daughter for Christmas - she's at University so it'll hang nicely on her pinboard and hopefully give her something bright and cheerful to look at every month.

I've also made an extra tag as a front cover - it's Walnut Stain and Salty Ocean Distress Inks, stamped with a Tim Holtz phrase and 2013 added with Making Memories glitter stickers.  I've fastened the tags together with a jump ring and used some spotty ribbon to tie it all together.

I've thoroughly enjoyed doing these tags every week so thanks to The Craft Barn for the challenge.  Hopefully my daughter has been too busy with her studies and hasn't been reading my blog!!

Thanks also to everyone that has looked at my blog and left comments - I appreciate them all.  Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and more Challenges to come!!

December

Here's my last tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 12 where the theme is EMBOSSING.

I've gold embossed the large Poinsettia stamp from Oak House Studio twice - once on the tag and just the central part on other card to create a layer.  It's a great stamp to decoupage but my tag calendar is getting a bit fat as it is so I've stuck with one layer!!   The background is blended Bundled Sage and Pine Needles Distress Inks with part of Darkroom Door's Christmas Word Block stamped in Emerald Green Archival.  It's just finished with the calendar and some ribbon.

Thank you everyone for looking and for your comments.  It's been an enjoyable 12 weeks!!  Next Sunday I think there'll be a link to add a photo of all 12 months - I'm looking forward to that and seeing what everyone else has created.

Meanwhile, hope all your Christmas plans are going well and items are being ticked off lists!

November

Here's my November tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 11 where the theme is to use CIRCLES.

Back to my daughter's love of History and I had in mind the Houses of Parliament and Fireworks for November so I've used Big Ben from the Paperartsy HP1208 London set.  To fit the theme I've added the circle stamp from Tim Holtz's Bitty Grunge set, masked off Ben Ben and then bashed various Distress Stains to create the fireworks - Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Broken China and Brushed Pewter. I've edged the tag with Silver Dabber and finished it with Remember, the calendar and some seam binding.

The Brushed Pewter metallic stain look quite effective (although it doesn't show up in this photo) so if I have time this week, I may redo this on black/navy card, emboss Big Ben in gold and then use the metallic stains to create the fireworks.

I can't believe we are nearly at the end of this challenge, but I'm hoping for a nice easy one next week. I have to pack my crafting stuff away for Christmas  - I use half my dining table and I think we might be needing it!!

Thanks for looking and I really appreciate your comments!

October

Here's my October tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 10 where the theme is to use TREES.

Well I was thinking of doing halloween for October but instead decided to go with an autumnal theme.  I clear embossed the Beech Tree from Oak House Studio and then swiped the tag through Distress Inks - a mix of Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed and a bit of Pine Needles spritzed with water.  I blended Vintage Photo and Pine Needles around the edges, added some brown ribbon and the calendar.

Only two more to go and I can't quite believe I've actually managed to keep up!!  Hope you like - thanks for popping by and for any comments too!!

August

Here's my August tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge  week 9 where the theme is to use TEAL, RUST and WHITE.

Now this one is much easier especially as I had the seaside in mind for August.  The background has a few elements - I used Rusty Hinge Distress Ink for the sand and  Faded Jeans for the sky plus a few dabs of Picket Fence Distress Stain to create clouds.  The sea is a mix of Salty Ocean and Pine Needles Distress inks making a teal colour and I've then torn this to create the white wave edges.

The stamps are from Crafty Indivduals CI- 278.  I've stamped the beach huts on gloss card and coloured them with Tombow pens and added some seagulls to the sky.  Its just finished with the calendar and some teal ribbon.

Well it's another dull day here which makes photoing anything so difficult.  Anyway hope you like and thanks for looking!!

July

Here's my next tag for the Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 8.  The theme this week is CHILDREN/CUTE. 

I thought last week was a challenge but I don't do cute and I have no children stamps ............. but as the whole calendar is going to be a gift for my daughter I'm hoping I can get away with it. 

She's studying History so I've used the medievally looking Lynne Perella stamp from Paperartsy LPC008 inked with Olympia Green Versafine and coloured it using a waterbrush with Rusty Hinge and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  I've masked the image, blended around with Mowed Lawn and Bundled Sage Distress Inks and then splattered it with water.  It's just finished with some ribbon and the calendar.

In medieval times, things were maybe a little darker, but this is my July tag so I went for bright greens and orange!! I have to say it is brighter in real life - it's so dull today to get a decent photo!!  Anyway it's getting harder to fit the theme with the months left but I shall persevere!!

Hope you like and thanks for looking.

June

Here's my June tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 7 where the theme is CANDLES.

This one was certainly a challenge!!  I have no candle stamps, diecuts or chipboard shapes so I had the idea to melt a candle with my heat gun to make an embellishment - that didn't work!!  So I've wrapped a candle in card. tied with a bow and fastened onto the tag - it's my daughter's birthday in June and she'll still be at Uni so she can buy herself a muffin and she'll have a candle put in it and light!!

The background is a mix of Picket Fence Distress Stain with Broken China and Salty Ocean Distress Inks spritzed with water and mopped up.  I've overstamped this with Happy Birthday in Manganese Blue Archival, added some Faded Jeans Distress Stickles and finished it with ribbon and the calendar.

I had problems with the photo - it's not straight and I'm not sure it's in focus.  Maybe too much blue!!   Anyway I hope you like and thanks for looking!!

May

Here's my next tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 6 where the theme is to use FELT.

There is always lots of blossom out in May so I went with a pink theme and some May Blossom.  The background is a mix of Picket Fence Distress Stain with Picked Raspberry and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks spritzed with water and splattered and dried etc.  I've stamped the Mountain Ash in Picked Raspberry at the bottom and clear embossed the Sycamore at the top - both stamps from Oak House Studio. 

I cut the felt blossom flower with my Tattered Floral die and added a brad covered with seed beads etc. It's just finished with ric rac and the May calendar.  I'm not sure why it's so pink - it's not my favourite colour and my daughter hates it too!!  Nice and bright and cheerful though!!

Halfway through now and last week I had a chance to finish off my previous tags. Here are the previous 5 - I've added a little more stamping in places and double matted the calendars to make them stand out more.

I've covered the backs with plain card, inked the edges and then added Journalling Spots so my daughter has somewhere to write.  The stamps are from Autumn Leaves - there are 6 different stamps in the set so I stamped them all twice on white card and then randomly stuck them on the backs.

What colour next week......decisions, decisions!!    Thanks for looking and leaving comments - they are always very much appreciated!

April

Here's my April tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge where the theme is to use Paper Tape.

I wasn't sure which month to do but then I got an email from my nephew to say he's getting married next April in Amsterdam so I went with an orange theme  - colour of the Netherlands and tulips!  Anyway the bright background is a mix of Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Mustard Seed Distress Inks spritzed with water and mopped up with the tag, edged with Barn Door and stamped with a Hero Arts sentiment. 

Now to add Paper Tape!! It's not something I possess and I didn't have any standard masking tape...... but then I suddenly realised I had some Eclipse Masking Tape which is nice and white.  I've stamped it with Oak House Studio's Mack Rose in Vermillion Archival and stuck the strip down the side of the tag.   It's just finished with some ribbons and the calendar of course.

Really enjoying this challenge - the 5 I've done so far are all so different but hopefully will make a nice gift come Christmas.  Next job is to tidy all the backs up and maybe create a space for writing notes.

Thanks for looking once again!!

September

Here's my next tag for The Craft Barn's Calendar Challenge week 4 with a theme of DOODLING.

I don't really doodle these days as the laptop gets used too much and I couldn't decide what to do that had any meaning for April.  I have a few ideas for other months so I've just plumped for a Doodling September!!   

I've clear emboss the dots and checks from Tim Holtz's Bitty Grunge set and the Rosette stamp from Oak House Studio and then inked over this with Salty Ocean, Broken China and Evergreen Bough Distress Ink spritzed with Faded Jeans Re-inker.  I've doodled around the edges and added a tag so my daughter can add her doodles too!!  It's just finished with the calendar and some distress inked seam binding.

Loving this colour combination with the white stamping and black doodles - thanks for looking!!

March

Here's my March tag for The Craft Barn's Calendar Challenge week 3 - the theme is to use WHITE, GREEN & YELLOW.

Well they're the right colours for Spring but I have no daffodil or tulip stamps - besides my daughter is not really a flowery girly-girl.  So I've resorted to going with Mad March Hares - a free stamp with Craft Stamper magazine.

The background is Sunflower Yellow Stazon and Mowed Lawn Distress Ink swiped across the tag to give a good coverage.  I've then overstamped this with the sun ray stamp from Tim Holtz in Sunflower Yellow Brilliance, the Hares in Onyx Versafine and the edges of an Oak House Studio winter Beech Tree in Pine Needles Distress Ink to create a bit of grassy texture.  It's just finished with a white calendar matted onto green card and some green fibres.

Hopefully I'll get to finish all 12 and it should be a nice bright calendar.  Anyway thanks for looking!!

February

Here's my February tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 2.   I was going to do snowdrops but the theme was for BRIGHT so that's what I've done.

For the base I've used Colour Chemistry Spray Inks (Regal Claret and Precious Purple) mopped up with the tag and then inked through a Tando Creative Distorted Harlequin Mask with Dusty Concord Distress Ink.  The edges are blended with Picked Raspberry to continue the pinky/purpley theme.   It's just finished with some turquoisey blue ribbon and the calendar.

Hopefully it'll brighten up a dull February day!!

January

My crafting has been so sparse of late I thought I'd better make an effort to enter a few challenges.  Just started is The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge (a month a week!) so here is JANUARY - the challenge was to use VELLUM.

I thought I'd make a tag for each month, fasten with a jump ring and give it my daughter for Christmas - it'll be small and light enough to hang on her pin board at Uni.

So for January I've gone for Snowflakes!!   The background is a swooshy mix of Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks and I've overstamped this with fir trees from Tim Holtz's Reindeer Flight stamp set.  I've also used the snowflakes from the same set, stamped with Snowcap Dabber on the tag and on the vellum.  I've used Snowcap Dabber to edge the vellum (and hide the glue) and rubbed some Faded Jeans Distress Stickles in the sky above the trees.  I've just finished it with some silver ribbons and a calendar. 

I'm still looking for a nicer calendar so that bit may change but overall I'm happy!!  So with a happy heart I'm going to enter this for Hels Sunday Stamper week 225 challenge too!!

Thanks for taking the time to look.