'Forgotten Things' Top Talent

               Welcome back to another Top Talent spotlight at Our Creative Corner!

  
  This month we are shining the spotlight on the winner of the 'Forgotten Things' Challenge hosted by Anne.

     Our Creative Corner is so happy to be welcoming Julie Ann from magpieheaven, who won the Forgotten Things challenge with her stunning Pierrot box.
     If you haven't been to her blog to see her amazing work then you really should head over there!
    Julie Ann has created such a beautiful piece of art for us today....but as usual, before we show you the amazing creation - let's find out a little bit more about this very talented lady.......



1.  Where do you live?

I live in Bromley Kent, about twenty minutes from London on the train.
  

2.  Do you have your own creative space in your home?

Don’t get me started on that one! I craft either on the dining table, competing with the salt and pepper mills and a hungry family arriving and wanting the next meal, or in our tiny little conservatory on top of the washing machine. It’s freezing in there on a cold day, or hot enough to get the UTEE bubbling without a melt pot on a hot one! I’ve been promised a garden shed all of my own sometime next year where I can hide myself away and craft to my heart’s content! Heaven!
 

3.  If you could only use three craft supplies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

It would have to be Paper Artsy Fresco Paints, Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks and Treasure Gold. 
 

4.  Do you pre-sketch a design or do you just wing it?

Sometimes I have an idea that comes to me in the night and I have to get up and sketch it there and then. On other occasions I just play with materials and stamps and see what happens. I always start with a vague idea of where I’m going with a project. I like it if what I’ve created has a story to tell or a special significance for me or the person I’m making it for. 
 

5.  If you have lost your Mojo, how do you go about getting it back?

I haven’t been crafting very long, so it still feels as if my mind is bursting with ideas and not enough time to play. If I want inspiration, though, I either go for a walk in the countryside or into the garden or I visit my favourite museum – The Victoria and Albert – a treasure trove of the most gorgeous designs from all times and places.
  

6.  Do you plan to buy craft items? Or are you of the mind that  “Really need it NOW!”  only works for you?

It depends. Sometimes I make a plan of what I need. Sometimes I see something that will be perfect for a project I’m working on and then I have to have it NOW!
  

7.  Please tell us about five blogs that truly inspire you.

·          

           Back when I started blogging in April, I was advised to put my work desk on WOYWW. A crafter from Canada commented on my post, saying that ’We magpies should stick together’. Ever since she has encouraged me, regularly visiting my blog and inspiring me with her lovely, original work, which uses recycled materials and rich vivid colours and textures. Her name is Dianne Marcoux and her blog is Magpiedi Magpiedi

·          

           Alison Bomber at Words and Pictures appeals to me with her love of text along with beautiful art work: I really enjoy the quotations she includes. I teach English so I love the narrative quality of a lot of her work

·          

          Laurart is a constant source of inspiration. I always admire the way Laura uses colour; her choice of stamped images and the originality of her designs. And, like a lot of the artists I admire, her work often tells a story or creates a mood.

·          

          PaperArtsy was the first Craft Blog I ever looked at when I returned home from a trip to London with my first ever unmounted rubber stamps - an ‘Ink and the Dog’ plate – one of the Wings ones and saw that this company had their own blog. I’ve been a regular visitor ever since. I love to play along with the guest designers whenever I can.

·          

    Another crafter who has inspired me and whose work has been a great source of inspiration is Kezzy, of Kezzy’s Crafty Journey. Her ‘can do’ attitude is infectious. I love her enthusiasm and her willingness to give anything a try!

       



    Julie Ann has worked her usual wonderful paint and texture magic for us and created a gorgeous money box...So let's take a peek at the Top Talent Spotlight...

  

   Thank you so much Julie Ann for being here today in the Top Talent Spotlight and creating such a beautiful altered money box for us. It has been a pleasure to feature your work.

If you want to see more photos and details of how it was made, then please go along to Julie Anne's blog magpieheaven and say "Hello" - I am sure she would love to see you there! 

Would you like everyone to see your work here under the 'Our Creative Corner' Spotlight? You could be here as our 'Top Talent' with the spotlight shining on something you have created! All you have to do is enter Claudia's 'Steampunk TicTacToe' challenge.  There is one more week of her challenge left, so why not have fun creating! 
Come and have a go at Steampunk - Dip your toe in grunge and gears....or dive right in!
         

      We all hope you will come back to see us on the 1st December when Laura will be presenting her new challenge for all of you....We also have some exciting news for you! 

 

See you then!

Tic Tac Toe - Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of November's "Steampunk Tic Tac Toe" challenge with some mid-month inspiration from Team B, and the reminder on almost two more weeks' time for entering our challenge!

Today I also have the special pleasure of introducing to you our new DT member Astrid from Astrid's Artistic Efforts! It is her first make as an OCC design teamie and I know that you have been eagerly waiting to see her "act" ;)

Your entries for our challenge so far are overwhelming and I am already blown away by your creativity! Narrowing them down to one winner and Top3 will definitely be a tough one!!! Uh oh! ;)

Let me show you the Tic Tac Toe diagram again: you have to choose three ingredients - all of them in a straight line (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) and let us know in your post which ones you have chosen (don't forget about our challenge rules either ;).

Let's see what the DT chose to play with:

Astrid

For my very first project for Our Creative Corner I made a wall plaque out of mount board. I used  Tim Holtz's Eroded Metallic technique as explained in Creative Chemistry 102. I decided to go with the top line - Wings, Gears and Wire - and had great fun putting all my various elements together, after a good bit of rusting of course. I am very excited to be part of this team and hope you will like my first make.

Anne

I felt a little bit out of my comfort zone doing a Steampunk project but in the end, I loved it!  I went for the top line of Wings, Gears and Wire for my card.

Linda

I don't really have a knack for Steampunk so coming up with an idea/design for this challenge was a bit of a struggle.   While doing some research on Steampunk, I realized that you can basically Steampunk anything.  I'm moving into full Christmas crafting mode and I thought why not Steampunk a Christmas stocking...so I did.  

I chose the middle horizontal line - Flourish - Texture - Heart. 

Alison

We seem to have been very attracted by the first row of the Tic Tac Toe... I'm another Wings, Gears and Wires player!  I knew from the first moment of seeing Claudia's fabulous Steampunk Tic Tac Toe choices that a wire crinoline skirt was going to feature, though I thought it might be fiddly.  Turns out that was the easiest bit!  Trying to get the rest of my ArtAngel to behave was quite a game, but I'm pretty happy with her in the end.

***

The challenge is open until November 28th! Enough time for you to show us your Steampunk Tic Tac Toe!!!  So come and share your projects here.  I hope I can get some of you out of your comfort zones as well and have you enjoy a new experience ;)

Hugs and happy crafting,

Claudia xx

It's Halloween - Let's Tag It On! Winner And Top Three

Hello everyone, Julia here to announce the winner and top three for my Halloween Tag challenge.
You didn't give me a very easy job did you?? The entry was quite small - 38 entries - but there were some stunners and I found it very difficult to choose! Lots of wonderful ideas for texture and some super creepy images too!

Without further ado, here are my chosen entries:

The Winner Of The Halloween - Let's Tag It On Challenge

No. 32 - Maisie Moonshine

I just loved the textured 'wall' background that Maisie created - it's wonderful in a close up image.
The small details that make this tag work so well are numerous: the stamped ribbon, the window, the net curtain, Mr Skeleton creepily staring out - need I go on?!

The way Maisie showed her tag lit from the back was the final factor that clinched the deal. I love Maisie's creativity and the way she interpreted my challenge.
Congratulations for your win and I can't wait to see what you come up with for the Top Talent feature!

Now for the Top Three in numerical order - so glad I don't have to put them in rank order!!

No. 5 - Astrid

I love the combination of stencilled texture and wrinkle free distress that Astrid used for her background.


The images are perfect for Halloween, especially that Teesha Moore image which I find very creepy indeed! Don't forget those beautifully textured leaves too and the little piece of text on the top right.
I'm also delighted that Astrid has joined our team and I look forward to working alongside such a talented lady. When Astrid made this tag she wasn't even on the team so it just shows what can happen in a short space of time!

No. 17 - Keren

A wonderful cobwebb background from Keren achieved with some spider web netting and some black netting which was cleverly dry brushed to great effect. I just love how Keren used the Graphic 45 cat postcard too - it's a stunner!


Just love how adding some net to a background with a little dry brushing can make such a wonderful texture.

No. 38 - Kezzy


I just love how Kezzy has created her background! The wonderful texture highlighted with colour and metallics is perfect. So many small details make this such a gorgeous tag - just loving the 'makeup' added to her face!

Don't you just love these little dancing skeletons? That hair is fab too!

Thank you so much ladies for making my challenge such a success with your beautiful entries. Please do go over and visit these talented artists and see the full details for each piece.

Well done to the  latest 'Our Creative Corner' Winner and Top 3! Feel free to grab your badges from the sidebar - we hope you will proudly display them  on your blogs.

Our latest challenge, hosted by the uber talented Claudia is live on the blog. Claudia has come up with a clever 'Tic Tac Toe' challenge with Steampunk as your theme. Click here for all the details and then why not link up your Steampunk creations? Who knows, you could be our next winner and then be featured as a top talent. You will even be given a place in the 'Winner's Corner' next to Maisie Moonshine! 

Don't forget to pop back here on the 15th November for some more inspiration from my amazingly talented teamies. You will just love what they have come up with. . . . . . 

Tic Tac Toe

Hello and a joyful "servus" from Vienna this time!

It's me, Claudia, and before I present to you the challenge I chose for you I would just like to make some announcements on behalf of the Our Creative Corner Team.

We are very sad to announce that Margie isn't on the team at OCC any more - we wish her all the best and lots of happiness on her crafty journey! We have a new DT member who you are sure to know and already be a huge fan of......

........please join us in welcoming Astrid from Astrid's Artistic Efforts - 

I love journaling, altering all sorts of objects and playing about 

with gesso, acrylic paints, collage and many layers. Often I use 

my stamps more for creating backgrounds rather than as a main 

focal point. My style is almost always vintage, but can vary from 

being more shabby chic to being grungy distressed, depending on 

what mood I am in and what materials fall into my hands.

I draw my inspiration from many different sources, but mainly 

from other artists and nature.

I am hugely excited to be part of this team and really look forward 

to sharing my work and seeing what everyone else is creating for the challenges.

    We are all thrilled Astrid said yes when asked if she would like to join us - we are sure you will all be eagerly awaiting to see the gorgeous creations she will make to inspire you each month. Astrid will be here with the rest of the team on the 15th.

***



But for now I have the very great pleasure of bringing to you 

the challenge for November and I decided that we should play one of my favourites:

 Steampunk Tic Tac Toe!

So all you have to do is use three of the ingredients from the diagram that are in a straight line (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) when creating your projects for our challenge and name them in your post!

You may create any "level" of steampunk - either just add some typical steampunk elements or dive deep into steampunk. So this is a challenge for steampunk lovers as well as for those who step out of their comfort zones and give it a try (which I can really recommend as steampunk is a lot of fun to do;). Just keep in mind that we want to see crafted projects and/or stamped images with your creations instead of digital makes.

Before linking your projects with our collection (or if you haven't been here before), please, make sure that you read (and follow) the challenge rules (to be found in the side bar) properly, otherwise I will have to skip your entry when picking the winner and Top3. :(

Winner and Top3 for this challenge will be announced on the 8th of December, so make sure you come back to see if you are one of them! And next week, on November 8th, Julia will be announcing her winner and Top3 for the "It's Halloween - let's tag it on!" challenge!  I am sure picking them will be a hard job for her as you all entered so many fabulous projects to her challenge!!!  

But now let's head on to the bundle of fab inspiration my talented teamies and I made for you! 

Jenny

With my grubby mits firmly clenched around a Wendy Vecchi 'Flourishes' stencil and techniques from Creative Chemistry 102 still fresh in my mind, I went for the centre line - "flourish, texture, a heart" - and threw in a large helping of cogs, gears and washi tape for good measure.

Julia

I decided to make a Gentleman's Travelling Box. Any Steampunk Gentleman would be able to pop their valuables in this little box and hide it amongst their possessions or on their person. I've used the central line of the grid: gears, texture - from embossing grunge board and DecoArt products - and travel.

Laura

I chose the top line 'Wings, Gears and Wire'. I began by trying to think of a way to make something using ONLY these items! After a lot of work with wire and pliers and not a trace of ink or paint in sight, I had combined these wonderful Steampunk elements into a treasured pendant.

Claudia

I decided to go for the line that says "gears - texture - transport" and altered the cover of a sketchbook. I used stencils, some die cut gears, acrylic colours, decorating paste, white gesso, metallic rub ons, some metal embellishments and a lot more to create a lot of yummy texture.

***

Well, this should definitely have made your imagination run wild with ideas for your own Steampunk Tic Tac Toe makes!!! I can't wait to see what you will come up with! 

Hugs and happy crafting!

Claudia

xxx

'Words, Words, Words' Top Talent

 Welcome back to another Top Talent spotlight at Our Creative Corner!

   This month we are shining the spotlight on the winner of the 'Words, words, words' Challenge hosted by Alison, also known to many of you as butterfly.

    Our Creative Corner is so happy to be welcoming Manu from Vintagesavonette  who won the Words challenge with her gorgeous 'Poem in a box' If you haven't been to her blog to see her amazing work then you really should head over there!

     Manu has created a wonderful piece of art for us today....but before we show you the amazing creation - let's find out a little bit more about this very talented lady.......



1. Where do you live?

Berlin - Germany

2. How long have you been crafting and what made you start crafting?

I have been crafting one way or the other for all my life. As a child I drew paper dolls to create dresses for them, a little older, I forced my cats into self-made and well-decorated carton board homes (which they certainly tore to pieces). Then I grew older and forgot about my "artistic" talent because cruising a big city and trying myself out with 20, finding a husband and having a child in my thirties, needed so much attention on another creative field.

Then, short before 50,  I met a friend who is a craft addict. We came together like two pieces of a puzzle, same tastes, same techniques. That's were my inspiration got a fresh start again.

3. What if anything, do you consistently draw inspiration from?

Consistently? Yes, I must admit, I draw my inspiration above all from my blogging friends. The internet has become the ultimate source for me. Not only from the technical point of view, but also from all those stories shared, the different aspects of a theme...

And then again, there is pinterest.  I can browse it for hours, my mouth watering, needing to reproduce all those beautiful ideas at once. The thing then again is getting up, leaving the pc and really getting to craft myself.

4. How would you describe your art for the general public audience if they have never seen it before?

I am still testing myself. So I may change from a shabby, soft and lacy look one day, to a more rustic, dark-toned style another time.

I have started to alter books as this gives me enough "canvas" to work on, but which can easily be stored away without taking too much space. I use whatever falls into my hands when I am in a creative mood. So "mixed-media" is the word describing my craft.

5. What do you enjoy most about crafts?

I love to let my mind go on a journey. Most of times, like this time, too, I need a topic, a challenge to follow along. A word, a poem, a motto. Then I browse my mind to give my ideas a concrete structure. The result is the "cooperation" between thought and hands. This is what I enjoy most. That your hands and head are both occupied and convey positive energy.

6. Are you an impulsive buyer of craft items?

YES, YES, YES! Somebody uses unknown material, I need it, too. A new stamp? Give it to me. Technical equipment to facilitate crafting? On top of my Santa-Claus wishlist.

7. What other hobbies or talents do you have that you'd like to share with us?

 
I love to read: Thrillers to get my blood pressure up (others have a glass of champagne), crafting books to get an idea, love novels where lovers with pointed teeth meet in the twilight...

My house: Decorating, re-decorating (not so much cleaning and tidying).

Gardening: But, admittedly, one hour gardening is balanced by several hours deck-chair-dreaming.

Sewing is another hobby I love and I am not talking about repairing seams or tightening my daughter's jeans.

And then there is always curiosity leading me into various fields of interest and experimenting.

 And now lets take a peek at Manu's amazing creation in the Top Talent Spotlight...

 Thank you so much Manu for being here today in the Top Talent Spotlight and creating such beautiful canvas for us......

If you want to see more photos and details of how it was made then please go along to Manu's blog Vintagesavonette and say "Hello" - I am sure she would love to see you there! 

Would you like everyone to see your work here under the 'Our Creative Corner' Spotlight? You could be here as our 'Top Talent' with the spotlight shining on something you have created! All you have to do is enter Julia's 'Halloween - Lets tag it on' challenge.  There is one more week of her challenge left, so why not have fun creating! 

Make a spooky tag...and don't forget to include some surface texture!
         

      We all hope you will come back to see us on the 1st November when Claudia will be presenting her exciting challenge for all of you....We also have some news for you! 

See you then!

It's Halloween - Let's Tag It On! Part Two.

Hello Everyone, Julia here again with Part Two of our Halloween Challenge. We've had some wonderful entries so far but if you're still looking for extra inspiration, just scroll down and take a look at the fantastic work on offer from the rest of the team!

Just remember that you are asked to make a TAG as your main project using the theme of Halloween. We must also see some surface decoration on your tag. You'll find all the details and the link to add your entry here. We'd love it if you found time to play along with us this month and we can't wait to see what you come up with.

Now, a collection of  fabulous Halloween themed tags, with some awesome surface texture from my hugely talented teamies:

Anne

I love Julia's challenge this month and I adore Halloween.  To me Halloween is all about black and orange and I have used it in abundance in my textured tag.  Julia asked us to create a TEXTURED BASE and I have used dry embossing and wet embossing to create texture on mine and I added die cuts to give extra dimension.

Linda

I love vintage style Halloween art so this challenge was a blast for me!  I broke out the distress paints, silver embossing powder, silver embossing paste and the yummy new distress glitters and went to town!

Alison

I'm a texture junkie... so Julia's challenge was a joy!  I've got some dry-embossing as the surface texture on the actual tag itself, and other textures - crackle and Distress glitter - on other elements.  And my Halloween tends toward the twilight spooky colour zones, which means I get to use my favourite blues!

Claudia

I LOVE texture!!! For my textured Halloween tag I used a lot of die cut Tim Holtz goodness alongside some dry embossed Kraft Glassine and crumpled sandwich paper which I glued to the die cut branch tree and blended with DI "gathered twigs" afterwards to make the creases pop out even more! 

How stunning are these tags?!! If they don't wet your appetite to play along with us then I don't know what will. All that delicious texture on the tags and huge amounts of Halloween fun for the theme - it's your turn now!