It's Magic Winner and Top 3

Hi everyone!

Kerstin here to bring you the Winner and Top 3 from my 'It's magic' Challenge.

Wow! I was really blown away by the high quality of the projects entered to our November challenge!

Sadly there were rather few entries, but those were really creative and I loved the imaginativeness, the skill, the beautiful nature images and stories you all shared with us! So huge thanks to all those who stepped out of their comfort zones and played with us last month!

  First let's announce the randomly drawn winner of the prize donated by our wonderful sponsor this month Nicecrane Designs:

And the winner is.......

No 7 - Lys

Even though there were just few entries picking my winner and Top3 wasn't easy.

And the one and only winner is...

                                                                   Bonnie McLain

Not only was I deeply impressed by her neologism "Magestic" but also her blog post and description. She definitely has put her whole heart and soul into her beautiful creation! The majestic, warm autumn colours she used and all the various details and textures she has incorporated mirror her deep love and affection for nature. Also there is this wonderful peace and tranquility to her project, which I really think is what makes it so magical! 

Congratulations Bonnie! You have just become our first ever Gold Winner!

                                                    Top 3 (in no particular order)

Evelyn Walter

The wonderful picture Evelyn used shows that the magic of nature already shows with the tiniest droplet of water! I love how she incorporated the beautiful photograph and how the details on her LO help blend it all together. Her idea of creating drops with the hot glue gun is genius! And I love the vintage look she has achieved!

Mona Pendleton

 

A really special capture of a wonderful nature moment, framed by magical flowers! I adore how Mona combined the tender colours and the stencilled texture from the background!

Jan Hill

 

I find Koalas fascinating too and can see why we all love them so much. With Jan's creation I especially admire the choice of colour which creates a tropical feel in a way. The layering with die cuts done in good old scrapbook style and the special effects used on this LO are absolutely stunning!

My sincere congrats to all of our winners, but really you are all winners for me, so thanks again for playing along!!

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You could be here next month as our winner or Top 3 - Just hop over to Alison's 'Have yourself a merry LITTLE Christmas' challenge and have a go! 

You could even win a prize from this month's sponsor Tando Creative! 

Remember, you have to be in it to win it!

Tando Sponsor Spotlight No.1

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the first of this month's Sponsor Spotlights!

This month our Sponsor is Tando Creative and there is a wonderful prize waiting to be won by a randomly selected entry to our challenge this month!

Here is what I have chosen to make with some Tando goodies - I adore Tando items because they put up with so much punishment - ink, paint, crackle, decoupage and more. I have even covered pieces with paint, crackle etc and then changed my mind and sanded it all down and re-started and it is absolutely fine! They are wonderful craft items to work with!

I chose to work with the Snowflake Plaque and a leaf flourish

And this is what I made with them.....

First I stamped a picture of Father Christmas from Artistic Outpost. I stamped it with Potting Soil Archival ink and blended Vintage Photo DI around the edge of the image.

I cut the stamped picture into an oval to fit the oval plaque and then cut out a frame from card.

The frame was painted with Antiqued Bronze DP and dabbed with Copper Liquid Pearls.

The leaf flourish was painted with Antiqued Bronze DP

The leaf part of the plaque flourish was painted with Antiqued Bronze DP and then covered with glue and sprinkled with Rock Candy Distress Glitter.

The snowflakes were painted with Nougat Fresco Paint and covered in glue and then sprinkled with Rock Candy Distress Glitter.

 The word 'Noel' was made with Ideology Label Letters

 Two ivory roses were lightly dabbed with Vintage Photo DI and smeared with a dab of PVA glue before being dipped into a pot of  Rock Candy Distress Glitter - I love this effect!

The 'Happy Christmas' was stamped with an Artistic Outpost stamp onto ivory card, blended with Vintage Photo DI and twisted into a banner shape.

A metal decorative corner was dabbed with Antiqued Bronze DP and stuck to the top of the decoration

  A piece of brown hemp string was tied to it to hang it up.

 And there is a very vintage Christmas decoration....Hope you like it!

If you like Tando items then why not enter our current challenge - one lucky entrant will receive some Tando goodies! What a wonderful treat!


And of course you could always be the winner of the challenge and be invited to be our Top Talent. You could be basking in the spotlight right here at Our Creative Corner!


All you have to do is enter the Have Yourself A Merry LITTLE Christmas - ATCs and ATBs hosted by Alison - Come and share your Festive ATCs and ATBs with us!




There will be two more festive Tando Spotlights to visit this month on 18th and 25th - make sure you don't miss them!

Happy Crafting!

Laura x

   

Have Yourself A Merry LITTLE Christmas - ATCs and ATBs

Hello, and welcome to December's challenge here at Our Creative Corner.

It's Alison here, and I'm delighted to be your host in the run up to all the festivities.  I know there's not much time for crafting at this time of year, so I'm only asking for something small!  And for that very small thing, you could be in for a lovely prize from our sponsors this month, Tando Creative.

This month, size is everything. I'm looking for you to
Have Yourself A Merry LITTLE Christmas.

That's right, we want to see your festive ATCs here at Our Creative Corner.

Your little nuggets of creativity, Artists Trading Cards, need to be 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size, and have a Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or otherwise seasonal festive theme.

You can create just one ATC, or a series.

You can create a chunky ATC - on a thick block of wood, but the main creating surface front and back should still be 2.5 x 3.5.

You can even create ATBs - Artists Trading Blocks - little Christmas cubes which should be, for this challenge, 3 x 3 x 3 inches in size, please.


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I can't wait to see what you come up with, and just in case you need a little creative inspiration, take a look at what the OCC Design Team have come up with...

 Alison

I've got a trio of wintry ATCs for you.  I've tried to capture the look of paintings on old wooden panels, complete with rusty nails to hold them in place.  

But there's also just a hint of Christmas sparkle if you look closely!
Come and see more over at Words and Pictures.

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Karin

I made an ATB with Christmas wishes embossed on.
Happy Holidays!

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Susan

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and good holidays.

See small details on my blog

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Julia

I decided to make a set of four ATC's using handmade backgrounds, stamping and non-traditional festive colours. 

For more details please stop by my blog.

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 Astrid

I loved Alison's chosen theme and decided to make an ATB and turn it into a little lantern. To see how I put it together, please visit my blog.

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Claudia

I loved creating my project for Alison's fab "Merry Little Christmas" challenge as she reminded me of ATCs (which were one of my preferred formats when I started my stamping and blogging hobby back in 2012. Thank you, Alison ;)

 I have never done a chunky ATC before and so wanted to try it. I know most create them from wood but I decided to go for something more lightweight and used three layers of thick corrugated card to build up mine. Hope you like it!

Happy Holidays!

xxx

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Laura

How about a chunky ATC that opens up to reveal a Christmas scene?....

I love working in miniature and you don't get much smaller than this!

Have a very Happy Christmas everyone! xxx

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Kerstin

I've decided to make my first ATC's, the result is a small series in romantic vintage style, which tells from an enchanted winter world with fairies, wishes and dreams. 

 Wishing you peace, love and joy this holiday season

always remember the true spirit of christmas

lies in your heart!

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Well, I certainly hope that's got your creative juices flowing.  Just make sure they don't overflow onto anything bigger than an ATC or ATB!

Be sure to double-check our Challenge Rules in order to qualify for the prize draw sponsored by Tando Creative, and with enough festive spirit in a small enough space maybe you'll be voted our Winner, with a spot as our Top Talent on offer, or one of our Top Three.

We hope you'll be able to come and play along.  See you soon, and Merry Festivities everyone!

Challenge is open until December 28th, 11.55pm UK time.

Nicecrane Designs Sponsor Spotlight No.3

Hi everyone - It is Sponsor Spotlight time again at Our Creative Corner!

Our generous sponsor this month is Nicecrane Designs 

I chose some gorgeous images to use! I had a small glass jar that I thought might make a nice tea light holder. It was put away for the right time and when I saw these images from Nicecrane Designs I knew I had found the perfect thing to decorate the tea light holder.

A Joyful Christmas

The first thing I did was change the images to sepia, which is very easy to do using any photo editing program.

I then cut out the images with an oval cutter that I have. I stuck all the images onto the glass jar with Matt Multi Medium.

 I also used one plain paper oval that I had stamped 'Joyeux Noel' and some flourishes in Potting Soil Archival ink. This was stuck onto the glass with multi medium too.

Then I painted all around the the glass jar with a couple of coats of Nougat Fresco paint. When doing this I wasn't planning on being too 'neat' - I wanted it to have a slightly antique, chipped and cracked appearance.

After dabbing the paint with some Gathered Twigs DI, I covered the painted area with a coat of crackle glaze. When the glaze was dry and crackled, I rubbed in some Chocolate Pudding Fresco Paint and wiped away with a baby wipe.

   The jar was then given three coats of matte varnish.

Lace was stuck to the rim of the jar and a bit of Vintage Photo DI was smudged around the edges.

A ribbon and a rose was stuck onto the jar

 .......and there we have a Vintage Christmas decoration!

Hope you liked it! To be in with a chance of winning some wonderful images from Nicecrane designs just join our 'It's Magic' challenge hosted by Kerstin!

       

Happy Crafting!

Autumnal Image Inspiration 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 'Autumnal Image Inspiration' Challenge that was hosted by Claudia!

Claudia selected Bonnie as her winner and so we are thrilled to be welcoming Bonnie as this months Top Talent - for the second time!!!

  Will Bonnie be the first person to win the Gold Winners Badge?

 

Before we show you Bonnie's stunning creation,  let's just spend some time finding out a little bit more about this wonderful lady.....

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

I have been crafting really since I was a small child… loved paper dolls and would design new outfits and then also new ‘folders’ to keep all them in… sometimes I would even draw the paper doll.. I loved to draw. So I would have to say around 7-8 …. But then my best friend and I painting my Mom’s kitchen with finger paints when we were 5 so maybe that was my first crafting experience??? What do you think??? Interior Designing at the age of 5. LOL



2. What is the most useless item that you have purchased for your craft?

Some Die cuts that I have not used and most likely won’t… But mistakes are so we can learn… and I have since re-evaluated ‘toys’ and equipment that I purchase… how many times am I REALLY going to use this, is it worth that kind of money for that number of uses, does it allow me to experience my art the way I desire…


3. Describe a real life experience that inspired you artistically

I use to live in Greenwich Village in the 60’s… and we use to try and raise money for different community affairs, and so we use to draw on the sidewalks with chalk and have a coffee can near us… there use to be 10- 15 of us… and we would all be working on each others art… it was very rewarding, learning, and loving in so very many ways… I learned so many different wonderful techniques, drawing skills, loving feelings about others, and also the art of enjoying people of all kinds. We are all so very wonderful when we connect with our hearts and allow that energy to flow out to others. Since that time, I have loved following my BLISS… which is my art of life. This is one of the reasons that when I became an Art Therapist, I was so very comfortable with that profession.



4. Whats the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

To follow my BLISS in all ways, at all times.


5. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?

Have a successful etsy store… LOL.. truth. I use to have a few spare guest rooms… and one is filled with all my art projects that need homes… from cards, (over 2000 cards) tags, boxes (over 200 plus), books that need to go to people to fill with their pictures, little art books from challenges, Journals that I have made, jewelry, framed Zentangles, way to many zentangles unframed that need to also find homes… (well over 500) and the list goes on and on… and then I found huge bins of things that are all vintage from my Mother and MIL that need to find homes too… OMGoodness.. will I ever have this spare room back??? So I am trying to have a successful etsy store now…if you would like to visit and take a look… you might even find something that you would like to make room for… I am at Love, Light and Peace on etsy.
I am very prolific so I think I will have things to sell for at least a few months… LOL… what do you think.. maybe a generation or two also… I love to create.



6. Is there something you wish you were better at?

Yes… a lot of things… mainly following my BLISS all the time… I love to do my art with paints, inks, paper and scissors… but I also love to cook… I have written a few collaged cook books that are selling pretty good… Cook Your Art Out and also Cook Your Art NOW… but I would like to write a book that is very detailed with the ART of Cooking in the truest sense… creating with what you have on hand. Sort of like creating a piece of Jewelry with something you have on hand.. that is why I have created this piece of jewelry today… it is something that we can all create… very easily, with things that we have on hand… think about it as you look at this necklace… HOW CAN I MAKE THAT… I would do this differently and this … and I would add this and that… and now that you have that in your mind, make it… I would like to be able to teach that to others to do with cooking, living, and also in the arts… so very important to become self sufficient in so many different things on this particular Earth Walk… making a statement of Love, Light and Peace.

 

7. Describe yourself in five words

Creative, Energetic, loving, artistic, prolific!!! I need to balance MORE… and am working on that NOW.  Balance in all things.

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Thanks so much for being here Bonnie! We are so glad to have you here with us for a second time.

     ....now it is time to shine the spotlight on the Top Talent creation - So let's see what Bonnie made for us this time!

Bonnie has made us a wonderful handmade necklace! To see some more details on how to make it please click this link


 




 

I love this Bonnie! This is such a gorgeous necklace - I am sure you will be inspiring many people to have a go! It really has been such an honour to feature this wonderful creation at Our Creative Corner.
 

Thank you so much for being such a wonderful Top Talent in the spotlight!

 
If you want to see more photos and details of this wonderful creation and find out how it was made, then please go along to Bonnie's blog and say "Hello" - I am sure she would love to see you there!

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Would you like to see your work here in 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 the It's Magic challenge and if you are picked as the winner you will be invited to appear here as our Top Talent and have the spotlight shine on something you have made. We will also ask you some questions so that we can be nosey find out more about you....

You could also be one of our Top 3 and you could even be the lucky winner of a voucher to spend at the Nicecrane Designs

There is one more week of the It's Magic challenge left, so why not have fun creating!

You have gotta be in it to win it!

Happy Crafting! 

Laura xxx