Welcome to my blog

I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and please leave me a comment. I always enjoy reading them, and will try to visit you in return.

For security reasons for me and for you, I would appreciate it if you would leave your name on your comments.

You are welcome to copy any of my designs, as long as you do not take credit for them yourself. I am very happy for you to sell them. If I have used anyone else's design, I always try to give credit where it is due. If I have missed anything, please let me know and I will put things right.


This is intended to be mainly about my crafting stories, as a personal record of what I do. However, I interpret crafting quite widely, not just paper crafting but other things too. I have a butterfly mind and like to change from one thing to another depending on what I feel like on a given day - knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, cards, baking and several others, including my favourite right now, parchment, both traditional skills and Groovi, very relaxing and calming to do.

I have decided to put some structure into my blog so that each day will have something of a theme.
Monday- for Mindfulness; Tuesday - Tidy Up Day; Wednesday - What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday; Thursday - Technique and Tips; Friday - Finish Off Day; Saturday - Start Something New; Sunday - Anything Goes
These themes are not hard and fast and will be changed if I feel the need.

Saturday 20 February 2016

Barbara Gray's Calendar Challenge for February

How many of you have bought Barbara Gray's beautiful calendar for this year, I wonder.  Not only is it a lovely calendar in its own right, but it also contains step by step instructions on how to complete each piece of art.  So Barbara has challenged us all to follow those instructions and recreate her masterpieces.


This is my entry for February.  We started with four distress re-inkers and a tray of cheap shaving foam (the cheaper ones work better).  A few drops of each colour into the foam and swirled around gives the printing surface.  Dropping the card onto the inky surface and twisting a little gives a different result each time.  I have a cheap child's plastic ruler with which to scrape off the excess foam to reveal the inky surface below.

 I had about a dozen sheets of card when I had finished (I had run out of space round the kitchen to dry the cards), but only this one spoke to me for this project.  The idea is to look at your background to see what you can see there.  The stamp used is a favourite of Barbara's.

To me, this was inside a cave with rushing streams running through it and then out of the exit on the right on the card.  I used Faber Castell polychromos and a black micron pen to enhance the background to try to bring out what I could see.

You will probably see something completely different to my ideas, but that is fine.  We are all different.

Why don't you all have a go at this challenge?  It is all good fun.

6 comments:

crafty said...

Nicely done good luck in the clarity calendar challenge xx

JackieCou said...

Hi Maggie, I've done some backgrounds this afternoon as I wasn't happy with yesterday's for the challenge. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to choose which one to use, not one of them is jumping out at me except perhaps one and that looks like a side on face which hubby spotted first. I could see the 'scream" in another. Some of yesterday's were just too sludgy as well, they'll be fine for other projects though! Loving yours as its bright and I can see what you mean. Good luck in the challenge !

carols handmade cards said...

I like your shaving background a lovely card. Good luck in the calender challenge. Xx

Unknown said...

It's lovely I have half done mine need to finish it well make choice as got two it's great fun did it with granddaughters Leannah and Rosy xxx

Pen Sunshinepen said...

Hi great interpretation yes I can see a cave too. Love using shaving foam got a box now of papers.

Crafty hugs Pen x

Lynne Bishop said...

Well done Maggie. I like your background and your interpretation of seeing a cave entrance. Good luck in the challenge. xx