WICKED WINTER SALE

Hi

Just a quickie to remind you that our Winked Winter Sale starts on line at 9am tomorrow and in store at 9:30am tomorrow (Saturday 31st December). 
Juste un rappel que nos soldes commencent demain, Samedi 31 décembre à 9h (GMT) en ligne et à 9h30 en magasin.

We do have a release of Goody boxes as part of the sale (on line only I'm afraid).  The RRP value is well over £50  and as always we are selling them at just £15, as you know these usually sell out within a few hours so do pop on over to the website early if you want to grab one.
Les "goody boxes" sont de retour (en ligne uniquement). Leur valeur est de £50 mais elles sont en vente pour £15. Soyez rapide, elles partent généralement très vite.

I hope you had a great Christmas and wish everyone a Happy New Year
Nous espérons que vous avez passé un bon noël et nous vous souhaitons une très bonne année 2012.

See you soon
A bientôt
Sandy et Izzy

ART JOURNAL CHALLENGE 1

Helloooo dear crafters...

And you thought I would be quiet during the holiday break? Nope ...and I'm even here to post a new challenge for those of you who want to keep your fingers inky when the kids are busy playing with their new toys after Christmas...

We saw a lot of enthusiasm during our Introduction to Art Journaling week, some of you mentioned the word "challenge" so here we go... your Christmas wish is granted LOL.

If you are new to Art Journaling, now is the time to give it a go... take a journal, or even an old book and start inking.... and journaling (although you don't have to post your journaling if it's too personal).
Don't know where to start? Check our Introduction to Art Journaling week posts and off you go. If you have any questions, ask in a comment below. I'm on holiday, but I'll try to come and check every so often ;).
I might do a page myself, you never know...

We keep the same theme: 

BUILDINGS

... of all kinds... you can interpret it any way you want, just have fun... 

I will be back to work sometimes during the week of the 9th January, so I will post the winner at the end of that week (yes, I have an Outlook reminder set up this time so I don't forget LOL).
This leaves you nearly 3 weeks to get creative. You can enter as many times as you like.
All countries welcome ;)

What is there to win? Well... a bit of a AJ starter pack really... Even if you already have one (or more) Art Journal(s) on the go, I'm sure you'll be happy to get a new one, won't you?

You will get 

One bluebell book

One Cosmic Shimmer mister

One Americana acrylic paint

One Claudine Hellmuth medium kit

Here's a few of the DT's AJ pages published so far.. 

 Now it's your turn ! 

Have fun !! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!

Hi

Just thought I would pop on and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

As is usual at this time of year, I have been doing a bit of reflecting on the last year!

It's been a very strange year with a real mix of highs and lows.  The biggest low being three staff associated with the barn either being diagnosed with  breast cancer or undergoing follow up treatment, thankfully they are all on the mend now, fingers crossed.  If there is only one piece of advice you ever listen to please, please, please check yourself regularly, it really is so important.

I have to say that the rest of our team have been amazing throughout these last months.  They have worked so hard to provide cover, working extra hours, changing holiday and generally being accommodating to help us keep everything on track and they deserve a massive thank you from me and that includes Izzy who has been writing all the blog posts that you have been seeing since Jane has been out of action.

One of the highs for me has been the way that our DT has evolved and developed .  They are an amazing bunch who consistently produce inspiring and stunning work and manage to maintain a sense of humour even when we pull them way outside their comfort zones and pile on the pressure!

Our tutors too deserve a big pat on the back, they have been wonderful, coming up with some truly fabulous class projects and this has been reflected in the number of sell out classes we have these days and how far people are willing to travel to take the classes.  We have had people from as far afield as Norfolk, Portsmouth, Manchester, Southampton and Bristol to name but a few and this has been another highlight for me.

I also really enjoyed our Extravaganza this year even though we were all shattered by the end of the weekend.  We had more visitors than ever and a great selection of really talented demonstrators.  I was amazed by how many people from outside the UK and from various groups and forums around the UK travelled to see us - including loads of Sara's crew from Cardmaking  Paradise who are such a nice bunch and are always up for making a weekend of it!

Finally I want to say a massive thank you to all of you for your fantastic support.  For taking time to follow our blog and leave comments, for shopping with us at the barn and on line and most of all for sharing our journey.

We promise to keep the journey going and to do everything we can to make 2012 a great year for you and of course for us too!

Hugs Sandy

Calendar winners: week 11 and 12

Hi,
So sorry about the delay on that one. I was SURE,... positive that I had done this post but apparently not...

Anyway... it's a nice early xmas present for two of you, isn't it?
Hope you forgive me ...

So the winner for the Calendar challenge week 11 is.... 

MRS A

And the winner for the Calendar challenge week 12 is.... 

Scrapmate

Congratulations to both of you. 

Please get in touch so I can have your email address and send your voucher ASAP

Keep an eye on this blog for a holiday break challenge coming soon.... 

Talk soon, 

DT showcase: Gay's turn

Hi, 
Here we are... Our last (but not least!!) DT member today: the adorable Gay.
Gay joined the team this year and brought with her a fresh new (to the blog) Clean and Simple style I absolutely love. Each time she posts a card, I just look at it and think "now why didn't I think of doing that?"
Those samples she picked for you today were some of my favourite too. I LOVE the fish card, so clever! 


What about you? Do you love Gay's work and ideas? 
Let us know in a comment below. I'm sure Gay will love to read them.

*******

This card for me is the essence of what I try to achieve when making a C&S card, the colours sang together and the stamp of the tree was structurally an absolute delight, must dig it out again. 

This was one of my first projects and I just loved the surprise of finding fish in the brackets, quite happy how the grungy stamps turned into a sea scape on my card 

This is one of the pages from the Calendar project that we have just finished.The colours of the fall leaves with the contrasting background aren't dissimilar to the first card, I think I must like the combination. Texture on a card can be difficult sometimes but these die cut leaves are such a basic design and could be coloured quite differently and I would find them easy to incorporate into lots of projects.

It has been a revelation to me, I thought the calendar was a huge undertaking but I'm so glad to have attempted and finished it all and am really pleased with the result! My lesson learned, don't be put off by a large project and take small steps to achieve. Thanks to the support of the lovely team members and Sandy and Isabelle for coming up with the inspiration.

I have thoroughly loved being part of the Craft Barn team and I feel so privileged to have been chosen. It's six months since I joined the design team and it's flown by so quickly. Working with the really talented team has truly inspired me and so have our wonderful customers when they have participated and by leaving kind comments. Learning to work to a time limit and incorporate new products into my work is good because I have been known to prevaricate if left alone too long!

Next year I'm hoping that our journals will play a part in the design team repertoir. This is a new adventure and I'm loving playing with it so far, colour is going to be explored soon and I'm really looking forward to expanding my knowledge.

*********

I'm sure that Sandy will pop onto the blog during the holiday to have a little chat with you, but in the meantime, I (Izzy) want to thank you for all your kind comments and support, it means a lot when, like me, you spend a lot of time on a blog. 

I wish you all  a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I will see you in the new year :)

DT showcase: please welcome.....

Hi everyone, 


So we had the sad day with Chris leaving us.... but I promised a happy day with someone NEW on our team. 
Please welcome LINDA Elbourne. 
I am sure many of you know her already (through her blog or/and on Craft Stamper magazine) and you will be delighted (as we all are) to now see her gorgeous work on this blog. 
Linda has a very grungy, inky (very inky) style... She is known to be linked at the hip to Ranger ... (and Tim... yes, "that" Tim... but shhhh, I didn't tell you, ok??) and love exploring new techniques. She has also a fantastic sense of humour and I'm sure she will fit right in.
I have asked Linda to pick 3 of her favourite projects and tell us more about herself... 


Welcome to the team Linda xxx

**********

Helloooooo. 
My name is Linda Elbourne. I have been crafting since forever in one form or another. My passion for stamping took over about 7 years ago. I am a Ranger girl at heart and love nothing more than trying new things and getting inky and messy ... My style is eclectic ... if that is a style :0) and I will give anything a go at least once! I am extremely proud to have been asked to join the design team here at the Craft Barn and I am really looking forward to seeing all the contributions each week and working with Sandy, Isa and their wonderful team.
The three projects I have chosen to share with you from 2011 are:-

My Tim Holtz configuration ... this was my first one and boy did I get hooked! Great fun!

A Greetings card ... LOVE the PaperArtsy flower Hot Pick ... sooooooooo versatile! It's not often that something turns out like the picture in my head ... but this one did.

Finally ... This mini suitcase and chunky ATC project ...

I told you my style was eclectic!

So what do you think? 

Happy that Linda has joined the team? 

Let us know in a comment below... 

See you tomorrow... 

DT showcase: day five

Hi, 
Today, we are showcasing Isa'sArt's amazing work (Isabelle Juin is her real name).
When I met Isa a few years back through a common DT, I was genuinely intimidated by her work. But throughout the years, I have learnt to know her better and realised that she is very humble, down to earth (and a bit shy too), but most of all extremely generous with her talent and time. 
When I say "humble" here's an example... when I asked Isa to pick 3 of her favourite pieces she did for us, she said: "this is going to be difficult as I am never totally happy with what I do". Can you believe this?
We are very fortunate and grateful to have her on our team. There is not one project I don't learn from, and I'm sure you guys love them too. 
How about letting her know in a comment below? Now is your chance... 


As I said, I asked for 3 samples... Isa gave me 5 and said "take your pick".... OMG, how do you want me to *choose*? I can't , so you will have 5 samples today... And I'm sure you won't hate me for it ;)

********

Hi everyone, 

2011 on the Craft Barn team has been great. Great to be on a team who "push" us to try all sort of products and techniques, which is very nice indeed. Great to be on a team who is so nice and where the quality of work is always an inspiration. So I am very pleased to be here even if sometimes.. because of my limited English, and because of a busy life I can't be as much here as I would like to be.

I love creating ornaments and embellishments and see what people will do with them.

2012? There are so many products I want to try and experiment with and I'm looking forward to it. I also would like to use more fabric on my project, which is something I am enjoying more each day. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all xx

See you tomorrow

DT showcase: day four

Hi, 
Today, it's Michelle's turn. What can I say... another member of our team whose work I absolutely love. Love the grungy Distress style... how she can make wonders with inks.
Despite her very busy life, she always finds the time to provide the most gorgeous samples and tutorials.
If, like me, you love Michelle's work on this blog, please take the time to let her know in a comment below. I'm sure she will be delighted. 

**********

Hi all

I've had a great year this year, working with some of the most amazingly skilled crafters around and have enjoyed every project I've worked on, but remembering them all is hard work so I've just chosen a few to show you from the photo's that are easy to find on my computer!! 

The first couple of projects I've chosen are special because I made them for my oldest son who's had a tough time so a lot of love went into them. Love of Tim Holtz stamps and Katzelkraft have nothing to do with it! lol

This card I absolutely love but it was a complete fluke, just a quick spray of smooch followed by those marvellous cover a card stamps and I was completely wowed!

And this little Terrific Tando creation just makes me smile. 

I love working in miniature so this little bird house was a joy to make

CALENDAR CHALLENGE.... and the winner is...

hello:)

Time to announce the Calendar challenge winner, but first I would like to thank all the participants, who entered our 12 challenges, week after week. It was great to see your work and how your calendars came along.

The Design Team, Sandy and I voted for two of our favourite calendars (it was too hard to pick just one ;)), so I'm happy to announce that  the winner of the 2011 Craft Barn calendar challenge is...

LAURY 55

Click on her name or the picture to see all her entries. 

Well done Laury, please get in touch and I'll send you the code for your voucher ASAP. 

Have a great day everyone, 

DT showcase: day three

Hello, 
Well... this is going to be a hard one to write... I told you on Monday that one of our DT members was leaving us and here we are. I'm VERY sad to say that it's Chris Dark. 
Chris has been on our DT from the beginning, so about 3 years and a bit I think. I personally know Chris as we met several times when I was living in England. She is adorable and extremely talented... as a designer... as an artist (her colouring techniques are unbelievable) and she will be truly missed. 
We are all sad on the team to see her go and wish her all the best for the future. 


If you too have enjoyed Chris' work on this blog, please take the time to leave a comment below. You never know, we might make her change her mind ;)

**********

Hi everyone! The year in review post is a sad one for me as it means it's my last post on the Craft Barn blog. Due to time constraints I've had to cut back unfortunately but I will still be around at the shop for the odd demo here and there which is lovely otherwise the withdrawal symptoms would be too great :D!!

Thank you to Izzy for always making everything run so smoothly and easy for us on the blog team, it's extremely hard work and you do it with great style and lots of laughs. Most of all thank you Sandy for giving me the opportunity to work on the blog and in other areas over the last three years, I can never be grateful enough or thank you enough for that. Thank you also to my team mates you're all such lovely and supportive people and I'll continue to be inspired by you all on your blogs of course and here. To the visitors to the blog, thank you for every comment you left that was very much appreciated and I know you're going to love everthing that's coming up in the future. 

OK, Oscar speech over!!!

I picked some of my projects from this year to show here and although I started out mainly as a colourer :) what I've very much enjoyed about being on the Craft Barn team is that I discovered I love to play with inks and paints and to make altered projects just as much,these four items confirmed that for me when I looked back. It's always good to look back and see how things have changed and progressed and find the projects that have given you the most pleasure in creating. So all the best to everyone on the team and visitors to the blog, Merry Christmas and I wish you a very arty crafty new year! :)

Truly inspirational work, don't you think?

See you tomorrow

DT showcase: day two

Hi, 
Second team member, and only guy on the team. Kudos to him for putting up with us ladies on a nearly daily basis LOL. 
I personally admire Neil's work because of all the techniques he uses and the quality of the finished projects. Thank you Neil x

********

My favourite projects this year for The Craft Barn have to be...

My journal using Andy Skinner's stamp set

I just loved how everything turned out, the colours, the background etc etc! Still love it and am still trying to get the courage up to ink the first page!

This Medieval grunge book

I really like the feel of this book in my hand, it just fits so comfortably! The process of creating it was great fun too!

Lastly, this is also a pretty special piece to me too, the first piece I did for The Craft Barn!

Have you noticed a common thread yet? All these are books! I love books (and boxes too) 
This year with The Craft Barn has been an amazing time for me. I've had the opportunity to share my creative journey with you all; been inspired by all the fabulous projects from the rest of the design team and had the amazing opportunity to teach at the shop!


So what am I looking forward to in 2012? More of the same I hope! I also want to challenge myself to try new things; experiment more............
I want to dream, create art and share the journey with you guys by my side and hopefully inspire you to create amazing art.

If you enjoy seeing Neil's work on this blog, here's your chance to tell him.

Please take a little time to leave a comment below and tell us what you think. 

See you tomorrow, 

DT showcase: day one

Hi,
This week will be our last week of posting on this blog for 2011 so our talented team can have the break they deserve. Having said that, they are already working hard on the 2012 projects and we hope that you will be here to enjoy all the samples, tutorials and surprises we have in store for you.

This week, we have chose to showcase our DT members and their amazing work.
I asked each member to pick 3 or 4 of their favourite project they did for us this year and tell us a bit how the year has been for them and what they are looking forward to in 2012.

I must add that we have bad news and good news this week... one of our team members is leaving us and we are all VERY sad... The good news is that we have someone new joining us... But more about that later in the week.

Before we start, I personally want to thank all the DT for their hard work and commitment, but also for being such an amazing bunch to work with. Thank them for their patience (not easy to put up with me everyday I know LOL) and understanding. Not only do they work hard and produce awesome pieces of art and tutorials, but they are the friendliest and funniest people to work with. I am very, very lucky indeed.
Love you guys and wish you all the best for 2012 xxx

So we start with Miss Gio who joined us a few months ago, and boy, aren't I glad she did. Love her work... and when I was talking about funny team members, she sure is one of them....

********

These are the pieces I choose from 2011

This is a meaningful piece for me because it's the piece I've made for the last post on my challenge blog, and it's important because i'm pretty sure it's been crucial for Craftbarn Dt search.

This is my very first piece for the CraftBarn DT, I was so worried and frightneed by these new committment, but everything has been alright. It's made from scratch, I love the steampunk style and the papers and embellishments I used

This is my laptop's case, I think it's me! Canvas, stitching, image transfer, stamping and I even brougt it with me at the airport (and I had to show it at the metal detector, such 'A bella figura' I've made :-))

And last but not least, a card, it's important because I don't make card, and I'm proud of this one, just a reminder for the new year: more cards!

Thank you Gio 

See you tomorrow

Simply Saturdays on an AJ

hi,
Told you Gay would be back today with more stunning pages.
I love how she uses the tags hanging out of the pages, this will add so much to the finished book. Lots of room left to add the journaling, yet a very effective way to show off the images.
Here's how Gay made her pages..

I started these pages by recycling some M&S tags, I loved the colour of the ribbon :0) Painted black all over the tags then scraped on some crackle let that dry and then added the moonlight Fresco paint  and watched it crackle, I like that bit! The background is sponged on the page through a template . You can use the Spellbinders Nestabilities Large circles simply cut out circles and sponge Distress inks through the cut out holes. 

Then I stamped the pretty CI swirly frames and mounted the tags over them. 

The CI Visit to London images I stamped onto paper and placed them on the page after colouring with Copics. 

Finally I stamped the sentiments and postmarks. I like the tags hanging out of the journal they add texture to the whole book and I will be able to find these pages instantly.

Material used

Paper Artsy Fresco finish, Little Black dress, Moonlight and Crackle glaze.

Distress Crackle paint Picket fence (white)

Distress inks

Crafters workshop, Mini Basics circles.

Crafty Individuals stamps, CI 173, CI 307, CI 221.

So here we are for our first Art Journaling week. 

We would love to hear what you think... 

Do you want to give it a got? 

Is this something you would like to see more often on this blog? 

Can't wait to read your comments

See you on Monday for a very special week and news