The Craft Barn: 2017

Thursday, 28 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Well all that's left for me to say is a

Big Thank You to everyone

for supporting The Craft Barn Blog each week,

without you we wouldn't be here!

I'd like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas,

hope you get some of the crafting goodies

on your 'Wish List' and hope to see you

back here in 2018 for a Peaceful New Year

full of exciting new crafting techniques

and ideas.

Jane xx

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Merry Christmas and

a Happy New Year

to you all

Louise xxx

Monday, 25 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Many thanks to all the blog readers

who have followed the challenges and projects

over the year.

A special thank you to those who stuck

with the Twelve Month poem challenge.

I have loved looking at your blogs

and seeing how you have interpreted the verses.

A big thank you to Mickie for all of

her hard work managing the blog and

of course to Sandy for giving me this fabulous

opportunity to be part of the DT.

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas,

I’d like to wish you all

Peace and happiness for the year to come.

Claire xx

Sunday, 24 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

I look back on this year as DT Member

for the Craft Barn, and I can only say that

I thoroughly enjoyed it!

It has been challenging at times,

but this helps me grow as a crafter

and this is what I need.

I want to wish a Happy Christmas to you all,

our loyal followers, occasional readers,

those who enter our challenges and of course

my fellow DT Members, our DT coordinator Mickie,

and Sandy who keeps adding lovely stash to the store...

xxx Craftyfield

Saturday, 23 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas

and Peace, Love, Health and Happiness in 2018

Mickie xx

Friday, 22 December 2017

Thursday, 21 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Hope you all have a brilliant Christmas

and a very Happy and Creative New Year.

Big Hugs, Angela xXx

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Design Team Greetings

Wishing you all a Wonderful Christmas

and a very Happy, Healthy and Crafty New Year.

xxx Hazel.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

The Christmas Table

Hi there!

Expect you've been too busy

to notice that the final item in

The Christmas Table wasn't

there on Saturday.......mea culpa

so, here it is today and well

worth waiting for I can assure

you!

So over to Louise Thomson to

show us how to finish our table:

"It's nearly Christmas!!!

My favourite time of crafting :)

Today I'm sharing a technique that

you can use for a Christmas table

centrepiece, or to make lovely gifts.

I started by cutting lots of shapes from

Bazill card using Sizzix tiny tattered

florals and winter greens dies.

On the flowers I tapped my clear

embossing ink pad, then

sprinkled with gold embossing

powder and heated to give them

a varied texture and colour.

I fixed the flowers together in groups

of two or three using gold brads.

Next I spritzed some of the greenery

with colour bloom shimmer spray.

To the holly I added a good coating of

glossy accents and left them to dry

draped over various things on my desk

so they would have a bit of shape.

Finally I added dots of liquid pearl

to the branches with berries.

With all the greenery prepared and set aside,

I cut further die cuts from a gorgeous

Impression Obsession die.

I laid the die cut over a large church candle

and wrapped this in a piece of

greaseproof paper.

I needed three hands to photograph the

next bit, so you'll have to take my word for it!

I used my heart gun to gently heat the surface

of the candle (through the greaseproof) until

I started to see the colour on the die cut

change. It does a similar thing to embossing

powder, you'll see a corner start to change

and darken then it sort of spreads across

the whole image.

Once the whole image was a solid colour

again it was done.

I learnt the hard way...

DON'T TAKE THE GREASEPROOF

PAPER OFF YET!

count to ten slowly giving the wax

time to set a little, then remove it.

You should find the die cut has

embedded itself beautifully on to

the candle.

I repeated this in the other side

of the candle too.

I ran a couple of strips of double sided

tape along the bottom of the candle

and started to adhere the greenery.

With all the greens stuck down,

I added the flowers back in.

Here's a close up of the

base of the candle:"

Materials:

Sizzix winter greens die set

Sizzix tiny tattered florals die set

Brads

Clear embossing ink

Gold embossing powder

Liquid pearls

Glossy accents

Colour bloom spray

Impression obsession reindeer die

Heat gun

Sizzix big shot

Thank you Louise, this would

look lovely on anyone's table

Our Christmas Table is now

complete - leave you to cook

the turkey/goose/nut roast

or whatever else is the tradition

in your house - but don't

forget the sprouts!

'Till tomorrow

Mickie xx

Sunday, 17 December 2017

The Song Challenge

Happy Sunday!

Here I am with the last

Song Challenge! Silly me,

thought I'd already set up

this post...............!

Nonetheless, here it is.....

.....and the final song is

Driving Home for Christmas

by Chris Rhea

Well, I think it is by this

artist but others may have

sung it.........!

The lyrics go:

I'm driving home for Christmas

Oh, I can't wait to see those faces

I'm driving home for Christmas, yeah

Well I'm moving down that line

And it's been so long

But I will be there

I sing this song

To pass the time away

Driving in my car

Driving home for Christmas

It's gonna take some time

But I'll get there

Top to toe in tailbacks

Oh, I got red lights all around

But soon there'll be a freeway, yeah

Get my feet on holy ground

So I sing for you

Though you can't hear me

When I get through

And feel you near me

(Driving in my car)

I'm driving home for Christmas

Driving home for Christmas

With a thousand memories

I take look at the driver next to me

He's just the same

Just the same

Top to toe in tailbacks

Oh, I got red lights all around

I'm driving home for Christmas, yeah

Get my feet on holy ground

So I sing for you

Though you can't hear me

When I get through

Oh, and feel you near me

Driving in my car

Driving home for Christmas

With a thousand memories

I take look at the driver next to me

He's just the same

He's driving home, driving home

Driving home for Christmas

and here is Karen Gist's

last coaster of the year:

no traffic jams there!

So, it's Christmas

Travelling

Home

Tail backs or if you prefer

cars bumper to bumper

(been in some of those

lately - makes you glad

you have some good music

with you!)

You have until 30th December to

upload your project via the link.

If it's not working just email it

to me at mickiecraftbarn@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing your work

'Till tomorrow

Mickie xx

Here is a card from Maggie

who, like many of us at
this time of year, got the
dates and the days confused
but sent me the link to her
blog. The card sums up
for me all those endless car
journeys on crowded roads
that we inflict upon ourselves
be it Christmas time or any
other holiday................!