calendar 2016

My first post of 2016, so first of all I want to wish you all a very happy new year loaded with creativity.

Last year I participated in the monthly Craft Barn calendar challenge, these were the pages I created

But I still needed to create the cover.

I started with one of my favourite background techniques, which is tearing and collaging booktext.

Next I used a technique I learned in another Craft Barn challenge, the retiform stamping technique. You create blocks, mask them off with some post-its and stamp inside of these blocks, I used the themes of the pages: trees, butterflies, snowmen, flowers, owls, dragonflies, hearts. I had a little oops as I started out stamping in blue and wasn't liking it, so switched to brown, but the already present blue was standing out too much

So I colored the other blocks with inktense pencils hoping the blue stamping would blend in more, but this wasn't the case, so I covered the blue stamping with some patterned paper. Better.

I created a stencil with the months of the year with the Silhouette Cameo, don't know what I did wrong as it took me like 5 goes before it cut correctly. Just had to show the stencil with all that wonderful color on it.

Finally I added the numbers 1 to 31.

I've added the months with some washi tape, this way I will be able to change them easily next year so I can enjoy my calendar for years to come.

Now this is completed I can get a start on my planner for this year and be totally organized (as you may notice something I'm rather not otherwise these would already have been finished before the beginning of the new year)

angel

Remember the background I originally made for the animal challenge

 I had worked on it some further since then,

I used the retiform stamping technique and added this woman out of a fashioncatalogue and gave her some wings.

But it still felt like this page was unfinished but didn't have any inspiration on what to do next,

that is until I read this week's challenge over at The Craft Barn, people.

I knew I had to use this page and finish it off.

I added a gold glow around the image and as I was busy with gold colored the tape also in gold, now they are golden rays. 

The only thing left to do was to find a fitting quote and write that across the page.

Now I think it is finished.

retiform

Last week was stamping master class week over on The Craft Barn blog, Dawn's post included a technique called retiform, never heard about it but it looked soo cool that I immediately wrote it on my to do list. It turns out that this technique is this week's challenge over on the blog so I immediately got cracking with this technique. I must say I've needed a few attempts, initially I wanted to make bubbles

but the stamping didn't turn out how it supposed to because I was using a square stamp, so I decided to try it first with straight lines
I used a blue DI and colored with antique linnen distress stain

Next came the fun part off masking of the areas and stamping.
I was pleasantly surprised on how this simple grid turned into something stunning as this

I think this would make a great cover for a book.