Challenge 23, Week Four

Hello everyone, and welcome to our final week of Challenge Twenty-Three on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your visits and lovely comments throughout the month, we really appreciate your support, and we love reading what you have to say. We hope that you have been enjoying the challenge and the inspiration provided by the Design Team this month. There is still plenty of time to enter the challenge, and you can add your projects to the link in this post.

This week, we are taking a look at a few of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing them on the blog.
Here is one of two beautiful cards that Kate has entered into the challenge this month:

Shelagh has cleverly combined images to create her entry:

Joan's striking design uses repeat stamping, and this would make a great masculine or feminine card:

We have a super email entry from Tanya:

Finally, Penny's vibrant flower garden card completes our roundup:

We have more Design Team projects for you this week, using our challenge colours for inspiration. Firstly, a lovely peacock themed card from Magda.She has created a watery background, and added multicoloured feathers as her main image.

Magda has also created this beautiful journal cover using some of our flower stamps. She has added great texture to the cover.

Two projects from Anne are next. The first card uses stamps from the Gothic Fragments stamp set, and is really vibrant:

The second has a lovely flower from the Diamante Delights stamp set as a fabulous embellishment.

Thank you so much girls for your lovely artwork.

From time to time, we are going to start giving you a chance to meet members of the Design Team through the blog posts on the Challenge Blog. This month, we are starting with myself, so here goes!

For those of you who are new to Chocolate Baroque, or who have not been visiting the Challenge Blog and Design Team Blog very long, you will not know me all that well. For those of you that have been around for a bit longer, apologies for repeating some of what you will already know!

I am Judith Smith, Design Team Leader of the Chocolate Baroque Design Team. I have been on the Design Team since 2010, and it has always been a privelege and a source of great pride to work with Chocolate Baroque stamps. I have been crafting all of my life, as far back as I can remember, and learned lots of different skills from my Mum as a child. We still craft together now, and she is well into her seventies.

I came to card making, and discovered stamping in the late nineties, it was a turning point for me, and something that I enjoy more than any other craft I have tried. I love mixed media, and trying all sorts of different techniques, getting inky, painty fingers, and experimenting with new products. I enjoy making my own embellishments, and incorporating other crafts like jewellery, felting, and fabric, etc., into my projects. I enjoy collecting old book pages, ribbons, anything that will add to what I am creating. However, I also really enjoy creating a quick and simple, one-layer card that requires nothing more than some ink and a stamp.

I have always found a peacefulness in crafting, my blog banner reads 'With Crafting comes Tranquility', and I find that to be very true. Crafting seems to wipe away the stresses of every day life. I have also found some of my best friends through the crafting world.

I live at home on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, with my Husband, who I met at school, and we were childhood sweethearts from the age of fifteen. We have two grown up children and two cats called Bella and Poppy. We also seem to have acquired a lodger, in the form of my Daughter's boyfriend, so the house is very busy!

My favourite colours are purple and teal, I love to wear these colours, and create with them too, but I do try not to use them all of the time, that's why I love the challenge blog so much, because we stretch ourselves to use colours that might be outside our natural comfort zone. I  have created a piece of artwork reflecting my favourite colours, my love of mixed media, and another favourite of mine- butterflies.

I have used a Tando tag, painted with gesso, I added some texture paste through a flourish stencil, and allowed it to dry. I spritzed the tag with Decoart media sprays, and then added a bit of water to dilute them slightly. I added some gilding wax to the raised area and around the edge. I then stamped a word from the Artistic Expressions stamp set, using Jet Black Archival ink. I stamped two butterflies from The Rose Tree stamp set onto a piece of scrap card, and painted them using some of the spray and a water brush. I cut the butterflies out, and glued them to the tag, adding black flower stamens for antennae.

So there you go, I hope that you have enjoyed reading a little bit about me, and my crafting life. If you would like to leave a comment about your favourite colour combinations, that would be great.

We will be back next week with a brand new challenge, but hope to see lots more entries for the current challenge in the meantime. Don't forget, if you have any questions, and cannot find the answers on the blog pages, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.

Challenge 22, Week Four

Hello everyone, and welcome to our final week of Challenge Twenty-Two on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your support and lovely comments throughout the month, we really enjoy reading what you have to say. We hope that you have been enjoying the challenge, and the inspiration provided by the DT this month. There is still plenty of time to enter, and you can add your projects to the link in this post.

This week, we are taking a look at a few of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing them on the blog.

Penny's love of steampunk has taken a citrus twist this month, as she has co-ordinated with the spicy challenge colours:

Janny has opted for a Mackintosh themed card for her entry:

Sue's lovely background is a great backdrop for the lovely tulip image:

Lesley's pretty Brusho and bleach card showcases some great techniques:

We have a free download from Lesley this week, a stunning design that will be useful for both masculine and feminine cards alike. Please do not pass the image onto others, but send them back here to collect the freebie for themselves.

To obtain your free download, please click on the image below. Once you have enlarged the image on your computer screen, right click the image, choose the option 'Save As', and save the image to your computer. You can now print the image onto a variety of surfaces for your crafting projects.

The Design Team have been making some beautiful projects for your inspiration using the free download.  Claire has created a three dimensional scene, combining parts of the background and lots of stamping.

Anne has also used a combination of stamping and the fabulous background to make her clever card:

Thank you so much girls for your lovely projects. We hope that they will inspire you to use Lesley's download paper to make something yourself. If you do make something using one of Lesley's downloads, please share it with us by uploading it to our Facebook page, we would love to see what you create.

We will be back next week with a brand new challenge, but hope to see lots more entries for the current challenge in the meantime. Don't forget, if you have any questions, and cannot find the answers on the blog pages, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.

Challenge 20, Week Four

Hello everyone, and welcome to our final week of Challenge Twenty on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your support and lovely comments throughout the month, we really enjoy reading what you have to say. We hope that you have been enjoying the challenge, and the DT inspiration this month. There is still plenty of time to enter, and you can add your projects to the link in this post.

This week, we are taking a look at a few of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing them on the blog.

Sue created a soft and magical fairy landscape, while still keeping within the colour palette.

Janny's steampunk owl, on a super textured background is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face:

Hellen's beautiful encaustic wax card is enough to encourage anyone to want to learn a new skill, it showcases the tulip stamps beautifully:

Sharon's CAS card showcases the lovely lace flower, using embossing as a resist, with white accents:

 Lesley's striking card on the other hand, is balanced by black and is stunning with the small stamped tiles around the central sentiment.

We have a free download from Lesley this week, a truly gorgeous paper that we know you will love. Please do not pass the image onto others, but send them back here to collect the freebie for themselves.

To obtain your free download, please click on the image below. Once you have enlarged the image on your computer screen, right click the image, choose the option 'Save As', and save the image to your computer. You can now print the image onto a variety of surfaces for your crafting projects.

The Design Team have been making some stunning projects for your inspiration using the free download. Claire has made this absolutely beautiful floral card:

Anne has made an amazing mixed media piece:

Dominike has used our latest Babushka stamps and created a little tag using the download, such a lovely idea:

She has also created one last piece of inspiration using this month's challenge colours for you, mixing the Babushka stamps and one of our older stamps, and created a little scene:

Thank you so much girls for your lovely projects. We hope that they will inspire you to use Lesley's download paper to make something yourself. If you do make something using one of Lesley's downloads, please share it with us by uploading it to our Facebook page, we would love to see what you create.

We will be back next week with a brand new challenge, but hope to see lots more entries for the current challenge in the meantime. Don't forget, if you have any questions, and cannot find the answers on the blog pages, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.

Challenge 19, Week Four

Hello everyone, and welcome to our final week of Challenge Nineteen on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your support and lovely comments throughout the month, we really enjoy reading what you have to say. We hope that you have been enjoying the challenge, the colour scheme, and the DT inspiration along the way. There is still plenty of time to enter, and you can add your project to the link in this post.

This week, we are taking a look at just a few of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing them on the blog.

Carole has created a lovely Rennie Mackintosh inspired card, using paper piecing:

Daniele has created a romantic Valentine's card, using stamps from the Harlequin Rose set:

Annemie has used a gelli plate background and soft pencil colouring to create her card:

Penny's woodland card is full of detail:

Finally, Janny's CAS card brings thoughts of Summer beaches:

We have a free download from Lesley this week, perfect for this time of year when our thoughts are turning to romance. It is also great for those chocoaholics amongst you. Please do not pass the image on to others, but send them back here to collect the freebie for themselves.

To obtain your free download, please click on the image below. Once you have enlarged the image on your computer screen, right click the image, choose the option 'Save As', and save the image to your computer. You can now print the image onto a variety of surfaces for your crafting projects.

The Design Team have been making some really pretty projects for your inspiration using the free download. Claire has used a rose script stamp which ties in perfectly with the background:

Anne has created a beautiful Anniversary card, adding lots of pretty embellishments:

Thank you so much girls for your lovely projects. We hope that they will inspire you to use Lesley's download paper to make something yourself. If you do make something using one of Lesley's downloads, please share it with us by uploading it to our Facebook page, we would love to see what you create.

We will be back next week with a brand new challenge, but hope to see lots more entries for the current challenge from you in the meantime. Don't forget, if you have any questions, and you cannot find the answers on the blog pages, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.

Challenge 18, Week Five

Hello everyone, and welcome to our final week of the current challenge on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your lovely comments throughout the month, we really appreciate your support, and love reading what you have to say.

This week, we are taking a look at some of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing just a few of them on the blog. We know that some of you have found this particular colour swatch a little more difficult than some of the other combinations, but you have created some really fabulous projects. Well done for stepping outside your comfort zone! Here are a few projects that we would like to mention:

Lesley's CAS Christmas card is lovely in its simplicity, but this clean look takes a lot of practice to get right!:

Felicie's layered card offers a complete contrast in style, but is so pretty in this unusual colour combination:

An email entry from Val is next, with a fabulous background and white highlights lifting the flowers:

Joan's simple stamping and masking creates this lovely card suitable for all sorts of occasions:

Finally, Gerrina's romantic card using the steampunk rose upside down, creates a lovely layout:

These cards display such a great range of styles and ideas, so thank you ladies, for your creativity!

Thank you to everyone who entered the challenge this month, and we hope to see lots more entries from you before the challenge deadline next week. There is still plenty of time to enter, and you can find the link in this post. Remember, you stand a chance of winning a £15 voucher, details of which can be found on the How it Works tab at the top of the page. We will be back next week with a brand new challenge. If you have any questions and cannot find the answers on the blog, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.

Challenge 17, Week Four

Hello everyone and welcome to our final week of Challenge Seventeen on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. Thank you for your support and lovely comments throughout the month, we really appreciate reading what you have to say. We hope that you have been enjoying the challenge, and the fabulous colour scheme this time around. There is still time to enter, and you can add your project to the link in this post.

This week, we are taking a look at some of the entries that we have received for the current challenge, and showcasing just a few of them on the blog:

Carole:

Val:

Janny:

We have a free download from Lesley for you this week, a fabulous tapestry background in rich colours, great for all sorts of projects. The Design Team have created some really inspirational projects with it, as you will see. Please do not pass the image to others, but send them back here to collect the freebie for themselves.

To obtain your free download, please click on the image below. Once you have enlarged the image on your computer screen, right click the image, choose the option 'Save As', and save the image to your computer. You can now print the image onto a variety of surfaces for your crafting projects.

The Design Team have been making some beautiful projects for your inspiration using the free download. Claire has made a stunning heart-shaped hanging:

I have made a Christmas card using stamps from the Gothic Angels stamp set:

Anne has made a really pretty layered card using the Hydrangea Tag stamp set:

Thank you so much girls for your lovely projects. We hope that they will inspire you to use Lesley's download paper to make something yourself. If you do make something using one of Lesley's downloads, why not upload a picture to our Facebook page? We would love to see what you have made.

We will be back next week with a brand new challenge, but hope to see lots more entries for the current challenge from you in the meantime. Don't forget if you have any questions, and you cannot find the answers on the blog pages, please send us a private message using the contact form located at the very end of this post; you will see it after the comments section.