ATC World - Art Medium Series - Pencil

While I sit and wait for this old machine to do something, I sometimes sketch .......

I sketched out a couple of scenes from my memories of Africa, never thinking they would be anything other than a few memories.

However, Resi chose this subject for one of the swaps this month so I dressed them up a bit and added another and posted them off.

This is a view of an Artist's stall which was opposite one of our B & B in Ibadon.  I loved the paintings and always snatched a quick look as we drove past.  One day we left the compound and walked along to have a closer look. 

There were lots of horn hooting and calling out to us and waving but it was good to be able to look at all the paintings up close.



Along the roads in all the towns and villages women set up their stalls, selling everything that can be sold.  

Tomatoes were often piled up on plates and laid out on tables.  The women, with babies strapped to their backs, carried on their chores, washing, cooking etc.  while they waited for customers.  These stalls brought a shock of colour to the scene.

One of the hazards of the road from Lagos was 'bandits' and I feel very blessed that nothing serious happened to us.  The only sign usually that there were checkpoints ahead was a few branches strewn across the road, so that the cars had to edge into a single lane to avoid the branches.  We were normally waved through when it was explained we were missionaries but on our last visit there was no warning.  

A boy ran out into the road and we had to stop to avoid hitting him, he told the Pastor some story and then guided us off the road.  We were taken to a clearing and held at gunpoint while our driver and our host Pastor negotiated with 'bandits'.  It was unnerving at the time, but sometimes God takes us to places where all we can do is pray to Him and depend on Him for we are weak in our own strength.  We were released and continued on our journey.

These are my three pencil ATCs.
UPDATED: 5th August 2013
I have received these swaps today -



A beautiful dark abstract, looks as though it has been created with chalks, gorgeous!
Thank you Christi

This great knight, in armour and with his pencil in his hand!  Soooo funny!

Thank you Kay

This one is a magical one, softly shaded and coloured.  
Thank you Becky.

ATC World - Artist's Choice

What to use is the question ...................?
I love embossing and stamping although I am not good at either..he!he!
I love butterflies so there we have it...........

Emboss background, stamp a butterfly and emboss in different colour.  Stamp a sentiment and leave it plain.  Bingo!  no actually - my choice!

Butterflies were embossed with glitter powder. 

And I received this very modern take - love the colours of the papers.
Thank you Christi

This is a watercoloured (I think) painting  and is so much brighter in reality, once again using a playing card.
Thank you Bonnie





This one made me laugh ............ it looks like an ordinary ATC with a tag then when you move the tag ........

..................................................

..................................................

this little fellow is revealed - very clever!

Thank you Judith. 

Circle of Crafters World Wide Swap

Lynsey is very kindly running the World Wide Swap on Circle of Crafters and has requested to swap with me so I have selected the following cards.

This is one of the Bingo cards, one of my first ones made way back in April.

 This is a Lacy Sunshine image - Jamie.  I stamped the background and embossed with clear powder.  Thinking Circus -   I then added a strip of fine paper and some paint as it  looked pretty boring to me!!    I coloured the image with watercolour pencils and gave it all a brush with water.  After it had dried, I fussy cut and adhered him to the background. 

 I love him...... except for that yellow blob ........ maybe it is someone's  balloon floating away!!!





One from my 'Eclectic me' set completes the three cards needed for the swap.








UPDATED: - 22nd June



Received today - aren't they just the cutest!!! 
I never thought to make Pyramage for ATCs ........ how excellent are these.
Thank you Lynsey


Gotta have a go haven't I?  Maybe my Pyramage days are not over .....................

ATC World - B-Ling it up

I had no idea what to do for this swap but I knew I wanted to enter.
I sorted out some 'b-ling'y stuff and then got to work.  I added strips of the paper left over from my Iris Folding and left them to dry.



A strip of holographic peel off border, some glittery flowers, sparkly diamond shapes, shine butterfly and roses.

And find the small diamantes hidden about.


I also had some silver net but couldn't get it to sit right on two cards so only one had the teddy bear and circle!

UPDATED - 19th June 2013
I received the following swaps yesterday ......


 Absolutely B-Linged out!  A silver blue glittered background has a blue Butterfly - pink glittered outlines - and jewels
Thank you Jo



This one is stunning in its monochrome.  The colouring of the image uses a glitter gel pen and there is extra glitter added to the red dots.
Thank you Kathy


I am sure the Audrey Hepburn posed for the glammed up image in Pink. This one has pink glitter and jewels.
Thank you Jan

ATC World - Art Medium Series / Acrylics

Not having used Acrylic paint before and being offered a box of them what could I do?  Using them taught me patience, waiting for each colour or layer to dry!  but here they are............



an Abstract

A Tee in a Field of Buttercups

An Apple Tree

UPDATED:
I have received the following cards for this swap -

Not having dabbled in this medium before I am amazed by these cards.

Thank you Hollie for the Pear

Thank you Katherine for the Purple Mystery

Thank you Resi for Ode to Diebenkorn

WOYWW 4th Anniversary Swapsies

Ho! Ho!

Look what I've got!!

 RED!  not a lot I can say except it is RED! ...........and a crocheted heart, stitching and WOYWW on the side!  Love it.......... it's RED
Thank you Kezzy




 Still being new to ATCs I am in awe of this one!  The quality is remarkable, both the ATC and the matching envelope.
Thank you Lottie

This has travelled in its own unique envelope!  Marit uses magazine pages to make envelopes ......... this really does appeal to my recycling side.  
I may have to de-construct and use this idea.......... it looks so bright and cheerful.  
The ATC is stitched and painted and yes! I will see you on Wednesday..........
Thank you Marit



UPDATED - 17th June 2013


I have received this little beauty this morning - came in its own tiny envelope which the postman didn't even frank!!!  
Glittered and stamped base with cut out grunged letters.
Thank you Shaz
UPDATED - 19th June 2013

This little beauty arrived yesterday - with all the lowdown on how it came into being, loved that little extra.  
Distress paints....... hmmmm....
Thank you Joel 






UPDATED: Ist June





I received these smilers today.  Have to call them that as they certainly made me smile.  
A very pretty 3D bee and then Suzy thought I needed a view from the dark side.
They were enclosed  in a sweet little card - smile  love them smile.
Thank you Suzy   

and another!!!!
I have received this treasure of a painted ATC.............. I just love all the artwork that is shown on her Blog and now I have one of my own!

Thank you Peggy

WOYWW 4th Anniversary

So all the snoopers interested Bloggers met on line and arranged to swap ATCs with one another in order to mark the 4th Anniversary of this weekly event.  When Julia started this idea she did not realise how many people would join in.  I am sure that if it was a physical meet up then she would be on her twentieth move by now............
The arrangement was that we all swapped with at least the visitor following us and if we wanted to swap with anyone else that was up to us.  It also goes without saying that we didn't have to make swaps if we preferred not to.

I had a ball and made ten - yes! I know! - but I was having a good time!

I used some card the DH didn't  want anymore - leftovers from his boardgame making days - and it had a gorgeous pearlised finish to it.  I stamped this with script in purple and then put it to one side.

I needed to put the letters WOYWW somewhere on this card so I started to look through my stash ........ it's a silly thing to do ........... I just looked through my stamps and, as most of you know, my stamps are' new' and I found some self stamping Alphabets and then a flower - have to have flowers somewhere!

The Alphabet stamps were different colours but they went with the purple so that was ok.  I stamped the flower in various colours - one per card.

I then embossed the whole card with various coloured embossing powders - another 'find' - these were very pale but the result was very interesting.  The Alphabet and flower embossed as though they had been individually done....... amazing!  makes me look quite clever!  

I decided to add some love and then embossed this with clear embossing powder, finishing the cards with a tiny bow.

Back to the base card - DH had sellotaped the sheets together and when I cut out the ATCs I had to make sure that I also cut off the tape.  One still had the tape along the edge and I did not see this until the full card coloured embossing!  too late!  nice finish though!!

They are now winging their way around the world to other WOYWW ers .......... such a loverly group of people.

ATC World - Faeries

These are not Fairies!  There is a difference but you must go look it up yourself!!
I found these sketches on the web and just loved the colours.  The author published them on the Deviant Art site but I was unable to leave a comment and I certainly give him credit here.

I started off printing out all four sketches, the idea was to cut out the faerie and then use the print as a silhouette.  Didn't work like that!



I embossed the wings on all three remaining  and then added lines in a different colour. 


I was just experimenting with some 'new' embossing powders. I then glued the pics to the info bases and trimmed to size. 

 This left just the sketch and something else was needed..............  I used a felt tip pen along the edges and then added Flowersoft as undergrowth - or at least that was the idea.  


I still don't know whether I am happy with these ........ something still missing, I don't know...........

Ah! well!  they have been posted off now in order to arrive to our hostess in time.


UPDATED:- 22nd June
Another great assortment arrived today.

A pink fairy, glittered and glowed as she stood proud against the floral background - deffo magic!
Thank you Jennifer


Artistry in purple with silver, jewels and butterflies - very pretty.
Thank you Lisa

This one used a playing card - will have to put a pack on my Christmas list! - and used a (to me) Shakespearean fairy with a butterfly.  The background and frame was waxed and had a jewel in each corner.  Thank you Leslie.