November Theme - on the farm

I'm not very good with stickers but one can but try...... 



I spread gesso across the cards and then painted the 'fields'.


A few stickers turned this wasteland into farmland!

By return I received these cards .....




Thank you SylviaF.




                Thank you JudithAnn.

Thank you Kathleen.

January Swap

A selection of cards for this month's swap from the past ......


Punch outs of various colours on a Gessoed and painted background.

One of my first zentangled cards in monochrome.

This is a card of firsts.  My first watercolour and the first time I used the gold leaf.

My return swaps look like this......

Thank you Sylvia for a lovely selection.

September Theme - Paris

I used a selection from earlier sets for this swap.  

A cutting from a French magazine with a stencilled Eiffel tower and over stamped in black.

A card from my Summer of Colour challenge - using only pages from a French travel magazine.

When I first started creating ATCs, I had no idea what to do so, although I am not much better now, I used a lot of paper and stamps!

I received these lovelies in return:


Thank you Philippa.

Thank you Velvet.

Thank you Jan S.

Landscapes: Lighthouse, Mountain & River

Another excuse to use my watercolour pencils!!!


I sketched out my designs for the river and mountain but came to a standstill when it came to the lighthouse. 


 I smurfed the web and found a photo of a lighthouse at night!!!  
That's different I thought!

Much as I tried I could not get the night time dark enough, even using Inktense pencils!!  I am happy with my result.

I received these beauties by return:




Thank you jo-on-the-go.

Thank you wolfpax.

Thank you marilou.

January Theme - Travel

I used some of the papers and stickers from my very old DoCrafter's goody bag.


Not knowing what to do for a sentiment I used various pens to write a few words.

Superb cards by return ......

Thank you JudithAnn.

Thank you Rubes.

Thank you JanW

January Colour - Green

I will used my new embossing folder for this swap.




I love this little man, I have seen him lots around on the web, and embossed him into green card.  I used a couple of die cuts to form a silhouette of flowers and a tree.  A sentiment along the lower edge of the card




I used an embossing/stamping set for this card.  I embossed on white card and then stamped the trees on the matching embossing.  I found a suitable rub on sentiment for this card.



I embossed some cogs on green card and 'grunged' them up a bit with black ink.  I stamped some steampunk designs on a piece of white card and then fussy cut the design and attached.  I used a gold  'dream' rub on along the top edge.

I received these wonderful cards in exchange:-

Thank you LizR.

Thank you Margaret.

Thank you JanS

We still have PARIS

Paris!
              Paris!

I diecut a few Tour d'Eiffel from various cardstock.  


I used a background from my kit and then stamped with ablue ink all the Paris words I could find - not hard really but it sounds good!!!  A pretty diecut went on top.

I used one of the diecuts as a stencil and sprayed a magazine cutout with rose pink ink.  I stamped across the top of the card in black to match the lettering on the magazine cut out.

I used another magazine cut out for my third card.  Once attached, I stamped an Eiffel and Arc de Triomphe and then Bonjour across the card.







I received these superb cards by return:- 





Thank you roguegal.

Thank you Sarnie.

Thank you jo-on-the-go.

March Swap

I used a mixture of my cards for this swap.  

Some of my past ones - 


Welsh Castles:

From a Magazine:

Giraffes:

These were my swaps that I received from Lynn:

Thank you Lynn for these Scruffy Little Cat cards.

Saturday / Sunday Workout

I was inspired by a picture on one of my blog links, artist Michael Peck, which meant I had to get up and go  ...... crafting!

I thought to use some of my new acrylic paints, vintage photos downloaded from the web and then ........

I was not struck on my first attempts with the acrylic paints.  I had a go at painting over a photo .....  then I punched a circle out of a text page and placed the circle over a photo, followed by acrylic paint over the rest of the card.  

Better but .....
I then went to town ...... not literally .....
Using the text papers, as decreasing circles, torn shapes, placed at angles, in columns ..... getting better ......

Tissue paper of varying colours: adding a touch of colour to the text and sepia photos.

Then the gold leaf was remembered!!  I used some used sheets - yes! you read that right, sometimes known as pre-used.

I am on a roll now.......glueing, painting, cutting, tearing ....


Then I am inking round a text circle ...... copper ink from an inkpad that is on its last legs but ......

.... and now ....
... I need sentiments to finish the cards!

I lay out my cards across the desk and then sort through my  'words' box, tearing out the phrases and placing them on top of the relevant photos.  

After the sentiments have dried, I add a wash of colour and edge some with mica paints to match the gold leaf.
The cards await the finishing touch, the backing paper.  I used some cream vellum as a background, printed out a suitable pattern and overprinted my details.  Once I had cut out the backing papers, I attached them and wrote the details with a brown pen.
I love my cards ....and I hope you will as they appear on this blog.