February Theme Swap - Romance

I don't really do Romance, with or without a capital R, so looked forward to this challenge.
I used Gesso, mica sprays and acrylic paints to form a background on each card.  However, once I attached the chosen pictures, I didn't like the cards so I started over again.

I cleaned up the backgrounds, adding a few hearts here and there.  


I chose my pictures from my stash, I'm sorry I can't say from where they originated, and then coated them with clear lacquer. 

Once the lacquer was dry I fussy cut the images, leaving the tops heart shaped.  

I added them to the backgrounds and then trimmed up the cards.

I added an extra card for this swap as a 'Thank you for Hosting' card.  



Using the same technique as before I fussy cut the Giraffe and then edged the image with brown ink. I added it to the yellow sparkle background.  I hope that it is acceptable.







UPDATE:
I received the following cards.


Sparkle and decoupage.
Thank you BarbaraB.

Beautifully framed couple.

Thank you Liz R.

Silver hearts on a silver background.

                                       Thank you SueF.

Wines of the World

A wine drinker I am not!  
I used to be though ....... a long time ago ...... travel changes your drinking habits .... especially when you sit down for a meal and a opened bottle of wine is placed on the table!! 

So here's my impression of the table ..... with views out to  ...... maybe Italy with those trees!!

Now we are retired so, most of the time, we have to buy our own ..... now let's see  ...... which one .....





So here's the bottle, red I'm afraid,  but with the bottle shaped like that  ...... glass made from the same material!!!!  
Can't read the label so I'm afraid I don't know where the wine comes from ..... 




Let's raise a glass in friendship ...... maybe a couple of glasses.....



There we go then, my offerings to the Wines of the World.


UPDATE:
I received these wonderful cards by return......


Someone knows me so well!

 So true, so true!!!

This is a bright and cheerful card.

Thank you Londonont1.

January Colour Swap

I think I have said before that Glitter is not my forte but  am still a sucker for the challenge!!!
I couldn't find any of my glitter card, never tidy up the craft room!!!  I made some glitter papers for the backgrounds, glitter everywhere ........
Next day I looked at the papers and  .... nothing!!  

I remembered that I had some ATCs kits in a drawer and while looking for them (never tidy up the craft room - remember?) I found some glitter papers ready printed with flowers and butterflies.
I looked at the papers I had made the day before and ..... binned the lot!  I would use the printed glitter papers.

I used the pale blue paper as a background and then added the fussy cut butterflies.  I used two together to make two 3D ones.  One small sentiment and ..... finished.

I used a darker pink piece of paper for the background on this second card, added some fussycut flowers and vase.  I used a small piece of paper as a shelf to complete.

 


I had these flowers that were diecut out of white card for another project, and an orange piece of glitter paper.  
I used the glitter paper for the background and then inked the flowers until I had nearly the same shade of orange as the paper.  
I decided to add a vellum quote, torn edges, and placed diagonally across the card.  
Once the flowers were attached I decided to add a bit more glitter in the form of Stickles, sparkle to the edges and gold to the centres.


UPDATE



Gold stamping, paper and glitter.
Thank you JudithAnn.

Glitter card, flower and pearl buttons.

Thank you Philippa.

Glitter paper, butterfly and flowers.

Thank you JanS.

House with Text

Another subject I like to work with - Houses.  I have entered several in the past.

These two were wonderful -  birdhouse not! , and a house shaped swaps, this last one was brilliant.

Here I am again, this time the houses have to have text on them or on the card.


I added the text paper to two of the cards and left them to dry.  On the first card, I added some Brushos to the text, spraying water onto the paper first, adding the powders and then mopped up with a paper towel.  Once this was dry I added a light house fussy cut from a magazine.



This was a picture of a castle I found on the internet, sketched it out with a pencil and then continued to add details with watercolour pencils.  Once I had completed the additional colouring, I spritzed it with water and then mopped up the excess with a paper towel.

I sketched out the mushroom and painted it with watercolour and H2Os.  
Before I attached the text paper to the card I cut out the door so that it 'opened'.  I then attached a 'fairy' cut from the Eurostar Magazine, behind the 'open' door.  
The paper had been punched down the side so I washed the side of the card with green paint.  
When the image was attached to the card the green peeped through the holes.


Once I had sketched this house, cutting the door as before, I fussy cut it out.  I used a Salou magazine picture as the background, trimming it to size.  
I found a photo in the Eurostar magazine which was just perfect for behind the door! 
When the house was attached I added a bit more shading and some details to the door.

So there we have this year's houses ..... in French, Greek and English text!!


UPDATE:
I have received a note from our Hostess reminding me that the criteria is that the house contains text.  My Light House does not contain any text.  That's what happens when instructions aren't read properly!!!  I had enough time to make another card so I opened up the envelope, removed the light house and added this 'international' house.  i am grateful that this was pointed out to me before I posted.


The background for this house is a Spanish till receipt from 1987, ephemera found with photos of this holiday and added to stash!!
I sketched the house out on some German text, cut the door from a Greek page and the windows from an English page - international house!  After I had put the house together I added some details by sketching round with a 6B pencil and then some colour with watercolour pencils, spritzing with water and blotting as before.  





UPDATE:
I received the following cards by return.



A blue stitched roof on the text.
Thank you camprose.

Very interesting text.

Thank you londonont1.

Lots of lovely colouring to go with the text.

Thank you PattyR.

Love Paris

.... and I do!!

So here we have some photos, printouts and sketches. I combined them to produce four ATCs.  
If you recognise any of these designs please let me know so I can give you the credit for my inspiration.  

 This is a photo of Canal du Sta Martin taken when we met up with Rover 2 and went out walking.  

I rather like the sketch of the girl, no face so should be easy for me to sketch..... that's what I thought!  Artistic licence provided trees and plantings along the edge of the canal but just don't ask what happened to her legs!  lol



I saw this logo and thought it would be easy for me to sketch.  I applied artistic licence here so that I could support the people of Paris after all their troubles.



I have spent several breaks at La Defence and love this area of Paris.  I photographed the area in 2014 while the Marché de Noel was being erected but my painting needed some colour and interest so I added the artist from a piece of wall paper.

I am combining two wonderful sketches here.  
I love this painting of the girl looking at the Tour d'Eiffel and I just love the lady in the hat who I have had for a long time and dubbed 'Audrey'!
I made a real mess of Audrey's hands so erased them and added a bouquet of red roses.  I hope no-one minds .

I loved this swap, I have spent a wonderfully calm day completing them.

January Theme Swap - Birds

Birds, not my favourite subject so I thought I would rise to the challenge.  I knew how I wanted to design this theme but my muse was gone.......  I painted the base cards with brown and, when dry, I added various shades of green as background leaves.

I found this Zentangled bird on the web so printed it out onto some yellow paper in a draft printout which meant the outlines were very faint.  This left me able to colour in the bird with my ball point pens.
I used orange for the beak, red for the breast, pink for the legs and brown elsewhere.  Once I finished all the lines I fussy cut the bird and attached it to the background.  Once the glue had dried I realised that the ink had faded so had to redraw them again!!  I outlined the bird with brown ball point to give it a bit of definition.

I cut this bird out of a French Dictionary page and edged it with brown ink.  Once attached, I outlined this bird with brown ball point pen, adding an eye with a black ball point and a white gel pen.

I cut this bird out of some pink paper with very faint text lines, attached it to the background and then outlined it with brown ball point pen.  I added some shade lines to the back of the bird to give it some depth.

I don't know whether I am happy with these finished cards.  They are not the cards I visualised but they are birds..... and they are different!!

UPDATE
I have received he following cards....

Beautiful decoupage with clear stickles.
Thank you BarbaraB.

Very pretty owls.

Thank you MargaretC.

Stamping and a feather.

Thank you SueF.

January Swap

New Beginnings.



I found a printout in my files so decided to use this for the card.  

My background was some fresco brown paint with a touch of purple.  I then added a spritz of gold and put to dry.  
I trimmed a piece of cream paper with my fancy scissors and attached it to the base card, then added the image centrally on the paper.  
I added a cream and brown tiny bow to the top left corner in the small space twixt the edge the cream paper.
I love this card!  
Shame I have to post it off......

I received this cutie from my partner.

Thank you Olive.

Where's My Head?

I have wanted to join one of these swaps for ages, transposing heads in a collage format. 



Our hostess gave us some samples to inspire us - here are two. 


I plucked up the courage and signed up ... kept thinking about this swap........ still thinking about this swap ........printed out some ideas for the swap .... thinking about the swap ......
GIVE UP!
I couldn't work with anything I had so I  decided to to draw and paint the cards.  I chose my designs from some images on the internet and spent a day in my craft room.  DH had pulled a muscle and needed to rest so I painted my cards, taking all day ...... sort of keeping him company!


A straightforward Cockatoo, dressed in a brown jacket with poodle fur collar.  His cravat is fastened with a gold pin.

A bewhiskered dog, his hair so long only one eye shows!  His jacket is golden brown and his shirt is so very lacy.

This lady, in her flower trimmed blouse and well decorated hat, became so very hot while posing for this photo she began to pant to cool down.....
ergo the tongue sticking out.

Watching all the goings on from the couch sat this long billed bird in her green jacket and very short skirt .... maybe she's a tart!!!