April Theme Swap

April Theme is Mermaids
I really wanted some shimmer and shine on these cards.....

I printed out my backgrounds and then spritzed them with blue (homemade - added extra mica powder) , pearl and gold perfect pearls and put them to one side to dry.

I printed out some mermaid shapes with my PC and then fussy cut them from different papers.  The orange one is from a Welsh language leaflet, the flowered one is from a magazine advert and the last one from wall paper.  
Once they had been adhered to the backgrounds I then added some pieces of various fibres, plastic paper and knitting fringe wool along the lower edges.

I hope that this photo shows the shimmer and shine on the backgrounds.

I love the way these cards have turned out.



UPDATE:

I have received the following cards - 


It doesn't show on this photograph but the mermaid is lower left decoupaged.  Wonderfully done.
Thank you Margaret. 

What can I say?!  Pearls, netting, puncinella, everything brilliant.

Thank you Mel.

Beautifully decoupaged mermaid on rock.

Thank you Barbara.

April Colour Swap

April Colour - Brown
I have CASed a card I found on the internet for this first ATC.  I chose various papers, in lots of shades of brown, cutting them into various sized oblongs, and then rolling the papers into tubes.  I coloured a sticky backed paper lace length with several shades of brown promarkers and put it to dry.  I found some punched butterflies and also used my promarkers to colour them brown.  
I used some brown paper as a background to the card and then added the length of lace, cut into to two pieces to the card.  I needed double sided tape to attach the paper tubes at various angles across the card but glue dots were sufficient to hold the butterflies and the flower.  Gold stickles along the spine of the butterflies and in the centre of the flower to complete the card. 


I love this image and, after PC printing on cream paper, coloured it with promarkers then fussy cut.  I used some music paper, also printed on cream paper, as a background and added a brown twine bow along the lower edge.  My little image just slotted onto the card, sitting almost centrally on the background. 


You will find this difficult to believe but the background for this card is a patterned circle!!!  It peeps out here and there ....  I added some 'tape' papers along the shorter edges, one old Bill, an S ticket and an old piece of ephemera, which I edged with the faithful promarker!  I used a brown biro to edge round the Bill just to give it a bit of definition.

UPDATE:
I received the following cards -


Just love this assortment of embellishments.
Thank you Gerry.

Textured paper, brown ribbon with diecut butterflies.

Thank you JudithAnn.

Very cleverly put together card - love it.

Thank you Pat.

Postage Stamp Swap #4

I love Postage Stamp swaps.  Fortunately, one of my friends gave me an envelope of used stamps and I was set to go.
I had the idea for the first card - Rainbow Queen - after looking through some fabulous links that were posted on the Forum.
I painted the background and imagined several rows of coloured stamps but IRL the card was too small and the stamps too large!
I adjusted my sights and laid the stamps in shades, hopefully in a rainbow shape, across a piece of paper.  Once I was happy I then attached the stamps.  I am pleased with the result although it is not my vision!

I painted the background for the second card and then wanted to add some fussy cut leaves but couldn't find the design I was looking for.  I matted the stamp to some hieroglyphic silver card which I cut with decorative scissors - the thought being that folk were on a 'high'  - and adhered the whole to the card.  I am not really happy with the leaves on my background but it is the best I can do.


I envisioned the background for this stamp to show my favourite music score.  I formatted the size to fit the card and then added a quote, my favourite picture - it sits inside the back page of my Cliff Richard scrapbook for 1962 in full colour!!   I matte the stamp on gold paper, the only colour for the king!!!

When you have a pot full of stamps of heads, there's lots of choice and I chose some men for this card.  After I had laid out my chosen subjects then added them to the card I decided a sentiment was needed.  I looked through several magazines and then found the perfect one!!!  I tore the paper round the sentiment and attached it along the lower edge.

UPDATE:
I have received the following super cards-


 Sweet card with such a lovely little girl.
Thank you RaineyDay.

Great abstract, lovely colours.

Thank you JanetM.

Brilliant card for a trekkie!!

Thank you cocoanap.

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where have you been?

A request was posted for 'Kitties' on my swapping forum
.
I'm putting out a call for cats, kittens, felines of all stripes or spots.
I am making a book of cats for my six year old granddaughter and to be quite honest, that endeavour was a little more than I can handle on my own. I'm sick of drawing cats and wish to commandeer some other artists to contribute to the book of cats. What I'm looking for are kitties no larger than 5 inches tall. Width doesn't really matter but no longer than 12 inches. I only need cats, no backgrounds. As I will be cutting your kitties to fit on a page with numerous other kitties. Medium doesn't matter either. 

I thought 'Well, I could do that!  
A nice watercoloured painting of a cat.  
I can do that.  
Somewhere between the thinking and the doing I decided to make a collage of the Nursery Rhyme ..... 
Pussycat, Pussycat, where have you been?
I've been up to London to look at the Queen.
Pussycat, Pussycat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair!

I sourced some pictures from the web of London landmarks, the Queen, cats and a mouse.  
All I needed to do was to decide which order and where .....
Once the images were attached and fussy cut to shape, I used a black pen to sketch out the cat details over the images.  
I used a white gel pen to highlight the eyes and then edged the card with brown ink.  
I printed out the poem and attached it to the back of the card, just in case.

I love this cat .... thank goodness I saved all the pieces I used so that I can make another one!!!!

March Swap

I had decided to reduce my stock of ATCs so carefully chose three that, although not linked by subject, were linked by technique - Collage.
I made this card for a swap some time ago but missed the swap date. 

This is my scriptural heart - word cloud as my background and a scripture topped with heart image clips.Nice and colourful , but with a punch of a sentiment.

 
I used images from some tourist information leaflets for this castle card.  After mixing up the cuttings, I added some punched daisies and a gold sentiment.

After using a spray paint for the background, I added a prepunched card.  I used a corner punch, adhered some mulberry paper and then added some watercolour flowers and greenery to the whole piece.  A circle punch out of a babushka completed the card.  

I hope my partner likes the cards, I have enjoyed making them.

Colour with Crayons

Crayons .... now  there's a thought......
It just so happens that I bought a packet some time ago to try encoustic art.  I wasn't impressed .... with the melted crayons technique!!!!

I hunted around and managed to find the safe place where the crayons were hiding and cut myself some ATC sized watercolour paper and I am ready to go..... just need an idea or two .....

Draw a tree, always has been my starting point for drawing in any medium .....

There was this tree outside the house where I grew up ...... I spent many an hour drawing it.  We didn't have television in those days!!!  ROFL
Ahem!  Back to the post .......
Once the tree was finished, I added a background showing a village in silhouette.  PJ reckoned it was the tree he sat under when he was a nipper ..... he recognised the village!!!

 Continuing with the tree theme I then thought of the (naughty) trees of Italy ..... I used to love looking out at the landscape dotted with the red roofs and pointy trees....

Then there was the picture that my Brother in Law taught me to draw before I was a teenager... another tree .... nah! only joking ....
This was a bridge, showing shadows and details which I found difficult to do with wax crayons, out in the countryside.

Then my eyes alighted on a card left over from another swap .... so I redrew that again ..... sort of ...... very sort of .....

Can you tell it's a Ginger Tom Cat?

It will be interesting to see my returns .... very brightly coloured, drawn on smooth cardstock..... Maybe I will try this medium again but on smooth cardstock ..... watch this space .....

UPDATE:

 
A very pretty vase of flowers.
Thank you HappyArtist.

Love this artwork.

Thank you purplevelvet.

I love this still life.

Thank you crafty3790.