ATC World - Road Trip

As I have already made several of these cards I chose three to post off for the swap.
Using ribbons from stash, paper from my Docraft goody bag and a few stickers, I had these beauties all ready to post off.

I printed out my sentiments onto the backing papers, I also had to print the sentiment for the ticket on the third card.


I placed some ribbon pieces across two of the cards, leaving room for a ticket or two.

This little boy is one of my favourite images so I printed it out a couple of times, coloured it with watercolour pencils and made the image 3D.  As he is starting off with his valise I gave him a passport to help him on his way.

I received these following cards back:



A little glittery car.
Thank you Laureta.

To Earth and Beyond.

Thank you Margo.

A map of Northern Ireland.  A place I visited after the Troubles were over.   I crossed over into Eire when I visited friends who were neighbours at the time the IRA blew up Birmingham people and children.  My friends still felt it strange to cross the border and have no checkpoints.
I had to see the country for myself .... it was beautiful.  Although the members of the IRA blew up places in my city, I knew they did not represent the whole of the Irish peoples - I said and still say - I have never met a bad Irishman.

I love this card - my own personal souvenir of a good trip.
NB. note the little tiny words and the car ... there is a road that leads downhill yet the car travels uphill ..... only in Ireland!
Thank you Marna for a very special to me card.

Thank you Judy for hosting such an enjoyable swap.

ATC World - April Showers

Apt subject for the month!!!
I used an image from the web and fussy cut after printing.  I used some paper given free with a magazine and cut it to size before attaching the image.  Once the image had dried I coloured the canpies with different coloured Crystal lacquer and left it to dry.

All the sentiments were printed in blue on my PC using a 'snow' font and cut out for the ATC.

I used another of the free papers for this card and fussy cut a single umbrella shape.  I covered the canopy with black lace, cutting the straps to size.  The blue sentiment was cut and glued onto the card.

This great image from kids colouring pages was just begging me for colour.  I used my watercolour pencils to colour the canopy, dungarees and green grass over the 'peel off under my worksheet' to give them texture.    

The blue sentiment was cut and glued onto the card.

I printed two of these umbrella images and then fussycut one to use as a mask.  That was the idea anyway!  I found my 'tapestry stamps'  and stamped over over the canopy on the mask, following up with a black pen to emphasise the ribs.  Then I realised my mistake!!!  I attached this 'mask' onto the original image, using a gold pen to colour the rips of the ribs, the top and the tube.  I used the black pen again for the handle.  A metallic blue pen to highlight the raindrops and added the printed sentiment. 

UPDATED: 27.04.2014
I received these cards in my exchange....



Some pretty little diecuts all pieced together.
Thank you Lauretta.

This metallic painted umbrella is sheltering a cute little bird.  Thank you Cherry.

A very pretty card with metallic coloured raindrops.

Thank you Jeanne.

ATC World Ladybirds

I love ladybirds - that is proper ones .... red ones with black spots, the fewer the better.  The yellow ones I do not like - they kill my pretty ones.
After spending some time looking through my stash I decided I would colour some pictures for this one.  Did I tell you I love colouring!!!


This ladybird  just asked to be coloured so I used my watercolour pencils and set to work.  After colouring I used my waterbrush to paint over the leaves, adding Crystal Lacquer drops for eyes to the Ladybird.

I used my watercolour pencils to colour the rest of the cards.  I added punch waste to two of the corners.

I kept this card to monochrome, well, would have been but I added some red to the Ladybird to cheer up the card.

I coloured the background lightly, placing over the flower sticker under my sheet to give it some texture.  After colouring the rest of the picture, I wanted to add something to make this one special so that it would go to be a 'hostie' gift.  I added some punch waste along the bottom, using leaves and three sizes of flowers.  A flower in the top left added balance .... although if one is righthanded it might not!!!

These were the cards I received in return: -


A little blue felt ladybird.
Thank you Jennifer J.

This litlle die cut  on a raffia branch.

Thank you Lori. 

This ladybird is called Victoria and she has a secret ..... the artist has a brilliant sense of humour too.

Thank you Kathy.

ATC World - Children due April 20

Nice Crane designs have some wonderful children images, I had a great time looking round their site.


I love the way these two children are posed - so grown up!!!
I chose this design, coloured it using my watercolour pencils, sprayed it with clear water and left to dry.  I didn't use watercolour paper for this printout as I wanted the picture to have that 'aged' olden days look - like the old black & white photos that have been coloured up.
I am happy with the finished card.

I used the 'Time to Play'  sheet by Faye Whittaker to make up my second card.  I cut it out, decoupaged it and cut it down to size.  I added a tiny shot of red gel to the apple behind the little one's back.



My third image came from Vintage Field & Garden, I thought this was sooo pretty.  After I printed this design and attached it to the card, I realised that it needed something else ...




I used Crystal Lacquer colours to highlight certain areas making them shine.

I think this is so pretty .....

ATC World - It's Spring

I used my lovely Spring flowers stamps, stamping in different colours and clear embossing.  I then watercoloured the flowers.

I embossed the daffodil with white ink and clear embossed.  Using my watercolour pencils to colour the flower, I washed the image with clean water.

I did the same on the tulips.

I embossed the pansies in a medium brown ink and clear embossed.  Once again I used my pencils to colour the image, followed with a clean water.
I swiped the edges with green inks and rounded the corners to finish.

 I used one of my jigsaws cards as a hostess thank you.  I used the Faux Silk Daffodil for the centre, with a green paper on the side pieces.  On the outside I used a yellow paper and then used a rubon across the join.






UPDATED: 23.04.2014

 A bunch of flowers and glittery snail.
Thank you Corrine.

Lots of flowers in pots.

Thank you Kathy K.

An APC.

Thank you Gwynn.

ATC World - Oriental

What to do this month .... what to send .... I don't want to be late for this swap so I googled and pinterested and then .... my magazine arrived!  It is a superb issue this month and I emailed the Editor and told her so!!
Only one article consisted of stamps other than the free ones - really good value for freebies and ideas!!


The ideas did not include any ATCs but they could be adapted ... This little panda was stamped and paper pieced.  I used a bullrush stamp as a border and added a few red flowers at the lower edge.  I placed the crane a bit too low but didn't want to start all over again.

The next card showed a string of lanterns across the width of the card and washi tape used as borders top and bottom.  I took this theme and then added half the word statement along the lower edge.

This is my own design .... I stamped the vase in gold onto blue wallpaper and fussy cut it out.  The cherry blossom bough was stamped in brown and then I coloured the blossoms with watercolour pencils.  I stamped the symbols / words in black. 

Here are my returns ...



Beautiful Bronze Geisha.
Thank you Jan.

Wonderful Vintage Geisha.

Thank you Kathleen.

Brilliant 'soap employee' card and the back has been finished with the same thought put into it - love the parasols.

Thank you Mel.

ATC World - Whimsical Swap

Whimsical: 

1. 1.

   playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

   "a whimsical sense of humour"

   
   
2. 2.

   acting or behaving in a capricious manner.

   "the whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy"

I thought this would be quite a challenge and created 3 cards using dryer sheets but after re-reading the description .... started again and came up with these ....

Just some lines had a couple of designs that were begging to be used!  'Petit Pot' is one of my favourite designs as you are probably aware, this time I added glitter glue to her wings.  I ran two lines of print tape over the edges of a strip of floral  paper and then wrote 'Oops!'

Says it all!

Big Hat Girl 1 is another favourite and I coloured the digi and fussy cut her out and placed her onto a piece of wallpaper with purple edging.  I printed the quote - A day without laughter is a day wasted - from Charlie Chaplin and adhered it to the card.

I have had this digi of a pig for ages, my youngest likes pigs so i tend to save them for her.  If it is your digi, please let me know so I can credit you.  I coloured the hat, skirt and hoofs but it then looked a bit plain.  I didn't want to distract from the main digi so I used an alphabet stencil to write  the word 'celebrate' using gelpens.

I received these beauties:

A hand drawn stocking.

Thank you Gwynn.

A glittered cutie.

Thank you Sandie H. 

This one so made me laugh!!!  The Turkey looks hand drawn with thread tied round it's neck.

Thank you Janice  - for the card and the laugh.

ATC World - 6 + 5 Days of Christmas

When I started this swap I thought that it would be a dodle .... a dodle!
5 Gold Rings
Five caused a few problems ....

Back to the 12 days colouring book for five intertwined rings, which I coloured using glitter gelpens.

I printed the sentiment on my PC and, using Word, printed out the circles as well.  I coloured the rings with glitter gel pens again.

I made four more cards but had to bin them - I really didn't want to make another circles card but, having no imagination, it is very difficult for me to think outside the box.  Then I thought 'RINGS'.   I cut five circles in varying sizes from various gold papers - not very well I must admit!  I found my gemstones box and sorted out the stones to make five finger rings, different or what!!  A gold peel off completed the card.

6 Geese a Laying


Six printouts of the same picture - why? Cos I like it!!
I softly coloured the background and cut them all out leaving the end of the beaks proud.   I attached them to a black background, leaving a margin round each picture.

Using my dear old PC, and Wordart, I printed out the sentiment to use as a background.   I added Gold peeloff eggs along the bottom and some home made washi tape along the top. (I stamped some 'egg' images along a length of medical tape using a gold ink). 

Back to the drawing book for this lovely image.  I coloured the number with a gold gelpen and used ordinary felt tips for the rest.  I think that the name plate at the bottom of the picture completes the card.

UPDATED: 07.12.2013



This is so pretty.
Thank you Jan G.

Such a cure Teddy

Thank you Sandie H. 

This gorgeous card was created by our Hostess, such a lot of detailed work.

Thank you Kathy H.

Love all the little eggs along the border.
Thank you Lori.

The goose is golden 

Thank you Kathy S.  

Lots of detailed cutting on this one.

Thank you Resi.