UKATC January Monthly Swap

The production of these ATCs was halted after the I made the first card due to illness.

I cut one of my green backgrounds and then remembered my new Mantra - background, focal point, embellish .....  I added a cut out embossed flower and added the sentiment.

When I came back to health again, I looked at the card and decided I didn't want two the same so I picked out an embossed background.  

I used two diecuts to represent Winter and Spring and attached them to the background with a spray glue. 

 I can't understand how two die cuts sprayed in the Bathroom sink can make one background sooo sticky ......  when the words were printed out and cut I didn't need to add any more glue!!!

I have invested in some Inktense pencils and have been trying them out on watercolour paper.  I cut out this design, then applied some water so that I could paint out the shapes.  

The water makes the pencil shading JUMP out with colour. 

It didn't need any more adding to it. 

I have received the following swaps:-

Decoupaged figures on a pretty border.

Glittered butterfly with ribbon embellishment.

A printed flower, glittered and attached to a glittered base and a tag added to finish.

 Thank you Janice B

UKATC January Colour - Glitter

I have sat with a piece of cream glitter paper all cut to size since Christmas .... I have now put it to one side to use later, I really don't know what to do about 'glitter'.

I remember a technique that used double sided tape - three strips, add some glitter powder .... and then what?  I filled in the gaps with some tape, added a rose outline peeloff which has a red stone.


During a shopping trip to Solihull I picked up a box of stamps in the sale at Paperchase.
Now to my glitter ATCs!!!!


The Eiffel Tower - glittered!!!

I stamped the tower and added a plane and a cloud - oo la la!!  Not wanting to detract from the glitter I drew some vegetation round about.

I used another stamp (given free with a magazine) to form a line of houses along the lower edge.  I coloured them using various pens but I am afraid the glitter didn't like them at all.  I added a moon and stars from a nail accessory pack.  The sky was coloured using glitter gelpens.     

I added a tree and blossoms in the grass to this Eiffel tower, I thought a few butterflies brought Spring to the scene - Springtime in Paris any one?

Yes! actually.  I am spending a few days in Spring (April) in Paris.  Meeting old friends, PJ's not mine .....

I have received the following cards back: -

Beautiful drawn flowers, glittered and embellished.
Thank you Jan S.  

Peel offs filled in with glitter on a glitter background.

Thank you Liz R.  

Flourishes and flowers, glittered beautifully.

                                              Thank you Sylvia F

ATCs for All - Houses

I did enjoy making the houses for the previous swap, so much so that I had to join this one.
I cut out several house shaped cards, some folded, some single.
Then what should I do with them?

I cut up some 'room' designs - dining rooms, bathrooms, lounge, stairwells from here.

I think this is going to take too long to make these folded houses .... the houses will have to be single fold and collaged.

I went with the single fold houses .... back on the PC I printed out some Gina K designs and some elements from other scrapbook collections.

Ideas formed in my mind......

I took the little house frame and adhered it to some steampunk paper, put the little boy just inside so he could look at his ladybird safely.  This was placed onto a 'garden' paper and cut to a house shape.

This little hut begged not to be left out!

I just added a toy truck, and a fuzzy frog - see the green behind the frame on the right.  Every boy deserves a motorbike ....

If you've gotta house, so have the fairies!!!
Mushrooms ....  magic?!?!   could be  ... there's a VW parked up behind!  lol

I decoupaged the small mushroom and the grass  (grass?!?!)

So these are my swaps.

I also made a hostess present....

A folded house ....

I pasted some torn print sheets across the front of the purple house and drew on the windows and door with  purple gel pen.  

Inside I pasted the rooms and stairs.  

I had plenty of designs to choose from so I hope the Hostess likes the way I have furnished this home.  

I cut some stamped flowers to use as a garden for the back and then realised I didn't need them as the card details would go here.  
I printed some flowers on a sheet and then printed the card details over them.  I cut the details over a flower and leaves so it conveyed a garden.

Lovely.
Honest!
I have received the following cards:-


A pretty little modern house.
Thank you Camprose.

Embossed, bronzed and blinged house.

Thank you Hinlieltje.

A stately residence.

Thank you Leonarda.

This little house is a gift from the Hostess.

Here is the roof open.

Here is the back of the house.

Thank you Jewels

ATCs For All - Hysterical Historical Snowmen

What a title!
Sounds so much fun so I joined in this swap!
I started off by drawing three snowmen - I knew that I would do King Louis XIV but who else I don't know.  I 'googled' historical figures and then settled to use Caesar and .... later on while playing a Boney M disc ... yes!!!   Ras... pu... tin - Lover of the Russian Queen ....
I printed off black and white prints so that I had a guide to follow and cut up my watercolour paper to size - four cards to a sheet.


I painted Rasputin with gardens behind the drapes of the Royal Palace.  I gave him a Faberge Egg decorated with yellow diamantes on glittered paper.

Caesar was draped in a white Toga, tiled floor, pillars and sky.  He leans against one of the pillars holding a bunch of grapes, although his wine goblet must be empty at that angle!!!

Louis is dressed in red brocade shirt with a gold waistcoat and stands in front of his magnificent gardens of Versailles.  His cane has a jewelled top.

 

Then along came me ...

I am hysterical - most people laugh at me a lot.  At my age I am planning my funeral service so I shall soon by Historical!!  he! he! he!

See you're laughing at me!!!!

Just to make sure that my snowmen can be recognised, I added a small pocket at the back into which I placed a miniature picture of my model.

UPDATED 03.02.2014
I received these beauties in return ....



Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Thank you Heather K. 

John Lennon.

Thank you Gloria.

Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you Cassidy.

Happy New Year

ATCs for All - Colourful Butterflies

Bright Colours, Butterflies - sounds like a good swap so off I go again ....

I sorted three different papers and drew a butterfly on each paper.  I folded the paper and cut two of the smaller butterflies.


I decorated these butterflies with a blue sparkle gelpen and used a magazine cutting as background.

These bright yellow butterflies were decorated with a yellow sparkly gelpen and attached to a printed paper background.

This green butterfly was cut from scrapbooking paper, I glittered the dot circles and attached it to a background of wallpaper.  The wall paper had a design of butterfly and silver calligraphy, beautiful!


Once the butterflies were attached I outlined each butterfly with gelpens.
I checked that this time I didn't need to send handpainted or hand drawn ATCs so off they go in the post!!!

These pretty little things did not reach their destination - I am heartbroken .....

UPDATED 07.02.2014
Surprise!!! This morning's post brought me some butterflies and some postage stamps!!

Brightly handpainted beauty.
Thank you MariaP.

Collaged postage stamps.

Thank you Miryei.

Beautifully handdrawn and shaded.

Thank you Rocking Bear Ranch. 

Thank you Miryei for sending these beautiful cards form your collection so that I would not be disappointed.  The stamps enclosed in the envelope were an additional supreise.  Your kindness is really appreciated. 

ATCs For All - Painted Coins

For some reason - nothing to do with my age - I thought of the design for this made out of the metallic covers for Chocolate Money.
Then I re read the rules - yes! I know!
Should've read them first!
To be in this swap I have to draw ... draw?

I sorted out some coins from my purse ..... placed them on the desk and covered with paper.   Brass rubbings come to mind.

With pencil in hand I began rubbing ... not the best.
Looks like I ought to try my hand at drawing, can't be any worse!!


The front of our coins have a side silhouette of our Gracious Queen so I drew the rear of the coins.
The copper penny is quite small and this one has a portcullis - drawn in pencil and coloured over with a pencil and then watercoloured across.

 The two pence piece is also copper but larger in size.  The Prince of Wales feathers appear on the back of this coin drawn in pencil and coloured with colour pencil.

I used a silver shilling (12 'old' pence) for my third card so I left it uncoloured and washed some deep yellow paint over.  I added two rows of dots through a stencil along the top.

I printed some 'money' quotes in various fonts and then arranged them on the appropriate cards.  I rubbed a 'matching' inkpad over these and adhered them to the card.

The 'new' coins that are being minted nowadays have a matching background, they each have a part of the shield that is found on the One Pound Coin.