Christmas ATC Swap

Katy from Craft Stamper put one of her ATCs up for a Swap on the Magazine's blog and I was lucky enough to be drawn from the hat :) So here is the ATC I sent her, and if you have not seen it already go check out the lovely ATC I got in return from Katy.

The background was made using an ink wash over some stamping in the same ink, allowed to dry and then stamped again in the green.



Materials:
Stamp - Papermania
Inks - Winsor & Newton Ink; VersaColor Gold; Tim Holtz Distress inks peeled paint
Usual Suspects - Scissors; Trimmer; Silicone Glue
Other - Acetate; Galaxy Markers; Brushes; Recycled cup holder

New Home Picture

Not a card but a picture today, made from a collage of stamping, stippling, watercolouring, masking, distressing, stitching, the lot! This one has been playing on my mind for a week and I finally turned it into something!

ps. they are 'twinchies' by the way, to give you an idea of the scale!

Materials:
Stamps - Pink Cat studio; Stampendous; Autumn Leaves; HOTP; Stamps Away
Inks - VersaFine Onyx black; VersaColor lime and bamboo; Brilliance Pearlescent sky blue; Ranger Distress inks walnut stain and Tea dye
Colouring - Koh-i-nor watercolour paints
Usual Suspects - Silicone glue; double-sided tape; trimmer; scissors; computer and printer
Other - Glitter glue; brads; embroidery thread; white, brown and black card; Ink-jet transparency; brushes; cut 'n' dry

I Apologise...

Yes I am obsessed with my new limitless limbs stamps AND with Christmas cards, I'm sure I warned you in a previous post?...Er this one is for the Basic Grey Challenge blog which has a Christmas theme this week (so that absolves of all responsibility for this Christmas card).

Tee Hee. Off to make some more Christmas cards - Mmmm what stamp should I use....?



EDIT: I've had a suprise comment on this card from Melissa of Pink Cat Studio Fame, I think she must have seen how obsessed I am with her stamps and has asked to put this card into the Pink Cat Studio Gallery :) How exciting is that? Thank You Melissa :)

Materials:
Stamp - Pink Cat Studio Limitless Limbs
Papers - BasicGrey Sultry from Sassy Crafts
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black
Colouring - Koh-i-noor watercolours
Usual Suspects - Double-sided Tape; 3D-foam; Trimmer; Scissors; Glue dots
Other - Circle template; Crop-a-dile; Ribbon; Coloured Staples

Holly tree For BasicGrey Challenge

A Christmas card for the BasicGrey challenge this week which is about stitching. So look closely and you will see the stitching on the ribbon :)

The stamp is from Pink Cat Studio which I managed to get from Dies to Dies For. I had been desperately wanting these fabby stamps and the lovely Tracy stocks them :) There is just all sorts of combinations you can make with this plate of stamps I just didn't know where to start!

Do you get obsessed as I do about a crafty want? Just got to have it :) Desperately 'need' some nestibilities and a scor-pal at the moment (just don't tell my boyfriend).



Ps. If you are looking to get these fab stamps too just take a look here (you might recognise the card! - thanks Tracy). She stocks Copic pens as well - Mmmm adding those to my wishlist :)

Materials:
Stamp - Pink Cat Studio Limitless Limbs
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black
Colouring - Twinkies H20
Papers - BasicGrey sultry
Other - Ribbon; brown sparkly card; white hammered card; circle template

Sassy Crafts DT Call

I thought I might have a go at the DT call going on for Sassy Crafts. The challenge is to make three projects as outlined on the Sassy Crafts blog:

1 - A stamped project:
A new Christmas card for you.


Materials:
Stamp - Sugar Nellie; HOTP
Papers - Basic Grey; note paper
Colouring - Derwent pencils and sansodor
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black; Adirondack Rust
Other - Glitter glue; Fimo clay; brads; Flower soft


2 - A favourite piece
It is difficult to pick a favourite piece, my thoughts change daily on the matter! But here is one I made a few months ago. I love how the embossing works on the designer paper and highlighted with inks. Then there was the fun I had with the flower, wire, tab and beads as well.


Materials:
Stamp - Sarah Kay; HOTP
Colouring - Letroset Promarkers
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black; VersaColor pink; Distress ink Walnut Stain
Papers - BasicGrey Sultry
Equipment - Cuttlebug and embossing folders; Crop-a-dile
Other - Beads; eyelet; metallic thread; wire


3 - A project that contains 4 squares, 3 small and 1 large
And not that I'm getting Christmas obsessed or anything but here is another Christmas card :)


Materials:
Papers - BasicGrey Mellow; 7Gypsies
Inks - Distress Inks Walnut Stain, fired brick; tea dye; peeled paint
Other - Shapes designed by me; Cardboard; Seam ripper

Daring Strawberry

A sketch from Daring Cardmakers this week. From being in Autumn to a quick drop back into summer for this card :)


Edit - Katy, the Editor of the fab mag Craft Stamper, has started a new blog and is looking for samples of the cover stamps in use. She has very kindly sampled this card on the CS blog :) Thank you.

Materials:
Stamp - Free From Craft Stamper Mag
Colouring - Trinkies H2O
Ink - VersaFine black, versacraft white
Other - red and white card; Cuttlebug; American Craft ribbon

Acetate Bookmark

I've been experimenting with my Cuttlebug seeing how different materials emboss - what fun :) So here is how it looks embossing acetate. I've made a bookmark for the challenge on This Thursday, It's All About.... which is looking at making things that have uses. I also took the opportunity to use a fab stamp I have from Inkadinkado of an angel image and Lots To Do has an Angel theme this week so of course I had to enter :)



The image was stamped with Stazon onto acetate that I had tinted with alcohol inks. I then coloured the image on the back with Cosmic Shimmer powders mixed with 3D-glue. The image was then placed on white paper and cut out to be stuck onto the embossed acetate.



Materials:
Stamp - Inkadinkado
Colouring - Alcohol inks stream and butterscotch; Cosmic Shimmer
Equipment - Cuttlebug and script embossing folder
Other - 3D-Glue; White paper

Thank you Tracey and those at This Thursday, It's All About...... for sampling me again, it is a real honour :)

Linked over at the Bookmark Collector (thanks guys) - have a look it is an interesting site of different bookmarks.

Stone Inchies Make An ATC

So to continue my Inchy quest I have used them in this ATC for the Think Monday - Think ATC which has a 'Stone' theme this week, as by luck should have it I have some 'stone'-related stamps.


Materials:
Stamp: Paper Artsy
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress inks; Stazon; Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist
Other: Cardstock; Stone button; embroidery silk

The lovely folk over at Think Monday - Think ATC have sampled this ATC. Thanks Folks.

Inchies

I honestly thought I would never get into Inchies - pieces of art that are only an inch by an inch square - but then I did a card with some almost inchies on it and I was hooked. But guess what? There is an inchies challenge blog, well that is it really - I've just added inchies to my ever growing list of craft obsessions. So this week's challenge on Inch by Inch is 'Thank you' and here is my submission.



Materials:
Stamp: Anna Griffin Nature Background; Studio g Alphabet Set
Inks: Tim Holtz Ditress inks - Walnut stain; Peeled Paint; Tea dye
Other: dragonfly metal charm; recycled cardstock
Equipment: water spritzer; Brayer; craft mat; felt block (you can buy this but I made my own); heat tool (optional); Marvy Le Plume watercolour pens; Silicone glue

Instructions:

• Taking a piece of card from an old greeting card place on the craft mat and colour using the tea dye and peeled paint distress inks, water and brayer.
• Leave to dry or dry with the heat tool if you are as impatient as me.
• Stamp with the background stamp and decide which inch will be the best to use.
• Highlight the plants by colouring with watercolour pens.
• On a new piece of card stamp the sentiment with alphabet stamps and cut to size.
• The edges of the sentiment and Inchy were distressed using the walnut stain ink and smudging with the felt block.
• To finish the charm and sentiment were attached to the Inchy with Silicone glue.

Thank you Inch By Inch for sampling my inchy :)

Nature and Walnut stain

I have just discovered walnut stain distress ink from Tim Holtz and I love IT! Wow it is just fab to use to distress papers. So having a play with the walnut stain I did this card with the fab sketch from Stamp Something (just got it done in time for the challenge - again) using the Nature theme from Arty Girlz. Thanks guys for the great inspiration.


Do you like the inches? Well truth be told they are slightly bigger than inches but just by a touch. The little butterflies and ladybird are stamped and cut from patterned paper and I've used some paper piercing for the butterfly trails. The paper used was from Basic Grey (edged with walnut stain of course!) and the main stamp is a Crafty Individuals stamp.

Thanks for sampling my card Arty Girlz :)

Lemon and Lime

Celebrating a new birth in Lemon and Lime - what do you think? This card was made for the following challenges: the celebration theme from A Spoon Full of Sugar, the great sketch from Friday Sketchers, Baby theme on Thank God it's Friday and the new challenge blog This Thursday It's About which is starting with the theme 'Fresh'.


So this card uses free papers from Papercraft Essentials, Sugar Nellie Little Cotton Rabbits stamp coloured with watercolour pencils, DCWV card stock and then some fiskers embossing plates to emboss the rectangular yellow card. Some little doodling on the edges to finish the card. You know I still haven't worked out the best light to use to get a good photo.....

I've been sampled twice for this one. Thanks Guys :) This Thursday, It's All About and Thank God It's Friday.

Chalk and Ink

Well, I've been experimenting with chalks. Not really used to them yet but having fun trying them out. So this travel-themed tag with the 'E' from explore was made for two challenges. The travel theme is from Thank God It's Friday and the monogram tag is the challenge over at Tag You're It! Actually this is my first tag as well. So a project of firsts :)


So first I coloured the paper with light brown distress ink and then stamped using a mask to create the 'E' on one side of the tag. The 'E' side was stamped with a map and the rest was stamped with various travel-related stamps in a random sequence. I then continued colouring using the masks and green distress ink.

Once the paper was dry I went about adding more colour with chalks. Having a change of heart, I cut the 'E' out, edged it with a sepia ink pen and layered it with foam next to the background to get the 3-D shape. Adding the pictures from some travel mini-postcards and finishing the tag off with an eyelet and some string.

Also put this up on the Trimcraft forum for a stamping challenge!

Thanks Thank God It's Friday for sampling my Tag :)

Tower ATC

This week's Think Monday Think ATC is about your favourite tower. Well being a Londoner it kinda had to be Big Ben didn't it?




Ooo look, look I've been sampled! Thanks guys at Think Monday - Think ATC.