Creating Rainbow Friends ATC Swap - February

These ATCs are for our swap over on Creating Rainbows Forum. I used alcohol inks and Glimmer Mists for the background. The stamps are from the Elusive Images harlequin rose plate. I dipped ovals into black UTEE, in the melting pot, then used cosmic shimmer mica powders.

Time on my Hands

This 7"x7" piece is presented for 2 challenges - TGIF, hands, and ABC Challenge, B for blue and brown. Early ideas for the "hands" challenge were already used by a couple of other people (note to self - get going more quickly or change your time zone!!! LOL), so I had to think again. Hands on clocks seemed to fit the bill, so here they are....

Most of the stamped images are from the UMount plate, time, plus a dandelion-lookalike-agapanthus by Stampendous, and a couple from the set Avante Garde, by Stamp in the Hand. I did something for the background that I have never managed before - I used My Craft Studio to import some images from Google, then manipulated them until I was happy. I ran the card through the printer, and printed directly on to it. The stamping was mostly done straight on top, and embossed with clear ep. The whole clock was given new hands + hands and the little clock was perched on to the new minute hand... Daft but "cute" - well, as cute as I ever do!!!!

A Rose by Any Other Name

This piece is for 3 different challenges this week. The first inspiration was Theme Thursday, whose challenge was label. The second challenge was Saturday Workout, who wanted us to use skink plastic, and My Time To Craft gave us the dare to use pink and brown.

I found this lovely label on The Graphics Fairy site and it inspired me to match it up with a new set of stamps from Elusive Images, the harlequin rose plate. The colours were chosen for me by the label and the MTTC theme, so I used my new Derwent pencils and my Lyra watercolours to create the rose topper and the swirly, leafy background paper - also a stamp from that plate. I sprayed it with latte, snow angel and watermelon Gimmer Mists. I printed a smaller rose on to a small piece of transluscent shrink plastic, and coloured it with Sakura Stardust pens. I made a hole in it before shrinking, and added a tiny pink ribbon, tied into a bow. The display paper is a light brown orange peel Bazill basics sheet and the whole piece is 8" square. Thanks for looking.

Follow My Leader

This bit of nonsense is for the challenge at InchyByInch this week, which is leadership. I used an image of cranes I have had for a long time, and altered the colour, printed small on to 6"x4" photographic paper. I stamped the border Kodomo cranes, twice on top, in shades of brown Blending Blox, and a large main image from the same set. The whole lot was cut up into inchies and pasted on to a piece of cream card, and the large crane put into the lead!! The display sheet is my beloved DCWV Far East stack, in postcard size - so useful... I think I have cheated a bit, but I enjoyed it anyway!!!

Mardi Gras - Beads, Feathers and Masks

Well, it took some time for the idea to form itself, but it came together in the end. This is for the challenge at Gothic Arches this week - mardi gras/carnivale. The arch began with bright alcohol inks and lots of gold. I then added beads and gold jewels, from my stash. The four masks were cut from an image found on Google Images. There is a peacock feather from the back, and the display sheet is also from Google, with masks, feathers and beads. My grandson was here when I found the pictures for this one, and he made a mask like the one top left... he coloured in with his pens, and used direct to paper technique to cover his drawing... it came out really well, so we both enjoyed our crafting!!

Boy - Tunnel Of Love!

My grandson... a great reason to keep going!! He was about 3 1/2 years old here, crawling through a tunnel in a fantastic children's playground. I loved the swirls in this photo, and so I have made it into an artsy piece by using chalk inks, direct to paper, to extend the photo image. I have enhanced the surround by using my new, fabtastic Inktense pencils - superb to work with (this was the first time) in order to build up the colour and texture. The challenge is from Sunday Stamper, at Ink on my Fingers, boy/boys. The stamps are swirls and words from a UMount plate, and my crooked heart from Hero Arts. A dash of glitter glue finishes off the edges. Thanks for looking - he loved that I was doing this while he crafted here with me... he is now nearly 5, and a GREAT stamper in the making!!!

An award

A lovely award from the lovely Kristen. She has a great blog, which is why she was given this herself. I need to send this to some other people and will consider that during the day. It is an award about proximity - making friends and sharing.

"Love is the Beauty of the Soul"

Here is a 4 in 1. I started with the 6"x4" postcard format, and built up from there... OH!!! SO much stamping and such creative fun (on a really bad energy day!!) The theme at Sunday Postcard Art is hearts, and there are PLENTY of those here... At MMM it is hearts and wings, and Lots to Do has chosen wings too. The fourth challenge I shall enter this for is Saturday Surprise, which is "quote" - exactly that, hence the title of this piece, said by St, Augustine.

I loved all this stamping - and used so many different ones to muti-layer the piece. Today, a whole new set arrived from Elusive Images (along with so many other goodies for colouring and effects!!!) So, top down... the UTEE image was made in my melting pot, with black crytals, then imprinted with a wonderful script piece from the harlequin poppy plate. When it was cooled, I rubbed over with cosmic shimmer mica powders, and gently reheated to set them in. The butterfly and the heart/quote are stamped on to vellum and embossed with coral blush moonglow ep. I used this all round the edges of the postcard too, after aging with grey and brown chalks, using cut n dry.

The large, coloured heart is from the harlequin rose plate, as is the quote. I used cream card and three alcohol inks (stream, butterscotch and red pepper) blended and drizzled with the solution, and stamped the tiny hearts from it too (same heart plate) The top lefthand heart is from the butterfly UMount plate, stamped with versamark and dusted with the cosmic mica. The base of the card was stamped with various images and embossed in places to give different textures. The display sheet is my ususal DCWV Far East Stack.

Hope you have not lost the will to live, following this, but I wanted to write it down before I forget what I did, for future reference!! Thanks for reading this tome... Love and light.

Roofs of Our World - an ATC

This one is for Think Monday, Think ATC - roofs of our world. The front image of Florentine roofs is a part of a Stamp Addicts cube, stamped in distress inks. Surprising just how true to life this image is, because I have stood up on the hill and looked over the river to these city roofs. The photo is a print from a 12"x12" Wubie paper. I bought this to scrapbook the photos of a wonderfully romantic holiday in Italy with my husband... but I might never do this, as it brings such painful memories, if I dwell on it!!! The incidental stamps are from my new UMount set, travel. Thanks for looking.

A Flutter of Fans

Here is my ATC offering for Rainbow Lady's Thursday Challenge, fans. I used a cube from Stamp Addicts, stamped on to a backing of alcohol inks, and embossed with rich red ep. They are each raised using silicone glue, and set upon a sheet of fans paper from my stash, which I have had for ages. I think it came from the original oriental kit I had from The StampMan.

A Kiss, Please!

Here is a twinchie... so sweet this size. It features 2 butterflies for the challenge at Small World of Inchies and Twinchies - kiss. I have used some alcohol inks for the shiny card background, and the same, but on different card, for the Kodomo butterflies. The background stamp is a new set from UMount, called butterfly. I have used Adirondack pitch black, embossed with clear ep, and the whole piece is displayed on a text sheet from the postcard set from DCWV (once upon a time)