ATCs WITH ATTITUDE # 27 - Autumn/Winter

Another 2 weeks have flown by which means it's time for you to make your ATCs and cards for our
challenge over at ATCs with Attitude.

Delicious Doodles are our sponsors this time and are offering 4 digis to the winner.

I chose one of their images for my ATC - Kingfisher in the Rushes - and decided to re-size it to conform to ATC measurements of 2.5"x3.5" so that I could cut it out.

The photo really doesn't do justice to the colouring on this card. I used my Distress Markers for it all including the very subtle milled lavender wash.
Now then, January will be a very special month for our little challenge blog. As the name suggests, we are primarily an ATC challenge blog but because we also state that participants can enter cards into our sister blog, Fat Pages with Attitude, most seem to end up on our blog. In order to advocate the different ways an ATC can be presented, we are making January ATC month. Hopefully we will have a VERY SPECIAL guest designer for you who I know for a fact produces ATCs and art in a form that will blow your mind away. You may also want to call back just to find out a little about - me!!
Our theme this month is a really nice one, so have a go at an ATC and enter our challenge.

WICKED WEDNESDAY #57 SNAILS OR STRIPES

Guess what? I won the WW challenge last week. A $10 voucher for Stitchy Bear digis - and I've already spent it. So, THANK YOU once again to the wonderful DT at Wicked Wednesday.

This week their theme is snails or stripes. I knew at once what I wanted to do and whilst I haven't really used stripes, I have incorporated some lines:

2 snails having a fun game of noughts and crosses. The big snail is leaving 'slimey' crosses whilst his mate leaves 'slimey' circles. I wonder who will win?? hehe
Simple ATC. I just used a quickie glue pen to draw the board lines and embossed them with black powder. The snails were stamped in Archival and carefully cut out, coloured with distress markers and mounted on 3D foam on the base card. I also used a distress marker to colour the border. The circles and crosses were made with picket fence distress stickles.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #47 - BACK TO SCHOOL

Oh crumbs! back to school. Have to admit to dreading that day after the long summer holidays especially when we actually 'got' a summer not like this year. No, I didn't enjoy my last couple of years at school. I loved the athletics and team sports - was quite good actually and was school captain at most sports - but the academic bit was horrible although I do admit to really liking geography. Still, I made a good living with a really good job so alls well that ends well as they say.
Back to this weeks WW challenge.
I searched the digi webs for a suitable image and found this from Soft Pencils Studio.

I re-sized the image to ATC size and used distress markers to shade it. Each little girl and boy plus their puss cat and mouse were coloured, cut out and stuck to the base card with 3D foam for a bit of depth. I then stuck a couple of buttons on for wheels after I had cut out the whole image.
So that's at least 3 children on their way back to school. My 2 grand daughters are still in Turkey on their holidays. I bet they will feel the same way I used to and not want to go back this year!!!
I think I may just enter this little card into a couple of challenges too:
doodle garden digis      and
just some lines
both of whom are running back to school as their theme.
Thanks for the nudge Jenn.

ATCs/CARDS WITH ATTITUDE # 15 - ANYTHING GOES or FATHERS DAY

So, so sorry I am a day late in posting this fortnight's challenge. There has been a lot going on around here of late and yesterday seemed not to happen at all. However, I can finally tell you about it now.
We had a little glitch following our last challenge and instead of the next one being in 2 weeks, it was scheduled for last week, so actually you got to participate quicker than normal, and boy did you. So many entrants. Congratulations to the winners and also to our first top 3 winners who now possess a badge for their side bar.
Right, our #15 challenge is sponsored by Meljens who are offering a choice of digis and
                                                              Floppy Latte who are giving a $10 voucher.

I chose this sewing machine image and really shrunk it down before colouring it with distress markers. I then covered an ATC with a patchwork of material, added some faux stitching, buttons and Idea-ology coat hangers before using 3D foam to add the machine.
This week, Team A are showing their samples and next Friday it will be Team B's turn. Pop over to see them all HERE.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC # 34 - CHILDS PLAY

2 little girls happily swinging on their garden swing is my interpretation for this weeks theme over at Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog.
I used my much loved distress markers to colour the stamped image which is an unmounted rubber stamp from Crafters Companion called 'friendship'. I then cut it out, made a frame from card and stuck it to the frame using Cosmic Shimmer glue and pink cord. Easy peasy as they say.

WICKED WEDNESDAY # 32 - A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY/WESTERN

Thought of all sorts of things for this weeks challenge over at Wicked Wednesday ATC, but didn't have the right 'tools' for the job. In the end I bought a digi image from America which satisfied the 'country' bit. I hope it satisfies the challenge theme:

I printed the images onto good quality inkjet paper after re-sizing to fit my base card. The colouring was done with my beloved distress markers - just adore those pens. I used liquid applique for the tree and considering I've had this stuff for about 14years, am amazed it still works and puffs up as required. The cute horse is mounted on 3D foam.
A great big thank you to the Wicked Wednesday Team for picking me as one of their top 3 again last week. I'm really chuffed as you know by now.
Well, this was another fun theme for me this week. Just adore this challenge blog. x

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC - #28 - EARTH DAY

Over at Wicked Wednesday ATC are some lovely cards from their design team. The sponsor this week is Just Some Lines and I have been honoured again to share the images and make a couple of cards as Guest Designer.
Earth Day doesn't seem as popular in the UK as other countries, but I had fun representing it with the images which were really, really lovely.

I used one of my stock backgrounds (that's card I have used to mop up inks from my craft sheet) and punched the corner with a Martha Stewart punch that has a little bird on it. the border at the bottom is the corresponding border punch. I printed the image onto card, coloured it with distress markers before cutting it out. I simply used 3D foam to stick it to the card. Love this one.

I didn't quite make out this image when  I received it, but once I started to colour it - again with distress markers - I realised it's whole meaning and fell completely in love with it. I used several shades of distress scribbled onto my craft sheet and spritzed with mint perfect pearls to shade the background. A couple of leaf brads, some twisted wire and tiny sticky gems finished it off.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #27 - GETTING BUGGY

This week at Wicked Wednesday ATCs is an exceptionally special one for me because they asked me to be  a guest designer. How 'wicked' is that?
Never, ever happened to me before so to say I am chuffed to bits is really an understatement.
This beautiful image from Dilly Beans was sent to me so that I could join the team for this challenge, and because I think she is so lovely, I just couldn't bring myself to chop any part of it other than to make it ATC size.
I used my Distress Markers to colour her and Copics to colour the acetate butterflies (bugs). I followed the outside line with a Versamark pen and then embossed it with black powder. A few sticky gems here and there and my first guest card was complete.
Thank you to Jenn and her team for allowing me this priviledge spot.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #26 - WOODLAND NYMPHS & FOREST FAIRIES

Thank you Jenn and team from Wicked Wednesday ATCs for picking me in your top 3 last week.  Such an honour.
I have looked forward to this week's challenge so much (to see a list of upcoming themes, pop over to WW blog for details). I wanted to do something different this time so I've made a 3D card. It was such fun:

The fairies/nymphs are made from shrink plastic -

I used a hot glue gun for an immediate result -

The mushrooms were stamped on card and coloured with Distress Markers -

The 'trees' were cut from Alterations strip dies and a Martha Stewart punch -

The forest floor is sea moss, the flowers are Prima and there is some stickles and glitter mixed in too -

This will have to go on my little craft shelf now as there is no way it will fit in an ATC pocket, LOL.

TIM's CREATIVE CHEMISTRY 101 DAY 6

Honestly, could anyone have more fun than 2 whole weeks of crafting. I am having a ball. Tim's class today was all about the new Distress Markers. I adore these pens and, although they cost a fortune, get them whenever you are able because you will not be disappointed. I've hardly stopped using mine since they dropped through my door and now have the elusive and very special Picket Fence pen too. To be honest, I could throw all my other colouring pens away in favour of these beauties.
So, today we explored all the many ways of using the markers and being amazed at the different results. Here are my class tags.

Quite incredible eh?

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC # 24 - BABIES

Pop over to Wicked Wednesday ATC challenges for some fabulous samples again this week.
The current theme is babies not a subject I generally get involved with, I leave that to the young ones, so I struggled. Anyway, the name of the game is to have fun whilst having a go, so I did.

The photo seems a bit dark so hope you can see it properly.
I stamped the stork onto white card and coloured it with Distress Markers. I then cut a piece of patterned paper, ATC size and tore the middle, rolling back the edges. I then simply stuck some ribbon and buttons on and used a tiny safety pin at the bottom.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #23 - FLYING THINGS

I love this little challenge blog. I met most of my friends through making ATCs so they are special little cards. Wicked Wednesday ATC has some varied themes to have a play with and this week is no exception. I was going to use an air balloon stamp but decided that would be steampunk, and you know me and steampunk - I will crack it one day. So instead, I decided to search out ALL my butterfly stamps and use ones which would fit an ATC. This is what I ended up with:

Bit difficult to photograph in order to show the acetate ones,

A direct photo shows the silicone too much,

I tried to cover the 4 blobs of silicone I used to make the acetate stand out but failed on a couple of them. Still, you get the drift. I used black Archival to stamp a mix of butterflies and little beasties on the base card, coloured them with distress markers then distressed over the whole card. I then found some acetate packaging and cut a butterfly border with a Tim Holtz on the edge die. Cut in half this just fit along each 2.5" side. I used a mix of alcohol inks to colour this. I managed to hide 2 of the silicone blobs with little 3D peel off butterflies.
I think the first angled photo will be my entry this week. Another bit of fun.

WOYWW #144

I thought I would just post my photo of my desk as the day unfolded this week. Julia, our leader of the trip around the desks of the world, has created such a wonderful Wednesday experience, that I can no longer manage to call at each one any more. The phenomenon has grown  that big. So, I just got up this morning, took my time and this photo:

There is a DT piece under way which will get more thought throughout today. I managed to get a couple of pencil holders from Tesco for my distress markers, there's a mucky piece of kitchen roll behind my tiny drawer of shells. I use gold dabber a lot so instead of storing it with the rest of them have now decided to leave it out. Apart from that, everything is the same.
I would just like to share a masterpiece with you though this week. It's this:

My friend, Sylvia, in Devon, has created another patchwork quilt. It seems to have taken just a couple of weeks because she can make them so quickly. This one is not all hand sewn this time and she found it to be a different challenge having hand-made the previous delights. She is now looking for other patchwork projects as all her beds now have a quilt. Any suggestions??
Right, I will try and get round more desks that I managed last week, so please bear with me.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATCs # 21 - CELEBRATE ART

I made a mini canvas this week for the Wicked Wednesday challenge. However, as it only measured 3" x 2.5" I extended the letters to gain the extra .5" on the height.

I coloured the canvas with distress stains before stamping over it with the Mona Lisa stamp. The little portion under the fragment was coloured with distress markers before sticking the fragment down with glossy accents. The letters are grungeboard painted with a black dabber and edged in gold.
I hope that one of the most famous paintings in the world is a suitable subject this week.

WHERE DID THOSE APPEAR FROM?

You know that feeling when all your dreams come true? Mine came true on Friday and Saturday when my order of the new Distress Markers arrived. After all, they are a 'need must have' item ay fellow crafters? I had a little play yesterday on a GDT piece so unfortunately can't show you what I was up to.
However, because I bought them in colour groups, I don't have a container for them so that is now my next project - sort out some storage for them.
Righto, I'm off to play with them again.