ATC - Colour Me Blue

Before we went away for a few days last week I needed to make some ATC cards for the February challenge with Blissfull ATC Swaps.

I added colour to some cards using Aqua crayons and then dribbled water to make the colour run.

I love using these and they look great on cotton fabric.

Once the colour had dried I looked at them and I could "see" trees in each of the blots left behind.  So I decided to go with it and see what happened.  The above card has tissue paper and machine stitching in the foreground.  White pen and watercolours to give a type of blue wood scene.

This ATC has machine stitching on the tree trunk and grass in the foreground.  More pen used in this design and the white pen enhanced the branches.  I did use a slightly darker pen on this card as well due to the quite light colour when it dried.  I could see that tree though.

With this ATC I added some pale blue mulberry paper on the top of the tree to add some variety but to also increase the texture with this design.

More free machine stitching and watercolour paints.

These ATC's are very very different to what I usually do and all the while I was making them I really liked them but I was also worried that they would turn out awful.  I made them all at the same time try and make them link more in appearance.

They remind me of book illustrations where the woods or forrest's are given a colour scheme to add to the story.  Such as a cold, snowy wood.  Am I making sense here?  Possibly not and I have just looked through some of my daughters books to find an example but I have not been able to track one down quickly.  Typical.

Anyway, I hope that you like them and more importantly, I hope that my swap partner likes them as they are on their way to America!

Not sure if I shall enter next month as March is a pretty hectic month.  I did follow this up with a journal page as well which I shall save for tomorrow.

Have a lovely evening and take care, weather is pretty wild in the UK at the moment.

xx

ATC's - Postage Stamps

I have had these ATC's pictures for a few months of ATC cards which were sent to me as part of the Postage Stamp Swap ATC swap in October from Victoria in the USA..

Three cards each with the theme of Postage stamps from post sent in the USA. grouped together on top of text.

I saved stamps for several weeks in advance before making and sending my stamps.  Pity that it was only about a week later that the UK Christmas stamps came out, never mind.

The third has a layout for sending an item that would need a stamp.

Victoria  also kindly sent me some bits and pieces that I could use for future ATC's or I might use them in my Fauxdori Sketchbook.

 Plus vintage style ephemera.

Also some rub ons and a bit of bling.

Many thanks Victoria and I have added your ATC cards to my special storage folder.

xx

ATC - Vintage Santa

In December I entered the Blissful Atc swap and the theme this time was Vintage Santa.  I saw this was coming up months in advance and I deliberately started working out what they would look like in September.

I have emailed my partner but as yet I have not had a reply so I assume she has received them.

I started by adding some coffee on the ATC cards and then a little paint to give an older vintage look about them.  The snow flake in the corner of the card shown above is actually one of my cupcake holders from my birthday last year and I simply cut it up, stained it and then glued it on.  The images are part of a decoupage sheet that I found when we were in Brugge a couple of years ago and I thought they were lovely.  I still have some left for another time.

I also added some sprinkling of glitter to each card so I hope that Sonya did not end up with an envelop full of it and nothing left on the cards!

I used Archival ink to stain all of the white edges to make them look much older with the Sepia ink.  Very effective and goes well with so many themes.

The ATC cards that I buy come with cute little mini envelopes so I edged these with archival ink and added a stamp to the front of each one.  Again to help them travel much better and for storage if needed.

I am really pleased with how these turned out and I am thinking of perhaps making a bigger version to go in to my Art Journal but the proportions might not work out right.
I also sent off some bits and pieces to make further ATC cards but I did not take a picture of them, never mind.  Hopefully Sonya will find will find them useful at some point.
It is Hubby's birthday today and we are off to see Paddington at the cinema (tried yesterday but it was sold out!).
Then meeting up with his parents tomorrow for New Years Day.
So I wish yo all a Happy and safe 2015 and I do have a new journal page for the New Year which I will put up tomorrow.
Take care and all the best.
xx

ATC's swap - Happy Post arrived!

I do not get much in the way of happy post these days.  I was also waiting for several things to happen hence no post since Sunday, then all of a sudden 4 possibilities arise!

In a recent post I explained that I wanted to make more ATC's and the previous groups that I have joined were either badly organised or I never received the Artist Trading Cards in return.  However I have join Blissful Atc Swap Group and today I received some cards from my swap partner Sandra.

Before you even open anything there is a lovely blue envelop which has stamping on it and in the top right hand corner another special type of stamp.

Love this stamp made for the Royal Visit this year.

Inside a card which has been hand painted and stamped.  This lady has talent!  When you open it up..........

........it is a display card which protects the cards in the post.

Why oh why did I not think of this?

I have bought ATC cards in mini envelopes which I have stuck together to prevent them from moving around and getting damaged, to be fair that is all I have ever received until today.  this is a clever and much better idea.  I may have to pinch and adapt this idea for my next set of cards.  I have an idea which I will make sure is not a copy of this.  Lovely isn't it.

The cards are lovely and just my sort of thing.  Lovely colours.  The title for this Swap of August was Monochromatic.

Love red and Russian dolls.Lovely design and the edging has been cut out of individual pieces.

Finally...........now this card looks just like the frames on my new (but can not get on with them)glasses.  They are purple and have black line drawings of butterflies on them!  Purple is fast becoming my favourite coloo9ur but I am not abandoning blue, after all, what would happen to Indigo Blue?

The cards have been stamped, stitched, collages, drawn, painted and put together beautifully.

I lovely note on cute owl paper.

Plus some fun postcards.  Now I was not sure what to do about this as my last swap group only sent cards so I feel a bit guilty that I did not add anything, however I have an idea to rectify that later in the year.  I dithered and did not add anything, now I wish I had.

Then some cute bits and bobs that Sandra thought I might be able to use.  The top right bits I am sure have been hand drawn by the lady herself.

Absolutely lovely swap and I have learnt a lot and creating a new template for details to stick on the back (I did have one but I think that went out along with my last laptop) of each card is something I need to do.  I add the details but Sandra's look more professional.

So thank you very much Sandra, a very talented and generous lady, who made my day today.

I have sent her cards and I shall post about them once they have arrived.  My hand was  bandaged when I made them and I did the best I could.  I am pleased with the cards themselves but writing on the back........hmm.  It is the front that matters..right?

I have sent an email to take part in the September Swap Which is Stamps and I just need confirmation on that.    Then I shall probably miss a month due to the new school term which is always hectic and I have the Santa Sack Swap to concentrate on.  Then I have my eye on the end of year  swap theme.

Five minutes after this arrived there was a knock at the door and my wool was on the door step, along with a rather soggy postman,  for my Autumn project but it is still packaged up as I have been too distracted with Sandra's work.

More on that next time.

xx