ATCs- You're nobody

Well now, this takes me back... Making ATCs for a swap at my local crop- the theme was animals, or pets, anyway, whatever it was it meant cats to me.

One of my favourite cat stamps, and a favourite saying too. The backgrounds are inked, sprayed and stencilled to within an inch of their lives, and the cat is stamped onto an old book page. Cute eh?

Thanks for looking!

Fish are friends, not food!

Oooh, ATC time. The crop I now go to each month- Crop Central- has started an ATC swap, which makes me very happy. I miss making ATCs and swapping them, and I was so happy to get back into the miniature groove!

Having said that, the Under the Sea theme gave me pause. I dug out my fish and reptiles stamp drawer, which just reminded me how much I love my stamps, and how gorgeous that big frog stamp is, and then I promptly went on to making other things and just kept looking at the reptily fishy goodness hoping for inspiration.

Anyone else do this? Well it didn't arrive really, so I stamped my favourites on an offcut of painty/inked card and carried on from there.

The fishes got watercoloured, gently. Then I stuck white tissue paper scraps on. I liked that, so on went pink tissue paper.

Yesterday I decided to sponge through sequin waste for a bit of greenery, and then had a little bubble brainwave, so out came the seed beads and glossy accents. Don't know if it shows up, but the eyes are glossy accented too, for extra bulge.

I still wasn't really feeling them though, I posted on the Facebook group that I was ready to start again, but then had one last pop at them.

I cut out cartoony submarines from some cool underwater paper and added a few Finding Nemo quotes, and whaddya know? I like them! I need to re do the words on the one below, because my black pen went a bit wonky, but otherwise I'm happy.

They're all a bit odd, but so am I, so that's cool.

Thanks for looking!

Fairy jar. Pixie jar. Sprite jar.

ATC time. Hooray! 

These are for a swap- the theme was the letter J. 

I'd made the background with ink drips, ink sponged through a Lollipop Box Club stencil, and some stamping with a fishnet background stamp I'd forgotten I had.

The jars and fairies were stamped onto tissue paper, then glued on to the ATC with pritt stick. I wanted a glassy finish, so I covered the jar with Glossy accents. It worked so well!

The words are stamped and cut out- J for jar remember?

I edged with my trusty black pen. Always with the pen!!

Thanks for looking!

She believe she could

this project started off like this... stamping and cutting out cute little clouds in shades of blue and grey.

And it ended up like this, with a set of 3 ATCs.

The background was one of several I'd made with inks and some background stamping in blues and oranges and yellow. I cut some of the clouds in half and used them to look like they were going off the page. It's a good trick for making things go a bit further.

I added the Stampotique image and glittered her wings, then stamped out the words. It always takes a long time to stmap them out, and I can't get them straight, so I go for the wonky typewriter look every time. I did my usual trick of outlining in black and white pens.

I was so pleased with them, that I made a larger plaque for my desk. I used the thick card back from a todo list/notepad I'd used up. I enjoyed tucking the little clours half beghind things so that it looks like the words and the fairy are resting on them.

The sun/halo was done by masking off using a circle punch and a post it note- the sticy on the post it keeps the circle in place- top tip! I sponged orange ink round it.

I made little leaves using some offcuts from the background- I just drew the leaves on and cut them out. Simple! OOh, look at the chickenwire stamp in this photo, that's fab.

I miss making ATCs, I used to make so many. I'm not sure I'm ready to part with these- but if anyone wants to swap get in touch, I'm sure I can manage it.

Thanks for looking!

Ghouls, ghouls, ghouls!

Oh my it's been a while..... ah well, crashing on.....

I've been taking part in a series of ATC swaps over on the Stampotique Facebook page, ooh I've had some fabulous swaps!!!

Here's a couple of mine, for last month's Naughty theme.

The backgrounds are zentangled, which I love to do. 

I'm hoping these will also fit in with the Stampotique Designers challenge, which is Ghouls and Goblins and all things Halloween!

Black and white

The challenge at the Stampotique challenge blog is to use music as inspiration. Which fits perfectly with a couple of ATCs I made for a Stampotique swap. The theme was black and white, and the Michael Jackson song of the same name kept popping into my mind.

Going postal

Last month's ATC swap on the Stampotique Facebook group was Stamp it- using a real postage stamp. Fab challenge...... I sat down at my desk with out a clue (usual state of affairs), got out my little tub of used postage stamps, that I dutifully tear off every missive that postie brings........ and then, an hour or two later this had happened!

Oh these do make me happy :D

Boooooooooringgggggg!

Sometimes I forget how much fun ATCs are.

Then I remember. 

Wings heat embossed in white on black card.

Images all Stampotique.

Bla bla bla

Lately I'm in the mood for colour, and lots of it- I went a bit mad with the Distress Inks- Pickled Raspberry is my absolute favourite- over some heat embossed hearts. I got the heat gun back out for the bla text and neon green splats. Then I attached the gorgeous wings to Head (Stampotique, what else?), and added some freestyle gilding.

It sounds a bit more complicated than it was to be truthful!

I'm entering this into the A Sprinkle of Imagination anything goes challenge.

It's just a jump to the left......

.....and then a step to the ri-i-iiiight.

Made for an ATC swap with the theme of Timewarp.

Had to be done.

Gobby Lin with a jump to the left

Carrot with a step to the right

And all join in to do the time warp.....hurray!

I'm entering this into the Stampotique Designers challenge #141- a bit of humour.

Chatterbox the angel

Dontcha just love it when a background just works?

I did a spot of splodging Distress Inks onto my craft mat- you know the drill, water spritz, dunk the card, repeat until happy........

I went for greens mainly with a touch of blue on this ATC. Then I remembered that the latest Stampotique Designer's challenge is to use green, so.......Mort had to have green clothes. He looked kinda sad, so I found him a spare pair of wings and promoted him to angel.

Anyone wanna swap?

Freakin' awesome!

I'm typing with inky fingers, yay! Always a sign of a day well spent. 

I wanted to enter the colour challenge at a sprinkle of imagination, I really fancied stamping onto grey card, just for a change you know.....

This little ATC makes me smile! The Stampin' Up flower is heat embossed in a lush green powder that I'd forgotten all about until today. Great on the black isn't it? 

Hunk is stamped onto pale grey card, but I have washed his ace with a touch of green to give him that proper Igor glow......

I used ink black, vivid green, slate blue and pale grey from the suggested colour palette.

Infatuation with Stampotique

I'm not going to bore you by professing my undying Stampotique love again.

Well, maybe just one quick squeeeeeaaaaaaaal of excitement at being a Guest Design Team member for the month. Right, I've settled down now.

So the challenge this week at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog is to 

Include a heart in your art

So I did!

I went for a sweet little ATC, using Moongirl, Mushroom group and you can just spy Daniel's Hearts fading at the back. The background is made with lots of spray inks, and the images are slightly watercoloured. Moongirl has a spot of sparkle on her wings.

I made the heart using a technique from Craft Stamper that I've used before- see my post here. It's simple really- twist some wire into a heart, place on a book page, then use glossy accents to fill the shape in- now she has a heart shaped Mr Darcy balloon!

Your turn- if you love your Stampotique as much as I do, then wear your heart on your art and have a go.

I'm going to enter this into a couple of other challenges- 

Simon Says Monday challenge- love notes

Allsorts challenge- Love is in the air

Stamping Sensations- Wings, fantasy and fiction

The Cupboard trilogy- Love

Festive ATCs

These little ATCs were made for a Christmas themed swap.

This one is overstamped and embossed with a silver powder, quite effective in the right light.

Had enough of Christmas stuff yet?

Halloween ATCs

Hmmmm, it seems I started this post and then abandoned the poor thing pre-publication. Ah well, another one that's not at the right time, but hey....who cares!?

These were Halloween ATCs for a swap. Loving the Stampotique pumpkins.

One of my all time favourites- the Wicked Witch courtesy of the Octopode Factory. Ace. Plus, in the background on the right is a skull shape, if you kinda squint and use your imagination. Cool, eh?

Did I tell you?

....I'm in Craft Stamper again? Yippeedeedoodah and all of that.

Lovely little Stampotique carrot and an homage to Mr Darcy....... :D

Birdbrain

Last week I showed you my camouflaged fish for a blue and green swap- well the swap called for 2 ATCs, so here's my second one. I've still got about a gazillion coloured in budgies, so I used a couple on here. I think I was in a bad mood, because they really looked as if they were arguing, lol!

The eyes really pop out when you see it in person, I've put a dab of Glossy Accents on them, so they're 3D, and a little but freaky!

I'm entering this into the Octopode Factory Friday challenge- eyes

Buzzy buzzy bee.....

Another ATC to show off today, with a gorgeous Stampotique bee in pride of place. Used my new Stampin' Up hexagon punch in the background as well, yippee! The bee is stamped onto a book page and then very gently coloured with Promarkers, before I stiffened the wings with glossy accents.

I spied the beads just as I thought I'd finished this, and decided to bung a few on.... whaddya know, I hadn't finished after all, it needed those beads to give it some oomph.

I'm entering this into the I love Promarkers challenge- bugs

Camouflage fish

Well, you read the title, what were you expecting?

This is for an ATC swap, with a theme of Blue and green should never be seen unless there's a colour in between.

I've made a lot of blue and green cards lately, and for some reason I'd collected a lot of slivers of offcut paper. Usually I'd have made this with ripped papers, swirls and fibres, but I kinda like the clean lines of these stripes, it's like he's swimming through a modernist painting.

I'm entering it into the Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge- Gemstones and Pearls and

Daring Cardmakers- colours of the sea

A Little Bit Crafty- midway DT

Hello! Today I've got a midway reminder post for the A Little Bit Crafty challenge blog.

This month's challenge is Summer Sun. Well, as you never quite know when summer sun is going to turn into summer storms, I went for an ATC with summer flowers and wellies....

The welly is from a smashing Stampin' Up set with lots of boot stamps.

Righto, get those summer inspired projects blogged and enter the challenge, the prizes are fab, as usual!