Catching Stars

The challenge this week at Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge Blog is Orange and Black. We are sponsored by Creepie Cute Stamps and I had this stunning 'Catching Stars' image to work with.  I colored her with copics, and the stars are punched from black cardstock :

Every week there is a new ATC challenge at Wicked Wednesday, if you like to make ATC's come and join us. You dont need a blog to link up, you can use any online gallery, for example pinterest or even the Wicked Wednesday facebook group gallery :)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you found some inspiration here x

Harvest Moon ATC

A great September topic for our local ATC trade, Harvest Moon.

Here is my creation :

I created the background with Dylusions paints and a sponge, then edged it in black stazon ink and used my stencilling brush to add the white highlights across the centre of the ATC. The image is from a set by Stampscapes Symmetry Sheet Set #1, called 'Suns and Moons'. It is amongst my favourite stamp sets, but I am quite the fan of all things lunar.

I stamped the moon in navy blue ink, then sponged it lightly with wild honey distress ink, adding some tea dye around the edges. I lightly colored the lips with Victorian Velvet and used my white gel pen to whiten the eyes. I then embossed the moon in a couple of layers of clear gloss embossing powder and adhered it to the ATC front.

The wording 'Over the moon' is done with Tim's alpha stickers.

I really liked how this turned out, the flat matt background against the glossy moon is so great in real life.

Hope my recipients like them :) 

Thanks for stopping by x

Single Layer Card

The current challenge over at the Lost Coast Portal for Creativity is to make a Single Layer Project.

I have used Carmen's Veranda Birds Background stamp to make this card.

This Carmen's Veranda background stamp is gorgeous and actually bigger than an average card front. I made a standard 4.25" x 5.5" card. 

The background is sprayed with Dylusions, then I stamped the image with archival ink. I then spent some time using a paint brush to color the image, with various inks and stains. I love coloring, and can see the fascination with coloring books, its just so relaxing and therapeutic.

Here is my work in progress :

To finish off, I added some dark brown and white gel pen detail and accents. My final touch was to sponge on some yellow distress ink to tone it down a little, and I matted and mounted the card front.

Hope you found some inspiration here, and perhaps you will come and join the challenge to make a single layer project, there are two days left to join us. It can be tricky to not add layers and embellish a card, but I think this image is gorgeous enough without. 

Reminder that you can use any images you want to join the challenge at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, but if you use Lost Coast Designs or Carmen's Veranda images you get a double entry to win the prize.

Hope to see you there x

Furry friends

This week at wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog we are being sponsored by Fred, She Said. The challenge is furry friends and I have used Rosie with Flower : 

Worn Out or tattered ATC

This months Stampotique challenge was 'Worn out or tattered'. This shabby chic, distressed sort of look is not my normal style, but hey, its good to go outside your comfort zone. One element of course remains : humour. My ATC :

I wanted to do a cameo but none of my Stampotique stamps had profiles - except the Old Timey Frog. So, here he is, featuring in his own cameo ATC. I included the handlebars on the bike because be looked like the Loch Ness Monster without them ! LOL. 

Lots of layers here, of pattered paper, lace, card stock etc, and it is all distressed and inked with walnut stain. I used liquid pearls around the frame and crackle glaze behind the frog. The letters are Tim Holtz letter stickers.

These ATC's are now winging their way to Australia and UK - hope my partners like them :)

A Very Vera Halloween

Vera Lane Studios is having an ATC trade over on the facebook group, I just love to create and trade. Receiving art in the mail from someone else can often be the highlight of the day, and most definitely better than receiving a bill !

My make, featuring the little witch and pumpkin from the Halloween set :

The witch and pumpkin are resized and printed, then I colored them with inktense pencils, adding a little prisma color for depth when the ink was dry. I added the 6's (get it ... 666 sign of the Devil ?? LOL) and a few other highlighted parts with a gelli roll pen.  I added some straw hair.

The background is black gesso, with added white gesso and alcohol inks. I added the white details with a signo white gel pen and the sentiment is from a Halloween photopolymer set from Stampin' Up!

Unfortunately I opened the bag of Skittles intending only to use a bit of the wrapper for this ATC .... But ended up eating them - It was a set up ! LOL

Thanks for stopping by x

Wanted !

This weeks Wicked Wednesday challenge is 'Cowgirls or Cowboys'. We are sponsored by Crafty Sentiments and I have used this cute image called Mia-Howdy.

Mia is so sweet, I thought it was funny to put her into a WANTED poster. No idea what the reward would be, not very much I imagine so probably not worth a Bounty Hunters time LOL.

Mia is colored with copics, the wanted and frame printed on my printer. I inked and scrunched up the poster, adding a nail aka brad to the top. The patterend paper is from my stash.

Why not stop by Wicked Wednesday and check it out :)

Insanity Strolls Through .....

Today I am sharing a fun make with you that you might have seen in the August Circles Challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity. This is the new image : Ballerina with Fish from Carmen's Veranda. How great and original is he :)

The circles were punched out of thick card stock and added to the postcard. I then used my new Dylusions paints to finger paint the background. I stamped and clear embossed the Whitecaps Background stamp from Lost Coast Designs to add some watery texture around the fish - you can just see it in the pic. I mean, the fish may be on a leash, but he still needs to be able to breath - right ! LOL

The Ballerinas dress is colored with distress inks and blending stubbs. The skin and hat are colored with my copics. I fussy cut the image and clear embossed it.

I used my fine liner with fluid white arylic paint to add the detail and dots around the circles to accentuate them, then I glued my ballerina on top, going around him with grey inktense pencil and shadowed the ground where he is standing.

I printed the wording from my computer, cut them out and added to my circles with co-ordinating finger painting. Doesn't the wording work perfectly with the image :

"Insanity does not run in my family.

It strolls though."

Can you think of any other great quotes to accompany this image ? Please share if you do ...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found some inspiration here, Nikki :)

Some fun Vera Lane Studios makes

I have some Vera Lane Studios creations to share with you today. These were made for the Wicked Wednesday challenge 'Splatters and Sprays' and also for Vera Lane's first ATC trade, Anything Goes, at the facebook group.

For this first ATCs I have used one of the images from the Clarence and Wilson set :

I used a retired Stampin Up set, gorgeous grunge, for the splatters, stamped them in red and then also embossed them in white. The image is colored with copics, the letters from a Ranger sticker set. What a lovely memory of that day :)

For my second ATC I have used the girl from the Quirky Zombie Set :

The background is paper towel from my spray box, where I have sprayed with Dylusions sprays. It was an awesome pattern and color, and  like the added texture so it became my background. The zombie girl is colored with prisma color pencils, and the Ranger stickers added. I imagine her curtseying in a pageant or maybe for a King or Queen :)

Hope you will come and join the fun at Wicked Wednesday, you could win some images :)

Hope you found some inspiration here, thanks for stopping by x

Altered Magazine Image ATCs

At the Mixed Media ATC trade group, the challenge was altered magazine images. It was actually my suggestion so I had to play ...

I can't tell you what a struggle it was. I have watched lots of youtube videos on this type of collage (Packerdi in particular rocks it), but when I came to actually do it, and cut up a fashion magazine and brochures and other paper materials I had amassed, it was so hard to know what to put where. Decided to try a few things out and heres the results :

It was fun to try out, but I think if I ever do it again I need to leave myself more time and spend longer looking and thinking. Thats what I like about a challenge, always learning :)

Thanks for stopping by x

Return to School ATC

This weeks sponsor of Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge Blog is Oddball Arts, the title is Back to School. 

Here is my creation, using this gorgeous image, Miss Ann Thrax (image 102) and spooky wording also from Lizzy Love at Oddball Arts :

My new teacher is a spy and for that I am sure
For why else would she carry that bloody eye around with her ?

I resized and printed Miss Ann Thrax small, as you can see here on this 2.5" x 3.5" ATC. I like a challenge when coloring with my copics... LOL. I wanted to see the paper behind her and add this quote from Lizzy Love. 

Come and check out the awesome inspiration and entries over at Wicked Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by x