Christmas ATC

Wicked Wednesdays 216th challenge is 'Winter in July', sponsored by AMB Illustrations. 

I must admit I find it hard to create for Christmas when its so stinkin' hot here ! 

But here is my ATC : 

Curly Girl

Vera Lane Studios released a new, awesome and quirky digi set this week, Curly Girl.

I made a card, featuring curly girl :  

Isn't she so happy and adorable skipping along. She looks like she doesn't have a card in the world. And she is passing on some very good advice to us :)

The background is made with magenta and yellow acrylic paint and a brayer. Then I added some purple with my fingers and used a stencil to add some green dots. I doodled around some green dots and added a highlight with my sharpie white acrylic paint pen. 

Curly girl is coloured with copics and gel pen, then fussy cut. The green dots were punches out and glued in. White accents added. I did her eyes the same way. The words were printed, cut to size and glued on. Final touches were to white doodle the edge of the card and add diamond glaze to her eyes.

 I also made an ATC featuring Riley, Curly Girls faithful companion :

Background is water soluble powders with crackle moulding paste through a stencil. I added white splatters and a few dots of pink liquid pearl. The planet was made by punching a circle out of another piece of the background paper. I edged the planet and the ATC with black soot ink. 

Riley was coloured with copics, gel pen and my most recent purchase, some Staedtler neon ink pens. The nib is so fine, I really like them. See Rileys nose ? I added white highlights with a gel pen. I fussy cut Riley, popped him up on the ATC and added diamond glaze to his eyes. The words were printed, cut to size and glued on. 

The actual sentiment is 'The world can be amazing when you're slightly strange' but I figured Riley looked full on, not just slightly strange in pink. LOL. 

Thanks for stopping by x

Horrorscope

Todays challenge at Wicked Wednesday is Horrorscope, sponsored by Delicious Doodles. Look at this awesome Gemini image, accompanied by a few of the Gemini traits :

Are you a Gemini ? Is it true ? LOL

The background is acrylic paint and then I edged it with paper towel I had been mopping up other paints with. The image is printed and the shading enhanced with copics, in grey and soft pink. I fussy cut the image and used pop dots to adhere it in place. The words are typed on my typewriter. 

The twins, there are two of them ... perhaps I should have said "Good Kissers" LOL

Thanks fro stopping by x

We're all in the same boat

I am over at the Viva Las VegaStamps! blog today with this fun postcard.

 I really like this image, Four Ladies in Boat, just look at the expression on their faces, aren't they great :

I guess the meaning of the wording is open to interpretation, deep and meaningful or just humorous .. what do you think ?

For this postcard, I used water soluble powders for the background, I love how the colors swirl and mix when you spritz it with water. I dabbed off the excess water from the sides.

Then I added some of the powder to my craft mat and sprayed it with water. Using this as a sort of stamp pad, to add some cloud like images on my background. I used Smear/smudge stamp to do that :

Then time to stamp my focal image. I stamped it onto the background, and then again onto plain white card stock, which I colored with alcohol markers and fussy cut :

Finally I glued my image over the top of the other, edged the postcard in black and mounted it onto black cardboard. The words were typed on my typewriter.

These ladies are adorable, here's a close up. You can just make out the crystal effects I added to their glasses to make them a little more reflective :)

I hope you found a little inspiration here :) Nikki x

Second Chance

I found it quite difficult to create for an ATC trade where the challenge was 'Second Chance'. Finally the inspiration came and I created, using this adorable image by Aurora Wings, Flying kitten : 

Background is distress inks put onto my craft mat and spritzed with water. Then I used crackle molding paste through a star stencil. When it was dry I went around the stars with charcoal pencil and a blending stump. The atc was edged in metallic embossing powder. The kitten was coloured with copics and fussy cut. The words were typed on my typewriter. Final touch was to add a little sparkle with my clear wink of stellar pen to the wings and the words.

Thanks for stopping by x 

Bird Day Card

Vera Lane Studios new set of digital images is called Bird Day. I made a card :

Making inchies

The most recent trade in a group I am in is inchies. It seems an easy feat to make them, but boy oh boy its hard. To make something worthwhile in a 1" square.

I decided on a theme for mine, which made the creative task easier. My theme is all my favourite things : 

Nature, arts, cycling, cups of tea, reading, all things lunar and music. Hope my trade partner enjoys getting a little bit of my personality :)

Thanks for stopping by x

I'm a Lover not a Fighter

With Fathers Day approaching, at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity we are celebrating males ... and showcasing some of the awesome male images from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.

I would like to share my make, a card featuring The Boxer from Lost Coast Designs :

For my card I made the background with a brayer and acrylic paint, black, white and a touch of red. I added water to some red and added splatters in the direction of the boxers fists. I stamped Cityscape across the bottom in grey and black ink, to give a shadowed effect. I trimmed the card and used a strip across the bottom for my boxer to stand on. The boxer is stamped and coloured with alcohol inks, then fussy cut. The words are typed on my typewriter. Then I matted the card front onto a white card base.

The words are from the Ebony and Ivory song that Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney sang ... all those years ago.

I really like this boxer, and I can imagine lots of uses for him in various male cards.

Thanks for stopping by x

Something Quirky ...

This week Bloobel Stamps are sponsoring Wicked Wednesday, the challenge is Something Quirky. 

I have used "To be a Unicorn" on my ATC : 

She is already super quirky, so I just enhanced her with funky colours and layout. 

She is singing La La La as she skips along .... LOL

Thanks for stopping by x

Magazine Eyes ATC trade

The trade at Vera Lane Studios Facebook group this month is Magazine Eyes. Well mine is entitled 'Magazine Eye' LOL. I thought the double words 'eye eye' were perfect for my one eyed card :) Eye Eye is what British bobbies traditionally were said to say " eye eye, whats going on here then?". 

The background is dylusions sprays. I have used a few different images from different Vera Lane Studios for my ATC : The Flower is from Bird Day, a new release today actually. I cut the centre of the flower out and used a magazine image, which I enhanced with white acrylic paint and a layer of diamond glaze. I also used the frog from Kiss the Frog set. The cloud is from Helgas Hedgehog. And finally the puddle is from The Little Sailor. Everything is coloured with copics and fussy cut.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fathers Day Blog Hop

The Viva Las VegaStamps! design team are celebrating our  males with a blog hop today, in the run up to fathers Day. There is also a giveaway ... more info at the end of this post.

Welcome, you will have arrived from Fiona's blog. 

Here is the card I made. I know, I am being a little sentimental today  :

For this card I used Dylusions sprays in the background. Then added some white acrylic across the bottom and around the edges. I used Doodle Frame with tangerine colored ink around the inside edge. I then coloured Sunflowers with tangerine and olive coloured inks and stamped into the card. While the ink was still wet I embossed it with clear powder and coloured in the petals of the flowers with the tangerine ink to further enhance them.My focal images are the adorable Walking Family. They are stamped onto white card stock with memento ink and coloured with copics and fussy cut. Finally I die cut the word 'Dad' and typed 'We love you' on my typewriter. And the card front was put onto a white card base.

To all the deserving men out there, the Dad's, Grandpa's etc ... Happy Fathers Day x


From here you will hop over to Michele's blog.


But before you go .... VLVS are giving away a pound o' rubber .... one random comment on one random blog on the hop will win ... so make sure you visit all and leave some love :)
What a great prize, have fun on the hop and good luck.


The full blog list for todays hop, incase you want to jump around :

VLVS! 
Corrie Herriman
Jenn Engle
Hermine Koster
Tera Callihan
Fiona Paltridge
NIkki Woodward - you are here
Michele KosciolekDeeDee Catron

I'm the King of the castle

This weeks challenge at the Stampotique Designers blog is 'All creatures great and small'. The host is Nellie van Leeuwen. I love all my critter stamps from Stampotique. It was hard to choose but today Dog by Roc Nicholas was calling (or should I say barking) to me ....

I used distress paint, prisma pencils, charcoal pencil and a white paint pen. I cut his crown out from gold gloss paper, added some jewels and typed the words on my typewriter.

I am taking part in ICAD this year but am a bit behind, this will also be for the day 2 pyramid challenge :)

Thanks for stopping by x

I made Top3 at the Stampotique Designers Challenge .. always an honour - thank you :)

Bookworm

This weeks sponsor of Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog is Ching-Chou Kuik Digital Stamps, and I have used this sweet girl, Lil Bookworm Fairy :

The background is Lindys stamp ground starburst sprays. I stamped a little book text and embossed it. The image was coloured with copics and gel pen and fussy cut. I added stickles to her wings and the words for a little bit of sparkle. The words typed on my typewriter.

I read an article today about how reading actual books is an indicator of success for kids ... so a very topical challenge this week :)

Check out the other fab inspiration by the design team at Wicked Wednesday HERE.

Thanks for stopping by x

Seek Paradise

I am celebrating all things elephant today. Look at this gorgeous and serene animal, Sitting Elephant from Viva Las VegaStamps!  :

 

The background is kraft cardstock. I added a thin layer of  Golden acrylic ground for pastels onto my craft mat and placed the card stock ontop of it and pulled it up. When its dry it gives a really rough textures, even more so because of how I added the medium. I added a little colour with prisma pencils to the background. I stamped my focal image, Sitting Elephant in black stazon, and coloured him with inktense pencils, gel pen, sharpie paint pen and Faber Castell Artist pitt pens. I drew the stem from his hat and added the punched out flower. I coloured around the elephant with prisma colour pencils. I stamped Fantasy Bird in the background in pink ink and clear embossed it.

There's so much texture in this, here's a close up : 

The final thing was to add the sentiment, Seek Paradise and the bakers twine and heart embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by x

Vera Lane does London ...

Two awesome new sets of images from Vera Lane Studios, all about London. I had a ball creating.

Firstly I made an art journal page. I can tell you how I was giggling away making this : 

Secondly I made a card. This was inspired by the cheeky look on the corgi's face :)

And finally I made an ATC. I paper pieced his hat with the heart union jack in the set. I originate from the UK and maybe was feeling a tad homesick when I made this, hence the sentiment :

Thanks for stopping by x

Unrequited Love ATC

There are a few things going on over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity today, there is our new challenge which is to use something see-through (like acetate) and the Skellie-Fest. I have created an ATC that fits both of the these challenges/events.

Here is my make, an ATC featuring the awesome Winged Skeleton from Carmen's Veranda : 

For my main focal image, I stamped the winged skeleton onto the acetate in black versamark and embossed it in clear powder. I then coloured the back of the image with alcohol markers. I went around the edge in dark grey and added the punched out red hearts. 

Here is a close up : 

There are so many layers here .... The base is a playing card with acrylic paint in black and red. Then I added some white splodges of paint. Next I added a layer of vellum with butterflies on it. Then finally I added the top layer which is acetate. I made the frame from stamping the Swirls and Dots border from Lost Coast Designs onto black card stock and embossing it in a pewter colour. I then cut it down and distressed it and made it into a thin edge border. Finally adding brads and sentiment. I had a happy accident with the sentiment. I typed the words 'unrequited love' on my type writer and when I came to add some of the pewter embossing powder around the sentiment, it also adhered to the typed letters so I was able to embossed them in a matching colour.

Here is a pic of the light catching the front of the ATC, you can more clearly see the detail, layers and texture : 

You know, I'm not really into skeletons etc, but I sure do enjoy creating with them.

Thanks for stopping by x

Something in the Sky ATCs

This week Wicked Wednesday is sponsored by Vera Lane Studios and the challenge is 'Something in the Sky'.

My first ATC features this gorgeous gal from Beach Love. Do you notice her burnt spots - too much sun, she should cover up or wear more sun screen ;) 

Background is painted with acrylics. Images resized and printed on my printer, coloured with copics and fussy cut. For the sand and sandcastle I cut the shapes I wanted from card stock, covered them with glue and added Stampendous gold glass glitter and glued them down. Words are typed on my typewriter -which I find are a perfect size for ATC's. I doodled around the edge with a metallic gelli roll pen.  The sun is from The Little Sailor set. 

Second ATC is the night sky, and features another gorgeous gal from The Little Sailor set. The moon is from The Love Boat set : 

Images are coloured with copics. The words typed on my typewriter. The background is black textured cardstock and I first used a mandala stencil and metallic spray. Then I added some Lindys Stamp Gang spray (pink and turqouise) and finally a spritz of Dylusions white ink. The ground is washi tape and I matted the ATC front onto yellow card stock.  

I actually made 3 ATC's one is published in the previous post HERE.

I love to read your comments, if you stopped by please say Hi :)

Have a great day x

Just Fly ...

Every week Vera Lane Studios comes out with new sets of images. Its so fun, and there is a facebook group with an active trade group. If you like fun and whimsical you should check it out :) 

I made a card with a Dylusions ink background using images from the newest set from Vera Lane Studios, her name is Wink and the set if called Just Fly. Wink is coloured with copics : 

Look at the full sentiment and other image, how fab are they : 

I also made an ATC for Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge blog, featuring the adorable flying cat, whose name is Catfly :

The background is painted in blue and grey acrylic paint and then I used brown acrylic paint through part of a stencil. I also edged the atc with the paint. Doesn't it look awesome, and so easy to do. Catfly is coloured with copics and clear embossed. The words typed on my typewriter :)

Thanks for stopping by x