Another go at the green ATC swap theme

I am going to keep 'plugging' away at the green theme ATC's until I get three that I like - or I may just enter one.

This is another go.

A stamped image which I took ages to paint with acrylic colours, several layers. I embossed areas with several layers too although it doesn't show up on here. The fish and other areas look really 'wet' and shiny.

There is also shiny gold highlights which look dull in this picture.

Still I have fun making it!

For Mandy's Birthday

It was Mandy's 40th birthday this month and Zuzu had the lovely idea of compiling a book for her.

We each made an A5 page decorated both sides any way we wanted - here are my efforts




This is the front of the page - painted lavender then different shades of lavender inks swished across the page - it is paler in real life!

I made a sachet out of paper and filled it with dried lavender from my garden. On a piece of thin tissue paper I painted a butterfly then painted several layers of gold paint around it - and once dry glued it onto and over the edges of the sachet. It looks like a little silk pillow and smells lovely.

I used really thick paint to do the gold pattern to give it lots of texture.

This is the reverse of the above page.



I painted it matt black then whirled lots of thick gold paint onto it and heat dried it to give a nice texture.

The Victorian birthday card print, I enhanced with watercolours - it actually looks better in 'real life', and painted gold around the frame.

It was the first time I have ever done anything like this and it took me several days to do both sides - and allowing for the layers of paint to dry.

I hope she liked it.

Apparently it smelt wonderful when taken out of the packaging - which was just as I had intended

The Theme for November is the colour Green

These are for an ATC swap on Zuzu's forum. We do a different colour each month - and this one is green.

I scanned these into the computer - but I am not keen on scanning as it magnifies the image so that it is bigger than in reality - and so you get a different perspective than you would with the naked eye. The colours are sharper and darker and smoother not 'coloured in' looking as the scan makes them look

I coloured photo paper card with alchohol inks and when dry I stamped on the butterfly image and cut it out.

The backing card is green too although the scan makes it look cream. It
has been stamped, and I have painted colour on the flowers and leaves.

All the edges are painted lime green as a frame - but for some reason the scan hasn't picked up some of them!





For the above I have stamped the butterfly directly onto the card and also the flowers and foliage which I painted as above.

One more to do - might do a totally different medium for that - just waiting for some inspiration to kick in.

Autumn Inches

I have only made inches once before - they were all painted - then embossed - one of which is in my blog header above.

I decided to take up the challenge of making nine inches for a swap on Zuzu's Forum.


The Japanese calligraphy says 'Autumn' and is embossed with Tim Holtz distressed powder.

The little Japanese dahlia stamp is embossed with shiny clear embossing powder to make a contrast.

I rather liked making these.

Bottle top charms

Finished at last my 11 charms for the swap on Zuzu's forum. They took ages to make - ruined my nails - but at least I did it!

Tried my best anyway!

Monthly swap - Blue

This months swap on Zuzu's forum is blue. Now that I have caught up with my other swaps I thought I would try out my new Japanese stamps Haruko got for me when she was in Japan.

Panda

A pastel drawn panda on an ATC

I can't draw a face - ATCards swap

Fan painted gold and black. This will be mounted on backing card

I can't draw a face - ATCards swap

Japanese lady on painted black background. Hand drawn - the fan painted in gold and black

I can't draw a face ATCards swap

The challenge is to draw a face partially hiding the face. The one given as an example was a cartoon person holding big binoculars over the face.

These are my efforts




Top left - the Sci-fi Roman type soldier is wearing a gold painted helmet which looks really shiny in daylight. The squares on the helmet and star on the visor is painted silver so shines too. The rest is painted with several layers of water colour paints.

Bottom left is a deep sea diver. The heavy rubber suit painted with black acryllics to give a matt finish and the mask is painted with luminous yellow paint - so she shows up under water of course! (I saw a similar mask on the internet so got my design for the mask from that.)

Bottom right - soldier in chain mail - and visor which only had slits for the eyes and mouth - again painted with silver paint. The background is several layers of red water colour paint the top layer dabbed to make it look like velvet

More Bottle Cap Charms

The following bottle caps I have scanned before I put the finishing touches of chains and beads on them.

They are really enlarged on here than they are in real life - that is why the quality of the photos look a bit blurred at times.

The bottle tops after being beaten with a hammer, are less than an inch square.

They would make great key rings, mobile phone or hand bag charms, pendants, charm bracelets - with the addition of the appropriate extras.

I have lots of ideas for Christmas presents for these sorts of things.



I might highlight her headdress with silver paint.




This is framed all around like the others - for some reason the scan didn't pick it up.


Another black and white vintage lady


Little cherub




This will coloured one by me will be hung diamond fashion so the eye is central - I forgot to scan it that way!





Lady in red

Charmed - I'm sure!

I am joining in a challenge on Zuzu's Forum to make some charms. They need to be arty craft - not just a string of beads. I need to make 11 in total for swapping.

Here are a few on the go.


I have been experimenting making charms out of metal bottle lids.


It ruins your nails!



I get a lid and bash it about with a hammer

Into a squarish shape - not a perfect square.
I am going for a vintage look with my ones I think


I have then added black and white photos.


Bashed the sides in, then varnished it. It takes all night to dry the varnish. I have prepared about 15 of these.



The next stage is to add beads, and a ring. The top beads are glass - which catch the light. The bottom bead on this one is a lovely pearlised piece of stone or shell. The angel is actually in colour - with red/brown hair - but the scan doesn't show it up - and the bottom bead matches it wonderfully with a pearlised back and gingery brown front.


This Victorian lady is mounted on an angle so that it hangs like a triangle. The pearlised pink paint really shows up the colour photo.






A very simple black and white one - which I think is rather effective.

I spent ages rubbing the metal down with sand paper to make it shiny and to give it texture.

I still have the beads etc to add to at least eight more yet!