My First ATCs!

Hi all, I am here today to share my very first ATC cards! There has to be a first for everything, and this is something I have always shied away from - the size, I thought would just be too small to make anything worth using, or looking at! How wrong I was! I was inspired to try my hand at ATCs for the challenge over at That's Crafty.

So I have made 5 ATCs, all using either a brusho or sprayed stamped background, and all stamps used are by Visible Image. I got all my Brushos from That's Crafty store.

For my first ATC, I have used some orange and green DecoArt paint sprays. Over the splatters, I stamped this lovely grungy Flower INKognito in Versamark, and embossed with gold detail powder. The sentiment was stamped in Tuxedo Black, curt out, and distressed with Walnut Stain, and I stamped the ink spots around the edge using a stamp from Free Your Imagination set, and gold embossed.

For my second ATC, I have used an off-cut from a previous project, and I'm so glad I kept this piece! I stamped the cracked glass image in Versamark, and clear embossed. Then, I sprayed the card with water, and sprinkled a few colours of Brusho pigment paints, and they reacted beautifully with the water and the design. The finished sheet looked like stained glass. All I needed to do here was to trim the offcut to size, distress the edges with Walnut Stain, and stamp the sentiment from the Sunshine set. I inked around the edges with Mowed Lawn distress ink, and a bit of Walnut Stain, and stuck it on with foam pads.

For my third ATC, I used a Brusho background, over which I stencilled a Tim Holtz flourish design, in Festive Berries and Fossilized Amber Distress inks, then sprayed lightly with water, and patted dry with some paper towel for a softer effect.

I then stamped in Versamark the beautiful chandelier image from Chandelier Set, and black embossed. The sentiment is from the same set, but I got it a bit wonky. Never mind, mistakes make us wiser! Finally I added some gems and distressed the edges with Walnut Stain ink.

For my fourth ATC, I used a Brusho background, and used my new That's Crafty Dinky Stencil Metal Grid Background, with Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean distress inks.

I stamped the watch in Aged Gold embossing enamel, using the image from Time after Time set, but I can't find it on the website so it must have been discontinued.

Around the edge I gold embossed the dotty edge from the mini Grunge Flourish which was a freebie from a magazine, but you can get a similar stamp from Visible image in their Edgy set.

I stamped and embossed the word Time twice - first in detail gold, then again in black.

 

For my final ATC, I again used a Brush background, and stamped the heart shape from Molly Rules stamp set and gold embossed. I stamped the sentiment in Tuxedo Black, and cut roughly around it. I edged it in versamark, and gold embossed. I then used my Versamark pen to gold emboss the little heart in the square.

Well, I have had a lot of fun today making these ATCs, and I have lots of backgrounds ready for a whole batch more!

I would like to enter these into the following challenges:

That's Crafty Challenge - ATCs

We Love to Create - Mixed Media, Anything Goes.

Fantasy Stampers - Love is in the Air  - for the last ATC only, (I love you just the way you are).


Thanks for stopping by today,

Pauline

Less is More - Silhouettes

Hi all, today I made a card for this week's Less is More challenge and this week they would like to see Silhouettes on our projects. So I had a good rummage, and I have a few stamp sets that fit the bill, but nothing I felt like creating with.

So I pulled out my stencils, and chose to use this maple leaf stencil from Clarity Stamps.

I taped it over some white card, and inked some of the leaf designs with some distress inks, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Twisted Citron, and Ripe Persimmon.

I then added the bird silhouettes and sentiment from Visible Image Free Your Imagination set in Walnut Stain, and backed it onto some gold mirri card.

I had a bit more of a play with these Visible Image stamps, but they didn't turn out as CAS as I would need for this challenge, so I will post them separately.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline

Less is More - Kissing

Hello, well, I am back again, twice in one week! I have a card to share for this week's Less is More challenge, which would like us to use the Kissing Technique with our stamping. This is done using a solid image stamp, with a light ink, then over stamped with a darker stamp in a pattern. One I haven't tried yet, so I looked through my stash for a solid style stamp.

I don't have many, but I chose this horse image from Visible Image Revolution set. I stamped the horse in Spun Sugar DI, then pressed it onto the text stamp inked up with Barn Door DI. I stamped the image, and it worked beautifully, so after cleaning the image, I stamped the horse in Tumbled Glass DI, and used Peacock Feathers DI for the text.

I then cut the image with a nestie, and distressed around the edges with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain DIs. Onto a card base I stamped the text stamp in Antique Linen, and the sentiment in Gathered Twigs. Then distressed around the card base with Old Paper, Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain.

Before adding the die cut to the card base, I went round the edge with a glue pen, and sprinkled some gold glamour dust onto it for some sparkle.

It came out much softer and prettier than I had imagined.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline

Less is More - Flourish

Well, goodness me, it's been a long time since I last blogged! I have had a bit of a creative desert, not really feeling like much. I don't like crafting in the evenings, I like light to colour and create, and in the winter months, that is a rarity! Anyway, I felt a bit crafty at the weekend, and looked into the Less is More Challenge, which this week would like us to feature a flourish on a CAS card.

I don't have many flourish images, but i found one I had from stampin' Up! a few years ago, and a flourish set from Uniko Studios, so I eased myself back into crafting with some stamping.

My first card was made using the Stampin' Up! flourish, stamped in Versamark and black embossed, I then inked around the flourish with the recent new ink colours from Tim Holtz, using Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio and Fossilized Amber, I then black embossed the sentiment by Visible Image, and used a text stamp by Visible Image from their Revolution set in Peacock feathers over the inked areas.

 

My next card was made using some Uniko Studios flourishes, and sentiment stamp, quite a simple quick card, stamped in Blueprint distress ink, and added some clear gems for a bit of interest.

This next card was made using the same S.U flourish stamp, and a Hero Arts ombre stamp pad. It's not very clear, but I added some lilac gems to some of the flourish ends. Sentiment is from Uniko Studios.

I then made some thank you cards, as after christmas, we always need a few to send, and preferably flat for posting, so this was an ideal challenge. So, a variation on a them, this time I stamped the flourish either in the corners, or along the edges, using a Glue pad. I then sprinkled either silver or gold glamour dust onto the gluey flourishes. Some of them I am not too keen on (the peachy coloured ones!) but I do like the blue and purple ones, and are very glittery in the sun.

Well that's it from me, thanks for stopping by, hopefully this will kickstart my creative flow again!

Pauline

Uniko Studios Guest Designer

*I am a bit late with this post as I forgot to set it for going live on Friday, so sorry for the delay.

Hi all, I'm here today to share a card I made as this month's Guest Designer over at Uniko Studios Challenge! I was delighted when Beverly asked me, and of course I said Yes please!! This month, the theme is Autumn with an added twist of 'Thanks'. I find I never have enough thank you cards, so I set to. 

I made a centre step card using a new die I bought back in July at the Newbury Show, which has replaced the old Artstamps exhibition.

First I stamped the background onto kraft card using Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Peacock Feathers Distress inks, using the clock faces from the Uniko Studios stamp set Today, Tomorrow and Always.

I then cut the panels using the co-ordinating dies from the card die set, and backed the panels onto some jade card. I then stamped cut the round sentiment using Label Love-Thanks stamp set.

I attached the panels to the card base, and added some jade ribbon, cream lace, and jade bakers twine, finished off with a white paper rose and two pins.

Do stop by the Uniko store, there is a 50% off sale this weekend until Sunday night, so grab a bargain before it all sells out!

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline

Less is More - One layer Wishes

Hi all, I'm here today to share a CAS card, for this week's Less is More challenge, - this week it is a One Layer theme, plus to use the Sentiment of Wishes somewhere on the card.

I have stamped this lovely Penny Black Slapstick range image, 'Fragrant' in Memento London Fog, onto some cryogen card, it has a soft sparkly sheen. I wanted a soft subtle look, so went for pastel pinks and yellows, and used some very light strokes with my Polychromos pencils.

The sentiment is from Uniko Studios Birthday Fontiments set, one of my favourite sets, it's stuffed with Birthday greetings in a variety of fonts.

I added some stickles to the flowers for some gentle shimmer, and that was that.

I think i will give this to my colleague at work, who turns 25 on Monday (oh to be young again!).

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline

Get Well

Hi all, I'm here today to share a card I made for the That's Crafty Challenge, and this week the theme is Leaves. I recently made a Get Well card for my Grandmother-in-law, who unfortunately broke her hip 4 weeks ago, and is still recovering in hospital. She is 93, so we are lucky she is still with us.

I used two lovely stamps from Serendipity Stamps, First, I gold embossed the large Fern image, and stamped another one on scratch paper to cut out for a mask. I then used the mask to stamp the smaller Fern image around the gold embossed fern, in Pine Needle and Evergreen Bough Distress inks.

I gold embossed the Get Well sentiment, also from S.S, and added some dark green gems.

Finally I mounted onto some dark green card, and added to a natural card base.

I would also like toi enter this into the following challenges:

Our Creative Corner - Shades of Autumn

Crafty Catz - Autumn Colours

Everybody Art Challenge - Earth Tones

Addicted to CAS - Leaves

Fantasy Stampers - Autumn Leaves

Thanks for stopping by today,

Pauline