ATCs for May 2013

Thank you, Diane, for the tip! I changed to the Google Chrome browser et voila! Pictures! :)

So here are the ATCs I swapped with Miss Peach's mum this month...

This is "Through The Keyhole"

who's looking through the keyhole at you?

This is the inside!

It was a cat! (of course!)

Next this one is "Buttoned Up".

In the foreground in the internet image of a boot.

In the background is how I changed it.

Here's a close-up.

The make the buttons 3D I applied a

Sakura clear glaze pen over and over to build it up.

Lots of stamps and glitter :)

This one is "Blowing In The Wind":

This next one was an open themed one, 

we just had to use glossy card.

So I used a Beatrix Potter decoupage :)

This next one had to refer to Walter de la Mare.

It's a triple fold.

Here's the front:

Opened out,

a poem

(featuring a cat!)

The other side:

Lastly, the theme "April" was set.
This one is called "April Showers".

Underneath the vellum:

UK peeps might recognise the picture as
being from the packaging of
"Yorkshire Tea" :)

Hope you enjoyed looking at them. I've been enjoying the challenge of having a theme and then having to think something up for it!

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,
Helena

These are the ATCs I made for this month's swap:

THEME: Rupert Brooke (WW1 poet)

The colouring on all my ATCs is with ProMarkers.

The moon in this one is done with Gilding Flakes.

The poppies are die cut.

I love the way this one turned out.

THEME: Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?

The cat & bird are actually details from a Christmas stamp- it also has the word 'Peace' on it and the bird carries an olive branch. I snipped these details off and stitched in some whiskers. The words.... yes, that's what I'd say when Scooby caught mousies :)

 

THEME: India

 I wanted a peacock for 'India' to show the colours and patterns associated with that country. I tried to suggest the heat with the low sun and the orange sky. It doesn't all come out in the photo, but there are glittery details and the blue is actually a deep purple. I drew the background but the peacock is a digistamp from Digi Darla Designs

 

THEME: Grandmother's Attic

 I knew I wanted to do a rocking horse for this one but couldn't find an image of one that was just right. Then at the Craft Fair I picked up a postcard from the Guild of British Toymakers' stall- with a rocking horse on the front! This is a detail cut from the postcard. (This rocking horse is the one that featured in the opening scene of The Woman In Black! They restored it and lent it to the film makers.)

The die cut swirl added to his mane is one that I found on the floor at the fair! I dabbed it with brown and gold paint. I stitched all round the card and, to suggest age, I added thick crackle-glaze and beads in one corner. THIS ONE IS MY FAVOURITE!!!

 

THEME: Mothers

 Another one that's hard to photograph, because it's covered with a self-adhesive glitter film.

THEME: What's Your Fear?

It says "the tops of tomatoes look suspiciously like spiders". I am so scared of spiders. Sometimes, if I am cooking with tomatoes, I'll take off that dried leafy thing from the top and put it down somewhere... then, a few minutes later, I see it out of the corner of my eye and think "EEEK! SPIDER!" ooops..... I drew the tom's and added leaves round the edges- I have never liked this leaf stamp as I think it looks like spider legs. I never thought it would ever come in useful...

Hope you enjoyed looking at my ATCs for this month.

The themes for next month are- Blowing In The Wind, April, Walter de la Mare, Through The Keyhole, Buttoned Up, and a Free Theme on glossy cardstock. I also need to alter 3 bottle caps! Should keep me out of mischief.

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

ATCs

Miss Peach's momma, Karla, encouraged me to join an ATC swapping group that she's been a member of for a while. I'm really enjoying it :) 

Here are the ones I did for February's swaps...

Theme: "Yellow and Orange" 
I didn't sign up for this one originally, then I thought "Aha! I know: A ginger tabby!" and then I HAD to do it... This pusscat is a "Magnolia" cat stamp, and I drew the rest. He is sitting on the wall on 3D foam pads and he's holding a silver charm fish. For colour, I've used Promarkers.

Theme: "Children With Wings" 
I love doodling stained glass....
I found a website that gives free vintage photo images. You can't make them very big but they're ideal for ATC size...

That's my Indigoblu gilding flakes on the wings there...Promarkers again for the colouring, little paper flowers and baker's twine.

Theme: "Nautical"
I covered the card with gloopy PVA glue, then stuck some kitchen tissue onto it, and pushed it about, squishing it and moving it, leaving raised, squashed ridges in it. It had a pattern of blue and purple squares on it and I used this to form a suggestion of blue ocean, or perhaps the distorted view of mosaic in a swimming pool..... then added some acrylic bubbles... I like this one.

 

Theme: "Wordsworth"

I didn't want to do daffodils, I thought that would be too obvious :) so I looked up some more of his poems and found one called "The Wren's Nest", in which the little nest is hidden from predators by a primrose... I used an old farthing for the bird as these cute little coins had a wren on them. The flowers & leaves are made with a small cutting die (I've acquired a die cutting machine at last!) and as I didn't have yellow paper I used a post-it note pad :) In the background, I originally went over the card with blue Promarkers and then stuck a gold skeleton leave to it.
Ah yes, and this is Little Baby Bear Bob Jr, or Elb, for short.

 

I'm pleased that for this first swap, I am partnered with Karla :) I love her style and all her arty stuff, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's made. It's lovely to be looking forward to your mail in the morning, isn't it?

Thanks for getting me involved, Karla!! :)

  **** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

How to draw a mandala

So relaxing. Must have a go at this.


What do you think?
If you have a go, send me a pic or a link; I'd love to see it.

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Gelatin Plate Printing

This is fascinating. I could watch this woman all day!
I've seen soft plates for printing on sale, and never really understood how they would be useful. This video uses a home made gelatin plate, and there is also a video in the series that shows you how to make one.
Looks great fun!!
I think I'll save this for when it's warmer and get outside and have a go on the garden table as I'm likely to redecorate in the process!

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Gilding fun :)

 

I am trying out my new toy, the Indigoblu Gilding Starter set :)

I saw gilding with flakes on one of the crafty tv shopping channels years ago. I think it was Dawn Bibby doing it. At the time, I couldn't afford to try it. But this is a different make of flakes etc. now,and cheaper, and I managed to get hold of a starter set to try at last.

You get a special extra-sticky glue called 'flitterglu'.

I thought, ok, this is just going to be PVA stuff with a fancy label, isn't it?

But no! This really IS sticky!!! Like, "OMG I can't separate my fingers" sticky!!! But it's ok it comes off with a good wash in water and soap.

• As well as the glue you get a spatula, 
• some felty sponge to make an 'ink pad' with, 
• a small rough almost wiry sponge called a 'scoochy', 
• a bottle of stamp cleaner (though the soapy water worked fine), 
• a strong A5 size plastic box, 
• a pot of flakes, 
• some A5 sheets of card 
• an instruction leaflet. 

 The kit was just under £20. Ok it was treat ;)

This is what you do-

1. wipe out the box with an anti-static pad/cloth
2. empty the flakes into this box and spread them out
3. cut a small square of the spongey stuff for your 'ink pad'
4. spread about a teaspoon of glue onto the pad
5. apply this to your stamp (not too much)
6. gently press stamp to card (just a 'kiss', no need to press hard)
7. dunk the card into the flakes
8. pat the flakes gently with your fingertips, make sure all glue is covered
9. tap off excess gently
10. use the 'scoochy' to scrub off the flakes back into the box- they can be reused- very little is actually 'caught' each time.
11. the result is a stamp image in gilded flake.....

Here's quite a detailed image, but it still worked...

in the background you can see the pots of glue etc., and the flakes in the A5 box:

The gilded imagestays intact i.e. dosen't rub off easily like glitter. I was able to put the card under the guard of a paper timmer without it marking the image. Here it is trimmed, ready for using on a card:

Cool, yeah?

Looking forward to using it to edge cards and ATCs too, and trying other coloured flakes. They do a nice coppery one, which would be nice on my cat stamps, I think :)

Starter kit & more info available here (no affiliation blah blah blah..! )

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

yet more cards...

I've trawled through my picture files and I THINK these are the last ones to show you!

A few Easter ones that I missed the other day:

More stitchery ones.....this first one was for my Aunty Pat's birthday. She used to have a Yorkshire terrier called Pepper, so when I spotted this design I knew I had to try it for her!

MAY have got a tad  OTT with the adhesive gems on this one. I sent a similar one to Asta for a Good Luck In Your New Home card!

I like the simplicity of this one:

I like this next one, even though it took longer than most because of all the different 'bits'. 

I love the cat looking in the window, and the blossom!

 I sent this one to Feronia, in Australia.

This was a thank you card for friends of Bob's in the USA:
They sent him stuff.
Lots of Bears/dogs/cats/people sent Bob stuff.
(And Dilly).
They get more mail than me!

here's the reverse:

An old 'Penny Black' image finally used, with puffy stuff in the middle of the flower:

OK I *think* that's it, all up to date now.

I have LOTS more toppers done but would you believe I've run out of blank cards?! (But not envelopes, strangely!) I have tried to fold A4 card that I have but it splits along the fold, so not suitable, blast!
I shall have to go shopping!
I can't remember where I got the best ones from..... Paperchase used to stock some lovely ones but the branch here doesn't any more. I'll go windowshopping online one evening! Let me know if you know of any bargains anywhere, won't you?!

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

a few more cards

Continuing my update on cards I've made quite recently.

I made the 'toppers' for most of these last year; the images are from 'Lily Of The Valley' I think, and came free with a magazine as uncoloured images ready to colour and cut out.

I made these cards just after Scooter was ill at the beginning of this month, when I was first staying up nights with him. That first night, it helped me focus on something else.

Luvbug took most of these with him to Ireland, where his mum bought most of them, and kept others to sell on. This greatly helps with materials, and paid for the online art course I signed up for; thanks, Mrs M!

First a few more stitched cards-

Now the LOTV ones.
I love this first one, it was one of my favourites.

I kept back this next one and sent it to my cousin, Emma, last week for her b'day:

This one is a little different but because of the many metal brads it's heavy and, as unsuitable for youngsters, I kept it back from the pile that was to be sold....

Here's the pile that went to Ireland.

Still a few more to post....
next time!

**** *** **** *** **** ***

Love, tea & cake,  
Helena