Music....

I love listening to music, but have a terrible memory for who sang what and what the song is called! Music is the theme at CBH this week and I created an ATC using a music note stamp and some musical instrument peel offs. I stamped the background using distress inks first, then stamped the image again on paper and cut to smaller pieces to represent sheet music, I used distress ink to age the paper and then curled the edges to look like the leaves were blowing up. I finished by glueing this to the background and adding a few silhouette peel offs.

Dragons.....

are a favourite of mine. My Chinese zodiac sign is a Fire Dragon, so the theme at TMTA this week to create art using dragons appealed greatly. I have used a range of shades of red to create my ATC, putting down a base coat of distress inks and then using clear embossing powder on the top to stamp my dragon image in. I then stamped some lettering over the top of this, and to finish added some darker red shades to make the embossed image stand out and added some gems.

The Tribe / Indigenous People.....

is the theme over at CBH this week. So in the feel of the theme I have created an ATC using some Native American Indian stamps, stamping in stazon ink and using a masking technique to layer two different stamp images together. I then added colour using Copic markers and finished the edges with Memento ink. Having looked at other sites this also fits the TMTA theme of Red / Yellow this week too. I love the rich warm colours and how Native American Indians made the most of these vibrant colours.

Wet and Windy....

is the weather of the week, so much for Autumn having crisp sunny days to watch the leaves turn golden! TMTA this week have the theme of Thanksgiving, looking for autumn in all its glory, so here is my ATC.

Odd Creatures....

There are plenty of odd little creatures in the world, and I love the idea of using them in a piece of artwork. Such a great theme from TMTA this week. I have a stamp with a row of odd little creatures on from Prima and just had to make two ATC's for this one. I collaged a background for one and stamped the other, then added colour using copic pens and distress inks.

Newspaper....

is the theme over at TMTA this week. I created this ATC using strips of text on the background, adding chalk eye over the top. I then stamped the flower images onto the background and an extra one on a separate piece of text, this was cut out, chalked and applied to the background so the petals could be bent. I then added the hope ticket and butterflies punched out using a Martha Stewart punch.

In The Garden.......

is where I like to be on hot sunny days.......

But the weather finally broke today and it has rained! The hot sunny days lasted longer than I thought they would, with at least two thunderstorms occuring in the night to leave the days full of blue sky and sunshine!

In the garden is the theme for TMTA this week, and I have chosen to use a photograph I took of a visitor to my garden a few weeks ago. I have these beautiful pink pincushion flowers in the garden, which the bees loved - until the white crab spider took up residence in them! I got a great shot of nature in action, when the spider literally just pounced on this poor bee, turning it into lunch! I altered the photo by scratching areas out with a file, then chalking the edges and adding coloured metallic 'Smootch' inks over the top to highlight areas and finishing my mounting on an ATC, stamping a few flower sections and finishing with a hand-written title:

Hope you like it! Right, off to bed - or I won't be fit for much in the morning........

Look Into A Face.....

and what do you see?

This is the theme for TMTA this week, for which I created this ATC:

First I stamped the face and masked it to stamp the crackle effect. I then added colour with chalk eye and then the beads and flowers to complete.

Recently the hours are rapidly passing into days, and the days into weeks! Where does the time go when you wish you could spend more time doing the things you really want, but just don't seem to get the chance! At least the sun is shining and the birds are singing..................

As Mad As A.......

Box Of Frogs!

What a great saying, a good friend of mine introduced me to that saying, it took me a while to really get it though. It must be a Northern thing! Frogs is the theme over at TMTA this week and I chose to illustrate another frog quote using a cute stamp by Rachelle Anne Miller. I stamped it with Stazon ink and then added colour using watercolour pencils. I then hand wrote the quote, used a fineline pen around each word, cut and adhered to the ATC. Finishing touches were added with Stickles. I love this quote, and sometimes wish we could all do this!

That Creative Thing.....

It has been a while since I have had the flair or desire to create anything worth blogging about. Thanks to all of you who have queried my absence from here, it has been a rocky couple of months. A friend and colleague went missing and the resulting outcome was not a good one, we lost a good person (even if he could be stubborn and grouchy!) Needless to say, I lost my mojo and all flair to create anything inspiring! As Karyn kindly said - my mojo went to someone else who needed it more at the time (I like to think that we all share our mojo and inspire others to create when they need the encouragement to).

Then exam time hit us at school and I became inundated with sorting out students exam requirements and chasing them for coursework! Will they ever learn that a deadline is a deadline? But the sun is now shining, and things are starting to look good again, and I have started to create for pleasure, and want to do so! So here I share with you two ATC's I created for TMTA this week on the theme of Egypt.

For the left one I stamped hieroglyphics onto greaseproof paper and added a touch of colour, then tore the edges, crumpled it and added some chalk eyes to distress to look like an old parchment. The background is created using acrylic paint and chalk eye around the edge. The parchment was added using glossy accents.

The right ATC was created by stamping King Tutenkahmun once on the ATC and again on a separate piece of paper to use as a mask. The mask was laid over the top of the stamped image and the background colour added up to the edge of it using acrylic paint. Once this was dry the mask was taken away and detail added to the stamped image using blue pen and white and gold metallic inks. Chalk eyes were used to finish the edges.

I hope you like the end results, and thanks again for your messages. I hope you are all well and each have a share of that mojo!

Eyes...

are powerful tools, and are generally a thing of beauty. Eyes is the theme for TMTA this week and I have created my ATC using a stamp from Paper Bag Studios, added colour using chalk eyes and created dimension by re-stamping the image and adding half of it raised on top, along with the wording.

Together.....

I cannot believe it is over a week since I last posted! The end of term was rather busy, and left little time to be creative - my mojo flew the coop!! I now need to spend some time gathering new thoughts and images to use to build up a new creative folio to inspire the imagination.....

To start I have created these ATC's for the TMTA challenge of Togetherness. They are created using stamped images and watercolour pencils, the edges finished with chalk eyes and a small gem added to each one.

Moulin Rouge

Another hectic week is coming to a close, busy but good for the most part! I had the pleasure of going to the theatre with friends to see the 'Vagina Monologes' - what a great show! We all laughed, were shocked, and I think all learnt something new! If it comes your way, it is a great girlie show to go see!

I have now finally found the time to sit and do some crafting and have got around to making an ATC for TMTA this week on Moulin Rouge. I love the film, and wanted to capture the essence of the place, but not use the film as my source. My final interpretation is below, created using chalk eyes to add the colour, stamping, and hand drawing.

Exotic Birds....

is the theme for TGIF this week. I have not had the time to hand draw my entry for this! But instead opted for a stamped ATC with some hand colouring to bring a bit of colour and tone to the image. The peacock feathers were stamped onto the ATC and the whole peacock image was stamped onto a separate piece of card, cut out, chalked and applied to the background with foam pads to raise off the surface.

I hope you are all having a good start to the week, my day today has been quite nice, but this is the calm before the storm with three full days of teaching before the weekend descends! Here'shopingwe get the sunshine back by then, the day started off beautifully with sunshine, but turned bitterly cold and I drove home in drizzle and fog!

Comic?

The theme over at TMTA this week is comic - this has always been an area of art which I find very difficult to translate to paper. Having been taught how to draw accurately, it then becomes hard to simplify and turn an image into a 'cartoony' style. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to put pencil to paper and produce my own comic image, I went for a cat character rather than a human figure. I drew the outline in pencil, then added colour with paint, finishing by chalking the edges of the ATC to darken it down. Hope you like my little alter ego side-kick!

That Star Quality

Audrey Hepburn is a film legend, and the centre of attention for TMTA this week. I created by ATC by hadn writing the names of films she starred in across the background in fineline pen. I then chalked the edges and printed an image of Audrey Hepburn on acetate to layer on top. It is held in place using a brad.

Time now to go finish prepping for tomorrow's work day, andto try and ignore the howling wind and lashing rain that is filling the skies around me. What a miserable day it has been, no sign of sun or that spring feeling today! Good job I 'pruned' the plants in my garden at the weekend! Here's to better, warmer weather soon...

Butterflies and Stripes

These are the themes for CBH and Arty Girlz this week. I made this ATC by using a textured piece of card as the background and rubbing chalk eye over the top to bring the stripes out. I then used my QuikKutz dies to create the toadstools and butterflies. I punched two butterflies out of differnt stripy papers and mixed them up to create the butterflies below. Hope you like the end result.

The Letter E....

is for Elephant.

This is my interpretation of the theme set by TMTA this week. I created my ATC using a stamped image which was coloured with markers and then a chipboard letter added and hand written wording.

I have not been able to post for a while as I have been slightly busy and time has just run away with me! I spent the weekend away with friends and we were totally cut of from all the mod cons - no internet and no mobile phone service! It was great to get away and not have any interruptions, but instead have time to chill and have a laugh - boy did we laugh!! Then back to work and the week has just been one constant thing after another and shows no sign of letting up for the moment, but at least I managed half an hour of crafting this evening.....

Wings & Hearts

This is the theme for MMM this week and I have made ths ATC using stamping, shading and drawing techniques. The wings were made separately and attached so that they appear as if she could jsut flap them and fly away.....

Friday 13th

May be unlucky for some, but others find it a very lucky day. Many superstitions have sprung up over the years concerning Friday 13th, and many now fear the day. What a great theme to set by TGIF this week. I created an ATC using stamping and hand drawing, incorporating the number and a black cat that many associate with bad luck. I on the other hand find black cats lucky! Have a great start to the weekend.....