Colour Perceptions ATC

Green is the colour for September ArtVentures Colour Perceptions ATC swap.

The colour green makes me think of nature and how every colour is harmonious with it, so that was my emotion/perception for this month.

I started with white cardstock and a Hero Arts flower stamp and used Cathie Allan's "Stamp Smoosh" technique with Olive Fluid chalk.

I stamped the Paper Parachute floral stamp with green pigment ink and Judikins Forest twinkle embossing powder. I used this stamp as there is a negative side to the stamp and the original background showed through.

To add some more detail I covered a piece of white cardstock with aquamarine fluid chalk, stamped a text stamp in green pigment ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I attached this to the right-hand side of the ATC.

A-Z techniques- S

The next letter for the A-Z techniques on ArtVentures is S. I decided to do the Stamp Smoosh and Sparkle Marble which I learned from the wonderful Cathie Allan.

I used Lipstick Red, Lime Pastel, and Yellow Citrus fluid chalk inks to stamp smoosh the background and for the Sparkle Marble technique I used Siren, Luscious Lime and Gold Lame Smooch ink.

I decided to add a Cuttlebug die-cut star for the central image. I added some Sookwang tape to cardstock and ran it through my die-cutting machine. I removed the backing from the largest die-cut and covered it with some gold Stampa Rosa glitter. On the smallest star, removed the backing and covered it with Clearsnap's Cherry Pie Designer foil.

I decided not to add anything further as the background is so sparkly, although the picture does not show it very well.

Row Houses

On Mixed Media Misfits Trish suggested a Row House swap. I have not made any of these for a while so I was up for this swap.

I coloured some cardstock with Clearsnap fluid chalk inks using Cathie Allan's Stamp Smoosh and Sparkle Marble technique. I attached this to a piece of cardboard and cut out the three house shapes.

I added some Tim Holtz tissue tape to the bottom and coloured it with the fluid chalk inks to make it blend in. I stamped an alphabet background stamp in a second generation in Versafine sepia ink.  I added a couple of other stamps to give it some depth. I took a piece of sequin waste and added this with some acrylic paints.

On the left hand one I added a corner piece from cuttlebug embossed with pearlised embossing powder at the top. The circles are stickers coloured with alcohol inks. The butterfly, roses and the lady are from Moonlight Journey.com.

On the middle one, at the top, I added a piece of a die-cut from Memory Box coloured
with Clearsnap Smooch Gold ink. I stamped the PSX saying with pearlised embossing powder. The image from digitalcollagesheets.com  and coloured with chalks and set it with Judikins Microglaze. The butterfly and the roses are from Moonlight Journey.

On the left hand one I added some opals embossing powder and stamped into it while hot with the alphabet background stamp. Added a corner sticker to the top coloured with alcohol inks. Added the lady, butterflies and roses from Moonlight Journey.

Heart Strings card

The card of the month swap theme on AFTCM was Heart Strings and as always the interpretation was up to us.

I started by cutting out 3 different heart shapes with a Sizzix die. The largest was covered with a piece of an old book page and I coloured it and the second one with Smooch Siren ink. The smallest has some book print on it and was coloured with both Smooch Siren and Gold ink. I took some gold and red metallic thread and wound it around the largest and smallest hearts - "heart strings".

For the background I used Cathie Allan's Stamp Smoosh technique with fluid chalk inks then her Sparkle Marble technique over the top.

I made some flowers using a the Tim Holtz die and the same colors of ink used on the background. I punched out some hearts and leaves and added them to the cards, along with some of the metallic thread. I added a little piece of a border die from Memorybox, which is actually a winter border but I added  some centres to the star shapes to make it look like a vine with flowers.

To finish the card I attached it to a black cardstock base.

Gate fold Card

 I joined the AFTCM monthly card swap for August, the technique being a gate fold card.

I started by colouring some card stock using Cathie Allan's Stamp Smoosh technique with Clearsnap Fluid Chalk inks. I cut them to fit on the outside panels of the card and added an image with a stamping wheel and Versafine Onyx black ink.

I stamped the Hero Arts stamp and the Inkadinkado Sentiment on a scrap piece of the background card stock. and attached it to the front of the card, added a butterfly to keep the card closed. I was not happy with the front as after scanning it I realized that the top portion of the panels was all "wonky" so I redid the front.

For the inside I did the stamp smoosh technique in different colours and stamped another Hero Arts stamp all over it, then attached it to the inside side panels. Cut a piece of cardstock and stamped the Wordsworth sentiment stamp with the Versafine Black Onyx stamp pad.

Rolodex Swap continued

February theme for the AFTCM Rolodex was Hawaii and for March it was Ireland.

For the February one I printed off an photo of Hawaii in the sunset, glued it to the Rolodex card and cut out the slits. I printed off a template of a palm tree, cut it out, coloured it and attached it on the left.

I stamped the Leaf  and the two word stamps (PSX and a dollar store) and attached them to the Rolodex card. The little sequin flowers on the leaf represent a Lei.

The background on the Ireland one was done with fluid chalk inks using Cathie Allan's "Stamp Smoosh" technique. The clover leaf with the ladies and the saying is from Lisa Vollrath's free images. The stamped clover leaf is dollar stamp from Michaels.

Birdcage Tags

On AFTCM I am participating in a tag swap, where we are to make two different tags featuring bird cages.

The first tag was done on glossy cardstock. I stamped a Stampscapes image with  watermark stamp pad and brayered over it with Big N Juicy ink.  Stamped the Crafty Secrets bird cage and the branch and embossed them. I stamped the little birds, cut them out and attached them to the bird cage with double-sided foam tape.

I stamped and embossed the saying then added an additional piece of cardstock at the bottom.

The second tag is the one I did for the Ezee Pzee design team. The little circle had come loose and in my quest for a good glue I used a new one that I had purchased. Unfortunately, I used too much and had set a heavy object on top of the circle for it to dry. Not a good idea as the glue oozed out...great glue but should have been more thrifty with the amount!! Another disaster as when I removed the circle with the glue I also managed to pull of the top of the birdcage.

Since I did not want to redo the whole tag I had to improvise. I used a mini washer for the top of the cage, added the wire back, stuck a paper flower over it and attached the circle again, using jewellery glue this time. Actually I think this is one of those "mistakes being a creative moment" since I think it looks better now.

February Ezee Pzee Design Team Projects

The February kit came filled with all kinds of goodies, the main one being a bird house that we had to decorate and "build".

I started by painting all the pieces of the bird house in nice bright colours. For the front I took an old plastic doily and applied embossing paste, then when it dried I highlighted it with yellow paint.

For the flower on top I coloured it with Smooch ink and added a little pearl as the centre. The little birds were stamped and attached with foam tape.

For the next project I took an acrylic tag and embossed it in my Cuttlebug and inked it with green Stazon, then highlighte some of the areas with copper Goldfinger wax. I covered the Ezee Pzee flowers with some book text and coloured it them with Distress Ink. I painted some  washers and painted them with  copper paint and glued them to the centre.   The  Ezee Pzee bird was painted with copper, crackle finish and red acrylic paint.

The next project is a little chipboard square that I had in my stash that was painted and covered with various embossing powders.  I coloured the Ezee Pzee flower with orange paint and Perfect Pearls, and added a pearl to the centre. The Ezee Pzee  butterfly was coloured with orange and green Perfect Pearls. The letters were originally pewter so I coloured them with a gold Krylon leafing pen.

The second Ezee Pzee butterfly was covered with Be Creative tape, then I cut around it
and removed the backing. I punched out some flowers from the backing tape and placed them on the butterfly. I covered the whole piece with Glitter Ritz, then removed the flower pieces and added a second colour of Glitter Ritz. To complete it I added some gems and a piece of copper wire for the "feelers"

For the last Ezee Pzee butterfly and flower, I decided to make an Artist Trading Card. I took a piece of a worksheet that I had used to spray Smooch Spritz on previous projects and attached it to an ATC blank. I stamped a Magenta image first in black ink then with Brilliance Silver, and edged it with a silver Krylon leafing pen. The flower was coloured with Smooch Ink and some Perfect Pearls. The butterfly is coloured with Pearlex. I aded some micro beads for the body and a piece of black tie down for the "feelers". I coloured a little saying embellishment with the Smooch Ink.

The Kit also included an acrylic piece with a bird on it. I chose to incorporate this into a card. I coloured the background with pigment inks and stamped the Impression Obsession  cover the page stamp in Versafine ink and edged it with a marker. I added circle coloured in orange and attached it to simulate the sun. The acrylic piece was coloured with alcohol inks and attached over the "sun".  I then stamped the Hero Arts saying on another piece of cardstock and edged it with the marker. I placed a scrap piece of the background on the card and attached the saying; adhered the panel to the card.

The final piece is the last Ezee Pzee bird I decided to do a tag for an upcoming swap in my AFTCM group. I started by inking the background with a Magenta stamp using Cathie Allan's stamp smoosh technique using 3 different colours of fluid chalk inks.

I stamped the Diamond stamp (Hero Arts) in a darker blue at the top and bottom of the tag.

I had some wooden birdcages by Kaisercraft and took one of them and painted and embossed it using a technique by Shelly Hickox from her blog which has a tutorial on it.

I coloured the Ezee Pzee bird with the lighter and darker blue fluid chalk inks and stamped a text stamp over it with Versafine onyx black, then embossed it with clear embossing powder. I added some Judikins Diamond Glaze to the branch.

The little Ezee Pzee circle was coloured with a dark blue pigment ink. I coloured a piece of cardstock, stamped the Crafty Secrets word sing then placed it on the circle and embossed it in clear ink and embossing powder.

Prior to attaching all the elements, I edged the tag with a blue marker.