ATC's - a new addicition!

Artist Trading Cards have always intrigued me! - everytime I have attended an Art Show or Craft Fair  I have admired these miniature pieces of Art Work...and wondered what it would be like to create my own. Just recently a lovely group of "Scrappy Friends"  decided to begin their own little ATC swap group and I accepted an invitation to join them. Wow! - what  a world of new discoveries did that open up for me! I "googled" ATC's and was simply "blown away" with all the inspiration to be found - mini oil paintings, paper folding, digital, and mixed media art work all done on a 2.5" x  3.5" base - just amazing!! The first challenge was to adapt myself to working on this surface size....very different to my 12 x 12 Scrapbook pages and the large square cards I use for cardmaking. The second challenge, was the theme for our first  ATC swap - "Shabby Chic Christmas" - eeeks!! I love the look of Shabby Chic but find it so hard to master...but I gave it a go....and here "blog readers" is my 1st ever ATC!!

I know it looks a little more vintage in appearance than Shabby Chic - but I am pretty happy for my first attempt. My background paper is called "Brown Sugar" - the music print is from Kaisercraft's Vintage Timeless collection - sprayed with "Coffee Shop" Glimmer Mist and inked with "Antique Linen" Distress ink. The little pearls in the centre of the snowflakes were coloured with a Copic Marker R37 to match my red paper.

As soon as I finished making this ATC - I was hooked.. and couldn't wait to do another one....so I'm all organised and have December's Swap Theme of "Anything Goes" finished - LOL!!

I adapted to working in miniature a little easier the second time around, even enjoyed cutting up tiny strips of patterned paper. The papers are all from my Creative Memories stash :) - the pink twine is from Jillibean Soup and the edges were inked with "Tempting Turquoise" from Stampin'Up.

Both ATC's have now been packaged up and sent off to our Swap Co-ordinator - can't wait to see what awaits me in return!!??

....and while I was experimenting with the Shabby Chic theme. I decided to create this card.... be sure to check it out at the Mad for Markers Blog for info on all the embellishments that I coloured in using my "treasured" Copic Markers :)

Tomorrow is a public holiday for the racing of the Melbourne Cup... famously termed the "horse race that stops a Nation" - I plan to spend my day in my "happy room" surrounded by paper, photos, stamps, copics etc!

Enjoy!

Time to Share the "Love"

...love of Copics that is!!

I often get asked what is the most favourite thing I love about my Copics - and it really is a tough question to answer! I love the vast colour range, I love how easy they are to blend, I love their versatility - I love.....yes the list goes on an on. However, I truly just love colouring in with them. As you are aware I have a passion for all sorts of Arts & Crafts but there is something very therapeutic about colouring. I find colouring very relaxing . I often have heaps of images stamped out on my X-Press IT Blending Card ready to go and when life gets tough I reach for them... and my 'beloved' Copics and have some good old chill-out time. I have been doing that a lot lately LOL!... and finally got to spend some time the last few days, making these coloured images into cards - here is a couple I thought I would share.

This is 'Hip Hop' girl  a 'Hanglar Stanglar' image coloured with my favourite shades of Pink - R81, R83, R85 & Blue - B91, B93, B95. I consider these a "must-have" in any Copic Collection.
 
The gorgeous pink embossed paper used for this card is from Kaisercrafts Paper Pad Miss Nelly and the beautiful paper flowers are by "Hooked on Craft" available from Karen & friends at scrap2relax - a very apt name for a store considering today's post LOL!!


The sentiment I made up and printed out on my computer using the font CK Journalling ( another favourite! )

..and this sweet 'Lily of the Valley' stamp is sure to cheer anyone up - that teddy-bear is so stinkin' cute! Mr Teddy was coloured with E31, E33, E35 and E37 - his rosey cheeks were courtesy of a little more R83 and his caring Nurse was coloured in with Warm Greys - W1, W3 and W5 and Red - R22, R24, R27
 
I made this card using the "Gertie" papers from My Minds Eye Stella Rose collection by Jen Allyson and another sentiment I made up myself.




I hope you get to have yourself some "chill-out" time this week with your favourite Copic colours and don't forget to check out the whole colour range available at Mad for Markers

Enjoy

I'm Back!!

....did you miss me??? - my apologies for taking so long to get back to the "world of blogging". The winter plays havoc with my "mo-jo" I find it so hard to get motivated when it is so cold and miserable...but I have managed some creative time. The past few months I have been busy doing some design work for Creative Memories and have been out and about teaching some scrapbooking ideas to consultants...it's been fun, but it is now time to get myself back into the "happy room" and spend some time with my Copics and my Camera!

There is no doubt Spring is my favourite time of the year - I love days filled with warm sunshine and a garden in full bloom. I thought I would share these photos of my cherry blossom - a beautiful sight to behold, when I open my curtains in the morning :)

I spent last weekend with some of my favourite scrapping buddies and this is one of the cards I created.

....when I first saw Mermaid Marci from La-La Land Craft Stamps I knew instantly that I wanted to give her beautiful mermaid tail, a shimmery look and with a bit of experimenting, I am really pleased with the effect I was able to achieve. I started by colouring the tail in with BG11, BG13, BG15 and my usual method of shading. Then over the top of this colouring I applied a thin coat of Tim Holtz Perfect Pearls ( Berry Twist mixed with water ) and finished it all off, by tracing over the tail image (scales) with clear Spica Pen. The effect was a little difficult to photograph, but if you have ever seen the children's book The Rainbow Fish this tail has the same wonderful shiny foil appearance :) I can't wait, to try this technique again, it would be perfect for all my princess & fairy themed stamps!



Copics Used:


Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks/Lips - R20
Hair - E31, E33, E35
Top & Star - R81, R83, R85
Tail - BG11, BG13, BG15 / Clear Spica Pen

...well now I am a back and the "mo-jo" is returning.... stay tuned for more regular posting :)

Card Sharing Time

....yes!! finally, I have something to share with you - my neglect of this blog has a long story attached to it and I won't bore you with all the details...but my Mojo has simply disappeared this past week - I worked very hard on the weekend to try and colour an image and when I finally did, I found my card making tools had disappeared too!!! After a BIG search I finally tracked them down....it seems my daughter had taken them back to Uni with her last weekend - eeks!!....but without further ado LOL!! Here is the card I eventually made to share with the Mad for Makers girls.

This is Kaylee with Balloon - one of the new photopolymer clear stamps from Some Odd Girl that are now stocked by Mad for Markers -  Each stamp comes with an additional sentiment enclosed and this one is a pretty funky looking Happy Birthday....and don't forget to check out the other Some Odd Girl stamps now available here in the Mad for Markers store....there is a sweet little cow and gorgeous little fella with his dog Toby.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - R21 Cheeks
Eyes - B00, B02 - white gel pen
Hair - E74, E77, E79 - it was the first time I have used this brown combo and I rather like it!
Shoes/Skirt/Jacket - W1, W3, W5
Balloon, Headband, Socks - R81, R83, R85

I also had a little play with this Mo Manning digital image called Teacup Fairy and the current sketch challenge at Mo's Digital Challenge to see if I could "kick-start" my mojo again 'cos I am a huge fan of Mo's designs and they always put a smile on my face!

......she is very cute!!

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - R21 Cheeks
Hair - E31, E33, E35
TeaCup - G00, G03, G05
Pink Roses - R81, R83, R85 - and crimson adhesive pearl centres
Fairy Wings - R83, Spica - Blossom ...and some Crystalina Glitter Gel for that extra Bling LOL!
I created my card using papers and embellishments from the 6 1/2" Paper Pad from Kaisercraft called Chanteuse - lots of my fave pinks and greens to be found in this collection!


Enjoy your week! - and if you find my Mojo or manage to track down my daughter - I would LOVE to hear from you - LOL!

Yay! - it's the Weekend!!

....and I am home alone - my family are all off doing their own thing - and I don't mind a bit!!!.... It means I get to spend it in my "Happy Room" colouring with my trusty copics, scrapbooking and whatever else, my heart desires LOL!!

Just recently the Mad for Markers Challenge Blog had a "Colouring with Gray" challenge and shared a wonderful tutorial from Copic Oz all about "Desaturating Colour with Gray" - it was perfect for this card I created using the digitial image Jack & Ginger by Mo Manning.

I wanted the colouring of my elderly couple to look a little faded and worn and I also needed my colouring to tone in with the muted and distressed look of my papers....( Kaisercraft - Timeless &  Praire Lane Collections ) Therefore, when I finished colouring my image, I waited for it to dry completely... then I coloured over the top of all the clothing areas with the

W1 ( Warm Gray ) Copic Marker and I was able to create the look I wanted.

Copics Used:

Skin - E00, E00, E11
Hair - W1, W3, W5
Pants - E33, E35, E37
Jack's Jacket/Shoes - W1, W3, W5
Skirt - E31, E33, E35
Ginger's Jacket/Hat - BG01, BG02, BG05
Ginger's Shoes/Handbag - E33, E35, E37
Posy of Flowers - YR04, Y21, YG93
....I also used a white gel pen and the Colourless Blender to add highlights to the clothing.

I used my Copic Airbrush System with BG02 to alter the white roses and pearls to co-ordinate with my papers and images... and I gave the edges of the image and the sentiment areas a distressed chalk look by "dragging" the E31 Copic Marker along the edge of the paper. I was rather pleased, with how this card turned out and I am sure I will be using the desaturating colour technique on many more in the future.

Here Comes Summer....

....he he!! - not here in Australia.....we have just entered the months of cold nights and frosty white lawns in the morning...the ideal time to stay indoors and play with paper... the current challenge over at mosdigitalchallenge is all about warm days and sunshine - and this challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to add a little bit of  "warmth" to my  cardmaking "play-time".

I chose the digital images - "Lacie with Ice-Cream" and "Kai in the Sand with Flowered Hat" for my cards....they are both so very,very cute!! I coloured each of the images with Copics and used the same sketch idea for all three cards I completed for this challenge.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20
Sand - E53, E55, E57
Bucket - R81, R83, R85
Ball - BG11, BG13, BG15, W3, W1
Hat - R81, R83, R85 BG11, BG13, BG15
Nappy - W1 & Colourless Blender

....little Kai is such a sweetie so I couldn't resist making another card.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20

Sand - E53, E55, E57
Bucket - R32, R35, R37
Ball - B93, B95, B97, R32, R35, R37
Hat - R32, R35, R37, B91, B95, B97
Nappy - W1 & Colourless Blender

....and for little Lacie I reached for my trusty pinks and came up with this card.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20
Hair - E50, E51, E55
Dress - R81, R83, R85
Stool & Ice-Cream Cone - E31, E33, E35
Ice-Cream - B00 & Colourless Blender
Thongs & Sunglasses - B91, B95, B97 - Flowers - Y15, Y17

Hope for a Brighter Future

I've got exciting news for you....the wonderful Graphic Designers at http://www.fortheluvofart.com/ have joined forces and created a kit as a fundraiser for the New Zealand & Japan Earthquake.... Red Cross Appeals....called "Hope for a Brighter Future" - profits from the sale of this kit will be evenly distributed between the two countries.


It is now available in store, for you to purchase and it is a kit you will mostly certainly want in your collection....it has fantastic papers and embellishments suitable for all forms of scrapbooking - traditional, digital and hybrid - and of course card makers.

Here is a little preview of the embellishments - the papers are equally as beautiful.

and here is a little layout I created with it ....using pics of my gorgeous eldest daughter - this layout was based on the current Digi Challenge over at the forum at For the Luv of Art - these challenges are such fun.... you should check them out...http://fortheluvofart.forumg.biz/t3151-for-the-luv-of-art-digi-challenge-2