A New Month...

And a new challenge over at CRAFT QUEEN's blog...

And these are my samples, 3 very different ATCs (Artist Trading Cards).      I wanted to use the great Crafter's Workshop 6" templates, to show a couple of looks that can be achieved with them.

For this ATC, I started by carefully laying THIS template over some white card, and dabbing some alcohol ink (I used StaZon teal ink) over the pattern.    I then stamped the mesh image from THIS set of stamps using the same ink.      The sentiment from THIS WORD BLOCK was stamped with black ink and stuck using foam squares.       I raided my scraps box and found some corrugated cs, which I dry-brushed with some bronze metallic paint,  and layered that over a piece of punched and watercoloured paper.    I added a yellow button (from a past kit), and a little red wire : )

 For this next one, I started with a white ATC blank, and laying THIS template, I carefully added some texture paste over the top (just like icing a cake) and removed the stencil, cleaning it up (the stencil) straight away.    I allowed the texture paste to dry overnight, and then I painted over the ATC with some blue and some bronze acrylic paints.    I then added the image of the ballerina (stamped onto tissue paper and stuck on with Modge-podge) from THIS set of stamps
The sentiment is from an old Teresa Collins stamp.      You can find the beautiful shell heart HERE, and the leaf HERE.

For the next ATC, I started out with some white cs, and THIS template,  onto which I sprayed a couple of coats of blue Glimmer Mist, allowing it to sit and puddle around the stencil, once dry, I stamped one of the tree images from THIS set of stamps, and trimmed it down to fit inside my beige ATC blank.

I stamped the sentiment (also from the same set of stamps) onto a scrap of vellum paper, adding a little orange coloured TINY TWINE, a square SHELL BUTTON, some butterflies made with THIS punch, and a tiny bit of a sripe ribbon

If you've never made artist trading cards before, they are a great size for using up bits and pieces, plus, you can try out new techniques in a small scale.

And just in case you didn't pick up on it, this month's challenge involves using the word "love", some twine, and a button.        For all the details, and to see the rest of the DT projects, have a look HERE, and don't forget, your entry can be anything crafty, a card, layout, ATC, OTP project, or a sewing project, as long as it incorporates the required criteria.

Thanks for visiting me, I hope I have inspired you to play : )

December Already???

Happy first day of the month...I'm getting ready to trim our Christmas tree today, write our Christmas cards, and work out a Christmas gift list, all while singing along to some Christmas songs.  
Our very favourite is this one by the Muppets  it only goes for a bit over a minute, but we love it so much we play it over and over again!     
And as it is the first day of the month, there is also a new challenge over at the CRAFT QUEEN challenge blog, HERE are the details, and here is my sample using this fun criteria:

 

I've used the following to make my Christmas card:
MME paper for the background,
Simple Stories paper (which I cut apart for the Santa image and the snowflake)
Paper cord (red), tiny twine (natural and navy)
Sentiment is from THIS Darkroom Door set
And the punched trim was made using THIS punch
How are your Christmas cards coming along?