Friday 30 May 2008

Artist Trading Card Challenge - Its a Fab Friday!!!

Phew, did it this week (inbetween shopping for bargin ink cartridges on the net, ran out rather quickly when I started printing the Newsletters!!). I have linked it in with my Artist Trading Card Club Newsletter, and taken one of the theme's we are doing there:

Tone on Tone

For this theme you are allowed to use any colour, but only shades of that colour. It's quite tricky actually, as you need to make sure the shades co-ordinate and look good. The only other colour you are allowed to use is with your wording and that can be either white, black, gold or silver.

I used stamps from Banana Frog (I'm going to be doing a feature for their blog so I'll keep you posted when that's finished), and stamped onto red paper, using red Brilliance ink - so there is a slight pearlescent sheen. The tag has also been stamped, and finished with a red ribbon.

I hope this doesn't stump you, and you all join in.
xxxx
Leonie

Thursday 29 May 2008

Artist Trading Card Newsletter

I've done it - it's taken me all day but I have finally typed up the new Newsletter, phew. Now I need to print it out and post it. Hopefully the posting will be easier as all member details are on my computer, so I just need to remember how to do my mail merge thing - urgh! I'll email as many out today as possible, and get printing and posting. Better be quick, I've got deadlines, actually you have deadlines!
xxx
Leonie

Saturday 24 May 2008

No Challenge this week

Sorry folks, I am missing the challenge for this week, so busy working on next weeks Tuesday show, its the first Christmas show!! I'm making Christmas cards when it's sunny outside. I decided I didn't want to do a Christmas ATC challenge, much to early, so it will be back next week.

I've popped on a piccy of my sister, our friend Hanelli and me in the Ice Bar which we visited when Marianne and Hanelli came down last weekend to celebrate Hanelli's 21st Birthday. I bought myself a map of London and we zoomed round the city like nutters!! We had a great weekend. We visited Madam Tussards, saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Camden, local comedy club, alsorts. My favourite was the Cans Festival on Leake Street - it's the tunnel which has been graffitied by Banksy and other fantastic graffiti artists, I love it. On the back of that I would love to know what you have been up to and if you have been anywhere exciting - has anyone tried the tree-top walk at Kew Gardens yet?

I meant to tell you at the beginning of the week about auctions starting for envelope Birthday Books that have been created to raise money for charity. There are still books left to auction on, please visit
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i110/craftswap
and click on Birthday Books 2008 to see pictures of the completed envelopes, then visit The Craftswap Forum to see when the auctions are taking place (again click on the Birthday Book links). I have done two envelopes, which are part of the Simon's Babes book, to be auctioned on Tuesday 27th. Make sure you have a look at all the books, everyone who has participated has really made a fantastic creation and definately worth a bid (or three).

Thursday 22 May 2008

New Artist Trading Cards......

Just a quick note to let you all know I have added some more fantastic creations from some of my ATC club members, have a look on the Flickr to see........
xxx
Leonie

Friday 16 May 2008

Fab Friday new challenge

Phew, this is a rush. My sister is visiting this weekend and I have to meet her soon. Really excited, we are going to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace (it makes me sing everytime - Christopher Robin went down with Alice do you know it?), Madamn Tussards, and the Ice Bar. Good eh!! Anyhow, enough of my babble, this weeks challenge. Now last week was abit quite, so I hope more of you join in. I have been working with fantastic paints from US Artlest. They are beautiful, in fact I picked the kit to go on QVC (not made many selections so it's quite exciting). I like the technique where you use your peel-off as a mask and paint over it, I've seen this technique done many times, but still love it. So I thought I would make an ATC. I didn't use the full peel-off image, and mixed a few different colours together to get a striking effect. I added a little glossy accents to half of the image, and threaded wire to add extra dimension. I hope you like it. Then I had to come up with a title for the challenge, I wanted it to be shadows, but thought that may be a bit tricky, so instead it's
Masking
Now, this is because I've used a mask peel-off image, and masked out an area from the paint, so a double reason. You can go for either, use georgeous mask images, or play around with the masking technique using your peel-offs, stamps whatever you fancy. I hope this one inspires you, and I hope the photo is a bit better this week!


Have fun gang.
xxx
Leonie

QVC Kits

Thought I'd pop a quick post on and share some of the cool stuff I've been working with this week for next Tuesdays show (I'm doing an hour in the afternoon, then Dawn will be doing the TSV launch). I had some lovely Stamp and Stuff embossing powders, must admit it's the glitter one's that really did it for me. They are ace. I had a play with putting chipboard through my Xyron and popping on the pastel embossing powder. Some of them gave a great effect, they had white bubbles springing up when I heated them!! The picture of the tag on the Seaside card shows the finished effect, it looks quite glittery, but in fact it is just the pastel embossing powder - cool eh!!






Friday 9 May 2008

Fab Friday Challenge

Hi folks. Well did anyone tune into Craftday? Anyone buy any treats? There was loads of things I wanted, why is it with crafters, even though my attic is creaking under the weight of my "stuff" there's still another range of papers, or crafty tool I need! I know I'm not alone in this, but there was tonnes of stuff I wanted. Love everything Heidi Grace had, oh and really loved all of Anna Griffin's stuff, and of course the TSV brought to us by Nancy Hill was lovely. I love craftday, loads of nice stuff, and lovely people to chat to as well. Really good fun. I felt so sorry for Nancy, Anna and their team - they were still packing when we were leaving which was at lease 12.30!! What a long day they had, especially after all that travelling. I'll never winge again and the two bags I go into QVC with, or the drive.

Anyhow, it's Friday so you know what that means (me running late again, supposed to be washing my hair at this minute in time). This weeks challenge,
A touch of White
Inspired by my white Staz-on pad which I've had ages and never used. I had a play stamping on both sides of acetate, so you get a mirror image. I really enjoyed this, and the results were quite quick and easy. Had trouble taking pictures of the cards however, so attempted to scan them. Not sure how they will look when they are loaded, so I apologise now if they are abit rubbish.

Very easy to do. Cut down your acetate, choose a lovely stamp (I'm still into my swirls), and stamp using the white staz-on. Allow the first image to dry, turn over and stamp the image again. Viola!! Mirror image. I used rub-ons, and card sentiments to complete my ATCs.




Have fun folks, looking forward to seeing your fantastic creations as ever.
xxxx
Leonie

Friday 2 May 2008

Fab Friday 7

Well this week I have a kit to work on designed with men in mind - and one of the stams was a guitar, this inspired me for this weeks challenge:
Music for the Heart
I'd like you to take music as your main influence (and you can sneak a heart in if possible). There are so many wonderful music printed papers, stamps and magazines to chop up if you fancy a little collage - so I'm sure you will have plenty to work with. As ever I really look forward to seeing your creations.

For my card (which I have just dripped orange juice on - duh!! Glad I took a photo of it first), I have taken my inspiration from a few different places. First Wendy, who made a wonderful ATC when we went to Portugal. She used wire and hung musical notes from it - really fantastic card, so that is where my thread idea came from. The heart was inspired by the lovely card by (which you can see if you have a look onn the Flickr account). I thought that was a great idea, so used it for this card. Thank you ladies for the brilliant inspiration.

For my card I made a pocket for my ATC, and cut a heart out of the front of the pocket. I colour tinted the card with Black Soot Distress ink and then worked out where I needed my thread, and how many lines I needed, then threaded embroidery thread from one side of the heart to the other. I then popped my ATC into the pocket and wrote the verse using the threads as my guide. I lightly spritzed the card (with the ATC in the pocket), using Moonglow. I liked this as it gives the whole card a shimmer, but when the ATC is removed from the pocket you have a nice shimmery heart. Allow the spritz to dry then doodle wiggles and musical notes on the front of the pocket and on the ATC. I added just a little colour to the ATC using a blue water pencil. Finally I stamped the guitar using Staz on, cut it out and applied glossy accents, which I allowed to dry then added onto the front of the pocket using 3D foam.

Go for it.......whistle a happy tune whilst you work.
xxx
Leonie


Thursday 1 May 2008