Just a quick line or two........

I thought I would pop on and write a line or two as it has been some time since I have updated my blog.

Many of you will probably have heard the sad news of JJ's loss, which meant J and Dawn had to go South Africa suddenly. We have all been trying to rally round to help in anyway possible, and our thoughts are with J and his family. I know tomorrow will be another long day for them both and hope it passes quickly.

We have been getting ready for Portugal, which has come round so quickly. Where does time go? I say we have been getting ready, I have still to do my samples!! No panic - I have two days to work on those (gulp).

I have added a few more wonderful ATC's on the Flickr from the club members (keep up the good work). As usual I have seen loads of brilliant work of late, it's really inspirational.

I'll pop back on with after Portugal.
xx

Joining the club

Anyone new to this Blog who would like to join my Artist Trading Card Club please see full details which can be found on the right of this page under the archive section in May. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you. No, thank you........

One of our club members has suggested we have a section on my blog for members to say "thank you" to each other when you have received your trades. I thought that was a great idea, so here is the "Thank you, no thank you......" area. Please feel free to thank each other, and have a general chat.

Thank you.........

I've had a re-vamp on the old blog page, and updated my flicker account with some of my ATC members cards.

I've decided to add just one or two cards to the blog, and put more on the flicker account, as it is easier to view them there. I hope everyone has a look, please let me know if you have any problems accessing the page.

I have recently been getting inspired by Somerset Studio's magazine. This is a fantastic publication from the States, I have treated myself to a subsciption as part of my Birthday pressie. Definately recommend it - I have yet to put down the magazine and start crafting though. I'll pop any results on here for you to see (I'm wondering what I can chop up and "alter" around the house !).

Holiday

We had a lovely weekend break for my Birthday (all arranged by Nicky - awww). We went to a little place called Ivychurch, in Kent, and stayed in a fantastic 15th century guest house.

I have to recommend the Rarebreeds Centre. Its ace.....the butterfly tunnel is fantastic. They do loads of things for kids, and have a crafty bit (which I didn't get chance to visit). Everyone should go - check out their web site for details:

www.rarebreeds.org.uk

A few ATC's from me

This section will be undated regularly with new ATC's using different idea's and products.

The first cards (on the left) have been created using a pigment ink refill bottle - sometimes you like the ink but do not have the actual matching ink-pad, do not let this put you off using the refill ink. I applied ink directly from the bottle to the card, then spread the ink unevenly to cover the card using a sponge (allow some thick blobs of ink to remain). As the ink was a pigment ink I was able to cover the card with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder), and emboss. I added bronze stars to the 1st layer of molten powder, then added two more layers of powder. As the ink was applied unevenly it bubbled in places, which gives a fantastic effect, this is the card which is pictured at the back, and I left it waiting to be decorated so you could see the full effect.

The card in the foreground has been made using a rubber stamp (one of Dawns own Acrylic stamps). I applied the ink to a sponge, which I then used to apply it to the stamp, and stamped away as usual. I then used the excess ink on the sponge to edge the ATC card, which I think finishes the card. Colour the stamped images lightly using Le Plumes or Whispers pens, then finish using a clear sticker, so you can still see your image clearly.

The second card on the right has been made using a Gatefold (obviously reducted to ATC size). I stamped the inside using Dawns Acrylic stamps, coloured using Le Plumes and tinted the edges of all the card using VersMagic Niagara Mist ink pad. My favourite element of this card is the Ice Accent, these are acrylic embellishments which you can colour using acrylic paint or, embossing powder or Alcohol Inks. They are really well made and look great. For this card I have actually left them plain, and just attached them to the card using silver brads. Use them to loop ribbon through (I used two pieces of ribbon, one for each side of the card, and glued them together using strong glue, allow them to dry).

If you would like any information on the techniques or products used please do not hesitate to contact me. The original cards have been sent up to Topaz Crafts (please see my link at the bottom of the blog), where you should be able to purchase the majority of the products I use.

Good News

I'm off on my holiday today, hooray. What perfect timing, after our busy Craft day. A big thank you to Paula who was a great help and wonderful company as ever. It was a really good day, Amy and I did the early shows, which helped Dawn recover from the late night launch. We were all in really good spirits so the day went swimmingly.



I'm only away for a week, so when I get back I'll be fully re-fueled and be able to get my backlog of ATC new members sorted. The other good news is I have finally been able to get my Newsletter and the Welcome letter for my new members printed professionally, so that will really speed things up (no more swearing at the printer for me!), and the quality is superior to my little printer.



Thank you to my members who have already responded to the Newsletter, and started sending in their Themed trades, especially the ones for Postpals, it really is worth it and is really appreciated by the children and the parents.