Gosh, full-time work is such a creativity killer!

I know I've been very quite for almost a month!!! I've just recently started a full-time teaching job at a local high school as well as having had a lightning trip home (two 4-5 hour flights within 80 hours!! This doesn't include travel time and time waiting in airport terminals). BUT this weekend I will be finishing off some projects that need to be completed by 31 August...so watch this space and I might even have time to post before heading off to work on Wednesday morning.

Now, off to create!

Well, that's it...short but sweet.
;)

No idle hands here!

I've been doing a bit of everything these past few days, both knitting and stamping.  I've now completed about 9 "ruffley" scarves in about 3 weeks or so, plus complete 1 basic one and have started (but have left for about 2 1/2 weeks) another.

I'm also trying to keep on top of all the swaps that I've crazily put my hand up for...so this week I've started work on my contribution towards the Boomerang Stampers Collaborative book that is due August 31...but as most of my resources are back home (and I'm only going home for 4 days in about 3 weeks time) I have decided to start part of it here, before I work on the bulk of it at home and then compile it here on my return...Confused yet?  I don't blame you. But here is phase 1 of my page, it will be part of the focal point of my page.  I have selected my favourite colour of course...

Life is the Art


Now, that it is all that I will reveal as I don't want to spoil the page for anyone who is involved in the swap...I don't want to kill the anticipation of getting the Collaborative Book for the participants.

And now the scarves...I really love these scarves... a dear friend has encouraged me to make them as after I made one for her, her work colleagues said that they loved it and would love to buy one...so I am busily making them, some for me, some for my friends and some for sale...If you want one, just let me know and I'll let you know how much.

Here are the latest batch:

 I don't know why Blogger keeps putting this photo in, landscape rather than profile...but I guess it is just a quirk.

Today I will start work on a Steampunk swap for the Paperarts group I'm in, but as I don't have access to a printer here, I have to head off to the local library to print off my images so that I can get a start on this swap.

On the issue of Paperarts@yahoogroups, I've bravely put my hand up to co-moderate this group as the current owners/moderators are moving in a different direction in their lives and asked for group members who might want to take over the administration of this group.  I have got HUGE shoes to fill, but I am very excited about working with Lucy, who will be the owner/ co-moderator...we will be taking over from Barb and Bevlea in October...so, how's that for jumping in at the deep end...I am really excited about it, but there is a bit of trepidation as I am aware that the group has many, very talented members...I know I have their support, but it is scary all the same.

These women are very talented, so do yourself a favour (in the words of Ian "Molly" Meldrum) and check out their blogs.

Well, I don't have much else to show or say at the moment, so until next time....
:)

Another Wednesday Post On A Friday

Well, here I am again...second post in two days but I am so excited about the ATC swap I am currently working on that I thought I would share it with you all.  This swap is called "Altered Magazine Face".  The aim of the swap was to find pictures of people (not necessarily famous) and to modify the picture such as to change the appearance of the person.  You could change the appearance such as to totally change the look of the person to make them unrecognisable, but I thought I would do it in such a way that the person could be identified.

This for me is a big shift from the sort of ATCs I normally create, so I jumped in with a bit of trepidation...after having asked for advice from some artists whose work I really respect and admire (and actually use to inspire what I do).

So firstly I will post the raw images (some with only a couple of modifications)...in effect, all I had done was add white gesso to the matt board and also used it to adhere the image to the board.

Raw Form

As I worked, I wasn't happy with the 3rd image on the top row, so this morning I decided to give it the "old heave ho" and replaced it with a picture of Emma Watson.

So, after many hours of pottering around with each ATC...this is what I finally came up with:

The Final Product

Now to compare each ATC one after the other:

Sir Leo

Abby

Panda Eyes

The Courtesan

Flyboy

Brittney Does Alice

I have no raw form of Emma Watson because I was in such a hurry to replace the young boy that I decided was not going to make the grade.

Princess Emma

I guess that is enough for this post as I have stacks more ATC swaps I need to get onto.

So, until next time…thanks for visiting.

J

3 Letter ATC Swap

Today was spent trying to get a start on (and finish) an ATC swap I decided to sign up with the "Artist Trading Card" yahoo group that I am in.  The requirement of the swap was to create a 3 sets of 3 ATCs each creating a 3 letter word. So after some consideration and a review of the resources I had at hand I decided on the following three words: SEA, SKY and ART.

So here is what I eventually came up with:

SEA

SKY

LIFE IS ART

Well, that's about it for now...got to get ready for a dinner date with my husband!!!
Until next time.
;-)

Thank you Chilean volcanic ash cloud!!

Thanks to the Chilean volcanic ash cloud grounding me for a couple of days, I've decided to take advantage of the downtime to get creating.

Well, I've gone back to my stamping roots and yesterday I created these three cute cards using "La-La Land Crafts" stamps. I've also managed to put my new Copic markers to the test...I love the final products, hope you do too!

Luca

Lulu

Lola

I also have decided to take advantage of my being "grounded" to use my vast home resources to start making ATCs for my PaperArts June Swap "Domestic Goddess". I just love this quote I found and decided it went well with the 1950s beauty I selected as my focal point.

Enough About Me... Domestic Goddess PaperArts June swap.

Well, if I'm going to get another 8 of these ATCs created I'd better get off the computer...

So until next time!!
:)

A Wednesday post on Friday

What is it about cooler weather and the urge to knit? I've started my 6th scarf in 3 weeks. In the past few days I have combined my passion for photography and mixed media art and have delved into a new art form. I had lots of fun creating this for someone special in my life, and I think it might be the first of many more to come.

16

I also have managed to make a couple of ATCs at a class yesterday. So, here they are:

Covenant

Quintessential

Enamoured

So, that is all I have for this post, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to make any more ATCs...in fact, I'm about to head off to my studio to get the creative juices going!

Until next time, thanks for visiting!
:)

ATC Go Slow

Well, the past couple of weeks have been go slow ATC weeks as work has taken over, but I have been industrious.  With the cooler weather being upon us, I've cracked out the knitting needles and have made 5 scarves in just 3 weeks...2 for me and 3 for friends.  Here is a pic of 4 of them...I finished the grey one last night (angora, wool and some synthetic fibres...but mostly wool).

Those of you who know me, know that red is my favourite colour, so my red scarf has been getting a workout these past couple of weeks.

No ATCs to show this week...but will be doing a class with Kelsey in a week and a bit, so I'm sure I will have some to show soon.

That's it for this Wednesday. Until next time....   :)

I've been a busy little beaver!

Well, on Monday I decided to pull my finger out and actually make some ATCs...so here is my latest effort.  You will notice that one stamp got a bit of a run.  Hopefully today, I will make some more.

This is the Father of Invention....I used this image a few more times and produced a couple of different effects.

Let me introduce to you....the famous Mister K!

Everyone needs a Wingman.

This next one I made using modelling paste...I decided to imprint into the paste and the use the negative image as the basis of my ATC...I then accidently dropped it in water and the colours ran...but I then layered other colours and, well, I think it worked out ok.

Hence, I called this one Negative.

Here are some that don't use the previous stamp:

I just love these holiday poster images. Vacanza.

This is an example of recycling images...I called her Anastasia.

This ATC started life very different to how it started...I think it went through 3 evolutions before its final form.


Anyhow, I must go now as I will blow my monthly internet data if I don't upload this soon...I guess that's what happens when you start blogging....lol!  Hope this blog was easier to read. ;-D

Just some of my previously made (and swapped) ATCs

Just a taste of some of the techniques I learnt by attending classes taught by Kelsey O'Mullane at Scraptivate. Check out Kelsey's blog KO...OK (look at who I follow).

Some of the ATCs I made for the Online ATC group luncheon at Parramatta Leagues Club

Well, thanks to Roslyn, I've managed to work out how to upload images.  These are just some of the emails I made Sunday morning to swap with the ladies attending the Online ATC group's luncheon at the Parramatta Leagues Club.  As I only had 13 backing matting boards, I only managed to make 13 to swap, in return I now have 14 (2 from Sandra D) very different and beautiful ATCs.  As I have limited resources here at the moment, my ATCs are very simple in nature but post some of my favourite ones I've made over the past 2 years.  I managed to get my hands on some free matt board offcuts from a very nice gentleman at a picture framing business out at Castle Hill yesterday...so now, look out, I can start making some more ATCs...I just have to cut the board to size.  I will try to find out the business name so that I can give him a free plug.  That's all I've got for today (in terms of a blog).  I will try to upload some more pix, and thank you so much the 5 ladies who have decided to start following my blog.  Until next time. Cheers, A. :-D

Check out some of my ATCs on Flickr

My Flickr

Day 2 (of many I hope)

Here I am, totally amazed that so many people have checked out my blog on Day 1 (in less than 24 hours since I set the blog up), not to mention the 3 followers I already have.  I guess the pressure is on me now to try and upload some images and make my blog look more "blog-like".  I know of people who blog daily and others that blog fortnightly...I need to find my own blog time, I'm thinking maybe a weekly blog...'cause I don't think my life is that exciting or busy enough for daily blogs, plus, I don't want to put my followers off..lol.  So, in the next few days, after I've worked out how to upload things, I will commence my weekly (perhaps fortnightly) blogs.  I will try to put up a link to my flickr account so that you can look at the ATCs I've already created since 2009.  Thanks for visiting. ;-D

My first official blog!

Well, I've decided to jump in feet first and start up a blog to share my Artist Trading Cards and other forms of art that I've been learning and creating over the past 18 years!!!  I would like to thank my ATC friends Sandra and Roslyn, who gave me the know-how and the encouragement to start up this blog.  As a newbie to this form of social networking, I will have to learn how to post images of my work and what I've been up to of late...hopefully, those of you who are my friends or who are similar-minded when it comes to art will visit this page, and perhaps sometimes add a comment or two.

Enough waffling for now.  Until next time. :-D