Autumn Is about to end and Winter is on its way!

Hi Everyone!  Its another beautiful day here as we fast approach the first day of winter.  In the past week the temperatures have somewhat cooled at night, but the days have been extremely pleasant.  I do love the sunshine at this time of year, and its a great time to get out in the garden.

One of the local (Australian) swap groups I participate in have an Autumn/Winter Themed swap currently running where you are required to create one Autumn Themed ATC and one Winter Themed one.  So here is what I came up with.

My favorite thing about autumn apart from some beautiful weather is the rich colors of the falling leaves.  They are not so common in these parts but if I was to travel a few hours west of here, I would be rewarded with beautiful tree line streets full of such colors.

So with this in mind, I've used my Darkroom Door Leaves Stamps, my brayer, and clear embossing powder and numerous autumn colors to layer this background and I found this Autumn Quote which I just love.

Thinking of Winter, makes me think of the cold!  I hate the cold and you can't get much colder than the North Pole can you. So for my second card I had this cute punch art penguin I had made ages ago, stuck on my desk next to my computer which I thought could use a new home.  I layered some white paper across the base of my card to look like piles of snow, dug out an igloo stamp that I had never used before and added some snowflakes and colored in the sky with my Blue Inktense Pencil.

Now I just need to get these to the mail box along with a few other things.  

Hope you day is filled with sunshine and warmth!

Where the Galahs Gather

Hi Everyone!  Its another warm Summers Day here today, perfect weather for doing the washing but a bit too warm to be doing other chores....well that's my excuse anyway.  So I got the washing on early and then hit the craft room to create some of my February Projects for one of my Swap Groups one of which I am sharing today.

The first one had to be a ATC featuring a Bird.  My swap partner this month loves Pastel Colors so I immediately thought of a Galah.

Supplies:  

Pale Blue Cardstock, Leaf Embossing Folder, SU Bird Punch, Faber Castell Gelatos in Pink, Green and Blue tones.  Washi Tape, Paper Cord, Feather, Pearls, Eyelet Border Punch, Galah Postage Stamp, Galah Collage Image.

I took further inspiration for my ATC by the group of Galah's that frequent our Garden and feed in the bird feeder we have placed in one of the Poinciana Trees.   As I took this photo and glanced from my bedroom window there were about ten of them and a couple of rainbow lorikeets feeding beneath the tree.  The bird life is one of the many reasons I love living out of town.

Some ATC's for a Change

Last night I decided to take a break from making the Thank You cards which I have an order for and finish off a swap for my Wonder Down Under Stampers Group which was to make two Open Themed ATC's.  I got on a bit of a roll and was enjoying the change from cards, so ended up making a set of three using a stamp set I hadn't had a chance to ink up until now just for the hell of it.

These two are for my swap - I chose these as they both were of animals on a scripted background, I simply stamped, coloured, cut out and mounted for some dimension and added some bling by way of glitter and some rhinestones.

 I have called this set of 3 - Through the Eyes of a Child, and have used a background I made using a combination of a Crayon Resist with Alcohol Inks and Metallic Acrylic Paints.  

I randomly scribbled with my crayon over a piece of high resolution copy paper which has a smooth surface and is thicker than normal copy paper.  I then applied Alcohol Ink Over the surface, once dry I rubbed to remove the crayon and reveal the white of the paper.  

Once done I then took three colours of Metallic Acrylic Paint and applied over my paper.  I allowed a couple of seconds for it to absorb slightly and then I rubbed back with a cloth. It left a subtle hint of colour and the sheen of the metallic behind.I then simply added my stamped images which I coloured with my much loved Tria's, the sentiments and Newsprint Paper.

Today I am back to my Thank You Card Making, I have sixty to make in total.  I am trying to make a variety of designs as I would definitely get bored and frustrated easily if they were all to be the same.

My First ATC Swaps

Last Month I took part in my first ATC (Artistic Trading Card) Swaps which were being hosted by Shazz the lovely Scrap Lounge Owner.

The first one had an Easter Theme, whilst the second one was a Anzac Theme where we were asked to incorporate the colours Red White and Blue and Stars into our design.  

Today I received the wonderful ATC's from the other swap participants and I have to say I am loving the wide variety of styles and designs I received. Here is the two ATC's I created for this swap and I will post a photo of the others I received for you all to see in the next few days.

I loved creating these mini pieces of Art and now I have more of an idea of what I am doing or can do, I will definitely be on the look out to participate in some more.