Mothering ATC's in pink and golden floral glory

"Who wants to make some ATC's?"

ME! ME! ME! (I'm a keener)

And maybe I'd like to make some sort of Mother's Day thing-a-ma-doodle? You know, for people who like to plan ahead and not do everything last minute. I have no idea who these 'think ahead' people are, but sure!

That's how I ended up making this pretty batch of Artist Trading Cards for my friends at AlphaStamps.

There's 9 of the pretty things all together which means you could make your favourite motherer a pocket letter. Be sure to include a gift certificate, a sweet note, photograph, mementos or charms in there if going this route.

I've made some of these little darlings as ATC sized cards. Perhaps you'd prefer to distribute a little love to all the great motherers you know.

The cards were a cinch to whip up, but here are a few of the steps you may find useful

• Using papers from this month's kit I cut out the appropriate ATC size 2.5" x 3.5" OR 5" x 3.5" for folded ATC cards, then rounded all of the corners.

• I applied some acrylic gel medium using a doily as a stencil and sprinkled some gold embossing powder sparingly on top and set it with a heat gun. I really liked the way these worked together!

• I applied fussy cut images from Mother Knows Best Collage Sheet (which I printed in black and white)

• All of the winged things are from this Butterflies & Moths Collage Sheet. I printed one sheet full size and a second sheet at 50% to give me an even wider variety of sizes.

• When gluing the butterflies into place, I only glue the centre body part. This way the wings can be folded back, giving a 3D effect.

Easy peasy and all the bits came together nicely. Soooo, if you feel like making something pink, floral and feminine, (or are one of those amazing people who want to get a jump start on a mothers day project!) here's your supply round-up:

Baroque Dresden Borders - Gold
Mother Knows Best Collage Sheet
Butterflies & Moths Collage Sheet
House of Roses Old Letters Scrapbook Paper
House of Roses on the Porch Scrapbook Paper
Prima Tales of You & Me Notre Jardin Secret Scrapbook Paper
Prima Tales of You & Me Jardin de Fleurs Scrapbook Paper
Doily
Gold Embossing Powder
Acrylic Gel Medium

Fairies, Frocks and Godmothers Revisited

I was looking through some old projects and I realized I didn't post the second part to my Faires, Frocks and Godmothers post. That was almost a year ago (!), so I'm using the old adage 'better late than never', which seems to be my life motto at the moment.

To review: fairy godmothers are basically the flashy aunts of the fairy world. While most fair folk dress for comfort and function, they love to dress in over-the-top gowns and wear shoes that aren't in the least sensible.

You would be forgiven if you thought the above dress was worn by a fairy godmother with butterfly duties. No, Pebble Waterstone, the owner of this gown, has absolutely no affiliation to with those winged creatures. Pebble is actually in charge of wells, keeping them full, maintaining water quality. She has played havock with the pipes in my little town over the past year or so.

The final frock I have to share belongs to Beryl Eventide. She is an elusive Godmother who, unlike her peers, prefers solitude and only appears in those magical blue hued moments of twilight as day officially turns to night. If you find yourself pixie-led at dusk, she may lead you to safety. If she likes you.

Lastly...

To the creatures of Pixie Hill

If the door is too small, it's not meant for you! This is a bird house, not a squirrel bungalow. 

Thank you,

The Management

From funk to funky - Disco Lyric ATCs

There are things that make me happy. I'm sure you know some of them: fairy tales and daydreams. Others might surprise you: Pee-wee Herman and disco.

If I'm in a funk, I slide the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack onto my music making doohickey and in no time at all I'm dancing in my kitchen. (Warning: Don't ever peek in my kitchen window.)

Fed up of being in a glum slump I decided to use that funky music and create a set of ATC's with disco lyrics.

I won't give a true and full supply list (some of the supplies used are pretty well hidden/covered) but I will say that I used these as an opportunity to experiment with some Radiant Rain mists and daubers that I was sent, and that most of the ladies on the cards are from my Blushing Ladies Collage Sheet.

Here's a good look at my 'disco diva's' and where their sentiments originated.

ABBA "Fernando"

Bee Gees "More Than A Woman"

Gloria Gaynor "I Will Survive"

Bee Gees "Night Fever"

Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love"

ABBA "Chiquitita"

ABBA "Fernando"

Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"

And there you have it! A batch of funk fighting ATCs.

I know that some of the songs listed aren't exactly disco and, honestly, where the heck is Donna Summer? But I think these will do for now ;)

The Bird House for AlphaStamps

A while ago I created a set of mixed media chunky houses with bases I had the hubs cut from mdf. I still had one of those housey shapes kicking around and I decided to put it to use for this month's AlphaStamps.com project. And so, here is 'The Bird House'.

There's nothing too complex going on here. Some fussy cutting, some embellishing, painting and gluing and Ta Da! a pretty shabby thing-a-ma-doodle to hang on the wall.

I restrained myself and didn't use a spec of glitter. To make up for it I did paint a golden egg and add some Narrow Gold Fleur Dresden Borders* (which I think is just about the prettiest thing ever). And topped it with this Fancy Silver Birdhouse Charm* 

Normally I avoid using gold and silver together but I think they're getting along on this piece. Maybe it's because they're just sitting delicately, and are too buy being pretty to compete against one another. 

Note: Yes, my supplies have personalities.

While going off the deep-end, buying buckets of supplies, and throwing all you've got at a project can be fun, sometimes a 'simple' something is just the thing for your soul. Sometimes you only need a little this and that.

"The Bird House" supply round up from AlphaStamps
Silver Bead Caps
MDF board

The Goblin Throne

Spring is finally creeping into our neck of the woods. My faithful furry buddy and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather, wandering through the dried grasses and meandering next to the little stream that edges our property.

While these conditions are ideal for fairy sightings, it was a goblin we first encountered on our stroll the other day. Normally I don't mix with goblins (I don't have anything against them in particular, but avoiding them seems like the best practice) but we regarded each other respectfully and engaged in a little chatter.

He shared his ideas with me for a sort of goblin throne. I agreed to make one, in exchange for permission to share the project with others. He grumbled that he didn't much care, so long as the throne was made, and here we are.

There were four elements of utmost importance to be included:

1) It must not look out of place in the goblins den.

2) The seat must be well cushioned, because even goblins do not like sore bottoms.

3) It should be embellished with poisoned berries and pointy things. (Note: The design didn't have to BE dangerous, but if it looked as though you might prick your finger that would be a very good thing indeed. And poisoned berries because goblins like to nibble throughout the day.)
4) It must contain a secret chamber for goblin treasures.

As soon as he mentioned the secret chamber my mind turned to this Trinket Drawer Stand and I gathered up some bark and moss and set to work.

This isn't a complicated project, and the supplies are few, but our goblin acquaintance was well pleased with the results. If goblins aren't your cup-of-tea, add flowers rather than spikes, and hide jelly beans in the secret drawer to make a regal chair for a fairy queen.

Here's the story of the Goblin Throne and how I put it together.

And here is a list of all the goods used:

Trinket Drawer Stand
Black acrylic paint

Moss
Bark
Pinecones
Acorns
Faux berries and leaves
Sticks and twigs

Toothpicks

Large metal crown
Metal bee
FlowerSoft in "Moss" and "Sage"

LOADS of glue

Two wee mixed media things

It's Tuesday and I should be posting about a certain little tent project... but I've decided to put the "how to be inspired" posts indefinitely on hold. For those who wanted to play along, I'm sorry. The truth is my enthusiasm has had a number of dampers placed on it and my heart just isn't in it. 

Instead, I have a couple of mixed media pieces to show off.

Supply round up:

Reliquary - Tower Top
Reliquary - Arch Top
Decorative Windows 1 to 24
Faux Typewriter Keys Symbol Set
Blushing Ladies Collage Sheet
Asparagus Fern Garland*
Mini Rose Buds - Ivory*
Mini Rose Buds - Pink Cream Variegated*
3mm Brass Flat-Back Studs*
Narrow Gold Fleur Dresden Borders*
Golden Copper paint
Moss
Paper butterflies

Sentiments cut from old books

Mr. McGregor's Garden

This month AlphaStamps kit is themed "The Garden". Although the thought of a tiny a fairy garden did fleet through my mind, I decided to create a corner of Mr. McGregor's garden instead.

If you need help recalling who Mr. McGregor is, he is the big old meanie who tends the garden that Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny 'visit' in Beatirix Potter's books. That's Peter's jacket on the scarecrow. He lost it in the garden after his mother warned him not to go there.

This corner of the McGregor's garden was created using a Corner Room Box as a base with a Stone Wall Chipboard Texture Sheet* and plaster to achieve the wall. Although difficult to see, there is a brick path edging the soil. Can you guess what was used for the soil? Tea! And all of those sprouting vegetables are deconstructed faux plants/flowers like this Twiggy Leaf Garland*.

The clay pots scattered in the garden, like this Terracotta Wall Planter are super cute. I think they add a touch of extra colour which compliment Peter's blue jacket. And did you notice the brass buttons which Peter was so proud of in the story? They are 3mm Brass Flat-Back Studs*.

And if your chomping at the bit, wanting to create your own garden corner, here's a list of the bits and bobs available from AlphaStamps used in creating this piece:

Corner Room Box
Stone Wall Chipboard Texture Sheet*
Brick Wall Chipboard Texture Sheet*
Stone Rabbit Figurine Set
Tall Wooden Fruit Crate
Aged English Flower Box
Clay Planters with Saucers
Terracotta Wall Planter
Mini Black Wrought Iron Fence
Flower Soft - Peony Pink
Flower Soft - Sweet Pea
3mm Brass Flat-Back Studs*
1 Inch Curly Paper Roses - Pale Pink*
Tiny Paper Roses - Pink Cream Variegated*
Mini Rose Buds - Pink Cream Variegated*
Pink Rose Garland*
Asparagus Fern Garland*
Fern Garland*
Mini Fern Garland*
Twiggy Leaf Garland*

Or you can find them all in one place HERE

OR you this original piece is available for sale HERE

And finally, for a size comparison, here's the wee corner with my coffee mug.