Playing favourites

Over at Opus Gluei this week , there's  request to show off some of the things you love to do, but use an ATC to do it.  Think  of an ATC as your artistic business card...its about that size after all (three and half inches by two and a half inches)(I have NO IDEA what that is in metrics, and I don't care to know either.  Inches are so much more do-able)...........

So I went back to what I love the most, which is the muted palette of black, grey, brown..........and came up with these two....  The first makes use of grey gauze ribbon to make both a background and an accent, plus a little piece of wood grained Kaisercraft paper, and my very favourite Scrabble-letters paper too.  The second one had to have a touch of orange to lift the black and cream.  There's a scrap of handmade silky paper and a matching butterfly about to land on the spidery leaves.

 












Then, just because it was there, I used up the last of a lovely paper square from a Taylored Expressions kit from several years ago.  It reminded of me of the garden today - the beginning of Spring and the first tiny blossoms attracting bees.  In my garden there is an old willow tree that has seen better days, but in Spring, all the straggly branches throw out new shoots and the bees come and fill the air with buzzing.

ATCs can be like windows into your craft - what do your windows show?

Taking a break..........

Once upon a time four friends traveled between the islands of the Cyclades, stopping to sample fresh fish, cocktails in the evening sun, and the warm Mediterranean breezes.  It was unforgettable.

The OG challenge to capture something of the essence of a vacation, real or imagined, lead me to revisit that memorable time and create some ATCs with a tiny bit of the flavour of the time.

 First a little of the stark beauty that is Thira.....

 ...antiquities around every corner......

....and walking under strings of octopus drying in the sun.

Proves that I wasn't silly to save those little bits of ephemera afterall.

Summer Harvest

I love being part of a team that is spread across the ocean....over on the other side of the world its nothing like the winter weather we have here in Melbourne, but I can dream.....

So for a challenge that's all about the bountiful harvest of summer I had to put my nose outside my blankets.  This little ATC makes me think it might be summer soon....and when it rolls around, I'll sit on a rug in the sun and eat strawberries..........

I discovered a strip of bunting from kaisercraft and it was just the right colour for these little circles.  The string and papers are all from TE kits and FINALLY the busy room shelves are  little emptier!

A good read........

I almost got myself into SO MUCH trouble this week.....  Its a secret only a few people will understand, and they're the ones I'm apologising to. 

So, before I forget anything else, this is a post to show just what you could do with a book that was anything but a good read.  You need a cutting board, a sharp knife, a template of half the piece of fruit, and a paperback you can sacrifice.  Bend the spine right back a few times, and if no pages fall out, or the spine doesn't crack in half, that means the binding glue is flexible enough to make one of these.

,,,,and then pop over to Opus Gluei and enter our challenge.  Its all about books this week.

All tied up...with Opus Gluei

I had such plans for this challenge, amongst which was getting it finished early, but that came to nothing!!  

My desk is littered with half-made zombies with black sack dresses and string belts, and their brothers (also half-made) with big boots and string vests, but sadly none of them are yet up to scratch to share.  Today I spied some intricately sewn versions that I think I'll try instead..........but none of this helped with the OG Challenge, and the deadline loomed, so...........

....here is a tiny contribution, an ATC with scraps of twine and old Stampin' Up paper and a lovely kaisercraft nesting doll with some extra glitter on her apron.

 

There is definitely a small piece of string there, and that's what counts!!

Movie postcard

Had the chance to join in a swap with a some crafty friends and the topic this time was a movie themed postcard.  My friends will know that I have a quiet passion for the Blues Brothers, dating back long before I began papercrafts.  I think the first time I watched it I was totally bemused, but now I'm one of those crazy theatre-goers at The Astor who dress up, sing all the songs and recite all the lines.

Here's my entry

 

...and of course its photographed tucked in my son's hat, part of my costume at every screening.  Its a tribute to you Si that you chose such an enduring image that lives on through so many productions.  I'm pretty sure you wont mind that I rebanded the hat - that white ribbon did get just a wee bit tired after so many wearings.....

Vale Simon C Thomson, Blues Brother extraordinaire.

Welcome to the zoo...

....well, maybe just to the Butterfly House, which only makes sense if you live in Melbourne where we have a beautiful one.... 

 Here are a couple of ATCs for the latest Opus Gluei challenge which is to use animals, real or imagined, in our work.  It would have so easy to find a cat to use...........many many many here, but I found this paper and went with it instead.  I think the butterfly one is just a bit too extreme, but I like the bird on his branch.

 
And I had to sneak a cat in too, even if just as a prop for the photo.  

Details: paper is Kaisercraft "Secret Bird Society Collection", the branch is cut with a Taylored Expressions die called "Leafy Branch" and run through the cuttlebug, and all the other oddments are from the busy room boxes.

Happy Birthday Gaye

Making a card for my sister-in-law is a tricky business because there are colours she likes and ones she doesn't, and  it shouldn't be too girly, and it should have a small message if possible.........mind you, these are restrictions I put on myself, she's be mildly horrified to read this I'm sure.

So I combined all the parameters with some things I picked up at the new and beguiling Kaisercraft warehouse shop, and this is the result.

Very simple, very clean..........and just a small message.

Restrain yourself......to black & white & one other colour.....

When I started this card in my head, it was black with little bits of white and yellow...........and then the fingers took over from the head, and look what happened..........

...........it became yellow with a hint of black and white.  Ah well.

As always, I am seduced by the paper, and when it came to finding something black, this small piece of embossed card fell out of the pile on my desk.











So I tried again, just to see what my head and fingers would come up with, and this is the result.


Not strictly black and white...........but I like it.  This is another challenge from the team at Opus Gluei, so its well worth a look to see what other designers have created.

Something for your best friend - Opus Gluei #183

I find that making special cards are the hardest........if I just sit down and let inspiration take over, the results seem effortless, but as soon as I have a person in mind, nothing seems good enough.

I set myself the challenge of using a window card I had left over from a set I made a while ago......and I knew what I wanted to achieve, but I'm not sure I did.  The lovely parchment-like paper in the centre is a Kaisercraft one that I fell in love with - you'll see more of it in another post. 

The sentiment is Kaisercraft too, and its most appropriate for the friend I have in mind, because she doubts herself without any reason.  She's the first to see the good in any situation, the first to appear at your side, and the cheerful face I see across my desk every day.

To see what others have designed for their friends, go over to Opus Gluei and prepare to be delighted.