February ATCs- Friends

I love to try variations on a theme for my 3 for 3 swap ATCs each month, and this month I was playing with Versamark resist, Blending Blox and brayering, and metal embossed in the Cuttlebug. I am also trying to use up old stash! The Papermania flowers were bought the year they came out, and I have given them a new look by embossing and shaping them. Expect to see more of the same- they came in a big pack! Now I just need to find a new look for my enormous box of metal-rimmed tags...

Colour: Distress Inks, Dee Greunig's Blending Blox, Whispers back ink, Stazon, Paint Dabber, Sakura glaze pen, black fineline pen
Stamps: Kathy Davies (flower), Crafty Individuals (words and flourish)
Other: Drinks can metal, Papermania metal flowers, seed beads, glossy card

Mum's Birthday Card

When I started to make this, I told Vicky that I wouldn't blog it as I wasn't too happy with how it was going. Actually, I felt in the end that it came together pretty well, so here it is!

Colour: Dee Greunig Blending boxes, Sharpies, Iridescent Medium, Versafine
Stamps: Magenta, Elusive Images, Field of Sky, Hero Arts
Other: Bazzil Bling card, brayer

Playing with my Brayer

The good thing about making ATCs in threes is that you can have a play around with one image. This is for UK Stampers September swap, and the theme was 'Buildings or Structures'. I faffed around for most of this month, thinking up ideas and discarding them, and determinedly resisting Elusive Images new Paris stamps, and then last night I decided to use this Paperartsy stamp, which is a stand-alone ATC-sized image. I had bought a new brayer recently, and thought it would be the ideal stamp to use it with. Little did I know that it wasn't like using a paint-roller and tray- I had ink-pads flying around the room, and ended up with the inkiest blue hands ever! Then (after begging for help on the forum) Joanne came to my aid with a link to a Youtube video, and the penny dropped- you take the pad to the brayer, just like taking the pad to the stamp. Sarah came up with some good advice, too- I love forums :D !

Colour: Marvy 'Dee Greunig' Blending Blox, Distress Inks, Versafine, Sakura clear Stardust pen
Stamp: Paperartsy
Other: Woodware brayer