Welcome to Week 4 (ATCs) of Donna Downey's Fun with Fabric class!

These ATCs started as a blank canvas and then we painted everything with watercolors (more on that later). Here are the fabric ATCs once painted, embellished and sewn together (see close-ups on Flickr).



I had purchased two sets of watercolors to get a variety of colors. One was $5 and one was about $30 - 50% coupon = $15. Wouldn't you know it, the $5 set worked the best and gave the best colors! Oh well. I really liked the watercolor painting.

This next set is similar but made on paper. I like how the lady (from Donna's She Said set) turned out on paper. I colored her with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol on this set.



In other news, hubby just purchased a domain name for me... http://www.dustypenny.com/. Cool! I love having a techie hubby.

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,

Thought I would share this set of ATCs that I made recently for the fairy-themed swap at Wishful Thinking:


 
 
Here is a close-up:



Stamp(s): Hero Arts (CL292 Celebrate All Day)
Ink(s): Tsukineko (Tuxedo Black); Ranger (Tumbled Glass Distress Ink)

Paper(s): Neenah (Classic Crest Solar White)
Other: Copic (Markers); Sakura (Glitter Pens)



Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,

Hello. Hope you are having a great weekend.

Thought I would share this set of ATCs that I made recently for the Time-themed swap at Wishful Thinking:


Here is a close-up:


Stamp(s): Hero Arts (CL388 Cuckoo)
Ink(s): Hero Arts (Latte); Tsukineko (Tuxedo Black)
Paper(s): Graphic 45 (Hip to the Jive); Strathmore (ATC Blanks)
Other: Petaloo (Flowers); Copic (Assorted Markers)

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

I made this set of ATCs recently for the Cinco de Mayo-themed swap at Wishful Thinking:



When I looked up Cinco de Mayo I found lots of images of dancers. They were wearing lovely dresses (like THIS one shown above). The dresses reminded me of THIS Hero Arts Circle Lace stamp. I paired it with THIS Cornish Heritage Farms Aged Sheet Music stamp (love the large 6" x 6" size since it easily covers an entire A2 card base!).

Here is a close-up:



Stamp(s): Hero Arts (S5319 Circle Lace); Cornish Heritage Farms (Aged Sheet Music)
Ink(s): Ranger (Distress Inks, several colors)
Paper(s): Strathmore (ATC Blanks)
Other: American Crafts (White Embossing Powder)

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,

Hello. Hope you are having a good day. Just want to share two sets of ATCs that I made last weekend for swaps at Wishful Thinking. Hmm, is it too soon to be looking forward to this weekend?

For the "Ladies Fashions" theme I focused on sewing and was inspired by a mini album I made at Archiver's recently (more on that after I finish it):



Stamp(s): Hero Arts (F3342 Stitched Ribbon, CL397 Sew Original)
Ink(s): Hero Arts (Night); Ranger (Broken China); ColorBox (Chestnut Roan)
Paper(s): GCD Studios (Vintage Sewing Pattern); Unknown (Metallic scraps)
Other: Ranger (Worn Lipstick Paint); Petaloo (Flowers); Silhouette (Dress Form)

I focused on Ireland's flag for the "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" theme, but added a cute shamrock to it just for fun:



Stamp(s): Hero Arts (CL408 Cute Uppercase)
Ink(s): Ranger (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Dried Marigold, Forest Moss); ColorBox (Chestnut Roan)
Paper(s): Unknown (White scraps)
Other: Silhouette (Hero Arts Shamrock), Tattered Angels (Pearl Glimmer Mist)

You still have a little time to enter Mary's Artist Class Giveaway HERE. You will have to act fast because she is selecting a random winner on Wednesday. Good luck!

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

One more quick post. I can't believe how fast tonight went!

I made this Butterfly card for the Hero Arts Blog Friendship and Valentine's Challenge challenge and the Caardvarks Red Heart challenge. The famous Hero Arts heart winged butterfly stamp is also available as a Silhouette die cut - so cool! I handstitched the black border.



CG119 Flourish Background
CG125 Friend Definition
K5153 Heart Flourish
Silhouette butterfly_heart_winged_C20091115193057_23067

I also made a set of ATCs for the Amore-themed swap at Wishful Thinking. The background is a Tim Holtz stamp and the couple is another Silhouette die cut.



And I saved my favorite picture with Dusty for last:



Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

Hooray, it is finally the weekend! Are you as glad as I am? Whew.

A few days ago I promised to tell you where I had been... well, I was busy making all the cards below at my first ever scrapbook / stamp retreat! I sure hope my Hero Arts Flickr friends are sitting down, because someone very near and dear to our hearts was there as a guest, too! Are you guessing? More on that in a moment...

Here are some of the cards I made while I was gone; I will try to add more details later but there is currently a line for this computer. Many of these cards will be going to the Cards for Kids Card Drive (a possible clue?). I sure hope you will send in some cards as well. I heard there is a need for more boy cards, so please keep that in mind.







Ok, I guess that is enough suspense. It was the lovely, talented, and generous Jennifer McGuire! She was busy making projects for the Craft & Hobby Association show. During the weekend Jennifer told some funny (odd?) stories from her former life as an engineer. I also met other sweet and talented ladies there including Jana and Sandi. Jana posted a few pictures on one of her blogs here (if you look closely you can see the back of my head -- lovely), here, and here (my favorite, but I wasn't there in time for that!).

Fun weekend. I packed WAY too much stuff and I don't think I will ever outgrow feeling like a shy (reserved?) little kid in social situations, but I am so glad I went. I was also very glad to come home to my hubby and two kitties on Sunday. :)

In other news, I was the lucky winner of Anne's Horder's Challenge! Anne is sending me a perfectly distressed ATC and generously donating $25 in my name to Doctors Without Borders, USA to benefit Haiti. Thanks so much, Anne!

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

P.S. Have a wonderful weekend!

I hope to blog lots of cards later this week and tell you where I've been the last few days. But first, here is a set of ATCs I made for the Hero Arts Blog Friendship and Valentine's Challenge and for the It's Raining Men ATC Swap on ATCsforAll:



Here is a close-up:



CG125 Friend Definition
CL276 ClearDesign: So Sweet
Vintage Photo courtesy of Lynn (Thanks, Lynn!)

And, of course, here is Dusty checking my work:



Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

Just a quick post tonight. Hubby is forcing me to watch American Idol again. Not too keen on it, but it is on so much maybe I can finally play Pogo again and catch up with my blogging friends on my Google Reader! Mom, if you are reading this -- Hi!

I made this set of ATCs for the Hero Arts Blog Friendship and Valentine's Challenge and for the Ice Cream ATC Swap on ATCsforAll:



The sentiment is clear embossed on white paper. The background is Fired Brick Distress Ink plus Pearl Glimmer Mist. It is very shiny in person. The ice cream sundae is colored with a mix of colored pencils and markers, then the glass dish was covered with Glossy Accents to add some shine.

Here is a close-up:



CL331 Birthday
CL217 Sparkle Clear: Sweet Moments (sorry, couldn't find a link on the Hero Arts site)

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

I made this set of ATCs for the Hero Arts Blog Friendship and Valentine's Challenge and for the Monkey Business ATC Swap on ATCsforAll:



The stamped Hero Arts images were colored with Copic Markers. I am still trying to figure out blending and shading, but I think I am slowly getting better. The coffee cup (shortened to fit in my space) and the sweet treat were stamped on kraft and cut out. I added a little glitter pen on them for some shine.

Here is a close-up:



CL187 Sparkle Clear: Coffee
CL217 Sparkle Clear: Sweet Moments (sorry, couldn't find a link on the Hero Arts site)
CL155 ClearDesign: Playful Animals

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

Whew, it has already been a  l--o--n--g  week here. I am so glad tomorrow is Friday. How about you?

The new Monthly Theme on the Hero Arts Blog is Friendship & Valentine's. You can find more info here and there is still plenty of time for you to enter the challenge. This is the perfect theme for me because I am signed up for several Valentine's Day card swaps on Swap-Bot.com plus I have some fun new stamps from the 2010 catalog to try out!

I made four of this first set of cards. The cupcake is perfect for Valentine's Day or any day. I especially like that it is big and bold and easy to cut out! My Copic Markers didn't agree with the pink paper for some reason. Since I had already cut out the cupcakes I covered the boo-boos with little punched hearts. It doesn't show up well in the photo, but there is also some glitter pen on the little sprinkles and swirls plus some Signo Uni-Ball White Gel Pen.



CG157 Large Cupcake
CL182 Poly CLEAR: Tree, Birds And Messages

I made four of this second set, too. This time the top (and bottom on both sets of cards) of the cupcakes were colored with Prismacolor Pencils. I also applied Pearl Glimmer Mist to the hearts with a little paintbrush for some shine.



CG157 Large Cupcake
CG119 Flourish Background
CL129 Poly CLEAR: Anytime Messages

Plus I made 10 ATCs for a "Hearts Galore" ATC Swap at Stamp Your Art Out. The large heart is handstitched. I also added punched corners and lots of little pearls.



S5290 Crossword Background
CL406 Buttons

Well, I guess that is it for now. I hope you are having a better week wherever you are!

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!


Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

P.S. Oh yeah, do you like the new look on my blog?

Created for the Strings Attached ATC swap on ATCsforAll.com:



Here is Dusty taking violin lessons. Apparently hubby thought it was a good idea since he was the one taking the pictures...



Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

My Google Reader is bursting at the seams, so I apologize if I haven't made it to your blog lately. I hope to catch up over the long weekend.

The two ATCs below were created for a Mardi Gras Mask Swap on Swap-Bot.com:





The masks were cut from silver glitter paper. I added lots of red / green nailhead gems to them. The "feathers" are Prima leaves. The background is Hero Arts CG119 Flourish Background (VersaMark w/ Glittery Embossing Powder).

I am trying to wrap up several swaps I am signed up for before the end of the year. Not sure if it is possible to get them all done, but I am trying! I really like making stuff for swaps and getting the returns in the mail, but not so much on the addressing, posting, mailing, etc. I guess it is just a necessary evil, though.

Meanwhile my craftroom (aka the black hole of time, space, and money) is in serious need of cleaning and organizing. Hubby says I just have too much stuff and I hate to admit it, but I am starting to think so, too! It is amazing how many stamps and inks and supplies go into each little project. Even if I start with a clean desk, it seems to be a big mess by the time I am finished!

Friendly Fowl ATCs (Take 2; Long Story):


Hero Arts Stamps: CL183 Sparkle Clear: Cute Letters, CL155 ClearDesign: Playful Animals

The quote on my ATC is from The Duck by Ogden Nash:

Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is specially fond
Of a puddle or pond.
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms ups.

Cupcake Goodness ATCs:


Hero Arts Stamps: CL158 ClearDesign: Cupcakes, CL168 Sparkle Clear: Cupcakes

Love Is In The Air Inchies:


Hero Arts Stamps: CL309 ClearDesign: Whoo Loves You, CL266 ClearDesign: Mix and Match Elements, CL276 ClearDesign: So Sweet

Here is a close-up (trying to show the shine and embossing):



Hubby is impatiently waiting on me. I told him to pause something on TV and that I'd be right there a few minutes ago. Oops. Gotta run...

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

Here are my Cheshire Cat ATCs for a Swap on ATCsforAll.com:



I colored the background with Broken China and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks. The Hero Arts tree from CL230 ClearDesign: Live Simply is colored with Copic markers. The cat was a digital stamp by Creative Mundi. I removed the mouth he came with any made my own grin in Photoshop Elements 8.0. After printing and trimming, I added some shading with black chalk and then sprayed him with Pearl Glimmer Mist for some shine. The sentiment is Hero Arts LL095 Cute Critters.

Here is a close-up of one of the cards:



Here are my Friendly Fowl ATCs for a Swap on ATCsforAll.com:



I just love the new CG152 Two Birds cling set from Hero Arts. I sprayed the background with Sea Glass Glimmer Mist before stamping and coloring the images with Prismacolor pencils. I need more practice on coloring the birds, but the flowers and leaves turned out good.

Here is a close-up of one of the cards:



Lots of snow here today. We planned to go to the movies but stayed home instead. Back to work tomorrow after a week off. Good thing it is only a four-day week!

Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)

Here are my cards for the Wishful Thinking January ATC swap. The vintage girl is courtesy of finsbury. The tree in the background is Hero Arts K5256 Winter Pine (one of my recent favorites).



Here is a close-up showing the snowballs. I covered them with Crackle Accents for a cold and icy effect. I also cut the arms and popped them up for dimension.



Thanks for looking! Comments are appreciated!

Hugs,
dustypenny (aka Joy)