Hope, Heal, Happiness ATCs

I'm back again with another installment from my crafting life!

I only discovered ATCs a couple of years ago and for a long time made them and kept them - hence my husband's terminology, AKCs (Artist's Keeping Cards)!  Last year I started joining in with the Craft Stamper monthly swap and more recently have been involved with the UK Stampers forum monthly swap - kindly organised by Sam!

These are from last month's swap - entitled Hope, Heal, Happiness where the parameters were to use one of the words on each ATC. These were made during a period of intense back pain through a fug of medication so I have kept them very simple this time!

For my first ATC, I used a magnetic rubbadubbadoo stamp from the Classic Impressions set (I need to hone my photographic skills!) on a background coloured with various blue shades of Distress Inks, the word 'hope' stamped and glazed with Glossy Accents and a thin ribbon down the right hand side.

My Heal ATC has a musical notes background created with a Judikins stamp on a card coloured with pale pink Distress Inks and the word 'heal' stamped in black Ranger Archival ink. The flower image is from Paperartsy, stamped in black Archival ink on a background of darker pink/red Distress Ink.

My third ATC for this month is 'happiness' and is created using one of my favourite stamps - she's called Karin and is one of my extensive collection of Stampotique stamps - gorgeous isn't she?! She's coloured  using Distress Inks, and stuck onto a painted red background.

Hope whoever received these enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed the three I got back!

Going to get some beauty sleep - off for a crafty weekend organised by Gwen at the Stamp Pad tomorrow - can't wait!

JulieD x

Welcome to my Crafting World!

As a self-confessed technophobe, I never thought the day would come when I put myself and my creations in cyberspace, but with a little help from my graphic designer husband and my friends on the UK Stampers forum, here I am! I've been crafting for years but the real addiction kicked in six years ago when I discovered scrapbooking, then stamping, then mixed media and now I'm never happier than when I'm chucking paint, ink and matte medium around with beautiful papers, stamps, beads and charms. 

I thought I'd start my journey with a Steampunk box I've recently finished. Most of the materials are from my local craft shop (and therapy centre!) - The Stamp Pad in Greenfield, Saddleworth. This project started out as a plain chipboard box which I painted inside and out with rust red acrylic then dry brushed with a tiny amount of black. The papers are Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante and most of the other elements are Ideaology - with the exception of the large key which is Life's Journey, the Ranger frame and the metal butterfly and beads which are from a jewellery making shop. The elements are stuck down with mosaic glue and matte medium and the frame is filled with Glossy Accents and had microbeads poured in while still wet. The paper butterflies and raven have also had this treatment. 

Now for the inside! I made two trays from very thick card, covered them with the Graphic 45 paper, made dividers from corrugated card and inked until they were thoroughly distressed! I added black velvet ribbon with mini fasteners to lift the trays out of the box.  I then filled them with Ideaology goodies such as fragments, charms, pins, D rings, foundations and lots of findings.

As an extra project I decorated the inside of the box lid with more Graphic 45 paper which I cut out and attached to look as though the man was flying (or falling depending on your outlook!) The hand is folded at the wrist and the man is attached with little mounds of black foam squares to create the 3D effect.

The outside has curtain hanging fabric roughly painted in coordinating acrylics and then more Ideaology items including fragment charms (which I have stuck on Graphic 45 paper with Glossy Accents) and attached to the ribbon with a memo pin and either black elastic or bead chain. It stands on Ideaology Foundations.

I hope you like it!

JulieD x