Alpha Stamps Yahoo Group Challenge

Hiya! Over at the Alpha Stamps Yahoo Groups there's a reproduction challenge going on. The idea is to take techniques shared by Nichola Battilana of Pixie Hill and Alpha Stamp's design team and make your own version of her faerie folk specimen jars (holding official proof that the faeries exist!). Around the Internets you might know her as Knickertwist, too.

Here's a link to her Pixie Hill Studio shop so you can see how the professional does it... and here's my reproduction:

The jar is 1 5/8" tall and a minute 1/2" wide. That's small! The label reads:

Faerie Specimen 1.001

Found in a shipping box with this tag attached: "Canada or Bust!"

It's kind of a joke since Nichola just happens to be my swap partner on a Craftster swap and I'll be sending a wicked forest-themed matchbox her way in a week or two. Yea, she's in Canada...

The mushrooms are made with paper clay and painted with shimmery paint. There's a bit of glare from the lights on the glass, but that doesn't disguise the fact that I definitely need practice on my dots. :) It was fun (and kinda hard) to make, though!

Thanks for sharing your technique, Knickers! I can only hope I win the prize of fabulous Pixie Hill art stuffs... :)

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

Asian Inspired Bird Card

Hello there! If you tiptoe quietly down the page you'll see a pretty little bird on a painted branch. Go ahead. I don't think you'll disturb him.

Isn't he sweet? He's from a K & Co. die cut and vellum pack - I think it's a Brenda Walton branded one that I know is still available at Hobby Lobby.

The branch is Dusty Attic's Cherry Blossom but the shape was too perfect for this gorgeous blue and green Basic Grey Kioshi paper. I painted the flowers and branch with Adirondack Paint Dabbers then touched them all up with Gathered Twigs Distress ink. (My favorite brown EVER.) Funny that I hardly ever use the dabbers and these 4 colors just happen to be almost all I have... how's that for serendipity? The centers are this funky liquid embossing stuff I bought last year and never used. I like the 3D aspect of the centers, so the liquid embossing stuff gets a reprieve.

Thanks for stopping in today to see my Asian-inspired card. It makes me feel calm and happy...

Cheers,
Susan

Vintage Toddler In A Tiara ATC

Hiya! Wow two posts in two days - when it rains it pours, eh? I wanted to share the last of the crafty weekend swaps. We could either do a tin, matchbox or ATC, and on this one I chose an ATC, then made it stand up... which probably disqualifies it as a true ATC, but whatever. I'm not too worried about it!

This time I had to work with the "child beauty pageant" theme. Boy, was that eye-opening when I did a little "google research". Yikes, is all I have to say about it. I chose to stay in my vintage comfort zone so I didn't have nightmares.

I gave my little beauty queen a pink netting skirt with a layer of loopy ribbon. I think that ribbon is Webster's Pages, from a year or two ago... it's another thing I've been hoarding. :) Or maybe it's May Arts?

You can see a little more of the stand from the back. The whole thing is two pieces of heavy cardboard that were glued and braced together with lining sheets that went from the top (at the watermark), were scored at the joint and continued to the edge of the base. The same thing with this purple lattice layer. It all stays pretty true to the proper 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" (64mm x 89mm) ATC size, although a little taller because of the base.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cheers,
Susan

Jewels of the Sea Altoid Tin

Hiya! So, I've been hoarding this Creative Imaginations paper for a couple of years. It's designed by Christine Adolph and part of her Oceana collection. I imagine it's been discontinued by now, but you can find bits of the collection here and there. This sheet is called "Sealife" and I adore it. Who else would I cut into it for, if not my sister? :) We did a swap and her theme was "mermaid".

There is a little layering on her fins:

The back shows a good view of the beauty of this paper:

Heh, I know the label is crooked. I *swear* it wasn't when I applied it... but you know how it goes. :)

The mermaid is a digital download from an Etsy shop called OVArtstore. It's probably the most beautiful mermaid image I've ever seen. The base is a wood candlestick from Michaels painted up with acrylics.

That's it for me today. I'm working on a new card while I figure out what to do with a "Wicked Forest" themed matchbox swap. Even as an adult I'm still a little afraid of the dark, and this wicked forest has me shaking in my shoes! *grin*

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Cheers,
Susan

Craftster Meetup and Tin Swapping Fun!

Hiya crafty folks! I've been MIA for a while as I worked on my swapping tins and prepared for a long weekend that went way too fast.

You might have read about Craftster on these pages. I hang out there with a bunch of incredibly talented and fun people, one of which is my big sister, Cackle. :) She lives in a small town in southern Virginia near another Craftster member called MissingWillow. Last weekend a third member - Rackycoo - drove up from the deep south and I drove down from Maryland for a wild weekend of food, laughter and junk shopping. It was so much fun!

Because we swap on Craftster we decided to swap for this weekend. Everyone picked a theme and the others had the choice of using matchboxes, tins or ATC's. Our themes were zombie sheep, butterflies, mermaids, and child beauty pageants. What an assortment!

Here's a closer peek at the tins made for my butterfly theme.

Aren't they gorgeous?! From left to right - an embroidered pincushion in a tin by MissingWillow, a fairy butterfly by Cackle, and a butterfly garden in a mini tin by Rackycoo. I couldn't be happier with these lovelies!

I have much to share about the weekend, so click the "click here for lots more" link below for food and farm life!