ATC'S

Last night I finally got some time to myself to do some ATC's which is good because i have a few I need to get done so it's all helping. Its been busy busy of recent. Anyway so I created this butterfly one for the butterfly swap I am hosting. I bought a butterfly punch and just started punching some out in colours and then the inspiration came - I like the idea it makes me think of the fun there is with butterflies flying!
My swap is going well, sign up has closed and I have 24 players at the moment including myself. So far I have had about 5/6 people's ATC's but alot of people have updated me saying they are in the post.
Its been so fun of recent - so much post coming through what with this swap, winning the WTA on the blind swaps yahoo group I joined and having penpals and such - my mailbox has never been so happy and it gives me great joy getting home of an evening and having fun packages to open and see what great stuff has come through!

This ATC is for the blind swap groups March Image competition, you make an ATC based on an image (which was the girl) and then everyone who creates one gets a number, random number wins all the ATC's. I like what I have done with this ATC but am unsure whether to add anything more to it - I am going with the image she is a geisha, considerations are putting something in her hand (many people have done this so am not keen) or putting words either side saying Geisha Girl. Anyone's opinion?


This one I just made off the cuff having looked through some of the things I have been receiving from my WTA round. The Background is printed from an images CD that lovely Pat sent me, then I put the words on that I had been sent. The ticket bit in the words made me think of the many admit one token people had sent me in a variety of colours and I thought the Blue tickets would go best as some of the words are in Blue!!! I did a few other little bits but they are WIP's so still working on them but hoping to do some tonight after I have been to the gym!

Crafty weekend

Thats right another weekend of craft. That is when I get the most time though I need to fit it in during the week more as I need to get a crack on with some Colour art to send back out. I am slowly working through the list and then i get more in which makes the list longer :)

I actually did a page in the journal i bought a few weeks ago. I was inspired by the sunshine outside my window and the feelings that felt good to get down. Hopefully my next pages will contain more art and less writing - that is the plan anyway.

I made a start on the ATC's for my butterfly swap I am hosting on one of my yahoogroups. I actually had the 1st entry arrive monday morning but I will not post them all on here as they won't all be my ATC's but I will post the 6 I end up keeping myself. I also got some interesting bits with it, some acetate tags and some jelly blocks as well instead of postage. They will be interesting to play with. Most of the butterfly ATC's are works in progress and so are not finished but thought I'd show what I did. On the left is like butterfly reflection which took alot of hard work to move all the little bits (I know you can get cool paper that holds it all for you but I did it the hard way. Then on the right is the very colourful butterfly. I enjoyed thinking about which sections to colour in. I do not know yet what I am going to add to either of these but I have until April 1st so maybe inspiration will hit. The sequined butterflies are done, I put them on a mottled looking blue background so it looks like they are in the sky. It was hard work gluing all the sequins down and making sure they stayed but i like the shiny effect.

I finished little boy boxer off last week and I like it, I sent it as part of a blind swap. I also created another ATC which I am sending in a swap with Lia and so I will not be posting a picture about it until after she has received it, but I really like it, it was fun to make and incorporated other crafty aspects I like.

Fun at the weekend

Thats right I got the creative juices flowing this weekend and created a few things. I amde this sunset building postcard. I have seen things like this before and i like the dark of the buildings standing out against the colour of the sunset. I sent this out as a piece in return for one of the colour pieces sent to me. I also sent out some extra bits with it as Matu had sent me some bits to play with. I also made a postcard fro my friend on a similar theme, using purple and blues for the background and only one building, it was portrait postcard. I however forgot to take a picture.

I also did some ATC making over the weekend which I have yet to have taken pictures of yet, these are to send out in a blind swap and just before the weekend I received my 3 from Satu. You can see them in Seuss's Cat's Post - there's a link to the side. Where I had made some acrylic paint background's I used a mixed colour one as a duck kind of look and then used black card to make tree branches so its that effect you get of tree's in dusk. Its a effect that I love when you are looking at tree's so though it would make a nice ATC. I also made a small well on a hill one which says, make a wish over it. I will post pictures of these over the next couple of days before I send them off.

Another weekend gone

and I did managed to get a piece done to send out in response to a piece for my colour call. I had however sealed the envelope before i remembered to take a picture so no picture. And now my brain has gone completely blank on what it was so if it comes back to me i'll be sure to let you know. I did some painting of ATC backgrounds with acrylic paint. I have a plan for a dusk scene with a tree over it so was trying to fix the paint to get a dusky looking blue but it went it bit more grey but shall see how it looks when i put the tree over it.

It came back to me, I made a butterfly masquerade mask card - simple but in nice colours to send to Jan Robson as she had seen I liked masquerade masks and sent me a couple so I wanted to send something back of the same theme. I had it in Purple and red on a green card with yellow points in the corners to make it look like it was framed as such. I put a silver jewel in the middle of the mask as well to give it some sparkle.

Productive Evening

I actually got quite alot of stuff done last night and I rediscovered some stuff I had forgotten about which made me quite happy. This colour wheel was an idea I had at work yesterday but it is a work in progress as I want to put it on top of something with a brad so it spins but am not sure what to put behind it at the moment so I nedd to have a think!

Anyway I remember about some thing I had bought a while ago, in most some oriental papers and so i fished the small box out with the stuff in and looked at the other stuff I had bought. Well I had also put in there some images that Cheryl Novey sent to me when she sent my Moon Goddess ATC's and i had forgotten about. They are not images i usually have because I don't have many, I do need to get more and I found this one of a little boy with boxing gloves (he makes me think of my cousins little boy) - I had some whimsical wallpaper looking paper from a scrapbooking magazine that I knew would go well and thus the ATC was created - its not quite finished - i want to put the words Little Boy Boxer along the side and bottom for finishing touches.

Also in this box of goodies were some stamps I had bought and in them was this yellow/orange stamp which I think is quite colourful - this inspired me to use it in a colour piece and then using the corresponding card to match with the colours in the stamp the piece below was created. I was very precise in measuring to make sure I would have the same gap each side but more rough when sticking it down. Art is not about precision :) This piece is going to be sent to Denise Hunley, I even have a premade envelope to send it in - a creation i did a while ago, it just has lots of writing on it - me getting my thoughts out and then I have turned it into an envelope to send those thoughts out into the world.

So then I got back to my oriental papers and I made 2 ATC backgrounds. I am not sure what I am going to put on them yet but I knew they would make great backgrounds so then next time I want to do come working on them, the backgrounds are already done. So as you can see lots of work done last night - it made me very happy and I hope I am as productive tonight.



Also i decided to send out some of the postcards / stuff I had already made and so am sending this black and white postcard out to Laura Ray on the Postal Press List - my hope is one day to have sent something to everyone on the list!

SQUARES!!!

Thats right i made some bases for squares on Saturday afternoon. I had lots of left over card so I wanted to make use of it - some bits i made into ATC bases and then if edges were left I realised I could make them into 1" squares. So i painted some the other day with acrylic paint, which are the ones at the bottom and the others i coloured using an inkpad. I dabbed the card on it and where I was trying to push it onto the card was where I ended up with the brighter patches of colour. On other bits it is more faded but where the flash went off it makes it look like there is no colour. I have yet to have found images to put on them yet but it was fun just making the bases. I am think of maybe doodling on a couple but I do want to find some images to go on them.

More Its Only Words ATC's

Thats right I finished off my last 3 it's only words ATC's and got them sent off - so hopefully soon people will be able to see what lovely one's I get in return.
I finished off my Brown Eyed Girl one, I did a Time Warp one from the Rocky Horrow show which is on Black card and has what looks like a vortex on it and then in pink are the words to the chorus - running along, its hard to see them in the picture (to be added later) but thats why bits of the vortex stop so as not to go over the words.
And then my last one is raindrops on the card with the words I'm only happy when it rains running along with them - this is Garbage's - I'm only happy when it Rains and although its quite a simple one I really like it. My last 3 are quite simple as they were a bit rushed - needed to get them in before the deadline but I like them none the less - this last week went really quick and i suddenly had less time than I thought!

Its only words ATC swap

I had a busy day of crafting yesterday - I made 4 more ATC's for the its only words swap which I have to have in for the 19th February which is fine - I only have 3 more to make and I am going to try and get them done today. The thinking behind its only words is that each card must contain song lyrics or song title on them and so I have gone with song lyrics. Each card has some lyrics on it and the pictures relate to either the lyrics on the page or the title of the song

. So far I have done Kaiser Chief - I predict a Riot, Green Days - Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Money makes the World go Around from Cabaret, Placebo - Pure Morning, The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba and Everclear - I will Buy you a New Life.

I have Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl as a definate one I am going to make and then I am still deciding on the other two. Its fun as I love music so making them based on the music I like has been great.

Yesterday I also started to make some squares as inspired by Lia - I only did the making them in terms of painting with acrylics and making them then into 1" squares - I haven't decided what kinds of images I am going to put on them yet. I also made a 2" square to use as a base for making something for the Small Art Project on www.mailart.org but again not sure where thats going to lead yet.

Sunset

Yep I made the effort Wednesday evening and although I only made one thing, it is one thing more than I might have done. I made a nice sunset postcard to send out to one of the people who have sent me something for my colour swap. I did the sun in pen and then blended pencils together to create the sunset effect coming from the sun. I found it fun and although simple I still think it looked lovely and was a good use of colour. I sent it to Miguel Jimenez who's work you can see through my links of what people have sent me.
Yesterday evening I was out with a friend so no art yesterday although I have over the last few days at work been writing bits for my mini journal I am going to do for serendipity's swap on her website - that also can be found on my links. I'm going personal with this zine because thats what I feel like doing - it can be alot easier to tell things to people who don't know you.

Photo of sunset postcard to follow

Time

There never seems to be enough time to get the things done you want to. There are soooo many things creatively that I want to be working on and i seem to be getting nothing done at the moment. I have ATC's I want to make, Mail Art to make to send to people, Cards i want to make for friends, the list goes on. Maybe I should just stop sleeping to fit it all in although that would then make me a very grumpy person!!!
The other thing that hinders me is forgetting the great ideas I come up with. I seem to think of all my best idea's when I am travelling say in my car or on the train and especially when driving I can't write them down! I try and keep it in the forefront of my mind but it is known to wander easily and then poof idea gone. Sometimes I re-remember them at a later date but I am sure many a great idea has vanished because of this.
Of course I am sure we all have certain things that we feel hinder our creativeness - its just working out how to overcome them thats the tricky bit!
Anyway I plan tonight to get myself into gear and do some of the things I want to do, not get sidetracked by house stuff and all those over kinds of things that seem to sidetrack you of an evening!!!!

Colour

Here's a colour piece I made to send out in return for my call. I really like it - something a bit fun and possibly educational at the same time as shows you what different colours mean. I like having the words behind the big colour!

It all just drawing and colouring in but then art should be about fun and I had fun making this :)

In The Frame

This weekend i made ATC's for the in the frame swap on my UK ATC's group. I started on one with an idea i'd had and then the others just progressed from there. My favourite is the Frame in Frame one because the thought of a frame in a frame makes me smile, very much like when you get the mirror effect where its endless.

Not the best picture of these so I will sort out a better one as soon as possible but i look forward to seeing what other people have done and getting them at the end of the month.

On the my own swap front - only one person has signed up so far which is disappointing. It might end up just being a straight swap between us which would be a shame but I am still trying to round up a few more people :)

Last weekend's creativeness

Sunday I had fun bring creative as I had some time to just sit down and play around with things. Both were idea's i'd come up with on my travels, I think of so many things when i'm driving to work and such and the pain is I can't write them down because I am driving so I am sure many a good idea has been lost.

This postcard is for Frantic Mail Art in Ireland and I've been saving up ring pulls especially for this so was glad to finally have enough to make it. Their theme was fish and I wanted to do something a bit different. Fish scales are often very metallic and shine in the light which was where my idea came from. Now all I have to do is get round to sending it.

This ATC was an idea i've had floating around my head and I am going to play with a bit more in terms of flowers and brads as it means the flower can move - so I am sure this weekend I will have a bit more of a play on postcards and such.

It wasn't made for a particular swap and the
S P I N is there to indicate that it does spin. Hopefully when i do send it out it will go to someone who enjoys it as much as I did making it. It also gave me the chance to play with some rub on's i had bought and been wanting to use for a while!!!

Hosting my own swap - very excited

Thats right, stacey on the UK ATC group has asked me to be the monthly swap host this month and so I am doing a Dr Seuss swap this month which I am very excited about as it will be my 1st swap as a host plus i love Dr Seuss. Only 1 person signed up so far but hopefully more will sign up cos i want it to be a great sucess.

Here's a couple of ATC's I made - the button one was originally for a button swap but mine got lost in the post and came back to me so i missed the swap but have instead sent it for a blind swap I am doing with a lady in America. The other one I made especially for the swap.


I recently bought some new card and paper and also i popped in a couple of craft stores looking in the sales - got a couple more stamps and inkpad cheap as well as some ribbon and stickers. Hopefully make use of them soon!

Welcome 2007

We are now into the new year and all the partying and such things are over, we now have a whole fresh new year ahead of us. Creatively its like a new start and I hope to do alot more stuff this year. Over the xmas period I made an ATC - snow themed to send as a Random Act of Kindness (picture to follow) and I made some postcards which I haven't sent out yet but I will, i am kind of storing so i have things to send people. Been a busy xmas so not much else to say. Keep coming back for more stuff though!!!!

Mail Art Call - COLOUR

I have looked online for many mail art calls and i respond to some but now I have decided its about time I did my own one. So I am asking for any form of Mail Art or ATC on the Theme of COLOUR - I love COLOUR it makes such an impression so show me what impression it makes on you. Anyone who sends something will receive something in return!!!

Deadline: At the moment their isn't one so open call
Theme: COLOUR
Address to send to:
Seuss's Cat
103 Rydal Drive
Bexleyheath
Kent DA7 5EG
UNITED KINGDOM

I look forward to seeing people's work and sharing mine in return!!!!

Its been a while

Indeed it has - I now have a new job working for Royal Mail which has been keeping me super busy for the last 6 weeks - but now i am settling in and therefore getting back to doing the ordinary life things as well. I just finished ATC's for 2 swaps - one on accessorize and one on buttons - photo's to follow later which were good fun - inspiration just kind of hit me with the accessorize one so i really like those cards.
There will probably be less going on with christmas coming up but who knows when inspiration hits you!

work, work, work

Been busy working so have had a little less time to do things as such. Been partaking in a few more ATC swaps - joined a UK group and so easier to trade. Just been in a fairytale swap and have received my cards which are nice - had the psychedelic swap back as well. Some lovely cards. I have had all the swaps i am cards back actually and i have some excellent work - so much better than mine but then with practice i should get better. Been working on my recent swaps which are Perform, the 5 senses and Magic. The 5 sense has been fun but a challenge because some things at 1st seemed hard to represent but i am getting there. I am at the beginning of magic and so am just batting my idea's around at the moment but i think this is going to be a fun one.
Had a couple of pieces of mail art, 1 from Jinx from the Postal press list who i just decided to send something and she sent me something back - an altered ATC.
Also found my Alice in Wonderland piece I had sent to Kat but i had not included an address so she has now sent me a nice photo of mushrooms as well - I really like this picture - the mushrooms just look so big.

Been resent the postal press list with a journal project going on and so am working on sending mailart to as many people on the list as i can. Everything takes time!

Just bought some cheap Acrylic paints so had a little play with them - to make a watery background for a postcard. Was good fun and obviously going to take a bit of practice but then thats all a part of progression.

Masquerade ATC

I have started work on these and have some good idea's or so I think. I have finished one of them which i will put up now and i will add more as I finish them.

I refound the shiny paper i had which helped inspire this ATC - it kind of looks like an invite. I have also created one which is like an invite.

Then I created this butterfly mask which i thinkis nice and colourful - when researching this a bit, there were some really nice butterfly masks available and i think its a nice thing to wear. The other mask i cross stitched and added beads which i thought was a new idea in a way of making them - using my strengths!

1st ATC Swap

I joined my 1st ATC swap over the weekend which is on the theme Masquerade. I am very excited about it and plan to have some good glittery ATC's - i keep wandering around with the song - Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera in my Head.

I also sent out an ATC to a lady in Australia in a very colourful Button envelope, i do love the envelope i spent ages on it. I will put pictures into this posts so you can see what they look like :)

Also alongs the lines of colurful is my flower envelope as well which i sent to someone on the postal press list but have not heard from them so do not know if they received it - i hope so!