K is for Kids

I'm afraid that I haven't had time to join in with Linda's new alphabet challenge so far, but I just spotted that this week's challenge is K for Kids....and can be something to give to a kid...perfect! This gives me the chance to show you how my alphabet atc's (from the last challenge) looked once I'd got them framed to make one big picture. I gave the picture to my nephews, James and Mathew for Christmas. I decided that it was just too big and heavy to send over to my nephews in Boston. Just wish that they didn't live so far away!

Meanwhile....still no laptop! It seems to be touring Herefordshire on a daily basis, then checking back into the depot at night...not sure if it's made it into Worcestershire yet. I know that laptops are supposed to be moved about, but this is getting silly!

Sue
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New Job, New Stamps and Z is for Zebras!

First let me apologise, this might be a bit of a long post...I've been busy this week and this is the first chance I've had to update my blog. Some of you who follow the Tanda forum will know that I had a job interview recently and that I got the job. This was my first week. So what's the job you may ask.....only Editorial Assistant working on Craft Stamper Magazine...my favourite magazine!! Everyday is like Christmas, boxes of lovely, lovely artwork arrive and just have to be opened. I have to say the contributors are really talented! For obvious reasons I cannot tell what I have seen, but trust me, there are some real treats in store over the next few months!



My other big news is that Andrew has launched my new stamp sets over on www.tandastamps.com

Town, Village and Garden Elements are all A6 size and Architectural Elements is A5. Originally designed with the craze of making and trading houses last year in mind, the sets work well together for a lot of different occasions too. This card was made using a sentiment from the Garden Elements set and the doors, brick border, and topiary from the Architectural Elements set. Feel free to click on the picture to see it in more detail. Other samples can be seen in my gallery over in the Design Team Album on the Tanda website....Andrew and Tanya have elevated me!


And finally....we've reached the end of the alphabet this week. I wonder what Linda will think of next to keep us all busy!

For my Z atc, I used the group of Zebras from the safari judikins cube on the background. The Z was stamped in black stazon using a Tanda stripes stamp and then triple embossed with clear embossing powder.

So now the set is complete I just need to work out how I'm going to frame it up and which little nephew is going to get it!

This is what the total set looks like at the moment.......


Click on the piccy for a larger view.

Got to go now...I'm off to the Artisan show at the weekend so I need to write my shopping list!

Sue
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Y is for Yo-Yo

This week we have got to Y in Linda's alphabet challenge. With hindsight I probably could have done Y for yellow, but as these atc's are going to end up on the wall in a little boy's room I thought yo-yo might be more appropriate.

The yo-yo stamp was a custom stamp by Tanda, I stamped 3 yo-yos using the masking technique and then coloured them with copic markers. The Y was coloured in pale blue colourbox chalk ink and then I used the Tanda polka dot stamp in wisteria colourbox chalk ink. I distressed the edges of the Y with the wisteria ink and then triple embossed it.

Sue
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X is for Xmas!

Linda's alphabet challenge has now reached X....and I'm afraid that the only X that I could think of using my existing stamps was Xmas! So I coloured my chipboard X with green colour box chalk ink and triple embossed it. The background stamp is from the After the Gifts set of stamps by rubbadubbadoo. You cannot really see it in the picture, but it has given the atc a distressed look. The foliage stamps around the edge were from a Tapestry set (stamped with VersaColor ink pads) and the tag was cut using a spellbinders die and coloured with a copic marker.

Just two more letters to go...

Sue
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Ooops, almost missed W is for Web!

Wow Linda that two weeks went quick! My atc is W for Web, The web is a Tanda stamp, I cannot remember where the spider came from. The card is coloured with copics and the W was coloured using colourbox chalk inks before being stamped in black stazon and then triple embossed.

Got to dash...I'm making samples for Andrew at Tanda this weekend.....he has some more stamps coming out soon so watch this space....can't wait to show you what I've been upto!

ttfn
Sue

V is for Van

As a child of the 60's and having trendy daughters who think that VW Camper Vans are really cool, I couldn't resist this flower power inspired atc! The camper van stamp is by Inkadinkado and the flowers and dotty circles are by Stamp'in Up. The Van, V and label were all coloured with Copic markers. The paper flowers were spray inked and painted in a pearlised medium to give a bit of shimmer. The flower stamps on the background were painted with glossy accents and then sprinkled with glitter.



Enjoy
Sue
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U is for Umbrella

Not far to go now...I cannot believe that we are already up to U! I guess that this is pretty apt considering the weather this summer! The raindrops and the umbrella are custom stamps from Tanda. The atc has been coloured with copic markers and then the raindrops were filled with glossy accents with a tiny bit of glitter. The U was coloured using colourbox chalks and then triple embossed, dark blue glitter was dropped into the hot ep at the last minute.

Sue
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R is for Rabbit

Can you believe it, another week has gone by already! We are now up to the letter R in Linda's alphabet challenge, so I couldn't resist using my rabbit stamp from my Tanda Baby and Toddler set.

The rabbit and atc background have been coloured using Copic markers. The chipboard R has been coloured and stamped using colourbox chalk inks and then triple embossed with clear ep. The edge of the atc was distressed using colourbox chalk inks too.

Enjoy
Sue
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Q is for Queen!

Well, what can I say, having done a playing card K is for King, I had to do a playing card Q is for Queen! The Queen stamp was custom made by Andrew at Tanda...the hearts, she had to be the Queen of Hearts, are from my Tanda baby set. The image was stamped and heat embossed with silver ep then coloured with H2O's. The Q was coloured with colourbox chalk inks and triple embossed with some glitter sprinkled on at the last moment. A bit of Krylon pen was used to do the edges just to finish it off.

Probably a bit too PINK for you Linda! Must introduce the boys (haven't decided which set of nephews are going to get this yet) to their feminine side. Have concerns already about my brother's eldest, Oliver...My brother just sent over a picture of Oliver helping him to make window jams....little does Oliver know that these are designed to stop him climbing out of the windows...as per his cousin (my youngest) who was caught half way out of a tiny window on the second storey at my mums! Luckily a neighbour knocked on the door to tell us that there was a small child hanging out of the upstairs window!!

enjoy
Sue
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P is for Play

P is for Play, well what would we all like to be doing...I know I'd like to be messing about at the seaside! Many happy days spent with my Dad rock pooling and making dams! So here is my "P" in the alphabet challenge. The P is stamped with sand from "A stamp in the hand" stamped on top of colourbox chalk inks and triple embossed with clear ep. The main image is a stampin' up stamp that has been water coloured with my trusty old (and I mean old) watercolour paints.

Thanks again for the challenge Linda!
Sue
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Fairy ATC for Craft Stamper

I managed to get hold of a copy of craft stamper while I was away enjoying the weather and people watching at the Henley Royal Regatta this weekend. I have to say, I spent a good few hours happily ensconced reading my magazine whilst reclining in the deck chairs in the Stewards enclosure. Lots of lovely articles read so far and a few more to go! Unfortunately my fairy atc didn't get published this month and it isn't on the Craft stamper blog, so I just thought that I would share it with you all here.....

I used Lavinia stamps stamped in versamark and dusted with Pearl-ex. The fairies were stamped onto velum and cut out before being sandwiched between acetate and card with some fairy dust thrown in for good measure. Basically this is a shaker card constuction made to atc proportions. The little mushrooms (bottom left) where anchored between the two layers of foam tape, but the faries were free to "fly" around under the acetate.

O is for Orange!

Zoe I had to laugh when I read your blog tonight! I drew the citrus stamps to use in this alphabet challenge for 'O'! I'm glad that you are enjoying the stamps. My "O is for Orange" atc was made using clear ep to give a resist on watercolour paper. The image was coloured using brusho inks and then the pith was taken out again with bleach. The chipboard O was coloured with colourbox chalk inks and triple embossed. the orange and turquoise seem to work quite well together....I hate to admit it, but the orange line at the bottom of the atc is actually the edge that I cut off my chocolate orange challenge card from last week. Well you know what they say about crafters....we never waste a thing!

N is for Net

Another week has gone by and boy, what a week! Well I was a bit stumped for an N, but then I remembered that I had a mesh/net stamp by Aspects of Design and a psx fish stamp, so I decided on N for Net. I stamped the fishes in fawn impress, then coloured them and the background with copic markers, having done this, I masked the fish, stamped the net in versamark and heat embossed with white silver sparkle ep. The N was coloured with a copic marker and then I stamped it with the net stamp and white stazon. This was then triple embossed. Colourbox chalk ink was used to stamp the letters and distress the edges.



I think that we are just about ready for Alan's funeral on Monday. I've just signed off the order of service and now the only things that need to be done are the tribute and writing the card for the flowers and John will have to do them. Alan was a lovely, gentle giant of a man, who would do anything for anyone. Before his stroke, 10 years ago, he was a man of action, racing motorbikes, skiing and rowing. Latterly he had a season ticket for Birmingham City and loved going to watch the football with his granddaughters. These are just some of the things that we will be remembering him for on Monday. RIP Alan.

Sue
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M is for Mini

I think I get two bites of the cherry this week with the alphabet challenge! Firstly the card I made for the Tanda Teaser is a picture of a mini, using one of Linda's new stamps and secondly another atc to go with the set and yes I've used Linda's mini stamp again! For the atc I've had to stamp the mini onto the chipboard letter otherwise it would have been almost invisible. The image was coloured using copic markers.

Sue
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L is for Lion

So it's Friday again and we are now up to L with Linda's Alphabet challenge. Like Linda and Fifi, I thought Lion, especially as one of the little boys who might be in line to get the complete alphabet set has a thing about lions. My lion stamp was a custom stamp from Andrew at Tanda Stamps, the grasses were stamped using stamps from sir stampalot and the tree in the background was stamped using the JudiKins African Safari cube. The image was coloured with copic markers and the stamping was done using colourbox chalk inks.

I Have to say a big thank you to Linda for the car set of stamps, they arrived this week so you can guess what I am thinking for M! Just got to work out how to fit it into the theme that's going on with these atc's.....hmmmmm...the cogs are wirring!

I hope you are enjoying this challeng as much as I am. Thanks for organising it Linda!

Sue
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K is for KING!

If you read the general chat on the Tanda forum, you will realise that I had major panics trying to get this Atc done!! I'm now totally embarassed as the missing stamps were in my handbag all along....I think it was Karma that they were out of stock in the Range (where I bought them originally) and the Treasury (rediscovered after their fire)...coz the next place I went...tescos...the box mysteriously appeared on top of everything else in my handbag...all the little alphabet stamps were hiding at the bottom of my bag! They'd only been there for 2 weeks and I hadn't noticed!

So what of the atc...I think I am going back to the origins of atc's (correct me if I'm wrong!)...I'm sure that someone told me that they started off as altered playing cards..I quickly drew out a stamp for the king playing card...and Andrew (Tanda) made a custom stamp for me...the club was in a dump bin thingy at the Range ages ago...it was one of those jellyish stamps that don't hold the ink very well so I ended up colouring it in a bit. The image has been stamped in versamark and heat embossed with gold ep. I then painted it with H2O's...the K is also coloured with H2O's, triple embossed and edged with Krylon.

Sue
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Another ATC in Craft Stamper!

Thanks Linda for letting me know that I was in Craft Stamper again....I still haven't got round to subscribing yet so I have to dash into Worcester to get it on the day it comes out...my excuse is I'm waiting for the freebie!

I entred two atc's in their summertime challenge, the atc that craft stamper have published uses the "Go to the Cornish Riveira" stamp from the Tanda Advert Plate 3. I stamped the image in black stazon and then watercoloured using the Works pearlised paints. This was then sealed with acrylic varnish before being triple embossed with clear ep. I edged in Krylon to give the impression of those old fashioned tin advert plates. The small shells were collected from the beach a couple of years ago, the gold accent beads represent the golden sand and both these were fixed using glossy accents.



The second atc, which was not shown in the magazine, was made in exactly the same way, except I used a stamp from Tanda Advert Plate 4.

Unfortunately the photo in the magazine doesn't quite do my atc justice as it looks a little brassy, these photos are a much better colour representation of the real thing.

thanks for looking

Sue
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H is for House

I thought I would play with my paperartsy Bricks and Mortar stamps for this one. I made the background "townscape" using masking techniques and then coloured with copic pens....I am sooooo loving the copic pens! Thanks for all the advice Carol, Joanne and Wendy!

The H was coloured with colourbox chalk inks...I then used white gelpen to draw in the mortar but this has faded when I triple embossed....you can just about see it if you look carefully.

G is for Gorjuss Girl

Here it is, another atc to go in the collection...hope I'm not going too girly here though! This was one of my first attempts at using my new copic markers and my first play with this gorjuss girl with attitude! The G is cut out of thick card, gessoed, coloured with colour box chalk ink and then triple embossed with a bit of glitter added in.

Enjoy
Sue
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E is for Elephant

Things have been rather hectic in the Law household over the last week so there hasn't been any time to craft. I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to get my E atc done this week...I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but just not when I'd find time. Well I finally managed to find some time yesterday. Our internet is really slow at the moment and getting worse, so between pages loading I'd paint one part then recheck the pc, then paint/stamp another bit and so on! The elephant and the paisley background stamp are Elusive Images stamps and the crackle on the E is the tanda crackle stamp. The paints I used are interference paints, H2O's and normal watercolours. The edges were distressed using grey colourbox chalk ink.

Today I have decided to have a crafty morning for myself. To that end I am going to spend the morning with our local stamping up rep, have to say I've been looking forward to this for a while the only thing that's bugging me at the moment though is that I cannot find my catalogue and I really wanted to browse though it before she gets here! Got to go and get shipshape!

Enjoy
Sue
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