Secrets and Lies

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Came up with this in response to two different challenges - the brown and pink (not a colour scheme I'd usually use) comes from the Theme Thursday challenge. Leonie asked us to make something about an issue we felt strongly about, and this sort of made itself ....

It turned into quite an emotional exercise, as I was thinking about people hurting children and I have done some work around child abuse. I chose this little girl because she's one of my favourite images, and also because I was thinking how once it was even more hidden and how her generation had no protection. I gave her wings to emphasise her innocence, and the secrets and lies title just about sums it all up. I had a strong feeling that I was making it FOR somebody, so if that's you let me know.

WORSHIPPING AT THE SHRINE

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You know how some stamp sites don't provide dimensions of the image? Well that's what happened here - I fell in love with this shrine stamp from Lost Coast thinking it would be perfect for ATCs, but guess what? Yep it's too BIG! Decided to play with it anyway and I guess it sort of works .... ?

Painted the image with watercolour pencils, added a jewel at the top and some black German scrap at the bottom, then cut out the centre and mounted a vintage picture behind. This ATC is available for trade.

POSTERIOR GRANDE?

PRIVATE COLLECTION
Did this in response to the TMTA (Think Monday Think ATC) Challenge to use texture. I nearly threw it away several times, so think I must be texturally challenged?? I'd had this bubbly paper for ages, so took it as a sign that I was meant to use it. It worked fine at first and looked great with the distress ink, but then it went all funny when it got wet and wouldn't co-operate, so have had it pressed under a pile of books, where of course I promptly forgot about it till today!! Still she's more or less flat now and is available to trade :-)

ARTY LADY

Searching through my stamps I found one that said "think outside the box", so I did. Just let my ideas run a bit wild without following any particular course (which is why it ended up a bit brown - what IS it with me and vintage)? The crackle background is stamped, the figure is variously altered (don't you love those legs) plus some gold scrap, a bit of doodling and a stamped message. If you want her let me know ..... NOW TRADED

TIME ATC

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Made this in response to a challenge by Leonie - the theme this week is "Time". I aged the background with distress and chalk inks. The large clock is a stamp by Inkadinkado, which I watercoloured. Added a tiny clock face and some rub-on clock hands, clock parts and resized vintage photos. This ATC is available to trade.

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS?

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This moody gal was on a collage sheet and doesn't she ever look fed up? She's clearly not a happy bunny! The background writing is a really useful stamp on Plate 3 from Paper Artsy, and the measure is a rub-on. Must have been feeling in a yellow mood - possibly as a result of an overdose of pink!!

PINK AGAIN ...

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I seem to have gone overboard on pink lately - I didn't exactly mean to, but then I found this little nest among a pile of collage materials, and it seemed to have a pinky hue so ..... out came the pink stuff!

The background is a stamp (but I can't remember where from), I drew the tree freehand and also made the fat little birdy. I'm so fond of this I almost don't want to swap it - so make a bid for it quick, before I change my mind!!

EASTER EGG AND BIRD

KEEPING IN MY PRIVATE COLLECTION
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I've just got this stamp (newsy bird from Stampers Anonymouse) after trying to track it down for ages, and I LOVE it. I wanted to get an egg in there somewhere too (well it IS Easter!) so the bird needed to sprout legs. I don't know what it is that appeals to me so much, but I'm dotty about newsprint and postmarks, so perhaps that has something to do with it? This little bird is available to trade.

TRANSPARENTLY ARTY

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This is the result of a challenge set on "Think Monday Think ATC". This week's challenge was to do something with transparent elements - something I probably don't do enough. I stamped text onto acetate then layered it onto distressed cardstock and a sepia image. The ribbon is transparent too, providing yet another dimension. This ATC is available for trade.

THREE TODAY

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I was trying to push my boundaries a bit with these - the two right hand ones are my attempt to do something "pretty" which I never seem to. Still not a place I really feel comfortable, and I actually prefer the left hand one. It told me a story while I was making it, which the other two didn't - but then again I was probably trying too hard to work outside my comfort zone. All these are available for trade.

FAT NOSED MONAS

BOTH NOW TRADED
I've wanted a Mona Lisa stamp for ages and bought this one from Lost Coast. However, I've got two issues with it - firstly it's bigger than I really wanted, and secondly it makes her look like she has a fat nose and not beautiful at all.

So there I was staring at various Mona images and not liking any of them, when suddenly I started to draw on them ... and then things went from bad to worse! I had a very giggly session and won't show you the one with the beard, but these are for trading if they make you laugh as much as they do me!

VERY TWEET

Made this ATC for a "Spring" themed swap (sorry its already taken). I seem to have a thing about birds at the moment (doesn't everybody?) but I do prefer to make my own. Pink and green seemed to me to be Spring colours, couldn't resist adding the feather tail and a couple of sparkly "eggs".

FEELING A BIT BLUE?

BOTH NOW TRADED
After the blue tones of the baby bird, here's yet more blue ones .... and no I'm not sliding into depression, I just rather like blue! These were made when I was playing with some new stamps bought at the NEC Hobbycrafts show (as a result of which I now feel like I've been trampled by elephants). Never mind it was all worth it :)

BABY BIRD

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Made this in a flight of fancy the other day - it still makes me laugh. I LOVE stamps that look like tickets, and have a collage sheet of babies in nests which is just yummy, and I'm tickled by the baby's strange knitted garments. Couldn't resist adding the sparkly halo, but can't for the life of me explain why! Doodled around the edges freehand.

MERMAID GIRLY

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Another of my favourite stamp companies is Lost Coast and this mermaid girly is from a set I love. I stamped her onto cream card, then painted the image - using mica based paints so you get a pearly sheen. Then I cut her out and mounted her on a "sea" greeny background.

If you would like to swap for her contact me on my hotmail address - see right.

PAPER ARTSY

I love Paper Artsy stamps, and this small head and shoulders image is so versatile. This is rather on the traditional side of my work (rather than the funky) and I very much enjoying using different styles (although I make far too much brown vintage stuff)!!

The ticket below is mounted on foam to give it a 3D touch - this is probably my all-time favourtie set of stamps, but unfortunately I can't remember now where they're from.

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