ATCs ... the latest in my crafty adventures!

Have you ever seen those little cards that are the size of business cards?  The ones that have pictures on them?  Mixed media creations?  Well if you haven't go and check out www.atcsforall.com as you will find there an amazing new world of arty craftiness!

And I have joined! 

I have now made my first two set of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) for two swaps online.

The first is for a swap called Native American, and here are my cards ...

 

These were made with craft paper, printed sayings and images

and a couple of them have added beads and charms,

and the bottom one is aged slightly with stamping ink.

The swap is for three cards which are sent to a host who then swaps them all around and then sends us out three made by other members.  I also made one for the host to keep - I thought perhaps the bottom one as that's my favourite! 

I actually made five as I thought I would keep one out of every swap I make

 ... and mine is a slightly different one to my favourite ....

Can you see the added beads and feather charm?  Isn't it pretty!  The picture came from a subscription box from www.craftycreatives.co.uk along with the little feather charms.

And today I am packaging up my second swap ATCs.  This time for a swap called Halloween!  And here are my cards ...

I watercolour painted the backgrounds and then used black pens to outline and colour in the images.  I also used white circles to make the moons.

And the one I'm keeping for myself ...

 

What do you think? 

 

I think I'm hooked!

 

If you want to see more examples go and have a look on Pinterest - there are tons there!

 

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Embellishing the envelope

.... again!

I am still enjoying sending out my mail with some of the envelopes decorated by myself!

Not all of them, but if I have time and the inclination then I will try and put something on the envelope to brighten it up - and maybe make the recipient and the postmen smile!

Below is a card designed by Karen Tye Bentley one of our talented artists at Phoenix Trading

 

https://www.phoenix-trading.com.au/web/corp/area/artist/?artist=Karen-Tye-Bentley-

 

www.phoenix-trading.co.uk

 

I did a little version of the butterfly on the envelope!

 

This is one that has been posted out as the envelope for a swap on Ravelry Tiny Owl Knits forum

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/tiny-owl-knits. 

 

The contents have travelled previously as it is chasing on of the members round the world! 

Hope it catches her soon!

 

 

On this envelope I attempted to copy a picture on a sticker that I enclosed with the card ...

 

 

Another extremely talented Phoenix Trading artist ... Amanda Loverseed this time.

 

https://www.phoenix-trading.com.au/web/corp/area/artist/?artist=Amanda-Loverseed&bid=09cb1d6e6c8c595980d1e60888174de8cf9c4ad4&sortorder=1&itemsperpage=12

 

My attempt at dragonflies are in no way as good as Amanda's but the thought is there!

 

 

Can't remember if I showed these two before. 

I just love the cards and I am pleased with my version on the envelopes.

 

 

So that's all for now on the latest "mail art"!

 

 

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Tiny Owl Knits ... Seedpod Purse

If you haven't heard of Tiny Owl Knits then you really must go and check her designs out ...

https://tinyowlknits.wordpress.com/  https://tinyowlknits.wordpress.com/patterns/

She designs the most adorable patterns.  I am very lucky to have been gifted her Woodland Knits book by another Ravelry member.  And oh my word - it has the most fantastic designs in it. 

All magical and whimsical - I love them all!

 

 

She has a group on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/designers/tiny-owl-knits 

and there you'll find the friendliest bunch of people.  And the swaps that take place are brilliant.

The most recent one I took part in was the ***Midsummer Magical Mini Swap***. 

This was a small swap to include something created for our partner. 

So if you've seen all the patterns in the above book you'll understand the trouble I had deciding which one I would make my partner. I decided to go with a pattern that would fit the yarn I have in my stash and the purple-y pink-y Seedpod Purse was born....

Well .... not exactly born as such ...

there obviously was some knitting and lots and lots of felting involved to produce it!

 

It was an amazingly easy pattern to knit up and it knitted up beautifully. 

 

You even knit some leaves that go on the strap - how cute are they?!

Once knitted it had to all be felted. 

Instructions were to felt as if washing your hands with the knitted item in your hands. 

Now the felting took a fair while but the smell whilst doing it was divine

(having used a rose scented handwash)! 

I find felting fascinating, just to see the item you've knitted fuse together and become felt.

Amazing!

My USA partner I sent it to said she loved it.  I do hope so! 

And I'm definitely going to make it again ... only this time, hopefully, for ME!

However .... I was very lucky and thoroughly spoiled by my partner who sent from Finland. 

She knitted me a pair of mittens (also in the Woodland Knits) called Catching Butterflies. 

Aren't they divine?  She crocheted little butterflies and flowers on both sides ...

I love them and feel very lucky to have had them made especially for me!

 

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Shades of Grey ... and Lemon too!

I know I have been very lax lately about posting on here and I really wanted to post at least once a week to keep it regular and up-to-date.

So I'm - hopefully - going to be posting some of the items I have managed to create - and finish - recently!

 

The first (relating to the title) is a crochet blanket. 

 

I have had a lady coming into The Emporium quite regularly and asking if I have any crochet blankets that are not gender specific. 

 

The blanket that was there at the time was blue and white and she didn't want to go with blue. 

 

 

She has bought one from me previously that was cream with autumnal shades that was for her

great- grandchild that was due at the time.

So I have decided to make some crochet blankets that aren't specifically girly or boyish. 

This is great as I do love to experiment with colours and colour combinations!

I have always liked yellow and grey together and thought that would be an ideal combination to start with.

 

Pretty but not too pretty that it would be classed as being too girly and not blatantly boyish either!

 

It was a lovely square to work up. 

 

It is called Granny Square - Circle within a square by Angela Santarpio

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/granny-square---circle-within-a-square 

 

I did a join as you go method of working the squares together.  So much easier and the blanket seems to grow so much quicker too!

What do you think?

 

A nice colour combination?

 

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The Bunny and the Bunny Bag

I have had another commission this time to make a bag to match a bunny rabbit that I had already made and that was up for sale in The Crafty Phoenix Lady unit at The Emporium.

 

 

It was for Carly who runs Another Little World which is based in The Emporium as well. 

https://www.facebook.com/Anotherlittleworld?fref=ts

 

https://www.facebook.com/yeovilemporium?fref=ts

 

She wanted the bunny as a gift for a little girl who was turning one.  However she also wanted to have a little bag for the bunny and other bits and bobs to go in. 

 

And she wanted it to "go with" the bunny.

 

Yay!  I love to make things with a customer's brief!

 

Carly wanted the fabric that was on the bunny to be used in the bag. 

I explained that I only had a little bits left so patchwork would be best.

So I made two strips of patches with the tiny floral fabric in every other block and used co-ordinating colours with it.  These I then sewed together for a strip around the bottom of the bag.

Carly had said she'd quite like the bunny included somehow - so I decided to make a slightly smaller version and not stuff it but applique it onto the bag.

I decided to let the ears be free!  They were attached to the head but not sewn onto the bag. 

 I thought it looked pretty good like that!

 

I used a background fabric that was a grey-ish blue-ish shade that went with the tiny floral fabric. 

I wanted pink to give it the girly feel so chose a pink fabric with tiny hearts on to line the bag

and to form the gusset for the drawstring at the top. 

 I then sewed a piece of white crochet-style lace a little below the pink gusset

to add another bit of pretty to it.

 

A white ribbon went through the gusset and made a lovely drawstring.

 

A pretty bunny bag with a bunny to go inside and plenty of room for other little treasures!

 

And one satisfied customer!  Thank you for the order Carly!

 

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