Artist Trading Coin: Open your Wings

This is my first Artist Trading Coin.



I have been admiring them on Instagram
& as I like working on a small scale,
I thought I would have a play.

Mine has a 2½ inch diameter,
using an MDF round surface from That's Crafty.

My inspiration was my Blue Wings piece made last month,
for which I had used an old DVD
with images from Shawn Petite,
which I had altered slightly.



To the right hand side, you can see the leftover printed paper,
text & numerals.

Here are both pieces together so you can compare the sizes.

The bird image is from The Graphics Fairy,
which I had printed off to use in my Mini Book.

I think I will use the rest of my coins
(as there were 10 in the set from That's Crafty)
to use up leftovers from future projects.

Wilderness

This piece was inspired by the Wanderlust class by Stephanie Lee,
on our current theme of
Meadows.

For my version, I used a That's Crafty ATC Art Shrine.

These are made from 3mm MDF.

I covered it with torn & crinkled black tissue paper,
adhered with Mod Podge
& added a touch of black acrylic paint.

I composed my three dimensional scene,
using an image from The Graphics Fairy as my meadow background,
a bingo card image from Red Lead
& a Tim Holtz Paper Doll.

There are a few Clifden Nonpareil Moths,
using an image from The Graphics Fairy.

Two in the background &
 one suspended in mid flight
using lilac coloured cotton thread
& a Tim Holtz idea-ology Ring Fastener.

There is a piece of faux lavender
& a smudge of metallic rub-ons around the frame
to highlight the texture.

Finally, a few words cut from that old book of mine,
you know the one.

The finished piece measures approx. 12cm x 9.5cm x 3.5cm.

birds were called: 5

For the 2018 Index Card A Day creative challenge,
I am creating a paper collage & ink series entitled

birds were called

The challenge started on 1st June & runs daily through until the end of July.

My aim for ICAD this year,
in addition to being creative each day,
is to focus on colour observations &
examine balance & flow within each piece of art.

I am using ruled index cards which are 4 x 6 inches.

Below are cards 29 to 35.

Card 29: towers

Card 30: tail feathers

Card 31: prepared

Card 32: trees

Card 33: reflection

Card 34: alone

Card 35: completed

Look out for the following tags on Instagram

#dyicad2018
#ICADchallenge2018
#BirdsWereCalled

The lined index cards were purchased from WH Smith
in a clear plastic two holed ring binder.

I am using scraps of coloured card,
some used envelopes,

Distress Inks,

Mod Podge,

& printed bird names.

The images & book text are cut from a bird handbook,

found at a charity shop last year.

A colour guide to familiar

Garden and

Field Birds

Eggs and Nests

by Jiří Felix

Illustrated by Květoslav Hísek

Published by Octopus Books

A Simple List for July

This month's
To Do List
inspired by a regular feature in The Simple Things magazine.

Each month they publish a list of things to try.

I have taken their words,
(adapting them slighty)

typed them on background images
from Emily at Sweetly Scrapped

then adhered to Tim Holtz Resist kraft card.

Each card can be used

as a prompt to try something new,

to go on an adventure that month

or just spark your creative imagination.

Each card measures 7.5 cms by 5.5 cms
& they are kept together in an altered matchbox.

The Power of Laughter

This is my One Word card for July
& is the last in this series.

My word for the month is

Laugh.

This project used old scraps of paper
that would have normally been thrown away.

I also used
hand stamped letters with Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
on Dina Wakley Media Tape &
word definition patterned paper.

Throughout this month,
take a moment each day
to laugh.

Share your laughter with others
& rejoice together.

My previous One Word cards

Begin - August 2017
Change - September 2017
Inspire - October 2017
Believe - November 2017
Joy - December 2017
Thought - January 2018
Love - February 2018
Grow - March 2018
Explore - April 2018
Cherish - May 2018
Delight - June 2018

birds were called 4

For the 2018 Index Card A Day creative challenge,
I am creating a paper collage & ink series entitled

birds were called

The challenge started on 1st June & runs daily through until the end of July.

My aim for ICAD this year,
in addition to being creative each day,
is to focus on colour observations &
examine balance & flow within each piece of art.

I am using ruled index cards which are 4 x 6 inches.

Below are cards 22 to 28.

Card 22: see far

Card 23: coloured pigments

Card 24 castle ruins

Card 25 hop out

Card 26: all in

Card 27: waiting

Card 28: the same kind

Look out for the following tags on Instagram

#dyicad2018
#ICADchallenge2018
#BirdsWereCalled

The lined index cards were purchased from WH Smith
in a clear plastic two holed ring binder.

I am using scraps of coloured card,
some used envelopes,

Distress Inks,

Mod Podge,

& printed bird names.

The images & book text are cut from a bird handbook,

found at a charity shop last year.

A colour guide to familiar

Garden and

Field Birds

Eggs and Nests

by Jiří Felix

Illustrated by Květoslav Hísek

Published by Octopus Books

A Meadow of Sunshine

This double page spread in my Wanderlust Collage Journal

is just inspired by the current theme of Meadows.

The sun has been so bright this week

so these pages capture that moment perfectly.

I chose the prompt page

(from my Wreck This Journal book)

Rub Here with Dirt.

I used images from a magazine to create the background,

the yellow dots on the left hand page

is Distress Ink (mustard seed)

showing through from the previous page.

I added my pressed flowers which were collected last year,

but then realised I needed more to complete the page.

I went outside to gather more to press,

so I have left this spread as it is for now

& will come back to it once the flowers are ready to add.

birds were called: 3

For the 2018 Index Card A Day creative challenge,
I am creating a paper collage & ink series entitled

birds were called

The challenge started on 1st June & runs daily through until the end of July.

My aim for ICAD this year,
in addition to being creative each day,
is to focus on colour observations &
examine balance & flow within each piece of art.

I am using ruled index cards which are 4 x 6 inches.

Below are cards 15 to 21.

Card 15: fifteen

Card 16: observer

Card 17: days out

Card 18: June

Card 19: autumn days

Card 20: up

Card 21: line the edge

Look out for the following tags on Instagram

#dyicad2018
#ICADchallenge2018
#BirdsWereCalled

The lined index cards were purchased from WH Smith
in a clear plastic two holed ring binder.

I am using scraps of coloured card,
some used envelopes,

Distress Inks,

Mod Podge,

& printed bird names.

The images & book text are cut from a bird handbook,

found at a charity shop last year.

A colour guide to familiar

Garden and

Field Birds

Eggs and Nests

by Jiří Felix

Illustrated by Květoslav Hísek

Published by Octopus Books

Cloth Paper Scissors Mini Book

Yesterday Cloth Paper Scissors posted a mini book tutorial,

including images for us to download. 

This is my version,

which includes some of their images,

old paper, vellum, ordinary cotton thread,

die cut words, fibres & beads.

There is a tag on the front cover

& another on the first page.

It is 4 by 6 inches, with three signatures

& an extra piece in the middle.

I am planning to use this as a holiday journal.

Somewhere to keep memories of my journey,

tickets, photographs etc.

Maybe to write some poetry

or just journal.

Let me know if you decide to give this project a try too.

I’d love to see your versions.

gathering ephemera to add in

Be sure to follow @mixedmediacps on Instagram

for more mixed media inspiration.

Free your Mind

This is another collage page in my Wanderlust journal,

prompted by Eliza's Art Jar on the new theme of Meadows.

Free your Mind

Inspiration was my photograph of daisies I took earlier in the week.

The rest are images from her collage collection,
(free when I purchased the Wanderlust online course at the Early Bird price).

I have included a few lines from a poem by William Wordsworth
entitled
"A Poet! He Hath Put his Heart to School"

How does the meadow-flower its bloom unfold?
Because the lovely little flower is free
Down to its root, and, in that freedom, bold;

The page is from my Wreck This Journal book by Keri Smith.

Make a mess.
Clean it up.

It is a rule which we should all adhere to.

After we have spent time having fun,
messing about in nature's beauty,
we should ensure that we leave none of our mess behind.

So if you need a ticket to go & play
in a nearby meadow,
take one of mine.

Just promise me that you will play
with childlike freedom & wonderment
& laugh,

... laugh a lot.


Items also used:-
Distress Ink (mustard seed)
Tim Holtz Design Tape (Rose)
printed text
black photo corners