The Composer

It´s been a while since I´ve made my last Postage People ATC, but this week´s Three Muses Challenge themed Postage Stamps has been a good reason to make one today.

My Body is a Cage Blog Swap Update No. 6

Tuesday is Update Day, and our swap is really accelerating now that the deadline comes near!
Seven entries are already here, five more are finished and on their way to me, and I hope that all the others will also be here before June 15. I´ll send out a second reminder two weeks before the deadline which is on Thursday or Friday.
Today I have four links to some fantastic finished cards for you from Marsha, Glenda, Fiona, and Barb! Please visit their blogs and have a look at their gems, and it would be nice if you left a comment for them if you like what you see.

Boys or Girls?

 Boys Clothing

using Dude Pants kit (additional elements by Eenas Creation and Holliewood Studios)

There´s a cool new kit out from Hidden Vintage Studios at DeviantScrap.com, celebrating those vintage boys who were clothed in dresses in former times, so it´s often hard to decide if an old photo shows a boy or a girl. 

So the boy on the digital collage above is waiting impatiently for his boys clothes to dry so that he´ll be able to take off that dress!

And here are two cut and paste pieces using the same kit: The tag is called "Old Vienna", and the postcard´s title is "... especially if you´re a boy". 

Three Eggs

A long weekend can be wonderful if the sun is shining and you have the time to sit on your balcony, read a book and watch the birds in the garden ...
This ATC was made as a little surprise for an online art friend - hope she´ll like it!

Broken Wings

This week´s SPA challenge theme is "Dress Forms", and I´ve used a die cut from DieArtDieCuts here. I´ve covered the body with a vintage sewing pattern that I´ve found on the flea market.
This lady probably has had great plans for her life but was pulled down to earth without being able to follow her dreams.

Steampunk - Just for Fun

Sometimes it´s fun just making ATCs with what you have on your desk - so these were made for my "for trade" album. The backgrounds are from Itkupilli, the lady on the right from Cemerony, the lady on the left is an Acapella stamp, and the couple in the middle is a Dover image.

My Body is a Cage Blog Swap Update No. 5

I don´t have so much news for you this week, but I hope you´re all busy working on your ATCs now - please remember that they have to be in my hands before June 15 and that international mail services take much longer right now than they did some months ago (don´t ask me why, but it´s a fact).
But I´ve had another sign-up last week - welcome, Patsy! - and though I have only one link to finished cards for you this week, it´s such a fabulous one! So please have a look at Trudi´s ATCs here and get some inspiration from them.
Hope to see your ATCs in the mail soon!

Chains - before and after

I´m a bad photographer - period. Maybe that´s why I love to take part in Nancy Donaldson´s texture challenges? I´ve found out that using her textures on my mediocre photos makes them much better. You can find her textures that I´ve used on this photo here.

The quote I´ve used here is from Antonio Porchia, and I believe it´s worth thinking about it.

Sitting Ladies

(additional elements by Cryztal Rain, Mr. Whiskers, Marta van Eck, Rucola, Beth Rimmer, Christina Renee)

I´ve made three pieces with Hidden Vintage Studio´s new kit called "Sittin´ Pretty Ladies". The first one above is a digital piece, the others are cut and paste postcards as all HVS kits come with png as well as jpg files. And these images are really nice to combine with your favourite mixed-media stuff like spray paints and stamps.
It felt like blasphemy to use the third verse of Auden´s beautiful and sad poem "Funeral Blues" for a humourous postcard, but I just couldn´t resist!

(bird by Tumble Fish Studio; plus spray paint, tree stencils, pencils, rubber stamps - Red Lead, Oxford Impressions; words by P. B. Shelley)

(house and rolling pin by Tumble Fish Studio; plus spray paint, old map, rubber stamp by Nick Bantock; words by W. H. Auden)

Childhood

Have you noticed that most people don´t remember the bad feelings they´ve had when they were children?
Don´t you remember the weakness, the need of shelter, the wish to be older to be able to change your life? Well, I do. So here´s my card for this week´s SPA themed "Childhood", illustrating that kind of shelter you need when you´re young and not able to manage the important things in your own life.

My Body is a Cage Blog Swap Update No. 4

It´s Tuesday again, so it´s time for another blog swap update!
And there´s some good news: Some envelopes have already arrived in my mailbox, I already received six of your entries. And if you haven´t sent your cards yet or haven´t started working on them, please keep in mind that your cards have to be in my hands before June 15, so you have four more weeks for them.
And here´s another link to finished cards from Lynda - please visit her blog and take a look and maybe leave her a comment if you like what you see.
I´ll send out a swap reminder to all participants on Thursday.

Steampunk!

Yippieh, this week´s SPA challenge has one of my favourite themes, Steampunk! So here´s my card using one of those gorgeous men from Hidden Vintage Studio´s Stached kit as well as tapes, stamps and spray paint.

Three

This week´s Tim Holtz technique for Linda´s Compendium of Curiosities challenge, Vol. 2, is Shattered Stains. I´ve used a numbers block for this one; please enlarge to see the crackle.
The sponsor for this week is Simon Says Stamp, a company with a really good service.

My Body is a Cage Blog Swap Update No. 3

Hope you´ve thought about joining this swap or already worked on your ATCs for it - the possibilities are endless!
I´ve already received the first envelopes in the mail, and here are two more links for you to see some of the gorgeous swap ATCs from other participants. Please go and visit Charlotte´s and Sandy´s blogs here, have a look at their entries and leave a comment if you like them!
You still have five weeks left to send me your ATCs, so there´s plenty of time to get some inspiration and join the fun - just send me an email and you´re in! Hope you´ll play with us!

The Future is Now

I´m glad that I finally had time to participate in Linda´s CCC2 challenge. Week No. 4 wants us to try Tim Holtz´ great "Faded Layers" technique from his Compendium of Curiosities book Vol. 2. This technique is so much fun, and it´s so versatile, you can use it with every theme you want to stamp.

Chicken Run

I´m hosting the Sunday Postcard Art challenge this week, and I´ve chosen Chicken Run as my theme - here´s my mixed media sample card, can´t wait to see what you will create!

Arise!

Growing up, The Beatles have been very important for me. Do you remember the mid Seventies? Disco? Funk? Philly Sound? I really hated all these! O. k., there has been some great music around that time, and I discovered it later, but when I was about 11/12 years old, I switched over to listen to the Beatles as a way to survive the awful music that has been played in the radio at that time. I learned most of their lyrics by heart, and of course "Blackbird" has been one of my favourites ... So here´s my spread for my own altered book themed "Untold Stories". And as "Blackbird" is this week´s Take a Word challenge, it´s my entry there.

Nitty Gritty 2

... is the title of Marsha´s new image kit. For the digital collage above I have combined it with her fabulous birds and animals. The collage below is a cut and paste one (as all images are also available as jpgs).
(All images by Tumble Fish Studio at DeviantScrap.com.)

My Body is a Cage Blog Swap Update No. 2

I´m happy to say that I´ve had a few more sign-ups since my last post, so we´re currently 18 players from 6 countries - thanks for your interest!
And here´s what you´ve all been waiting for: the first links to finished cards from other swap particants!
If you have a moment, please have a look at the fantastic sites of Sabine, Birgit, and Martina, and maybe leave them a comment if you like what you see ... (you remember that I´ll use these comments as a little hint when swapping all cards in the end, don´t you?).
There are still six weeks left before your ATCs have to be in my mailbox, so it´s plenty of time to join the fun.

Published Again

You can find this 4 x 6 mixed media card in the new Stampers´ Sampler Catch Up issue, p. 120.

Just sitting there ...

Celebrating DeviantScrap´s second birthday, Hidden Vintage Studios also have come out with two new kits. Here are two collages using their "Sittin´ Pretty Girls".
(Credits above: all other images by Tumble Fish Studio at DeviantScrap.com.
Credits below: background by Finecrafted Designs at DeviantScrap.com.)