Another day, another swap

This one looks a bit odd until you know why we're making it. Yup, it's another swap over on UKScrappers, this time to make a Tim Holtz style collage. We each got to pick a colour and a theme so I went for marmalade and metal. We made 12 of 4 different size/shape bits which will get mixed up to make something like this.

These are my bits (just showing a few of each but you get the idea). Lots of Timmy metal, dictionary paper flowers, some metallic paint, chipboard hearts with watch parts and tickets. The big "Carpe Diem" bit is an extra for our ever fabulous host Leanie to do anything she likes with. Hope they're okay ad I'm looking forward to getting my little bag of goodies back.

Thanks for looking.

ATCs - Reservoir Cats and Warhol Einsteins

Just popping pics of the last two ATCs I made for the monthly swap over on UKScrappers. Quite a graphic style which is unusual for me, but both do have my current favourite of Octopode images on them, one on the front and the other on the back.

First, "Reservoir Cats", a little homage to one of my favourite gangster heist gone wrong films. I used the Octopode "Austin" cat for his sharp suit and general cool factor. Sorry about the bit of the back of a foam pad on Mr Blue's ear. I took photos very quickly before I had to send them off. I'm now worrying that it's stuck under there - oh well, not much I can do now.

I forgot to add last month's too, so here are 6 of "The 10 Einsteins", another little homage to both Andy Warhol and Albert Einstein.

Took a photo of Einstein and gave it the Warhol treatment in the style of his Marilyn Monroe pop art portraits, then added this to the back. 

Not sure whether the reservoir cats count as black and white enough but, what the hey, I'm entering it in the Octopode Challenge anyway. I always loved the bit where they're arguing over their names (Mr Pink not being happy) with Joe pointing out that they'd all want to be Mr Black.

Thanks for looking.

Alice ATC Books (again)

ATC books are now finished! All 14 of them. I may be a bit incoherent from all the glue but I am so happy to see them all done and in their little boxes.

I took a photo of all the ATCS laid out so you can see them a bit better.

From top to bottom then left to right we have:
Octopode front covers (me)
Inside front altered from an old Alice book illustration (me)
Eat me, drink me from Lexi - love the stamping and the eat me drink me bits are so dinky
Alice from Jill with a fab imaginative composition and great colouring of a classic image
I'm late from Helen - some have great shrink plastic watches and the dymo tape works so well
Rabbit from Yolanda - love the stunning background that probably doesn't show in the photo
Keys, locks and doors from Sian - very imaginative with pull out bits
White Queen from Leanie which has so much detail that again is probably lost in the photo
Caterpillar from Jane with an amazing hookah pipe of wire, beads and glass
Mad hatter from Karen with inspired Mr Depp colouring and the teeniest eyelets I've ever seen
Cheshire cat from Suzy with such yummy backgrounds and such an apt sentiment
By Royal Command by Chris which is do detailed and perfectly done, even on the back
Raven riddle - Octopode again by me
Tweedledum/Tweedledee by Suzie with gorgeous details and great colours
The Queen of Hearts by Caroline with beautiful dimension and detail that you need to see in IRL
The Jabberwocky by Laura on corrugated card with a little mini book - inspired
Inside back cover from a curlycue steampunk mad hatter paper doll which I love (me)
Outside back cover - chipboard fabric covered embellished hat (me)

Well, that's it ladies and as soon as I can get down to the post office they will be winging their way to their new homes. I love how they are all so different and yet they all look great together.

Thank you all for a fabulous swap.

Some last pics before I go.

All of the front covers - all Octopode images but all different layouts. Plus the inside covers. The back covers are in the previous post. I have now added feathers to the hatpins but haven't taken a photo of them although you can see it in the one above.

I started laying them out but they are over a metre when fully extended!

And pretty deep too for such little books.

But they do stand up and don't take up too much room if you display them like this.

Or this.

I love mine, and I hope you'll love your too when they get there.

Alice ATC book - back covers

Just a quick snapshot. They do (I think) look better in real life.

Fabric covered top hats with hat pins and Secret Swappers logos instead of the 10/6 sign tucked into the ribbon hat bands. Just typing this has made me think of adding the classic 10/6 to the other side so they are reversible.

The taming of the Tinchie - Altered mini tin

Yet another swap (I like swaps - can't you tell!). This tine, it was altering a tiny little mint tin. Now, many thanks to Karen for hosting the swap and sending me a few tins to play with, and boy did I need them. The first tin is in the bin (and I hate to throw anything away), the second tin may be salvageable for something else, and finally the third tin came together (phew!). My theme was Vintage/Victorian. I love some of the things I have seen on this theme but I have never done it myself so it was somewhat of a learning curve.

I decided to make something along the lines of a Victorian love token (they were big on those in them days!). It is very distressed looking, but deliberately so (promise!) as I was trying to get the effect of an old love token that was battered and worn because it had been held and treasured over a long period of time. I hope I've achieved that effect and my swap partner doesn't think it's just a pile of poo!

Anyway, here it is: first the front. Altered Prima flowers. a crystal hat pin and a heart frame with an old photo. And I don't think it's that brown round the edges IRL, it's just the light!

Inside, hearts and flowers and a little pull out concertina book.

This is the book - from a Victorian illustration set.

And finally the back.

Alice ATC book covers part 2

Here are all 14 front covers, plus the inner covers at the top left.

Frida Kahlo / Day of the Dead Chunky ATC

Another day (well, the same day actually!) another swap.

This was for a chunky ATC (basically a wooden block, ATC sized, that you decorate on every side). And decorate I did - my theme was Frida Kahlo - think Day of the Dead. Now I love Kahlo's work, and I love Day of the Dead (it was my theme for the last chunky I did). So, I decided to go hell for leather and make a little shrine or ofrenda for Frida, very much in the Mexican style. Each of the items on the shelf is representative of the kind of things that would be put on a shrine and it is covered in Day of the Dead charms. Unfortunately I took the photos before I added the tiny votives (every shrine has to have candles!) and forgot to take some after. Take my word for it though, the finished thing does have red candles in the gaps.

It is OTT but then all the shrines I have ever seen are - minimalism doesn't seem to apply here! I really hope Audrey likes it :)