ATCs WITH ATTITUDE #43 - BRIGFHT & CHEERFUL

All the details for this fortnight's challenge can be found HERE

I had a go at writing our challenge post this time so that Abbie and I could share that responsibility so I do hope you will pop over to read it via the above link because not only have our clever and talented DT made some beautiful samples for you to see, we also have amazing prizes from our 2 sponsors this fortnight which are:
Eureka

offering the winner 5 digis
and
Beccy's Place

offering 3 digis to the winner

This time I chose Blossom Bicycle from Beccy's Place.

The background is some lovely bright and cheerful daisy paper from my stash which was perfect for the effect required to show off the bright colours of Copic I used to colour the bicycle. Cutting it out was rather difficult but worth the effort. I used 3D foam to add height and then took my photo against  the backdrop of trailing flowers in my garden.
We have 2 new DT members who will be sharing their samples with you on our next challenge plus we hope to have a third member too. So exciting things are happening over at ATCs WITH ATTITUDE and you will miss them all unless you visit us.

WOYWW #212

Julia, over at the Stamping Ground, is running another What's on your Workdesk Wednesday for our delight and general nosiness. Pop over to her blog to find out what all the excitement is about.
I crafted in the sunshine yesterday so cheated and took my photo then. Want to see??

Believe it or not but this will be a Xmas card. No, not my ham butty and apple and raspberry Innocent drink, the letters. The gorgeous white acrylic paint dried in  no time in the hot sunshine so I was able to give them all 2 coats  quickly and get on with having a good old natter to my neighbours.
It's a hard life!!!!!!

FACEBOOK PAGE for ATCs WITH ATTITUDE CHALLENGE BLOG

This logo is an updated version for our challenge blog ATCs with Attitude.
We now have a Facebook page where you can find inspiration, news, chat etc on all things Artist Trading Cards.
Please pop over and support us, you may even have a laugh on our behalf whilst we get to grips with the ins and outs of the new page.
Our challenges run every other Friday supported by some amazing digi artists who offer several of their images as prizes to the winner. We also give you a winner's badge and a badge for the top 3 chosen by our super Design Team.
Both Abbie and I plus our team are waiting for you.

MORE BLOOMIN' GARDEN

The sun has disappeared after a few days of glorious skies and warmth and it's raining. My little garden will welcome the rain and so will I as it means a break from watering cans. Although the bad winter delayed spring, it seems to have caught up ready for the start of summer tomorrow. Here are a few more photos showing some of what I am thrilled to see each day:

Thanks for sharing my space with me.

WOYWW #211

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday time again. Run by the leader of the desk hop, Julia, this has become a world wide weekly nosey into all things craft. Show us yours and we'll show you ours - seems a good motto. so here is mine:

I was making my DT ATC for the end of July challenge which involved dies and my Big Shot. The colour wheel is a craft need for me not being an artist or anything similar, I rely on all sorts of things and clever folk to guide me through the process of making something decent to look at. Anyway, after I had cut my base card I had to colour it so decided to use Distress ink, stain and paint. The result was ok but I had lots of it left on my craft sheet so mopped it up with a piece of mount board:

That made a lovely background which will come in useful in the future.
Enjoy your day and see you all next week, hopefully.

A BLOOMIN' GARDEN

Oh dear! that's some title but it's a true one as I have some lovely flowers both in pots, baskets and the ground. The sunshine brings some of them out whilst others don't care if it's raining. Here are a few shots of some colour and some greenery:

ATCs WITH ATTITUDE #42 - SUMMER TIME

I have another exciting challenge for you this fortnight at ATCs with Attitude. Our theme is Summer Time which conjurs up sun, ice cream and gorgeous flowers - well it does to me anyway! But, we have even more excitement for you because we are also looking for 2 crafters to join our team. Here are the details
DT CALL
Good morning everyone, before we announce our Winner and Top 3 we would like to announce our
Design Team Call. We are looking for 2 new members to join our team. You do not have to have
any experience of being on a design team, we are open to any level of crafting.
Requirements

* You will be required to make an ATC every fortnight to a given theme

* Be able to work with digital images

* Comment on a share of our players entries

* Have an active blog

* Communicate with the team at all levels

* Complete a 6 month term, if we all like each other after that time we would like you to stay

* Have the ability to take and upload quality pictures of your ATC's

* Promote our challenges as much as possible

We have a DT Blog as well as a DT Facebook Group which you can upload your ATC's to.

May I also add that we are a UK based challenge blog and therefore work to GMT times. Our new challenges go live every other Friday and therefore require your work to be uploaded at least by the day before so that we can post the details timeously.

Please enter our DT Call by using the Mr Linky. Just add DT after your name so that we know you have applied. The successful applicant will be notified by email at the close of the challenge.

Good luck everyone, we look forward to seeing all your work.

Abbie & Joanne (Owners)

Come on and apply, you will have fun making ATCs and you get the choice of a free digi image each 2 weeks to work with.

So many congratulations to our top 3 and winner from our last challenge. Here are the details for this fortnight's theme:

Our sponsors this challenge are:

Meljens

who is offering 3 digis to the winner
plus:
Delicious Doodles

Terri is offering 4 digis to the winner

I chose Meljens this time - Flower Girl

A lovely cheeky imgage that I decided to colour match to the marigolds in a pot by my front door. I re-sized her to meet ATC sizes and printed her on to some good quality white card. The colouring was done with my favourite Copics. I then used a cream chalk ink pad to add a bit of colour around her before adding some chit chat words stating the challenge theme. A couple or so flowers at each diagonal corner finished the ATC before I placed it amongst the marigolds to photograph it.

See how simple that was. So come on, make your decision to apply to join us and good luck if you do decide.

NIGHTMARE WEEK

Firstly I lost a contact lens rendering me incapable of doing most things safely - finally got a replacement late on Tuesday, then hubby and I tackled the bathroom floor which has been ruined by a water leak to the cistern which was behind the toilet and unseen til the floor decided to heave it's way upwards. Marathon of a job, especially at our age, but he said he could do it so we began.
Of course when a floor has to be replaced, what is on top of it has to come out. That meant this:

Now most people have inside toilets these days, so going back in time and having one outside didn't go down well................LOL. As there was a lot of work to be done, this is where it remained - covered up - for the night. Did we have crossed legs for 2 days?? no, we slept in the mororhome and made trips back and forth for the obvious reasons..
Yesterday the floor and wall were finished and we replaced the toilet only to find 2 leaks this time. Today will bring another attempt at sorting it one way or the other.

Here I am doing a bit of tiling. I know I have a proper tile cement scraper with a handle somewhere, but could I find it - NO. Improvise I thought and came up with this:

My trusty Vagabond, a piece of mount board and Tim's on the edge die Mini Scallop and Pinking. It worked perfectly to make an adhesive scraper. Thanks Tim, another use for my crafty stash. I hope today goes well and hubby can fix this water pipe join so that we don't have to start again. Wish us luck - please.

WOYWW #210

Wednesday has come around once more and it gets more and more difficult to realise that another 7 days have passed since Julia encouraged us all to show off our work spaces.
Well, surprise, surprise, I have some crafty bits on mine this week:

Obviously I can't show the front of the canvas wip. as it's a pressie, but you can see some of the stash I'm using to create it. Pinks and purples are the main colours but I have come across a little problem with the look of the finished 'front' so am having to re-consider what to do to make it look right.
Lots have been going on in our household this last week, some good some bad some inconvenient but all will be sorted this week. Watch on here for  more fun and frolics at the Tobyjug household.

STRUGGLING TO SEE

I have been short sighted since I was 7 - that's about 14 years ago now!!! LOL -  and have had contact lenses since I was  - a bit older than 7 + 14. However, as the years slipped by I had to wear reading glasses too. I reckon it's a Labrador and white stick next.........Anyway, I lost my left contact lens on Saturday night right outside the bathroom door, but can I find it, can I heck. Hence the 'struggling to see' bit.
I've ordered a new lens but goodness knows when that will arrive - today I hope because things are getting desperate now. I can't drive, can't see the tele, most objects are either blurred or in duplicate and what I do try to do has to be done with my nose almost pressed up against it - such as this post!!
Still, it's a minor inconvenience for me I suppose compared to folk who don't even have the ability to focus on anything so I must stop my moaning and get on with it.
I tried to take a photo of a clematis that has flowered for the first time - it being only a 2 year old plant - because the petals actually glisten in the sunlight and are the most beautiful colour I have ever seen. This is the best one I could manage but the glisten doesn't show up:

A piece of magic eh?
It's not fully open yet and the change in the weather may just spoil it but I've had a thrill to see that flower and there are a couple more to come. I just love flowers.

12 TAGS OF 2013 - JUNE

Thank you for an easy tag this month Tim. It's far too sunny in the UK just now to be inside so I was able to colour my image sat in the garden.
I came up with this:

To say I enjoyed making this month's tag is an understatement because I REALLY enjoyed making it.

The summer CHA show is in a few weeks and excitement is building already wondering what Tim will bring out next. My guess is the rest of the colours in Distress Paint and the seasonal colours in Distress pens. What do you think.

WOYWW #209

Happy What's on your Workdesk Wednesday to you all, especially Julia who I hope has recovered from all last week's birthday celebrations. I was determined to visit every desk and actually did manage a n awful lot more than usual, but failed once more in what has now become a marathon event. Thank you for all the comments and concerns about the washing machine fiasco. It took 2 days to sort but I have clean clothes again (well I did for the days I was without a machine having to wash by hand, but try washing bedding by hand - it's a nightmare) and my workroom space looks like this now:

Ok yo can see mucky cloths. They are my craft sheet wipes. That little cubby hole now houses 2 boxes full of envelopes which were in a kitchen cupboard, some of my Ranger stash and a couple of paper trimmers. However, the best bit is I can sit at my bar stool and not bang my knees on the washer. Oh for small mercies.
The top is still a bit bare meaning - not much crafting going on again:

A couple of newly bought canvases, 2 wine gums left from a bag of them, a note book I have been using for some challenge blog work, an information sheet I printed about our local bee keepers association (my neighbour but one has found a bee hive in a bird box) and my phone showing a photo of My Boat - I wish - it's the new Sunseeker 155 due to be launched officially in 2014. However, we saw the hull being prepared in one of the hangars last year and have now found out that the first boat has been commissioned by Eddie Jordan of F1 fame and it's due on the water this September. Guess where I'm going in September then? Yep, Poole in Dorset. One of these days I'll get to have a look round a 155 and when I win the Euro lottery, I'll buy one. Cheap as chips at only £18m!!!!!!!
Right then, another day begs attention. Have a good week everyone.

Summer bloom

I really haven't done any crafting for a while except outside eg summer planting.

But, my gorgeous Glaucus tree has had a good start to 2013 and looks like this at the moment