...And now for something completely different!

Hello my dear Followers and Friends! Do any of you remember the '70s? You're probably all far too young! But if - like me - you do, you'll remember 'The Monty Python Show' where one anarchic sketch would lead into another with the words, '...And now for something completely different'. Recently I was inspired by Trish from Trish Too to try something 'completely different' for a background. I started off by making ATCs and Moos and then I created a couple of cards for friends, which I posted here the day before yesterday. Here is a little more detail on how I created these backgrounds.

 I stuck strips of background paper and text from my piles of scraps which you can see under the big orange-handled scissors over the back. I also painted and sanded some card left over from another project. This was for me to stamp text onto. I knew I wanted an aged look so I painted with Vanilla, Caramel and Tikka Frescos, using my Prima tool to sand, and a baby wipe to blend.

This is the master board I created to cut my little cards from. Trish used crayons to cover her background so more of the text and paper strips showed through. I really want to make some more ATCs, but when I do, I might try a thinner application of paint so that more of the under layer does show through. You can see here I also dipped a fabric conditioner lid into little pools of paint to make circles and I did some stamping from a PaperArtsy script stamp on the Hot Picks plate 1006. My colours were Frescos by PaperArtsy in Antarctic, Mermaid, Inky Pool and Hey Pesto. I scrubbed away with a Baby Wipe to reveal different layers; but I didn't want to rip my papers underneath.

Here is a selection of some of the ATCs I created when I had cut my background into individual cards. I think they have a bit of a Monty Python look about them, as they are rather surreal! I used some Retro Cafe Art Gallery paper cuts left over from projects I had done in the past. It was great fun putting together heads, eggs, butterflies and birds and creating fantasy characters to inhabit the fantasy land I had created with my painty, scrappy background!

Is this lady the goddess of Story-telling, appearing out of the twilight grasses of Hot Picks 009 with a tiny pearl necklace? To create my text I cut up the words from sentiments to add a mysterious message to each card! I highlighted the edges with a white Posca pen.

In this one, Frida Kahlo has morphed into one of the parrots she loved to paint so that she can inspire us to bring colour into our lives. I wonder what inspiration is about to hatch out of that egg?

Making these ATCs was a real flashback to  the imaginative games I used to play as a little girl, creating new characters by cutting and pasting images and telling stories about them.

I used some Frantage on this Art fairy's wings!

I don't think this Edwardian 'super-hero' is a serious threat to Spider-man - I mean, Butterfly-man doesn't quite 'cut it', does it?

And here is some of the extraordinary flora and fauna of Horizon Land!

I had the most fun with working on the tiny moos!

I used lots of Satin Glaze to seal my ATCs and give them a nice shine.

The moos can be used as bookmarks! I highlighted the butterflies with a gold pen.

You might just be able to see a little of the background peeking through the paint on this one. I had so much fun playing with these I completely lost myself in the activity! I hope those people I have sent them to will like them and not think me too strange! Thank you so much for taking a look.  Have a wonderful Friday and a creative weekend!