House ATC for Lenna

Due to my 52 Journals project I haven't had much time for anything else this year and I hadn't made one single Artist Trading Card (ATC) after stopping with the Colour Groupies card exchange last December.

But I couldn't let Lenna's move to a new home go by without welcoming her home with one and you can see it above. The background is silks and it was left over after one of the Journal Quilts. I added the left overs of a mainly gold hand painted fabric and cut that to house shape while another painted fabric provided the door and windows. Of course it wouldn't be complete without some beads and I buttonhole stitched the edges by hand. 

It's landed safely in Lenna's new mailbox as you can see here!

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House for Karen

The last house in our series of exchanges on the closed OhmyGothic Yahoo Group has been built and it was one for Karen. Last year we made Gothic Arches for each other (hence the group name), this year it was houses (all in fabric as far as mine are concerned) and next year we are going to swap Skinny Book pages.

For Karen I made a house that is fabric on one side and features one of of fabric-paper collages on the other side.

The collage already had a window (part of a paper napkin) and I added a door to the house, as well as a vintage little girl, and a blue butterfly, all from Artchix Studio.

The fabric side was built onto a Fast2Fuse layer with a collection of fabric strips. These were machine quilted with decorative machine stitching and another door, a beautiful lady, a bird and the Paris transparency were added as well as the French words La Porte (the Door), again all from Artchix Studio

The two pieces were then layered and a blue satin stitch all around finished the piece.

House for Linda K

Another month, another house. Only one more month to go on the OhSoGothic Yahoo group where this year we're building houses instead of arches. Linda K is obsessed by toutes choses francais or all things french, an obsession which I share with her although mine is topped by my passion for Italy, specially Venice. Occasionally I'm quite surprised that I have ended up living in Scotland!!

But I've made a very French maison for Linda. Both sides of the house were started with a paper-fabric collage on calico (muslin) which started with French themed stamps and I also threw an Eiffel tower themed paper napkin into the mix.

I fuzzy cut two house shapes (mirror images) out of the collage and to the first side I added a fabric image from the Cleo #1 Alphastamps collage sheet, which I zigzag stitched with gold thread. I also added the vintage French text (Quel bonheur! What happiness) and a charm with the word Paris.

To the other side I added a paper image from Alphastamps Beauty Queens sheet, which was stitched on, again with gold thread. I also added roses from the Alphastamps Roses #1 sticker sheet to add to the flowers which were already inbedded into the collage. Again I added vintage text: c'est le bonheur de toute ma vie (it was the happiness of my whole life). All vintage text was further antiqued by gold metallic rub-on.

In the middle of the house there is a layer of Fast2Fuse to which both sides were adhered by ironing and I also enclosed a pink and white bead trim (sorry the scanner does not like this at all!) before joining both sides of the house together with machine zig-zag stitching.

House for Heather

We're making houses for each other on the OhMyGothic Yahoo group after making Gothic Arches last year. Of course in my case these houses are mostly in fabric and have Fast2Fuse in their centre layer.

As I'm still in rose mood (in fact I've ordered so many rose books recently that Amazon must be wondering if I anticipate a global shortage!) I used this as my theme again. The other rose thought that came to me is how wonderful it would be to have an entire flowerbed dedicated to roses. Never mind the practical things John has on his list such as new bathroom, reroofing the old cottage bit of our house, decorating the hall, I think he should start digging! I've already started a list of the roses I would love to add to our collection. Only problem is, I really love them all!!

I stayed with rose fabrics for this house and also included birds and vintage pictures as I know Heather likes these. On the first side I've put a fabric image from the English Rose Alphastamps sheet which is zigzagged onto a quilted background (using some of my lovely decorative stitches). I added an owl from the M is for Magpie Alphastamps sheet and the vintage text: When Owls do cry.

To the other side I added a lovely fabric girl from the M is for Magpie sheet a paper image with bird and roses (from Alphastamps Roses#2 sheet) which was stitched down and really looks like it's part of the rose fabric background. I added the vintage text which reads: The bird my lady loved. Oh, so sweet!

A house for Debby

I did not play in this swap last month as we have an uneven number of participants so each month one of us has time out. But this month I'm swapping houses with Debby, one of the Colour Groupies. This house swap follows on from our Gothic Arches swaps last year.

I'm staying with a rose theme as roses seem to be what I'm thinking off all the time at the moment. I'm even hosting a rose ATC swap on the ATCsforAll site at the moment (due date September 1st). Just can't get enough of them.

On both sides I used images from Alphastamps. The background is a house shape in Fast2Fuse to which I ironed fabrics, red on one side and blue on the other. I used roses stickers from Alphastamps Roses #1 sticker sheet, which are great as you can see the background behind them so in a way they are like self-sticking transparencies. On the red side I added an image of Red Riding Hood from Alphastamps Red Riding Hood #1 sheet and well as a butterfly from one of the Pendants sheets.

On the blue side I stitched on an image from Alphastamps' A Child's Valentines collage sheet together with another rose sticker from the same sheet as mentioned above. If you look closely you can also see a bird image, again from one of the Pendant sheets.

To the top of both sides I added a red and blue button respectively. The edges of the house were finished by zigzag stitching.

House for Linda E

Last month I did not need to make a house for one of my friends on the OhMyGothic Yahoo group as we have an uneven number so every month one of us gets a rest, and in May that was me. But this month I'm back in the swing of things and made my house for Linda E. The group is called OhMyGothic as last year we indulged in Gothic Arches for each other but now it's houses.

I selected some fabric I was sent by my dear friend Lenna Andrews and used this as the background on both sides of the house. The shape was traced onto Fast2Fuse and one side of the house was made directly onto the F2F while the other side was made on interfacing and when finished ironed onto the other side of the F2F. This makes for a lovely, solid house!
I know Linda loves romance and sweet images so I have given her Red Riding Hood (from Alphastamps Grimm Covers #2 fabric sheet) and my favourite bird image (from Alphastamps Round Pendants paper sheet). These were stitched onto the house. For the roses I used Alphastamps Roses #1 sticker sheet which meant I could simply stick them onto the house. I love the fact that you can still see the background through these sticker sheets!

On the other side I used the same bird image but this time in a much larger size (from Alphastamps M is for Magpie fabric sheet), added a small rose image (from Alphastamps Round Pendants sheet) in the roof upstairs and added some more roses as well as the text from the same sheet (Roses #1) as mentioned above.

The edges of the house were finished with satin stitching.

House for Lisa

This month I'm making a house for Lisa which again is Spring inspired. At the moment we are having a bad case of haa over Macbiehill (that is low cloud coming in on an Easterly wind from the North Sea and making everything look misty, cold and miserable!) so I'm longing for the sun to come out. It inspired me to make a sunny house for Lisa.

I used fabric and Fast2Fuse to make this double sided house, based on a cardboard house template. I ironed on a fabric that has romantic looking doors and windows to the bottom half of the house and a floral one from the Moda Aviary collection to the top half. The Spring goddess image is paper and from Lunagirl. The bird is from Bmuse. Both were stitched on with yellow thread. I added ivy rub-on and a transparent self-adhesive butterfly.

The other side of the house has 2 fabrics from the Aviary range of fabric and a suitable spring like image of a woman leaning over a gate with a flower in her hair. I have been treasuring her for quite a long time and this seemed the house for her. Again rub-on ivy and another transparent butterfly were added.

I finished the edges of the house with zig-zag stitching in a sunny yellow!

A House of Flowers

I definitely have spring on my mind (as well as a spring in my step!) and my longing for flowers has taken a firm hold. At the moment there are only snowdrops and crocusses on view but I'm already looking forward to a garden full of flowers this summer.

In anticipation I have filled my little house for Caryl this month with flowers. This is for a monthly swap on the OhMyGothic Yahoo group and despite the title (last year we made Gothic Arches for each other) we are building houses in 2009. And even though there is a credit crunch, these houses will keep on coming.

As my model I used a cardstock house (available at Collage Stuff) which I traced onto Fast2Fuse that I used as my middle layer. I made the front and back at the same time (quite a challenge as I had to make sure the stitching on each side did not interfere with the reverse side) and the flower fabrics were ironed on to both side. I also added torn strips of a vine fabric on both sides (by stitching). On one side I added a vellum image of a flower fairy (Altered Pages), the word Flower (also Altered Pages) and a pink heart charm (from an old necklace) at the top. Everything was sewn on.

And on the other side another vellum flower fairy (Altered Pages), a rose (from another fabric, using Bondaweb or WonderUnder) and the word Beauty. I made sure the stitching toned in with the other side and did not sew through one of the design elements.

I love this flower medley house!

A House for Cat

We're again swapping art on the OhMyGothic Yahoo group this year but instead of Gothic Arches, which we did last year, in 2009 we are sharing double sided houses each month, swapping with a different partner. Cat is my swap artist this month and she has already made her house for me which is winging its way to me at the moment. So it was high time for me to make hers and above is the first side.

I used a house shape (from Collagestuff) to outline the house shape in Fast2Fuse, which I cut out and onto which I ironed 2 different fabrics, one for the bottom and chimney of the house and one for the roof. All the images I added are from Artchix Studio and are paper and in case of the door also self-adhesive. To make sure they would not come off, I stitched them all on, while the clock also has a brad to hold it fast. The quotation Home is Home is from a vintage quotation book.

For the back of Cat's house I again outlined the house shape, this time straight on fabric, onto which I stitched fabric images of a house and the words La Maison (also in fabric). The girl is fabric and was stitched and I finally added a transparency with the words 78, Rue du Maison. All these images are also from Artchix Studio. Finally I fused this fabric house shape onto the other side of the Fast2Fuse, taking great care to avoid putting my iron on the transparency!

To finished I stitched around all the edges of the house to adhere both sides together.