To new beginnings

Hi there Tracy,

I was just thinking to myself "what better time to set goals for yourself than the beginning of the month?"and I have felt lately that I have been neglecting my growth when it comes to my art. I like to think of it as a line graph and sometime last year I really hit a growth spurt in my art in terms of colouring and line drawing and then 'life happened' and I saw a decrease in my interest and drive. While I love my crafting and I have had such fun making new things  I just feel I should pick up where I left off and hopefully I have not forgotten too much.

So where do I start? I suppose where I left off and that was by watching Youtube. I used to watch plenty of videos every day and followed all the popular (and not so popular but equally good) youtubers. I have decided that I want to develop my  style so I have decided to try a few and blend and take the best from each till I find a style I am happy with.  For the month of February I want to try Disney style which I really admire, it appeals to my inner child and reminds me of a simpler time that was my childhood. I would love to share my progress with you and hopefully by the end of the month I will be able to come up with some Disney style work of my own... fingers crossed! I really want to try some other styles too like manga but I will see how far I get in the first month.

Hopefully by the next post I will have some progress and will be able to share with you what I found worked for me (and probably what didn't) and  which videos I have found helpful.

I know we have such different styles and our own interpretations of art and I specially love seeing your growth. I am so lucky to have a friend with whom I can share this passion and learn from. It has been such a journey with you up till this point and I cannot wait to see where we go from here.

Till next my friend,  keep well and stay arty,
Nasreen.

This was the last peice that I worked on. I was happy with it at the time
as I felt it really captured the essence of my style.

Calling all planners.

This week I was playing around with a die set I recently purchased. The set consists of three cute little bows and what I came up with was this planner clip.

I will giving be giving away a bow paper clip kit to a follower of this blog consisting of:

* 5 jumbo paper clips
* 10 clear sticker gems
* 5 gold bow sets and
* 5 coloured bow sets ( in to do to choice of pastel or vibrant)

The only thing I have not included is the glue, but I am sure most would have that on hand anyway. There is enough in the kit to make 5 of the bows that I have shown above but if you are super thrifty I am sure with a few of your stash items you could make plenty more with what is provided Iin the kit.

The winner will be anounced next Saturday and all you have to do to stand a chance of winning is to be a follower of this blog and make a comment below. Only one entry per person although you can comment as many times as you like. If you would like an additional entry into the competiton then all you have to do is go to my instagram (you can find me here) and like, comment and share the competition picture and make sure you leave your instagram name in your comment below.

Nitty gritty:
* The winner will be contacted next week Saturday via their comment. If the winner does not contact me back with their details within a week of the announcement a runner up will be chosen.
* Please be prepared to recieve mail from overseas
* Prize will be sent via tracking method
* Prize cannot be exchanged for monetary value
* You may delete the instagram pic share after the winning date
* To qualify as an entrant you have to be a follower of this blog and comment before the closing date.

Good luck everyone and we look forward to reading your comments.

The glee of three

Nasreen here, with the third installment of our ATC series. My theme for today was to be a bit abstract. The word "create" is sort of a motto for most crafters. It reminds us to make things and also to do what we love.

I tried a bit of mixed media for this ATC. There are so many ways in which one can be creative and each crafter knows their own style but it is nice to branch out a bit and dabble in all sort of crafts and even challenge ourselves now and then to new styles or themes.

I cannot wait to seeit all come together at the end, should be a nice reveal to wrap up this month's challenge.

Nasreen - I REALLY like your mixed media ATC! And the word you chose to feature "Create" has meaning in so many different arenas of our lives - for example:

• Are you creating the life you want to live? 
• Are you creating a home for your family? 
• Are you creating opportunities for success? 
• and so the list can go on and ON....

It definitely has given me something to think about!

On to my third ATC. It features a tad of zentangling. I do not consider myself a Zentangler - but I often enjoy adding and creating simple patterns in some of the line drawings I do. I find it to be very relaxing!

Till next time! The Paperistas

Take Two!

Hi fellow Paperistas!

Welcome to Day 2 of our Pocket Letter ATC series: "A few of our favourite things".

If you are new to the world of ATC's you can check out the following link for more information:

• httor coffee anteddy.com/blog/introduction-to-atcs-what-are-artist-trading-cards/

I present to you "B is for ..... Butterflies!" (Made by Tracy)

 

For this ATC I used:

• manilla cardstock
• white craft paint
• a butterfly stencil
• Gelatos
• a baby wipe
• a computer printout of a butterfly
• Glossy Accents
• white Signo Uniball
• black Pilot Permaball
• stick-on pearl accents

I can't wait to see what Nasreen's next favourite thing is!!

My next ATC is staying in with the theme of drinks but whereas Dr.Pepper is more of a one time thing, tea is more of a staple, dare I say a necessity (please ignore the pun). I know some people are 100% tea or coffee but in all honesty I must say I am partial to both but most days a cup of tea just fills the spot like no other beverage can.

For this aTEAc I made a little shaker card just for something different as I feel the other atc was a bit simple and I feel the sentiment was befitting of the shaker.

Nine of Mine

Greetings everyone, Nasreen here and I would like to introduce to you our pocket letter series in which Tracy and I will both showcase 9 ATC's (Artist Trading Card) each - spanning over the next 2 weeks. Each day we will post pics of one ATC each that we have created - and then on the last day we will have a big reveal of the finished pocket letters.

We are still undecided as to if we should have our series themed or leave it open - so you will have to watch this space for updates. For our first round we thought it would be fun to get to know us better, so we have themed this month's series with "These are a few of our favourite things" which should be fun!

Nasreen's entry:

For my first ATC I have decided to go with my favourite soft drink. While I am not really one for fizzy drinks, I am partial to a Dr.Pepper. It is not a drink one usually comes across often enough in stores so when I do find one that sells them I make sure to remember it for next time. You can find a list of items I used below.

• Fabriano hot press watercolor paper
• Lawn fawn ice cube stamp from the "so smooth" set
• Tim Holtz distress ink
• Sentiment from the Avery elle " pick n mix" set
• Foam tape
• Dr.Pepper sticker from my stash.
• star stamp from Bobunny "sew lovely" set

I will now hand you over to Tracy for her entry and I will ATsee you all tomorrow for the next entry.


Tracy's entry:

For my ATC I decided to show that I love drawing, colouring-in, and that one of my most favourite symbols is a star. Here is a poem featuring this star symbol that I wrote some years back...

****

starry night

By Tracy Clements

starry starry night 

indigo velvet 

tea lights 

I look up to you 

for inspiration 

to rekindle my spirit 

to share your wisdom 

of bygone ages 

of days to come 

to bless me 

with your godliness 

and your love 

starry starry night 

indigo velvet 

tea lights

****

And here is my ATC:

I wonder what Nasreen's will showcase as being one of her favourite things tomorrow? 

I'll give you a hint on mine - It starts with the letter "B"...

**Btw - Can I just say how much I love Dr.Pepper too!! To me it tastes like liquid marzipan mixed in with cherry cola - YUMMY!!**

Kind regards,

The Paperistas

"Dearie Doll" Birthday Card

It was my mother's birthday on Tuesday, and I wanted to make her a handmade birthday card. As I don't own any birthday themed clear stamps - I searched the Internet for some free digital stamps (digis) and was delighted to find an awesome site with loads of free digis!

You can check it out here ----> http://freedeariedollsdigistamps.blogspot.co.za

I decided to go with a garden-themed stamp as my mother loves plants and has green fingers!

This is the free digi I chose ----> "Potting Table"

http://freedeariedollsdigistamps.blogspot.co.za/2013/08/potting-table.html

I kept my card simple and fussy free. I coloured the digi with my 24 set of Colleen 775 pencils  - I absolutely LOVE these pencils! The colours are so vibrant and they layer beautifully! (Thanks Nasreen for introducing me to Colleen way back when :-)

Here is the final card:

If you haven't done so yet, please consider subscribing to our Monthly Newsletter - together with each newsletter you will receive exclusively designed digi stamps, so that you can craft along with us! 

Until next time! Rock on!

Paperista Nasreen intro

Hello, greeting and salutaions from the Irish side of the paperistas. My name is Nasreen and I am South African currently living in Ireland. I live with my husband in the fair city of Dublin. I have only been here for a little over a year but am loving it.

Like Tracy I found crafting at an early age, or should I say it found me. I did arts and crafts as an extra mural for seven years in primary school and it was instantly a part of my life. I do dabble in all sort of crafts and love anything from yarns and stitching to graphic illustration - but paper crafts have always been my first true love. You can never have enough markers, inks and pencils.

I like to think of my style as whimsical and erratic. I enjoy bright and bold colours, the brighter the better. Natural and neutral tones have never been my thing though I do like to challenge myself and am always on the lookout for new inspiration, specially in sub cultures and genres.

My interests ebb and flow when it comes to different mediums and at the moment I am into card making, this being said I don't know for how long but this is where I am at the moment.

Here are a few examples of current projects that I am working on.

For more info about my style and what I do you can find me on instagram as nasreenthirteen.

I see this blog as a way for Tracy and myself to connect through one of the passions that we share, I would also like to meet more people who share this interest and perhaps grow into something more. I would like to do some give aways, blog hops, tutorials and perhaps a few challenges along the way while sharing this passion of what we do. On behalf of Tracy and myself I invite you along for the journey and welcome you to our world.

Paperista Tracy Intro

Hi there, and a very warm welcome from me (Tracy) to you!

I thought I would introduce myself and share a bit about myself, so that you can get a feel for who I am and what I am about...

I am a 35-year-young Taurean and I live in Pretoria in sunny South Africa with my husband and our 2 Yorkshire Terriers. 

As a youngster my first crafting passion was colouring-in. As I got older I realised that crafting was a big part of who I am. Crafting is definitely my No.1 PASSION, and it's a constant in my life. I like to refer to myself as a 'Crafting Magpie' because I like trying out all types of arts and crafts - variety is after all the spice of life!

Here are a few examples of my mixed media work...

 

 

I enjoy brightly coloured pastel colours, such as these...

... and some of my most favourite themes include Vintage, Shabby Chic, Art Nouveau, Steampunk, Tea Party, Fairies, Kokeshi Dols, Florals and Butterflies.

My most favorite past time is visiting antique and charity shops, as well as flea markets and antique fares. I also love visiting and spending time in a Library. 

I met Nasreen on swap-bot.com many moons ago. At the time she was living in Cape Town and we became good friends. In January 2015 we got the opportunity to meet each other before she left the country. We have always kept in touch and we are in contact on a daily basis.

This collaborative blog is long overdue, but we are both elated that it's finally here! *woot woot!*

Till next time Rock On!