The North Wind Doth Blow 🌬️

Hi everyone, the theme for the January ATC swap in Tracy Evans’ FB Group was the first verse of a traditional nursery rhyme, as follows …

The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?

Clearly thoughts turn immediately to wintry scenes, and I couldn’t resist using the teeny robin from the older Tracy stamp set “Robin and Nuthatch”. 

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted that we are already into February … yes, I’m very behind with these, but luckily the swap organiser has given everyone an extension until mid-February due to other commitments she has. Here is what I made.

I cut 4 pieces of stamping card each 3.25”  x 2.25”, all from small snippets. On each ATC I created a frosty background by stencilling Della Blue Elements ink through a Visible Image “Frosty” stencil, then stamped 2 trees from set TE23 using Medieval Blue and Very Peri Versafine Clair. I stamped some teeny background winter wording from TE23 in Morning Mist, then stamped the robin in Nocturne and coloured him with Zig pens and a white Posca tummy. I grounded the robin with grey Inktense pencil blended out with a water brush, and added white Posca highlights to the trees and clear Sakura Stardust pen to add some frosty sparkle. I added some white Posca spatters for snow, then stamped the sentiment from various small white snippets using individual letters from set TE32, cut out, edged in black and attached. Finally I matted each piece onto a 3.5” x 2.5” piece of dark blue linen card stock - again cut from snippets.

Here’s a closeup of one of them …

 … and an angled picture to show the sparkle.

Stamps: Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE23 Winter Delights, TE32 Alpha Florals; AALL & Create #690 Robin and Nuthatch;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Della Blue); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Medieval Blue, Very Peri, Morning Mist); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (clear); Inktense pencil (grey);

Tools: Visible Image stencil - Frosty.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #485 - Diecuts and/or Stencils (3rd entry)

As You Like It - Favourite Stamping or Digi (and why?)

(I love my physical stamps - never quite got the hang of placement for digis)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (February) - Use a Stencil

Creative Aunts #98 - Bingo  (2nd entry)

(blue/stamped images/handmade background)

Four Seasons (February) - Anything Goes Winter (2nd entry)

Moving Along With the Times #175 - Things With Wings

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2505 - Anything Goes

Papercraft #114 - Winter Wonders (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Snippets Playground #499 - Use Snippets

Triple B (February) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms

I’ve pretty much got behind with everything since Christmas as my mojo seems to have gone on a winter holiday, but I’m  determined to catch up with myself this month including both my ATC’s AND my calendar … watch this space! 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,