Welcome to humpday Wednesday, it'll soon be the weekend!

Morning readers,

I'd like to welcome my newest follower, Sherry, good to see you and thanks for following me, hope you will stop by again soon.

Hope your week is progressing smoothly, if it's not then .. just think, it's downhill to the weekend! I've had a few neck issues following the change of my pillow so I've been to see my physio, yesterday I felt like I'd done ten rounds in a Boxing ring but this morning is so much easier - thanks Pete!

I've been crafting instead of grafting whilst resting those neck muscles and I've a couple of Artist Trading Coins to share with you today ..... this first one actually deploys an image from a set of Christmas stamps!!!!

My Artist Trading Coin

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in white and blue (textured)
• Plain and faux stitched circle dies
• Penny Black image (from 12 Days of Christmas ... day 4 - 4 CALLING birds!) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink - I also stamped the image on to full coverage post it which I cut out to use as a mask
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour image
• Alcohol marker used to colour background
• With the mask in place to protect my image I applied Memento sweet plum ink through my letters stencil (Dutchdoobadoo 470.715.603) using a stencil brush
• Hero Arts sentiment (CG167) stamped using Memento Paris dusk ink

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Penny Black - September challenge - MAKE IT FEMININE
2. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - challenge No. 334 - USE SNIPPETS
3. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 89 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Crafting From The Heart - challenge No. 218 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Retro Rubber - challenge No. 94 - ANYTHING GOES ...... I've had my PB "12 Days of Christmas" set since July of 2010

And on to another much more painty Artist Trading Coin ..... I really wasn't sure how much I wanted a gelli plate so, when I saw the smaller and cheaper John Lockwood version I thought I would give it a go, frankly, I'm really pleased with the way this turned out.

My Artist Trading Coin

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in black and white
• Gel plate background made using Paper Artsy fresco paints (London bus and zesty zing) Brunel Franklin white acrylic and stencils from Dutchdoobadoo (470.715.603) and Paper Artsy (PS001 and PS087)
• Kaisercraft script and bubblewrap images stamped using Ranger Archival watering can ink
• Paper Artsy image (ZN28) stamped using Memento Paris dusk ink
• Copic markers used to colour
• Once finished I fussy cut out the image and positioned on my background before die cutting my (unbranded) faux stitched circle and then mounting on to a plain die cut circle to form my 2½" diameter trading coin

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:

1. Paper Artsy - challenge No. 15 - ARTIST TRADING COINS
2. Love2Create - challenge No. 12 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
3. Crazy4Challenges - challenge No. 450 - TECHNIQUE - I went with monoprinting my background
4. Through The Craft Room Door - September 4th challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Papercraft Challenges - challenge No. 19 - ANIMALS