A Sweet Face

I tried to clean up my craft desk over the weekend in the middle of a marathon at ATCs for All, because my work space had been reduced to about a six square-inch area!  Naturally, I got side-tracked when I found some scraps from previous projects that fit together nicely on an ATC without a lot of extra thought or effort.

The photograph is of my grandmother and her dad in 1920 when she was three years old.  The sheet music and German text are both 19th Century.  The German scrap bird from ArtChix Studio was originally a bright, shiny pink.  A gold paint dabber took care of that!

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; decorative paper by The Paper Studio; vintage German text; vintage sheet music (1870s); family photograph copied onto cardstock; gold cardstock mat; Dresden trim bird from ArtChix Studio; pumice stone distress ink; Adirondack Metallics gold paint dabber, white acrylic paint, light charcoal pencil.

Biology for Today Bird ATC

I ended up making several cards for this weekend's Bird-a-thon on ATCs for All, and really went to town once I pulled out my bird stamps.

I stamped this bird from Artistic Outpost on a page from my grandmother's 1930s Biology for Today textbook, and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The background was shaded with distress inks.

I hope you had a great weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; stamps by Artistic Outpost (bird), Inkadinkado (postmark), Stamp Francisco (wavy lines part of postmark), and Wordsworth (letter B); 1930s vintage biology textbook page; Prismacolor Premier pencils; wild honey, bundled sage and black soot distress ink; Archival jet black ink.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

I am past ready to start making my Christmas cards, and decided to get into the mood by making this ATC to offer in trade to Marie of Lost Bird Studio.  She and I "met" via Mary Green's online courses this past year and I love to visit her blog as she makes beautiful vintage collages.

This card started with some 1950s Christmas music that was clear heat-embossed with a holly stamp by Tim Holtz and colored with distress inks.  The cherub figure is from the Victorian Christmas Source Book.

Thanks for visiting!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; holly stamp by Tim Holtz (Stampers Anonymous); Versamark ink; clear embossing powder; bundled sage, pine needles, and walnut stain distress ink; cherub clipart from the Victorian Christmas Source Book; text from another book; fired brick Distress Stickles.  

Flight

This card is much brighter in color than what I usually make, so at first I thought it looked too garish. But because I love red it's starting to grow on me.

The bird is a German scrap from ArtChix Studio and the text is from a 1940s dictionary.

Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; postcard background and German scrap bird from ArtChix Studio; postage stamp from Mary Green of Green Paper Packages; vintage sheet music; vintage dictionary text; postcard stamp by All Night Media; white acrylic paint; wild honey, broken china, and old soot distress ink; black Stazon ink; sticker letter (unknown); Golden gel gloss medium.

Ev'ning Thrush

I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and found some great bargains if you went shopping today, Black Friday.  I spent the holiday with some friends and had a lovely time.  But I decided there was nothing so urgent that I needed to venture out today, so I just stayed home and have been playing happily with my paper and paints this evening.

The Bird-a-Thon on ATCs for All this weekend prompted me to cut into the sheet of German scrap birds that I purchased from ArtChix Studio a while ago.  I used part of a love poem by Robert Burns to complete the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; German scrap bird and postcard background from ArtChix Studio; vintage sheet music; vintage poetry text by Robert Burns; rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost and All Night Media; stormy sky distress ink; black Stazon ink; German scrap border; "Thickers" letter by American Crafts; light charcoal pencil.

Restless Gypsy of Wind ATC

I created this card for the ATCs for All "Bird-a-thon" starting today (Thanksgiving) and continuing through the weekend.

The background is a combination of vintage and new papers, blended with white acrylic paint and distress inks, and overstamped with a French postcard image.  The bird is a piece of German scrap purchased from ArtChix Studio.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; vintage Finnish text; vintage sheet music; decorative papers by Creative Imaginations; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap, wild honey, and walnut stain distress ink; carte postale rubber stamp by All Night Media; Stazon black ink; German scrap bird from ArtChix Studio; text from a 1920s novel; black Dresden trim; medium charcoal pencil; Golden gloss gel medium.

Black and White and Red All Over

Actually this card is black and ivory and red, but that's not how the joke goes, is it?

I used one of my favorite stamps from Artistic Outpost and colored it with gray Prismacolor pencils.  I stamped it a second time on red cardstock and punched out the 35 to add some additional color.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Supplies:
Stamp: Artistic Outpost; red cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up; decorative papers by K and Company; barn door distress ink; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; small circle punch; sheer black ribbon; pop-dots.

Gibson Girl #3

A fellow artist I've connected with on ATCs for All asked whether I could make a Gibson Girl card for her, and since I love this image so much I was more than happy to do so.

The background includes some vintage sheet music and a map from my grandmother's geography book.  The title is a clear laminate transfer.

Have a great Monday! 




Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; copy of a vintage cabinet card; vintage sheet music; map from a 1920s geography book; script paper (unknown, not vintage); white acrylic paint; frayed burlap, crushed corduroy, dried marigold, and peeled paint distress ink; Stazon black ink; dark charcoal pencil; Duck brand clear laminate; Golden gloss gel medium.

Angel with Cornucopia

Here's another ATC using a piece of scrap from the Victorian Christmas Source Book and some 1950s Christmas carol music.



  




Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; old sheet music; clipart from book cited above; frayed burlap, wild honey, and barn door, and walnut stain distress ink; white acrylic paint; Adirondack Metallics gold acrylic paint dabber; Golden gel medium gloss.

Angelic Cherub

Years ago I purchased Victorian Christmas Source Book by Michelle Lovric and Maggie Philo (c. 1995).  I never made any of the projects described in the book, but I am looking at the kit's Victorian scraps with new eyes now that I'm doing collage art.

I trimmed this angelic cherub (from the kit) closely and mounted him on a 1950s piece of Christmas carol music that I colored with distress inks.  I added a shimmery border using Adirondack's Metallics gold acrylic paint dabber.

Thanks for visiting!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; old sheet music; clipart from book cited above; frayed burlap, wild honey, and Victorian velvet distress ink; Adirondack Metallics gold acrylic paint dabber; Golden gel medium gloss.

Consider Yourself Hugged

I made this card to send to a friend who has been feeling a little down lately as she watches two of her friends battle cancer. She has been a great help and comfort to them but as many of us know, being a caretaker is not easy. 

The little girl is by Oxford Impressions.  I've discovered that using a rubber brayer to apply the ink to the stamp works best for this type of photo-realistic image.

I hope you're having a great weekend!

Supplies:
Stamp: Oxford Impressions; Bazzill black cardstock; naturals ivory cardstock by Stampin' Up; white matte gloss paper from Oxford Impressions; black soot and rusty hinge distress ink; decorative papers by Creative Imaginations; Fiskars border punch; sheer black ribbon; Prima paper flower; black brad; mini copper brads; rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestibilities; pop-dots.

Wanted: Love

I hadn't sewn on a card in quite a while, so I pulled out my Janome Sew Mini and added some zigzag stitching to this birthday card for my cousin.  The additional detail was just what this piece needed and I think it really complements the theme of this card.

The stamp is by Oxford Impressions and the decorative papers are by Cosmo Cricket.  The Tim Holtz key has the word Love on it.

Have a great day!





Supplies:
Stamp: Oxford Impressions; Bazzill brown cardstock; naturals ivory and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; black soot and walnut stain distress ink; decorative papers by Cosmo Cricket; copper key from Tim Holtz; antique copper brads; twine from Stampin' Up; pop-dots; Janome Sew Mini and ecru colored thread.

Jaunty Scene III ATC

Several weeks ago I made an ATC background using the Tim Holtz tissue tape, then didn't have any ideas of how to finish it.  I finally decided to just continue experimenting and ended up creating this masculine card.

This card has numerous layers including a bingo card, the tissue tape, white acrylic paint, clip art images from Alpha Stamps and ArtChix Studio, and a variety of inks.

Thanks for popping in!



Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; bingo card (unknown); Tim Holtz tissue tape; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and barn door distress inks; Stazon black; clip art from ArtChix Studio and Alpha Stamps; dark charcoal pencil; Golden gloss gel medium.

Vintage is in Fashion

Now that I've finished my ATCs for the Vintage Fashion swap, it's time to get them packaged up and mailed.  I like to include a thank you card for the hostess and the one below will also hold some vintage tatted lace that I'm giving her.

The image is from Artistic Outpost and the decorative papers are by Pink Paislee.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.




Supplies:
Stamp: Artistic Outpost; black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Pink Paislee; Archival jet black ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities. 

Life is an Adventure

I just received some new stamps from Artistic Outpost and immediately put one to use making this birthday card for a friend.

I used Prismacolor Premier pencils and odorless mineral spirits to color my image.  The background papers are by Deja Views.

Have a great day!




Supplies:
Stamp: Artistic Outpost; Bazzill brown cardstock; patterned papers by Deja Views; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; blending stumps; antique copper brads; pop-dots.

Gibson Girl #2

This is my final card for the Vintage Fashion Swap.  All of my cards feature fashions from the la belle epoque era of 1890-1914, which was also the general time period for the popular Gibson Girl illustrations.

This woman's photo intrigued me for two main reasons:  the pose, which I haven't seen too often in cabinet cards of the late 1800s, and the elaborate lace on her dress (which is probably the reason for the pose).  The filigree border around the edge was heat embossed in garnet.

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; background found on Flickr; figure copied from a cabinet card; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and pumice stone distress ink; flourish stamp by Inkadinkado; Versamark ink;  Stampendous PEARLustre garnet embossing powder.

Gibson Girl #1

I think this is my favorite card of the four that I made for the Vintage Fashion Swap on ATCs for All.

I was immediately drawn to this woman's photo when I found it in a local antique shop; she has such a beautiful face and arresting eyes.  Her softer hairstyle and high-collar lace blouse personify the Gibson Girl illustrations that were so popular from the 1890s to WWI.


Thank you for visiting my blog!  TGIF.

Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; laser copy of a vintage cabinet card; vintage sheet music; miscellaneous background paper; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and peeled paint distress ink; computer-generated title transferred to clear laminate; bronze Dresden trim border; Golden heavy gel gloss medium.

la belle epoque #2

This is my second card for the Vintage Fashion Swap.  All of my cards feature fashions from the la belle epoque era of 1890-1914.

Apparently ladies of all classes during this time period were able to purchase or make for themselves elaborate and embellished blouses, including those with ruffled or lace jabots like the one worn by this woman.  I paid just $2.00 for a full yard of the intricate tatted lace at a local antique shop.

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; free background from Flickr; vintage sheet music, laser copy of a cabinet card; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap, dried marigold, wild honey, and walnut stain distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; computer-generated text transferred to clear laminate; vintage lace; Golden heavy gel gloss medium.

la belle epoque #1

This mixed media collage card is for a Vintage Fashion swap I'm participating in.  The general theme for all of my cards is the time period 1890-1914, which was called la belle epoque (the beautiful epoch or period) by the French.
 

Women's fashions during this period featured voluminous leg of mutton sleeves and high lace collars.  This young girl's dress is a prime example of both of those trends.  The photo is from a cabinet card purchased at an antique shop and the title is a laminate transfer.


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; laser copy of cabinet card; unknown background paper; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap, fired brick, and pumice stone distress ink; Tim Holtz rubber stamp; medium charcoal pencil; tortillion blender; computer-generated title transferred to clear laminate; Dresden trim border; Zva Creative self-adhesive pearls;Golden heavy gel gloss medium.

Gibson Girl Prototype

I signed up for a Vintage Fashion ATC swap and I need to get my cards finished and on their way.  So I used my extra hour from daylight saving time tonight (I turn the clocks back early so I really feel like I get that extra hour), to work on my ideas and to come up with a prototype.

The woman is from a cabinet card I purchased at an antique store.   The background is a combination of old and new images that have been collaged, blended with white acrylic paint, and colored with distress inks.  The Gibson Girl title is a packing tape transfer. 


I hope you found a good way to use your extra hour this weekend.  Thanks for stopping in!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; old cabinet card photograph; vintage sheet music; clipart images by ArtChix Studio; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap, dusty concord, and black soot distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; blending tortillion; Golden heavy gel gloss medium; Duck brand clear laminate; German scrap border.