Beach Clubber ATC

I used some papers from the scrap pile to create the background for this ATC.  The embossed portion on the right side was originally going to be used on a greeting card.  I don't remember why it didn't work for me at the time, but I held onto it because I liked the color scheme. 

I trimmed the paper to ATC size and added torn book pages, dry brushed with white acrylic paint, to the left side to create a more neutral backdrop for my guy. (Isn't he a trip?)  I used a charcoal pencil to help define the text against the rather busy background.


Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC blank; white cardstock; Ephemera rubber stamp from Stampin' Up; Versamark ink; clear embossing powder; distress inks (can't remember which colors I used); vintage book pages; warm white acrylic paint; bundled sage distress ink; stipple brush; clipart guy from Alpha Stamps; text from a 1920s novel; Adirondack acrylic paint dabber in espresso and snow cap; dark charcoal pencil.

Waiting for the Postman ATC

This artist trading card features a sweet vintage image from Stampington and Company.  I love the clipart and artist papers they include with some of their magazines.

The background was made with Tim Holtz tissue tape colored with distress inks.  The text along the bottom came from a 1943 book called Choice Poems for Elementary Grades.  I bought it in an antique shop and have actually enjoyed reading many of the poems.  I've reprinted Waiting for the Postman at the end of this post.  Boy, have times changed!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC blank; Tim Holtz tissue tape; worn lipstick and brushed corduroy distress ink; clipart image from Stampington and Company; text from an old book; postmark clipart unknown; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber; dark charcoal pencil; Golden gel medium.

Waiting for the Postman

~ James S. Tippett

Where is the postman?

Where is his whistle?

He's late, he's late, he's late.

He's turning the corner.

His pack is enormous.

No wonder I had to wait.

But he handed me packages,

Letters and postcards,

When I ran down to the gate.

Then I didn't mind if the postman was late.

And I didn't mind if I had to wait,

For I like to get packages down at the gate.

(This poem was considered appropriate for 

Grade 3 students back in 1943.)

Just the Two of Us ATC

I haven't made an ATC in quite a while, but was inspired to do so after visiting the after-Christmas ATART-athon (All Types of Art marathon) this week at ATCs for All.

I found this couple's photo at an antique store.  The woman's face seems to say, "Not tonight, dear.  I have a headache."  (She also looks a little like our next door neighbor!)

Thanks for popping in to my blog.


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC blank; patterned paper unknown; vintage sheet music from my stash; clipart from ArtChix Studio; laser copy of old photograph; frayed burlap distress ink; Stazon black ink; dark charcoal pencil; glue stick; Golden gel medium.

He-Man Collage

While cleaning my craft room earlier this week, I came across a small stretched canvas that I had prepped with gesso a month or so ago, but never did anything with.  Since I had a clean table, I decided it was the perfect time to experiment.  Because of the drying time required between layers, this was actually a two-night project.

I started by adhering a scrap of vintage map to the top and sides of the canvas, using gel medium.  I painted the map with a glaze of warm white acrylic paint.  Once it was dry, I adhered my he-man with gel medium and outlined his body with charcoal pencil.  I then covered the entire canvas with a layer of gel medium and allowed it to dry before employing the peeling paint technique.  At first I thought I had gone overboard with the Vaseline, but in the end I like having just a little bit of paint around the edges.  The final layer consisted of adding some additional paint and ink to further age the piece.

In this scanned version, you can see the aging effect created by the paint and ink.  So far I've resisted the urge to add anything else.  This canvas is only 2.5 inches square, and I don't want to ruin overwhelm it by adding too much.

I think this collage could be displayed on its own as pictured above, or it could be incorporated into a larger piece.  I'm going to give myself some time to think about that second possibility.

Thanks for dropping in!

Supplies:

Mini stretched canvas from Hobby Lobby; Golden clear gesso; clipart he-man from Alpha Stamps; dark charcoal pencil; vintage map from my grandma's 1930s geography book; Golden soft gel medium (gloss); warm white acrylic paint; Liquitex glazing medium; Vaseline petroleum jelly; Liquitex burnt sienna and hooker's green acrylic paint; walnut stain distress ink.

Curio Birthday

Yesterday I spent some time cleaning up my craft room and putting away the Christmas stamps and paper.  It always feels good to start with a fresh slate, especially since we're approaching the new year.

My first project after Christmas is always my mom's birthday card, because she was born on January 1.  I felt like coloring so I pulled out one of my favorite images and combined it with these lovely papers from Basic Grey's Curio collection.

Thanks for stopping by! What do you think of the new blog background?  Is it too busy?

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Basic Grey; female stamp image unknown; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; circle and lacy circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Martha Stewart border punch; Glossy Accents; frayed burlap distress ink; K and Company adhesive metal embellishments; pop-dots.

Merry Christmas!

 

Wishing you all the joys of the season.

Frilly Prancer #11

Happy Christmas Eve!  It's bright and sunny here today and with no snow on the ground, it looks more like autumn than winter.  But fair weather means safer travels for everyone (including Santa--wink), so we're not complaining!

I used one of my newer Martha Stewart border punches to dress up this card.  It reminds me of the edges around my mom's crocheted doilies.

Have a great day!  Thanks for visiting.



Supplies:
Green and red cardstocks by Bazzill; patterned papers by Authentique; gold paper from Michaels; vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas; evergreen stamp from Artistic Outpost; forest moss distress ink; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; Martha Stewart border punches.

2012 Photo Calendar

I've been working on a photo calendar for my brother and finally completed it last night.  I bought the blank calendar for one dollar at Michaels and it makes for a quick yet fun project.  I simply selected a variety of photos, matted them on coordinating cardstock, and added some brief journaling. 

Since I couldn't find enough photos I liked with a landscape format (there is a 4 x 6 inch blank spot in the middle of each page which doesn't look right unless you cover it completely), I printed some of my ATCs to fit. 

 

(Note:  I erased some of my journaling for privacy reasons.)

Thanks for visiting my blog!  Have a fantastic day.

Supplies:

Photo calendar from Michaels; 4x6 inch photos; miscellaneous cardstock; white cardstock; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up.

Geometric Prancer #10

Four more easel cards are ready for mailing!  This design features very vanilla seam binding from Stampin' Up.  I used Fray Check on the ends to keep them from unraveling.



Have a great day!  Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; red cardstock from Hobby Lobby; patterned paper by Authentique; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear detail embossing powder; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister), black Stazon ink; fired brick and brushed corduroy distress ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch; very vanilla seam binding from Stampin' Up, Dritz brand Fray Check.

Holly Prancer #9

I'm still happily plugging away at my Christmas cards and have just a few more to make.  I think this is one of my favorites so far.  I love the holly paper by Authentique.



The blizzard that hit the plains and parts of the midwest this week missed us, so we will have a "green" Christmas for the first time in several years.  I know a lot of people are disappointed (the kids especially), but I'm glad to not have a lot of snow to shovel.

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; red cardstock by Core'dinations; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage sheet music from my stash; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Versamark ink; black Stazon ink; brushed corduroy distress ink; gold detail embossing powder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch; sheer gold ribbon from Michaels.

Easel Prancer #8

Wow!  I can't believe I haven't posted anything in over two weeks!  This is my busy time of year at work and as the saying goes, you have to make hay when the sun shines. Besides, the car needed four new tires.  So it's not a bad thing to have to work extra hours, but now I am behind on my Christmas cards with only a week to go.

I decided to make some easel cards because they're fun and everyone seems to like them a lot.  This patterned paper by Authentique makes the card festive without all the work of piecing together scraps.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're further along with your Christmas preparations than I am.

Supplies:
Large reindeer stamp by the Cat's Pajamas; sentiment from Stampin' Up; crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; red cardstock by Core'dinations; vintage sheet music from my stash; patterned paper by Authentique (Wonder collection); homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); black Stazon ink; frayed burlap distress ink; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; small oval and scalloped punches from Stampin' Up; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch; sheer gold ribbon from Michaels.

Art Calendar Challenge December 2011

Several months ago I learned about an art calendar challenge on a blog called The Kathryn Wheel.  It wasn't something I wanted to start at the time, but I tucked the idea away in a corner of my brain and lo and behold, the ol' brain actually held onto it!  In anticipation of the new year, I ordered a Strathmore 9x12 inch visual journal with 140 lb watercolor paper from Dick Blick's.  It arrived yesterday so I decided to get started and make a calendar for this month.

I used a bunch of different media:  old dictionary pages, acrylic paint, homemade glimmer mist, masks, oil pastels, and rubber stamps.  I just had *fun* with the process and didn't belabor over it, which is the real challenge for me!  Besides, there is always next month to try something different or more elaborate.  And since each day of the month is less than two inches square, I think I will be able to keep up with the journaling aspect of this challenge, too.  Actually, I think I will make the squares even smaller next time, to allow more room for artwork on the page.

This is a closeup view of the left side.

Have you thought about any art challenges you would like to tackle in 2012?  Now is the time to gather your supplies!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Strathmore 9x12 inch visual journal with 140 lb watercolor paper; vintage dictionary pages; gel medium; pink quartz and titanium white acrylic paint; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, pewter Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); Tim Holtz masks; alphabet stamps by Wordsworth Stamps; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; bird stamps by Hampton Art; flourish stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms; birdcage and sentiment stamp from Artistic Outpost; black Stazon ink; white cardstock; bright green oil pastel by Artist's Loft; black Sharpie marker.