Little Ray Travels - Inchie

I was fiddling around trying to make an ATC with a travel theme and it just wasn't coming together for me. So I pulled out a square punch, reduced that ATC to some inchie backgrounds, and threw this one together in a matter of seconds.

The background is a combination of polished stone (blue side), embossing resist on text from a German book (yellow side), and some rubber stamping (both sides).

The little boy is a friend's oldest brother in 1926 when he was about two years old. He looked so cute standing outside in the snow all bundled up in his little hat, mittens, and boots. The original photo is wallet-sized so the copies I made are the perfect size for smaller pieces like an ATC or inchie.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz (blue side), Stampin' Up (yellow side); glossy white cardstock; text from an old German book; Adirondack alcohol inks (various blues); Versamark ink; wild honey and aged mahogany distress ink; Archival jet black ink; clear embossing powder; travel sticker by Making Memories; copy of vintage photo.

Grow Old Along With Me - TMTA

Today's theme at Think Monday - Think ATC is "lovers." Young love may be exciting, but enduring love is inspiring and just as romantic, if not even more so.

This photo was taken at the beach in the early to mid-1920s. I love how dressed up this couple is! I don't know who they are or their names but they make quite a handsome pair. The original photo was in an album that belonged to a friend's parents.

I trimmed away some ugly buildings behind them, gave them a beautiful ocean blue background using the polished stone technique, and imagined the many happy events and possible tragedies they've experienced in their life together.

It feels good to make something again after a couple of weeks away from the craft table due to a work-related trip and just not feeling very creative.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Ranger glossy white cardstock; Adirondack alcohol inks (aqua, denim, stream, and pearl mixative); alcohol blending solution; Basic Grey rub-on flourish; computer-generated text printed on Stampin' Up whisper white cardstock; scalloped-edge scissors; faded jeans distress ink; clear self-adhesive rhinestones.

It's Good to be Queen - TMTA

Today's challenge at Think Monday - Think ATC is the Mona Lisa. Such an iconic figure deserves to be Queen for a Day, don't you think?

I found an image of the Mona Lisa online, printed a copy, and trimmed around the figure closely. I attached this to a background that I made myself using the polished stone technique, Adirondack alcohol inks, a French script stamp, and an Eiffel Tower collage stamp. I used a watermark program to add "It's Good to be Queen." Because Mona's crown wasn't quite regal enough, I added the glossy black gems. Additional supplies are listed below.

Thankfully my office is closed today in observance of Independence Day, as I expect to need a nap after staying up much too late making this ATC.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Monday.

Supplies:
Stamps: French script (Stampin' Up), Eiffel Tower (Tim Holtz); glossy white cardstock by Ranger; red patterned paper by Pink Paislee; calendar sticker by Sticko; crown by Making Memories; gold German scrap; black adhesive gems by Sticko; aqua, lettuce, and denim alcohol inks by Adirondack; olive green Stazon; saddle brown Stazon; Archival jet black ink; matte gel medium.

Santa's Wish

A few weeks ago my mom and I had lunch at Maria's Tea Room in Czech Village. Afterward we roamed through an antique mall "on the avenue." One of the booths had a three-ring notebook filled with vintage postcards, and believe it or not there was a postcard with this exact same Santa image! I about fell over. I really want to buy it but they are asking $10 for it, which I feel is too much considering that the stamp has been removed, the postmark year is missing, and therefore it's impossible to put a date on when the postcard was sent. I'm guessing that it might have been a penny postcard from the early 1900-1910s, as other postcards in the notebook are of that era.

So I haven't bought the postcard, but now I have some idea where Tim Holtz gets the vintage images for his stamp sets!

I used Adirondack alcohol inks and the polished stone technique to create my own background paper for this 5.5 inch square card. I like the muted, non-traditional holiday colors of this card.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fabulous Monday!

Supplies:
Stamp set: Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz; Cardstock: Bazzill brown, Bazzill pickle, Bazzill kraft; Ranger Inkssentials glossy white cardstock; Adirondack alcohol inks: oregano, ginger, mushroom; Distress inks: peeled paint, fired brick; Stazon timber brown ink; Adirondack espresso dye ink; clear embossing powder; Distress Stickles: fired brick; Nestibilities square and scalloped square; Martha Stewart border punch; gold ribbon from Michaels; Tim Holtz Idea-ology antique brass snaps.

Polished Stone Mona

The polished stone technique is one of my favorites, so I naturally turned to my alcohol inks to make a unique background for some new Tim Holtz stamps that I was thrilled to finally get. I love how dramatic the cool stream and the warm terra cotta look with each other.

Another technique I employed on this 4.5 x 6.25 inch card was to heat the ends of the sheer black ribbon. The heat causes the ribbon to curl in unexpected directions which adds quite a bit of interest. I do need to practice this technique more: I found out that a little heat goes a long way.

This will be a birthday card for a close friend of mine who holds an MFA in painting. I'm no Leonardo da Vinci, but I think she will appreciate this latest sample of my artwork.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fantastic day!

Supplies:
Glossy white cardstock (Ranger Inkssentials); Adirondack alcohol inks: stream, terra cotta, latte; alcohol blending solution; Tim Holtz stamps; Tim Holtz Idea-ology metal findings; Colorbox metal stencils; miscellaneous seed beads; sheer black ribbon; black Stazon ink; terra cotta and black cardstock (Bazzill); ticket corner punch (Stampin' Up!).