Sunday Afternoon in the Grotto

     My DH likes to watch sports on TV, and Sunday was jam packed, so......I took myself to the Grotto, determined to finish up May swaps.  I had pieces for a few and some ideas, so I got busy and caught up.

ACE May

   Oriental Stamp Art runs a year long swap with specific colors and themes for each month.  This month's theme is women using pastel colors.  This is one of my favorite stamps, perfect for the theme.  I used a marker to color in the pattern on the gown, and it wasn't as tedious as I thought it would be.  I had purchased a set of cards recently and used three of this pink, floral card as the base.

ABC Background Techniques:  "N" for Napkin

      This has been a fun swap - we are about halfway through the alphabet.  I glued pieces of napkin to a base, then spritzed it with Goosebumps, a texture spray.  When it was dry, I gave each a final touch of Perfect Pearls (gold) spray.

Masculine Card of the Month

      The theme for May in the Wisconsin group was a masculine card.  I had made a similar one with a group of friends earlier in the year and had some pieces leftover.  My partners should get theirs soon as I mailed them out this morning.

ATC of the Month - May

    The them for May was "trees."  I do have some tree stamps, but most are larger stamps, so I used a $1 stamp that is a tree branch.  The bird is also a $1 stamp.  I used a gold pen and small embellishment to add a final touch.

Quiet but Busy Week

     I decided early in the week that I need to do some serious cleaning, gleaning and reorganizing my supplies.  I found myself working in a postage stamp sized area on the work table and had a hard time finding things I needed to use, so.......... after spending hours reassessing my "stuff," I finally had time and space to catch up on a few swaps.

    I belong to a group which is making "Sudoku" ATC's (Artist Trading Cards.)  As you look at the scans, you are wondering where the numbers are.  But Sudoku refers to the mailing order, not solving a brain busting puzzle.  Each of us made a set of eight background ATC's which measure 2-1/2" X 3-1/2" and sent them along to the next person on the list.  When I received the first set, I added something and sent it along.  It sounds confusing, but it really wasn't.  I always received from the same person (Jan) and sent to the same person (Kathy.)  Eventually all the ATC's will be finished and returned "home."  

     Of course, life outside the world of paper, ink, and glue sometimes becomes a priority and people get a little behind.  So, because of various reasons (including my taking time out to clean), I ended up with four sets to work on.  It sounded a little daunting, but I had seen scans of these before I got them, so I had some ideas.

     Here's what I worked on over the last few days:

Kathy's Finished Steampunk ATC

   I added the black borders and sent one of them on to her, kept one for myself, and mailed the rest to the other participants.  I hope everyone likes this as much as I do, especially Kathy!!!!!

The Other Three Sent to Kathy for Her Additions

 

I highlighted the stems on the flower using a bronze gel pen.

  

I added the metallic sticker to the leaf. 

 Kathy will be the last to work on this set

Since the lady had a gold star on her hat, 

I gave her gold accents on her wings.

May Cards at Bonnie's

 Three friends and I get together every month to make cards/projects, eat wonderful dessert, and just generally have fun.  We all bring materials for each to make a card.  Here's what we did last night:

Bonnie's Peony 

  Bonnie is known for her beautiful, elaborate cards, and this is no exception.  The peony is made using a SU flower punch and a snowflake punch.  We used lots of glue and finally completed it.  Everyone's turned out nice.  The question is - do I keep it or give it to someone special???

Jane's Sad Dog

Jane loves dogs so it isn't surprising when we make a dog themed card.   I'm sure this will come in handy when I know someone who needs a little cheering up!

Chrissy's Window to Nature

Chrissy has a beautiful collection of nature stamps and accessories including her new deer die.  I brought home a few extra deer to make some more cards with a nature theme.

Maggi's Diamond Fold Butterfly

I recently learned how to make this diamond fold stand alone card.  After some practice, I figured it out and decided to teach my friends the tricks.  I used scrapbook paper and purchased embellishments.  Each of our cards was different and all were beautiful.

Catching Up (Sort Of!)

A Few Samples from 2012

    I have been neglectful of my little blog so decided to put up a few samples of things I have worked on this year.

This is one from a set of four - three for a group swap and 

one for a BD card for my sister Juli.

 Another swap card - the challenge was to use the diamond fold.

The side panels pull out so the card stands by itself.

I made two variations of this card.

After I made this version, I decided to add a red layer 

between the card itself and the map. That really made the card "pop!"

 I splurged and purchased a new die from Sizzx. 

This is how the card looks closed and then opened.

Here's another card using the same die.

 I am a couple of ATC swaps which have a monthly theme.

For May AFTVM I made a pair for "Under the Tuscan Sun."

I used pieces of a napkin glued onto a sponged ink background.

That's all for now.  More later.

This 'n That

     I have been neglectful of my blog so am going to post a few samples of work I created but have not yet posted.  Some of you have commented that you like to see the scans, so here are a few items. These are a few items I made in December, all of which were mailed out.

Christmas Card - 2011

This is one of the 60 Christmas cards I made. It is made from scraps of Christmas cardstock that I have kept over the years - too nice to throw out and not enough to make many cards.  I saw a design for a triangle shaped card in a magazine and decided to try to replicate it, turning it into a Christmas tree.  As it turned out, each of the 60 cards is different.  I used Spellbinders dies to create some of the embellishments such as the deer and also used some K&Company purchased embellishments.  Now I need to start thinking about Christmas 2012!

December ATC for Wisconsin group

Tri-fold Calendar

The two front panels open up to reveal a 2012 calendar.

Christmas Tags for Cuttlebug Swap

ATC Background Techniques: "I"

     I love creating backgrounds so was excited to join an ongoing swap creating backgrounds using different techniques.  A group of six is making an ATC every month for each of the participants.  Rather than randomly sending any technique, my friend Carole who organized this swap (she is the background Queen!) decided that we should go through the alphabet, one letter at a time.  I think some of the letters might be a challenge!

Interference Resist with Alcohol Ink

     This month we are creating with the letter "I" in mind.  I found a technique in the wonderful book "Texture Effects" by Nancy Curry.  It is a simple but beautiful technique.  Simply randomly sprinkle powdered pigments such as Perfect Pearls on black glossy card stock then apply alcohol ink using a sponge or felt pad which seals the pigments.  You can then stamp using a permanent ink.  What you can't see in this scan is the depth and shine created using this technique.  I added the bird and cage to complete the ATC.

Tim Tag #6

   I'm trying to make my version of the 2011 12 Tags of Christmas created by Tim Holtz.  I have been using materials that I have on hand, so this tag is not exactly like Tim's but created in the "spirit" of his tag.  The original was created using a Sizzix collage folder which I don't have, but I do have a Cuttlebug collage folder which I used.  The idea of the tag is to emboss on metal and color areas of the tag.  I used metallic tape on a tag, embossed, then colored using alcohol inks.  The top of the tag is embellished with red mesh wired ribbon and a hand made embellishment I received in a previous swap.  I tried to take a photo but there was too much reflection, so I attempted to scan.  That didn't work very well, but at least you can get an idea of what it looks like.  

     The good news is that I have completed 6 of the 12 tags ------ looks like I will be finished soon now that things have quieted down.

                                                            Tag #6