Swapped Out ATCs from EWV Yahoo Group

Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group Spring ATC Swap results:

Remember I made these three?

  

Here are the three I got back:

 

I love Lori's sense of humor and the great background she made on her ATC.  I love the die cut label so much on Karin's ATC that I think I will have to buy it.  I love the feeling of "motion" on Nancy's ATC.

If you like Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 stamps and other products she has, please join us at the EWV Yahoo Group for the art challenges and swaps. 

Happy e-mail notice!!!!

	LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND IN MY INBOX TODAY!
	Gecko Galz Buy One Get One Sale! Only 7 more days to stock up and save! Our bi-annual buy one get one sale is about to end, you have 7 more days to take part in our fab sale....when you buy one product you get another of equal or lesser value FREE! Offer ends on May 31st. Includes collage sets, collage sheets, stamps, and paper packs. So come stock up for all your crafting needs.    Happy Scrapping Gecko Galz    (sample by Helene Huber)

What to do with Leftovers

In my previous post, I showed you 3 ATCs I made for a swap. While cleaning up my craft table, I found some bits of trimmed off tag. I also used a file divider to mop up the ink as I worked. Then I came across a scrapling--the leftover piece after you cut a card to size. Saving these bits from the trash can, I put together a small card and another ATC.

The small card, great for a gift enclosure.   Stamped with a flower from the Rogue Redhead Designs LLC Floriculture stamp plate.  This was posted on the Rogue Redhead Designs blog as my design team sample last Friday.

The file divider ATC features an image from the Gecko Galz Pixie Children collage sheet that I printed out and found under a pile of "to do".  How perfect--the letter P and the Pixie children!  I added a remnant of green leaf trim and made a bow from a scrap of ribbon, ending with a few gems on the wings--all from my stash. 

This ATC I'm entering in:

Sugar Creek Hollow's Challenge #61 Clean It Out

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Favorite Ink.  I used several Ranger Distress Ink pads.  My favorite ink pad right now is Picked Raspberry which I used directly on punchinella to stamp the pattern. You will also see it peeking through as part of the swipe and spritz distress method.   I have to say my "go to" ink is Ranger Distress Vintage Photo marker.  I outline all my images in that color, just as I did here. I also used it to edge the ATC.

Our Creative Corner:  Anything Goes

Vicki at A Cheerful Stamp Pad: Challenge:  It's Natural

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Your Day

I'm going to give this card to the groom on the big day.

Gecko Galz products from the May, 2013 release:
Dapper Dan digital paper pack (four papers)
image from Sharp Dressed Man collage sheet
older release: Tic Toc alphabet

Entering this challenge:

Frilly and Funky:  A Time for Weddings:  white plus a color --- not sure if the neutrals are counted as more than one color.   Hope it qualifies.

Artful Defined ATC Swap

I made three ATCs for the Red Lead Paperworks Art Sister ATC Swap.  The Swap is due May 15 and is located in the Red Lead Art Sisters Yahoo Group.

*****Artful Defined ATC Art Swap*****
Let’s make some ATC’s that tell our stories.
Are you an art girl…artist…a dreamer, journaler or a little bit of them all? Define what you love and make some artful defined artsy ATC’s!


Red Lead products need to be used although you can supplement with other brands--they stock these as well.  You also must include $5.00 to have the swapped out ATCs sent back to you.  Love that I don't have to buy an envelope in order to address it to myself and include postage!  And the sisters always include wonderful freebies from their store. It is a real treat for me to shop at their store in St. Louis, Missouri, which is open on Saturdays. If you can't get to the brick and mortar store, you can always shop on-line which is what I do even though I'm only across the river.  Here's hoping the postal employee can put on his/her waders and get this to the other side of the Missouri River by the 15th.

If you want to see these larger and in better detail, please just click on the photo. 

So here are the Red Lead Materials:

Cropped image of woman holding flowers from the February 2013 freebie collage sheet from the Red Lead Sisters, Sharon and Chris.  These usually are posted on their Face Book page.  Note:  I converted to black and white and increased the pixels to 600 prior to printing out the image on matte photo paper.

Fussy cut images from the freebies that came with my orders.  Now, I ask you, what is an art sister swap without an image of the actual art sisters? 

6x6 inch manila tag paper.  Just like the tags only square (and obviously no hole or string).  Perfect for creating my ATC background.  Purchased at Red Lead a long time ago and don't see it in the on-line catalog.

See the Artist Within, exclusive Red Lead rubber stamp.  I used only the sentiment portion of the stamp.

Postal exclusive Red Lead rubber stamp set -- must have been a limited edition as I can't find it now in the on-line catalog.

Red Lead Art Stencil 6x6 Template:  Inspire


And here are the Other Materials I used:

Ranger Distress Ink pads in Picked Raspberry, Mowed Lawn, and Salty Sea.  These were used for the swipe and spritz (with water) distress technique on the tags.

Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray in Sweetened Orange and Fresh Lime.  These were used to add interest to the backgrounds.

Sequin scrap used for a stencil

Making Memories metallic staples.  These were used on the pocket ATC.  Chris and Sharon recently had a tutorial in the in their on-line newsletter about making a pocket ATC.  I thought I'd give it a try.

Ranger Distress Paint in Seedless Preserves for a bit of contrast and different texture.

Black sharpie to outline the ATC and sentiment.

Ranger Distress Marker in Vintage Photo to outline the images.

Archival Black Ink for stamping.

I'm new to stenciling and worked quite a while with different mediums to try to get the stencil words not too blurry.  A couple of them are done with Ranger Black Soot Distress Stain.  One is done with a Ranger Distress Marker in black soot followed by outlining with a Sakura Gel pen in black.  I liked that the raised gel ink added definition.

Time to pop these in the mail and move on to the next project. I think it will be a rough go for me when there no longer is Saturday postal service!

Mother Card

 I had some time to play this weekend and made this card for some challenges.  

Some of the challenges wanted bling and sparkle.  So let's get to it!  I used a metallic sheet of card stock: DCWV Linen collection.  I hope you can see how the paper shimmers.  On to edging a chipboard circle with glue followed by USArtQuest Crystal Effects (fine glitter).  Then I highlighted the roses with my Sakura Gel Clear Star Pen.  Always hard to photograph this stuff so I hope you can see it in this close-up. Adding to the bling is my diamond crystal at the top.  

Spring time of course makes one think of Mother's Day and flowers in bloom.

For mother:   image from A Mother's Love collage sheet from Gecko Galz.

Flowers:  rose circle from For Mother's Day collage sheet by Heather Hudson for Gecko Galz
beautiful roses in the mother/daughter image

Ribbon and Lace:  This gorgeous scalloped seam binding is doing double duty as lace tied into a ribbon bow.

To complete the list, I used my Sizzix Frame, Fancy Rectangle die on a piece of card stock from DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl paper pack.

Here are the challenges I'm entering:

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #71 Sparkle, Bling and Ribbon    until May 12

Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge #60 Spring Flowers due May 10

It's All About the Vintage and Beauty   Challenge #42 For Mother  til May 8

All Sorts Challenge Week 205 Add Some Sparkle due May 10

The Shabby Tea Room Challenge Week #164 Beautiful Spring
Beautiful Spring' along with this beautiful photo for inspiration and create a card or project inspired by the COLORS IN THE PHOTO AND INCLUDE FLOWERS, LACE and RIBBON! due May 5

For the Record

Today is National Scrapbooking Day!

To celebrate the day, the Gecko Galz Design Team was challenged to create a scrapbook page.  Mine is up right now at the NSD link at the Gecko Galz site.

Having just celebrated a birthday, I decided to record the passage of time,  Instead of the traditional 12x12 square--I used a circle to incorporate a clock, using an actual vinyl record as the base. 
Gecko Galz product:
Time Flies collage sheet (May 2014 release) clock and sentiment.

Every couple of days check back for new inspiration as each design team member's scrapbook project will be featured at the Gecko Galz site.  Each project includes a list of products and instructions.  
While there, be sure to check out this month's incredible offer!

As with each Design Team challenge, there will be a vote after all the projects are featured.  I'm very pleased to announce that my Florida Spring Break beach in a jar project won the Spring Project challenge!  Thanks to everyone who voted for my project!


 I hope you have time to scrap a lot!  Today is the perfect day for it!

Entering this in Frilly and Funkie's Challenge:  There's No Time to Waste where you must include a clock.  Perfect match!

Christmas Birds?

It's spring and the birds are back, building nests and chirping away.  But when I played with my new products, my thoughts turned to Christmas!

The birds and sentiment are from the latest Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC stamp plate, This N That.  

The color is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler--I indulged in card stock, ink, Stamp N Write pen, and ribbon.

I used some precut ivory labels.  Kept it simple, using one for a tag (edged with the cherry ink) and one for a card.


Entering this challenge:

Festive Friday Challenge #07 Element:  use a bird in your holiday creation

May Flowers

Those April showers have brought us May flowers---faux flowers that is!  The Unruly Paper Arts blogozine is having a month of great ideas from the columnists.  The link for the table of contents is HERE

Plus there are two Reader Art Quests for your artful flower creations!

UPA Reader Art Quest #1:
Flowers blooming outside! Why not have them bloom all over your art as well? We are asking you to put

5 or More Flowers

into your art this month! Your flowers can be natural, faux, fabric, fiber, paper, metal, doodled or stamped! Unruly Paper Arts will be accepting Unruly Reader Submissions starting May 1st until May 25th. Voting for the top 5 projects will begin May 26 and run to May 31, 2012. The 5 projects with the most votes will be featured in the June 2013 issue.  See all the details and more samples HERE

Here is my design team sample for Reader Art Quest 1:  5 or more Flowers:

Feeling Sentimental:  My toddler granddaughter loves to pick "flowers" in the yard (dandelions, etc.).  It reminds me of my own childhood.  And these stamps remind me of the childhood innocence of finding wonder beauty in all forms of nature. 

Therefore, I'm entering this in the Fashionable Stamping Challenge #46 Sentimental.

Also:
Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Challenge #59 April Showers Bring May Flowers
Our Creative Corner:  Anything Goes

Products Used
Stampin' Up Crumb Cake card stock for base; Very Vanilla for stamped area
Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC  Floriculture stamp plate:  bud stamp
Studio 490 (Wendy Vecchi line for Stampers Anonymous) Art Inspiration stamp set: bottle.
Archival Sepia ink

It was just Earth Day (April 22) so I got a little creative with my recyclable items found on my craft table.
a piece of unraveled burlap for bow
plastic packaging on which I stamped the jar.

Stamp buds on card stock.  Stamp bottle on plastic.  Cut out and place on top of buds.  Tie bow on top of bottle.  Buds laying outside of bottle:  one bud was fussy cut in order to place it at a different angle.