ATC #3 - The Red Queen

I had most of this done within three days of the challenge going up; between school starting, taking over Ways & Means for the Co-op, and going on our 10th anniversary trip, I almost forgot to finish and post it before the 15th!

I got a gift card for Joann's Crafts for my birthday, and did some shopping earlier this month. One of my best finds was the remnant bin at 50% off. I had really wanted some tulle for the first ATC challenge, and found some, as well as TONS of other small pieces of fabric that will work fantastic for ATCs. The red "scrubbie" background and white gauze (it's actually called "papyrus" fabric) were two of my remnant scores.

I spattered Maya Road's Cherry Red mist on the gauze; it's a bit gorey but so is Alice in Wonderland, when you get right down to it :D

I will post more soon: photos and stories from our trip to Chicago, and a report on the Renegade Craft Fair, which was super-cool, as expected ;)

Alice ATCs

I have been having waaay too much fun making these.

They are for the 2nd challenge over at Angie Backen's new ATC swap site, simply ArTistiC. It's really been helping me move the sludge around and out of my scrap room, which I've been needing to do for a while. I spent Sunday at home cleaning up toys from our family room, and yes -- it took me ALL day to do ONE room. You know the saying, "Cleaning when you have young children is like shoveling when it's still snowing out..." Well, toys have been PUT AWAY, far away, and I am keeping what is out to the bare minimum. That should help (she says, as she steps on another. damn. hot. wheel. car.)

Okay, back to the cards. You make just one, which gets swapped out (eventually), I'm guessing on some kind of lottery system. Yes, I made three for this second challenge. Told ya I found my mojo! Well, that and I love vintage Alice.

I almost don't want to swap these out. Tess wants another top one, the middle one is my favorite, and the last one I printed out the image on watercolor paper, then hand-colored, so it was the most time-intensive of all. I'm just glad I only had to make one!

Check out the fun...you have until September 1st to do this second challenge...the first one was Alice, too, only based on costumes from the Tim Burton movie and quotes from the Avril Lavigne video. As you can see, I dig the vintage stuff more. Can't wait to see what they come up with next; the small canvas is perfect for getting your mojo going.

A leetle behind...

Yeah. Just a little. I am catching up on some promises. This is my first one (due May 15th. so sorry, Amy. hope you haven't sent these off yet)...a 4"x6" ATC swap, the last one I signed up for over at SIStv.



It's for a "Girly" theme...and this quote about Ginger Rogers is one of my favorites. I gesso'd (is that a word?! LOL) 4x6 index cards, let them dry, then stamped a flapper image with embossing ink, sprinkled irridescent powder over her, and hit it with a heat gun. Then I brushed magenta paint (mixed with acrylic glazing medium...the paint was lumpy) over the whole card, waited a moment, then took a baby wipe to smear off the heavier ink...and it turned this lovely neon pink color (as did my fingers).



The teal accents just seemed to bring it all together with the vintage photo, reminding me of the Art Deco hotels along South Beach in Miami. Very appropriate, and a happy mistake.

Not so happy was the result of splattering some Maya Road mist...I had no control over the splatters, then tipped the ENTIRE bottle over as I tried to clean up...making an even worse mess...luckily only one card (now mine, clearly) got ruined in the disaster.



On to Marit's class projects...I am waiting for the gesso to dry. Used my "new" (rummage- "saled") spiral-bound watercolor paper journal, originally marked at $22.00 but picked up for 50 cents (!!) recently. I opened the journal to a random page near the back (starting at the front of a journal is intimidating) and started schmearing...fun.



My last commitment is to a circle journal, also a SIStv swap, born out of last year's Sisiversary with the hopes we'd be finished by *this* year's event; alas, it was not to be. Add a flaker and some slow mailers (ahem...that would be me again, *blush*) and I'm left with one more page to make & send directly to our hostess, whose original CJ was lost along with the flaker.



Why do I do swaps again? Oh, yeah. For the fun of it.