winter theme ATC

A good friend of mine is hosting an ATC swap. An ATC is an Artist Trading Card - size is 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" (88mm x 61mm). The only rule of this swap was it had to be winter themed. I'm going to show you the progression of my idea: Winter. Here in New Jersey (where according to a recent poll, 49% of adults want to leave...me included..sometimes - ha ha!) Makes me think of bone-chilling cold, the once green leaves (which are now a sea of wonderful autumn colors!) are now gone, revealing the naked branches. I also think of the winter holidays, and the wonderful music that is associated with the holiday season. So, from those thoughts I came up with this: After much consideration I decided it needed a bit less 'blah!'. However, by March here in the northeast you are feeling 'blah!' and can't wait for spring, but that is besides the point. I don't want to depress the viewer of my ATC!! ha ha!! I then came up with this: Many steps to this ATC; please read only if you want the details of how this was made: 7gypsies Musique paper was painted with a wash of walnut ink mixture and allowed to dry. Ironed flat. DTP (Direct To Paper technique - take a ink pad in your hand and swipe the cardstock) and sponged Vintage Photo Distress pad on ivory Neenah cardstock base. Stamped tree branch images in Ranger Jet Black Archival pad and French script image with Antique Linen. Tear various 7gypsies papers, DTP edges of 7g Large Script and Musique only with Vintage Photo ink. Adhere to ivory cardstock base as shown. Spray white cardstock (I buy mine from Nichole Heady at http://www.papertreyink.com/) with Oyster Glimmer Mist. Allow to dry and iron flat. Punch three sizes of snowflakes from sparkley cardstock and set aside. Spritz a sheet of ivory Neenah cardstock with walnut ink solution and Glimmer Mist Aspen Yellow. Spritz tags too. Allow to dry and iron cardstock sheet flat. Stamp sentiment on sparkley (now vintage looking) cardstock with Ranger Archival Jet Black ink and punch out using EK Success 1" punch. Wipe the now dry metal of tags with paper towel. Adhere stamped circles and smallest snowflake. Adhere rhinestone bauble to snowflake center. Set aside. Adhere larger, punched sparkley snowflakes to ATC collaged base and adhere larger baubles. Adhere metal rimmed circle tag. Using glue pen mimic snow placement on tree branches and dust with Prisma glitter. Allow to dry. Neenah off-white cardstock base, 7gypsies papers; tree branches stamp from All Night Media, French script and sentiment from Hero Arts; Distress pads in Vintage Photo, Antique Linen; Ranger Archival Jet Black pad; silver-rimmed tag from Staples (it looks gold in the pic but it's really silver - honest); EK Success 1"circle punch; two styles of EK Success snowflakes; glue pen; Hero Arts Prisma glitter, faceted clear bauble; larger clear baubles from Michaels Craft Store; Marvy tiny snowflake punch; Glimmer Mist in Aspen Yellow; Walnut Ink mix.

ATC swap

This is an ATC - something I have not done in about five years...an ATC - Artist Trading Card. An ATC is a mini card - measurements are 2.5" x 3.5". I did ten of these - the stamp image (Hero Arts) was a gift from my friend Lana Lepinski a while back; ATC base is ivory cardstock; floral image is Rubber Stampede. I stamped the Hero Arts image onto ivory cardstock, tore then distressed the edges with Distress Pad in Vintage Photo (Ranger). I then collaged the ATC base first using 7gypsies papers and the Hero Arts stamped image. Then I inked up the floral image with purple and olive Stampin' Up markers, spritzed with water and stamped onto the collaged surface. Stamped again using Ranger Archival Jet Black pad. Added black 7gypsies paper strip at base. Dabbed upper floral area with a 1x1 Perfect Medium (Ranger) pad, then heat set one layer of clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (known as UTEE - it's a chunky embossing powder, available at most craft stores). While warm, I dabbed a bit of gold Perfect Pearls into the warm UTEE to give the appearance of a glow from the sun. I then layered a piece of mica, punched 2 holes through all layers (including the mica) with a 1/16" hand-held Fiskars hole punch, and threaded 2 antique gold brads through the holes. I trimmed the sides of the mica flush with the ATC base. I finished the back with a piece of black cardstock the same size as the ATC. Signed, numbered & dated.