Addictive ATC coins

Back to mixed media- oh how I've missed you!  And I didn't even realize it until I started playing again.  These little coins are great to make. They are about 2.5 inches across.   This one started with  sheet music then added a paper napkin over it. All collage with matte medium. I added glitter to the die cut swirl- too bad you cant really see it in the photo.  To finish, I added clear dew drops.  Cant wait to make more!

happy crafting! 

Trending: ATC Coins

I've seen a lot of these. ATC COINS....round and about 2.5 across. Up to 3" is acceptable. Anyway...another way to paper craft.  I think I will make a bunch of these. Nice for tucking into a book, junk journal and to use on a card.  I've made ATC's for years now.  I still enjoy making them too.  happy crafting!

Merry Christmas to All and to All, a Good Night...

Merry Christmas to one and all! I made this little creche this year to remind me of the reason for Christmas.

Having just lost my husband 4 months ago, I have a heavy heart and wasn't up to decorating this year. So I made this little creche and put it on my dining room table with a small light. It was perfect. Just enough for me to remember why we celebrate. Christmas was my late husbands favorite time of year and so that makes this first Christmas without him all the harder.

The creche is made of 3 ATC's that I decorated on both sides and then put together as the triangle. The figures are tiny miniatures i found at Hobby Lobby. I used snow and glitter glue to glue them down. Then I covered a wood block with papers and added the whole thing to a slice of birch to make the stand.

Christmas village

This is my new Christmas center of my table decoration.

It's a little village of sorts, using my ATC houses I've been making. I made them different heights to give them more variety. Each one is unique. I then placed a sting of tiny LED lights and some fake candles around to light at night.

I am happy with the results!

 

 

 

more Christmas ATC's

In my last post I mentioned that I am obsessed with making these wonderful ATC Christmas trees...
here are a few more pictures. They make me happy. They fill me with the Christmas spirit. They take me back to that little girl who couldn't wait for Christmas!!

What would you do?

2.5" x 3.5 collage

 

I would paint HUGE pictures in pastel or watercolor. I would bake more cakes. I'd once and for all lose the weight I want to lose.   In thinking about this challenge, I realize I am living the life I want to live. I don't have any big unspoken or unrealized dreams. That is a blessing!  I made this collage a long time ago and it was sold. It is part of a series of thought provoking comments.  What would YOU do? I love to hear from you...

mushrooms watercolor painting

My granddaughter has been visiting me this week and we spent a couple of days painting together. (how nice is that!?!) She is almost 13. We sat at one table on opposite ends and shared the paints and brushes and talked and painted...had a wonderful time.  Back in May we spent a week together in the south of France where we also painted.

She took her paintings with her when she left today before I got to photograph them. I painted an ATC of mushrooms on illustration board. I love painting on illustration board- I love how watercolors behave on it. Very different than watercolor paper.

 

 ATC Mushrooms

 

I want to do a fairy landscape painting- and that's why I chose mushrooms- to practice on a back ground and the actual mushrooms. I think all fairy lands have mushrooms...they are so useful to fairies, if you ask me...



Poppy ATC

I love poppies! Not sure why. Color? It's more than that. They speak to my soul. Does that make sense?  Anyway, I made this ATC using beautiful poppy napkins I bought. Using napkins in collage can be a big mess if not done correctly. But using Perfect Paper Adhesive eliminates the problems. The stuff is magic! I wish you could see the glitter! The picture just doesn't do it justice. I used a very fine art glitter over the top of the whole card and it really is pretty! I am a glitter girl when it comes to my art!

it's true...

The older I get, the more truth I see in this!! This is an ATC I made. I really like the rusty old look and feel of this piece.

Dance in the Light of the Moon...

click image twice to see up close- so pretty!

Still playing and experimenting today and I made this ATC. I wish you could see how glittery and shiny this is! The picture just doesn't do it justice.

I used the Faux Lace Technique I learned a couple of years ago at a stamp convention by Susan Pickering Rothamel. I made the tape extra lacy for this ATC. It uses her product, "Great Tape" and it is great! The moon is painted using mica powder mixed into an acrylic paint.

wish upon a star...

Wish

2.5" x 3.5", watercolor on 140# paper

with digital lettering

click to enlarge

This is an older painting of mine. Even though it's a children's verse, it reminds me of the magic of Christmas. The three kings who followed the star to find the baby Jesus. The beauty of the simple message of Christmas...

" Everything you need"

ATC collage

Today I was reminded of this piece of art I made several years ago and I thought I was post it here for you. I believe this statement is so true...

I painted this little ATC watercolor some time ago. I like how it turned out as it has a spontaneous feel to it. Which makes sense to me- I wasn't really 'trying' when I painted this- more intuition and feeling- which as I know to be true, usually results in a better painting. My usual "style" is more realistic, so this was a stretch for me.

People who know me do not often put my name and the word 'spontaneous' together in a sentence!

and another ATC watercolor

fantasy forest ATC

Another fantasy watercolor taken from my head. I find these quite fun to paint. Make it up as you go! I love making wild skies. Every now and then I actually see skies like these- rare but they do occur. It's like God paints a beautiful picture in the sky each and every day just for us.

ATC watercolor

in the woods

This is a made up scene I painted. It's very small- ATC sized. I like it- the colors are also made up...I just added all kinds of colors for the sky. Sometimes it's just fun to play!

Imagine the possibilities!

click to enlarge to read these

Two years ago I received a dozen old library catalog cards from the University of Iowa. Some artistic soul there saw the possibilities...they were posted online - free for the asking - I sent in a SASE and a few months later I received my cards in the mail. I used 4 of the cards to make an altered book I named "Pretty Little Things".

These are the cards we all used to thumb through before card catalogs were computerized. Most libraries just threw them out. Yesterday I was lucky enough to find a stack of old library cards. They are amazing! The words on them - they stir the imagination!

Here are just a few of the cards I found yesterday - I can see them used as backgrounds for collages or for more altered books, ATCs, etc. - they each tell a story, or part of a story. Very cool!

...now if I could just get my hands on an old card catalog that held the cards!

etsy and Halloween

It's August and I am playing with Halloween paper dolls. More like MAKING Halloween paper dolls! I finally started posting some items to my etsy shop. And I thought some Halloween items would be fun.

I've been making this particular paper doll format for about 2 years now. I use a playing card as the body and alter it with collage and prints. I have made at least 40 of this type of doll. I sold them all on eBay. Now I am going to try etsy. I've had terrific luck on eBay, but I do hear good things about etsy too...so here goes!

Here is my witch I made today. Wart on her nose, silver glitter shoes and an orange rhinestone on her hat. She is holding a black bird.

Please click here to visit my new etsy shop. (I've actually had it for 2 years, but hey, I don't want to rush these things ;-)

Another cupcake

Cupcake II, 2.5" x 3.5"

acrylic on watercolor paper

Wednesday night I was flipping back and forth from Top Chef and the Food Network. (Love both!). On the Food network was a cook-off and the winner of the cake round was a 'classic chocolate cake'. T.G.I. Friday's adopted her winning recipe into cupcakes and is now offering them as a dessert choice in their restaurants.

Always up for a good cupcake, my husband and I had dinner at our local TGIF to try the cupcakes. They were pretty good- a tiny bit dry. Two came on the plate, so we took one home. Later that night I zapped it in the microwave for maybe 9 seconds- what a difference!! YUMMY!
Who doesn't love cupcakes?

watercolor ATC

ATC watercolor ~ This view is not real- I made it up as I was painting.

I love how transparent watercolors can be- if I don't turn them to mud!!

Cat ATC series # 2

I think of these little cats as "Victorian Cats" and when I was listing these on eBay, I listed them as Victorian Cats. They all sold on eBay...
selling ATC's is in some people's opinion a faux pas. But I think that is ridiculous! For hundreds of years artists worldwide have sold trading cards!! I just don't understand the thought that says one should not sell an ATC.

My sister was the one who changed my mind...she loved the idea of ATC's but wasn't artistic at that time in her life...she wanted to collect them, but not make them. She encouraged me to sell mine, because there are lots of people like her- wanting to collect ATC's but not make them.

BTW- my sister has jumped into the arts and crafts and does some amazing pieces! And she sent me her very first ATC, which I proudly have on my shelf :)