Mixed Media ATCs with Vivid Ultra Metallics

Hi everyone!  I love texture, and what a fun and easy way to play with different textures and to try out different techniques than on ATCs (Artist Trading Cards).  I also love beautiful colors, and just had to play with my newest Vivid Ultra Metallic Colors from ColourArte.  

I hope you will come along and play with me while I show you what I did in this video tutorial.   

Supplies Used:

Vivid Ultra Metallics

  True Metals Dragon Gold

  True Metals Autumn Flame

  Douglas Fir

  Teal Zircon

  Sunflower

  Bolivian Blue

  Red Poinsettia

White gesso

Wallboard paper joint tape

Wallboard fiberglass joint tape

Honeycomb die cut

Medium weight chipboard

3D gloss gel medium

Variety of laces and fibers

Heart shaped corrugated tag

Stickers and embellishments

Let me know what new ideas and techniques you come up with while you play.  It is hard to stop!

Thanks for stopping by, and make time for creative play!

Barbara

Mixed Media ATCs - Best Day Ever

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I have two posts to share today, so if you would like to see my project for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, please click here.  Thanks!

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Hello everyone!  So glad to see you again.  Barbara here with my second post for the Craftwell blog.  I am having so much fun with this very versatile little machine.  If you have not used an airbrush before, you just don't know what you are missing.  I am here to tell you that it is so easy and so enjoyable!  I am also using products from our sponsor, Teresa Collins.

I made three Altered Trading Cards (ATCs) with, believe it or not, St. Patrick's Day in mind, hence, the green background and tiny shamrocks to tie my ATC set together.

Supplies:

Craftwell eBrush 

Teresa Collins Project Dies

• Today
• Remember This
• Honeycomb

Ivory card stock

Shamrock craft punch

Charcoal Pencils

Stripes stencil

Texture Paste

Pearlescent dimensional paint

Copper tube beads

Cut three pieces of card stock to ATC size (2-1/2" x 3-1/2").  Spread texture paste through stripes stencil and let dry.  Round corners.

Color background with a variety of green marker colors.  Continue adding colors until you like the result.  I used arm grey to tone down the brightness of the color a bit.

Die cut the honeycomb, butterfly, star in circle, key, numbers, and Best Day Ever using the Teresa Collins dies.  Color each with markers, as shown.  Tear the honeycomb in half irregularly, adhere to two ATCs.  Use the negative pieces left from the honeycomb and add to the third ATC.  

Add die cuts to each ATC, as shown.  Add shading around the focal image on each one with a charcoal pencil.  

Color a scrap piece of card stock with green markers and punch tiny shamrocks, adhering to the ATCs, as shown. 

Use a pearlescent dimensional paint to add dots on each ATC and along the stenciled stripes.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check the Craftwell blog for more inspiration from the team.

Halloween ATCs

Howl-O everone, and welcome!  I am excited to share some spook-tacular ATCs with you today, using the ever-so-wonderful products from Altered Pages, but also from our sponsor, Royal Brush, aka Royal & Langnickel.  I received a wonderful Drawing Art Set from them, and I am going to show you how I enhanced my Altered Pages black and white collage sheets and rubber stamped images.

I first cut my 6x6 Black Mat Board into ATC sized (2-1/2" x 3-1/2") pieces.  I like to use something heavy, like mat board or chipboard, as a base.  It allows me to put heavier embellishments on my background without it collapsing under the weight, and even if I don't use anything heavy, I just like the feel.

I used gel medium to glue the Spooky Paper 12x12 to each ATC, reversing the paper on some for variety.

On the Boo ATC below, I fussy cut the phrenology head, added color with my Drawing Art Set, and glued it to the ATC.  I also fussy cut the  leg bone and column top, glueing to the ATC.  A small scrap of chevron print was glued below the head, a strip of German scrap border along the side, and tiny alphabet stickers to spell BOO.  I used the colored pencils to add shadows around the images, adding depth.

Boo ATC

On the Bones ATC below, I fussy cut the doorway and adhered to the ATC first, then the pile of  bones was added.  I stamped Patonce Cross with black StazOn ink, colored and fussy cut, then adhere to the center of the door.  I added a strip of German scrap border along the side, and tiny alphabet stickers to spell BONES.  Again, I used the Stacked Skulls stamp to add shadows around the images, adding depth.

Bones ATC

For the Skulls ATC,  I added a strip of German scrap border along the side, along with tiny alphabet stickers to spell SKULLS.   I colored and fussy cut the column, adhering along the right side.  I stamped the  Stacked Skulls with black StazOn ink and colored with the  colored pencils, which I also used to add shadows around the images, adding depth.

Skulls ATC

For the Creep ATC, is used the colored pencils to add details to the skull before glueing it to the center.  I darkened the eyes, nose, and mouth openings with the black colored pencil, allowing some of the paper design to still show through the eyes area for a bit of a creepy look.  I cut a German Medallion in quarters to make corners, which I glued to each corner.  I used the colored pencils to add shadows around the images, and tiny alphabet stickers to spell CREEP.

Creep ATC

Altered Pages Supplies:


8x8 Glitz Paper Pads (Sunshine in my Soul)
Collage sheets:  Anatomy 101, Vintage Architecture 1029

Gel Medium

6x6 Black Mat Board
Spooky Paper 12x12
Spooky Die Cuts
Stacked Skulls stamp
Patonce Cross stamp
Muse cling mounts
German Medallions
German Pennant Point Gold
Jet Black Stazon Midi
Glue Stick

Remember this month Altered Pages is partnering with Royal & Langnickel.  In celebration of that along with October being breast cancer awareness month we are giving away this beautiful Pink Art Journal. 

           

To be entered into the drawing all you have to do is just place an order of $10 or more with Alteredpages.com.  The lucky winner will be announced on the blog as well as our Facebook page on November 1, 2015.  Good luck!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a very Happy Halloween!!!

Barbara

Sin City Stamps ATC Blog Hop

Hi everyone.  So glad you decided to join us today because the Sin City Stamps design team have a fun blog hop for you to enjoy.  Please click here to see a link-up of all of the blog hop participants.  Just click on their thumbnail to be taken directly to their blog.

Our theme is ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards.  If you don't know what an ATC is, let me explain.

1. Artist trading cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern trading cardsbaseball cards, or 2 ¹⁄₂ by 3 ¹⁄₂ inches (64 mm × 89 mm), small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.

Here's what you need to do to win!

Visit each blog and leave a comment.

Return to the Sin City Stamps blog and leave a comment there to enter to win your choice of ATC stamps.

Like both the Sin City Stamps Facebook page and Sin City Stamps YouTube Channel.

A random winner will be chosen on Monday, 14 September, and announced on the Facebook page.

Now, for my project today, I want to share a set of three ATCs, all made using some of my favorite Sin City Stamps.

ATC Fronts

ATC Backs

Directions:

ATC #1

Cut three pieces of white chipboard to 2-1/2" by 3-1/2", paint with Oatmeal chalk paint.

ATC #1:  Stamp dandelions  on the ATC and add dots of Cantaloupe and Platinum Pearl Paints, as shown.

Tear a strip of print paper from the 7Gypsies pad, ink edges and adhere along top edge.  Stamp two butterflies  onto print paper, fussy cut and adhere to ATC.

Stamp Weed or Wish? onto solid color paper from the 7Gypsies pad, cut out, ink edges, adhere to chipboard for dimension, then adhere to ATC.  Add three tiny metal square stickers, as shown.

ATC #2

ATC #2:  Emboss with Tropical Paisley embossing folder and sand the high spots to reveal the white chipboard.

Use a blending tool to color the high spots with Fired Brick distress ink.

Stamp bird twice onto scrap print paper from 7Gypsies pad with black archival ink, cut out one complete bird, and one wing.  Adhere wing to bird, and draw in an eye with a black marker and white gel pen.

Stamp creativity definition  onto solid color paper from 7Gypsies pad with black archival ink, cut around it and ink edges.  Glue to a piece of chipboard and adhere to ATC.

Stamp clock face with black archival ink onto print paper, punch out with 2" paper punch, and cut in half.

Add Fired Brick distress ink and adhere left half of clock face to left side of ATC.  Add Fired Brick distress ink to wood clock hand, stamp Wish with black archival ink.  Adhere to clock face.  Adhere bird with foam dots, so it looks like it is perched on the clock hand.

Add dots of Platinum pearl paint around clock face, and adhere tiny gold metal stickers to top and bottom of ATC, as shown.

ATC #3

ATC #3:  Emboss ATC with Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder and sand the high spots to reveal the white chipboard.

Use a blending tool to color the high spots with Vintage Photo distress ink.

Stamp music notes portion of the birds with nest onto a piece of Authentique print paper with Tree Branch archival ink.  Ink paper with Faded Jeans distress ink, tear bottom edge and adhere to top of ATC.

Ink the other half of the stamped clock face from ATC #2 above with Faded Jeans distress ink and adhere to right side of ATC. Add dots of Pearl Platinum Pearl paint around the edge.

Stamp Make A Wish with black archival ink and punch with a decorative punch.  Adhere to a piece of chipboard for dimension and then to top of ATC.  Add a dot on either side with Cantaloupe pearl paint.

Stamp Dream key onto same paper used to stamp the butterflies above with black archival ink.  Fussy cut and adhere with pop dots.

Add three tiny gold metal square stickers to the top and bottom corners, as shown.

Bonus ATC

Bonus ATC:  The birds with nest image was stamped onto the Authentique brick pattern paper with black archival ink.  I stamped around the image with the crackle stamp, also with black ink.  Using a blending tool, I added the four Distress inks to quickly color the background.

I used a water brush on the birds, nest, flowers, and leaves, to remove some of the distress inks color. This is a technique by Tim Holtz, since distress inks are reactive with water, you can "erase" some of the color.

I used various colored pencils to fill in the image, and added dots of Cantaloupe pearl paint to the flower centers.  

Stamp Wings of Love in black archival ink onto solid print paper, punch with decorative label punch. Adhere to chipboard and then to the ATC.  Add three square metal stickers to the top and bottom corners, as shown,

I used this ATC background stamp to finish off this ATC.  These stamps are perfect for adding just the right touch to the reverse side of all of your ATCs, allowing you to sign and date them, and also number them, as well as give them a theme if you are trading them.  

Bonus ATC Back

Supplies used:
Sin City Stamps:  Terri Sproul's Vintage Set (music background with birds and nest)
Terri Sproul's Wish set (dandelions, butterflies, creativity definition, Make A Wish, Weed or Wish?)
Birds and Clocks (clock face, bird)
Sin City Wings (Wings of Love, crackle background)
Steampunk'd (dream key)
Michelle Frae Cummings Steampunk ATC Card
Vintage Keys ATC Card
Chipboard
Manila card stock
Oatmeal chalk paint (Folk Art)
Papers:  Gypsy Market 6x6 pad (7Gypsies); Accomplished 6x6 pad (Authentique)
Embossing Folders: Diamonds in the Rough (Cuttlebug); Tropical Paisley (Sizzix)
Distress Ink Pads:  Vintage Photo, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Spiced Marmalade
Archival Ink Pads:  Jet Black, Tree Branch
Ranger Liquid Pearls: , Platinum, Platinum Pearl, Cantaloupe
Gold Metal Stickers (TPC Studio)
Foam dots


Thanks so much for stopping by today, and don't forget to leave comments on all the blogs, and Like both the Sin City Stamps Facebook page and the Sin City Stamps YouTube Channel for your chance to win!

Good luck, and have a wonderful weekend!

Barbara

Fun with ATCs

Hello everyone.  I want to share some fun Altered Trading Cards, aka ATCs, with you today, and show off some more of the Altered Pages products with the Sin City Stamps.  The combination of the two companies gives you so much creative flexibility, and I think they are amazing together.

I am sure most, if not all, of you know that ATCs are always sized 2-1/2" x 3-1/2", and can be oriented in either direction, that is, either vertically or horizontally.  Here is a template I got off the internet showing how to get the most ATCs from one sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" card stock.  As you can see, it yields 10 cards.

Supplies used:

Altered Pages collage sheets:  AP-585 Vintage Artist Trading Cards Backs;  AP-1724 Collage Backgrounds Oriental;  AP-779 Red ATC;  

Cream card stock

Wink of Stella pens:  Clear; Red

Metallic rub-ons All Metals #2

Mix'd Media Inx:  Leather; Black; Patina

Ranger Blending Tool

Sin City Stamps Bingo rubber stamp plate

Black embossing powder

Tiny resin flowers (Prima)

Tiny wooden birds (Recollections)

Tiny heart punch (Martha Stewart)

First, I cut my ATCs to size from Cream card stock.  Ink edges with Black Mix'd Media Inx and blending tool.

Print AP-1724 Collage Backgrounds Oriental onto parchment paper.  Trim brown background to measure slightly smaller than the front of two of your ATCs.  Ink edges with Leather Mix'd Media Inx and blending tool.  Adhere to front of ATC.  Voila, instant background!

Add a few images from the Sin City Stamps Bingo rubber stamp plate to the background with Black Mix'd Media Inx and emboss with black embossing powder.

Choose two smaller images from the AP-779 Red ATC collage sheet, adhere to thin chipboard and cut out.  Ink edges with Leather Mix'd Media Inx and blending tool.  Add tiny amounts of Wink of Stella clear and red pens to each collage image for a bit of shimmer.  Adhere to front of ATCs.

Punch two small hearts, ink edges with Leather Mix'd Media Inx and blending tool.  Adhere to front of ATCs. Add tiny resin flower to center of hearts.

Ink two tiny wooden birds with Patina Mix'd Media Inx and adhere to each ATC, as shown.

Apply brass and deep gold from the Metallic rub-ons set around edges and randomly on the front of both ATCs for extra shimmer and vintage-y goodness.  Here is a close-up of that golden shimmer.

Cut out AP-585 Vintage Artist Trading Cards Backs and adhere to back of your ATC.  Now, fill in the information and swap with your friends!

Well, that sure was a lot of fun! I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.  And pop on over to both the Altered Pages and the Sin City Stamps websites to see all of their wonderful products.  There are lots of new products on the way, and the design teams are constantly working to inspire your creativity.  

Have a simply fabulous, creative week!  

Hugs,

Barbara

Artist Trading Cards with Sin City Stamps

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog.  As I promised you in my last post, I want to share with you today the ATCs that I made to fit in the altered ATC box, which can be viewed here.

So, what are ATCs?  They are Artist Trading Cards, similar to baseball cards, at least in size.  ATCs are always 2-1/2" x 3-1/2", and can be decorated in either a horizontal or vertical format.  I tend to prefer the vertical format, but this is just a personal preference.  ATCs are meant to be traded only, and unlike baseball cards, are never to be sold.  You always want to sign, date, and number your ATCs.  If you make one ATC or 10 ATCs, number it 1 of 1 or 1 of 10, 2 of 10, and so on.  So let's get started.

Supplies:

Sin City Stamps:  Art Journaling with Terri Sproul

                             Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2

                             Love of Butterflies

                             Rosette Hearts

                             A Wing Above the Rest

                             Birds and Clocks

Gold Glitter Cardstock (The Robin's Nest) 

Kraft Cardstock (Paper Studio)

Encore Gold Metallic ink (Tsukineko)

Black archival ink (Ranger)

VersaFine Onyx Black archival ink (Tsukineko)

VersaFine Vintage Sepia archival ink (Tsukineko)

3-D Crystal Lacquer

Distress inks:  Evergreen Bough, Spiced Marmalade, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint,  Faded Jeans, Dried Marigold, Picked Raspberry, Fired Brick, Soot, Brushed Corduroy)

Woodsies wooden shapes

Helmar 450 glue

German paper scrap (gold embossed borders)

Directions:

First, cut pieces of Kraft cardstock into 2-1/2" x 3-1/2".

The most cost-effective way to cut a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock that will yield 10 ATCs is shown below:

Stamp background image from the Rosette Hearts plate with Encore gold metallic ink.  

I chose to heat emboss  the ATCs on the left with gold embossing powder (EP).

Stamp background image from the Rosette Hearts plate with VersaFine black ink on one ATC, and VersaFine sepia brown on the other.  Here are the four bases for my ATCs.

TIP:  When stamping a large stamp onto a smaller piece of paper, I find it easier to turn the stamp over and lay my paper piece down onto the stamp.  That way, I can see exactly where I am stamping.

Allow the inks to dry before proceeding, or speed it up with a heat gun.  Patience is never a virtue when it comes to art.

I made four heart shaped woodsies, similar to the ones I made in my last post.  You can see the tutorial there.

I placed my woodsies on each of the four ATCs to audition their placement.  Then I decided what stamps I wanted to use around them.  

I used the gold stamped piece for my first ATC.  Stamp the small flourish and "ART" from the Art Journaling with Terri Sproul plate with black ink.  Stamp the script background and rosette from the Rosette Hearts plate.  (TIP:  When stamping script background images, ink portions of the image unevenly for that artsy look.)

I rounded the corners on my ATCs, but this is just a matter of personal preference.  Then I distress inked the edges.  

Adhere the woodsie and sign the back of your ATC.  (TIP:  If you add dimensional objects to your ATC, it makes it easier to sign the back first.)

Here is a free ATC back template I found online from craftingwithstyle.blogspot.com.  

The remaining ATCs were made in a similar fashion.  Close-up pictures are provided below.

Background stamped with Vintage Sepia archival ink, add Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans, and Dried Marigold distress inks to background; stamp Rosette Hearts border,  Love of Butterflies mini butterfly, Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 brick background and Friends with black ink, sponge on Encore gold metallic ink randomly, ink edges black, fussy cut butterfly, add woodsie, bling, and a piece of German scrap that you antiqued with archival black ink.   

German scrap antiqued with archival black ink

Background stamped with Black Onyx ink, Spiced Marmalade,  Peeled Paint,  Faded Jeans, Dried Marigold, Fired Brick, Soot, Brushed Corduroy sponged over background; A Wing Above the Rest STEAM (black) and steam engine gold embossed, small piece of German scrap, tiny gear.

Background stamped with Gold metallic ink and gold embossed, sponged black soot distress ink over all,  Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 small flourish in black archival ink, Birds and Clocks hummingbird in black ink, colored with Peeled Paint, Picked Raspberry, Faded Jeans, Scattered Straw distress inks, cut out, added to front with woodsy, heart locket charm, small bits of German scrap.

I hope I have inspired you to try your hand at making some ATCs and swapping with friends.  I also like to use ATCs as focal points on cards, in my art journals, altered books, and scrapbooks. Can you think of some more creative ways to include ATCs in your art?  

Before I close, I also want to tell you about these two fabulous stamp plates that are now available; Nautical 1 and Nautical 2 are ready for shipping.  I love both of these sets and I think they would make great summer page layouts for those beach vacation pictures, as well as making great masculine cards.  Or how about a mini album for saving your beach treasures.  Check these out in the Sin City Stamps store.  

Best of all, you can get 20% off your entire purchase during the month of July.  Just use the coupon code:  nautical20 .  So go stock up now!  And with every purchase, you are entered into the Sin City Stamps $1,000 Giveaway.  Click here for the official rules.

Also, be sure to visit the Sin City Stamps blog often to see what wonderful creations the design team has in store for you!  They are extremely talented and full of wonderful ideas to share with you.

Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks so much for stopping by.

Barbara