Our Fourth Jam

Trish, Bernice & I decided to try a jam with a theme. We all like Art Nouveau and Mucha was the perfect choice.

Our 3rd Jam

We had another Jam and I think this is the best yet.

Another Jam

This JAM was a longtime coming. My friends Trish and Bernice joined me on Monday for our second JAM. We each made 2 sets of backgrounds and took it from their. We were all in agreement that this was better that the first. The backgrounds in the first column are Bernice's, then Trish's and mine are the last. We all had a blast.

Postage Stamp Swap

This set of cards was created for a swap. The theme of the swap was that every card had to have at least on postage stamp on it. I grew up in a family of stamp collectors so I had no trouble finding some awesome stamps. The swap was a 7/6 which means that I had to make seven cards and the swap moderator will send 6 cards to me. They will all be made by different artists. I think that I have had the most fun with this swap. It has definitely been my favorite so far.

Let's JAM

I have been introduced to something new. It's all about sharing your creativity with your friends. This is the way it works. The first person creates 3 identical backgrounds. There is no theme just something interesting. That person sends the 3 cards to the second person. This person pick a focal point. It can be anything a picture, a found item or whatever. Again it is important to keep the cards identical. This person sends the cards to a 3rd person. They will add the details and/or embellishments. The 3rd person sends a card back to the 1st and the 2nd. You now have 3 friends that have shared very unique experience.
The scan with this post has six very special cards.

I got together with Trish and our friend Bernice Rittenhouse. We each made 2 sets of backgrounds. I gave one set to Bernie and the other set to Trish. After they added the focal point, they switched the sets Trish finished the set Bernice had been working on and Bernice the the set that Trish had. By the time the evening was over, we as a group had made 18 cards. Each of us has 6 cards to keep. The first 2 cards(column) Trish made the backgrounds, the next column were by Bernice and I made the last 2. Bernice added the picture of the woman to Trish's 1st background and I finished it with the a few metal brads and the words "never be ordinary". The second background I added the cat from a vintage postcard and Bernice finished it off. Trish added the ballerina's the Bernice orange color background and I finished it with a piece of ribbon, a clip and a some shimmering highlights. I added the flower stamps to Bernice's second and Trish finished it with the metal tag brad and added each of our initials. Trish added the picture of the little girl to my black, white and red background and Bernice finished it with the bling hearts and a metal corner brad. Bernice added the stamp of a beach scene to my pink and brown background and Trish finished it with the seahorse charm and the seashell.
This week I have been part of an International JAM. A woman named Kirrily for Australia sent me 3 backgrounds, I added a vintage picture of a young woman to each and I mailed the cards the a woman named Sandra who lives in Scotland. I can't wait to see the finished product. When I get it I will be sure to post it.

The Swap

I have now participated in several swaps at a rubber stamp/craft store in Cincinnati. The store is called, "Stamp Your Art Out". Every month they post a theme on their website and anyone who wants to participate can submit cards. The theme for this swap was, "My Heart Belongs to You." What makes this swap even more special is that my best friend Trish decided to join in.
In a previous post I explained what editions are. Several cards that are either the same or based on the same style or thought. Each person makes nine cards and they are numbered 1/9, 2/9 etc. The store keeps one to display and the rest are traded to the other participants. Last month there were six of us. It's always fun to open the envelope and see how each person interprets the theme.
When I heard, "My Heart Belongs to You." all I could think of was a Valentine. The background was created on the computer using Word Art and the definition was found on Dictionary.com. The glitter heart was a plain silver brad but a little red tinsel embossing powder brought it to life. The heart is card stock and is edged with lace. The next card is Trish's. I just never thought of that and she said, "that's the first thing that popped into my head." The rest of the cards belong to Claudine, Patty, Nan & Judy. Even though I have never met any of these ladies I have become very familiar with their art and feel like I know them. This month is "Tickled Pink" and the cards are already in the making.

A Miniature Scrapbook

Now that I have have been making ATC's for awhile I'm finding it difficult going back to the 12x12 or 8.5 x 11 size format. I have found that "less is more". It's compact and will fit into your purse. It's a great way to use all of those photos that do not seem to fit in anywhere else. I managed to fit my family, my cat and even my favorite hockey player onto 9 little cards.

Alcohol Inks

This is a newer technique and my first time to use them. The ink comes in small squeeze bottles and is applied to the surface with a sponge. It can be used on glossy paper, tile, glass or acrylic. I applied the ink to High Gloss photo paper. Different colors of ink can be added to the paper or can be dabbed together on the same sponge. After the background is created an image can be applied with a stamp using permanent ink or with a permanent marker. I used a sharpie. The image is them highlighted and detailed with a gel pen. Traditionally a white gel pen is used but since I did not have one I used a silver gel pen.

More Kaleidoscopes

The cards in this scan were created from a photo taken by my brother Mike Austin. He is a freelance photographer and has had his photo of Kings Island named "Photo of the Day" on Webshots. I took his photo a step further and made a little magic of my own. If you study the colors in the cards you will be able to identify which part of the picture it is from. The card in the middle is the lower portion of the tower. It's easy to pick out the fireworks. The ninth card in the scan is one of the few that I used 12 petals for my kaleidoscope. I prefer 6 although you can use 3-22. When you use that many the image starts to loose it color and becomes muted. I enjoy working with this program so much that I could probably start another blog dedicated to kaleidoscopes.

Kaleidoscope

ka⋅lei⋅do⋅scope/kəˈlaɪdəˌskoʊp/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuh-lahy-duh-skohp] noun

1. an optical instrument in which bits of glass, held loosely at the end of a rotating tube, are shown in continually changing symmetrical forms by reflection in two or more mirrors set at angles to each other.
2. a continually changing pattern of shapes and colors.
3. a continually shifting pattern, scene, or the like: The 1920s were a kaleidoscope of fads and fashions.
As long as I can remember I have been in love with kaleidoscopes. When I found out that I could create my own images using Paint Shop Pro I was simply amazed. I now have over a thousand images. Some of them may have taken me 2 or 3 hours to create and others just instantly light up the monitor and scream here I am. Any picture can be used but I prefer to use my own compositions. I can pick my colors or mediums. The images here are made from a single scan of lace, ribbon and different types of fibers. They are printed out on Premium High Gloss photo paper and are the required size of 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Zetti Valentine's

Zetti is a new art form that was created by Teesha Moore (www.zettiology.com). It's a no-holds-bared approach to making ATC's. The art is known for it's pointed hats, crazy stockings and bright colors. I recently had an opportunity to participate in a "Zetti Valentine" themed swap. This particular swap was a 5/6. This means that I send 6 cards. The host gets to keep one and 5 cards by 5 different artists are sent to me. I always write about the artistic freedom that comes with creating ATC's but doing Zetti lifted it to a new height.

Celebrate the Holidays

Any occasion can be applied ATC's. I have found that they make wonderful gifts when they are substituted for greeting cards. The Halloween cards were really fun. I made the candy corn embellishments from polymer clay. The other cards have ribbon, sequins and/or brads.

Autumn is my favorite season of the year and so the golds and reds of the Thanksgiving cards were made to order. I used silk leaves, a natural shadow leaf, corrugated paper and small plastic embellishments. I have found that many times the embellishments that are sold for scrapbooking are small and get lost on the 12 x12 inch scrapbook page but are perfect for the ATC's. The heart on the second card is a primative wood cut out. I just did some sanding and painted it with acrylic paints.

The Christmas Cards were a hit with my friends. The second card is stitched with embroidery floss and I added the tree charm. It was fun trying to pick out the different papers to use for wrapping the presents on the fourth image.

Using Fabric

Fabric cards have become very popular, especially the quilted ones. I had not thought about hitting the fabric collection. I've been a quilter for sometime and I have a large collection of fabric to choose from. The first card on the scan is my only quilt so far. I had a lot of fun and I do want to try it again. I have glued small bits of fabric to create the first card in the second row. They are not actually sewn. I used a permanent maker to suggest the stitches. I experimented with embossing on fabric on the 5th card and I like the effect that it gave me. I'm anxious to try it again. I used a product called, "Paper Glaze" and it also worked well.

Altered Art

One of the more popular items to work with are old photographs or reproductions of famous works of art. These are a collection of photos, paintings, creative papers and some really fun techniques. The first card is one of my favorites and will stay in my collection. I printed the photo on cream color card stock. When I cut it out, I bent it, rubbed brown chalk into the creases and went over the edges with sandpaper. Using this technique (it is also known as distressing) you can make a photo look like you just found it in an old chest. I used the same distressing on the next card. The 3rd card is a copy of an old cigar box lid. the simplicity of this card makes it attractive. The blue color of the card stock is picked up in the painting and I added a decorative punch to the corners. The others speak for them selves and show that there is no limit to this hobby. I have used ribbon, lace, embossed felt, feathers, bamboo, seashells, rhinestones and very fine glass beads.

Creating Editions

There are times that you create a card that you just do not want to trade but you have several people ask about it. There is a way to solve the problem. You make copies of the card and number them. Usually 5 is the number most used. If you are going to a card show you might want to make as many as 12. In the picture you can see that the back of a card. I had made 12 of them to trade with my friends. The card numbered 1/12 would be considered the original and so you might want to keep that one. So an Edition is the same picture but there are numbered copies. When you create copies of a card they are actual reproductions not a photocopy.
This card had a theme, "Cooking up a Storm". Everyone has a different picture flash is their head of what it would be. Mine just happened to be the Witches from Macbeth. The picture is mounted on dark blue card stock that was tinted with pastel chalks. The music is actual sheet music that I scanned. I changed the words using Paint Shop Pro and added a sepia finish. The pot has a couple of feathers and a piece of hemp rope that I frayed to look like hair. The lightening bolts are a silver gel pen.

Series III

"The Sisters" is the name of this Series. I have no information on this artist. I think they are probably contemporary because of the use of color. This set of pictures was obliviously meant to be a set. The names were what I worked on the longest. The reason I went with names this time was because as soon as I saw Eva I knew that was her name. The rest of the ladies just fell into place. I thought that there was a lot or color in each picture and I decided to make all of the borders the same. I also thought that this would make it very different from the other sets. I used dark green and burgundy card stock and the gold is a piece of a Christmas card that my Mom received a few years ago. The best part about this hobby is that nothing goes to waste.

Series II

The next Series that I created is called, "Victorian Ladies". All of the pictures are by the same artist but I have no information on him or her because I cannot make out the name. If I ever find out who it is I will post the information at another time. This set was a lot of fun to make because there were no restrictions (other than size). It took a long time deciding what color to use for each back round. Once I had established this the rest of the project went much smoother. I used lace ( 2 of them are antique), feathers and painted on the jewelry with acrylic paint. I love color and this gave me a lot of options because each woman is wearing a different color. Once again each card is numbered 1/1 because they are originals.

Creating a Series of ATC's

A Series is a set of cards that have the same theme but are very different. I have named the first Series that I will discuss "Ladies of the World". The pictures are by the artist Giovanni Nanni he lived from 1888-1969. He was an Italian Artist and was known for his postcard designs. His cards dated 1915 were the most popular because the women wore unusual hats and clothing. They are painted in the Art Deco style that was early for his time. I used copies of his art work and applied my own Art Deco designs. Each piece colored of paper is bordered with black card stock. This creates a feeling of depth and texture. I tried to use colors the were repeated in the individual pictures and frame them with complimentary lines. The most difficult part of the project was to decide what country each woman was from. It actually took me longer to do this than it did to finish a few of the cards. So this set of cards would be considered a Series because each one is different. The cards are numbered on the back 1 of 1 because each is an original and there are no copies.

"Metal Works for Me"

This was a theme that was handed to me. I always think recycle first so what a great use for soda cans. You can get 2 cards from one can. I cut them 3 x 4 inches so that I could turn a 1/4 in. border. I used sand paper on the corners for safety. My recycle card was a mistake I scored the wrong side of the Metal but I still put it to good use. The other cards consist of silver embossing on silver vellum, black card stock and silver brads.