Hellooooooo...... March has brought me back

Life is a funny thing. I seem to loose focus on the basic things that are important to me. Simply, ART makes me happy. To create it, to pin it (haha.. yes I am addicted  to Pinterest), to see others artist creations or to go to a class and learn new techniques makes my heart soar! However, somehow I forget and get stuck in the day to day thick of life. However, when you listen God leads you to where you need to be. I have come back to it and feel so wonderful. I hope there are still people out there and thank you if you are!



 

Here is what I have been up to lately... three current trades over at my Paper Traders group.

 

 



 

In this swap we are to create ATCs that are harmony colors on the color wheel. I chose blue and green. It is an interesting process to create in monotone. Even though they are basic colors, it still a blending process. For the bottom, I used a square pattern stencil and then used a white pen to add the dimension.

The group also does a Winner Take All monthly ATC swap. This is my entry this month.

 



 

And here is my work in progress. This swap is a Mixed Media Postcard. I used modeling paste for the first time with my stencil. I learned how at the Art is You retreat I went to last year but this was my first try on my own. For the background, I used old book pages and paint. Then I added gesso, paper flowers with paint. The bees are stamped with StazOn Ink so they would not blend or bleed into the background. I outlined the flowers and thought I was done... but it seemed to need something more. I wanted to add some depth to the sun so have started to add more ink lines. Need to get this done soon, mail out is next weekend. Wish me luck.. haha
How do you finish your projects? Know exactly and mail out early, work until you feel done, or some other way? Love to know how people end their creativity.


And as I do believe in structure and do know that I am truly blessed, here is my Sunday top 5 things I am thankful for.

1. The calendar said that the first day of Spring was on the 20th and it feels like it today

2. My fingers have had ink or paint on them all weekend

3. I am excited to be starting a new job in two weeks

4. Love of my family

5. My beloved Grandmother's birthday is Thursday and I know that there will be some good cake  and ice cream in heaven this week!!

Have a wonderful week, Amanda

My first Art Retreat

 

I am off to my first Art retreat tomorrow and I am so excited. I created some ATC to share with others at the retreat. As my first time going to this event, I wanted to create something that defines me. I love stamping, ink and of course Pandas so that is what I used on my cards.

 

I started the background with Alcohol and pigment inks. I then added some blue acrylic paint that I have the shinny.

Still wanting more design, I stamped circles.

I used the stencil again to create the flowers. Using gesso I created the petals and then added the centers with a paint pen.

I also outlined all the flowers with a black paint pen. I stamped my panda on a small piece of paper and then added it to the card.

I am very excited and a little nervous. I am sure I will come back with fun new ideas and inspiring knowledge. I hope to meet lots of talented art people too.

I will share it all when I get back.

Take care, Amanda

Busy Sunday

It was a fun day. Lots to do and trying to keep a balance so worked on finishing a project. I love creating backgrounds. These are done with Alcohol Ink, blending solution, and water-base dye ink. Started with the lettuce green alcohol ink and then rubbed in early espresso dye ink. The blending solution created the neat looking rings of color (or lack of). My goal was to create a feel of a rabbit hole. This is for a swap at Paper Traders, Alice's Mad Tea Party ATC. What do you think?

Then found this great vintage clip art on Graphic Fairy. A perfect fit and used some photo pens to color her in to give a aged look.

Here is the almost completed ATC. I stamped a clock face on the background. Added some black card stock that was embossed. I liked the added piece tea cup and heart. Seems like it needs something.. may need to let it sit..  What do you think?

Time flied today.. feel just like the Alice rabbit... I'm late, I'm late...  but just relaxed this afternoon and found lots to be thankful for and my top 5 are:

1. Beautiful weather after a good rain
2. So much inspiration around
3. A wonderful Palm Sunday and the beginning of Easter Week
4. Alcohol Ink
5. Keep trying new techniques

Have a wonderful week!

Only on a Sunday

I had lots to finish today. And mostly things I did not want to do like taxes.. yuck!!  Well I did sneak in some fun. This is an ATC. The fun part is that it is a "Hitchhiker ATC" The concept is to add something to it and then add it to a SWAP item and then next person adds to it until the 6th person. They get to keep it. I added the stamped stencil and the hearts.  I put it with my ATC SWAP that I am sending out tomorrow. All this is part of the Paper Traders group I belong to. I have a lot to be thankful for

1. Being part of a fun group

2. Finishing little projects

3. Knowing that I may not like it but my taxes are done!!

4. Life can be hard but it makes me appreciate all the blessings I have

5. Hearts.. I love them almost as much as Pandas... did I say that???

Have a wonderful week...

Still January

Here is another ATC that I finished. I had fun with the New Year's concept of 2012. The midnight clock fits for the year too. This will be my WTA January swap at Paper Traders. Also, I really like a new cricut cartridge I got this weekend. It is a calendar cartridge with fonts, numbers and images. I used the word "Mardi Gras" and the masks on my other ATC and the 20 and new years for this one. A friend gave me some great advice about cartridges... don't go by the title or the picture on the box, look on the back for the features! I would not have looked at this if I had not gotten such great advice. Thanks Raquel!!

Mardi Gras fun

I had a creative vibe going last night and did not want to quit. The outcome is that I completed my Mardi Gras ATCs. It is fun when ideas and reality mold together and the results are what you were hoping for. I am really having fun with ATCs.

Busy January

January is a busy month. Not only trying to work on resolutions and 50 by 50 list but lots of birthdays. And silly me I keep forgetting to take pictures of my cards. But now I am working on another swap project at Paper Traders It is an ATC swap with a Mardi Gras theme. So I decided to create my background using alcohol inks, blending solution and some gold acrylic paint. Fun to be creating and thankful for so much. The top 5:

1. A wonderful Saturday with my sister for her birthday

2. Ink and paint on my fingers

3. Working on list items.

4. Keeping better track of food

5. New art toys to play with

Wishing all a great week.

Snowflakes are a few of my favorite things

Being a California Kid and spending my younger years in the Southern part of the state, I think it is funny how much I love snow or anything to do with snow. Maybe it is because I only visit it or have had only a handful of times that I got to live in it. So for my ATC monthly swap over at Paper Traders Group   I created a snowflake card. Using white ink with my stamping is always a challenge but this turned out ok. What I like about creating ATCs right now is that they are small, fun ways to try out techniques, and in trading I get to see how others create them too. FUN...

Birthday ATC

Had a fun day creating a little ATC for the Paper Traders Monthly ATC. Since it is my birthday month, I used a cupcake birthday theme. The base is made of cardboard. Topped the cupcakes with brads for the cherry on top.

Moody Monday

Yep it is Monday again... I did have a creative weekend and that always makes the week following a little easier. I finished this ATC. I appreciated the support comments about letting it sit. I am still learning but this worked out. Added the stamped dragonfly and then wanted something else and these words were rambling around in my brain so I added it to the card. Under the word Love, I added a heart made from tissue paper. Then added the black pigment ink to the edge. NTS, pigment takes time to dry so don't pick up the card and then a white piece of paper. For awhile, I could not figure out where all the black smudges were coming from! Haha.. 

P.S. I added this to a WTA swap on a great yahoo group Paper Traders.

Wishing all a great week!

TGIF

I am looking forward to the weekend. I have had this ATC on my desk all week. Still learning how to add items without over crowding or just creating a concept. I like the colors of this card but not sure what to do to complete it.. How do you finish a project that you are not sure of? I am thinking a butterfly or something.. ugh. I need to just leave it alone again.. maybe something will come to me later.