Fall ATC

 I live in a constant state of half finished projects & I have learned to embrace the mess of it all. One of my favorite ways to completely ignore all the mess & go full procrastination mode is by creating ATC cards. 

These little miniature pieces of art are a great way for me to use up scrap pieces of paper from my desk or scrap bin. They also allow me to try out techniques or ideas without sacrificing a large sheet of paper or lots of ink/paint. I have found lots of new ideas/techniques that I later use on bigger projects by just experimenting on these 2.5x3.5 pieces first. Plus, ATCs give me a quick creative burst when I need just a few minutes to escape and create.

I often go into ATC creating with a question... Today's question was, "How can I create depth on this piece of painted cardstock."

I started with a scrap piece of kraft cardstock that I had used to wipe off excess Ripe Persimmon Distress Paint. I purposely chose to drag my brush from one end repeatedly, leaving the other end free of paint. Most Distress mediums are water reactive, even once dry, but Distress Paint is NOT reactive with water once it dries completely. 

Knowing this, I used my ink blending tool and Walnut Stain Distress Ink to cover the entire piece. The cardstock free of paint took the ink well, whereas the painted portion allowed the ink to sit on top a bit longer before completely drying. I added a few spritzes of water & used a tea towel to blot away some of the ink before drying it completely. I then added a little more water to the background & sprinkled on Perfect Pearls in Perfect Gold. I heated the Perfect Pearls until completely dry and set.

Once I was completely happy with the inky/painted/pearled background, I began to add elements. The Autumn word stamp (from an old Ali Edwards and Technique Tuesday collaboration) was stamped in Ground Espresso Distress Oxide. 

I die cut the oak leaf die from the Ornate Leaves die set from Simon Says Stamp three times and stacked them together. The top piece was cut from scrap cardstock that had been splattered with Gold Perfect Pearls before die-cutting. I added a piece of jute twine to the top of the leaf & finished the ATC with a few gold gems from my stash.