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.

  

Coloring Tips

 This week as I began working on my card for Color Throwdown #738, I considered just using the colors given without any highlights. I started watercoloring the flower petals on the background with Mustard Seed Distress Ink. As I got the flowers done, they felt flat. Even though they are more whimsical instead of realistic, I just did not like the flat feel. 

I went back with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink and added shading on the petals and then finished the card background with Shabby Shutters and Rustic Wilderness Distress Ink. Even though they were not lifelike flowers the additional shading brought depth to the images. 

The Sentiment and the flowers were all stamped with Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide and clear embossed. I added shading to the fussy cut sentiment with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink. I finished the card with sequins and pearls from Lucy's Cards. 

Next time you feel like your card is feeling flat, go back and add shading and highlights. This is possible with watercoloring, using colored pencils, and even by adding a darker color beneath die-cuts. Just a little bit of extra shading & depth adds so much to your  card and keeps it from falling flat.

Masculine card

 I don't make a lot of masculine cards, even though I live in a household with all guys. Today's card uses blue, rust, and brown and is inspired by this week's Color Throwdown #735.

For this card, I stamped Hero Arts Alphabet Background (ST501) stamp onto a piece of cold press watercolor cardstock using Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Ink. Since cold press watercolor cardstock has a slightly bumpy texture I repeatedly stamped the stamp using my Misti stamp press until I was happy with the result. I then ink blended Stormy Sky Distress Ink over the entire background. To add rust and brown to this card, I smooshed Rusty Hinge and Walnut Stain Distress Ink onto my craft mat and then used water and a small paintbrush to add color to the background. When I added the Distress watercolor it moved and picked up the blue, leaving behind the brown and rust. I love how it turned out and I want to try it with other background stamps and color schemes. I matted the blue background onto a piece of brown cardstock & then I added brown brads, both are from my stash.

For my sentiment, I used Ground Espresso Oxide Ink to stamp the Simon Says Stamp You (SSS101211) sentiment & then I used Walnut Stain and Antique Linen Distress Ink to blend over the sentiment. The die-cut sentiment was splattered with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls and added to the card using foam adhesive. I also added cream colored thread, sandwiching it between the background piece and sentiment piece so I didn't need any more adhesive. I finished the card with a few iridescent sequin stars from Lucy's Cards Ocean Adventure Sparkly Shaker mix.

Excited to put this card in one of my boys' hands soon. I tell them all the time how proud I am of them and how much I love them, but sometimes having something tangible in your hands makes you feel even more special. Thanks for stopping by!