These are for you to save and print for your own creativity card jar. Remember my post a little while back on using a jar with cards in it for those days when you just can't think of what to do creatively speaking? Here are 2 more cards you can print out and put in your jar.
I mentioned a while back that I'm now keeping a jar of "creativity cards" handy for those times when I'm free to create but can't get myself started. I like the cards so much that I've designed some cards for you to print out. I'll post cards now and then which you can right click and save for yourself. Here are the first 2:
I'm reviewing Jane Davila's newest book, Surface Design Essentials, and when doing a 'book report', I really like to participate in the projects, to get a real feel of the author's perspective. That, in combination with the surprise ATC I got in the mail, from a friend "just because", motivated me to make a new batch of Artist Trading Cards last week.
(for a more detailed explanation of ATCs, click HERE.)
The technique from the book that I wanted to try out involved making a small painting with watercolor pencils and using it in a fabric postcard, or in my case, an ATC. Here are the 6 I made with that technique, which I rather enjoyed!
THEN, because I had 3 pink daisies already printed out on TAP, and because I had 3 more pieces of batting already cut to size, I made these 3:
MAGGIE - if you want one - just name it!
I had a blast in Chicago and plan on sharing the high points in future blog posts, but for now, I thought I'd share some of the ATCs I traded for, as well as a few postcards I couldn't turn down. The trading board was at least 20 feet long and had handmade jewelry, artist trading cards, inchies and plus size inchies, and postcards. You could put anything you made on the board, and whether it was an inchie or a postcard, you could choose anything, even handmade jewelry, to take in exchange. What fun! Here are a few of the ATCs I acquired:
This one is from Ritzy, over at TQS. She was at the show as a media person, taking photos and notes.
I've contacted every card maker who wrote their contact info on the back, and several have responded. I've also heard from Lisa who got one of the collaboration cards that Lyn and I made.
More later - LOTS more! Right now I have to run - going to the show in Arthur where I have 2 quilts entered. gasp
We're talking embellishment heaven! Every year I want to have some new artist trading cards to bring with me to the Chicago International Quilt festival, because there's a trading card WALL in the middle of the vendor area where lots of artists leave their cards and do trades. It's really fun to put mine up on Thursday, taking some in return, and then going back on Saturday to see which ones were already picked by someone else. I like to contact the artists, who are supposed to put contact information on the backs of their ATC's, just to let them know I have their cards and how much I like them. Sometimes I even get a reply! I've never been contacted by anyone who picked my cards, but I always hope someone will.
Here are the cards I've finished so far:
this card was an experiment with digital ground, on a sheet of ANGELINA!! It worked! I did use 3 coats of dg, and printed a black and white image, then did some quilting and embellishing.
This is a simple photo, taken on a backpacking trip a few years back, printed on digital ground.
Microsoft clip art printed on digital ground and then painted and quilted.
Printed with dig.ground, and then pulled out my scrapbooking supplies for the sticker and border.
digital ground photo with scrapbooking sticker!
Fused fussy cut flower, ceramic button, seed beads, black embroidery.
The word Mother, and the flower image are printed on digital ground. The black 'seeds' are embroidered. The word 'loves' and the yellow lines are quilted, with velvet ribbons and a ceramic button added.
If you're interested in learning more about embellishments, I'd like to recommend a website/blog. Linda Matthews' site has tons of information and instruction about embellishing, and she's released a instructional dvd called Titivations. As a matter of fact, she's hosting a giveaway of her dvd during the month of April which, if you are a blogger, you can enter. Details here.
