Show me your money swap on ATCards

I saw this swap on the ATCards site and thought it rather original so I decided to join in. All these ATC cards will be heading off to America.


This is much brighter in real life. I decided to use pennies - so made use of a stamp that I have not used before - so it will fit in nicely with another challenge.
The new penny is on a really dark chocolate background onto which I stamped the wording, the swirls and an embossed those with bright copper which in daylight matches exactly the bright new copper penny. I then smudged ink along the edges and embossed that. It looks rich and textured to the naked eye and the chocolate background really makes the embossing shine out.




A totally different effect for this ATC. Grunge! I wanted it to look old to match the old penny I had - so it looks like something excavated from an old building. The backing card I have inked with browns, black, and a yellow. I used a face stamp, then the wording - thickly embossed and scratched when dry to give it a 'distressed' look - and to make it appear as though the wording is the body. Inked, embossed and scraped the edge embossing, and finally added the old coin - but using sandpaper to just clean up the raised surfaces of the coin so they match the embossed copper.



Another variation with the same words and techniques, but this time I stamped script on the right hand side, over stamped and embossed with copper, then coloured the left hand side with chalks to tie it in with the colour of the script.



This last one is totally different. A mustard backing with brown ink smudged on it randomly, and red and greens randomly slashed across the bottom.

The stamped face of a little girl with a pensive expression - thinking of course - which I clear embossed for texture and contrast.

The wording stamped in brown then embossed. Patina added to the coin them wiped off to create a brown coloured penny - which takes the place of the O.

4x4 Friday

I have made this for the 4x4 Friday challenge this week

I backing is hessian glued onto card - then heated with a heat gun - when dry I painted it with old gold acyclic.

Postage Stamp ATC - Signing of the Magna Carta

Water coloured background, stamped and embossed Latin script, embossed postage stamp, gold nib distressed

Postage Stamp ATC

Water coloured painted background, stamped image with postage stamp, watercoloured stamped feather.

Postage Stamp ATC

The lady is a faux postage stamp rubber stamp - and the other triangles stamps are post relateda

A challenge from ATC Linda B

Well Linda - of ATC Linda fame set a challenge to make something black and white with texture - and here are mine.

Both were made the same way - a black and white picture I printed out and then painted over with watercolour and acrylic paints in some areas to highlight things and to give texture to the painting - with the intention of making them look like old oil paintings.

The borders were made by painting with acrylics and then when almost dry bubbling it up with a heat gun.

I used silver paint and made it look like pewter by painting on black water colour.





As well as painting over this picture I distressed it by painting on a lacquer and then heating it with a heat gun to make it bubble and melt and flow.

They look so much better in 'real life' than these scans portray. The frameworks really look like metal and they are both really tactile.

As you can probably guess I am very into touchy-feely things!

If you look at the older posts you will see that I have updated the photos and ATCs

ATC New Beginning

The backing paper I painted myself with water colours. The clock was stamped and embossed, then the clock hands were added, and finally the 2008 which was embossed.

I think I will add some minature clock parts to this ATC for a bit more texture.

ATCs - New Beginnings

This is for a swap on Zuzu's forum - called New Beginnings.

On the backing card I used an aged dictionary relating to the title. For some reason it conjured up artifacts I have seen when visiting little chapels on the Greek islands. They were often pieces of wood - so this is a variation on that them.

The page was distressed and further aged. The image was torn - and aged - then I stamped a pattern over the working and the lady with child. On half of the stamp I used a complimentary colour to the background - and clear on the lady.

It was them embossed with clear embossing powder - and when looking at it with the naked eye you can see swirly pattern.

I used a dull gold leaf paint - like those of aged relics and dull gold leaf paper to finish it off.



This one was done in a similar manner - but aged with guesso so it gives a 'plaster' look to it. I also varnished it, and before the varnish was quite dry I used a heat gun on it to bubble it all up - it gives a lovely finish, especially with the torn edges - it looks like broken or cracked plaster.

Mini ATC - my first efforts

Please bear in mind that the following mini ATCs have been scanned with a bight light and are magnified - in real life they measure 1.5ins x 2.5ins and the colours are cleared, the embossing and metal more noticeable.

This was a black and white image which I painted and inked to age it. The copper was heated until it bubbled - and aged with inks too. This one took me 2 hours to make!

Mni ATC

This will be a bit of a shock - a lovely girl's photo - trapped in time in a burnt copper frame. Heated so that the copper bubbled and burnt and aged with ink

It is supposed to look like I rescued it from ruins!

Altered Art CD

I made another altered art CD - this one only took me an hour and a half or so to do.

Plain card for the background onto which I stamped 2 paisley patterns in pink and brown to match the colours of the vintage lady - yes - yet another I enhanced with paints and ink.

The stamp in one I have had for ages but never used before. In fact I have had it for years when I first thought I would take up card making - but never really got around to doing it seriously,

Once I had mountd the Vintage image, I painted around the outer edges of the backing paper to tone it down a bit. Then I cut out a Crafty Individual's miniature butterfly and attached that so it looks like is has just alighted with its wings not quite touching the disk.

I edged the disk with light gold Krylon pen and added a ribbon and bead as before. This time one that is shades of brown and pink.

Altered Art CD

This I made using a transparent CD spacer disk.

Alchohol inked one side with plum, ivy and silver. Then on a white card I stamped a sheet of writing, and glued that on top of the inked side - with the wording face down, trimming it when dry. So this gave me a plain white back.

Turned it over and collaged a Victorian lady in furs and a hand muff- which I had enhanced with inks,and water colours and glued that on to conceal the disk hole.

I then cut out some ivy leaves from some old silk leaves I had for ages for flower arranging, and glued them on.

To finish it off I added a purple ribbon and a silver bead to the reverse - which I attached with double sided tape and added a strip of paper to hide the ribbon.

It took me around 2 and a half hours to make - but I was pleased with the result.

In the daylight it looks lovely and shimmery and more subtle - and just the thing for this cold wintry weather.

Brown and black ATC swap challenge

I painted the ATC black and brown with watercolour paints.
I them stamped on the images, and embossed with chocolate embossing powder - which smells like chocolate too.

With a copper Kyron pen I painted the border edges, and then highlighted some of the patterns on the stamped images.

This doesn't photo well - but it is nice and textured

Tag - January - Children

It was a cold and very frosty day today - which reflects in my tag theme.

I scrunched up a tag so that it was all creased then flattened it out, then tore it.

Using water based inks I made it look vintage.

Stamped Victorian wording in blue for the background and embossed with distressed blue powder which gives it a matt distressed look.

This is a really touchy feeling tage as it is all textured with embossing. The image was another I printed off from my collection and coloured and added snow details with embossed matt white.

The ribbons, wool, and chiffon threaded through the top picks out the different shades used on the tag.

Tag - January - Childhood Innocence

I painted the tag pale pink, then dripped some watery ink on top to give it a nice texture and random pattern.

I printed off one of my Victorian photos, and highlighted the roses and bow, then embossed some areas with clear embossing powder so that parts of it just catch the light.

The butterfly is an image from crafty individuals which I cut out as I didn't want all the picture. I then dipped the butterfly into enamel and it now shines wonderfully. It is sitting on top as apposed to being clued down flat.

I edged the image and the tag with pink ink and added some wool threads and finished off with a few tiny beads in the bottom left corner.

Brown and black ATC swap challenge - new photos

This is a stamp I received as a gift - well part of the stamp it is twice this width.






I have tried to make it look 'aged' - it brought back memories of Ration Books - yes, as a child I had my own!

Black and brown ATC swap challenge - Bathers

These vintage images are mounted - the first on hand painted paper - and the second on pre-printed paper.

I did my 'usual' and painted the images with water colours and chalks. I then stamped and embossed with distressed powder - the flower arch over their heads - and embossed their boots too.

Black and white book marks for a swap

This afternoon I made three black and white bookmarks for a swap running on CM&P forum



They are on A4 size card - cut width ways - and all slightly different.

I laminated them all to keep them clean - and added black and white knitting wool which has silver threads too so they look nice and sparkly




Here is a scan of just one of them - I couldn't resist adding a bit of pink blusher to their bottoms!

Altered Art CD

This is a CD which I altered for a swap.

Method

I glued some thick card onto the CD, then added thick white paper (both cut to size).

I painted the backing paper - several times - and added bronze acrylic here and there. The left hand side looks darker in the photo as you can't define the copper in it.

I stamped on the Geisha and then painted the flowers and foliage and highlights.

Then I stamped some border flowers and foliage and painted those.

Finally I melted several layers of enamel then stamped into it to make the oriental fish images; painted over it with copper paint - wiped some off - painted it with black water colour - swiped that with kitchen paper - to leave an 'aged' impression with definition of two fish - one of which is a skeleton.



The colours are richer in daylight - the flash seems to have made it all look paler