The Artful Dodger

Flower ATC's

 

Here are two flower ATC's I recently made for swap-bot swaps.  The theme of the first one is blue and the other is a Rose for Norway.  I made them days apart and it wasn't until I put them side by side that I realized how similar they are, even to the placement of the gems.  Maybe its just because they both have flowers that I made them so much alike.  I shall have to do something completely different next times.

Halloween ATC's

 

I made these two ATC's (artist trading cards) for a swap-bot swap.  I finally found some use for some self sticking foamies I bought awhile back.  Everybody seems to love Halloween.  My next door neighbor is a major fan and decorates in a big way.  I crocheted a Halloween snake scarf for her a couple of years ago and have been promising myself one.  I have the yarn, I just need to get started.

Tag Swap

 
I recently took part in a 'Tag' swap.  I've ever only made a few tags before and none to swap.  I have a Dover book full of old product labels so I started there.  I took 3 manilla tags and removed the hanging string.  I then glued down decorative pieces of paper for backgrounds.  Next I added fibrous tissue paper and then the label, backed by a solid piece of card stock to make them stand out.  I finished off with yarn fibres in the top.  I also made 3 ATCs in the same color schemes (Aqua, Purple and Hot Pink) to go along with them.

Handmade Bookmarks for Swap-bot

 

These are the latest bookmarks I've made for a swap-bot swap.  I based them on the recipient's profile.  She likes fairies, the tv show Glee and all things Harry Potter.  So I found images on the web that I could print in full color on white card stock.  I mounted each print onto a solid colored piece of card stock to create a frame, then mounted them on heavy card stock covered with printed paper.  Lastly, I punched holes in the top of each and added ribbon or yarn.

Butterfly ATC

 
Another ATC for swap-bot.  The theme was 'Butterfly'.  The background is origami paper, topped with flowers made with various paper punches.  I finished with 2 matching butterfly appliques.  I didn't think any words were necessary this time.

Christmas in July ATC Swap

 
I made two new ATC's for this swap.  They are supposed to look like Christmas presents.  They may not be very original, but that was the best my little brain could come up with.

No One No Word Skinny

 
Here's the lovely skinny (a 3x5" work of art) from Fran C (Dougal375).  The restriction was that you couldn't have any pictures of humans or words on it - no one no word.  It's a lovely card, but I couldn't appreciate its beauty until I saw this blown up scan that shows all the great detail.

Vintage ATC's - The Ladies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above are two ATC's from a Vintage Ladies swap.  I did the one on the left 'The Ministry of Silly Hats'.  The one on the right is the one I received from Cocobean.  I love the background and the glitter she added to hers.  It's just titled 'Vintage Lady'.

No One No Word Skinny

 

If you don't know what a skinny is, it's a little work of art similar to an artist trading card, but bigger.  It's 3 x 5 inches instead of 2.5 x 3.5, so you have a bit more room to play with.  This is one I made for a No Word No One swap.  It couldn't have any words on it and no human.  So I got out my punches and went to town with white and blue papers.  It looks a bit naked with no words on it but overall I'm pleased with the way it came out.

A Great Envelope Full of Suprises

 
There's not much I enjoy more than getting a pleasant suprise in the mail.  I got this wonderful selection of stamps from Richard Young in a swap-bot swap.  This will be great to use in all my paper crafts such as ATC's , skinny cards, greeting cards and collages.

Art Envelope Swap

 
These are the three art envelopes I made for a swap.  I've never made art envies before and maybe this isn't quite what they meant.  They're a tribute to Claude Monet, the French impressionist.  The lower right shows the back of one of the envelopes.  I included a short blurb about the artist on each one.  The envelopes are covered with a print of his Waterlily Pond 1904.  Did you know the last time one of his paintings went up for sale (in 2008) it brought in $80,000,000?  Won't you like to come across one of those in your old auntie's attic.

Art Envelopes

 
I got some quilted patchwork cards a while back (see the May 23 post) from Carol Jackson.  I'm currently in an Art Envelope swap and was looking for inspiration when I came across the envelope Carol had sent her cards in. The picture is the front and back of the envelope.  It's made out of a photo from what appears to be an old Pedigree dog food calendar.  I've been saving my old wall calendars for years because the picture were too nice to throw away and now I know what to do with them.  I have to thank Carol for the great inspiration.

My Patchwork Cards

 
These are the patchwork cards I made for a swap.  I made 2 of each, one for each of 2 other swappers.  They might look simple but weren't so simple to sew.  The card stock is so smooth, it's hard to get it to feed correctly through the sewing machine.  I guess I should have gotten out my walking foot.  If I ever make any of these again, I might glue the fabric down first.  That might also make them easier to make.  If you want to try your hand at these, here's the tutorial: http://www.thehandmadegiftguide.com/2010/12/handmade-gifts-diy-quilted-greeting.html

Bookmark Swap

 
I joined in a bookmark swap and these are the bookmarks I made and sent to Linda R. in Riverbank, CA.  In her swap-bot profile she said she liked all things Asian/Oriental, so I stuck with a Japanese theme.  The first two were made using images from old Japanese ephemera and I made the little figure on the last one from origami paper with black crepe paper for the hair.

Patchwork Cards

 
These patchwork cards came all the way from Australia from Carol Jackson.  They are part of a swap-bot swap.  I love the color combination.  Thank you, Carol!