Homage to Calder

I have collected postage stamps for years and love adding them to my ATCs.  Usually do that in the middle of my creating or, if a space needs to be filled toward the end, I can always plunk one there.

While digging around in one of my stamp boxes, I found three Alexander Calder stark and beautiful 32~centers.  Almost all my old stamps are cancelled but, with these, the cancellation stamping only added to the designs I thought.

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I hope Mr. Calder would be pleased with my interpretation of his artwork as Artist Trading Cards. 

Joined up!

I've joined a new ATC group on facebook.  These are my first two offerings ~

Not certain yet how this all will work out, but I have faith

Inchies & Twinchies Received

These wonderful ATC Inchie Twinchie swaps came in the mail yesterday ~

Aren't these great and imaginative?  It was a fun trade and hope to do it again.

Inchies and Twinchies!

A new kind of ATC swap.  Something different and so much fun!

The challenge was to create 2 sets each consisting of an ATC (2 1/2"x 3 1/2"), a twinchie (2"x 2") and an inchie (1"x 1") with matching themes.

These two sets went together easily, and I'm hoping for more of these swaps in the coming days.

happiness is . . .

Valentine snail mail

Received my ATC Valentine swaps today.  I hope the ones I sent bring as much joy to others.  These sweet messages came at just the right time.

I love this holiday more than any others.  It doesn't require gifts or over~the~top decorations or stress.  You don't have to go broke to celebrate; only needs us to be kind and loving to one another.

fussy cuttin'

Give me a pair of scissors and something to cut out and I'm a happy camper!  Been fussy cutting since I was a child turned loose with Saturday Evening Posts and a pair of scissors at my Grandma Richards house.

So I really enjoyed the "Winter Window Scene" artist trading card swap this time.  The challenge afforded me a chance to do some intricate cutting on the three little ATCs.

I sat at Grandma's big round oak table with the claw feet for hours cutting and pasting and designing.  My son owns that table now, and every time I go to his house, it reminds me of my childhood and my sweet Grandma!

ATC World Revisited

Lately, I have gotten back into the fun of making ATC's . . . JAMs and individual ones.  Colder weather gooses me into creativity!!

Here is one of the three Fall/Autumn cards I'm sending off today.  They will be distributed to other members and, in time, I will receive three ATCs in return.

How much do I love playing with my papers!

Fabric ATC . . . experimentation!

A swapmate in my Yahoo ATC group came up with the idea of a fabric ATC.  Hmmmm?  Today I made her an ROAK.  This may start a whole new category for these little (2.5" x 3/5") pieces of art.

Hope she likes it

Jamming

Hot afternoon weather has been keeping me inside.  Soooo . . . I'm spending it mostly in my craft room.

The ATC Yahoo group I belong to has a fun swap called "JAM".  It involves making 3 cards with the first person applying a background to the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"  ATCs and sending them off to the second person who adds to it.  Luckily I got to finish the cards today and here is the result:

Tomorrow I will send the finished little pieces of artwork to Katie and Lynnda and keep one for myself.  As you can see, they will be going to Pennsylvania and New York.

Art in My Mailbox

Little things mean a lot!  I belong to an ATC group and won the "Winner Take All" swap this month.  It means I will be receiving several tiny works of art in my snail mail.  Here is the first of many.  Love the concept and the way it was put together.

  

A piece I can hold and cherish unlike the fleeting images one sees on a desktop or pad screen. Guess I'm slightly connected to the past when it comes to artwork and gifts delivered by USPS.

Zetti ATCs

Had to use far right (not a political description) brain power to create these ATCs . . . the most difficult so far.  But I do love a challenge!

 throw out everything you've ever thought of to create art

 throw in items that absolutely don't belong together

throw them all on a 2.5" x 3.5" board and call it "zetti"

Cannot wait to see what my swap partners send to me

mini Christmas ATC swap

This one is a little different.  Instead of a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" artist trading card exchange, the challenge was to make a folded over tiny Christmas card, write a message inside and create an envelope to trade with three artists.

Always like to incorporate postage stamps whenever I'm able.  Luckily there were plenty of Christmas ones in my stash!  Camera couldn't pick up the sparkle in the papers I used.

Must say I enjoyed the tweak. So much that I couldn't wait to get to it and already have sent it off although it wasn't due until the first of December!

Leaves in my snailmail

Oh ... how I love these little gifts in the mail.

Autumn Leaves from my swap partners on ATC-World!

Watercolor cutout leaves, zentangle and one large leaf over splashy bright watercolor background!

Hope they are as happy with mine as I am with their imaginative creations (2.5" x 3.5") 

Must jump in with another swap soon.

Fall Leaves ATC swap

Haven't done a swap in so long, but felt compelled to do a little artwork.  So here are my 3 for 3 offerings.

When I say little, I mean little.  Dimensions for ATCs are 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", and they are only to be traded . . . never sold!  Can't wait to see what I receive in return.

RAOK ATC

Payback to another "Artist Trading Card" member of ATC_World . . .

a Random Act of Kindness small (2.5" x 3.5") gift offering!

ATC's are not to be sold, only traded or given to someone special.  Hope she likes it.

the theme was "book pages"

Another ATC swap produced these three fun projects . . .

Just so happened to have an old Courier & Ives book that had already been ripped up and abused.  So I took some pages that had lovely letters at the beginning of the paragraphs, colored them in the style of illuminated letters and adhered them to 2.5" x 3.5" boards.

Found some postage stamps with authors pictures on them, bits of pressed flora, this and that, etc.

Took a break from painting to create ATCs.  Variety is the spice of life!

and my ATCs to CJ . . .

 Colorado on my mind

Roughing it!

Cut up some of my watercolor practice pieces for the background, old cancelled stamps and some odd pieces of which I have plenty.

ATC trading!

So much fun getting ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) in the mail.  Yesterday was no exception as I received mine from my friend CJ in Colorado.

Her's are always so bright and happy .  .  .

The backgrounds are fabric.  Titled "spicy life" and "java jive".

Mine went out to her yesterday and I'll post them after they make the trip to Colorado.  Good to get back into making these trades again.

My final Zetti

They are all sent off, this being my third zetti ATC.  Can't say I have it down yet, but it was a fun mind~stretching project and sent me in a whole different creative direction.  Thank you ATC_World Yahoo Group for offering me this challenge

Second Attempt

I'm getting closer but still not enough zentangle in my zetti!