Getting Caught Up

     Its been a long while since I have blogged any thing; but since I don't have any real excuses I will just go ahead and write about the last few weeks of what has been going on.   

     February 16, 2016 was my first day of work at Hope's Foodland in Novar.  I was there for maybe 3 weeks and then I got bombarded with the most nastiest respiratory infection I have ever had.  In fact, I don't think I have even ever had one before because I don't ever recall having been told that is what I had.  I kid you not, it last for at least a month, I lost two weeks of work because of it.  And believe it or not, I am STILL coughing my head off.  I have never ever had such a cough last for so long. however, before I quit smoking in June 2005, I was always only ever told that I had chronic bronchitis.  

     I have now been working at Foodland as a cashier now for exactly 2 months and loving it.  My co-workers are awesome, as are the customers who shop there.  Customers were even already starting to call me Dar, and I only just got my name tag about a week ago.  I am thoroughly enjoying working for a small family run business, where we are serving mostly country folk...I am loving the "small talk" with my customers, everyone is just absolutely awesome!

     As you all may recall, that I have recently started my own Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap group on Facebook.  This all began on July 7 2015...and we have been going strong.  I try to have a minimum of at least 6 swaps a month.  I can't believe we are coming up to our very FIRST anniversary!  Wow....I absolutely love everyone on in the group...everyone is so kind and sweet to each other.  

     I wanted to start blogging my artwork so that I have a place to organize it and show it off.  I have been making ATC's for almost 7 years now, and I have a kazillion of them in my collection, of not only what I have made, but what I have received, too!  I am currently going through each and everyone of my thousands of ATCs and putting them ALL in order of artist alphabetically, and I tell you, WHAT a job its turning out to be.  I have only up to the C's completed....long way to go yet.

     After having been so sick and not being able to do anything but sleep time away, I have spent the last week or so (since I have been feeling immensely better) I finally have gotten all caught up on my swaps for April in ATC Positive.  I hope you will enjoy viewing them and reading about the techniques I've used in them.  

WINNER TAKE ALL - Musical Note Themed ATC

This is the newest swap I have posted in my Facebook group.  Its called Winner Take All.  Every player creates only 1 ATC and posts it to the WTA photo album.  This is to entice more players to join in on the fun.  On April 23, I will be having Abby video me drawing the winners name and it will be posted to the group.  I really hope this is popular enough to try again next month. This is my crazy bird coloured in with copics.   The background was made by our very own Bonnie Coursolle.

FISH ATC

I found this adult colouring page on Google, printed it, and coloured it myself.  The background its on is made using the peel off technique.  Then I scanned it, and shrunk it down to ATC size.  I really hope my partner likes it.

DIE CUT/HOLE PUNCH ATC

I used the Tim Holtz Festive Berries distress ink over top of my nothing but hearts rubber stamp.  I have no idea where I got the Eiffel Tower die but the letters were from Martha Stewarts Letter Hole punch and the teacup is a die from Memory Box.  

RUBBER STAMP ATC

For this swap, we were to make only 1 ATC but I chose to make my partner 2.  The backgrounds are just coloured in using markers, and the leaves are rubber stamps that I have in my collection.  I LOVE both of these stamps, and use them whenever I can!

CHINESE ZODIAC ATC - YEAR OF THE RABBIT

The rabbit in this ATC is a rubber stamp from my ever growing collection of these fun things to have!  Its amazing how the techniques have been growing in leaps and bounds.  I can remember when I first started that there were hardly any videos on techniques at all.  Anyway, this was created with just using my crayola markers.  I can't even remember what that dot technique is called.  

SPRING ATC

I had a lot of fun making this one.  Admittedly, I can not take credit for the idea, I can only take credit for this creation.  I used punchinello to create the effects of the sky and the grass.  The clouds and the butterflies are Memory Box dies.  The clothes line is just a piece of rope I had, and the items of clothing are cut from bits of material I have in my stash.  

DIE CUT ROLO 

Background was made with using different shades of green crayola markers.  The branches and the leaves are Tim Holtz movers and shapers dies.  The deer came from IO Dies, I have used this die many many times as they are the perfect ATC size.

FISH ROLO

This rolodex card was fun to make.  I have some paper that are in the shape of waves but they are stuck together like sticky notes.  The branches and fish cut outs are from Martha Stewart, the bubbles, are bits of ephemera called Candi dots or something like that which I  bought back in the days of Scrapbook Queens...How I miss that place.

SPRING ROLODEX

The flowers and the branches are Martha Stewart punches. When I first saw the flowers punch I HAD to have it because the shape of the flowers reminded me of lilacs which is my personal favourite flower.   I have used this punch a lot too.  Even though I find I am not overly crazy about the MS punches, I do have a lot of them, but they seem to be breaking down after a short time of use.

These ATCs I made for the fun of trading.   I belong to yet another group on Facebook called Artist Trading Card Addicts.  And what a suitable name too.  None of these have found a new home as yet.  But I am sure that once I start trading regularly again, they will be gone soon enough.

FLOWER ATC'S

I also belong to Swap-Bot I have been addicted to this site for so long now its not even funny.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my ATC collection; not only the art I have made but the art I have received, too.  Thank you!

Well that is about it for today bedtime for me...I hope you enjoyed today's entry and please feel free to leave me a comment.  I have asked that all comments be approved by me before they will just show up.

Have a good night.