Monday 24 December 2012

Seasonal ATC's

Both myself and Simon Says Stamp and Show would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and health and happiness for the New Year.  We do not have a challenge this week just some fabulous arty inspiration for the holidays, our opportunity to thank you for your continued readership and support throughout the year.

I had great fun creating three seasonal ATC's,  showing that mini pieces of art can still be BIG on impact!
I love giving at Christmas and ATC's are the perfect way to send a little special piece of art to a crafting friend, something that will be truly appreciated and long lasting. This is one of three ATC's using many different techniques included the embossed background using the Snowflurries Texture Fade adding pitch black Paint Dabber to age a little. The dimensional focal images are created using Tim Holtz Holiday Collections stamps adding to Fragment Charms for added dimension. Embellishments include seasonal Chitchat stickers and a Christmas Muse Token attached with jump rings.
This is the ATC cut using the ATC and Corners die adding metal foil tape to the top and embossing with the snowflurries texture fade.
This is the same ATC now coloured with a black Paint Dabber to age a little.
I stamped one of the images from the Holiday Collections stamp set onto white card using black archival ink and coloured with vintage photo Distress Ink. I then added a fragment charm to two areas of the image to create my dimensional pieces.
These are the two fragments completed and ready to be assembled onto the ATC.
My second ATC uses more traditional seasonal colours along with white highlights to lift the image from my inky background.
To create the background press broken china and faded jeans Distress Ink onto a non-stick craft sheet.
Press the ink quite firmly onto the non-stick craft sheet and spritz with water until you have beads of ink.
Swipe the ATC through the beads of ink and then heat set.  It is important to heat set betwen each application of ink to prevent any mudding of colours.  There is plenty of ink left which I dabbed the ATC into to created blotches of colour.
This is the ATC using all the ink, now ready for a good spray of Perfect Pearls Mist blue patina.
To complete the inky background blend faded jeans ink around the edges for definition.
Stamp the focal image with manganese blue archival ink. Add white highlights and white dots around the edges of the ATC to lift the image a little from the background.  I have also added Chitchat stickers coloured with broken china ink and Melissa Frances pearls for added dimension.
I have added part of the reindeer image to a fragment charm for a little more interest and dimension to my ATC.
My third and final ATC uses more traditional colours
For this ATC I coverd my background with various tissue tapes and coloured with peeled paint and pine needles Distress Ink.
 
Cut a circle from white card (I used a Spellbinders die to cut my circle). Ink the stamp with black archival ink, place uppermost onto a flat surface and press the circle onto the stamp.
Add extra fine glitter to Santa's beard and hair.
Once the glitter is completely dry colour the image with fired brick Distress Ink for a real Christmas feel.
To colour Santa's face add a little fired brick Distress Marker to a non-stick craft sheet and use a fine water brush to colour.
Give santa rosy cheeks and a little colour to his face, hand and jacket.
Once I had finished colouring I then added gold Paint Dabber to the edges.
Stamp the image once again onto white card and cut out BELIEVE and colour as before, adding gold Paint Dabber to the edges.
I added four Melissa Frances pearls which I coloured with gold mixative to coordinate with all my stamping and embellishments and to add to the traditional feel of this ATC.
I also added corners, coloured with fired brick Distress Ink.
A wish Chitchat sticker completes my third ATC.
These are my three ATC's all together.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog and take a look at my fellow
team mates creations.


Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, much appreciated.  Enjoy the HOLIDAY SEASON. Tracy x x 


Products Used:

Tim Holtz Stamps - Holiday Collections
Tim Holtz Snowflurries Texture Fade
Paint Dabber - Pitch Black, Gold
Fragments Charms
Seasonal Chitchat Stickers
Christmas Muse Tokens
Jump Rings
Tim Holtz Alterations - ATC & Corners Die
Metal Foil Tape
Archival Inks - Black, Manganese Blue
Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Broken China, Faded Jeans, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles
White Gel Pen
Non-Stick Craft Sheet
Perfect Pearl Mist Blue Patina
Heat Tool
Melissa Frances Pearls
Tissue Tape
Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circle Large
Extra Fine Glitter
Distress Markers
Fine Waterbrush
Alcohol Ink - Gold Mixative

22 comments:

  1. Fabulous ATC's Tracy - love the snowflakes on the metal tape! Have a Merry Christmas!

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  2. What wonderful ATCs - each so different. Have a very Happy Christmas. Helen xx

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  3. Stunning creations Tracy, wonderful techniques, beautiful designs and fabulous embellishments. Your work always pulls me in and inspires me.
    Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
    Hugs Brenda xox

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  4. Happy Christmas Tracey. Thanks for another lovely year of sharing your gorgeous creations and sorry I am so bad at commenting (i do love looking )Hope your Christmas is fun and festive and that 2013 brings love, laughter and many crafty times for you xx Loving these fab atcs and the little insight into how you created them xx

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  5. Tracy...your ATCs are just gorgeous! I love all of the Tim elements you've used on them. The fragments look amazing...especially with that kraft Santa and snowman under them! Love the metallic background! The blue ATC is so pretty as well. And the green and red one...well, Love that one, too! I love Tim's vintage Santas! Love the added texture you've done to his beard! The bits of gold around the edges of the circle and the half pearls really dress up that ATC. They are all so beautiful! Tracy, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, blessed 2013! <3 Candy

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  6. Gorgeous! Love them all! That embossed background with the silver is phenomenal. Love the soft blue inky background and the Santa Claus shines in his circle! A happy Christmas to you and your family!

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  7. Oh Tracy, they are gorgeous, particularly the first one... Hope you have a lovely Christmas. S.x

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  8. Wow Tracy, those ATC's are stunning! Love each one! The sort of steampunky one with the metal background is my fav! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas! Hugs, Sandra

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  9. Fabulous atcs, Happy Christmas! Chrisx

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  11. Beautiful ATCs Tracy, I particularly love that first metallic one! Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

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  12. Such gorgeousness! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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  13. GorgeousATC's!!! Brilliantly gorgeous!!! LOVE! Merry Christmas to you!!!!

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  14. They're fabulous, Tracy... love all the different effects. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  15. All 3 atcs are fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. dearest Tracy,
    Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Just adore the ATC and thank you for the tutorial steps.Thank you so much for your friendship this year! take care, gerri

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  17. Woooow amazing art Tracy! It's incredible how much talent you can fit on such a small form of art :). Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year, full of inspiration and creative flair! xxx

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  18. Beautiful ATC's, Tracy! I really love how you showed frame by frame of each technique! Very helpful! :)

    Happy Holidays!
    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

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  19. All of the ATCs are just wonderful, I like each and every one!!

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  20. These are sensational, Tracy... So glad to have some time to catch up with posts I didn't see at the time, as I wouldn't have missed these ATCs for the world! What fantastic techniques and dimension, brilliant use of papers, tape and stamping... I'm in awe - just love them!
    Alison xx

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  21. Wonderful ATC's Tracy, really great techniques you've used. I like the way you've spotted the perfect images within a sheet of card or in a stamp to cut out for the frame fragments. Great imagination. Michelle x

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