A Page of Gratitude & some Artist Trading Cards

Hope you are all having a great Saturday - getting all your errands done or chores around the house - I've been happy as a clam getting some stamping done in my studio.

This fun little card (actually it's a big card - 5" x 5" !) was made for todays inspiration challenge - to be inspired by a scrapbook page in honor of National Scrapbooking Day.

I am a scrapbooker - but wasn't too enthused about this challenge - make a card from a page?? Didn't really float my boat if you KWIM? but then I browsed the Split Coast Scrapbooking forums where I have never wandered before and found this fun page by Jennie to be inspired by.

I chose this one because I had this wonderful sheet of DP from Making Memories with the stamp edge that I bought quite some time ago and then couldn't quite figure out how to use it on a card! So here was the perfect opportunity - I thought it would make a good substitute for the round edges on the inspiration page.

I colored my cute little girl from Whipper Snapper Designs that I got from Addicted to Rubber Stamps (one of my FAVORITE stamp websites - they have everything! see my side bar for a direct link to them) with Prismacolor markers and added the fun dotted primas. The sentiment is by PapertreyInk Beautiful Blooms set.

So I ended up really enjoying this challenge! Sometimes when we go where we don't think we want to we find great inspiration!

Stamps: Girl: whippersnapper designs, sentiment: PTI Beautiful blooms
Paper: very vanilla, DP: Making Memories - Hilary Stamp Shape
Ink: Onyx black versafine
Accessories: glue zots, dotted primas, Prismacolor markers: French grey, brittany blue, green tea, terra cota, yellow ochre, SU marker: Blush blossom

Several days ago I mentioned that I would be loading up some ATC's (Artist Trading Cards). Finally got the chance to do it!

I was invited by MissHelenStamps on SCS to participate in a monthly ATC swap with her. I had only made a couple of these cute little 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 cards before during Virtual Stamping Weekend challenges on SCS so I thought this would be fun! Each month one of us decides what the topic will be.

ATC's are a fun way to make a quick card design since there is not a lot of space to cover - and can be used to inspire a larger card at a later date. There are many people that swap these with large groups. Craft stores sell special round racks to hang and display them on. For now - I'm happy swapping with just Helen!

Here are 3 that I have made so far.

This one was St. Patrick's Day Theme

And here is a card I made later using the design from the ATC on the card.

Stamp: Sentiment: My Sentiment's Exactly, shamrock: AiP Vip's, Background - Cornish Heritage Farms. Paper: Green and orange Bazzill, Naturals Ivory Ink: Forest Green Stazon Ribbon: Martha Stewart

This one was to use an animal on your ATC. I used my cute Riley Stamp!

Stamp: Riley- Hanna Stamps, DP - K& Co. card stock: Very Vanilla - SU, Threaded Ribbon: SU, slot punch, dimensionals, Prismacolor markers

We had to use a flower on this ATC. I used the Paper Tole technique layering the pieces over the stamped flower.

Stamp: Measure of Life- SU, Paper: choc chip, pumpkin pie, very vanilla. Su markers, cuttlebug script folder. Ribbon, brads.

I made this Halloween ATC during an SCS Virtual Stamping Weekend for a 'Make An ATC' challenge.

Stamp: Close to my Heart, Prismacolor markers, ticket corner punch, bat eyelets, orange eyelets, stitched ribbon, ticket corner punch. Paper: Black, white.

So there you have the sum of my ATC experience so far! For May - Helen and I are making an ATC using only Black and White colors. I'll post mine after I've made it!

Have a great Saturday - Kent and I are off to the Melrose Symphony tonight with some friends - It's quite a professional group with a really congenial Conducter who always has a joke for the audience sometime during the performance!

Today's thought from Poor Richard's Almanac: "Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all."