ATC Folders

Good evening.  I hope you have had a good week.  It's been hot, as usual, but uneventful. That may be about to change.  We are keeping an eye on 3 systems in the tropics.  Danielle will miss us, and hopefully Earl will, too, but we will be tracking the one after, which will be Fiona when she's named.  But that's at least a week out, so we're good.

I make a lot of ATC's (artist trading cards, 3-1/2" x 2-1/2"), They get lost in card envelopes, so I have made a little folder to put into an envelope to mail them.  So the recipient gets an ATC and the decorated folder.  To mail them I use the 6-1/2" x 3-5/8" envelopes.

Here is a sample:

To start, I use a half sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 cardstock for the base.  I cut it so I have 2 pieces of 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" cardstock.  On the long side, I made 2 scores, one at 3-1/4" and one at 6-1/2". When you fold on the scores, you turn the 2" piece up and put a little glue on the side edges only, so it makes a little pocket across the bottom of thee cardstock.  When you turn the top scored piece down, you now have a nice little folder with a pocket.  You can embellish them in any way you choose, but I like to keep it kind of flat so I don't have a lumpy envelope or embellishments that get smashed or broken.  The pocket and flap will also help protect your ATC embellishments.  On the above folder I used decorative paper, then stamped the flourishes. I heat embossed the shell, then used distress inks to make it look like a real shell. I just attached it to the folder with adhesive.

Here are some more samples:

This one had flowers and leaves stamped, colored and cut out, then adhered to the folder. Some of the flowers have pop dots behind them. I used a scallop punch on the bottom so some of the pocket layer shows.

This one has a sand dollars stamped, heat embossed, cut out and adhered to the front.

I stamped this fellow, colored and cut him out, and adhered him to background paper that matches the background of the folder.  I cut out the 2 layers with a nestability die.

I stamped the dragonfly and cut it out. Then I stamped it again and just used the wings. I adhered the wing section over the bottom dragonfly so that the wings are dimensional.

I cut out the pink circle, stamped the dragonfly, then put stitches around the edge and used a white gel pen to put white dots in the circle.  I used glitter glue on the dragonfly.

I used the Cricut to cut out the medallion and the white background behind it. Then I stamped the image and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.

I stamped the flower, colored it and cut it out and adhered it to the background paper. Very simple. And last, but by no means least,

I stamped this guy on the background, then stamped him again and cut out the bottom part, which I adhered to the stamped image.   I colored the flowers with markers, which didn't show the background behind them.

So, as you can see, you can do a lot of different things to jazz up your folder.  And it will still protect your ATC and keep it from getting lost in the envelope. You can make your own background papers instead of using patterned papers, and you can add more stamping.  I just used what I already had at hand.

I hope you give this a try. If you do, please share your creations with us, via a link in the comment section.

Have a great weekend!

Dragonfly Days

Good morning!  I hope you are doing well today.  It's almost time for the kids to head back to school here, but in some parts of the state (and country) school has already started.  My granddaughters can't wait for school to start so they can re-connect with their friends who they haven't seen during the summer.

I've been playing with the whimsical dragonfly stamp from the Stampsations line by My Paper Moon.  This is the first card:

The card looks gray in the scan, but it's really a navy blue.  The dragonfly was stamped with Staz-On, then without reinking I stamped it on the white cardstock several more times, giving it a shadowy appearance.  I wanted the main dragonfly to really pop, so I used crystal lacquer on the wings and body, then lightly sprinkled a light blue glitter over it while it was still wet. I used the nestability dies to cut out the main image and 2 mats. The card background is from some background papers I had, but really looks like a handmade background made using saran wrap crinkled up with ink. 

I stamped Psalm 118 on the bottom of the card.  I left the inside of the card blank, but I can use it for a birthday card, anniversary card, thinking of you card, or just leave it blank and use it as a notecard to write to my sister. 

I love the whimsy of this dragonfly stamp.  By using different colors and background papers, it totally changes the tone of the card. 

Here are a couple more cards I made using the whimsical dragonfly stamp:

On the bottom 2 cards I used glitter glue on the wings before I added the crystal lacquer.

I hope you have gotten a little inspiration today. Stay cool and I'll see you next time...

Thinking of You Card and Blog Award

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Hello and happy Friday.  I hope you are beating the heat.  Can fall and cooler weather get here soon enough?  I swear it gets hotter every year!

I dug out a stamp that I don't often use, the Lotus Blossom stamp from My Paper Moon.  I was in the mood to make a Thinking of You Card, and this is what I came up with.

It's a very simple card, with a pink cardstock base and a dotted swiss embossed layer.  I stamped the lotus stamp 3 times on glossy cardstock and used alcohol inks to color the images.  I cut them out and layered them, pop dotting the one in the middle.  Very easy to do.

My friend, Shelly, has given me a new blog award. Thank you, Shelly!

There really isn't anything stylish about me, I'm all about comfort, but I will accept it in the spirit in which it was given.  I am supposed to list 5 things about me that are stylish, and I am supposed to give the award to 5 other bloggers. So, without further ado, here are my 5 stylish things:

1. I love shoes.  I wear shoes that are comfortable, but I have a closet full of shoes that I love to look at.
2. I love purses.  Same as with the shoes. I probably have 100 purses.  I can say that I use them all, though.
3. I love bright colored clothing. Blues and reds and yellows.  Lime green.  I got that from my mother.
4. I am trying to let my hair grow long enough to donate to Locks of Love. It's very hard during the summer, because I have thick hair, so it's very hot. I don't know how you ladies do it. You have my complete awe.
5. I love jewelry, although I don't wear it as often as I should.

Now I have to think about the 5 bloggers I am going to give this award to, so I'll have that in a future post.

I hope you have a great weekend. Hubby is entering a barbeque cookoff on Labor Day weekend, and he's going to practice with his teammate tomorrow, so I'll be eating barbeque. I hope you can stay cool.

And I hope you get to do something crafty!