Friendship's Garden Challenge Blog: Vintage Children's ATC (and HAPPY NEW YEAR!)

Hello, all !!!  First of all, I'd like to wish all of my readers a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!  I hope you enjoyed the holidays and that Santa was good to you! LOL!

I've been on a little break, trying to enjoy the holidays and get geared up for 2012.  One momentous occasion that happened since I last posted was my FORTIETH birthday!  YIKES!!!  Yep, it's finally here:  my forties! LOL!  But, you know, forty isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.  I, for one, am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.  I've learned a lot in my first forty years of life, and I know I still have much to learn.  But, I was so ready to say goodbye to my thirties and move forward and upwards!  Things will only get better!  So, here's to FORTY !!!  HIP! HIP! HOORAY!!!  =)

(This was my bday cake.  It was one of those cake bites from Baskin & Robbins.  We used a candle that was supposed to be used at Maddie's party.  LOL)

Now, on to my first project of 2012!  This week's bonus challenge over at Friendship's Garden Challenge Blog is an ATC with a vintage children's theme.  I haven't made an ATC in a while.  An ATC is an artist trading card which usually measures 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.  The base is often just quality cardstock, but I like to use chipboard for mine so that the ATC is a lot sturdier.  I get my ATC chipboard from Etsy.

You will notice that I didn't use any images of children on my ATC.  I did want to, but I just couldn't fit any into my design.  Also, the challenge did not REQUIRE that I use an image of children.  

For me, when I think of "vintage children" as a theme, I often think of children at school.  I pictured a little red school house.  So, I took some red and brown cardstock and embossed them to give them a woodgrain texture.  I then did a simple paper piecing to create the school house for my ATC.

The background paper is actually some digital paper that I scaled down and printed.  If you are interested in the kit, I can look it up for you.  Just leave a comment here with your email address.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but I used TH Distress Ink in Walnut Stain on the edges of the ATC and TH Distress Ink in Vintage Photo on the face of the background paper.

The blue tag base is a really thick chipboard tag that I had in my stash.  The composition book, pencil, ribbon, and little blackboard were all stickers that I found in my supplies.  Gotta love it when I can put something together without having to buy anything new!

If you're wondering what someone might do with a finished ATC -- well, they are meant to be traded.  However, I normally just use mine on cards or tags.  

Finally, I'd like to make a few announcements.  

I've been accepted as a DT member over at Forever Night Challenges, where creepy meets creative!  Think Halloween all year long!  I don't know about you, but I LOVE Halloween as much as I love Christmas!  My term runs the first half of 2012, and I am really excited about this new gig.  Now, don't be spooked.  It's not as scary as it might sound!  =)  I will be posting my very first project for FNC in a few days.  =)

Last, please keep an eye out for some upcoming blog hops I am hosting in February and March.  I will be posting the blog hop buttons in my sidebar.

Come check out some sweet Valentine's Day cards and recipes for decadent desserts that you can make for the loved ones in your life! =)

This blog hop is SPONSORED BY Kenny K. Downloads!  The participants in this hop will all be using some of the sexier images from Kenny K. Downloads for their projects.  One lucky commenter will win FIVE Kenny K. digi's of their choice!

I am super excited about this last blog hop I'm hosting for the first quarter of 2012.  Think Oprah's Favorite Things show where the audience members receive an array of fabulous gifts !  Now, this hop won't be that extravagant, but commenters will have a chance to win blog candy AT EACH stop on the hop!  I will be given away at least ONE DOZEN prizes on my blog!!!!  So, mark your calendars and be sure to stop by that weekend!  And, don't worry.  I WILL post a reminder on my blog before the time comes in case anyone forgets.  =)

Well, I know that was a lot to process.  Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.  Have a great Wednesday!  ALOHA!

Butterfly ATC

WOW! Things have been so hectic around here lately! I've been spending a LOT of time planning Madison's first birthday party. So much to do! I have a 3-ring binder with all my ideas, lists, and notes. I'd be totally lost without!

Aside from birthday planning, we've had a few activities to attend. Saturday, we went to a birthday party to celebrate THREE birthdays: a set of twins and their brother. This evening, we went to a funeral service for a friend. It was a beautiful service, and we will always remember him with fondness in our hearts. Monday evening, we have yet another birthday party to attend and another party next Saturday for another set of twins! WHEW!!!

With all that's going on, it was nice to take a little break and work on some ATC's for a swap. I haven't worked on ATC's in almost two years! The small canvas was nice to work with because it was less work. LOL! The theme for this particular swap was butterflies, and we only needed to make three. I loved that I only had to make a few.

I started with chipboard ATC's that I purchased off Etsy. I really like the firm foundation that it provides. I adhered paper from the Basic Grey Out of Print line. I didn't think I'd like it, but when I saw it in person, I loved it! I think the papers in this line are so pretty! I added shimmer to the paper with Maya Mist in Iridescent Pearl. I really like the results!!! It's a little difficult to see in the pictures, but trust me, it does have such a pretty shimmer in person. I am definitely going to have to play with more of this stuff. I can't wait to add more mists to my collection. I also inked the edges of the atc's with Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Tim Holtz. I think the inking was a nice touch.

I added some Prima Bling and a dimensional butterfly sticker from the Martha Stewart line. The last thing I added was the phrase "alis volat propriis" which translates to "she flies with her own wings". I really like how this ATC turned out and, although I once swore off making any more ATC's, I'm actually looking forward to making more! Thanks for looking and have a great Monday!