Day 174 - Australia Cranes.

This stamp has really interesting colors, that don't really come out in the photo. The background is more of the painted paper that has a stenciled grid.
Specialty papers, postage stamp, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 173 - Tree Trunk

I was cutting up some really cool netted ribbon to use for something else when I happened to turn it on its side and realized it looked like a really old tree trunk. So I added the leaf ribbon and the vaguely foliage-looking postage stamp. More of the painted background paper that's impossible for me to photograph well. Excuse me, I have to go cut more ribbon for my other project...
Painted paper, ribbons, postage stamp.
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Go make art!

Day 172 - Boys Chasing Bats

These boys are chasing bats and picking up discs. In Chinese the bat symbolizes good luck. The discs most likely represent money in this context, making the label represent future success. Or perhaps the striving for success.
Matchbox label, specialty papers.
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Go make art!

Day 171 - Little Boys Fishing

I think this one is kind of funny, with the little boys fishing in some kind of giant fishbowl.
Matchbox label, specialty papers.
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Go make art!

Day 170 - Fishing for Carp

Not very many labels have a fifth color of blue, so this one is unusual. I like the colors and the sunset look of the sky. Wish I could read enough Chinese to read the inscription.
Matchbox label, specialty papers.
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Go make art!

Day 169 - Rabbit Rowing a Dragon Boat

This is one of my favorite matchbox labels although I'm not sure of the symbolism. Rabbits are associated with the moon in Chinese mythology and folktales. Although I think that is really supposed to be the sun; when I see rabbits in Chinese art I automatically think of the moon. Then there is a romantic story that goes with the dragon boat races that are held in early summer (Wikipedia), of an exiled official turned poet who commits suicide in a river. The local people jumped into their boats and raced out to save him but were too late. Because dragons are thought to control water, the boats all have a dragon prow as this boat does. Then there is also the fact that the Dragon year follows the Rabbit year in the Chinese zodiac, so perhaps the rabbit is bringing in the dragon.
Matchbox label, specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 168 - Peonies in Vase

Another matchbox label. The black printing in the red dots is some kind of Chinese couplet poem, possibly for the New Year or it could be for prosperity or something like that.
Matchbox label, specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 167 - Lotus Brand Matches

I have a collection of old matchbox labels and have scanned and printed them out so I can use them in collages. This is the first in my series of ATCs with matchbox labels on them. All the ones I have done so far are Asian labels because I like them and they are the most colorful. Some of them are rather fanciful too. This one is quite typical of labels either made in China or made to sell in China.
Matchbox label, specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 166 - Year of the Horse

I made this faux postal in 2002 for the Year of the Horse using rubber stamps and a mask. I was born in a Horse year.
Specialty papers, Rubber stamping, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 165 - Not Quite Iron Butterfly

Our ATC club meeting had a theme of using found objects. Our fearless leader for this meeting is an avid runner and watches the ground as she runs past lots of construction sites and other interesting places.She brought a bunch of stuff for us to use. It was so fun, though I have to admit that this isn't very original as I copied a butterfly she had made using rusty razor blades.
Found objects, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 164 - Re-invent Hope

Don't ask me what that means - I have no idea; it just sounded intriguing. I am a very un-philosophical person.Talking to me about philosophy would likely result in me running screaming from the room - if I could stay awake long enough, that is.
Another munged ATC from Donna Downey's ATC kit. I still have enough of the flower paper to make one more, but it isn't finished yet.
Watercolor, specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 163 - Live the Life You Dream of

Another ATC using the stuff in the Donna Downey kit I bought.
Watercolor, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 162 - Seek Change

I bought an ATC kit from Donna Downey and have really had fun with it. Of course, I never quite follow directions, so if you don't like it, don't blame her! I loved using the Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon, it's just the perfect size. The black dots are made with the Viva Pearl Pen, a dimensional gel. I have only just started to play with them and really like them.
Watercolor, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 161 - Flora Post - Orange / Red

This background paper was made with acrylic paints and iridescent acrylics over black paper. It comes out really cool - it looks strangely metallic but also the color pops over the black. Really fun to make. I tried to put something in the middle of the orange blob of paper, but nothing seemed to work so I left it naked.
Painted papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 160 - Flora Post - Purple / Orange

Isn't this background paper cool? I made it with kid's finger paints and a comb in our ATC club meeting. Fun, fun, fun! Makes me want to do more fancy backgrounds with paste paper and stuff.
Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 159 - Touch Art

I think that the background painted canvas came from a box of collage fodder I got from Lisa Bebi when she was cleaning out her studio. It's pretty cool & I didn't have to do much to it to finish it off.
Painted canvas, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 158 - Summer Landscape

I started a watercolor class this semester, so prepare to be assaulted with some marginal watercolors. Fortunately they are just little ATCs in real life.
Watercolors.
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Go make art!

Day 157 - Happy Birthday to Me & My Brother

Happy Birthday to me and my twin brother. This picture is one of my favorites from when we were little. Oh, it's also my pug Chloe's birthday too.
I should have posted this on our actual birthday (the 6th), but oh well.
Photo, scrapbook paper, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 156 - Live the Life You've Imagined

Another ATC I stamped at my Birthday party.
Scrapbook paper, stamped images, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 155 - In Dreams

A friend often comes down to San Diego for the weekend. Sometimes we get together to play with collage & stamping, and her daughter joins us too. I went over there and she and my friends threw a surprise birthday party for me! I was totally surprised and had great fun! We had some time after eating dinner and birthday cupcakes to play a little. This is one of the ATCs I stamped there.
Scrapbook paper, stamped images, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 154 - Butterfly Brown/Orange

I thought this butterfly made a good brown and orange theme.
Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 153 - Flora Post - Purple #2

Here is another Flora Post ATC. Purple is a hard color to show in photos, why is that?
Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 152 - Three Ostriches

This is another image from old labels meant for dyes. It reminds me of old matchbox labels which often had themes like 2 birds, 3 birds, 3 deer, etc. I wrote in "Three Birds" because I didn't think I could get the word "Ostriches" in there.
Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 151 - Rose Oil

Another vintage label image. Need a little more practice with the "Paper Pen" but I like the color.
Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 150 - Fly Home

I like this bird stamp, although it has no eye, so I have to add it with a pen. I'm trying to catch up with posting! Hopefully tomorrow I will finish them all.
Specialty paper, stamped image, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 149 - Starry Love

There's lots of sparkle on this. Really.

Painted papers, specialty paper, rubber stamps, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 148 - Floating Ideas

Sometimes it seems like all my ideas float away on a tide of confusion.

Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 147 - Just Be

My Zen statement. I didn't want to cover up any more of this beautiful paper. Ha! Who knows what I was thinking that day.

Japanese Washi paper, specialty paper, embellishment.
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Go make art!

Day 146 - Daisy Dressing

From an old label for a hair product.

Specialty papers, embellishments.
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Go make art!

Day 145 - Music

I apologize for getting so far behind! I am very behind in posting and am a little behind in making the ATCs. I have been unable to send my photos from my camera phone to my computer via Bluetooth anymore. It is very frustrating and I've already spent a lot of time fruitlessly trying to get it to work again. So I just quit trying to send them; now I have to plug the phone into the computer. How annoying. I also got behind making the ATCs due to some stressful things that kind of froze me up but I think I'm past that now (hope).

Anyway, I'm trying to catch up but it will be a couple of days before I get all the pictures dealt with and finished the half-finished cards.

Scrapbook paper, painted paper, embellishments.
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Go make art!