100 Posts and a First

It will be two years next month that I started this blog.  I just noticed in my stats that this post will be number 100.  Blogging has been so rewarding.  My posts are not noteworthy, but what I treasure is the friends I've made through this media.  I cannot tell you how much enjoyment I've found in visiting each of your blogs and the many things I have been learning along the way.  So thank you for all you bring with your blogs and thank you for continuing to visit mine.

Now, on to a first for me--ATCs.  As you know, I've mentioned before how much I love tags.  A close second are ATCs, so I thought I would finally give this a whirl.  Reading through many blogs and books, I figured I knew what to do.  Well, we learn by our mistakes!  It started with a manila ATC.  I was the lucky winner of a giveaway from Kasha Gray (Mandy Zimmerman).  She sent me a sheet of vintage slides which I decoupaged one onto the card.  (I never decoupaged before).  The card and slide were inked in several shades of Distress Inks from forest moss to tea dye.  I wanted to try a crackle finish (again, a first for me), so I coated the card with picket fence crackle.  Little did I realize that it gave a whitewashed coat to the paper hence making it difficult to see the slide.  I tried to bring it back a bit by stamping it with some music paper and text stamps from 7 Gypsies.  Really did not make much difference.  Then began the layering of embellishments to try to save this ATC.  Here it is.

 

A piece of trim from Mandy was inked and placed down the middle of the card.  The large fabric flower is also from Mandy and the burlap leaves are from Recollections.  I really love this flower.  A metal corner bracket from my stash was placed in the upper left side.  A flocked Prima butterfly rub-on was placed on the lower left and accented with a Recollections pearl.  The clockpiece is also Recollections.  Not enough, I said.  The two wooden butterflies from Recollections were given many shades of Distress Ink along with a coat of  crackle paint in Shabby Shutters from Mandy.  I tried to paint a design on them but was not happy with how it looked, so I placed two vintage buttons on their centers and gave them a coat of Glossy Accents.  In my jar of buttons, I found the zipper pull.  What a mess I made there with various shades of alcohol inks.  It took me two solid days to get the purple/green/blue color off two of my fingers and nailbeds!  The little word pieces are from Tim Holtz.  I just cut a notch on the side of each to make them into a banner.  Finally, I finished it with a touch of purple Liquid Pearls on the trim.

A bit warped but it is flattening out some.  I think it may have looked better if I hadn't added the leaves and not used the picket fence crackle paint.  I need to get some clear crackle paint.  Live and learn!  I see the benefit of taking classes.  What will I do with this?  I have no idea.  I don't know that anyone would want it.  lol  But, I will continue to try to improve.  I so love the small size of tags and ATCs.

There it is, post 100.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!