October 21, 2006

ATC (artist trading cards)

A Journey of Creation - getting started...
ATC's have become popular and seem to cross all artistic mediums. In early December I'll be on my way from NH to AZ for the winter and will stop off in Gilmer, Texas to do a bit of creative beading with a group of friends who have dubbed themselves the "beadtrekers". We all manage to get together to bead at least twice a year, if not more - and we all live in diverse parts of the country.

One of our projects for this "Gilmer Getaway" will be beaded ATC's and some of us have begun to think on computer and paper about what we want to use as a base card, which will then be embellished with beads and other sundries.

I've been playing with a series of 9 signature cards that somehow embodies my artistic life. I used a photo of me at 18 months, a current photo and my signature colors of lime and pink. Well, it almost does what I had in mind.... so back to the drawing board....

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Keep the baby photo, get another current photo, play with photoshop a bit and I think I like this one better. In the 60 years between the two photos there has been constant change, personally as well as artistically. The change has been even more evident in the last few years and is accelerating. I like the play on words with "60 and Change", so I think I'll keep that on the card. After I print these out on heavy card stock, I'll put them away to finish when I get to Texas next month.



A couple of years ago I bought some laminated Saint cards in Mexico. The colors in the cards are beautiful. I was thinking that if I made a 2.5" by 3.5" open frame, in heavy card stock, I could stitch the laminated cards in the opening so you could see both sides.

I can see adding beads to the interior stitching, but as of yet have no clue as to how I'll finish the outer frame. I guess that will have to wait for the creative muse to come along and poke at me with an idea(s).


Sometime in December, I'll post what I finally did with these ideas as well as show you the cards I traded for from the other artists that I'll be beading with in Texas.

I'm counting the days (36) till I leave for Arizona and can enjoy several days with some of the most fun and creative women I know. This group always gives me more laughter as well as more creative impulses than I could ever use in several lifetimes.

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