Variations on a Theme - Pink Butterflies

A few weeks ago, Cindy Elliot-Park issued a challenge to me: re-design the pink journal pages I made (here and here) into ATCs! Well, I absolutely love this technique, and being who I am, I couldn't resist. And once I got started, I couldn't stop. LOL!

Here is a scan of nine of my favorites:

Here's what I did: Paint pink and white acrylics on white cardstock. Allow to dry, then cut into ATC-size panels. Stamp butterfly from Stampington & Co. with various dye inks and allow to dry. Paint over butterfly images with white acrylics and white gesso. The white acrylic will pick up the dye ink underneath, creating a sheer effect. Gesso is thicker and adds the opaque white highlights.

As a "Thank You" for the challenge and inspiration, I'm sending the one in the center to my challenger, Cindy. The others are available for trade, so leave a comment here with your email, or post a note on the SSReflections Yahoo Group, or email me at flo_hollingsworth@yahoo.com (put ATC Trade - Butterfly in the subject line, or it may go to spam and be deleted) and I'll respond.

As always, thanks for looking!

Birdy Bookmarks

I signed up for a swap with the SSReflections Yahoo group! It's bookmarks (2 for 2). I had so much fun doing these - I got carried away and made at least 10! Some will be submitted to print publications, so I'm not going to post them now. Some will be given to my daughters - they just went ga-ga over them! I may post them later.


Here is the pair for my swap partner - Judy M, don't look if you want to be surprised!

I started by applying Distress Inks to these very cool pages from old books - MANY thanks to Michelle on the SSReflections Design Team!! After the papers dry, glue them (either in pieces or as a whole) to your bookmark blanks, and then start stamping. The majority of the images are from Oxford Impressions' "The Bird's Nest" sheet.


Judy, I hope you like these as much as I do!

The Bad Girls

This past Thursday, I joined a group of ladies who swap ATC's locally. I've joined many on-line swaps for cards & ATCs and other stuff, but this is the first time I've actually met face-to-face with my swap partners! It was so much fun!

I found out about the swap (and was invited to join) at the last minute. Luckily, the theme was "Spring has Sprung", and I had tons of spring-time ATCs in my stash! So, I had plenty for the 10-card swap! I would have been devastated if I hadn't been able to participate.

This was such a good time. We met in the store we all frequent (SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT STAMPING/SCRAPBOOKING RETAILER), and laughed, swapped stories and design secrets - and of course oohhed and aaahhhed over each other's ATCs. Oh, and swapped them!

The photo here is one of the ones that I received in trade. I couldn't decide on a favorite, so I just decided to post the one that was easiest to scan. Many of the others had flowers and 3-d embellishments that would reveal better in photos - maybe I'll take some of them today.

Anyway, this little lovely is by Melanie Joy. She told me it is paper towel died with re-inkers and edged with silver pen. The quote is embossed, and the butterfly gal swings aside on her little brad to reveal the rest of Tallulah Bankhead's quote: "It's the Good Girls who keep the diaries. The Bad Girls never have the time." I love it!

Folks that help your being... best friends

How cool is it to have a "non-artsy" friend appreciate your efforts?! My dear friend, Judi Mac (a self-proclaimed non-artisan - but I think she's neat anyway), was browsing my blog a few days ago and came across the journal page for Wendy P (see earlier post). Judi loved it so much that she called me to gush about it and tell me she wanted one, too! She said she's gonna frame it!

It's just so cool that Judi is so encouraging of me and my artwork. I love her!

So, Judi, here is a journal page for you to frame. It's softer than the one I did for Wendy, but I hope you like it anyway. You help my being.