Weathered Metal ATC Art Swap

It's Friday...congratulations, you made it through the week!

I participated in a really fun art swap recently. Well, it would have been a little less recently had the Postal Service not annihilated the envelope carrying my awesome art...but once I received the battered and seriously beaten envelope back in my mailbox, I quickly changed everything into fresh new Postal duds, and got it mailed out again. There were six of us in this swap, generously hosted by Susan from Florida. If you know Susan, you know she does delicious work - and this is no exception. She participated in the Technique Fat Book Swap I was in - and the technique she submitted is way yum! It's one of my favorites...but don't tell anyone. Both the "Weathered Metal Technique" and the "Bubble Wrap/Plastic Painted Background" are so easy...and the results are spectacular!

Bubble Wrap/Plastic Painted Background
by Susan

Here are the results I got from playing with the Weathered Metal Technique.

These are the plain ATCs I created with the technique. It's "metal foil tape" and several colors of acrylic paint, sanded and distressed with a tracing wheel. I also drew "into" the tape with an embossing stylus before applying paint.

I took a piece of watercolor paper I had doodled poorly on - and painted it with Twinkling H2Os for my background paper.

The actual paper I used for the backs of my ATCs ended up being darker. I had cut the paper above down to ATC size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and used my Italian glass blown dip pen to write my information. I don't know what was up with the ink I tried to use (old?) - but it was awful! Globs, blobs, no ink...it was just a mess. So I had to start over - and quickly doodles on another piece of watercolor paper, before painting it with Twinkling H2Os that were apparently darker. I like how the second one turned out just as well, though.

I used my Souffle pens to write all my information on the back. Loooove 'em! They don't "stick up" or "pouf" as much as I would like - but I still think it's a cool concept...and the results aren't bad, either. I use my Souffle pens and my Glaze pens A LOT. They write on almost anything - and I like that Souffle pens are opaque, while the Glaze is glossy...almost resembling stained glass. You can mix colors (while the ink is still wet) and get new colors - or wait until the ink has set up (dried) and lay down a different color ink over the first. (I say sometimes because sometimes you just end up peeling up the first color - and it makes a mess.)

After torturing, um, I mean distressing, the painted metal tape (before and after painting it), I stitched different colored sparkly threads all over each ATC. Then I stitched sizes 6/0, 8/0, and 11/0 seed beads on them - in varying colors and patterns. Each ATC also has a little blue MOP bird fetish bead - and several vintage Swarovski sew-on crystals, acrylic crystals, and vintage flower cabs. As a final touch, I added a metal word. The word on each card is written above it.

Click for a larger view to open in another window.

I made a seventh one but can't find it. The number of gremlins running off with things has increased. That's the only way I can explain losing so many things - especially when I just had whatever-it-is in my hand!

If anyone is interested in a more formal tutorial or supply list, leave a comment.

Have a super fantastic weekend!

xx