Crafting with Dragonflies Challenge#29 : Artist Trading Cards - Set of 3

When Hilde from Crafting with Dragonflies sets a challenge, 

it is a CHALLENGE

ATC  or Artist Trading Cards - Set of 3

I used an image from one of the Sponsors - QKR - provided called

Wish in a Bottle... 

reminds me of the song by STING.....

Message in a Bottle

Just a castaway

An island lost at sea

Another lonely day

With no one here but me

More loneliness

Than any man could bear

Rescue me before I fall into despair

I'll send an SOS to the world

I'll send an SOS to the world

I hope that someone gets my

Message in a bottle [x2]

There are two Sponsors for this Challenge

 Pickled Potpourri 

and 

QKR

What the.....is an Artists Trading Card, I hear you ask.........(well might you, I did too!)

Well, an artist trading card (or ATC for short) is a tiny, original piece of art created with the intention of swapping or trading it with another artist, not selling it. The one rule an artist trading card must adhere to is the size. An ATC must be 2.5x3.5 inches or 64x89 mm. 

Click here which will take you to a blog post about how to get started on a basic ATC...

This is what I did........

I did  a bit of sponging using my TH Distress inks directly onto a sheet of SU Whisper White, which had been ruled up for the correct size of three ACT's prior to cutting -does that make sense?

Before I did this, I had taken the image and changed it re size and orientation using SU My Digital Studio - I am very pleased with myself 'cause I have not used this before so it was trial and error! I also wrote across it MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE in light grey. I printed it off onto the WW card and then added the inks. I then cut the shapes and inked again around the edges.

I took to the bottles with my Prisma pencils to add a bit of colour to them and the message inside, and the water around them. I had a set of freebie stamps from Creative Stamping, and I used these to stamp the wheel in Versamark and emboss with a black sparkly (Ebony) EP. I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the bird, and TH Distress Scattered  Twigs to do the rope.

I hand wrote "Message in a Bottle" across the three ACT's.

I had purchased (twice, because I liked it obviously but my silly memory didn't tell me I had already ordered it so I got it twice!) Graphic 45's paper pad "By the Sea" and used a page of this and some stickers to cut out several items  - shells, a compass and a fish and some words - and glued them to the ACT's. That's were the US postage stamps came from as well. 

So, three ACT's - my very first ACT's in fact!

Probably won't be the last - I turned them into a card, but I didn't take a photo, so cannot show it. 

So, why not have a go yourself - if I can do it, you can!!

I will enter this in the following challenge:

Everybody-Art-Challenge: Postage Stamps - ends 31st June

Just Inspirational Challenges: Anything Goes - ends 31st June

Through the Craft Room Door: Anything Goes

2 Cute Ink Digital: At the Beach - ends 7th July