Mermaids & More – Ten ATCs By Judi Kauffman for The Queen's Ink

One of the things I hope to accomplish with my blog posts here at The Queen’s Inkling is to showcase the versatility of the stamps and other supplies I use. Therefore, you’ll often recognize something you’ve seen in past projects!

For example:

Two weeks ago I incorporated a Rubbermoon stamp that says ‘Best Day Ever!’ into a series of torn paper collage Artist Trading Cards. This time its back as part of a trio of envelopes (one of them shown above) as well as providing some decorative linear elements for the ATCs. I inked up only the lines from above the text (shown below).

Last week I used the Shrine Top stamp as a head for some quirky figures and as a decorative element on a trio of cards. This week, it shows up turned upside down as a table on which a small figure stands, to the right on the envelope shown below.

This week I’m introducing more whimsical and wonderful Rubbermoon stamps - a mermaid, dog, bubbles, and more! Yes. I’m definitely a big time fan of this company’s images. Not to worry – Patti Euler, owner of The Queen’s Ink, will do her best to keep them in stock so blog followers can find them in the store or order over the phone.

And even though I designed ATCs only two weeks ago, I’m revisiting them, this time as simple ‘stamp and color’ projects. Such an easy and fast way to experiment – not too time consuming and SO much fun!

INSTRUCTIONS

If you are an experienced paper crafter, use the photos as inspiration and head straight to the supply list. If you’re new to stamping and want to create ATCs that look just like mine, please follow the steps below. Design Detours in italic font provide extra information and tips.

1. Cut an 8.5” x 11” piece of light tan cardstock into ATC-size pieces as follows: Cut two 2.5” wide strips and one 5.3” wide strip. Cut each of the 2.5” strips into three 3.5” long pieces. Cut the 3.5” wide strips into four 2.5” high pieces. Voila! Ten ATCs waiting to decorate…

2. Stamp a little scene on each rectangle. Use the same color ink and an artist’s sponge to smudge a bit of color here and there. Also smudge a contrasting color on some or all of the ATCs (I used bright yellow on one set of five). Design Detour: I stamped five pairs with two of the same composition on each pair, but it could have been ten different ones, or all ten alike. Vary as you choose! All of my ATCs are vertical rectangles, but yours don’t have to be.

3. Add dimensional glaze to selected areas of the ATCs, as shown above, and set aside to dry. Design Detour: I did this for one set of five ATCs, adding dimension and sparkle to the stamped bubbles, to the eyes of one of the figures and the dog, and to the area around the words ‘Sprinkle Magic’.

4. Color with pencils or markers. Design Detour: I used colored pencils with soft blends for the five ATCs with dimensional elements, shown above. I used alcohol-based markers for the other five, shown below – lots of bright colors.

5. Here are close-ups of the pairs to show how the choice of coloring medium can totally change the look:

6. Keep going…Stamp card fronts, bookmarks, gift tags, place cards – and don’t forget about the envelopes! Two were shown toward the start of this post, my third one is below. Design Detour: Hunt for stamps that coordinate with the stamping. The US Forever ‘Pets’ stamps are just perfect.

SUPPLIES

• Rubbermoon stamps
• Bright green ink
• Bright yellow ink
• Light tan cardstock
• Paper trimmer
• Dimensional glaze
• Colored pencils (Prismacolor, shown, or brand of choice)
• Alcohol-based markers
• Artist’s sponge