Artist Trading Cards and techniques

So, I'm a member of craftster.org, and I've recently been introduced to Artist Trading Cards, or ATCs for short. I also joined a swap for fabric ATCs. Therefore, I've been doing a lot of research on different methods and techniques for making these, and trying some of it out.

One of the first interesting things I learned, was packing tape image transfers. You can take a picture, photo copy it (this only works with printers that use toner: such as a laserjet printer, or a copier machine), then put packing tape over the image. Smooth out the tape real well, then let the paper soak in water for about five minutes. Once it's done soaking, rub the paper off of the tape (I did mine under running water), and voila! You image is now on the tape!

I was pretty skeptical at first, but I tried it out, and what do you know? It worked perfectly! Take a look:


I also did some practice for the fabric ATCs I'm going to be swapping at the end of the month. I've never really used a zig-zag stitch for design or to around the edge of something to mimic a serge, so I wanted to try it out.

I ended up taking apart my sleeping mask, and decorating/experimenting with it. I used some pretty shiny material with a butterfly design on it, and cut out flowers from another material. Then I sewed around the flowers with a gold thread (horrible to work with!), using that zig-zag stitch. Took me a little bit to figure out the stitch length and distance, but I think it worked out pretty well. I also hand-added some little seed beads on the flowers to match. I cut out a piece of spare fleece I had and pined to the back, and sewed it all together using that zig-zag stitch around the edges. The original sleep mask is sandwiched in between the layers, and I also added new elastic straps. I really like the way it turned out.


Featured

Today's feature, is LeastLikely2Breed. I found this store a while back on Etsy, and immediately added it to my favorite sellers. What makes Leigh's products so unique is her labels, descriptions, and naming. For instance, 'Roid Rage' is one of my personal favorites. Here is an exert from her description:

"Oh come on, when you push out 7lbs plus of baby you're gonna get some hemmies. Instead of sheepishly trying to hide your remedy behind other, more socially acceptable toiletries in the bathroom cabinet, why not display your tin of Roid Rage prominently and within easy reach? It smartly says to all your spying guests, 'I have hemorrhoids -- so what.'"

Her shop is filled with all manner of these same types of products, from "Keep Calm and Carry On" lip balm to "Bad Ass Booty Balm" for diaper rash. Buy them because they're good products with natural ingredients, or for a novelty gift for friends. Either way, I'm sure you'll be pleased with her professional-looking labeling and the product itself.

More Products!

I have made some more Legend of Zelda Potion Bottle Pendants and listed them for sale in my ArtFire store.





If you're interested, check out my ArtFire store at OddmentsandTweaks.artfire.com

I'm also working on a few new bottles. One of them is book-themed. However, I can't finish them until I get another supply that I need. With a few more sales I'll have the money to get what I need and finish the new bottles. I'm excited to finish them and see what kinds of reactions I get.


Featured

From now on, I'm going to feature at least one other shop/person on each blog, or every-other blog entry.

Today's Feature is Fizzy Bubbles from ArtFire.

Fizzy Bubble's store is filled with unique great looking soaps! One that really caught my eye was the "My Poop Don't Stink" soap, which is ironically rose scented.

This shop is filled with all kinds of interesting soaps, such as animal-cracker shaped soap and jelly bean soap, just to name a couple. It's a great stop for novelty soaps, bath bombs, and more!

Costumes

Matt and I went to Megacon '09 this year and it was so much fun!! I wanted to show off the costumes I made for the two of us to wear.

Our first costumes were shy guys from the Super Mario Brothers game series. The robes were pretty easy to make; I got a robe costume pattern and modified the arms and added a pocket into the side. I also added a panel of thin black fabric inside the hood so that our faces were not visible. The masks and belt buckles were the most difficult parts.

The masks are made of paper mache, which has been painted white, and an elastic strip attached to either side. The belt buckles I made out of clay, then painted. They are attached on the belts (which were cheap GoodWill store finds) by elastic loops.

Our second costumes (which we wore on Saturday) were Doki and Nabi from the There She Is cartoons. If you haven't already watched them, be sure to stop by sambakza.net and take a look!

These costumes were a bit more difficult. I bought the hats pre-made from a website, then took them apart and put them back together to make the inside ears white instead of the pink that they came as. The bunny ears had to be rigged to make them stand up properly (with the help of two wire hangers, a head band, two hair combs and epoxy clay). The cat ears had three black stripes painted on with fabric paint. The sweaters and pants and skirt all came from GoodWill finds. I altered the skirt a bit and added the pink collar to the sweater myself. I found green fabric and made the scarf myself. Shoes and tights were bought at Walmart, and we used professional clown makeup to whiten our faces.

I also made a purse to match and carry around things while at the con.