Cigar Band ATC swaps

These are the ATC's I made for a Cigar Band challenge in a yahoo group I belong to (ATCs Anonymous) This first one is a blown up image of a hand that was part of a larger image I got from an ad. I knew almost nothing about cigars, don't have any stamps I thought would relate and didn't know where to get images from so I Googled some, got some ideas and then went to a local smoke shop where they let me take pictures in the walk-in humidor! The "smoke" is wisps of cotton pulled off a cotton ball. I thought it looked really cool in this pic! and of course the cigar band itself -which the group leader sent to us to be used in the cards. The red is only the background I laid it on for the photo.

This second one is an image almost straight from Google. I cut her out, created shadows on the background then mounted the image with pop dots for more dimension, added the fake leaf to her scarf and the match and that was pretty much it! I tried to use a burnt match, but they just crumble. :( Lastly added the cigar band of course!

This one is most of the image that I pulled the hand from in the first one. Very simple: Mounted the image on glossy gold cardstock -offset - and added the label! I liked it just as it was, but it seemed too simple. Like I had to make it more my own somehow. So I used a small bit of a larger image stamp. Inked it with Versa Mark and embossed with gold. I didn't want this image to get too busy, so that was it!

This was another image from the net. The smoke swirling around her head made me think of everything bad about smoking and made me also think about other bad habits that might go along with that . The top of her head was not in the picture and I wanted the complete image from the stamp, so I mounted it on black. Not really "professional"-looking, but I guess it's OK. Anyway, clear embossed the skull image from a new SU! set over her face. There's a Jack-o-lantern near the skull's chin and I did not want it there (I didn't want a Halloween card) so she got to smoke her cigar still! (cut from one of the pics I took in the humidor). Added the cigar band and tequila label. I bought some small bottles (like from hotels and airplanes) just for the labels then had to LABEL the bottles with paper when I soaked the labels off! I thought it was kinda cool that both labels have the coin images on them! Debauchery will make you rich? No, you have to PAY for your sins is probably more like it! I like that title too! This one's called "It'll Kill Ya"

Dry-brushed the background green with acrylics, collaged images from the net - men drying tobacco leaves, map of Cuba, Cuban stamp and some dry tobacco leaves off a cigar I bought for the "photo shoot" (which I'll tell you about in a minute), added the cigar band then stamped the "C" (stamped-off first to make sure it would not be opaque) Then outlined it in gold because it came out SO subtle that it wasn't really clear!

Gotta go! I'll have to finish my post later. My daughter has a minor emergency - dead car battery!

My Very First ATC's!!! (Plus a whole lot more)

HI! First of all, I'm sorry I haven't written In so long. My intention is to write at least every weekend. I have been writing more though-which is a good thing. I was having a very hard time last week with some things and I wrote some (poetry? prose? - I'm not sure what to call it) about it which helped me alot and I actually think it turned out well. I may post it sometime later if it still seems good. I plan to do an art journal as well and I know I will include it there.

So much has been going on in the last 2 weeks! My daughter had Prom, Post-Prom, Finals and then (drumroll please...) Graduation!!!! (Of course I still had to work everyday during that time! I am SOOO grateful for this holiday today-an extra day in my weekend, plus a 4 day workweek -YAY!!)

I can't believe I now have a truly GROWN daughter. Turning 18 was not the start of adulthood in my mind. I think you MUST be graduated from High School to be an "adult". Maybe because I feel like that is the real end of my responsibility for her. Get her grown up healthy and educated thru High School. I certainly plan to be at least helping with further education, but from here on out, it's really "all her"! Makes me feel old ;o( (LOL)

OK! SO! On to the artsy reason for this post-I joined a swap on one of my Yahoo! groups to get me motivated to just create thing for no real reason and to try out some of the products and stuff I have that isn't Stamin'Up! These are my VERY FIRST ATC's EVER!! I actually had to look online after I signed up for this swap to see what the "rules" ARE for ATC's. I knew they were small, but I didn't realize they MUST be 2.5" x 3.5", so I'm glad I looked! I am very proud of how these turned out. This was also my first time using the Twinkling H2O's and the subtle shimmer is really beautiful! I wish shimmer showed up in photos and scans the way you see it IRL. Any way I hope you like them! The cardstock and floral stamps are all from SU! But the background was done with alcohol inks on the blue/purple one and the background word stamp is "Italian Poetry" by ??? (I'll have to go look and add it to the post later)