Friday, November 19, 2010

separation anxiety

I finally finished making the 2 butterfly ATCs. All along I thought I was to send one card and keep one card. To my surprise, I found out I was to send out both of them! At that very moment I felt a sense of panic- obviously, I developed a strong attachment to my little creation, and I wasn’t willing to let both of my babies go. I knew I could take photos, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Some of my friends suggest that I make duplicates. Well, I’m not good at that. Once my idea is materialized, I don’t want to go back and make more of the exact same things. Okay, so photo it is. This is probably a phase that I’m going through, being new at making arts and all. I’m confident that one day I can send out my creation happily without the sense of loss. If by sending these little cards out make others happy, then I actually GAIN something- it maybe intangible, but definitely has a place in my heart. Well, after double-checking the address for the 20th time, I dropped off my little butterflies to my swap partner. Twyla, here they come!

P.S. photos will be posted after my partner receive the cards

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

personal card

On the back of the ATC card, one needs to include contact information. I thought the simplest way is to use my email address. Well, I could just write it by hand, but I like things tidy and consistent- so I decided to print it out. Since I would be using the computer for printing anyway, then why not add some colors and backgrounds to make it pretty? So, I designed my own “personal” card. It’s 2.5” x 3.5”- same as the ATC card. This is what it looks like.

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Monday, November 15, 2010

atc - november

My attention shifted from finishing my blank journal to starting my ATC project. I need to make 2 and have 1 sent out by the end of November. The theme for November’s swap is Butterfly. Being very non-lady like, I like bugs a lot, all except roaches (I shall continue to work on this one). I raise mealworms for my geckos and quails, and my husband raises flightless fruit flies for his poison dart frogs. So I’m around bugs a lot. Butterflies are very meaningful- not only do they represent beauty, they also imply to be a product of growth and transformation.

This is my very 1st ATC experience- I’m both excited and a little nervous. I cut out 2 2.5”x3.5” cards from 350 GSM (which converts to about 130 lb.) paper, . From the internet dictionary I printed out the definition of butterfly on regular copy paper, torn them out by hand, then stained them with Tim Holtz’s “Distress Ink” http://www.timholtz.com/ink.htm.

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Monday, November 8, 2010

homemade journal

I came across a video that shows how to make your own art journal. There are 3 parts total, and here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8mi2Wxhee4 to part 1. Her instructions are clear and simple, and requires no special binding equipment except for an awl, needle, and linen thread. I used watercolor paper instead of file folder.

closed view
pages open flat

 

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Thursday, November 4, 2010

newbie

Having Apple as my neighbor has its perks- I can get my hands on to its latest gadgets fast. My name is April. As you can probably tell by now, I live in the Silicon Valley in California. Besides my husband and my 2 teenage sons, I also share my life with:

  • 1 Standard Poodle
  • 3 Leopard Geckos
  • 1 pair of Parrotlets
  • 9 budgies, 2 of which were born inside my aviary
  • 5 Button Quails
  • 1 Lady Gouldian
  • 1 pair of South American Cichlids
  • 40+ baby South American Cichlids
  • 5 outdoor Japanese koi

I am new to doing art. After taking a course taught by a wonderful lady through the internet, my interest becomes more intense. Painting, Mixed media work, Art Journaling, and ATC are my current favorites.

It is my wish that through this blog, I can meet new friends and share ideas. Please feel free to leave comments, especially positive and encouraging ones :).

Thanks for stopping by.

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one of the assignments I did for the online class

 

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