Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Altered Playing Card (APC) Week 11: Winter

This is Week 11 of Claudine's altered playing card (APC) challenge, and we are in full winter mode.  Not just because the APCs are inspired by winter, but because winter has hit my front door with lots of snow, below freezing temperatures, a few record lows, and high, blustery winds.  And mine isn't the only place.  It seems every state in the US, except Hawaii, and much of Canada, had freezing temperatures Monday night.

So, yes, my APCs have a definite winter feel to them this week.

As usual, I had practically none of the supplies Claudine asked for.  In fact, I was thrilled when I found this partial piece of dyed paper towel, all that was left after I used most of it earlier this year  (As an aside, if you want to see how I dyed it, please go here or here, and how I used the dyed paper towels here).

Supplies, from back left clockwise:

Dark blue acrylic paint
White glue, although I ended up using a glue stick instead
White pigment ink
Paint brush
Foam snowflake stamp
Dyed paper towel using printer ink
Computer generated cup, which I fussy cut
Two gessoed playing cards

So why, you ask, did I simply show the supplies and not take any more step out photos?  Because it's so cold in my craft room and my hands (and entire body) were shaking so hard when I tried to take a photo, I decided to simply explain what I did and save photos for when my craft room warms a bit.

For the first playing card, I made something similar to Claudine's card that used a dyed paper towel.  However, Claudine's paper towel had been dyed with spray mists, which will bleed when wet, while mine was made using printer ink, which did not bleed.   I colored the cup and found a small piece of scrap paper I'd dyed with some of my shimmering mists and wrote the sentiment by hand.  It reads "Make mine cocoa please."

For my second card, I knew the paper towel wouldn't bleed like Claudine showed us.  So I opted to paint my playing card with dark blue paint, then add pigment ink snowflakes after the paint had dried.  Once the snowflakes were dried, I once again found a scrap piece of paper and wrote the sentiment: "Snowflakes are winter's flowers."  I used a black Micron 25mm pen for both sentiments.

I realize these are rather simple altered cards this week, but by the time I had finished these two, I was definitely ready to warm my numb hands and get to my less cold office to document the process.

For Day 19 of AEDM,
I created two APCs.

20 thoughtful remarks:

Jo Murray said...

Lovely work.

Divers and Sundry said...

I like both cards. It's inspired me to put the kettle on and have... oops, no cocoa. Suisse Mocha it is! lol

What do you do with the cards once they are complete? (I'll subscribe to comments here, and you can just answer here if it's easier for you.) You do so much art, and I wonder what happens to it all? Do you sell it? Give it as gifts?

We are having unseasonably cold weather here, too, with a low last night in the teens. Usually this time of year we have highs in the 50sF, but we haven't rise to 50 in a week. Brrrrr!

Caterina Giglio said...

I think they are great..we are shivering down here in Florida too.. Though not frigid.. One of my tropical storm is clearly not going to live thru it! Stay warm, E! X

Rebeca Trevino said...

E these are terrific!
and yes, i think WINTER is here for all of us, although we didn't get snow, or freezing temps, it was definitely time to fire up the heater!

stay warm!

Divers and Sundry said...

Thx for responding :) You sound very organized. I love the idea of baseball card holders, and your answer gives me a good idea of your final steps. I can see your process leading to professional work and thought you might already be there You do inspire me to step out and maybe try some artistic endeavor even though it's outside my comfort zone. Thank you!

Jennifer McLean said...

I think these look so pretty and can you make mine a cafe mocha? It's freezing here too Elizabeth. In fact, the temp just dropped and I'm gonna go to bed so I can warm up! I hate having cold toes. ;o) Hope you warm up.

Anonymous said...

Marvelous all those old paper towels full of paint. Cocoa needed here this morning, 20F. xox

johanna said...

awesome Cards! besides paper towels i´m hoarding the wipes i clean my glasses with... spritzed with water they make wonderful bleeding Colors. hehe, we can not waste anything...

Darla said...

I like the use of the dyed paper towel. The cards do seem to reflect your cold weather.

Darla

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Both of these are really impressive! I like the all over snowflake theme with the perfect quote. Of course, the cup one could have been shown yesterday, too!

I have been hearing about your weather but it must have lost steam before it reached us because we have had nothing other than a dusting which was gone soon after. It is cold, though!

Lisa Graham said...

Your wintery blue card is just so fun Elizabeth. I don't blame you for not taking pictures...brrrr is right! On Saturday I raked our back yard all day. I wanted to clear the leaves away before the snow came and I am so glad I did. It's so strange to see snow on the ground so early.

Happy creating this week and stay warm!!!

~*~Patty S said...

YES stay cozy and warm.
Nearby Dulles Airport broke the record for coldest temps today with 13 degrees...but no snow.
Your cards turned out great and capture the feeling of winter beautifully!
oxo

TwinkleToes2day said...

Fabulous APCs Elizabeth. I love the Wintry-ness of them. I'm sorry you got so cold, I hope you are warmer now. It's getting cooler here now, tho' not so cold I have to wear a coat to put out the trash. Enjoy the rest of your week and the weekend ahead :o)

massofhair said...

Been positively balmy in my neck of the UK, cold not hit here yet, still turning heating off for a few hours each day at the moment. Usually it's bad here in Feb/Mar. Hope you stay warm, we need your craft room to be OK for you to create in!!!

Your APC's are gorgeous especially the cup, so glad you are keeping up, am a tad behind with one thing and another but hoping to get my mojo back soon.

Stay safe and warm Elizabeth:-) xxx

froebelsternchen said...

They are just fab..love to see how you made them!

dawn said...

Elizabeth, I LOVE LOVE THESE!! How pretty and just right for T Day and the winter crazyiness going on now. It's been a week of snow and cold here and more coming tonight. Hoping for school tomorrow, one day off this week was enough.
Seriously love these!
Stay warm dear friend, my hands get cold at times too. Holding a cup of hot tea feels good. Take care and safe.
Only one week till Thanksgiving, YIPPEE!!

voodoo vixen said...

Oh dear E. so cold you can't take pics is bloomin' cold indeed and you would need that nice hot chocolate to get warmed up again... its going to be a long winter if this is what you are going to get for the next couple of months! :(

pearshapedcrafting said...

These really are fabulous! It sounds as though you need that warming cocoa! Do take care - we have seen pictures of really deep snow on the BBC news! Cuddles and hugs(to keep you warm) Chrisxx

Cindy McMath said...

Love both of these Elizabeth! Stay warm!

Lynn Holland said...

Thanks Elizabeth for your comments on my T for Tuesday blog post and many thanks for the explanation on tape transfers.
You are amazingly creative and very very busy. Thanks for your time.
Lynn x