July

Moonlit Trees 1

Last month I entered a "Hand-Carved" swap on ATCsForAll.com. This is the second stamp that I carved. I plan to make more.

PRINT: number one of ????

Doodle Cats Framed

I have not made a "rescued ATC" in a while, so when I found six cats on a bit of cardstock, I decided to finish the card.

New Pens-n-Pencils

I accidentally ordered a dozen LAVENDAR markers. They were incredibly cheap, and so I didn't read the details in my hurry to acquire them. But they will be fun. I also ordered a few more Inktense pencils. Of course I spattered the ATC a bit, accidentally, when I added water....

Prints!

These are the final two hand-carved stamps I made for the Hand-carved Stamps Swap on ATCsForAll.com.

I posted this photo to the FB board for "Emily's group" on July 14 and traded three of the cards that day. Two of them will go to the swap. Two of them will go into my collection.

I am not sure how to "count" prints when it comes to my goal of "One ATC Per Day."

A Rather Long Break for FAMILY TIME....

My daughter and two of my grandchildren arrived in Kansas on July 7. They live in Scotland, so it is a rare and wonderful thing to spend time with them "in real life" (as opposed to Facetime). So I did not make any ATCs for two full weeks. Can I get things caught up? Maybe.

July 26: Experimenting with Prints

It's Sunday. My houseguests left on Thursday. I had Art Camp on Friday and Art Lab on Saturday.

I am now ready to get caught up on my July ATCs.

I must admit that I was disappointed with this one. Most of the prints from the "Moonlit Trees" did not come out dark enough. It was only my second attempt at carving a rubber stamp, and there are SO many flaws. (Sorry, Bob, these were not happy little accidents. Just mistakes that a beginner makes!) But that is how we learn, so these cards are not a waste of time.

The first mistake I made was to cut the block unevenly. I bought a 4" x 6" block of Speedwell Quick Carve, and, being a frugal person, I cut it into four pieces and planned to have a white border around each print. Precision is.... not my thing....
The second mistake was to use an old ink pad and try to moisten it with the wrong ink.
The third mistake was to hurry through this card so that I could meet the window of time that has perfect lighting for natural liglht photography. I could not find my finest paint brush. I could not find my favorite metallic watercolors. I hurried and I did not get the results I had hoped for.

But I LEARNED. I added something to my web page after a two week hiatus. I am SO ready to make art again!

ATART-a-thon!

I've been a member of ATCsForAll.com since February 10, 2020.

One of the most fun events available on the site is any kind of "-athon."

Anyone can host an -athon. Anyone can join. Usually, I join ATART-a-thons. ATART stands for All Tyles of ART. Usually, an ATART-a-thon goes on through a weekend... but that weekend includes all time zones, so it's more than three days. There is a topic or theme for each day of the ATART-a-thon. There may be challenges and points. There WILL be lots of discussion, conversation with old and new friends, and many ATCs offered for trade.

I did not discover the "Summer Silliness ATART-a-thon July 23-26" until the last day, but I still wanted to participate. So I made a digital design, using Procreate on my iPad. I then offered the PDF to anyone who wants it. Here is a link to the file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/111SnmttYtA-VrudNBd0bplrVC7tsKi4U/view?usp=drive_link

Oh! Dear! Zentangle Hair!

My first hand-carved stamp was clumsily carved with a hobby knife. It was very simple. This print was an early draft (the hands weren't cut out yet) but I found it and decided to add some doodles.

Hole Punch - Pencil Sketch

I've been cleaning out my old notebooks and I found this sketch. I have no idea how long ago it was made, but it fits an an ATC card so it is now an ATC!

TRADED

Abstract Mountain Scene 2607

I WISH I could photograph acrylic paintings better. The colors on this are actually quite lovely. (But then, I love purples and blues together....) Acylic paint on canvas, double-mounted on card stock.

Pokemon Puzzle

The puzzle was missing a few pieces.
I thought it would be easy to make into an ATC.
It wasn't.
So I won't trade this.
Fun concept.
Too tricky to be practical!

How We Cope #3

I first drew this image in May, and posted it to my web site. I did not intend to trade it, but someone special asked for "How We Cope 1" and I traded it. Then in June I made another one. And here is number three.

Explanation

I love the story behind this ATC. I first saw Molly Lee's video on April 4, 2026.

Molly has given me permission to make more copies of this ATC. If you have not "met" her online, look up "Optimistic Soap" on either Facebook or Instagram.

Texture: Clouds and Waves

Just playing.

I plan to do a series of ATCs using acrylic paint, applied very thickly, with the goal of making cards that should be TOUCHED to be appreciated. Maybe even used for rubbings?

Texture: Blues #1

I wish I had photographed the earliest version of this card. I liked it better.

TEXTURE is the main goal of the ATC, however, and the later version does feel more interesting than the earlier version.

Sacred Circle 260729

I used to call these little paintings "Meditation Circles." I have painted MANY. As I near the completion of A Year in the Life of an ATC Artist, I am thinking about how I will manage my art in the future. New naming conventions seem to be a good idea.

Homage to Vincent

I have a HUGE book about Van Gogh.

Often I look at the pictures for inspiration.

This is the first time I have tried to reproduce a portion of "xxxxx."

I plan to try again with oil paints as soon as the weather is cooler.

TRADED

Abstract Mountains 2607

I wish these photographed better, but since I will not be trading online any longer, I am not worried. The colors in this are lovely and it WILL trade "in person" some day!

HC1 - W Sewing Machine

More playing with my first hand-carved stamp. I thought it would print well on gessoed canvas, but I was wrong. So I painted over the smudges. This time the "hair" was done with a sewing machine!

HC1 - Oh! My!

This will be the final ATC from my first hand-carved stamp. I really like the concept of this design. It is versatile for playing with various media to complete and ATC. But next month I will make a better version with linoleum!

Chainstitch Tree

Whenever a needlework swap comes up, I join it.

I love to work with textiles and fabric.

This is, perhaps, the fourth time I have stitched a tree like this. No pattern and no sketching it out on the fabric. Just free-hand stitching.

It is often hard to trade or swap these away. The felt is extra thick, and I do not think it is available any more. So I hoard this bit of fabric and use it for special projects.

Chainstitch Heart

Simple chainstitch.
Cotton floss on wool felt.
I almost made it too wide....

TRADED

Chainstitch Butterfly

Simple chainstitch.
Cotton floss on wool felt.
A little off center. I need to give myself a little more room when stitching two on the same piece of felt. It was too close to the heart!

Chainstitch Butterfly

Improved!
The butterfly is SO much better with a border and a back pocket to hold the "ATC back information."

UPDATE ON THE FOUR NEEDLEWORK ATCs: They were too thick to mail as a set. I decided to exit from the swap and just keep my own needlework this time. July was a busy month and I didn't have time to make more.

One Month to Go...

I didn't think I would have time to finish the July ATC page, since I had house guests for fifteen days in July. But as I complete this page on August 1, 2026, I am pleased to see a very typical month of ATC art.

Many different techniques are represented: carved stamps, needlework, acrylic paint on canvas, digital art with Procreate, a pencil sketch, a hybrid card, and an ATC made from a Pokemon puzzle! Seven of the ATCs were made for swaps, but only four of the seven got mailed. One ATC was made for a special request. Three ATCs were traded.

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FORWARD TO AUGUST >>>

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