CREATIVE BLOCK UNLOCKED - TAKE ONE ART DECK

Here's my sample cards made from #8 tag stock (minus 1/4" at bottom trimmed off) with coordinating paint chip for color inspiration.  The paint chips will be glued to the back of my tags, and the techniques are as follow.  Below is the whole wonderful deck:

Inspiration Tag 1:

Layer 1 - Using white tag stock, layer Tim Holtz Speckles THS021 stencil on top of card stock and
                with a palette knife, spread Studio 490 Translucent Embossing Paste on top of stencil
Layer 2 - Tear a portion of Tim Holtz tissue paper and adhere to bottom of tag with gel medium
Layer 3 - Paint whole tag with Picket Fence Distress Paint and let dry
Layer 4 - Cut another piece of white card stock and cut Caged Bird die from Tim Holtz Alterations
                line for Sizzix.  Spread birdcage with Studio 490 Crackle Paste and let dry overnight.  Layer
                bird and branch with Tim Holtz tissue paper and over paint with a thin layer of Picket Fence
                Distress Paint.  Color wing with Fired Brick Distress Paint - let dry and dry brush with a
                coat of Picket Fence Distress Paint.  Adhere bird and cage to tag using brads

Used Translucent Embossing and Crackle Paste on die cut and tag

Inspiration Tag 2:

Layer 1 -Watercolor stock sprayed with dylusion's slate grey ink spray and oversprayed with water to
               create grey background.  Watercolor paper then cut into #8 tag
Layer 2 - Tim Holtz tissue paper torn and adhered to tag with gel medium
Layer 3 - "the Journey" stamp stamped onto same watercolor stock and cut into rectangle (Tim Holtz
                Visual Artistry Collection)
Layer 4 - Butterfly cut from cardstock in Somerset Studio magazine; circles also cut from same cardstock
               adhered to butterfly randomly and all outlined and smudged with a graphite pencil

Use pre-printed tissue paper as a background layer.

Inspiration Tag 3:

Layer 1 - Adirondack Dyes (Butterscotch, Red Pepper, Espresso) randomly spritzed onto watercolor paper
Layer 2 - Stamp background with background stamps (Dylusions Inbetweenies - DYR 34575)
Layer 3 - Mushrooms stamped (Dylusions Doolally Dorris - DYR34384), cut out and colored w/
               Distress Markers (Fired Brick, Walnut, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey)
Layer 4 - Leaves cut from Sissix die (Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves) stamped with same background stamps
               as Layer 2; colored with Distress Markers as in Layer 3
Layer 5 - Word "Imagine" stamped (Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Collection)

Use stamps as a background layer before adding more images.

Colors for Project

A NUMBER OF ATC SWAPS

Here's my current batch of ATC's that I'm submitting for three different groups' challenges - couldn't resist using Salvador Dali for the Famous or Infamous Mustache ATC swap I'm hosting on Art 42.

The flower in the middle was created for my local ATC group meeting at Scrappy Chic featuring water as this month's theme.  The background is all layered Distress Inks spritzed with water again and then again.  The Geisha ATC is for a monthly trade at Paper Traders which is one of my Yahoo groups.