Elixir of Life

Hello everyone! Today I have a set of ATCs I created for the June ATC Swap over at scrapbook.com hosted by MarciLB (A Scrap From Marci)! The category? Medicine! And here's the story of how I came up with these ATCs! I kept thinking and thinking of what to do for this category, and it really had me stumped! I wasn't even sure I'd get them done I was so stumped! Thankfully MarciLB has a "your interpretation" rule! As I sat at my computer one day sipping on coffee it made me think of how the husband has always referred to coffee as the "elixir of life," which led me to think about how an elixir is "a magical or medicinal potion." Therefore, coffee is medicine! (And let's face it, it is rather magical...)

Elixir of Life ATCs

I used (half) of a manila folder as the background material for my ATCs, and added a layer of Shimmerz AcriTonez 3 Sheets to the Wind as my base coat and used my heat gun to dry it. I wanted to use a make-up wedge to spread the Vicki Boutin paint on, but I couldn't find package of them! I am the only (human) female in the house, and I lost my own make-up wedges! I did end up finding an old sponge in my make-up box that disintegrated after the one use, but it managed to serve it's purpose.

Saltwater Taffy - Acrylic Paint Set 2 (American Crafts)

Old sponge from the center of the applicator in a pressed powder compact!

After heat drying the layer of Saltwater Taffy I added a layer of Daiquiri Ice with a baby wipe!

Daiquiri Ice - Acrylic Paint Set 2 (American Crafts)

After the Daiquiri Ice was spread on and dried I cut out my ATCs (2 1/2" x 3 1/2")! At first I had only planned on using Barely Beige Dye Ink by Simon Says Stamp for the stamping on the background, but as I inked the edges of the ATCs (after lightly sanding) with Ground Espresso Distress Ink, I decided to "re-stamp" the backgrounds! I didn't want full coverage with the Ground Espresso, so I placed the stamp (Stampabilities: Grungy Grid Background) on it's back, placed my ATC on the stamp, and randomly pressed and tapped the ATCs on the stamp!

Only stamped with Barely Beige by Simon Says Stamp

Edges lightly sanded and inked with Ground Espresso Distress Ink

Adding the Ground Espresso to the background!

After I had the backgrounds finished, I worked on the Mini Crazy Cats (Tim Holtz Mini Crazy Cats & Dogs stamps & dies). As the cats were drying I worked on the cup of coffee and the phrase, both from Simon Says Stamp Coffee and Tea Stamp Set.

Almost done! Just adding the steam!

The cup of coffee was stamped with Lawn Fawn's Fake Tan and embossed with a la mode clear embossing powder, and the phrase was embossed with Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can!

The quick overview of the cat and milk bottle! They are stamped with Ranger's Black Archival Ink, cut with my Sizzix Big Shot using the (extended) magnetic platform & extended cutting pads, and colored, using a Ranger Water Brush (Nib), with the following:

• Abandoned Coral, Black Soot, Candied Apple, Fossilized Amber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence, Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood, and Wild Honey Distress Markers.

The coffee cup and saucer are colored with:

• Fossilized Amber & Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxides
• Shimmerz Orange Sherbet

And, the coffee is Distress Paint Ground Espresso!