ATCs!!!

For awhile now I've been intrigued by ATCs and wanted to get in on some ATC swap action, but have been hesitant- I've read so many complaint threads about bad swaps, that even though I know I'm not a jerk, I've still been wary of getting involved. This weekend, however, I took the plunge! I signed up for my first ever ATC swap- it called for 3 one of a kind ATCs with an animal theme, so I felt it was an easy enough way to start.

Man, I had no idea how tiny 2.3" x 3.5" is! I had a hard time fitting some of my stamps on there- I never though of my stamps as being beefy! But it went pretty quickly and was a lot of fun! All three came out very differently.

This first guy came out great- I even got to use that yellow cat's eye chalk ink pad I bought a few months ago and then immediately realized I had no use for. No use until now that it! It coordinated perfectly with that patterned paper I bought on a whim last month. Just one random sheet, but it has been taunting me as a total impulse buy since then. It feels good to put those random purchases to use! Notice his little gem eyes- I think they're a little creepy, but in a good way. I stamped him with VersaMark + Palette ink and clear embossed, then went over a few spots with my VersaMark pen and embossed those with gold.

This was a real bear to make- lots of cutting! I think it came out cute, though it is not a style I favor all that much. The pink and yellow fish were inked once, then a stamp with another color was 'kissed' to the fish stamp, then it all went down on paper. The blue fishy was a bit easier- I stamped him in blue then stamped the white over the top.

Hey there chocolate bunny! What's that you say? OAK ATCs are a perfect mate for 6x6 paper pads? I'll keep that in mind!

The first round of ATCs went so well, I went and signed up for another swap! This was 8+1 swap, theme was distressing. I think these are pretty cute and I like the way the various distress elements came out.
The light on my desk unfortunately gives things a funky yellow cast, but this picture shows the real colors better.

Again, that batch went pretty quickly, so I signed up for a spot in another group for the same distressed ATC swap. Here is a close up of the 2nd design. I love the way it looks with the background text stamp! Without that int he background, the main image just looks so lost. Some purple Stickles came in handy to jazz it all up and meet the 'one embellishment' requirement.
As you can see, I am half done with this set- I hope to get it all in the mail tomorrow!