Letterboxing Trading Cards

Ron's Howler

2011-07-10T22:18:00.007-04:00

My son, Seth, and I made these Howlers to thank fellow LTCers for voting on Seth's model in the Lego Harry Potter contest. Although Seth did not make it into the top 4, we sure do appreciate the votes his model got.

Charmed by a Snake

2011-07-10T22:05:00.003-04:00

This LTC was made for Lovebirds-NC's All Lacquered Up swap. What a fun swap it was! Each participant chose a nail polish color and made a card based on the color. I chose Charmed by a Snake by Opi. This image is by Roy Lichtenstein.

The lime green around the edges is acryllic paint with clear crackle paint on top. I also rubbed some lime green glitter on top. The image is painted with Inkabilities rainbow inks dropped into about 1/2 ounce of water. It really like the vivid colors these inks yeild.

I finally carved it!

2011-05-02T17:48:00.003-04:00

This image (Stars by M.C. Escher) has been taunting me for years, so when Beetle listed the Great Works of Art swap, I saw my chance. I'm not completely satisfied with this carve. As usual, I took out too much, but I'm relieved that I finally carved this image.

Designing the card was a whole lot more trouble than the carve. I originally made a flashy background for this card that I loved, but I just couldn't make the stamp fit in. I sought the advice of a few more LTCers when I went to Oregon, and Camp Fire Lady pointed me in the right direction. She said that I needed to highlight the image and tone down the background. I knew she was right. (Thanks CFL!)

When I saw some Smooch Metallic Paints on sale at Michael's, I bought several. I used them on the central image, and I'm super pleased with the result. (I also used Smooch Spritz on the background. It was also on sale at Michael's.) I embossed the edges, added a foundation, and finally added some gold beads to the edges.

I invested A LOT of time in these cards. I'm such a sloooooow painter.

We're All Mad Here

2011-05-02T17:33:00.004-04:00

I made this card for the Things Esmerelda Taught Me swap. Esmerelda's Dragon card was my inspiration, and I tried to think like Es on this one.

Layer #0: I used black paper, edged with a gel pen.

Layer #1: I stamped the cat on white paper, painted the eyes with Twinkling H20s, outlined the eyes with a black pen, put epoxy stickers on the irises, embossed the pink in the corner, and painted the corner with Twinkling H20s.

Layer #2: I stamped the cat on green paper and embossed, painted the fur with turquoise, shimmering purple, and silver glitter paint, painted the nose and teeth, and cut out the eye holes and ear.

I think this is my best card. I really like it. Thank you, Esmerelda!

Lego LTC for Free!

2011-04-28T23:26:00.005-04:00

One of my son's Lego models is in the top 50 in Lego's Harry Potter Building Challenge. If he gets enough votes to make it to the top 4, he will win a trip to Los Angeles for a build-off.

Seth and I will be working together on a Lego LTC. If you vote for Seth's model, please leave a note here, on my FaceBook, or via AQ-mail, and I'll make sure that you get one of these cards. Thank you so much for your support.

Go to www.harrypotter.lego.com, and click on "Contest." Vote for the model pictured here. You will be asked to sign up with Lego in order to vote.

Majora's Moon

2011-02-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

I made this card for turtlegirl19's Legend of Zelda swap.

The boys and I are HUGE Link fans, so I just couldn't pass this swap up. The moon on Majora's Mask has always given me the creeps, so that's what I wanted to carve.

The moon was colored with oil pastels and chalks. The fairies (Tatl and Tael) were colored with Prismacolor pencils, and the sky was done with Twinkling H2Os. I used a Gallexy marker to make the fairy paths. That is my new tool for this card, and I really like it.

Bubble Bath

2011-02-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

I just finished this card up for sweetdixie06's Every Girl's Gotta Have swap. I used black ink on Bristol paper. (I've been doing that too much lately.) I colored it in with chalks, put some glitter glue on the bubbles, rounded the edges with a punch, and edged the whole card in black. To finish up, I covered the cards in clear ink and embossed them with clear powder for a shiny, wet look.

I really wish I would have paid more attention to this image before carving. I think that the edge of the bathtub needs to come up about a centimeter. It looks like her head is resting on air like this. I'll have to pay more attention in the future.

Finally, I've never admitted this publically, but I have a problem with taking out too many details when I carve. I put them in initially, and end up carving them away one by one. This bubble bather's "towel" was supposed to be hair. I butchered it. Could you tell?

[I forgot to tell how I did the "wall paper." I just used a mask to cover up the bather, and watermarked a flowery stamp in the background. When you chalk over that, the flowers stand out in a darker shade.]

Survive

2011-02-02T23:45:00.001-05:00

I don't mean to question Nikki McClure's title for this piece, but I think it should be called "Hope."

I fell in love with this image when I saw it, but I was afraid to carve it. It was a tough carve, but I'm pleased with the outcome. The sun is colored with Twinkling H2Os. It's really shimmery, but you can't see the shimmer in the scan.

This card was for Murray Herd's Nikki McClure swap.

God's Little Boy

2011-02-02T23:40:00.001-05:00

I love this trio: Bristol Paper, Black Ink, and Cotman Watercolors

Salutations!

2010-06-21T21:52:00.001-04:00

Embossed in purple, painted with some old liquid ink I bought many moons ago, highlighted in white gel pen, and Prisma Coloured in bright pink and orange. This one was quick and fun!

BTW, my first name is Charlotte.

My Edward

2010-06-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

You probably can't tell by looking at it, but this is probably my most labor-intensive card to date. I'm not completely satisfied with the result, but he's okay. I do like those topaz eyes.

This card is for Miss Cheivous' Twilight swap. I used chalk, Prisma Colour pencils, oil pastels, Twinking H2Os, a blender pen, a gel pen, and acryllic paint. Whew! I'm not sure it was worth it.

Sea-Girl

2010-06-21T21:43:00.001-04:00

This card is just like The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, but the colors are different. I like these colors MUCH better.

Tangled Heart

2010-06-21T21:36:00.001-04:00

Created for Four Waters' Zen Tangles swap, the background for this card is similar to the background for New England Neptune. See that post if you want to know how I made it.

This is the first card on which I've used wire and beads. Although I put a second back on the card, I don't like the way the outline of the wires can be seen on the back side of the card. How can I fix this problem?

Perfecto!

2010-06-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

This card was created for One Forth's Mary Englebreit swap. Although I didn't carve the proof, this chef is cooking up a batch of grits. I made some of the grits buttered, and some are cheese.

The colors on this card are pretty vivid, but the scan is kind of dull. I colored this one with Prisma Colour pencils. After I colored the cards, I took a pom pom and rubbed the colored parts to make the colors smooth. I then set the whole thing by spraying on a clear coat.

New England Neptune

2010-03-31T11:53:00.000-04:00

I love to collect seashells, but I've always been kind of afraid to carve them. I had A LOT of trouble deciding what to carve for my seashell swap, and I only decided on this shell about a week ago, after spending much time on another image. This is the Massachusetts state shell, New England Neptune.

My favorite part of this card is the background. It's made with crumpled tissue paper and a water/glue combination. I then used clear embossing powder to give it a watery look, and I edged it in opaque white.

The light blue background is also made with tissue paper, but I didn't crumple it this time. I painted the blue on top of the white, glittery tissue paper.

The stamp is two layers, and the string is embroidery thread.

Medusa

2010-03-16T15:45:00.001-04:00

According to Greek legend, Medusa was a beautiful priestess in Athena's temple before she was cursed by Athena. With this in mind, I set out to find an image of a pretty Medusa.

Medusa is supposed to be looking over her right shoulder. I had to cut off half a centimeter or so from the bottom, and I think I messed up the way she was supposed to look a little.

The dark green is embossed, and the other colors are painted with acrylics. I finished the card off by embossing the edges gold.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

2010-03-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

I read The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot when I was in the 11th grade, and I've been quoting it ever since.

When I signed up for Poodle Circus' poetry swap, I wanted to focus on lines 120-121.

"I grow old … I grow old …
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled."

I couldn't find a good image, though, so I went with the last 3 lines of the poem instead.

"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown."

Although I envisioned this sea-girl in greens and blues, I felt like I needed to remain true to the poem and make her seaweed red and brown.

I finally bought a container of UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel), and I used it on this card. You can't tell from the picture, but there's a thick, clear embossed layer covering this card. It really gives it an underwater feel.

The blue and red are watercolors. The pink was done with a Prismacolor pencil, and the sea-girl wears a pearl in the middle of her pendant.

Warhol's Mickey Mouse

2010-02-21T20:58:00.001-05:00

I tried to think like Warhol on this one. I'm afraid that I failed, but I like this card nonetheless. :o)

This card is for SeattleBound's Andy Warhol swap.

Escher's Rippled Surface

2010-02-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

I have had this stamp on my To Do List for a long time, and I finally carved it about a month ago. I had a heck of a time getting a good image with it, though. I even bought new stamp pads and everything. With the help of 3 Blind Mice, I've arrived at the conclusion that the iron-on method affects the way the rubber (PZ Orange) takes ink. It's not noticable at all when the stamp is negative, but when the stamp has lots of positive area, you can see the splotchiness. (I hope I have my positives and negatives straight there.) I've had it happen recently with 5 of my stamps, and I never had this problem before I started using the iron on method.

Our Lady of La Leche

2010-02-20T15:08:00.001-05:00

I carved this stamp to plant at the Chapel of Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine, FL. (If you're ever in St. Augustine, then you simply must visit this place.)

This image is embossed on vellum. I colored it in with markers and added the black border. I was trying to make the card look kind of like a stained glass window.

I only made 5 of these.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-02-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

I started reading the Sherlock Holmes books last year, and I absolutely love them. When Tyra, my dearest friend, asked me to carve a stamp for her City of Books event in April, I chose to do Sherlock Holmes.

I found an image that I loved, but I had no idea how to turn it into something carvable. The 3 Blind Mice came to my rescue, and I decided to carve this 2-layered stamp. Thanks, Mice!

The frame isn't on the card, by the way. I put it on electronically.

"My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know."

Queen Summer

2009-11-08T22:01:00.001-05:00

I just finished this card up yesterday. It's for The Red Cat's Vintage Fairytales swap. Once the stamp was FINALLY carved, I just colored it with chalks, sprayed on a fixative, and edged the card with black. This is from Walter Crane's Illuminated tale, Queen Summer.

The Only Thing Better Than a Friend

2009-11-08T21:51:00.000-05:00

My wonderful friend, Tyra, hosted a wonderful swap, Chocostampaholics, focused on a wonderful food, chocolate. This is my contribution.

In order to figure out how to make it move, I had to take apart my beloved FIRE card by Mama Wolf, Wood6, CampFireLady, and Turtle Love. Fortunately, I was able to salvage the FIRE card and get my chocolate card moving.

I would tell you how to make a card like this, but it's kind of hard to explain. I think you're just going to have to get your hands on one of these and dissect it. It's easier to make than it looks.

Pooh Stick Bridge

2009-11-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

This is my second (and probably last) attempt at painting a card. Although I LOVE the effect, I HATED doing it. I still have a few more of these babies to paint. If you want one, you're going to have to make me a sweet deal. ;0)

The blue/green background is watercolor, and the foreground is acrylics. This card was for my Classic Pooh swap.

Ray

2009-11-08T21:22:00.000-05:00

I carved this layered stamp just for fun. I think I got some of that bad PZ, though, because I couldn't get a good stamping. I even recarved a time or two. In the end, I kind of like the "staticy" look that Ray has. It's kind of like seeing him on an old T.V.

I knew I wanted Ray to have a black and white background, and I initially planned on using a napkin for the background. Yiker told me about this neat technique, and I wanted to give it a try. First, I stripped the napkins down to just one layer. Then I laid out my 2.5" x 3.5" pieces of cardstock on a large piece of paper. Saran wrap formed the next layer. This is the glue that holds the napkin to the cards. Finally, I put the napkin on top, completely covering the saran wrap, covered it all with another sheet of paper, and ironed the napkin onto the cards. I checked periodically to make sure the saran wrap melted. Finally, I let everything cool down, and then I cut my cards out. I've posted a picture below.

Although I haven't used these cards yet, I think they're really neat. If anyone wants them, let me know.

Breaking Free

2009-11-08T21:16:00.000-05:00

I carved this stamp for the Escher swap. I happened to have some origami paper that worked perfectly for the background. This card was SO easy to make, so I made about a gazillion.

Let Old Wrinkles Come

2009-11-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

This is my 1^st attempt at painting an LTC. This card is dedicated to and inspired by Esmerelda. I collaborated with Esmerelda on the last Challenge Card. Es and I aspired to make two stand-alone cards that fit together to form a third card. I’m pretty glad that I don’t have Es’ permission to post a picture of her part of the card here, because my card looks much better when it’s not next to hers. :o)

Es and I based our set of cards on a Shakespeare quote. “With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come.”

Georgia Peaches

2009-05-31T17:11:00.000-04:00

This is the second version I made of this card, and it's my least favorite. Made for Bobguyman's Layers swap, this stamp is three layers, each a different color.

Jorge is a Frog

2009-05-31T17:01:00.001-04:00

When Desi listed the Paul Frank swap, I had never seen any of Mr. Frank's artwork. I mainly joined because I wanted to show some support for my good Facebook friend, but I ended up having a blast making this simple card. The green paper has velvety polka dots, and it's perfect for a classy frog like Jorge.

Geometry Junkie

2009-05-31T16:40:00.000-04:00

When Hornicorn hosted a Now and Then swap, I used the opportunity to carve a new family stamp. We are now calling ourselves 'geometry junkies' on the trail. (We used to be fungus amugus.) Although I love this stamp, I don't particularly care for this card. I may use the stamp for another card in the future.

I knew that I didn't want to cut around this stamp. Instead, I masked the stamp an misted orange around it. The mist was found in a clearance bin at Hobby Lobby. It was in a little squirt bottle.

The second photo contains one of my first signature stamps. It was carved in 2007.

Pool of Tears

2009-05-31T16:23:00.000-04:00

I hosted a Classic Alice swap for April Fool's Day, and, again, I had a hard time deciding on an image. I ended up choosing an illustration by Mabel Attwell. Although this card looks pretty simple, I spent a lot of time experimenting with it. I ended up using Prismacolour pencils and blue watercolor paint. Each card is backed with a fun pink playing card. Since the playing card was slick, I covered the inside of it with gesso so that the adhesive would work. The card's info was stored bookmark-style in a handy slot between the two cards.

A Generous Fellow

2009-05-31T16:07:00.000-04:00

This is my middle son, Eli. He gave away a stack of my LTCs last year, so I dedicated my Unfortunate Events card (from Esmerelda's swap) to him. This card contains lots of symbolism. The ruler at the bottom represents Eli's love for math and his birth order (2) or age (7). The paper with text that I used for hair represents Eli's love for reading, and the chalk board represents his status as a homeschooler. Eli's plaid shirt shows what a stylish fellow he is, and it accurately represents the way Eli prefers to dress. He always buttons the top button.

This background was designed on the computer and printed. Eli's head and neck were colored with chalks, and his hair and shirt were fussy cut from scrapbook paper.

Through the Crosshairs

2009-05-31T15:58:00.001-04:00

I'm a HUGE Gary Larson fan, so I couldn't resist joining when 4 Little Piggies listed a Far Side swap. I had a difficult time deciding which comic to duplicate. I ended up choosing this one because it didn't need text. Although there are about 100 errors in this stamp, I like the LTC. I painted these with watercolors, and the black on the top and bottom is cardstock.

The King of the Dead

2008-12-29T09:28:00.000-05:00

This is my first layered stamp. You can't really see it here, but there are three layers. Here's what I learned about doing a layered stamp:

1. It takes a lot of PZ!

2. Most of the work is spent preparing the layers and carving. When I actually made the cards, it was a snap.

3. As long as the stamps have some common straight edges (the right edge and top in this case), it's pretty easy to line the stamps up. Mine was especially easy since it really didn't matter much if I was off a little. I only "missed" once out of 46 cards.

4. It's hard to find the colors of ink you envision, especially if you're looking for shades of the same color.

Thanks, 3 Blind Mice, for inspiring me to try this technique. I'm so glad I did.

This card is for Autumn Whisper's The Hobbit swap.

From Tyra, With Love

2008-12-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

After I had Titus in August, I received the sweetest card in the mail from Tyra of Murray Herd. This image was on the front of the card, and I tried to reproduce it for turtlelove's Welcome to Pooh Corner swap.

The brown is embossed, and the card is colored with chalks. Some cards have a tiny bee on the bottom right corner, but I cut that off after I made several cards.

Thank you, Tyra for the being the super sweet person you are.

Four Calling Birds

2008-12-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite cards. Made for theseekers' 12 Days of Christmas swap, this card features Cotman watercolors (thanks, Tee) and a light blue chalk background (thanks, Capperpillar). Each birdie has gem for an eye. I had some alphabet stickers made from gems. I just cut the gems off and stuck them on the card.

Victorian Orchid

2008-12-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

This card was made for MitchellMackinac's Uniquely Antiqued swap. I distressed the background paper myself. Here's how:

First, I tore some pages out of an old Alice in Wonderland book and crumpled them up. After I uncrumpled the papers, I applied the distress ink and misted the papers with water. The papers dried over night, and I ironed them flat in the morning. It was great fun, and I love the result.

I chose Alice in Wonderland because it was published during the Victorian era. During this time, the orchid was a popular flower in England. The "lace" on the side of the card is actually part of a doily. I didn't have enough rubber to carve a stem on this orchid, and I'm glad I didn't. I like the stem this way. The flower is colored lightly with chalks, and it is adhered with a foam dot.

Thanks, Michelle, for giving me that rubber. You were a life saver. I had a great time making this card in your craftroom.

Burton's Boogie Man

2008-11-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

My 11yo son, Link, joined the Tim Burton swap. My original intention was to include this card with Link's Oogie Boogie as a bonus. I couldn't get the card done in time, though, and I ended up trading mine individually. This is a really simple card, but it's something I've been wanting to do for a while. The card is sort of like a suncatcher. If you hold the card up to the light, it looks really neat. I embossed my stamp in black and cut out the eyes, mouth, and moon. I then glued the card to an orange piece of vellum.

A Flippin' Sweet LTC

2008-11-01T16:35:00.000-04:00

This is my second challenge card. Each of the pictures below represent a 2.5" x 3.5" part of the card. That's right . . . I got all of this in one card.

Lots of people have asked me how I constructed this card. Here's how: Score one piece of double-sided card stock vertically so that 1/4 of the card is on the left and 1/4 of the card is on the right. Then cut the card down the middle horizontally. Score a second piece of double-sided card stock horizontally so that 1/4 of the card is on the top and 1/4 of the card is on the bottom. Then cut the card down the middle vertically. Finally, put the two cards on top of each other, and use photo sticks on the four corners. That's it!

My Favorite LTC

2008-11-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite LTC because it has more meaning than the others. It served as a birth announcement for my newest boxer, Titus, and the first to get these were those who wished me well during my pregnancy. It features Titus' first signature stamp, embossed and colored with markers. The quote is store-bought and embossed. The background paper is a glittery paper that I bought at Michael's for 50% off. The back of the card features a black and white photo of Ty.

Buddy

2008-11-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

My family LOVES the movie Elf. When the Elves LTC swap was listed, I had to join since my Buddy stamp was home from the Favorite Christmas Movie PLB Ring. (I carved this stamp over a year ago.)

I had to stamp Buddy at least 4 times for each of these LTCs . . . that's how I got Buddy's clothes to look like that. That's a lot of cutting out, folks! Buddy's skin was colored with chalks, and his hair was colored with a Marvy. It took me a while figure out how to finish this card off. I tried lots of different things, but I liked this the best. There are rub on transfers on two sides, and I used acryllic paint for the polka dots.

Captain Wentworth's Letter

2008-11-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

I'm a HUGE fan of Jane Austen, and one of my favorite Austen moments occurs in Persuasion. I really thought that Anne had lost her chance with Captain Wentworth . . .

I stamped my stamp on vellum with brown Brillance ink, and then I colored the image gently with chalks. I also used that "edging with an inkpad" technique. Does anyone know what that's called?

My favorite thing about this card is that it's really an envelope. (I stole that idea from Nitrocat.) An abridged version of Captain Wentworth's letter is in the envelope.

My Great Challenge

2008-08-31T15:07:00.001-04:00

3 Blind Mice challenged some of us to create our most ambitious card yet. I had LOTS of fun ideas, but I went with this one after a couple of failed attempts. (I haven't given up on those other ideas, but I was racing with the clock since I was very pregnant at the time!)

Dolly Dingle is a paper doll created by Grace Gebbie in 1913. I decided to do a paper doll because I wanted to create an interactive card. Dolly came with three different outfits which were stored in "drawers" on the back of the card.

Dolly and her clothes are stamped in black and colored with chalks. Using the chalks like this was also a challenge for me, but I really like this look. I think the chalks make it look vintage.

I ended up carving a whopping six stamps for this card! Talk about a challenge.

P.S. If you're on my auto-send list, you'll get a card similar to Dolly soon.

Too Pregnant to Care LTCs

2008-08-31T14:35:00.000-04:00

I made this card for the SAT Words swap, and I used my favorite word, defenestrate. I'm always threatening to defenestrate things. :o) I used a new technique on this card. With a notecard and my trusty hobby knife, I made a "stencil" out of this stamp and used the stencil to emboss just the window pieces in clear. I *think* the window pieces look like glass. That's what I was shooting for. This card may be hard to understand unless you were in the St. Simons Tree Spirits swap. I asked four people to help me carve the five St. Simons Tree Spirits, and I am going to plant the stamps in St. Simons, GA this fall. Of course, we all made some LTCs with our stamps first. I feel like I "forced" this card, though. I never got the inspiration I was waiting on, and I wanted to get the card done early, just in case the baby came early. The result is that I'm not happy with this card, but I can't tell you why. I tried to make my tree spirit card look like a tree and the ocean, but you really have to use your imagination to see both, I think.

Oh . . . I couldn't find any gray ink, so I used yet another new technique on this card. I used a watermark stamp pad and gray chalks to get the color I wanted. That was really fun to do.

I actually carved this stamp over a year ago, and it was my best by far at that time. I carved this for Shoafster's 2007 Jesse Tree PLB ring, and it finally came home in June of 2008, so I made this simple little card. The stamp is actually much bigger than this, but I got all of the important elements on the card. Goliath's shield got cut off, and about 2/3 of the army on the hill is missing.

As Different as Night and Day

2008-06-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

Here are The Conferderates, but you probably won't appreciate these cards unless you have been to Stone Mountain, Georgia. I didn't think that I had enough skill to carve this stamp, but I was pleasantly surprised by about the outcome. (I wish I could carve that smirk off of Lee's face, though. I definitely messed up there.) The grass in the picture depicts my favorite Stone Mountain spot . . . Memorial Lawn. I have made many happy memories on that lawn, and I look forward to making many more.

The General's Lavender Pooh Cones

2008-06-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

I was suppose to meet Mark and Sue Pepe in May, but it didn't work out. Instead, I carved a pine cone stamp for their collection and sent some LTCs to the mini-meet. This one was super easy to make, so I made a bundle.

This card was for Autumn Whisper's Amy Brown swap. It's called The Lavender Butterfly. This ring was really wonderful, and I walked away with numerous gems for my collection.

This card (General Grevious) marks a turning point in my LTCing, I think. I actually used something on it other than paper and ink! I used watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons. It was quite a change for me, and I couldn't have done it without the help of 3 Blind Mice. If you have The General, then you got this one before I had the right kind of paper. The only difference is the blue at the bottom and the grey shadows.

Silly Ol' Bear uses the same stamp I used for Helium in Claudia and Alex's Periodic Table swap. I made 5 of these to trade with a few that weren't in the swap. I adore Classic Pooh, so I really like this card.

Four Photos More

2008-06-22T15:14:00.000-04:00

I ended up making 3 versions of this card after many LTCers offered me some advice. This version is called Just Peachy, and I think I like it best. The others had Georgia on a brad, and under the state were the words, "Hey, Y'all!" in a comment bubble.

My trip to Boston in February, 2008 inspired this card. It's called Cheers!, and it features Norm. I only made 5 of these . . . one was for SHH's Grand Experiment.

I have been meaning to carve a stamp of a manatee for some time now, and 3 Blind Mice's Zoo swap gave me a good reason to get going on it. I have seen several of these guys in the wild, and they are truly majestic. I wish I could have captured that magic a little better. I made 45 of these, though, so I had to cut a few corners. It was a pain to cut out all of those black frames.

This is one of my favorite cards . . . Hydra from Esmerelda's Greek swap. I kind of messed up on one of Hydra's heads (the one closest to the top of the card), but I covered it up as well as I could. This one was easy to make. I colored it in with markers after a failed attempt at a layered stamp.

Am I Behind or What?!?

2008-04-29T16:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, I haven't posted any photos in a while, so I'm going to try to do a few at a time until I get caught up.

First, we have The Georgia Bird. I wish I could say that I carved this fabulous stamp, but I didn't. Kirbert did. The Georgia Bird is a brown thrasher.

Dixie Land is next. I made this card for BNLBaliGrl's Home State ring. This card symbolizes the Civil War history that is so prevalent in the south.

Finally, I picked this image to represent the blowing wind. That's my favorite time of year. I soon realized, however, that this guy wasn't blowing a nice autumn breeze, so I decided to make winter the theme. Winter is actually my least favorite season. :o)

How to Trade LTCs Individually

2008-04-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

*(Optional) Once your LTC is done, put each card into a clear plastic sleeve. The sleeve will protect your card while it waits to be traded, and it helps you present your card in a more “professional” manner.
*List your card on Atlasquest. Within 24 hours, you will probably get a few requests for your card. Graciously accept, and exchange addresses with the requester.
*If you want more people to request your card, you can announce on Atlasquest’s LTC Board that your card is available.
*Finally, you can request trades. Do a search for active LTCs on Atlasquest. When you find one that interests you, contact the owner and request a trade.
*After a trade has been agreed upon and addresses have been exchanged, simply address an envelope to the LTCer in question and send her your card. (I usually put my LTCs inside of blank greeting cards. That way, the receiver can reuse the card if she wishes.)

In a few days, your mailbox should be overflowing with little envelopes that will make your heart jump when you see them.

DISCLAIMER: Trading LTCs is extremely addictive. Participate at your own risk.

How to Prepare for an LTC Swap

2008-04-11T13:46:00.002-04:00

The Bubble Mailer is very important. I keep about 5 of these guys on hand at all times.

*After you purchase a Bubble Mailer (5” x 7”), address it to yourself and from yourself.
*This step is very important to the longevity of your mailer: Wrap the entire thing in clear packing tape, including the outside and underside of the flap.
*Now, write the swap host's address on a small piece of paper. Using clear packing tape, tape the address over your own. When you do this, try to fold a corner of the tape under so that the host can remove his address easily to reveal yours underneath.
*Put your cards in a baggie, and write your address on the baggie. Pack the cards up in your mailer. (If you don’t know how many cards to include, just ask your host.)
*Before you seal the mailer up, remember to include return postage. (I usually include $2 or 5 stamps. It really depends on the size of the swap and the size of your mailer. Just ask your swap host what he wants you to do.)
*Use clear packing tape to seal the mailer up. Again, try to fold a corner of the tape under so that it can be easily removed.

Now you’re ready to hop in the car and book it down to the USPS. Pay your postage and mail your cards. (I usually try to mail my cards at least a few days before the launch date on the tracker. The earlier the better, I think.) The easy part is over. The hard part is waiting patiently for your set of beautiful handmade cards to arrive. Good luck with that!

An Unfinished LTC

2008-02-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

What next? Help!

Great Expectations

2008-01-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite card, I think, and it was fairly easy to make. To those of you who were looking for a Charles Dickens card: I'm truly sorry. I just couldn't help myself.

Mad Libs

2008-01-23T22:19:00.000-05:00

I think my kids knew what nouns and verbs were before they knew all of their colors, thanks to Mab Libs. When I had to rescue my traditional box, Games Travelers Play: Mad Libs, I couldn't help but to make LTCs with the stamp. Although this card is fairly simple, it took quite a bit of time to make. I had a rough time cutting around the Mad Lib Guy, and I filled out all of the Mad Libs by hand. There are 8 different versions of this LTC, and I like the Love Letter one best. Who got that one?

Vote For Pedro

2008-01-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

My family loves Napoleon Dynamite, so when Napoleon came home from the Geeks/Dorks/Nerds PLB Ring, I made an LTC for him. I tried to make the card resemble the cover of the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack, despite the fact that few people actually own the soundtrack. Did anyone notice?

Although I'm fairly pleased with the result, I stepped outside of my comfort zone on this one. After reading The Little Foxes' blog, I broke out the watercolor pencils. I also carved a Vote For Pedro stamp. (It's now a HH.)

Although I have mixed feelings about this LTC, I'm glad I made it. I had trouble finding homes for all of my Napoleons, but they were all eventually placed. Thanks to everyone who requested this trade!

The Georgia Insect LTC

2007-12-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is the first in a series I am making about Georgia's official state animals. The next installment will feature a stamp carved by Kirbert. It will be in the I'll Fly Away ring.

You can't see it here, but the honeybees' wings are glittery, and the dark grey stripes are glittery as well.

Think Pink LTC

2007-12-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

Since I have two boys, I really want to have a girl next. I am currently in my first trimester of pregancy, and I created Think Pink to reflect my hopes for a daughter of Eve. BTW, if you would like to see the names I am considering for this child, check out http://1234family.blogspot.com.

My First LTC!

2007-12-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

I'm officially addicted to Letterboxing Trading Cards (LTCs). My first LTC, River Dance, was created on December 1, 2007. Before I created it, I tried finding some examples of LTCs on the internet. I came up with only one. A couple of kind souls had mercy on me, however, and sent me LTCs "on credit". . . thanks Mososo Kruppe and Nitrocat. Now that River Dance is retired, I am posting an image here. I plan on posting the images of all of my LTCs here after they retire.

This is what I like about LTCs:

1. I get to share my artwork with lots of people at minimal cost. A postal ring with 20 participants would cost me $40 on average. It costs $8.20 maximum to send (and receive) 20 LTCs.

2. There's no logbook hassle with LTCs. I love receiving postals, but I sometimes dread logging in to them.

3. I can display LTCs neatly. If you don't have the 9-pocket display pages yet, you simply must get some.

4. I like the artistic aspect of LTCs, and I really enjoy creating them.

5. I don't run the risk of losing my stamps with LTCs, and I don't have to wait months for my stamps to come home.

6. I get lots of updates immediately. I love updates!

I'm not putting down postals in any way, and I will certainly continue sending and receiving postals. I feel like my involvement in postals, however, will slow as I become more involved in LTCs.