I had the pleasure of participating in the ARTchix Studio Blue ATC swap. I was really happy to see Helga announce this swap as I knew very well that a deadline would nudge me to create (and it did!) Of course time got away from me and everything was sent in on the last possible (deadline) day . . . but on the positive side, I did accomplish making them. The idea was simple: Make 6 Artist Trading Cards using the color blue and use an ARTchix Studio item on each ATC. 

I used ARtchix ART blast playing cards as a base, the ones with birds printed on them.

I started with watercolor crayons around the edges in shades of blue.

Then wet the crayon marks (watercolor) and spread the color around . . . 

I added sayings from various ARTchix word collage sheets and gave all the birds crowns! 

and I added bits of Transparencies from ARTchix Studio -see the blue edges:

I glued on beads and added a bit of glitter . . .

The backs belong to the playing cards . . . 

 All six of my ATCs scanned . . . 

They are a bit different, not perfect and pretty, but they are interesting, unusual, blue, filled with birds and creativity and ARTchixStudio and fun and experimenting . . . just what I needed! Thank you Helga and also to our hostess Nikki for organizing - so appreciate it!!

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.

  ~ Anais Nin