22, 23

Gah. A couple days ago I posted about an ATC that I enjoyed making, because the finished ATC looked quite similar to how I had imagined it.... these were just the opposite. I didn't really enjoy making them and I don't really like them now.

I don't know what it is I dislike about this little owls... okay, they're cute enough, but something just isn't working for me here. Maybe the drab colors? Lack of colors - I mean, not enough different colors? I don't know.

Anyway, one of them is destined for this swap, and the other is a tag.

19, twenty, 21

I had so much fun with the altered Zentangle cards (ahem: Altered Zentangle ATC swap on swap-bot.com) a couple days ago that I wanted to make more:






And, since I now have a quite good supply of little tiny Zentangled bits and pieces, I plan to do a few more ATCs like this one:

... and eighteen!!

I realized that I had to make one extra #9 ATC for a private swap. This is my favorite of the set. I don't really know why it is that sometimes my Zentangles just "work" and other times, not so much.

15, 16, 17

Number nine ATCs for this swap, of course. The first one is so weirdly lumpy...

13 and 14

I had a bunch of Zentangles that were either unfinished, or I wasn't happy with how they turned out. So, since of course I'm unable to throw anything away, I decided to chop them up and make some ATCs out of them. It was a good way to use them up, and I'd like to play around more with different tiling options.

The blue base is card stock, so it was pretty solid, but the pink is a weird paper/plastic wrapping paper, so it was flimsy. I added more Zentangle scraps to the back to make it a bit stiffer:

twelve

I saw this Lighthouse swap on swap-bot and was inspired. I'm not actually going to join the swap, but thanks for the idea!

I love how this ATC turned out. It's very simple, and a bit lonely. I like the idea of creating a scene using just a few scraps of felt and some floss; it's something that I'd like to do more of.

9, 10, eleven

Number 8 ATCs for the "Numbers ATCs - 8" swap on swap-bot. The black 8 and the off-white background are felt; the gray is... something fabric. Maybe cotton?? I don't even know where it came from. Again, the backing is stiff paper (I've been rationing out the last of my Timtex...)

I like the way these turned out - surprisingly, they turned out exactly the way I pictured them before starting. But I always get nervous when I'm doing anything "shabby chic" or "rustic". I mean, I myself know just how perfectly distressed the gray fabric is.... but I always wonder if my partner sees that, or if she just sees plain old shabby.