Sometimes the simplest projects are exactly what we need. With the British heatwave making even the thought of crafting feel like hard work, I wanted to create something beautiful without reaching for lots of inks, stamps and embellishments. This trio of Artist Trading Cards came together using carefully chosen papers, die-cut frames and delicate sentiment tabs, proving that a few well-coordinated elements can be just as striking as a more technique-heavy project.
Creating the ATCs
For this set, I decided to let the papers do most of the storytelling. The backgrounds and focal images all came from pre-printed paper and sticker sheets that I purchased from Temu and AliExpress. Rather than adding lots of extra embellishments, I wanted the elegant illustrations to remain the stars of the show.
The beautiful decorative frames were cut from a die set I also bought from AliExpress and mounted over the scenic images to create the feeling of looking through a window into another world. I love how the warm metallic finish adds depth and draws your eye straight to each little scene.
Each ATC was mounted onto sturdy 300gsm white cardstock, giving the finished cards a lovely solid feel. To soften the bright white edges and tie everything together, I inked all the edges using Distress Ink in Tea Dye, giving them a gentle vintage finish.
For the sentiments, I wanted something that wouldn't distract from the delicate artwork. I chose the single words Peace, Love and Relax, printing them onto heavyweight vellum using my Canon TS8751. Before printing, I lightly blended the vellum with Tea Dye Distress Ink, then allowed it to dry completely before feeding it through the printer using the photo paper setting. Once printed, I trimmed the vellum into small tabs and adhered them to the bottom left corner of each ATC. The soft, tinted vellum blends beautifully into the background while still allowing the words to stand out.
Although the heatwave certainly slowed me down this week, I'm really pleased I pushed through and spent some time at my craft desk. These little ATCs have such a calm, peaceful feel about them, and they were a lovely reminder that sometimes less really is more.
Supplies Used
- 300gsm white card stock
- Decorative frame die set (AliExpress)
- Vintage background papers (AliExpress)
- Seasonal Sticker Book (Temu)
- Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Tea Dye
- Heavyweight vellum
- Canon TS8751 printer
- Wet glue
- Die cutting machine
Final Thoughts
These little ATCs were a joy to make and were exactly the kind of gentle, relaxing project I needed this week. I love how the copper frames, soft vintage colours and simple vellum sentiments work together to create three cards that feel connected while each telling its own story. Sometimes creativity doesn't have to be complicated to be rewarding.
As always, I'd love to hear which of the three is your favourite. Are you drawn to Peace, Love, or Relax?
Disclaimer
All products featured on this blog were purchased by me unless otherwise stated. I am not sponsored by any company, brand, or artist mentioned in this post, and all opinions shared are entirely my own.
