Themed ATC swaps have gained in their popularity under the crafty women in South Africa. We share the work of a bunch of talented women with you as we explore the wonderful world of a 'Forest Floor' swap. Be inspired by the colours, textures, shapes and techniques found in these miniature works of art – and then try your hand at making your own.
Firewood by Cariena Basson
Cariena used a combination of green and gold alcohol inks to create a wonderfully textured background and then stamped her trees in black onto the background. To finish off her ATC she added a quote at the top of the card printed onto white cardstock with the edges inked to add interest.
Escape to the woods by Benice Basson
For her ATC cards Benice used a variety of natural materials to create her theme as well as add lots of texture and colour. Her background consists of patterned paper that is stamped as well as sprayed with glimmer mist for a beautiful rich and luxurious effect. On top of her background she added a piece of green patterned fabric, mushrooms from a serviette adhered to cardstock, wooden buttons and a single leaf cut from felt and finished off with a thin green ribbon.
Leaves by Yvonne Hellyar
Yvonne used a combination of different stamps to create her rich and colourful background. The stamps were all stamped in shades of greens and browns onto cream cardstock. She used a technique commonly referred to as 'stamping-off' to create interest. For her focal point she used a single multi-coloured stamped leaf in the bottom corner layered onto a piece of handmade paper and finished off with a piece of folded ribbon and a brad.
The Forest by Debbie Harris
Debbie was inspired by the typical forests found around her area where she lives. She used a single stamped image onto a piece of shimmering cream cardstock matted it onto green and then onto brown. In the bottom left hand corner she added two die-cut leaves as her focal point image – one in book paper and the other in brown cardstock with embossed details on it. The two leaves overlap each other and the excess was trimmed off.
Forest Floor by Niki Zipp
You can almost imagine the smell around these beautiful mushrooms. For her ATC Niki used a piece of cardstock that she inked using Distress ink pads to add the green colour and lightly spattered them with water to create the blotches. A fern leaf pattern was randomly stamped across the background and the mushrooms stamped in a dark brown ink. A light spray of glimmer mist adds a stunning golden shine to the entire card. To highlight the mushrooms Niki added a layer of dimensional glaze to them. Her image was matted onto mustard yellow cardstock and then onto a green to finish off her ATCs.
Leaf Medley by Magda Lombard
Magda used a combination of handmade papers in different shades of green to create a stunning background effect. The papers are torn into small pieces and adhered to a piece of cardstock before she sewed over them in a random pattern. The effect truly gives you the impression that you are in a forest covered with a multitude of leaves. On top of her background Magda added three stamped and embossed leaves raised with foam dots to give them dimension. This truly is a feast for the eyes with all its textures and colours.
Whispers in the wind by Ursula Uphof
Ursula used a piece of mottled green paper as her background and stamped her tree images directly onto that. To create a floor effect in the forest she used a piece of serviette that she adhered to the bottom of the trees. The serviette adds additional colour to her ATC and also an interesting contrast and texture to the stamped image. Her card is finished off with a stamped sentiment at the top.
Coloured leaves by Gail Macauley
Gail created a colourful and interesting background using cream textured cardstock and then added colour to it using a variety of ink. Her focal image is a large leaf stamped in three different colours and then embossed with a clear embossing powder to give it a shiny look. A copper edging around the outside edges of her card gives it a beautiful metallic finish and also picks up on the colours used for the leaf.
Green by Sheree Chase
Sheree's ATC card consists of different layers and media. Her first layer is a piece of cardstock coloured using ink in greens and gold. She then added some embossed images in the form of the ants and bug. A variety of natural foliage was adhered to the background giving it a true forest feel. A stamped and embossed Gecko on shrink plastic forms the focal point on her card and adds dimension. A perfect sample of how a monochromatic colour scheme can be applied to such a small surface.
Technique links for this article
Stamping-Off
Shrink plastic embellishments