Journals & Collaborative Projects

Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous collaborative projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/

Tutorials & Techniques

Below are some of our favorite tricks for adding depth and dimension to your art.  We hope you have fun giving these a try!

Current Group Swaps & Projects

Below is a list of current swaps and projects available to group members. If you are interested in joining our group and participating in these projects, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.  

For existing group members, you can sign up to participate  in these projects here: Swaps & Current Projects.  

We look forward to swapping with you.  Happy Arting!

Member Gallery for Group Swaps
 
Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous group swaps and projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
 
Come play with us... Join today!

Paper Traders is a friendly online community of artists from around the world. We nurture and value creativity, embrace new ideas, products, and techniques yet also value tried and true methods of artistic expression. Our projects consist primarily of paper arts, mixed media collage, artist trading cards, altered art, assemblages, collaborative journals, mail art, and more.

We are interested in creative individuals of varied skill levels who wish to challenge themselves artistically and help build a supportive community. We are at our best when we can share our creative efforts as well as techniques, resources, feedback, and insights. We encourage conversation about art, the art process, and what it means to be an artist.

Paper Traders is hosted on Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
We hope you will consider joining us on an artistic journey!

In order to prevent spammers and to insure that all applicants are actual persons interested in creating art, a questionnaire will be sent to all potential members. When applying, please submit digital examples of your work or direct us to a website where we can view your art. The intent of the questionnaire is not to judge the merits of your art but to safeguard the integrity of our community.

Free Images for Download

Below you will find images that are owned by our group members and offered for your personal use as well as images found in the public domain. Images may be freely used in your personal artwork but may not be used for commercial purposes of any kind without written permission of the owner. No images may be used to create collage sheets or image collections for resale.

To download, follow the link provided. In some cases, you may be able to just click on the image to enlarge it, then right-click and select "save image as". Content changes frequently and many images are available for a limited time.  Please check back often for newly posted images to use in your art journey.

Open Art Challenges !

We're changing things up here at Paper Traders. Instead of the monthly challenges of the past, we'll now be hosting special challenges that might feature a specific technique or product and will be rewarded with actual prizes sponsored by our group members.

Our new challenge for 2013 is a year long word prompt journaling project/challenge. Each specific challenge will be open for one month and all art bloggers can participate, whether you are a Paper Traders member or not. Each artist will comment with a link to their blog post that features the artwork for that particular challenge. For each challenge, a winner will be selected whose art best exemplifies the challenge. The winning artist will be featured here and get a "Trader Treasure" blog button to display on their own blog. They also will receive one chance for each entry for the end of the year prize drawing. Watch this page for more details and challenge announcements.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

"Love Notes" Envelope Book Swap

Beckie Holso

For Paper Traders Members Only. Please join us if you
would like to participate in this or our other swaps
by clicking on the purple button on the right sidebar.
We will be happy to send you info on how to join.

Love Notes Envelope Book Swap
Hostess: Cathy Calamas
5 for 5 decorated envelope swap
Victorian theme
Postmarked: Feb. 4th

Join us as we make a "book of love". In this swap we will be decorating
five A2 size envelopes in a Victorian theme and putting love notes inside.
These are your standard 1/4-sheet invitation envelopes (4-3/8" x 5-3/4").
Write your own love notes or use some of your favorite quotes.
You will be creating your own covers and inserting
your swapped envelopes when you receive them.
Please see the below links on the how-to's:

Sample book link:
Tutorial here:





Monday, December 26, 2011

Announcing the 2012 Round Robin Journal Project!

Open to Paper Traders members only


(art journal by Kim Smith)

We will be starting another round for our Round Robin Journal Project soon.  This project is open to all Paper Traders members - domestic and international. If you want to participate, please send an email to the project coordinator, Beckie Holso. Sign-ups for this round will close on February 15th with journals mailing out on March 15th.

If you participated in the last round and want to use the same journal this time, you may do so - just let me know so that I can try to put you in a round with different artists.  However, we recommend that you remove the completed pages you've already received to cut down on the weight of your package as well as reduce your risk of loss.

To ensure that this is a fun and successful project and avoid any of the problems we've had in the past, we will be strictly monitoring the progress and making sure that all the posted guidelines are adhered to. This will be to the benefit of all the artists.

Please read the full details for this project on the Yahoo site - see Message #34992.

If you have ever participated in one of these Round Robin Journal Projects then you know how inspiring they can be. Your cooperation with the project guidelines will make for a more pleasant process with a positive outcome for everyone involved... and the resulting journals will be a treasure to keep and enjoy for years to come!

Happy Arting!

Mardi Gras swap announced

Open to Paper Traders members only

5-for-5 Mardi Gras! ATC Swap
Due: Postmarked by February 7th
Hosted by: Beckie Holso

Are you ready to party?

Make five similar or different ATCs using the Mardi Gras theme - think party, bright colors, masks, feathers, beads, etc. Have fun with it but please keep it tasteful.

Mail your cards to me, postmarked by February 7th

Please sign up in the database on the Yahoo Group.  And don't forget to post images of your completed cards in the project album on the Swaps site.

WINTER Banner Swap

Open to Paper Traders members only

Over the past year, we've been making banners for each of the seasons and now that we're into the winter season, I need a new banner to adorn my art studio... so I have volunteered to host this season's swap again. All Paper Traders members are invited to join - even if you didn't participate in one of the previous banner swaps.
(banner template courtesy of scrapbooking.about.com)

"W-I-N-T-E-R" BANNER SWAP
Hostess: Beckie Holso
Signups end: January 21, 2012
Partners announced: January 22, 2012
Mail out by: January 24, 2012
One-for-0ne Banner Swap

In this swap, we will be making a banner that reflects a winter theme. Each banner will consist of 6 pennants made of heavy cardstock or chipboard and covered in paper. The back side of the pennants should be finished as well. The size of each pennant is 5" across the top and the sides should be 7" long with a reverse triangle cut in the bottom (you can choose the depth of your triangle to fit your design). You can see a sample template here:  http://scrapbooking.about.com/od/freestuff/ss/4-Free-Banner-Patterns_2.htm

Spell out the word "WINTER" with your banner. You can embellish with ribbons, lace, German scrap, glitter, rhinestones, buttons, images, or anything that makes you think of Winter. The pennants need to be put together in a banner by lacing ribbon or fibers through the corners. One suggestion for preventing the ties from ripping through the paper is to place eyelets in the corners of each pennant and thread the ties through.

You will be partnered with another swapper, and you will send your wonderful creation directly to them. Please sign up in the database on the Yahoo group by January 21st. I will assign partners and announce them to the group on January 22nd. You must mail out your banner to your assigned partner no later than January 24th. Please remember to upload a picture of your banner to the album on the Swaps group before mailing.

Here are some links for inspiration:
http://rosemariediehl.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-happy-joy-joy.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/precociouspaper/5637599089/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenblind221/5723937599/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46162192@N02/4873919031/
http://missfancypants.typepad.com/little_miss_fancy_pants/2010/10/fancy-this-halloween-banner.html

Happy arting!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Party Hats Challenge


Wow, another creative year is almost over
and a fresh, new one is around the corner.
Let's celebrate by creating
Party Hat art!

You don't have to be a member of Paper_Traders Yahoo Art group to participate
but if you would like to join us and be privy to even more great paper crafting swaps and
challenges plus better than ever artistic support, that would be super!
When the challenge closes, we will pick a winning piece that best showcases the theme
of the challenge and/or supply requirement.

 Challenge Rules
1. Make a paper craft, mixed media or digital piece of art ( any size). The theme is
  "Party Hats".
  2. Post your art to your blog, Flickr, Picasa (online albums). Mention
   our name PaperTraders Art Blog with a link back to this post.
   You are more than welcome to grab our button and post it on
    your blog as well.
   The last day to post for this challenge is Jan.,15th 2012.
3. After posting your "Party Hats" art on your site,
   come back to this post and  leave us a link to your post/image.
   You must include a direct link to your image or post,
    not a general link to your album or blog. 
    To create a link within the comment box below:
   All you will need to do is copy and paste the url address of your post found
   at the top of your browser window.
4. The winner(s) will be awarded our "Trader Treasure" blog badge which
     they can choose to feature on their blog.
    Their art will also be posted on the PaperTraders Art Blog for 2 weeks.

Free images to get you started!


credit






Member Inspiration

Monday, December 12, 2011

Gallery: 6th Anniversary Project - Altar Shrines

Aimeslee W

Amanda E

Beckie H

Cathee S

Cathy C

Heather R

Janne R

Kim S

Lorna S

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

"Quirky Christmas" Challenge


It's our "Quirky Christmas" Challenge
What exactly is quirky?
Characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits
The Urban Dictionary says it means:
something that is strange/not normal BUT cool!


You don't have to be a member of Paper_Traders Yahoo Art group to participate
but if you would like to join us and be privy to even more great paper crafting swaps and
challenges plus better than ever artistic support, that would be super!
When the challenge closes, we will pick a winning piece that best showcases the theme
of the challenge and/or supply requirement.

 Challenge Rules
1. Make a paper craft, mixed media or digital piece of art ( any size). The theme is
  "Quirky Christmas".
  2. Post your art to your blog, Flickr, Picasa (online albums). Mention
   our name PaperTraders Art Blog with a link back to this post.
   You are more than welcome to grab our button and post it on
    your blog as well.
   The last day to post for this challenge is December 30th, 2011.
3. After posting your "Quirky Christmas" art on your site,
   come back to this post and  use the Simply-linked widgit below
   to leave us a link to your post/image.
   You must include a direct link to your image or post,
    not a general link to your album or blog.

  NOTE: after using the Simplylinked widgit, you will need
   to refresh the page for    it to show your submission link.

   Or you may create a link within the comment box below:
   All you will need to do is copy and paste the url address of your post found
   at the top of your browser window.
4. The winner(s) will be awarded our "Trader Treasure" blog badge which
     they can choose to feature on their blog.
    Their art will also be posted on the PaperTraders Art Blog for 2 weeks.

Free images to get you started!


credit


credit


credit


credit


Member Inspiration


 by Beckie H.


by Cathy C.


Digital Collage Credits:
Background by Becky F.
Borders by Aimeslee
Arms, Legs, Holly, Bells, Face by Collage Anonymous
Text is PSE9

by Aimeslee W.


Monday, November 28, 2011

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Member Spotlight - Nancy Slaby




How did you find Paper Traders?
Yahoo has a group search function, and I searched for “mixed media”.  If I find that I am not participating as a member of one group I will search for another option.  I am currently involved in three groups, one specifically for cards, one for ATC’s and Paper Traders.  I enjoy them all, the members are helpful, and the swaps are interesting and fun.

How long have you been a member?
I have been with Paper Traders March, 2011

Where do you live?
My home is in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Two Rivers is a city of 13,000 located north of Milwaukee right on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

How have your surroundings affected your art?
Having the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter affects my art.  I love the changes of the seasons, and love working with the coloring changes, in conjunction with the season colors.  Autumn gold’s, reds, rich dark oranges and deep greens, are probably my favorites.  But when spring rolls around, I change direction and find a new love of pastels, subtle colors, and glitzy Easter colors.  Winter brings out my cool blues, stark whites, purples, which is a welcome contrast to the colors of Christmas.  Summer brings yellows, orange, bright blues and greens.  What is not to love about the changes of the seasons?

Please share a little about your own art experience.
As much as I wish I would have had formal art training, my career has been working with technology and numbers.  My father was an avid crafter, and my mother was in the background working on various hand embroidery projects.  I suspect I got my love of art from these beginnings.  Over the years, I have always been creative, working in quilting, sewing, ceramics, embroidery, and other projects.  My paper art background started when a friend invited me to a Stamping Up party about 15 years ago, maybe even 20 years ago now.  I do remember her telling me on the way to the party….”be careful, this is an addiction”.  How correct she was!
One of the most valuable sources of my humble art background was an online eight week collage course.  The class included collage design but also was an overview of design elements and principals.  I cannot say how this directly helped my art; I just know that it did.  My collage skills improved and after that class I was not afraid to experiment and the items that I was not happy with, shrank to be just a few.   Unfortunately this class is no longer taught and the instructor has moved on, as I would love to revisit the experience.

Do you have a blog or photo site?
No, I do not have a blog or photo site.  My group work is usually posted in the group photo albums.  I do however scan and store photo files of all my work.  Several years ago I purchased a high resolution scanner.  The scanning of art, and working with Photoshop, keeps me busy.  I confess that I have tried about three times to start a blog, but have always failed to commit to keeping it up to date.  So I opt to keep my photos mostly unpublished.
What are some of your favorite techniques or genres?
This is a tough question as my techniques change.  I love to try new things or create new things.  One of my favorite “tools” is a set of metallic rubs.  I use them quite a bit for backgrounds, highlighting, framing, etc.  I love to alter just anything, and often buy the insides of things just to have the “outsides”.  I think most of us are guilty of this. I have a vast stack of used books and magazines either purchased at second hand book stores or the Goodwill stores I love to work with the images in the books, or use the papers for backgrounds.  My matte medium and acrylic colors are two of my must haves, as well as a variety of sanding blocks.

What inspires you?
I may have covered this in the question about my surroundings and location, having the four defined seasons and the colors that work with the seasons.  I am also inspired by the Yahoo groups and what other artists have successfully tried.  I appreciate the artists that share their experiences, always a plus trait of the members of a Yahoo group.

Who are some famous artists whose work you admire and what especially appeals to you about this?
My favorite pastime is visiting museums on the Internet.  I do not really have a favorite artist, but I use my computer to “see” and research works of art.  Does anyone realize the value of this medium?  To be able to find paintings, sculptures, old master collections, at a click of the mouse is a treasure.  I have “been” to the Louvre and have “seen” the Mona Lisa, I have been to Milan and have “visited” the Last Supper by Da vinci.   The Smithsonian is another of my favorites.  Some sites now offer high resolution options and you can actually zoom and see brush strokes.  This does not make me an expert in art, but it gives me satisfaction to be able to look at works, as I know I will never physically be able to visit these places.

Describe your work area... Do you have your own studio or craft room?
My work room is in our home lower floor.  During the winter I move my supplies to the upstairs living room to be comfortable and warm.  I have a very nice work area, with lots of room, and organized and structured.  I get very I get frustrated when things are out of place and I cannot put my finger on just that one thing.  I enjoy working with my array of tools and substrates, coloring tools, and images, embellishments and items to alter.  There are many things that are fun while doing artwork, but most of all I enjoy the peace and quiet and especially the satisfaction of completing a piece that I enjoy, and will be enjoyed.

What tips or tricks have you found to help carve out a niche for your supplies and art?
Doing artwork is not fun if you have to look for something when you are trying to create.  I have many favorite tools, too numerous to mention.  Try to stay organized.  Even if it means setting aside a half an hour to clean up and put away.  I have a favorite matte medium and that is and has always been Plaid Royal Coat finish.  (No I do not own stock in the company,J)  I do have a handy tip that I stumbled upon several years ago.  We always receive some thick mail order catalogs.  I use these as a work surface.  When a page is dirty or sticky, rip the one page and discard, a fresh page is instantly available. 

Please share a little about your family and pets.
My home family consists of my husband and two sweet dogs, Chance and Lucky.  They are our babies, and I fear the time when we will have to get along without them.  We have been married since 1965, and my hubby puts up with my hobbies, and I do the same for him.  We do not share the same hobby types so as “Martha” would say, “It’s a Good Thing” that we can pretend interest with each other’s passions and give the other the room to be free to enjoy each hobby.  We have three adult sons, and three wonderful daughters-in-law.  Each family has given us two grandchildren, six total, four girls and two young men.  The oldest girl is 21, and the youngest boy is in 7th grade.
If you'd like, please share a little about your childhood, where you grew up, and when your creativity began.
My creativity comes from my father.  I think I shared that earlier.  I grew up in a small, very small town. The population of the town was 177 and I lived there until I was 18.  I had eight brothers and sisters, and because there were so many, we were always responsible for our own free time.  We created things to do, be it games, explorations, or working with art. I consider myself fortunate to have grown in this environment and my sisters and brothers are pure treasures. We were all fortunate to grow together in love with creative and fun days.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
My second favorite hobby is reading.  I love to read books, and am currently making my way through interesting classics.  My favorite book is East of Eden, by Steinbeck, but I also loved, The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I also have many favorite books of my time, too numerous to mention.
A final thought
Thank you to the Paper Traders group for the honor of being chosen as Artist of the Month for Nov/2011.  There are such wonderful artists in this group; I am privileged to be considered a member. 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Books that Inspire.....

Maybe it's because I'm a librarian but books have always inspired my art.   I don't just mean art or technique books, although I'm crazy about them too, but fiction, biographies, non-fiction, poetry....you name it!   Do you ever read a passage in a book and something in it strikes you as beautiful or meaningful and you reach for your pen to write it down so you can read it again and again?   I do.   That's why I have journal after journal filled with profound and awe-inspiring quotations and passages.  

Sometimes it's the theme of a book that gets the creative juices flowing:



I'm in the process of reading a book called "A Fierce Radiance" by Lauren Belfer.   I'm finding it to be a fascinating read.   Here's the description provided by Harper Collins:

In the anxious days after Pearl Harbor, Life photojournalist Claire Shipley finds herself covering one of the nation's most important stories. At New York City's renowned Rockefeller Institute, researchers are racing to save thousands of wounded American soldiers and countless others by developing a miraculous new drug they call penicillin. For Claire, a single mother haunted by the loss of her young daughter—a death the miracle drug could have prevented—the story is cuttingly personal, especially after she unexpectedly begins to fall in love with the shy and brilliant head physician, James Stanton. But Claire isn't the only one interested in the secret cure. When a researcher dies under suspicious circumstances, the stakes become starkly clear: someone understands just how profitable the new drug could be—and will stop at nothing to get it. Now, with lives and a new love hanging in the balance, Claire will throw herself into harm's way to find a killer—no matter what price she may have to pay.
What has really struck a chord with me personally is the fact that at the time when this novel was set, a person could die from a scratch on the skin.   I knew that but hadn't really given it much more than a passing thought.  Heck  I periodically trip and fall on my face while running, ending up with nasty looking knees and hands.   What if penicillin hadn't been invented?  What if we weren't  immunized against the terrible diseases that claimed so many people in the past?    My Grandmother's Sister, Grace, died from a scrape that she received when she was riding her bike down their family farm's lane to retrieve the mail.  She was only 8 years old and is pictured in the photograph above.   She's the little one on the left at the front.  I, for one, am grateful for the amazing medical advances and dedicated researchers who discover them.

At other times, it's a person that I've read about that touches me in some way:




I read a book....yes, I know that is shocking given that I'm a librarian....but it was a book that has stayed with me for years. It is a book about a woman called Mina Benson Hubbard. She was a remarkable woman. This is how the online Canadian Encyclopedia described her and her accomplishments:

From the time she plunged into the unknown Labrador wild, crossing huge lakes of wind-whipped white caps, running kilometre after kilometre of dancing, foam-flecked rapids down the George River until it lost its wilderness spirit in Ungava Bay, Mrs. Hubbard was not idle. She brought back the first maps of the Naskaupi and George River valleys, which were accepted by the American Geographical Society and the Geographical Society of Great Britain. She made notes on the flora and fauna of Labrador. She described in detail the great Labrador caribou migration and photographed the Naskaupi and Montagnais Indians who hunted the animals for their food and clothes.
Mrs. Hubbard's expedition was extraordinary by any measure. Given the era and the fact that she was a woman, her trip stands out like a beacon in the annals of Canadian exploration.
I'm blessed to be a part of a round robin journal exchange that has just begun. I have to admit that I am partial to exchanges in which the journals actually travel. I know the risks....postal issues being the biggest....but it means something to have a journal in one's hand. To feel its textures and experience it's colours and vibrancy. The theme of my journal is "Women Who Dared...." and that is what inspired this post. The spread on Mina Benson Hubbard had been nibbling at my artful subconscious for some time and this was my chance to release it. I hope to continue to commemorate females who accomplished extraordinary feats in times of incredible hardship and in societies that discouraged them.

If you get a chance, check out the book on Mina....you won't be disappointed. I'd love to hear about the women who inspire you!

And then there are snatches of poetry:


How do books inspire you?   When asked that question, the very talented Cathy Calamas sent me this pairing of book and artwork....absolutely stunning!


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Vintage Circus Mini - book Swap

Our members really showed their stuff
under the big tent!


by Lynda RO

by Nancy S.

by Beckie H.

by Connie H.