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.

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.



Halloween Flip Book Swap

What a frightfully fun swap!

by Lorna S.

by Karen B.

by Cathy C.

By Beckie H.

By Connie H.

Just in case you can't see it in the photos
 each page was made up of 3 sections.
 Our member host, Connie, bound them all
together into a book so we could have fun
mixing and matching body sections.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

"Vintage Working Women Challenge"

This challenge is now closed.
....And for every hero brave
who will find ashore,
his man-sized chore
was done by a Navy WAVE
~portion of Navy WAVE Anthem 



Our theme for this challenge is Vintage Working Women.
Let's play tribute to our
 hard-working women of days gone by:
Nurses, teachers, political leaders, scientist, etc.



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
  "Vintage Working Women". Your art must have a Native American theme or photo or image on  it.
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 14th, 2011.
3. After posting your "Vintage Working Women" 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!







(Don't you feel like this some days??)


Member Inspiration







by Heather R.




Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Discussion on Blogs and Photo Hosting Sites

Does it seem like everyone has a blog but you?  Maybe you have no interest in blogging but you could really use a place to store and share your photos online?  Did you realize there are lots of FREE and EASY TO USE places on the internet where you can do just that?

All of the Paper Traders mods have Flickr accounts for our photos and we've found it easy to use but there are other sites to choose from as well - each with it's own pros and cons.  In researching this topic, I found an online review here http://online-image-hosting-review.toptenreviews.com/ which was very helpful.  Most of the free sites have limited storage or limited functionality which can be expanded with an optional premium package.  I pay for a premium membership with my Flickr account - it's about $25/yr for unlimited storage.  The thing I like most about Flickr is that you can download your stored photos at their original size - this is a huge bonus for me because it means I don't have to save the originals on my computer and it frees up a lot of hard drive space.  Connie says she figured out that if you set up a bunch of folders while you have the two week pro trial period, even though you cannot set up more later, the ones you set up during that trial stay active.  Below are some snippets from the TopTenReviews website...

Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/tour/#section=welcome
Using Flickr is pretty simple. Since the site is clean and uncluttered, you can find what you need easily. All of the options are listed in dropdown menus, so there’s no searching needed.  One example of this free image host’s usability is that photos and videos can be organized into collection albums, or “sets,” by dragging and dropping the images into the organizing area. There’s no need for tedious ticking each and every photo you want to sort.  Plus, Flickr offers advanced photo editing options like other, more complex sites such as Photobucket.

Photobucket
http://photobucket.com/learnmore
Those just looking to casually share some snapshots and home videos will be pleased at how easy it is to upload files and share them with emails, custom links, automatic social media posts and more.  Novice users will be pleased to know that this image hosting site includes editing capabilities, so there is no need to buy expensive photo editing software. Photobucket Pro is an upgrade option for those that need a little more of everything. If you need more than 6M of image and video storage, Pro provides a whopping 25GBs. Photobucket Pro users also benefit from no ads on albums, the ability to store and retrieve high resolution images, unlimited bandwidth and more stats to track views of your images and videos.

Shutterfly
http://www.shutterfly.com/learn/index.jsp
Shutterfly’s uploading system may lack any high-tech bells and whistles, but it gets the job done. You simply open the file you want to upload photos from, drag your mouse over the photos you want to select and press the “OK” button. Simple.  The free account lets casual users do most of the things that are common in any image hosting service. Unfortunately, Shutterfly has very basic editing options and very few ways to personalize your images.  The paid Pro Gallery account, on the other hand, lets those who want to sell their images create a professional gallery, set prices, and track sales. The site works as a built-in print lab where you can get images at wholesale pricing.

Snapfish
http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/photolibrary
Snapfish is primarily for displaying photos and buying prints and gifts. So what makes Snapfish a special photo sharing site? It offers “group rooms” where multiple users can add photos to one album. This is a great way to add various points of view to one event. Users can create a personalized URL, decorate their group room to match the theme of the photos, and then send an invitation email to people they want to join in on the group room. Everyone invited can add photos and comments to the event’s specific room.  Another plus is that unlike other many other image hosting services, Snapfish offers free, unlimited uploads. This means you can store photos there as well as share them with others.

Kodak Gallery
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/welcome.jsp
Kodak Gallery has two goals for its users: post your photos for friends and family and buy prints and gifts. If that’s all you need from an image hosting service then you will be pleased with this image hosting site’s simplicity. If you want advanced editing options or to customize your image’s display area, you would be better off with an online picture hosting site like Photobucket or Picasa.  Kodak Gallery doesn’t have the multimedia features that other sites have, but it does offer the basics. You can send images by email, create slideshows and download hi-resolution images to your computer, making this image hosting site a great place to store your photos online.

Webshots
https://subs.webshots.com/reg/comparison?vhost=subs&src=signup&action=footer
Uploading videos and photos to Webshots isn’t difficult and you can do it several different ways. You can download the free desktop software, perform a web upload that allows you to search for files one-at-a-time, or you can do a multiple file upload. This photo hosting site supports both PC users and Mac users, too.  The best part about this photo hosting site, though, is the free desktop software. With it you can make calendars, animated photo screensavers and wallpapers without any coding experience at all. This is a great option for anyone who wants to make their own customized gear for their computer, but have little to no technical knowledge.

SeeHere
http://www.seehere.com/
SeeHere is an image hosting service for those that want to post photos fast and those who really enjoy creating personalized gifts.  SeeHere is really a site made for adults that don’t have time for fussy details and rummaging for embellishments.

Picasa
http://picasa.google.com/features.html
Overall, Picasa is a very user-friendly image hosting service. And those who are more serious about photography and videography will find that Picasa doesn’t skimp on features such as editing, video making, sharing, and printing options. Those with little to no experience can get the hang of using Picasa quickly without much trouble. Instead of going to a photo sharing website and uploading photos, you use a downloadable program to upload images to the web. Everything is contained on your computer, free for you to play with online or off. To use Picasa, you have to download the free software. Once you have the software on your computer, it automatically searches folders that you specify and adds the files to your Picasa desktop, arranged neatly in albums.  By clicking the “Sync to the Web” button at the top of the album, you post the album’s pictures to the web. The program will continuously and automatically add pictures that you put in that album on the web as long as you like. Since Picasa is a Google creation, it automatically creates an album of all of your Blogger images and organizes them in your account, as well.

Did you know that if you have a Blogger site, you automatically have a Picasa account where your blog photos are stored?  Blogger lets you upload your photos directly instead of having to link them to a URL where your photos are stored.  The mods all have blogs on Blogger and it is the most popular free blog hosting site.  It's easy to use with pre-set templates but also allows you to edit the html to customize your design if you're so inclined.  Again, there are many FREE blog hosting sites to choose from.  The following snippets were taken from the reviews found at TopTenReviews here:  http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

Blogger
http://www.blogger.com/features
Blogger is easy to use, yet is flexible enough for advanced users who want to build their own templates. The only drawback to Blogger is that you have to add your own traffic tracking devices if your want to monitor your visitors.  You can access opensource blogs, import blog templates or just use a simple pre-built template with Blogger. Unlike many free blog services, Blogger lets you change the HTML code in your templates to customize your blog. Additionally, since Blogger is so preferred there are countless free opensource templates available from other sites, so your template choices are endless.  It is easy to insert images, but there are only a few preset sizes; however, you can change image size with your photo editor and import any size you want. Unlike some sites, Blogger lets you import images from a URL or from a file.  The text box is easy to use and has an HTML mode; it also has a preview and a spell check. You can insert images as well as links and they have a block quote tool and a choice of fonts.  We really liked Blogger’s design options, but for those that are nervous about editing HTML, it may take a bit of practice to figure out how to add links, edit background colors, change borders and so on. But Blogger is free, so if you want to dabble in HTML, this is a good place to start.

WordPress

http://en.wordpress.com/features/
While WordPress is designed to be simple enough for non-coders, WordPress does allow you to customize templates. There are many open source templates out there for you to choose from or, if you like (and you have knowledge of CSS), you can alter your own to fit your needs. If you'd prefer to stick to standard WordPress templates, you still have dozens to choose from, so you won't be limited in designing your blog. You can customize the templates with your own header image, font color, sidebar widgets, plugins, and more.  The posting box is easy to use and can be used in either text or HTML mode. The standard text box operates a lot like a word processor with similar controls. For instance, there are buttons and fields that allow you to change fonts, increase font size, bold text, change text colors and many other standard formatting options. The WordPress posting box also has a spell check and a preview. You can easily add links and images, however images are added by URL, so if you are using your own image you have to upload it and use the WordPress assigned URL. Fortunately, the photo uploader is fairly simple to use and offers you several different options about how the picture will appear on the blog (size, orientation, etc.).

Xanga

http://www.xanga.com/
Xanga offers a free classic version with a variety of skins and you can change the look with a little HTML familiarity. We liked the fact that they offer simple templates as well as advanced options. To make setting up a blog easy, they have a set up wizard.  This blog service supports audio, video, and image uploads; with their free download, you can utilize a tool that supports quick multiple image uploads. The blog entry interface is better than most since it enables you to change font and fill color as well as insert images, links, symbols and smileys.  The site has some ads and posts google ads on your blog, but if you upgrade to the premium you can get an ad-free blog.

Finally, there is the phenomenon of social media with sites like Facebook, MySpace, and others.  Some people might enjoy interacting with people around the world who have similar interests even if it's someone they don't know.  I am a Facebook user, as are the other mods, but I only "friend" people I actually know - but it's all about personal preference.  The point I'm making here is that you can also upload photos to your social networking site and set the permissions to share with just certain people, all of your contacts, or public for everyone to see.  Additionally, there are applications which allow you to import your existing blog as a post on your page.  (I use Networked Blogs to import my Blogger postings to my Facebook profile).

The possibilities are numerous and really pretty simple to use with help features and tutorials on every site.  If you want to make the leap but don't know which site to choose, I recommend asking your friends and family...  There's probably a pre-teen child around who can teach you all you need to know - LOL!

So now that you're going to set up an online home for your photos, we're looking forward to seeing pictures of all your fabulous art!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

12 Days of Christmas Ornament Swap

Open to Paper Traders members only

12 Days of Christmas Ornament Swap
Skill Level: all levels
Due Date: December 5th
Host: Darlene Rolls

We did this last year and it was great fun. What you will need to do is create 11 Christmas ornaments, either the same or different, it is up to you. Have fun with embellishments, glitter, german scrap, whatever makes you feel festive and in the holiday spirit, They will need to be no larger than 4" in either direction, flat and include a string for hanging.

Each ornament will need to be individually wrapped, and marked with the number that will be assigned to you after the sign ups have ended. They must be mailed to Darlene, along with $3.00 for postage, no later than the 5th of December, so that we can start unwrapping one each day beginning on the 13th of December, with the final one opened on Christmas. Please do not post pictures of the ornament that you create so that it will be a surprise, until after Christmas.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Native American Indian

This challenge is now closed.

Certain things catch your eye,
but pursue only those that capture your heart.
~Old Indian Saying

Our theme for this challenge is Native American Indian.
Use fabric/ leather/ paper, (or digital).
Embellish with beads, feathers, wood.
Whatever you'd like to capture this wonderful theme.


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
  "American Indian". Your art must have a Native American theme or photo or image on  it.
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 November 30th, 2011.
3. After posting your "American Indian" 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!


Native American photos fb page








Our Member Inspiration Art


by Aimeslee W.

by Cathy C.


by Beckie H.