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, January 15, 2013

Challenge #1 for Life Mantras Word Prompt

If you are here to join us in our first ever
art journal challenge at the Paper Traders Blog,
YAY!!

If you just stumbled upon us,
Yay, too!
We hope you stay and join us.
(For info. on the complete challenge guide lines go here.)

Our first prompt is
"Live Simply"
and the technique required is 
include a stamped image(s)or sentiment.

What does that mean to you?
Does it mean:
Paring down your schedule?
Uncluttering your house and mind?
Eating organic?
Less hustle-bustle and more R and R.
Unplugging from the digital world occasionally?

Some inspirational quotes to get you kick-started.

As we live and as we are, Simplicity -- with a capital 'S' -- is difficult to comprehend nowadays. We are no longer truly simple. We no longer live in simple terms or places. Life is a complex struggle now. It is now valiant to be simple: a courageous thing to even want to be simple. It is a spiritual thing to comprehend what simplicity means.
~Frank Lloyd Wright

We can travel a long way and do many things, but our deepest happiness is not born from accumulating new experiences. it is born from letting go of what is unnecessary, and knowing ourselves to be always at home.
~Sharon Salzberg

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?
Albert Einstein

Our pages from the PT Mods
Beckie Holso


If you are having trouble getting started and
are freaking out looking at that blank white page,
just work on some backgrounds.
It's okay to get several backgrounds layed out in
your journal and then come back to them
to fill in with your inspiration.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Please leave your link ( to your specific blog post)
 in the linky tool below.

Posted by Cathy L. Calamas at 12:00 AM
Labels: , ,

2 comments:

fairyrocks said...

Love this page Cathy, I have been pondering this one. I did the background ahead...Now to find the right words. Keep smiling and creating

January 16, 2013 at 8:12 AM
Beansieleigh said...

Hi Cathy! Love being able to participate in this event; and I think I've already found my first entry to be not only FUN, but even somewhat therapeutic! Love your pages for this event! BEAUTIFUL!.. Thanks so much for hosting, and Happy Valentine's Day! ~tina

February 13, 2013 at 9:55 AM

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