eller

...aaaand the third ATC made with the help of the craft materials sent to me by Up-Quark.



I still had a large clock sticker and two metallic pens I had not used yet at all, soooo, I had to use them on this card! The materials used are:

By the way, I'm sure the jeweler doesn't just make jewelry: he also has tools for much rougher work out, and the scales seem a bit big for small stones... All this sparkly stuff has to be a front. The question is what the lady REALLY wants in the store! Presumably, it's not purely for, uh, fashionable purposes... XD

Another page filled in the sketchbook from antaresnox. I'm trying to draw something fast every day. The forsythia is in front of the house... And, of course, rhododendron is everywhere.



It's kind of fascinating: rhododendron is an invasive plant, and when I was a kid, people started to plant it in their gardens deliberately "because the bugs don't eat it". This used to be true, except, oh wait, these days they do... I suppose we're seeing some evolution in progress. XD

This is an ATC forum game again: Up-Quark sent me an envelope with 15 different craft supplies, and I have to use them on ATCs.

( Here's a picture of the art supplies. )

My first ATC is IN SPACE, and it's a shaker ATC again, because hey, why not?

I used the following eight materials:
- space washi tape (background of the large window)
- die-cut (colored in; can be shaken in the large window)
- narrow striped washi tape (in the small window, where the lady is working, as background)
- Wire (unfortunately not clearly visible on the scan, but also in the small window; here's a detail photo https://ibb.co/p1ZsDvh in case you're interested)
- white textured transparent paper (the lady's clothes; I colored on it but the texture is intact)
- blue narrow washi tape (the lamp holder on the top right)
- light green transparent paper (the monitors at the top; I drew on it, but the color is still coming through)
- World map/globe motif paper (on the monitor on the left edge; I put shading on it)

So, I took a simple Morakniv 120 (I think I've already mentioned it's the gold standard in the 'store-bought puukko-type knife that's somewhat useable' category) and modified it according to my personal needs.

( Knife nerdery - reshaping the handle )

Thank you SOOOOO much yhlee for this awesome knife bookmark! :D I will never lose the page in one of my knife books again! :3

These ATCs are for a swap that challenged us to use new materials. So, I used some things from my advent calendar and from Christmas. :)

Michael Harding watercolors and Schmincke opaque white on paper from a Paul Rubens watercolor sketchbook (hot pressed, 300gsm).

The Unforeseen Gambit (100 words) by EllerWrites
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Human Character(s), sentient sword - Character
Additional Tags: Chess, Swords, Fantasy, Chess Tournaments, Drabble, Magical Artifacts
Summary:

Eileen and her magical sword are playing a chess tournament.

According to archaeology, everything has "religious reasons" anyway - but, this time, I'm going to review a shitty knife that really has a folk magic background. That's... not entirely uncommon in Northern Europe, and in many cultures you will find folk beliefs around knives, as well as dual-use knives with worldly purposes as well as an inbuilt anti-evil-spirit function. They're actually kind of hard to avoid unless you stick to the factory-made stuff. (Most knifemakers take pride in making knives that keep their customers safe, and in many European cultures this can include spiritual protection. I'm on the team of: that's nice, I appreciate the thought, as long as it doesn't interfere with the worldly stuff I want the knife for.)

This, uh, fascinating pocketknife is from Bavaria (Southern Germany), made by a lady with a Bavarian name, using Bavarian magic symbolism, and sold with a product description that explicitly listed "protection from evil" - so, Bavarian magic knife, yay! (I'm not a Bavarian, but I know enough about that culture to recognize some of their folk magic elements. Also: they're not what makes it a shitty knife.)

A note about cultural sensitivity: I will be mocking this knife-shaped object quite mercilessly, but not because it works on local Bavarian evil spirits. I'm mocking it because it works on nothing but local Bavarian evil spirits (and maybe some very soft cheese).

( Let's take a look! )

It's just shitty work. The design? Shitty. The execution of said design? Shitty. The useability? Shitty. (And downright dangerous.) This definitely qualifies as a shitty knife all around (except maybe for the magic). I love it.

An ATC for Salamandea, who collects drawings of people playing musical instruments. Of course, I had to draw one of the things I play!

EPIC FASHION WIN



Got these today in my advent calendar from Eleisis. Yep, that's pink resin with a lot of glitter - the timeless classic for rune charms. (Clip earrings because I don't have ear piercings.) I am in awe. Clearly, Eleisis understands my style of thinking very well... When in doubt, go for pink glitter! The runes are dagaz and raido, chosen for excellent reasons. :D I absolutely LOVE them!