Toy Surprise Inside

Good Friday to all my crafty friends! When I was a kid, I used to LOVE Cracker Jacks and the best part was the toy surprise inside! They really didn't amount to much, plastic who ha's at best, but never the less, it was exciting to find it inside! So imagine my delight when I found my SURPRISE from just about the sweetest gal in the world in my mailbox yesterday!!!! Unlike the Cracker Jack who ha's, this surprise was gold because it was from my pal Jackie Neal over on Google+!!  Jackie I loved your homemade postcard and it brought the biggest smile to my face! I could almost image being there with that Mr. Snowman! I can't thank you enough for a bright spot in my evening because actually, yesterday was a buzzard of a day and you made everything better! Thank you so much dear sweet lady!

My project today was TOTALLY inspired by my good friend Ruth over on Google+. Ruth is an amazing and talented artist that ALWAYS comes up with creative projects that I just love! Yesterday she shared these wonderful ATC's that she did over on her blog and I just went nuts over them! I love doing ATC's and I LOVE butterflies, so I had to do a couple myself! 

These guys were so much fun to make especially since I already had in my mind what I wanted to do. I started both of these guys by spraying them with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in Ponderosa Pine Olive and then Distressing the edges with distress Vintage Photo. I then applied the corrugated cardboard piece (which I love) that I found in the bargain bin, yay me, with Aleene's.

I have this great stamp from Unity Stamps that I love to use and I simply stamped with Archival Ink in black on some scrapbook paper that I had. I fussy cut it out with some "crafty" scissors that I had and then distressed with Vintage Photo. I love this butterfly die that I got with my Big Shot for Christmas and I have been soooo wanting to use it, so I simply took two different scrap papers, one beige, one blue and die cut the butterflies. I distressed the edges with Vintage Photo and then used glitter from Fin's Art Ingredients line, from the Abloom set on top. Let me just say that this stuff is like sugar! I love it! I finished those guys by making the body with Fin's Art Ingredients Glass Beads in Licorice.

I have a whole tower of Prima flowers that I use in projects. I like the ones I have because they are all beige allowing me to color them to suit whatever project I am doing. I used Lindy's sprays from the same set as before in Ponderosa Pine and Tibetan Poppy Teal on the flowers and then embellished with the same glitter as the butterflies. I also added a little embellishment in the middle on both from, I believe, Paper Studio. I just simply then hot glued both to the ATC's. Lastly I took another favorite of mine from Fin's products, the Art Ingredients Mica Flakes, Frosted, and just randomly glued them around the ATC. What gave me the idea to do that was you know how in the morning when the light is just coming around and you see the butterflies flying and these little white puffs flying around? I love that! Maybe they are shoots off of dandelions, I don't know, but I love how it looks...real magical or something. Anyway, that was the idea! LOL So, voila!

Thanks Ruth for the great inspiration, it was so much fun! What's on your table for the weekend? I hope lots of crafty fun! I will be starting my Week 3 in my Take me Deeper journal over the weekend and I am looking forward to it!

Many blessings for an amazing weekend! :)