I did a favor for a co-worker, and friend, by making some silhouettes for her to give as gifts.  The subjects were two little girls that she babysits.  There are different ways of of making a silhouette; Here's a brief description of my method... 

I take a digital photograph, load it into Paint, and black out the image.  Then I print it out onto regular computer paper, cut out the image, trace it onto good paper and very carefully cut it out. 

Would you like to see more silhouettes or get detailed instructions on how to make one?  Then go to me new Silhouettes page. 

I recently joined a website called Swap-Bot.  You can join swaps, or create your own, where you trade goods with people around the country or around the world.  A lot of these swaps consist of hand made items such as ATC's (Artist Trading Cards), Inchies and Dotee Dolls.  I had heard of Artist Trading Cards before, but not Inchies or Dotee Dolls.  Over the past week I have signed up for several swaps and have been busy making ATC's.  I've experimented with inchies too, but for now I'm going to just focus on ATC's.  With Christmas quickly approaching, I don't have much time to experiment; Dotee Dolls will just have to wait.

ATC's have proved to be a little challenging, but very rewarding.  Really, the only requirement is that they be 2.5in by 3.5in.  They can be any medium you wish.  I've collaged, stamped, painted, and sewn so far.  Each ATC swap on Swap-Bot has certain requirements you must meet, this helps to give you a goal to reach for.  It's nice to be creative on such a small scale and to make something simple but beautiful.

Be sure to check the new ATC's page for new creations.