oranges and lemons

Today's ATC  was another experiment.

I was trying out a little bead tray that came with some beads as a stamp.  I thought it looked like cut oranges and tried it out on a piece of heavy watercolour paper.  It worked really nicely, even leaving a bit of texture from the paper.
But here's the difference - I didn't use a stamp pad.  I didn't use a brush with any kind of paint.
I used a liquid shoe polisher, the type that is in a bottle with a sponge on the end.  It made a great stamp and tended to resist the watercolour I added next (if it was thick enough and the lines were continuous enough)
I coloured the orange and lemon with water colour, dried that, then added a few lines in coloured markers.  On the orange, I went over this with a metallic orange oil pastel.
I finished with a little yellow brad in each centre - oh and the background was a bit of watercolour, too.

I have been finding lots of great quotes on Pinterest and here is one I love.

If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present.
Author: Lao Tzu

Well some of these apply to me!