January Tag Swap "Baby It's Cold Outside"

   With the start of the new year I decided to start a new kind of swap. I got this idea from a friend, Mary Redford. She sent me a couple tags that she made for me. All I had to do was see them and I was in love. These are over-sized tags. They are 4"x6". I laughingly told her that a few more and I would have a Mary Book. That gave me another idea. Why not have a tag swap? I decided that each month I would announce a theme. This swap would be one for one. They would be the generous 4"x6" size of Mary's tags. They would be finished on both sides leaving a 1/2" bottom border unfinished so that I could score them and add double sided tape to each one before swapping them out. That way as each person received their return tag they would be able to put them together into their own tag book.

THESE ARE THE TAGS MARY SENT TO ME

Mary Redford

Mary Redford

Mary Redford

THIS IS MY JANUARY TAG

Front

Back

   A few days before Christmas we had an ice storm. Almost everyone in the area lost their power. We were lucky. We didn't lose our power. Maybe if we had I wouldn't have thought the ice storm was so beautiful. I couldn't help myself, I stayed on the warm side of the window and took these beautiful shots through the glass. I cropped them and had them printed. I cut out my tag and edged it with glitter. Then I used scissors with a deckled  edge to trim them back some so that the glitter would show on the edges. I glued my picture in place. I used an icicle cutting file to cut out the icicles from white copy paper. I then mixed white pearl and blue pearl acrylic paint together making a very light cool blue. I painted the icicles and then I used an embossing pad to coat their surface and then sprinkled UTEE over them. I used a heat gun and melted the UTEE. I did this twice more. This is a technique called Cracked Glass. After they cool to room temperature they crack. I done the same with the lettering. The snowflake on the back was first stamped with the paint onto white copy paper and then cut out. Then I used The Cracked Glass technique on it. The smaller snowflakes were punched out of white glitter paper and a silver holographic gift bag. I layered them and then glued them in place. I finished the tag off with two decorative fibers for the tag tie.

THESE ARE THE TAGS FOR THE SWAP

Sandi Hamel

Carol Kirkland

Judy Lawson

Kathy Keller

  Jeanne McCarthy

Kathy Scholl

Barbara Hahn

 Jennifer Spirko

Donna "DeJa" Staton

Donna "DeJa" Staton

   These are the first tags of our new swap. I couldn't be more pleased. I'm sure that everyone is going to love their first tag. I know that I love them all. I can hardly wait to see what February's tag are like. The theme for February is "Vintage Romance". I am so excited. These are so wonderful! I can't imagine what our talented artists will create for February's "Vintage Romance".

Thanks for visiting and Thank you DeJa for the beautiful hostess tag.

Take Care

Kathy

When I Was A Kid Scrapbook Page

  Many of you don't know that before I started making ATC's I made cards. Before I made cards I made scrapbook pages. Yup. I started out as a scrapbooker. In the past couple of years I have spent so much time doing everything but scrapbooking that I am so far behind that I will never catch up. Not that I ever would have. Now I have a need to get some scrapbooking done. My granddaughter will graduate from high school in two short years. My daughter and granddaughter informed me that I have been elected to make the scrapbook that will be displayed at her open house. That is the trend now days, at least where we're from.

 WHEN I WAS A KID

Left page

Right Page

   I guess that all of you now know how old I am. A granddaughter soon to graduate, and the tell all of all times...black and white pictures! I call this my black and white phase. I never thought that it would be fun to do a black and white scrapbook page, until I started on it. I found this really great background paper that featured black and white ribbon trims. I picked up on those and matted my photos on layers of matching papers. The large pictures are matted four times before placing the photos off center. The rick rack is real. The small photos are matted either on black or white and the ribbon and bows are real. Some of the flowers where brought and some were handmade. The tags that I hand printed on were from an old download. I used them for my journaling...which is just the simple message "I'm Going Places I Just Don't Know How Or Where".

  These pictures told such a cute story that I felt the message was enough. These are pictures of my big brother and me together on riding toys. These pictures were badly damaged in a house fire. I spent days and weeks restoring them. Nothing that I would want to ever do again. The first picture had daddy in but his head was burnt off so I removed the rest of him from the picture and placed a suitcase where he was standing. The picture of the my brother and me, the woman with the apron on is my grandmother. We are riding a red fire truck. I'm sorry about the glare of the flash burning out the fire truck. In the picture it is all there.

   On the second page the tractor that I'm sitting on was badly damaged and I replaced the top front of the tractor. The very last picture on this page tells a lot about my attitude. As you can see I'm looking in another direction and trying to pull away.

   As I said earlier I need to get back to scrapbooking. So I have started a Yahoo Group called ScrapbookNook_. I have joined other scrapbook websites before only to find that some will only let you post a picture of your page if you use their products whether it's their die cuts, their machine, stickers or embellishments. Either that or they get so large that sooner or later I can't even find my own scrapbook pages. What I was looking for was a few people that like me would like a small group of scrapbookers to share with. I decided that the only way to get that was to make a group for us. So if you are interested in joining that small informal group... I'm asking for members. Please leave a message below and I will send you an invitation.

  

I Have Been Creating Art

   Recently I have been busy making ATC's for swaps. Unfortunately I really don't like to show the ATC's that I've made until the swap is over and I have my returns so that I can show them on my blog. Since New Years I have made ATC's for the New Years Resolutions, Inchies, Twinchies, and Embossing swaps.
    I am also hosting a new swap called Tag Of The Month. Each month I announce the theme and everyone that signs up for that month makes a tag in keeping with that theme. I prep them by scoring them and putting double sided tape on the back of each tag. When each person gets their tag they will be able to put them together into a tag book.
    I am also hosting a Wizard Of Oz swap and I am busy making the ATC's for that. I think that these are probably the most complicated ATC's that I will ever make.
   I am also making another Bird Box Book. I love fairies so I have been spending a lot of time on the internet looking for a fairy the right size for my book. I finally found one at Micheal's. It is perfect except for the color. I will change it from aqua and mustard yellow to blue to match my book.
   So in the days ahead expect to see a lot of new blog posts popping up. I hope that all of you are keeping busy creating art.

Take Care
Kathy    

Christmas Past, Present, And Future Update

   I received my returns for Christmas, Past, Present,and Future. As promised I updatde that blog. Check out Christmas Past, Present and Future below to see these wonderful ATC's.

Happy New Years

 

 I hope that everyone had a better Christmas than I did. I was so sick I feel asleep and burned the Christmas ham. The day after Christmas I ended up at a walk in clinic. I had been fighting a terrible cold. I could fight no longer. A week later and I do feel better but not quite right yet.
   I want to take the time to wish everyone the greatest New Year that they have ever had. From my house to yours. I will soon be creating again so be sure to check in from time to time.

Take Care
Kathy