Custom Order and My First Rolo

 I had a customer request a set of all purpose blank note cards to use as a thank you gift, and since they were a gift, I started with whole sheets of paper instead of scraps.

This is my first altered rolo.  A rolo is a Rolodex file card that has been altered/artified/junked up.  This is for a private swap with someone in one of my groups.  She is a geek girl and her profile said no flowers. Ugh! I managed, and it looks better in person than the photo (as usual).  I hope she likes it!

Recycled Revelation #12 Swap ATC

For this ATC, we were to select four items from a list of elements to include.  The ones I chose were:

• something silver
• wrapper from something
• dictionary definition
• something music related
• any brad

Yeah, I can count, but since it was on the list... Anyway...

The silver is mylar from a flight simulator mirror that exploded before it was fully installed.  These things are terribly expensive, but once it is torn, it is not worth anything to them, so Ornery brought a piece of it home for me a couple/few years ago.  It's been waiting for a role to play in my art, and TADA! :)

The wrapper is the nutrition information from some Newman's Own Black Licorice Twists. 

The dictionary definition is the part of the tail end of a 7 Gypsies twill with Friend on it. 

There is a die cut eighth note tucked under things there, that is my something music related.

Obviously the brad is at the center of the little flower which I added because everything just looks better with flowers on it, although I haven't ever seen a black one in real life...  I also added a strip of some of my new Washi Tape!  Woot!  

Once I got started with all the components I realized it would look good if I stuck with a black and white theme, so that is what I did.  I think I will name it "Friends aren't fattening." 

Fall Theme ATC

You can click the image to see more detail, but the card itself is only 2.5 X 3.5 inches, so it is very tiny!

The banner is made from various scraps of paper and a single strand of three-strand jute. I cut a paper Prima leaf in two and added parts to the top and bottom, used my QuicKutz to make the pumpkin, also from scraps, and added some "frost" (aka Stickles glitter-glue) and a 7 Gypsies pocket watch rub-on to denote "falling back" from Daylight Savings Time.  The card itself is a Bristol card from Strathmore, covered with Basic Grey paper.  This is for a SwapBot swap.

ATC and Tag

I signed up for an ATC swap that required something punched and something yellow for two partners.  Here are my offerings...

Spritzed glimmer mist over a bamboo card, then applied the magic mesh and painted over it with twinks.  I punched the grape leaves first from scrap paper, then from the cover of an OLD hymnal.  There was actually a song printed on the cover, but it was tattered and the edges pretty beat up.  Anyway, then I added the layered paper Prima flowers, and stuck in a pair of old brass clock hands.  I was actually very pleased with the result!

This second card has Rusty Hinge distress ink stippled on over the stencil.  Then I punched more from the cover of the hymnal and added some yellow paint and a game spinner to that.  A strip of yellow inches went on next, followed by two punched paper butterflies; one is a double piece so the print is on the top and bottom of the wings, the other is glued flat, so just one layer.  I added some yellow stickles glitter to the body and drew on some antennae.  I am not sure if I am done with this one yet, but I think it meets the swap requirements as it stands.

This is the tag I made for my first private swap.  I started with a kraft tag, added part of the hymnal cover on one edge, then painted over the whole thing with African Jade Twinkling H2O paint.  I added black magic mesh to the corners, then punched some grape leaves and added the paper flowers.  The little raised paper that says peace on it is a punched tag that I punched again to make narrower, then I added the rub-on banner.  The brads do not go through the tag, but I put a little circle of paper beneath the flowers for the brad to brace against, then I glued the paper to the tag.  Finally, I finished it off with a piece of jute twine mixed with a piece of eyelash yarn.  The colors don't really come through in the picture like they do in person, but the tag is very pretty. :)

Digging Out the QuicKutz

For the most part I am too lazy to mess with making die cuts, especially those that require several different cuts on different pieces of paper, but I do have a HUGE collection of scraps, and there is nothing that is quite like little cut outs on a card.  I am part of a private swap on Swap Bot with someone who loves dogs, so I made this little card to put with her goodies.

Pen Pal Cards and Operation No Ribbon Left Behind

I have been actively looking for snail-mail pen-pals, and after I found a link that gave me lots of potential pals, I thought I might ought to make some cards to send out.  Here are a few of the 23 I made over the weekend. (Click on the image to enlarge)

These last two cards are not only made from paper scraps from the scrap bin, but the little pieces of ribbon were orphaned and left to molder in the scrap basket as well.  I sorted them by color group and then made these two cards. We don't want any ribbon left behind...

New Cards- Using up Old Stuff

 This first card is using up some really old papers and embellishments.  Why, in Scrapbooking years these are vintage!

This second card was a custom order.  The recipient has long curly red hair. See the reference I included? :)

Cards in the Etsy Shop!

Over the weekend my photographer husband took some pictures of my cards for me and I have listed several sets on my etsy shop.  Here are a few of the cards--just some of my faves...

Journal for Annie Laurie

My niece and I have started a rather delightful pen-pal relationship this spring, and I decided to send her a new journal--it had been a while.  She told me through a series of text messages that her favorite color is grey, and she especially likes it paired with navy and white stripes. I used my twinkling H2O watercolor paints and some masking tape to create the front cover.  The fly-leaves and the back cover are all grey printed papers. The wooden Scrabble letters are glued on with my favorite adhesive for such things: Fusion Glue.  The rubberized leaves (which I bought on clearance back in 2000!) are adhered with Xyron adhesive, and the little felt flowers with navy brads.  I used a grey ribbon for the book mark, and put some alphabet book binding tape on the top and bottom of the binding to help keep it nice.  The pages are graph instead of lined. It turned out pretty cute!