January Swaps

 I've joined three swaps in my online group this month.

The first one is a "winter" house - there will be three more during the year to make a total of four seasonal houses. These are approximately 7.5" h x 4" w.  I used some paper collage for the background and added a light coat of gesso over all. In the lower left corner I added a piece of vellum embossed with a snowflake folder. The edge of the roof and the bottom of the house have white texture paste sprinkled with a fine white glitter. I punched two snowflakes from a metallic white paper and added the Tim Holtz "people trio" as a focal point.

I also joined the monthly junk journal page swap. These pages are 5" x 7." There was no specific theme and I went with a winter theme since I was already in that mode.

I collaged the front with two different security envelope liners and a scrap of a vintage bill. The pocket is half of a window envelope that I collaged with scraps and added the cute little Tim Holtz girl with her coat and hat and mittens. I glued this to the page over a white doily. The tag inside is a blue paint chip with another winter image.

The back is also collaged with different papers - a piece of map, dictionary page and music paper. The pocket/tuck along the left edge is a piece of mesh "ribbon" with white dimensional spots on it (like snowflakes). This ribbon is so old I have no idea where I got it but it worked perfectly for this project! The birds-in-snow image is the front of a vintage Christmas card and the second card is a library card with a few collaged elements.

And, finally, I am hosting a tag background swap. There are 12 participants and we will all make twelve tags (7 1/4" x 3 5/8") with background only and mail one to each person. Once we receive all the tags, we will further embellish the tags with focal points, quotes, sentiments, etc. and then create a cute little book with them.

Here is my background. I did not have any ready-made tags the right size, so I made mine from old file folders. I didn't cut the tag corners at the top so that the recipients can match them up to the others that they receive. I can't wait to see the varied ones I receive!

5-Prompt Weekly Collage Challenge 2022 - Weeks 1 & 2

I am going to continue working on Margarete Miller's weekly 5-prompt collage challenge this year. In fact, I am hosting the same challenge on my online art group. posting the prompts weekly. Several members are participating with me.

I am again working in Margarete's collage planner book (which can be purchased on her site). I am trying to decide whether to use just the left page of each spread for the collage as I did last year (the right page is a week's planner) or to use the double page spread, leaving the prompts showing in the lower right corner as I did for this first week. I went back to the one page for week two. I'm ambivalent...

Week 1

 

Prompts:
1) something magical (wizard - upper right corner, right page)
2)  time (clocks)
3) translucent paper (2 script tissue papers in background)
4) furniture with legs (patio table and chairs)
5) something triangular (Louvre Museum structure)
Bonus: a place (Brescia)

Week 2

Prompts:

1) something that lives in the forest (bear; deer; raccoon)
2) scrap from a paper pad ("Just a Note")
3) playing card (either side) or portion of (Kentucky card; small 10 diamonds)
4) something postal (air mail letter; postage stamp)
5) cursive writing ("Just a Note" and script at top)
Bonus: something stapled (not used)

December Daily - Days 23-31

We're back from a week-long family "destination Christmas" in New Orleans. We had a fantastic time but exhausting - the four grand boys tire us out!

I spent the weekend catching up on the last pages of my December Daily. There was much more to document the last week of December.

Day 23

This page is smaller than the others as it's a notecard. The background is
wrapping paper and the double pocket is made from a Christmas design
glassine bag which I folded over and glued to the page. I added
a few tags for photos and journaling.

Day 24

On Christmas Eve we drove to our daughter's house near Austin.
I added a photo of the two boys at one of the highly decorated houses in their
neighborhood. The tag has journaling and is tucked into a little card in the lower 
left corner.

Day 25

For Christmas Day I used a double-page spread. On the left,
the red glitter #25 is the negative of a die cut. I added an image 
of Santa and photos of the boys opening their stockings. On the right
I added a flip journaling card. This is a 3" x 4" card from an old
Adorn-It watercolor page which I colored with Copic markers.
This page has a paper that had a vintage Santa image
so I didn't want to cover him up. I added another photo and
stapled on the two tags from the boys' gifts to me.

Days 26 & 27

Day 26 has a background of English wrapping paper which
my son brought me from London. The corner tuck at the bottom is
a stamp layered on red striped paper. I added two journaling cards.

Day 27 was the first full day of our trip. The background is tissue
paper with a few stickers and washi tape. The #27 is from a digital
set of numbers I purchased last year.

Days 28 & 29

For Day 28 I used a digital paper for the background and added
a tree washi strip at the bottom. In the upper left corner is a cluster
of various fabric, ribbon, tag, postage stamp and a button on a bulb
pin. The journaling card is an old Basic Grey punch-out and the
framed photo at the bottom with a die cut frame from
Wilna Furstenberg.

On Day 29 I used a postcard image from a Graphic 45 paper and 
another of the Adorn-It watercolor cards for journaling. We all went
to a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking that evening and
I had too many photos to add to the page so I made an accordion fold-out.

Days 30 & 31

The background of Day 30 has two pieces of scrapbook paper. The tag
at the top is an old Graphic 45 punch-out. The frame on the lower photo is
so old I don't remember where it's from!

Day 31 was the day we all left to return home so there weren't a lot of
photos or activities. The background is an old paper and I added stickers in
one of the circles for the 31. I only had a narrow strip of the pink patterned
paper left so I cut it in two and added the flip banner at the top with a photo
of the Austin grands on their way home. I turned over the remaining piece of
the paper (it was one-sided) to use the white side for journaling underneath.


Back page and Inside back cover

The back of the last page had a nice green pattern so I didn't cover
it. I added a journaling card and stamped the date with foam stamps.

The inside back cover has a paper sack (wreath) glued to the top
portion with a few strips of paper below.


Finished!

This is one chunky book! It won't close and I may have to add a ribbon closure to contain 
it all! But I love it.

Now on to a new year...