Tim Holtz Tags

I'm posting twice today because I'll be gone much of the rest of the month and want to get my holiday tags online.  I've been obsessed with following Tim Holtz's "Ten Days of Tags" at http://timholtz.typepad.com/ . He posted  instructions for a new Christmas tag each day for 12 days in a row. He posted at midnight so of course I had to stay up until midnight every night to see the new card.  He uses tons of supplies and gives 25-45 steps for making each tag. Early in the process I spent much time looking for supplies both in stores and online. On Day 1, I went to 6 different craft and art stores finding only 1 or 2 items at each store. Later in the week I was much luckier and found many of the supplies on-line. They have not arrived yet but I'll continue learning the techniques once they arrive even if it is after the holidays.
    These pictures are from Day 1 (click to enlarge). Of course one tag wasn't enough; I had to make five. I'm not happy with the end result but did learn a lot of new techniques. I tried to improvise with materials I had on hand and they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. My favorite is the one in the individual photo. I didn't use the grunge board on him that was really supposed to be grunge paper which I didn't have.

Grandchildren's Birthdays

November and December bring a rash of birthdays to our family - anniversaries too; so I've been busy trying to get cards made and out to those who might enjoy them.

My granddaughter Kiera is into the 1920's in fashion and make-up so I made her this card using scrapbooking paper. She seemed to love the card.

Danny turned 20 today and I sent him this card because he loves animals. They usually have 2-3 dogs, 5 birds,  8-9 cats, and a variety of smaller animals at any given time.

It's fun for me to watch my growth as I make cards and do other paper art - each year's cards seem a little better with more detail and precision. They also seem to enjoy the handmade touch from "grandma" almost as much as the gift that accompanies it. Tyler turned 21 in November but he seemed too old for a handmade card. Maybe next year I can think of something more appropiate for a 20+ year old young man.

Thank God for grandchildren!!!

Baby Brother's 50th Birthday

We're off to Vegas this week-end to celebrate my baby brother Paul's 50th birthday. Two sisters and their husbands are coming from Michigan, my husband and I from San Diego, and brother Paul from Denver. It should be a fun time for all of us. Since our parents both died before he was 21 he had few momentos from our family so I made him this 12" x12" wall hanging so he'd have at least a few pictures.