Mailart Monday: Tattooed Map Tag

 The Tattooed Map Thank You to Angie & Snooky

15 February 2012

4 x 6 inch collaged cardboard tag

 Reverse of The Tattooed Map to Angie & Snooky

 

The Tattooed Map 2 for me

16 February 2012

4 x 6 inch collaged cardboard tag

Currently decorating our interior front door window

Fly Away with Me CPS 249

For some reason, I thought I might keep working on winter holiday cards; you know, get a head start for next year while I still have all the supplies at hand. My, do I have a lot of supplies for Christmas cards. When I cleaned it all up, I needed one of my old suitcases in order to store everything together (and I haven't tried to close it yet.)

Front of card, CPS 249

But alas, I remembered I had one more new Tim Holtz Sizzix die to try, the winged heart. I was saving it for Valentine cards. So, I've let go of Christmas (though I'll listen to the music a few more days) and I made a few Valentines. I used a simple sketch from Card Positioning Systems (#249) and went wild with glitter, vintage lace, buttons (French glass) and postage stamps. The paper is 7gypsies "Lille" and Papertrey cardstock on a PaperSource Luxe card. So many lovely bits collected and brought together on this card!

Interior of above card

I did some machine sewing around the edges, a straight stitch with zigzag accents. I had a few comments on a previous post where I mentioned machine stitching, and I am embarrassed to say I have yet to answer the questions, so I'll do that now!

I have a sturdy old Singer machine, Model 401A, that I use for all my sewing (fabric or paper.) I use a ball point needle when sewing on paper to avoid dulling sharps. (Ball points are normally used for sewing knit fabric, something my machine refuses to do.) Sometimes thread tension can be a problem, so I recommend sewing on a scrap of paper and then adjusting before sewing the final project. Longer stitch length will make fewer holes and therefore create less chance of tearing the paper. You can use an unthreaded machine to create perforations, if that's what you're trying to achieve. I have mailed postcards with machine stitching naked (without an envelope) and they seem to travel well. If I add buttons, the cards always go into envelopes. Better for the cards, better for the postal machines!

Happy crafting!

Quilt #14 and Fun with Die Cuts #15

I'm back, with two cards to make up for missing yesterday! I call this a Pocket Tag Card. As I noted before, I like tags and cards that do something more that just open in the usual manner. I was making some library pocket cards, and this design grew from that. I have been using this basic style for quite some time, though I continue to tweek details. I recently began sewing the sides closed instead of gluing them, and I changed the tag style. I often use these for my own notes, and several mail friends told me they enjoyed reusing the pocket. A bunch of these will soon leave my desk and travel to the quilt museum.

Here's a bit of fun for today.
I spent my quiet time playing with an owl Sizzix die.

Rather sweet with it feathered belly!

#8 Travel Cards

I created six similar cards in this series using a lovely set of papers and embellishments from The Girls Paperie. I was hoping to finish them before this year's vacation, but I'm writing notes and sending them off into the world now. They will travel near and far, even if I am stuck at home with the kiddos due to Hurricane Lee. I have heard of snow days, but this is my first flood day!

Card A Day #4

This is one of my very own layouts, created to show off the plastic tab and employ a button closure. I love cards that DO something, cards that are a little more interactive. The two tags hang free on the safety pin for more moving parts. I love that diner stamp; used postage has been a favorite embellishment for some time now. My label on the back tells me I made this back in 2009, and it is the last one of its kind in my stock. I will send it off as a birthday card this month, and then maybe I'll make some more.
K & Company printed papers,
Papertrey Ink cardstock, buttons, and sentiments,
additional embellishments from my collection.

Interior 1

Interior 2