I've created an Animoto slideshow of all the cards... see below!
Link: https://animoto.com/play/seGs6L1IaPNtmp12iVbqFg
I've also added it to my YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKXjRBZhWg
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Thanks!
I look forward to swapping all the creative art that has come in over the past 2 months and sending your swaps off near and far to all of you! You'll be hearing from me again in the next few days with an update. ;0) lenna
From Rena Matus in Connecticut (my home state) we have 6 ATCs and an extra one, so appreciated. My husband was already eyeing which one I should keep! I know Rena & her sister Dottie (also in our swap) from in-person mixed media classes I taught in CT. So nice to be in contact with them again and have their participation in this swap!
Rena made some very cool and different fabric ATCs. She told me they were made from fabric, but they were so flexible and yet protected. I asked her how she made them....
"All I used was matte Mod Podge. I brushed a layer on the fabric, added a napkin design, brushed on more, added frontage fragment elements and glitter, then another quick brushing of more mod podge. I did a little bit of stamping on the fabric and added a few white lines. The trick was trying to add my info on the back without it showing through on the front. White gel pen on tissue paper worked the best."
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Yvette Snowden sent in 3 ATCs plus an extra for me from Maryland. I was happy to see her respond to my ATC swap call. This is her 6th creative swap and the last time she participated was in 2011. In my early years hosting, Yvette was part of the Little Book swap, the Mail Art swap, Technique Tag swap, Garden Variety Postcards and the Tag Book swap. She told me she was delighted I emailed her about the new swap & was looking forward to more swap creativity!
Here are her ATCs. I really liked the sentiment she added: 'Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens every day can end beautifully'. So lovely!
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When I opened her envelope, I had quite a surprise. Yvette enclosed a collage I had made & sent to her in 2011... maybe something to do with the Little Book swap? That was quite a large swap with around 50 participants! The collage I sent Yvette included a photo of me from 1979 and one of my grandmother when she was a little girl. I could not believe Yvette still had it 12 years later!! I had forgotten about it and I'm not even sure I have a photo of it. Anyway, I thought it was just so sweet to send it back to me. I'm glad to see it again!
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Thank you, Yvette!
From Jessica Sierra in Connecticut, 6 ATCs and an extra one for me! Jessica used the clever theme of "Message in a Bottle" for her ATCs. She told me she really enjoyed making them & seeing her idea come to life on such a small scale. Her creative use of fabric for the waves with the tiny message in a bottle is awesome. She even added sand! This is Jessica's first creative swap with me, welcome!
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Hello! I decided to make 3 more ATCs myself for our swap, so now I have a total of 6 ATCs to trade. This time I pulled out some of my ocean themed rubber stamps and enjoyed creating with them. Here's what I made!
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| The backs |
There are just a few more days to get your ATCs to me... by this Saturday, the 24th! If you know you won't be able to get them in on time, no worries. Things happen & I do understand. If you can let me know if you've sent them or you won't be able to, that would be wonderful. Thanks! It's exciting to be wrapping this swap up and it's been great. I hope you enjoyed making your ATCs and watching all the awesome ATCs come in. Each set has been unique and I've really enjoyed it!
See you in the mail soon....
Two sets of 3 ATCs, plus 1 extra one have arrived from Sabine Schneider in Germany! I'm so excited that all the International mail has arrived on time. There is one more week to go... All ATCs need to be in my hands by June 24th. Please let me know if you don't think you can make the deadline, I would appreciate it. I hope you can send them in now, but if not, just let me know. No worries!
Sabine has made seven fabric ATCs that she sewed to a sturdy paper base. They are so lovely! Thank you, Sabine for all your wonderful fabric and collage art over the years. Can you believe this is Sabine's 17th creative swap! She started doing swaps with me in 2009... that's fabulous.
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Whew! Can you believe it took 6 weeks for Marion's ATCs to arrive in my mailbox from Germany? Marion sent her ATCs out on May 2nd and I just received them today. Both of us were wondering if they would ever show up. I am so glad they did, and so is Marion! She made a set of 3 ATCs, an extra one for me & a beautiful card. See for yourself!
This is Marion's 8th creative swap and she has sent in so many wonderful creations. Thank you for all your efforts Marion, including International mailing!
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On Saturday, I received an envelope full of Fabric ATCs from Pamela Gonzalez! It held two sets of ATCs, plus 1 extra for me, whee! I do appreciate the extras very much, but if you are short on time to finish them, remember there is no requirement to make an extra.
All of the ATCs need to be in my hands on June 24th, which is now 11 days away. I would love to see all of your ATCs, so don't be shy!
The saying Pamela used on her cards, "I need vitamin sea" is so adorable! And the way she cut out the marine characters and placed them on the fabric backing with a little padding to make them dimensional is so appealing! This is Pamela's 5th swap!
Thanks so much for participating and sending in these lovely ATCs, Pamela.
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From Barbara Johnson in Illinois, 2 sets of ATCs (plus an extra one) came in on Saturday. Yay! Thanks so much Barbara. These ATCs are very intricate with lots of teeny dots that look like they were done with acrylic paint pens. I found them mesmerizing! This is Barbara's 11th creative art swap and it is lovely to have her participating again. She has made some wonderful things for our swaps. Click on photos for more detail.
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I received 2 sets of ATCs (plus one extra and a postcard) from my friend Paula Farrington. She gave them to me in person on Friday! Paula lives in the Bahamas and Florida. She was in Florida and came up our way to visit with me & my husband for the weekend. Paula and I had a wonderful time doing some slow stitching in my studio and seeing a couple of great exhibits at the Ringling Museum. We watched the movie Napoleon Dynamite (and laughed!). We also really enjoyed my husband Steve's delicious cooking. We time spent outside sitting by the river in the shade and had fun with our sweet dog daisy! (and the cats).
Paula made 2 sets of 'by the sea' ATCs with lovely collage and painted backgrounds. The vintage images and circular sections of an ARTChix Seaside word image sheet completes them perfectly. I love Paula's style. She is a great friend and amazing artist! This is her 3rd creative art swap.
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From Sweden, Gunvor Storck's ATCs have arrived in my mailbox. Gunvor created 2 sets of 3 ATCs and included an extra one for me, so sweet! Her cards are colorful and fun, with a cute round fish looking out at us from under the sea. Lots of bubbles are included, both stamped and also a few small dimensional ones. She did a lot of cutting out for these ATCs, both the fish and seaweed. This makes these cards really stand out! This is Gunvor's 3rd creative swap, see her earlier entries here.
