Lenna Andrews: 3x3 Art Squares - Fabric!

 I've been wanting to make two more 3x3 squares out of fabric for our swap for some time... and then Siri's fabric squares arrived yesterday! They were an inspiration to me to jump in and just do it. 

I grabbed a box of scrap fabrics from the shelf and started choosing a few I liked. I took two 3x3 cards I had cut previously and went to my sewing machine. I cut up bits to fit the card and then tried a few decorative stitches out on my machine. When the fabric bits were sewn together, I glued them to the cards with FabriTac Glue.

Here's what I came up with... the 2 on the top are the new ones I described above and the one below it I made last month but hadn't shared with you yet. That one is made of part of a piece of fabric I sun printed using a leaf and watered down acrylic paint some time ago. 

I hope you enjoy this variation on the Art Squares . . . I will be swapping them out as well as the others I shared in the original post for this swap. Have fun and I will see you in the Mail! 

Siri Opdal : 3x3 Art Squares

All the way from Norway, we have Siri Opdal's 3x3 Art Squares created with fabric! She enclosed a note to let me know she enjoyed using silk scraps leftover from other projects to make these squares. Siri utilized a number of fancy stitches on her sewing machine and hand sewed sequins to some of her squares.... they are so lovely! She sent in 9 Art Squares to swap and an additional one for me. Thank you, Siri!

Siri is another long-time Creative Swaps participant who started in 2010 with our "4x4 Roads+Paths" swap. I feel very fortunate to have so many of you return to join another swap with me! It's such a nice complement to the newer participants we have with us. 

Thank you all! 

Today is November 3rd... that means 17 days for me to receive your squares! I know a couple of envelopes are on their way... If you are able to let me know when you mail them, please do! If you haven't started yet, there's still time. Get out some supplies and start playing with them, you'll be surprised how easily that can spark an idea. See you in the Mail!

Catherine Mommsen: 3x3 Art Squares

Over the weekend I received Catherine Mommsen's 6 wonderful Art Squares to enjoy and swap, yippee! Catherine creates cyanotypes, does pen & ink art and creates handstitched artist books. This is her 5th Creative Swap, starting in 2011 with the Little Book Swap. She made 4 tiny books for that swap, you can view them there following that link! 

I have seen many of Catherine's cyanotypes on her Instagram account: Cyandiary.2023 and I knew these were cyanotype pieces, but they didn't have the sun printing that I usually associate with it. So I asked Catherine about that and I am going to quote what she explained to me... 

"You are right about cyanotype.  A mineral solution is mixed and applied to a substrate.  This produces a UV sensitive “film”.  Anything you place on the film before exposing it to UV light blocks the light and creates the image. What is left exposed develops into lovely blues.  There are many ways to manipulate the process. In this case, I re-used failed cyanotype prints by painting solution over the piece, exposing it to sunlight again, but rather than blocking the sunlight to create an image, I leave it blank to get the lovely Prussian blue color, and then create the image by drawing on it with white ink.  So these cards are basically white ink on paper dyed with cyanotype solution/wash." 

Her pen and ink work is so detailed and the Prussian blue so rich and deep. I am glad to have six of her squares to swap! She also went above and beyond and gifted me a beautiful handstitched artist book I had admired on her separate Instagram account that holds her stitching & drawing: imajicaamadoro. 

I've made an album to share the handstitched book, if you'd like to see it, please go here.

Thank you, Catherine!! 

Looking forward to seeing all of your entries -in my hands by November 20th! I have received six swap entries, including my own and am expecting 12 more. :) 

Gunvor Storck: 3x3 Art Squares

I'm happy to announce that more Art Squares have arrived for our Creative Swap, this time from Sweden! It took 2 weeks for this international mail to arrive. Even mail delivery within the U.S. can take 3-5 days, so make sure to plan for your swaps to arrive in my mailbox by November 20th.

Gunvor Andersson Storck has sent in six squares. Three of them have a watercolor background, complete with splatters (my favorite) and on top of that, she rubberstamped flowers in black. Then images of sweet little girls were cut out to add and Gunvor gave them 'music sheet' paper wings! 

I'm pretty sure the background on the other three squares is made from washi tape strips... the black & white contrast really adds energy to the small squares. And it looks like she rubberstamped the tulips, added watercolor and then cut them out. They are glued down and then the squares were finished with some great sayings...  Brilliant!

Gunvor joined Creative Swaps for the first time in 2008, for the Valentine Ornament Swap. Since then, over the years she participated in the Little Books swap and also 'By The Sea' ATCs.... They can all be viewed HERE. This marks her 4th swap with me! Thanks so much for your participation, Gunvor, I'm so glad that you have joined us again. 

Heather Clawson: 3x3 Art Squares

Today I received 6 wonderful 3x3 Art Squares from Heather Clawson in Georgia. She also made an extra one for me, which is very kind (but not required). I love that her squares are different from the previous Art Squares we've received: Laura's, Sabine's and the ones I made. If you are not looking at the Creative Swaps Blog, go there, scroll down, and you'll be able to see the earlier submissions. 

Heather used a Sharpie waterproof pen to draw a variety of horses and then used watercolor pencils to individualize each one. I love the style of her drawings and how each horse has a different personality because of the way she colored them. Heather include a self-addressed envelope that had a postage stamp featuring a horse as well! 

Postage is included in this swap, so no worries about that. If you wish, instead of a self-addressed envelope, you can include a medium size self addressed mailing label (not a small return address type, please). Or, clearly write your address on an appropriate size piece of paper for an envelope! Any of these methods makes it easier and quicker for me to return your swapped Art Squares to you.

This is Heather's first Creative Swap! She belongs to an Artist Trading Card group on Facebook but searched the web for another "small art" swap to do. Welcome, Heather! We are lucky to have you. 

There are 5 weeks to get them delivered to me! ALL Art Squares need to be IN MY HANDS on November 20th to be part of the swap. I can't wait to receive yours!  :0) Lenna

Sabine Busch: 3 x 3 Art Squares

All the way from Germany, we have received 3 art squares for the swap. Sabine added an extra one for me... thank you, Sabine. I love it when a participant sends me an extra one, but it's not required at all. 

Just for your info, it took 3 weeks for Sabine's art squares to travel from Germany to Florida. I'd say this is typical of the amount of time it takes for international mail. Sometimes, the mail comes in as little as 5 days and other times it takes 5 weeks! So if if your mailing internationally, please do so soon. ALL of your swaps must be in my hands by November 20th to be included in our art squares swap. 

Without further ado, here are Sabine's ART Squares! 

Sabine told me she used Lynn Perrella rubber stamps, combined with collage to create her squares. Aren't they beautiful? I admire Sabine's talent in filling a small card so full of art! Sabine has been with me since 2010 and this is her 10th Creative Swap! Here is a link to all her creative swap entries.

See you in the mail! 

Laura Hummel: 3 x 3 Art Squares!

The very first entry for our 3x3 Art swap has arrived in my mailbox! Laura Hummel from Maryland has sent in 6 squares. They are all different... collage, doodles with acrylic markers, layers & drawing. I love the variety and I always enjoy seeing her art in my swaps. ;0)

Laura has participated in Creative Swaps since 2010! She has made and swapped postcards, ATCs, Little Books, Prayer Flags, Vintage Note cards, Mail Art and more! 

Here are the Art Squares Laura sent in for this swap:

Thank you! 

I am so excited to start sharing what you have created. I love the variety of responses that come in, I find it inspirational. Keep them coming! They must be received by November 20th!

3x3 Art Squares - A new Creative Swap

Hello! 

Yes, it has been a minute... or rather 3 years. During this time, our energy was focused on my mother, who we learned had Alzheimer's as well as multiple comorbidities. She passed peacefully in her sleep in July... and we are relieved that she did not have to live through these difficulties anymore. Having her gone has taken some adjusting. We visited her at Memory Care 4 or 5 times a week. Even though we knew her time was limited, it was still a shock. In addition, her sweet older dog Beda who we were caring for, passed exactly one month before her. Our daily responsibilities and purpose were gone.... but time heals and we are in a new phase of our lives.

I am glad to be announcing a new swap, 3x3 Art Squares. I will join the swap myself, as I love being able to trade will you! Below are the 3x3 (7.62 x 7.62 cm) squares I will be swapping. These squares were made as part of a 365 project where I created something representing each day of the year in 2018 and 2019. I have held onto them long enough and thought it might be special to share part of that project in this swap. Making art pieces for me is truly more about the process, than the result. I do art because of how it makes me feel! 

For more information about the 3x3 ART Squares Swap and how you can join, visit the Swap Registration Page on this Blog. Once you have read about it, follow the Link on that page to to view a PDF file of the full requirements/instructions if you are still interested!

Warmly, Lenna 

ATCs swapped & sent: By the Sea

6/28/2023: The 'By the Sea' themed ATCs have all been swapped & sent out. Participants in this swap should be receiving them soon. Let me know what you think! 

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

What a great swap, thank you!

By the Sea ATC swap has closed! ;O)

News Alert! 

All of the ATCs for this swap that I was expecting to receive have arrived in my mailbox on time. I am so pleased everyone's ATCs got here! Now it's time for me to swap them out. I have cleared my plate for tomorrow and will get right to it. :0) 

I'll let you know when I've sent them off by announcing it here. 

Housekeeping Note: I had a couple of participants who had difficulty recently in making more than one comment in a row, so I changed the format of how comments are entered on the blog. This new format was tested & it works! Comments are always welcome. I have updated the instructions for commenting and you'll find them below. You can also view them anytime on the creative swaps blog: https://creativeswaps.blogspot.com 

Just look for the "How to leave a comment" page link, above the most recent post.

Instructions for commenting: To make a comment on a post you need to be on the blog itself, not a reader or blog email service. Scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on the words where it says in very small letters :: No Comments or 2 comments...etc. This is a link that opens the post to display comments. If there aren't many comments, you'll need to scroll up to see a white box that says: Enter Comment. 

After clicking the 'Enter Comment' box you will see the words "Comment as". If you are logged into Google, your Google profile name should appear. If not, click the down arrow to choose either 'Anonymous' - or your Name (and your website URL if applicable). Type your comment into the space provided and click publish! Your comment will be sent to me to approve. 

**You will not see your comment published immediately, as all comments are moderated. This helps to keep the blog spam-free.

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

Rena Matus: By the Sea ATC swap

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."

These are definitely a creative response to the by the sea call. Including this one, Rena has now been in 17 creative swaps! So glad to have you in this one, Rena. Thank you! 

Yvette Snowden: By the Sea ATC swap

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! 

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!

Thank you, Yvette! 

Jessica Sierra: By the Sea ATC swap

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! 

Lenna Andrews: By the Sea ATC swap!

 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! 

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.... 

Sabine Schneider: By the Sea ATC swap

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.

The time is near . . .Soon I will be swapping all of the ATCs.

You'll have some wonderful mail art & ATCs in your hands, before too long! I aim to swap them out promptly. 

❤Thanks to everyone!

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