Alpha Stamps Garden Variety Swap: animoto

If you do not see the video, go here.

A postcard and ATC swap (art exchange) using the summer garden collage materials from Alpha Stamps. This swap was hosted by Lenna Young Andrews in August 2010 on creativeswaps.blogspot.com. This video shares one swap piece from each of the 49 participants. They hailed from all over the the USA, plus Scotland and Germany - Wow!

All garden variety swaps are sent!!

ATC by Val Cowan

Just a quick note to let you know that ALL of the Alpha Stamps garden variety swap packages have been sent - phew! What a large swap this was! Never before did I have to make 4 trips to the post office to make sending swaps manageable, but I have never had 49 participants either! I hope you enjoy your swap returns, and as always I try to exchange pieces based on what I think you might like from looking at your own work. If you have a chance to leave a comment here or email the group that would be lovely, and of course so appreciated! If you need any emails to thank someone please drop me a note.
Inside your swap packages you'll find a mini card with my artwork on  the front. This is where I made them; Moo is highly recommended!

*Congratulations to Sabine Schneider and Cat Dodt-Ellis!!*

Sabine and Cat have won 'Most Creative' in this swap for her Postcards (Sabine) and for her ATC (Cat).  I am so very pleased and happy to say CoNGrATuLaTiOns to both of them for their very creative art work for the Alpha Stamps garden variety swap. Here are Sabine's postcards . . .  The front features a gate, which opens!

Inside . . . .  surprises!

and the back was a work of art in itself ~

Sabine wins a beautiful Tin of vintage postcards as a gift from Alpha Stamps. Owner Leslie Elledge has picked out the Farmer's Market Postcards in a Tin as a First Prize for this swap, so cool. I also added a small pack of fabric and paper for Sabine, from me. Love her creativity! Here's a photo of what I packed for her, the colorful fabric wrapped everything up. I have sent her swap package to Germany this morning! 

* * *

Cat Dodt-Ellis from Idaho wins the Most Creative for her ATC! Here is the one she created for the swap:

Below is an extra ATC Cat made for me. 

I include it as she used the same techniques, and it is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l ! 

What I thought was most creative about Cat's ATCs was that she created them (and her postcards) using pieces of a vintage postage stamp quilt as the background. She told me she thought that would be appropriate . . . and I say it was ingenious, creative and pretty too! The recycled quilt pieces have lots of little floral fabrics. Awesome!!!! For Cat, I made up one of my fabric & paper Collage Packs, ooh la la! I think she'll have fun with it. Here's a peek: 

On Saturday I set up an extra table in my Studio for the swap . . . 

Before swapping I put them roughly in alphabetical order!

I used my list (I swapped on paper first) and did it in less time than I expected. The very good news is I have everything all swapped out now! All that is left for me to do is to seal the envelopes up and address them properly, make sure everything is there. I've already taken about a dozen packages to the post office today and plan to take a few more this afternoon (it's close by). The winners' packages have been mailed first, along with any going outside of the USA. I will get to the rest as soon as I can, because the moving van is coming in 3 weeks!!!! Must attend to that. : ^ )  Thanks again for you fantastic participation, I will be back to update you on this swap and upload some technique tags that have come in for our Sept 30th swap. 

yours happily, lenna 

Yvette Snowden: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap!!!!! (the last one -swaps are all in!)

Yvette Snowden sent her postcards from Maryland via Express delivery on Friday, and they got to me in Florida, today. I was so happy! Yvette's package makes 49 out of 50 participants completing the  Alpha Stamps garden Variety postcard swap - AMAZING! 

;  ^ ) Here is what she sent:

click for more details

I had already been working on the sorting and swapping, so when Yvette's postcards and ATC came in I just slipped them into place and gave her the ones I had saved for her. Now I am working on packaging and addressing 48 packages to mail (one is mine!). In my next post, I'll announce the most creative players in my humble opinion, for this swap!

Vickie Trancho: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap

Vickie Trancho from New York, has participated in 6 creative swaps and this will be her 7th! geeeze, I should pay more attention to this as I did not know so many of you had been in so many of my creative swaps! You can always check the sidebar of this blog for your name . . . scroll down a little bit, you'll find the participant list under "participants' blogs". You can see just how many swaps you've completed or view some of your favorite artists' work! Also, if you have a blog that I don't know about (you don't see it there) and you are a participant in my creative swaps - let me know! Send me an email.

Anyway - Vickie!! She has sent in some very creative postcards and ATCs, thank you vickie!!

Awesome!! Of course, check out Alpha Stamps for the delicious materials Vickie used!

Rena Matus: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap!

This is Rena Matus' 10th creative swap! I knew she had joined many of my swaps, but I did not know it was that many, wow! Rena participated in the very first ATC swap I hosted through this blog in 2007, and I am sure she participated in many others I hosted before that. Rena lives in Connecticut and used to partake in many of my in-person classes when I lived there too. It is with pleasure that I share her entries for the Alpha Stamps garden variety swap below!

I almost forgot. Rena so kindly wrote me a note describing the items that she used. There are so many wonderful Alpha Stamps products that this is so helpful. THANK you, Rena! Here is her list:

Collage sheet - Seed Catalog ATC's
Garden scrap sheet
Love story red flower mix
Steel blue mini floral dresden borders
Green sueded leaf ribbon  (I absolutely love this stuff and must buy more).
plus I have to tell you, I used the cardboard pieces that come with the Alpha Stamps order as my base, I've been collecting these and they do come in handy. (great idea!)

Lisa Robinson: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap : ^ )

From Lisa Robinson in Alabama, this is her 3rd creative swap this year! Click on her name to see all the beautiful art she has done for these swaps. Lisa had a great idea for the garden variety swap, she made her postcards from over-sized tags. Take a look!

I love this idea. Thanks so much for participating, Lisa! Find many of the images she used at Alpha Stamps.

Linda Ritter: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap!

From Linda Ritter in California, 4 gorgeous postcards and 2 ATCs; thanks so much for the extra, Linda! I love how Linda put all of her elements together and you only see the fibers wrapped on the front! "California Vegetables" from AlphaStamps Majestic Tomato sheet is perfect too!

Wow! so lovely.  : ^ )

Kitty Mitchell: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap!

This is Kitty Mitchell's 5th creative swap; she's been participating since 2008! Kitty is from New York and she used many of the delicious "Botanicabella" paper sheets and tags available at Alpha Stamps.

wow, so pretty! thanks for joining us again, Kitty.

Jennifer Miller: Alpha Stamps garden variety swap

Jennifer Miller from Florida, is a new participant to creative swaps and I love what she's come up with! She's combined fabric, paper and stitching in a unique and beautiful way.

Thanks so much, Jennifer. Wonderful work!