Holiday Gift Tags

I'm so excited to share these with you! These are my holiday gift tags this year. I normally make nice tags, but I decided to go all out this year. This is my first holidays with my studio, and it is the best present I have ever given myself! Here's some of the back story on how I made these tags.

[Ooopps. I guess Jamie and Tyson now know they are getting something from me! Maybe I should have posted a spoiler alert.]

First, I pulled out everything I could think of related to a holiday theme from my stamp collection. I ended up going with a star theme because I have a nice star quote stamp. It speaks to the holidays without specifically being about Christmas or any specific holiday.

Then, I spent about an hour designing and mocking up a tag. I focused on placement and layout, and once I had it the way I liked it, I started thinking about the colors. My inspiration for the colors was a ball of recycled silk yarn from Tibet. I love this stuff, and want to use it where it has a big impact. I pulled colors from this to select which of my Tim Holtz Distress inks I would use. Because I love green and all shades of blue-green, that's my main color. The red really contrasts nicely with the coolness of the blues and greens. I wasn't thinking Christmas when I picked this scheme, but it works.


I started by using the applicator to put a background coat of Broken China (blue) on each tag. Next, I used one of the Tim Holtz masks along the left border and applied a coat of Peeled Paint (green) with the applicator. I turned each card over and lightly covered the back. I really hate raw surfaces in my projects.

As you can see, I went through a learning curve with the ink and applicator. After a few tags, I figured out that rubbing the applicator over the ink pad and then rubbing it over the tag gives the best color coat without applicator sized blotches. That's what I love about my art right now, I'm starting to master tools because I'm using them more often.


I added a shooting star stamp across the top of the tag over the hole. I tried using silver because I thought it would go nicely with the aluminum ring around the circle tag, but in the end, I went with copper. The copper blends into the background colors and I liked that look better than the shiny look of the silver.


I started adding content from the bottom, starting with the year. I love the way this Fired Brick red contrasts with the cool blue green background.


While playing around with the prototype, I decided that I wanted some sort of scrolling image in the middle of the tag, but subtle so it doesn't make it hard to read the quote. I tried several scrolls, but ended up with this one because it is light handed. I used the Pine Needles ink for this, which is more of an olive, yellow green. I love using adjacent colors on the color wheel like this because I love the richness it adds to the palette.


I used the Fired Brick again on the quote to make this the most prominent part of the design. It took a bit to figure out the placement for the stamp so I had the words in the best location. It was fun watching them suddenly appear nearly finished on the table.


I finished up the inking by using Pine Needles on the edges and doing a bit of distressing on top and bottom. I love the distressed grunge feel it gives. I wrote the recipient names on the circle tags, and using a paper piercers, I punched a hole and inserted a star brad to attach the circle tag to the gift tag. I noticed that the circle repeats the scrolling design underneath, and love the way it lines up with the scrolls. I wish I could say I planned that, but in truth, it was a happy accident.

I cut the yarn and attached them to the tags. They are so pretty I keep one near me when I'm at the computer just to cheer me up!

More pictures on Flickr.

Great Wide Open

I am in type of creative space that I don't encounter very often. This time, instead of paper or other art media, the blank canvas is my life. My work life to be more specific.

The last time I felt like my working future was this wide open was back in college. After spending 2+ years studying computer engineering, I realized that I needed to change my major. I spent about 6 months still in college, still taking a full time load, but totally experimenting with different kinds of courses. There was such a freedom I felt from admitting to myself and the world that my major was truly "undecided" at that point. After a while, I did find a direction, and that direction lasted until just recently.

Now, with the shifting going on in my life, and the changes taking place in my main client's business, I realized I was in a unique place. I decided that instead of just going out to find new clients who need exactly the same kind of work done, I would take some time to explore my options. What kind of work do I want to specialize in next? It turned out to be a huge question, one I'm still not able to answer.

I'm completely comfortable with saying that my immediate business direction and future is undecided right now. I've got enough money to support myself through this transition, and I'm really appreciating that I'm a saver right now! I'm considering some very diverse options, including:

• Going back to college to get a PhD
• Writing a book
• Staring a new type of consulting work using social media
• Writing another movie script
  

I'm going back through my work history, looking at everything that has been juicy in the past, and making a list of the things that totally engage me and inspire me today. It's been a lot of fun and quite interesting.

Ironically, during this time my studio has devolved into a clutter bin! My worktable is piled so high with supplies and other studio stuff. It's really too bad because I have a lot of Christmas presents that need my attention. I'm hoping to resolve the studio mess next week and start on the pressies.

My Blink Photos

Many people are posting pictures of their homes based on the idea in Blink (by Malcolm Gladwell) that you can learn a great deal about people by spending a few minutes in their home. You get to see the real person this way, not the image they present. Catherine encouraged me to participate in this, and here it is.

For full disclosure, I did straighten up my desk, my studio had been a total wreck so I did unearth the worktable (mostly), I straightened up the kitchen counter (things are in the sink now), and I picked up a few things in the bedroom. But mostly, this is how I live and not staged. I didn't dust or vacuum or move things around. My financial filing is still on the family room floor. I didn't take some shots that would have shown you the backlog of shredding or the guest bath which needs picking up. I did start using a housekeeper every other week about a month ago, and that really helps me to keep things tidy. End of disclosure.

What can you learn about me from this? I must say, when I looked at this pictures, I saw some trends that jumped out, things I didn't realize were so obvious in my house. Yikes.




























I'm posting these and a few more pictures on my Flickr account in a few days, along with some narrative. I'll point out some of the details there that I think reveal tons about me.

Happily Organizing

When I pulled together my studio, I knew a fine tuning (or two) would be needed. After I finished the Punk'd mini book, my workspace was a mess. I tried to pick it up, but everything I picked up ended right back on the table. There isn't a place yet to put things away!

About 10 days ago, I ordered a few organizing supplies from Scrapbook.com. I already had a few of the Cropper Hopper embellishment boxes, and they seem to work for me. I ordered a few more, and a drawer to hold them. They came last week, and I spent some time filling them up from items tossed into the bins in the bookcase cubicles. When I ran out of boxes, I tried to estimate how many more I might need. And then I realized that the drawers were perfect for holding most of my ribbon spools! Needless to say, I put in another order last week, and they should be here by the weekend.

I'm sure it sounds strange, but I can't explain the happiness I feel when I'm working in the studio organizing the bits and pieces. I'm also struck with the contrast between having things in labeled little boxes and neatly available in cubbies compared to the years they spent in tubs I would push into the closet when I finished a project, totally haphazard.

I like organized much better. It frees my mind for creative ideas.