Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - May

This was so much fun! (Tim's tag is here) The challenge was to incorporate found objects into a tag and anyone who has seen me at a flea market or thrift store knows that I am like a magpie - finding shiny and interesting bits to carry back to my craft room.  I have muffin tins full of little objects and I love incorporating them into my art.  The hardest part was culling it down to the essential items for this tag.  I thought about making a bigger tag, but, I am trying to keep the size uniform this year in hopes of making a tag book.  So here is the list (clockwise from top)

1)  Tim Holtz ideology mini light bulb wrapped in small black cord
2)  Eyeglass parts.  The bug picture is encased in an old spectacle lens.  I had to use wire to hold the frame part around the glass and I used Glossy Accents to stick the picture to the lens.
3)  The color picture of bug was found in an old dictionary that has color pictures.
4)  Sand dollar from the beach
5)  Tim Holtz die cut and rubbing for text
5)  Man in top hat postcard.  This postcard is so interesting because there is a big blank space next to the picture.  So I guess you would write on the front?

Here is a picture of the supplies:

Mother and Child Sepia ATC

Here is an ATC I made for an online swap.  The photo is of my grandmother holding my eldest Aunt.  I think the photo is from 1921 or so. Now, before anyone gets upset, I scanned the photo.  I did not cut up an old family photo.  I used some vintage lace that I have had for quite some time and just a few buttons and pearls.

Ode to Mom

This is going to a long post - so please bear with me.  Just wanted to say how much I appreciate my Mom.  As long as I can remember, she was pointing out nature's beauty to me.  The trees, flowers, birds, even the beauty of a lightning strike.  An art major in college, she always had interesting artwork on the walls (borrowed from the library back when you could do that - can you imagine it now?).  Picasso, Gaugain, and the Impressionists.  And when she didn't want to return a particularly nice impressionist water scene with sailboats, she sat down in the den and painted a copy for us to keep.  An exact copy right there in our den. Of course, Mom made sure I had lots of time with crayons, fingerpaints, pencils, and pens.  And the day when I was very little and I drew all over our walls with a pencil (and I mean I did a MURAL folks), she didn't get mad.  She just shook her head, laughed, and washed the walls.

Anyway, Mom's artfulness spilled into our homelife.  She made a great childhood for me and my sibs and our house was filled with laughter and love.  Oh, and she let us play our rock records loudly in the living room - no complaints!

Now I know Mom is tsking right now.  She does not like being praised so much, but, maybe she has stopped reading already and headed out to the garden to enjoy her Mother's Day.