Happy Homemaker Tag Along

I love swaps.
I love swaps involving tags.
I love swaps involving tags hosted by Elizabeth of Creative Breathing.
I have made 76 tags to date as part of tag swaps with Elizabeth's (Creative Breating Crafters) group. (after this swap: 100 tags)
This is my 6th tag swap with Elizabeth's (Creative Breathing Crafters)group. (I also participated in a Block Swap 2 years ago)


January, 2011.  Happy Homemaker Tag Swap

* A year of tags...one per month, made for a partner to be named at the end of the year
* Choose a theme (anything you want) for your tags.
* You can only use one pad of paper for the whole year (and coordinating embellishments) or 5, 12x12-
    inch sheets of cardstock/paper and embellishments.
* Make 2 tags per month (one for you and one for your partner) following your theme.
* Tags should be 3X6-inches, constructed using the "sandwich" method...2 layers of cardstock/paper with  
    a  layer of lightweight cardboard in between.

I thought this would be simple. Happy Homemaker would be my theme...I would use vintage housewife images and make them kind of sassy like the greeting cards I make.
No, I didn't like that idea. Then I thought I would do a year of tags honoring friendship. Nope, threw that one out the window, too! I want something that will be fun all year...colorful...a theme that I love, but different than what I'm used to doing. Can't decide, can't decide! I know...I'll get a committee together and they'll help with my decision.

The Committee

After many conversations about theme and papers...we've arrived at a plan!

The Theme



PAPER DOLLS! I love paper dolls! A year of paper doll tags. I started looking on Flickr and other one-line sources for just the right paper doll images. Tried some out...couldn't find what I was looking for....and the committee didn't approve these either.



 Then I remembered that I have every issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine since the first one in 1996. (Oh how I miss that magazine!) Every issue had paper dolls and most of them were of my very favorite character of Mary's...Ann Estelle...my alter ego! Viola!

Would the committee like this idea?

They loved the idea!!

 In homage to Mary Englebreit and in celebration of Ann Estelle...I have chosen "It's a Banner Year Ann Estelle" as my theme. A paper doll tag that is interactive...you can play with her and change her clothes. I'll have fun making the tags and my partner and I will both have paper doll sets at the end. I'm almost 62 years old and I still love paper dolls!!!

Let's Get Started!

The Supplies

I went through all of the pages and pages of paper dolls and selected the dolls, sized them to 83% of the original print and printed them on white cardstock from PaperTrey Ink. I mention this because the cardstock from this company is of the highest quality and prints out beautifully and also takes stamped images perfectly. They list the paper weight as 110-pound, but it feels heavier than the 110-pound weight paper I purchase at Sam's Club. Here is a link to Paper Trey's cardstock.

The clothes are printed on high quality 28-pound paper

Speaking of the clothes...there are so many to choose from so I think some months will have more than one choice. The committee says "The more the merrier Mary-ier!"

Lots of people would look at this stack of empty boxes and think they were on the way to the trash can or the recycling bin....but not the Creative Breathing Crafters!

These cardboard boxes will be cut and used for the "sandwich" layer of the tags. You know that I only eat pizza and snacks for the boxes, right?

The Papers

The paper pack I chose is from Memory Box. It is an older line as I promised myself that I wouldn't purchase anything new for this swap....I have a paper hoarding collecting  problem. The papers are 6x6-inches and they are double-sided giving me lots of options. All of the prints are tiny so I think they'll work well with the scale of the clothes and the doll.

I will also be using some plain colored cardstock to fill in.

The January Tag

OK, I have to admit that I'm still working out the kinks on this first tag...the committee and I have had some, um, artistic differences. It's coming along and I hope to add the finished tag to this post by this evening. I just didn't want to miss the chance to at least link up to Elizabeth's blog...today is the last day for Tag 1.

I have been visiting the other Creative Breathing Crafters who have already linked their tags to Elizabeth here and I must say that I am overwhelmed and over-joyed at everyone's work. I see there are some friends (Linda and Linda and  Nancy) I've swapped with before  from A Swap For All Seasons; lots of girls I've swapped with in the Creative Breathing Crafters Group and also a number of new artists. Hooray for all of you...I'm enjoying getting to meet you!

7:50PM....the tag is finished! Thank you for being patient!

It's January, and in a week I will celebrate my Birthday...my 62nd Birthday.

 I think it's Ann Estelle's birthday, too......so she's having a Birthday Pajama Party. She's inviting her friends to stay overnight...drink hot cocoa and eat birthday cupcakes and the next morning...go ice skating. Consider yourself invited...we'd love to have you come and join the party.

Ann Estelle's dresser where she keeps all of her cute outfits.

I hope you're warm and cozy wherever you are tonight. The snow has been coming down and blowing around all day. A perfect day to craft!

Next week, I'll tell you about a  giveaway to celebrate my Birthday.

xoxo

Joyce