My First Swap...

I feel like I am going through some sort of rite of passage... I am finally hosting a swap of my very own! I've been scared to try 'til now but after participating in about 15 swaps I felt it was time to make the leap from participant to host.
Check it out: http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/9496

It is based on the ATC calendars in my last post.

Here are the details:

2008 Calendar ATC Swap- International

It’s time to start thinking about 2008! For this swap each person will make a 2008 calendar set with ATC’s.

Your ATC’s can be composed of any elements as long as it has the calendar worked in. The idea of this swap is to provide a nice quality, portable calendar set for your partner. Please put your best foot forward when it comes to quality and content. These are meant to be used for a whole year after all!

The actual number of ATC’s will vary depending on how you design your calendar. For example the calendar in the picture (a folded prototype, without the dates) is a quarterly calendar therefore I made 4 ATC’s with 3 months on each of them. You can see the version with the unfolded calendar on www.flickr.com/annalissas. Other possibilities would be 3 ATC’s with 4 months each, 6 ATC’s with 2 months each, or 12 ATC’s with 1 month each. Please do not make any less than 3 ATC’s for your partner.

Red Tape: No swappers with ratings under 4.8 and only 1 no send acceptable. New swappers are welcome with completed profile. I will check every participant’s profile to determine if they will be able to join in the swap. Please do not sign up if you cannot dedicate the time to make them… I know it is a busy time of year.

Recap:
What?: Minimum of 3 ATC’s containing the 2008 calendar year to 1 partner- Any Medium.
When?: Signup-Dec. 10. Send-Dec. 17
Where?: International swap
Who?: Newbies with completed profile and swappers with ratings over 4.8 and only 1 no send.

ATC Quarterly Calendars (Prototypes)

I have officially begun working on the calendars for 2008. I figure I have about a month to come up with some different designs and try to make about ten to share.

This is one ATC calendar (front and back) with the first two quarters of the year. I still need to add/fill-in the actual calendar dates. I am looking for the right collage element for that. They won't all be as frilly as this one.

with calendar folded in...

and with the calendar open.

Gravy Days

I've been a little overwhelmed by the Thanksgiving hulabloo, but now I am back and I have some great matieral to write about in the next couple of days. This swell Photo Album of my Ma's being my favorite.

Here are some photos from "back in the day". Funny to look at considering I've been a little existentially anxious lately. Nostalgia doesn't help much. Nonetheless they are entertaining and have some interesting details in them.

This is my mom (far left) and aunts. This photo cracks me up because on the back my grandma labeled it "Belly Button Brigate!". Not quite the uniforms they were used to wearing during their catholic school careers.

My Pops at NAU presumably. Interestingly, dorm rooms still look the same.


I have that mirror hanging above my vanity now, I love that mirror.

Postcard Swap...

This is the postcard I received from danakustika I was lucky enough that she found me on Flickr and wanted to do a trade.

The image is screenprinted and some of the ink got smudged off in the mail but it really adds to it. It inspires me to get serious about screenprinting. I have all the supplies but I don't really have the ability to make a screen yet.

I also really love her photography so check it out if you get a chance.

Warming up...

From a warm-up session to get ready for this collage swap

Assemblage...

This is the beginning of a quick, interchangable, and ever-morphing way to hang found objects alongside some of my ATC's and collages.

This is the wall right next to my desk and craft supplies to help get the ideas flowing. Just like the beautiful flow of spit curl on this man...



One of my favorites on the wall, this is a detail from one of hundreds of informative diagrams from What's What: A Visual Glossary of the Physical World

And Another...

As promised, here is another ornament I have made this weekend. Most of these are the first of each design and therefore are prototypes but I am fairly happy with how this one turned out and believe I will make several more based on this structure.

Wilco on Austin City Limits

We we're able catch one of my favorite groups, if not my all-time favorite, Wilco on PBS last night. It was an Austin City Limits recording. The show was awesome and lived up to all the Wilco is about and Nels Cline and Tweedy certainly got crafty on their guitars.

First of Many...

This is the first finished and photographed of the ornaments that I have begun to create for the holidays.

Thrift Store Love

I have had an urge to seek out and acquire boxes and containers as of late. These pics are my latest finds at Open Hands Thrift Store in Santa Fe. I believe the urge stems from the influx of articles, books, and products related to storage systems and being organized in the design and fashion world. Do they help me?

This one is perfect for keeping my herbs fresh...

Trays have also been on my "look for" list lately... The tray above is a sweet oblong shaped rectangle made out of stainless steel and it is perfect for holding ATC's as if they were calling cards.

Lastly, this box's purpose is to house my more compact crafting supplies, but for now it is a great sunglass display piece.

Brown and Pink Matchbox

I was inspired to make these matchboxes from a matchbox swap on Swap-bot. I did not end up participating in that swap but I do plan on swapping some more matchboxes soon based on a different theme. In a way these seem like they don't serve much purpose so I have tried to make them more functional by adding magnets so they can either stick to each other or a metal surface.