Colorful Summer

Little did I know that the first photo from my last post (back in May) would literally mean "Goodnight, Sleep Tight."  Well, after a hurdle of deadlines from the day job and a dose of antibiotics from a serious bout with bronchitis I am happy to report that I am finally AWAKE!

I first awoke when I realized my baby sister's birthday was coming up fast.  Like real fast.  I wanted to make her something special.  We're 11 years apart and we spent a lot of time together despite our age difference.  She's often said that I felt more like a mother to her than a sister.  I had some old photos and decided to make her a photo holder using some reclaimed wood, a little bit of paint, fiber, buttons and some sea shells.  A painted pocket was embellished and it made the perfect pouch for the surprise tag that sat within.

I photo copied an old photograph of the both of us and aged the tag with walnut ink.  I brought a little bling to the aged tag by adding some fancy shimmery yarn through the hole at the top.

My hubby has known my sister since she was four years old and I found an old Easter photo of the two of them.  I made a copy of it and aged it as well.

I was happy with the end result and my sister Rachel was equally happy and surprised to have an old photo of us in her possession.  I was touched when she announced in front of everyone that this was her favorite gift.  We're both pictured below.  She's the one standing over me and my mom and although my mother did raise us all, I can't help but notice my sister's body language.  She's leaning her head on me.  Oops.  Thank goodness  Mom does not read blogs!

 It's been quite a while since I made ATCs.  I plan on trading these at the stamp store on Thursday night.  There's a group that meets once a month to demo a technique and do a trade.  Do you think I used enough color?   

Hope you're having a great summer.  I plan on making mine colorful.