2012 ATC birthday Swap

[Sharon]

OK I'm closing the swap now girls,

this should be lots of fun

cheers Sharon

[Judy Edmonds]

Tahlia, your ATC will be a little late from me, sorry. I will be posting from Australia. The front is finished but not the back and I am travelling with my family this week. I hope to get it finished when I am home next weekend and posted then or Monday. In the meantime, happy birthday and enjoy all the others !!

[Tahlia]

Not a worry, Judy! I look forward to seeing it whenever it arrives!! :)

[Susan]

Hi Tahlia

Happy Birthday for Thursday, I hope you have a wonderful day. My ATC for you will be in the post tomorrow morning winging its way from Western Australia, I apologise for it being late. This one was a PHD which I was glad to find a home for I very much enjoyed creating it. I have recently completed a Certificate in Blackwork with my local Guild and have taken to doodling my stitches in an ATC format so I can put the time I spend ruminating on which stitch? to good use. I have added the finishing touches today. My family and I have just returned from a wonderful cold holiday in Europe and it was lovely amidst all the unpacking chaos to have a project that I just"had" to finish! best wishes for your special day and the year ahead,

Susan
 
Tahlia said:

Well, I'm very likely to be the first person to receive birthday ATCs, so I guess it would be a good idea to tell y'all a little bit about me! I collect just about anything peacock-themed! I've had a thing for peacocks since my family used to take me to go feed the peacocks that wandered the arboretum near my house when I was a kid. I love the way that peacock feathers shimmer and refract color and contain so many different colors all at once. I also like the phoenix, rising anew from the ashes of its own death, and the "Firebird" from the Russian fairytale. I love Jellyfish! My husband and I spent our very first real date staring at the jellyfishes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I love sea turtles! One time when I was visiting Hawaii I was out swimming and got to see dozens of sea turtles! Totally amazing. I like water -- waterfalls, rain, waves, tsunami, coral reefs. I like colorful sunsets. I like the beach. I like hippos! and zebras. I got to visit Tanzania and Kenya for three weeks in 2000, and I *still* check every river I see for hippos, even though I know that there aren't going to be any here in the states. It was magical. I am very easy to please--  I like hearts and abstracts and texture and color explorations, and most of all I like the excitement of seeing what other people love to make. I offer this little bio as a glimpse of who I am and what inspires me, but the reason that I love to swap is because I love seeing what other people find inspiring and what they love to make!

--Tahlia

[Tahlia]

Thank you, Susan! I look forward to seeing your ATC when it arrives! I love the look of blackwork, though I have not done very much of it myself. No worries about being a little late-- it will just prolong my delight past Thursday. ;)

--Tahlia

[Tahlia]

On the 2012 Birthday Postcard topic, someone pointed out how important it can be to consider customs regulations when shipping things off outside your own country. (The topic came up because one of the postcards I received used natural plant material as an added texture, and if it had gone to Australia, it might have caused a significant problem for the recipient!) 

If you're primarily using processed fibers like commercially available cloth and thread and beads to make your ATC's, you'll probably never even realize that there are customs restrictions to take into consideration! But if you start to experiment with unusual materials, be aware that there are some important regulatory restrictions that vary by country, and it's a good idea to skim through the restrictions lists from your country to each country you ship to. 

For mail headed in to the US, this link should either answer your questions or get you pointed in the right direction:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/prohibited_restrict...

For mail headed out of the US, these links should help:

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc1_009.htm

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/ab_toc.htm

It took me a long time to figure out which keywords to plug into Google to find the reference sheets I wanted, so I figured I'd offer the links here to save everyone else some time. :)

[Sharon]

beautifully explained Tahlia...and it is just another great thing about these swaps... We learn so much ...

 

[Kalona Simmons]

Hi All,

but especially Tahlia, your card is on it's way from the UK!

I've been hanging out over in the postcard swap, but guess I ought to concentrate here now the confusion is over- I wondered why I wasn't getting any posts from the other swap, blond moment this last month! lol.

Kal.xxx

[Sharon]

You can still come look in and chat with the Fabric postcard swap anytime Kalona...

there have been some lovely post card photos to view.....I'm sure Tahlia will post some photos of her ATC's soon...

I thought my parcel would be there by now......Don't worry about the blonde confusion you are not alone !!!LOL

Shazz

[Kalona Simmons]

Happy Birthday Tahlia!!!

xxxx

[Tahlia]

Hahaha! The cat is precious! Thank you. :)

I received two wonderful ATCs today!

Isn't this little firebird precious? The colors are wonderful, and the little bird is so expressive! He's hand-drawn, too! I just adore him!!

This wonderful textural exploration is from Sharon McG. She made it from handmade wet felt that is dyed with eucalyptus! I just love natural dyes- they have such an earthy richness that is so different from the aniline dyes we are so accustomed to these days!

Thank you for your part in making my birthday celebrations special and memorable!

[Tahlia]

Two ATCs showed up yesterday!

This sweet little jellyfish is from Marja ML. Isn't he adorable? I think his body might be a painted bubble from bubblewrap, but I'm not entirely sure. He looks like he is swimming among the seaweed, and I love the way that his little tendrils float free!

she also sent this sweet little extra!

The other ATC that arrived yesterday was from Linda K:

My camera washed out the colors a bit. It's a gorgeous combination of blues and greens with hints of other colors here and there, and it is a wonderful combination of textures! The little stitches are absolutely precious, and I just love the way she incorporated the beads.

Thank you for adding your special artworks to my birthday celebrations!!

[Algecira Castro]

ATENÇÃO, Annette. O seu cartão já está um caminho. Só peco que abra no dia do Aniversário. Mandei com antecedência para que nao recebea depois. Mandei flores margaridas coloridas como o verão para voces. Como ainda nao domino o Trabalho Maravilhoso que fazem com Tecido, fiz com Fitas, Pérolas e Tecidos. Espero Que goste. Abraços, Algecira