Brads of a Feather...

...Flock together! Eyelet Outlet Bird Brads, that is! There are Bluebird and Robin Brads (which come in the same packet) and two styles of very handsome Cardinal and Cardinal Profile Brads! Please don't ask me (Lauren) to choose a favorite, because that would be impossible!

I haven't made Artist Trading Cards or, in this particular case, Artist Trading Coins... in a while, but suddenly I was in the mood, so that's what I made. What are "Artist Trading" items? As the name implies, they're intended to be small handmade items for crafters and artists to trade via the mail, at conventions and meetups. Generally, an artist will make a series of similar ones at a sitting, in order to swap with several people at the same time. Artist Trading Cards are the size of a playing card (2.5 x 3.5") and Coins are 2.5" circles. The etiquette of this artform demands that they never be sold, only traded; though you can also find something called ACEO (Art Card Originals and Editions) which are essentially the same format, but intended for sale.

This trio of Artist Trading Coins feature our various bird brads, with stamped backgrounds of nests and foliage on some lovely, slightly yellowed, book paper. The Robin and Bluebird each stands proudly in front of a nest. Surrounding it, there are some tiny paper leaves, which I made by cutting apart the smallest size of EO green Paper Flowers. 

The Cardinal and Cardinal Profile are perched in some branches, to which I've added more paper leaves and some tiny berries snipped from the edge of a Bling Swirl. Each ATC has a Dymo Label sentiment, from which I trimmed away the excess tape, so that the scale fit my design better.

Whether you've made Artist Trading Coins before OR you've always wanted to try, wouldn't this be a great time to make some and surprise your crafty pals with Happy Mail? And I bet for any subject or idea you can dream up, there's an Eyelet Outlet Brad that will make your design even better! ♥

Lauren Bergold

loves to watch the birds

in her New Jersey backyard!

Fair Warning!

Hi folks, Lauren here, with a special public service announcement: It turns out making altered rolodex cards with holiday artist trading coins on top is slightly (ok, a LOT!) addictive. On the plus side, this a super fun, super flexible --and, perhaps most importantly--  super FAST way to create with your favorite Eyelet Outlet brads and washi tape. And of course, this idea would work equally well as package tags, gift certificate holders, small cards, tiny bags or boxes... well, let's face it, a week before Christmas, the prospect of being able to make a whole bunch of useful holiday items is *not* to be sneezed at! So here are a few more ideas for you:

I will mention all the specific products in a minute, but probably the most important thing to tell you is the basic "recipe". I made the artist trading coins first. I started with 2.5" circles cut from scraps of patterned paper. Then I inset circles cut with the next smallest size of my nested circle dies. Then I added two or three holiday-themed brads to each coin. Of course, the rolodex card format could easily be discarded in favor of tags, or A2 cards, but in any case, there's a formula for your "base" as well: a neutral paper (or papers, plural) with strips of holiday tape on top. I like to combine 5/8" tapes with skinny ones, but if all of your washi is the same width, you can get the feeling of variety by adding multiple strips of some tapes and overlapping others. I chose combinations of tape that coordinated with the colors in my coins, paired up each set, and that's IT! Instant holiday festiveness!

Here are the brads and tapes I used on each card, working from the top left of the photo above: Skate Brads, Snowflake Brad, Green Filigree Tape, Silver Skinny Glitter Tape; Pinecone Brads, Poinsettia Brad, Pine Tree Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Sleigh Brad, Prancing Deer Brad, Merry Christmas Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Holiday Tree Brads, Snowman Brad, Green Filigree Tape, Skinny Metallic Tape, Green Dot Tape. And now, starting at the top left of the photo below: Holiday Tree Brads, Snowman Brad, Green Dot Tape, Wide Tree Washi, Skinny Green Stripe, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Holiday Mitten Brads, Candy Cane Brad, Red Tree Tape, Skinny Green Stripe Washi; Elf Brads, Ho Ho Ho Tape, Red and Green Dot Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment, Skinny Green Tape; Holiday Light Brads, Deer Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment.

I hope you will be inspired to borrow this "recipe"... or create your own! It really is a fun and fast way to get LOTS of holiday greetings done, with ZERO stress involved! ♥

Lauren Bergold

wishes you the happiest of holiday seasons!

♥♥♥

A Penny For Your Thoughts

Or in this case, maybe better than a penny... Artist Trading Coins! I (Lauren) have been seeing these 2.5" circles of artsy fun all over social media, and I've been dying to try out the format. It turns out, they're VERY fun --and a bit addictive-- to make. Plus, Eyelet Outlet brads are absolutely the perfect sized embellishment. I made a set of six coins for my first time out, but I already know I'll be making more!

I've mentioned before that I come from a punny family, so I always have lots of random word play in my head. Since this is quite a small format (ATCoins are generally 2.5" circles) just a line or two of text is the perfect fit. I formatted my puns in a free font called "Tahoe" but set off a few key words in a chunky, funky script called "Cry Kitty". I generally print my text on clear inkjet labels, which I trim down and adhere to scraps of patterned paper for a little more emphasis. I made the backgrounds using scraps of more neutral papers, in torn layers, with an accent of Wide Flower Tape in an understated henna shade.

For "All's WOOL That Ends WOOL" I was able to employ both a sheep from the Pig and Sheep set, plus a ball of yarn and needles from our Knitting Brads, while a pair of lovely Chicken Brads illustrate "Just WING It".

This one's a bit of a liberty, because I've actually used a Llama Brad on my "ALPACA" card... so shhhhhhhhhh... don't tell, ok? I couldn't resist adding a couple of Mini Ant Brads because it's a picnic!

I couldn't decide which style of Fox Brad (the packets contain both) to use for "Crazy Like a FOX" so I didn't choose... I added one of each!

Another tiny cheat: technically, these are Duck Brads, but I just couldn't resist the phrase "I've Got GOOSE Bumps"!

My original idea for "Don't Worry, Be HOPPY" was to use one of our adorable Frog Brads (the set has lillies and cattails in it, too!) but as it turned out, all of the other coins were more or less neutral colors, and the bright green frogs realllllllly stood out. So I swapped them out for a pair of handsome Rabbit Brads, instead. I probably shouldn't leave them alone for long though...

I hope you'll be inspired to try your hand at a few Artist Trading Coins, starring some of *your* favorite Eyelet Outlet critters! ♥

Lauren Bergold

loves a pun...

the more diabolical, the better!