Welcome to the creative home of artist and maker Charlotte Lyons.


mo's tagbook.the school tag

Clyonsmop2tag_1

Earlier I described the lay-out for the school years. This is the tag that goes in the page pocket on the right side. School pictures aside, there was alot more to cover in 14 years of schooling from preschool to high school. All the friends, the sports, the school holidays, so much that had to be tightened up and included here. It helps to have all the pictures cropped and sized to fit before selecting. Sooner or later, real favorites rise to the top of the pile over and over. After awhile you know which ones absolutely must go in. I'm ahead of myself though.

The tag is made out of another flashcard...a really big one, 3 x 9" , tall and skinny which made a great fit for the 4" page pocket. I scored and folded it in half and put 2 eyelets in the back -- side by side. These I needed to thread a pullcord through and using 2 holes makes a sturdier place to tug on.

Looking at the front of the folded tag, I dirtied it up with chalk and pencil--so love that dent on the side! Extra text from the school ducks page worked on the top of the tag and the ribbon scrap is a nice tie-in with the colors of the text and paper. When you make a tag that will show inside the pocket, consider what will be revealed before the tag is pulled. I liked the school text showing.

Clyonspage_2_tag_open

Now for the fun part....Without totally covering the jumbo numbers on the flashcard, I made a little memoboard effect with one vertical strip of trim. Wish I could say it was off some hat I made for her or from pigtail ribbons...nah, nothing so sentimental except that I love it. The red dots attract the eye and it creates a margin of sorts like the one inside a notebook. Under the edges I could tuck little pictures and somehow marry all these different years and ages. The red papers at top and middle help some too. At top is the first day of kindegarten in an outfit planned days ahead. Too bad you can't see the black hightops with the white tights and colored socks...really made the look! Tough girl, worried girl.

Beneath that is Halloween with Maggie O'C and the costumes from the year that Anne was in charge...her vision of Mo as bride of Frankenstein was amazing. I'm lousy at Halloween really, my own efforts at costume-making are just lame.

On the lower part of the tag, I only managed one sports team picture even though that was such a huge part of Mo's world. Soccer and field hockey were very important to her -especially after we arrived in NY where she was the new girl. But she was also the girl who could play and kick or hit the ball far enough to be noticed. That was awesome. In middle school years, the teams begin to define friendships and self-confidence. Such a great thing for girls to get out there and rough it up on the field, sweat, yell, fall in the mud. Going to the ER (at least 4 times) is not fun though. Beware of chicks with sticks! Or one in a goalie mask.

Back to the subject here ---man, I love to brag on my kid! How could I not use this picture of Mo and her best pal, Hali making duck bills out of potato chips! Pretty good fit with the theme. Notice Mo's are crazy crooked. Not talented at everything.

On the tag back, I resisted the urge to add more photos and stuck with more paper scraps---as many ducks as I could squeeze out of that page-- and the adorable cherry ribbon from Mantofev. The charm was the finishing touch on the tag pull. Mo fancies herself an Irish Princess and the 4-leaf clover is her lucky charm. As luck would have it, just happened to have one in the junk box. I think I have one of everything I will ever need. Fun to look though.

The next lay-out  is about sisters.

Clyonsmop2tagback_1 

children's workshop

for James Kim

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