I have always taught my ‘Totally Tim!’ Ranger-classes with the idea that lots of techniques get packed into a little bit of time, but each student gets a tag book for reference with complete instructions for each technique labeled onto the back of each tag.  I know full well that my brain cannot hold onto all that detailed information if I was taking a class – so I like to take that out of the equation.  Just play.  Refer to tag label for future reference.  "If you’re happy and you know it, label your tag!"  Yes, I can see my students cringing.  You know it makes you smile…

It was fun to discover a similar concept being taught on Big Picture Scrapbooking, by Tena Sprenger.  Not Ranger-specific, mind you, but technique laden nonetheless.  So I signed up.

Our first assignment during Orientation Week was to make a booklet for our ‘deck of cards’.  Well real life was in the front seat during orientation week – so I didn’t have that week to spend on it , but I did have last night!  LOL!

So my midnight muse would NOT let me go to sleep until I finished this since our technique assignments start today – and this is the tag book that I’ve made for the 52 techniques that we are going to be learning, doing, documenting.  She had a concept for a 5×7 card book on a ring, to resemble a deck of cards by its shape, but I decided to cut down on it’s thickness by making it two side-by-side stacks of tags.

I accomplished this, and made it 7×7 by lacing together 1 ½ lacing cards from Cosmo Cricket for the front and back cover held together with two rings, holding 26 white shipping tags from American Tag on each side.

Yes, it was 3 in the morning when I finished.  Oh, actually closer to 4.  :o) *yawn*

The cover is decorated with Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl products, Buck Naked chipboard and Button Fashions.  I used Heidi Swapp flowers ‘strangled’ with waxed linen to tie them onto the 2" rings.  And Daisy Ds metal file folder label holders for my index pages.  I also covered small dominos with the blue paper and stamped ‘card’ on them.  All chipboard / letters / dominos are edged with a Krylon leafing pen in Silver.  Ranger Inksenntials 1 ½” square frame for picture.  Stanislaus letter beads on chipboard tag I(heart)BPS, attached with Ranger Glossy Accents.

I loved that big ‘button’ and I put the numbers 52 and two Bazzill Big Brads in the holes.

The scary thing was that I was actually awake when today’s technique was posted at BPS.  I read it, and it was very familiar to me.  But I wanted to rejuvenate my thinking about what is *new* and to whom?  After all, how many times have I seen a ‘tip’ published in a magazine, that I’ve known for years?  Everything old is new again, to somebody at some point.  And it doesn’t mean I cannot take my own twist on it, or just be a bit more arty with that tag since the technique isn’t challenging.  I’m excited to do a bit of reinvestment in my own skills. 

*But I must admit that after like 3 hours of sleep – I NEED A NAP!*