A new Camera!!

I finally got my new camera so I will be better about posting now.  I was using Marianne's camera the past week but I didn't have the cord to download pictures to my desktop.  So I would have to use the memory card to put in my laptop and download the pictures.  I don't usually turn my laptop on until after dinner when we are watching tv and I would get involved in whatever we were watching and forget about downloading the pictures.  My new Kodak M580 arrived yesterday and I can download pictures straight to my e-mail, Facebook, Kodak gallery, etc. so I am back in business!!

I had Stamp Club yesterday.  The projects took just a tad longer than I had anticipated!!  We started at 4 and my last guest left a little after 6:30!!  But now I know how to do my Thursday group so they won't take as long (give better instructions!!).  It's usually a trial and error thing - I never think it will take as long as it does to make a card.  But they loved the cards and project that we made.  We started off making the plant hanger that I posted in THIS post.  They loved it!  That's where the "better instructions" comes in.  I had only intended for them to use the Sharpie markers to color in the center of the flowers - just a dot or two - but they ended up creating a masterpiece on their embossed image using lots of colors.  My fault - I didn't specify what to do!  A lesson learned.

This is the first card we did.  My Thursday card will be doing this card also but in oranges.  What's great about it is each person can pick their own saying for the card.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Paisley Petals DSP
Stamps:  Occasions Alphabet (pg 171) and Tiny Tags (pg 136)
Access:  Top Note die, Big Shot, Postage Punch, Pink Pirouette ribbon (retired)

This card just makes me smile!  I had a request for a kid's birthday card and this is what I came up with. You can adjust the colors in the circles that were punched out for a girl or boy.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Stamps:  Button Buddies, Petite Pairs, (party hat is from retired Party Hearty)
Access:  Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Circle Punches, Designer Buttons

This was the final card we made - a quick and easy one.  The stamp set, Easy Events, is a great versatile set!  See the itty bitty heart in the corner?  Well, that is a trick I learned at convention!  Punch out the flower in the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and cut the heart shape from the flower (by cutting off 2 of the petals)!

Supplies:
Cardstock:  watercolor paper, Pool Party, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie
Stamp:  Easy Events (pg 57)
Access:  Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Bakers Twine, watercolor crayons, aqua pen, 2 1/2" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Two Way Glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Quarterly Rejects

This week as I have said, I have been working on cards and projects for my Quarterly swaps.  Tuesday I did 2-3 cards that I loved but decided after doing them that they would be too complicated for my Shoebox.  We do a Shoebox Swap on Friday night.  You design a card and put all the materials to make the card in a box for everyone else to make.  Friday night we only have 12 participants but still, we need to get 12 cards made, visit, and snack and still make it to bed at a reasonable hour to get up bright and bushy tailed for the next day of events!

This wa my first reject.  This is a card that was demo-ed on stage during convention and I love it!  The "cake" is 3 Hershey miniatures wrapped in DSP.  I used punches to make the Razzleberry cake stand - Border Punch, Word Window and Oval.  I pulled a thread in the satin ribbon to gather it around the candy.  This would definitely be a card you would need to hand deliver!  It just took too much time and I decided it would not be a good card for the shoebox.

This was the next card that I made.  I embossed the Vanilla cardstock with the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder and then painted the raised lines with Gold Smooch.  I used the Big Shot and Scallop Circle Die for the Early Edition circle that I "smoothed" in gold on the edges.  The Fabulous Florets flower is embossed with Melon Mambo embossing powder and cut out separately.  Again, too much time and tools involved!

This is the card I settled on.  It uses the new Occasions Alphabet.  I have already die cut all the Top Note shapes for everyone and embossed the dots on the white Top Note.  So, basically they have to stamp and put it together!  The paper is from Paisley Prints.  And notice the edge on the white stamped piece?  I used the new Postage Punch to make that!!  I love it when you can do more with a Punch than it's intended use!  The flower is punched with the Triple Layer Blossom Punch.  I punched 4 flowers, spritzed them heavily with water and crumpled them up.  Let them dry a bit; then flatten them back out and put together with a brad.  I did not put them straight on top of each other but instead put every other one slightly to the side of the other one.

This is my Bookmark Card for another swap.  I used the Two Tags Die for the bookmark and just sponged Marina Mist on the bottom and Peach Parfait and Daffodil Delight on top (masking a circle for the sun).  Then I stamped the Sail Away sailboat.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you might be able to see how I did the sails.  I stamped them separately onto Vellum, cut them out and turned them over and used a Stylus and a rubber mat to gently rub onto the sails and puff them out.  It really looks cool in person!  This is another great stamp for a great price!!  It is a single stamp in the Summer Mini catalog but will be gone the end of August.  So, if you like it, contact me to order it!!

And finally, my Punch Art Swap!  Good enough to eat, huh?  I used the following punches to make it:

Bun Top:  Extra Large Oval Punch (Crumb Cake)
Bun Bottom:  Word Window
Lettuce:  Blossom Punch (Celery)
Tomatoes:  3/4" Circle Punch (Cherry Cobbler)
Cheese:  Word Window (More Mustard)
Meat:  Modern Label (Choc. Chip)

Well, that it for Quarterly Swaps.  Think I am going to have to shop around for a camera today.  Mine has bit the dust I believe.