Greensboro Quarterly

The Greensboro Quarterly was so much fun!  It was worth all the effort.  I got some great swaps which I'll be sharing soon.  Marianne and I left Mooresville around noon so it gave us a lot of time to stop and shop along the way.  We stopped at Enchanted Cottage in Lewisville but, surprise, surprise, left without buying anything!  Our next stop was in Winston Salem at Scrapbook Traditions.  Wow!  It is a huge store - 4,000 sq. feet and so organized!  We made a few purchases there!  Our timing was great - we arrived at our hotel around 5:15 with time to check in, unload the car and head over to the church to start on our Shoebox Swaps.  I had made dinner reservations for 7 at Anton's Italian Restaurant.  Anton's was mine and Sonny's favorite restaurant when we were dating.  (We met in Greensboro when we were both living in a single's apartment complex.)  I was excited to see that it was still going strong and being run by the same family.  Two other gals were joining us for dinner but as we were leaving the church, Brenda fell and hit her head pretty hard.  Marianne and I went ahead but they were able to join us later.  We kept our eye on Brenda the rest of the night just in case. The food was awesome.  The only drawback was that there was a 40 year high school reunion going on and the restaurant was full of a lot of loud mouth guys!!  We couldn't even hear each other's conversation. 

Marianne and I worked on our swaps until midnight when we had to call it quits!  We got a little over half of the cards done (there were 28).  We took pictures of the rest of the swaps and collected our packets to do the cards at home.

Saturday we were back at the church by 8:30 and ready to work.  We had a little introduction and welcome time and then it was on to the projects presented by the organizers.  They did a great job and we made a lot of different things which I'll be sharing with you this week.  There were also presentations going on for us to observe - making flower roses and wax paper resist technique. 

One of the new things we did this time was a Favorite Card Contest.  The ones who wanted to participate had made a favorite card and the group voted on their favorite.  It was a secret vote and you didn't know whose card you were voting for.  I really worked hard on my card and it paid off!  My card tied with Nancy Carr's card and we both won!  Here is my card:

I used Creative Elements stamp set, stamping the flower 3 times each, cut each one out and stacked them on top of each other using dimensionals between each level.  In the center of each flower is a rhinesone.  The colors I used were Soft Suede and Pool Party plus the Spice Cake DSP.  I dyed my Vanilla ribbon with Soft Suede ink.
Here is Nancy's card that tied with mine:  It is very pretty.

Marianne also made a great card for the contest.  I really thought she would have won.

So what do you think of our cards?  Do they inspire you?

Marianne and I found a couple more scrapping shops before leaving Greensboro.  One was a "must see"!!  It had so much stuff it was unbelievable!!  It was the Scrapbook Shop on Battleground.  If they didn't have it, I don't think you need it!!  We'll definitely be making another trip there some day.

A Birthday Shout Out and my swaps

First off I want to give a shout out to my friend, Margaret.  Today is her birthday.  I couldn't send her a card because they are en route from their home in Colorado back to Texas.  They have their mail forwarded to Colorado and I figured my card would get caught in the forwarding and who knows when she would receive it.  Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

By the time you see this, I should be at the Quarterly meeting in Greensboro.  So I can go ahead and show you a couple of the swaps I am taking.

The first one is the general Holiday swap card.  I can't believe how long it took me to put this card together!  I don't usually pick a swap card with so many bits and pieces.  What was I thinking!  But the effort was worth it I think.  My snowman turned out so cute!

 I punched all the pieces out for the snowman and put him together while watching TV.  But when I started assembling the card, he was too tall!  So I had to make some adjustments - cut his hat down a bit and cut his bottom a bit (wish I could do that with mine!)  The punches I used are:

Body:  2 1/2" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch
Head:  Ornament Punch
Hands:  Snowflake Punch
Eyes & Cheeks:  Owl Punch
Nose:  hand cut
Scarf, hat band:  Label Punch
Hat:  Tag Punch
Heart on hatband:  3 Hearts Punch

Of course the stocking in his hand is stamped with the Stitched Stockings stamp from the mini and punched out with the Stocking Punch (so easy!!).  It is so easy to punch out the toe, heel, and top trim with the punch and stamp.  SU has grouped them together so it is just stamp and one punch to get all three .... easy, peasy!  I used a white gel pen to accent the hat, eyes and do the mouth.  The bottom snow is hand torn white cardstock, sponged with Bashful Blue and glittered.  The Bashful Blue background was run through the Big Shot with the new Snowflake embossing folder (mini catalog).  The DSP is from the In Color Stack - Poppy Parade.

We are also doing a technique 6x6 card swap.  I received a great card at Convention that used a new technique (to me anyway).  It is called Iced Crystals.  So that is what I did.  Can't wait to do a card with this technique.  I think it would look great for a Halloween card background.  What do you think?

It's hard to get a good picture due to the glare of the crystals.

I have a couple more to share with you but I haven't snapped the pictures yet so I will try and share them tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

More Quarterly Projects

I thought I'd share a few more of the Quarterly projects with you .... while I am watching the finale of The Bachelorette.  This is the first time I have watched this show (and maybe the last!).  I just don't understand how someone thinks they can find their true love of their life on a reality TV program!  Maybe that is what is wrong with young people getting married these days.  I think they go into a relationship thinking, well, if it doesn't work out, we'll go our separate ways and find someone else.  We'll see how long Ashley (from Bachelorette) and whoever she picks tonight stay together.

This is our "one size fits all" card!  I've made these bikini cards before but this one was fitting for our Beach Party theme!

How do you like the flower tatoo??

 This is a potpourri holder.  This is really a pretty basis project that most beginner SU demonstrators make but I don't think I have ever done one!  Tina made her own potpourri that she gave each of us to put in the envelope.  You cut the envelope in half (after sealing it closed) and crimp the bottom of the envelope.  Then you stamp, fill the envelope, fill it and punch holes and insert the ribbon.

 This one was my favorite project!  I think we will make these at Stamp Club this month.  It is a plant stake that made from metal roof flashing and run through the Big Shot to cut and emboss it.

 This is another great project from Pat - a tissue holder!

Quarterly Bookmarks

I had a great time this weekend at NC Quarterly in Taylorsville.  I visited with old friends and made new ones.  I ended up coming home and sleeping in my own bed instead of on the air mattress!  I finished my shoe box swaps around 10 pm and since it had only taken me about 40 minutes to get there, I hit the road.

We did a bookmark swap and it was great to see all the different bookmarks!

by Debbie Tadt

by Leah Harrison

by Tina Lesson

by Pat Wilkinson

from Kathy Hunt

by Letricia Blake





Nancy Carr

This is one of  the 3D swaps that I received.  It is soooo cool!!

by Dina Wilson

Dina shared her instructions and template for this Fabric Flower Pot.  She got the idea from Qbee's website.

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.

Beach Bucket Survival

I have been trying to get ready for the NC Demos Quarterly meeting this weekend.  We will be meeting in Taylorsville which I think is less than an hour west of me.  Unfortunately, the town is really small and there are no hotels so I will be taking Marianne's air mattress and sleeping with everyone else in the church where we are meeting!  I don't usually get much sleep when I have to do that but it is only for one night so I guess I can handle it!  I have signed up for the Shoebox Card Swap on Friday night, 3D swap, 6x6 Punch Art swap, Bookmark Card swap and the Beach Bucket Survival swap.  The Beach Bucket swap is really cute.  Everything listed below has to fit in a beach bucket and be decorated.:

B:     use a sand bucket 

E:     eatable project (I put candy in a couple of sand molds)

A:     anything to take to the Beach (decorated flip flops)

C:     chap stick (picture below)

H:     head or hair accessory (sun visor - stamped)

P:     punch art project (fish card)

A:     animal project (fish card)

R:     rolling Wheel project (Hershey miniatures)

T:      thank you card project (picture below)

Y:      your favorite stamp set project (box for Hershey minis)

Fish Punch Art (uses Ornament Punch and Word Window Punch)

Chap Stick Holder - closed

Chap Stick Holder open

Flip Flops

Thank You Card - from Convention Swaps

Candy Box Project

Top of Box

Hershey Miniatures wrapped with paper that is wheeled with SU's Decor Wheel

Beach Bucket

 Tomorrow I will share the other swaps I have made for the weekend.  I had a lot of rejects today trying to decide what to do!

Quarterly Punch Swaps

A new swap that we did this time at Quarterly was a Punch Swap.  I hope we do it again so I can add to my collection.   They turned out so cute.  I don't do many punch critters because when I finish making one of them, my desk is littered with almost every punch I own!  But ... it's great to know all the different uses of a punch.

Heart Punch

PUNCHES:  Owl; 1" Circle; Bird; Blossom Petals

PUNCHES:  Oval; 1 3/8" Circle; Itty Bitty Punch; Cupcake

PUNCHES:  Small & Large Oval; Word Window; 1 1/4" Square

This one is mine!  PUNCHES:  Ornament; Circles Punches (see sizes above); BoHo Blossoms; Heart to Heart; Bird

Bird Punch

PUNCHES:  Scallop Circle; Circles (see sizes above); Small Oval; BoHo Blossoms; Bird

PUNCHES:  Heart; Small Oval; Wide Oval;  Blossom; 3/4" Circle; 1/2" Circle; Heart to Heart

 Aren't they so cute???