Not ANOTHER group...

Yeah, I joined ANOTHER group.  This one was started by my friend and co-conspirator Susan Hiles... uh, I mean co-crafter, co-crafter, that's it!  Anyway, it's called "December Daily Inspiration Group - Anything Goes".  Come check it out on Facebook...

There was a FLASH challenge to make a tag and this is my entry...

This is a Scrappy Background that I have embossed and cut with a Sizziz Label Die-cut thru my Big Shot.  I punched a hole for the ribbon and reinforced the hole with, are you ready for this?, reinforcements!  I know, right?!!  CRAZY!!!  :)

The center piece is something that was gifted to me years ago that finally, FINALLY, found a use...

I've never done a "December Daily" but let me be the first to tell you... this GROUP is uber-talented!!  What GREAT inspiration I'm going to see.  :)

October PLCS Swap...

I joined another group on Facebook called "Project Life Card Swap".  In this group, you sign up for "themed" swaps.  You make eight of one kind of a themed journal card and receive eight different themed journal cards back.  I signed up for two swaps.  The first swaps I could be involved with after joining were for October.  This one was called "Color Theme - Autumn". 

 

I decided to do a Mixed Media piece.  I used very colorful napkins, kept the top layer and modge podged pieces of it to my journal card.  When they were dry, I trimmed the edges and added the bling.  I loved them but wasn't sure how they would be perceived by the group...



 

The second swap was called "Getting Cozy for Fall".   Again, doing Mixed Media, I created these. There were alot of different steps involved but the final result was interesting. The longest part was letting the piece dry before sending it to the hostess...

 

So, what did I get in return you ask?  Take a look...

 

 The one on the left is "Getting Cozy for Fall" and the one on the right is "Color Theme - Autumn".  I was SOOOOO blown away by the quality of the cards I received back that I couldn't stop doing the happy dance.  They are AMAZING!!  And I can only hope that those people who received my cards are just as happy with mine as I am with theirs... :)

 

So, the following month (November) I signed up for FOUR swaps... ou vey!!  :) 



Paying it Forward...

 

I'm trying out a new group on Facebook called "Card Swaps for Card Addicts" that matches you to a partner once a month and you swap that months "themed" card.  Before I was matched up with my partner however, I received a "Pay it Forward" card from a women in the group.   The idea is that once I receive the card from her, I post it, people like and comment and I pick two "winners" to continue the game.  These are the two cards I made to send to my two winners.  I was very pleased with them as they're using up the flowers I make from
the Mixed Media monoprints that I enjoy doing...

I was so pleased with the "Pay it Forward" idea that I introduced it to Seongsook's Stampers.  This is SOOOOO fun that I can only hope I will be picked again to play the "Pay it Forward" game.  What a fun, fun, concept... :)



From the Die-cut Swap...

We had a die-cut swap in the group Seongsook's Stampers back in October.  I finally got around to using these precious pieces.  We only got one but, boy, if I had twenty more of these I'd make twenty for Operation Write Home.  FIVE, I mean five... :) 

Since Sandy hasn't been receiving as many cards from cardmakers of late since the drawdown, she has requested we make no more than five on any given design...
 

O Holy Night...

 The Ernman wants to give out twelve Christmas cards to his co-workers this year and he wants them all to be different. I told him to look thru my blog and see if any previous designs jump out at him.  This is one he picked from last years collection (see HERE).  This is an updated version of that card.  This year, I distressed the edges of the "Very Vanilla" cardstock before adding the stamped image.  That image is also heat embossed.  Instead of an embellishment, I did the double bow with ribbon I purchased from the Flower Factory while out in Ohio.  I made four, so three will go in our personal stash.  If I hadn't run out of the burgandy and deep green paper, I would have made more for our personal stash... oh well!


Christmas is coming...

These are cards cut with my Silhouette!!  Woot, woot!  I have not used my Silhouette to it's fullest potential so this was quite exciting to complete.  AND, it fulfills my monthly challenge to make at least five Christmas cards a month.  I made SIXTEEN of these...

The tree is a semi-circle that the Silhouette cuts folding marks into so I'd know where to fold.  Pretty darn cute!  And quick...

 

But, I have to share about my paper choices.  I went to Michaels' and Hobby Lobby looking for Christmas paper pads with double-sided paper.  Could not find ANY, anywhere!  Are you kidding me?  These used to be a dime a dozen.  Apparently, not anymore!  My husband would say, "Follow the money..." and I guess he's right.  It must cost more to create a doubled-sided pad of paper than a single-sided pad of paper.  SO, the last three years when I was determined NOT to buy any of those double-sided pads until my three were gone, has turned out to be a bad idea... :(

 

Anyway, my friend Susan had some leftover double-sided pieces in her stash that she gave me to do this project.  Thank goodness she had something or these trees would have had alot of white showing...



All my "Get Well" cards...

 Here's all the "Get Well" cards I received when I returned to New Jersey from my emergency surgery ordeal while out in Ohio.  They are displayed on our mantel in New Jersey. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. There's nothing like snail mail to help with the healing. I'm STILL beaming... :)

I was so touched, I decided to pay it forward by sending each and everyone who sent me a card, a card in return.  I made eighteen of these.  I picked a couple "Fall" papers at Hobby Lobby and combined them with papers I already had and created this Starburst.  I stamped the "thoughtful" sentiment, added the burnt orange ribbon and bada bing, bada boom, ready to mail!!  These all went postal Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week.  I think the majority have been received by now so I can "Go Live!" with this post... :)

 

This was relatively quick for me to do that I could easily do more for my final shipment of the year to Operation Write Home.  And with only recuperation time on my hands until the middle of November... well, my not?