Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Here!

I'm having a great time here in Utah. The actual Stampin' Up convention doesn't start until Thursday but I've been going to some classes and shoebox swaps the past 2 days and have made some amazing projects. I'll share some of my favorites but I don't think I can put all the pictures I've taken in 1 blog post!

Yesterday afternoon I did a shoebox swap. I made 6 cards that were very impressive. Look how amazing this first one is. We used the Presto Paper to stencil on and then sponged additional color around the stenciled design so you could see the design show through. Notice the 3 little pearls in the lower left corner. They are a new addition to our catalog and I'm loving them! We also have clear rhinestones. They come in a package of 150 for $4.95. I think that is a great price for so many of them and since they are adhesive backed, they are a very quick way to add the "wow" factor to your projects. This beautiful card was designed by Virginia Killmore.

The elephants on this baby Congratulations are precious. You will see the half-backed pearls again on this card, they are on several of the projects I've done the last 2 days. The Scallop edge punch and corner punch are a nice addition to any card and I love the creative way the designer' Shermala Austermann, used them on the focal piece.

It can be very hard to make a card for a man. They might appreciate flowers but we steer clear of them anyway. I love the design Pam Rhodes used on this tool card and the way the polka dot embossing looks like a peg board when you turn it to where the dots go in. Love it!

I showed the brayered embossing folder technique recently on my blog and Diane Glenn's pink card features the same folder, Vintage Wallpaper. It looks great as the pink background for the Fabuloous Friend card. We also used 3 of the clear Bitty Buttons across the bottom with the coordinating punch and the cute flowers from the Birds and Blooms die. I love the shape of those flowers. I'm also pleased with the addition of 1/8" ribbon to the catalog. It is a great touch to finish off a project that needs a little something else.

I love the little frog that was watercolored on this card. It doesn't open up like a regular card, the blue piece is hinged on with the brad and opens up to reveal the message underneath. Very fun idea, thanks for sharing it with us Linda Romer! The dark spot on the green isn't a goof up with the ink. It is the camera strap that got caught in the light. Notice the 1/8" ribbon again. So cute!

The last card in our shoebox swap was another card that

is made differently from the "normal" card. We made a little pocket to fit the card tag into. I think it would be a fun card to get, you would certainly remember it! This fun card was shared with us by Chi Nguyen.

Well, I'm worn plum out so I reckon I'll hit the hay. I should have time to post more of the fun projects I've been creating tomorrow. It's been a long and very fun day though.