February 2024 Swaps

This swap card had a "time" theme.  For the card front, I used an "insert" paper from Hunkydory's Happiness Is . . . set of papers and inserts.  Since I wanted borders top and bottom, I had to slice the piece right above the dancers' heads and tape the border directly above.  After inking the edges, I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the right edge, taping it in place behind the panel & gluing it behind where the pocket watch would go.  Then, I glued the panel to the card front.  I stamped the focal and sentiment (from HOTP small stamp called Pocket Watch) - then fussy cut the pocket watch and die cut the sentiment with a small circle die (Lifestyle) and inked the edges.  As you can see, I attached the pocket watch to the ribbon border with a knotted piece of ribbon.  For the sentiment, I added a couple of pieces of card stock behind it to lift it off the page just a tiny bit before gluing it in place.

Inside:

Inside I did a similar "surgery" on the paper to get two side borders.  After inking the edges and gluing it in place, I stamped a message using two different stamps.  The first is from HOTP Stamp and Punch set of stamps.  The second is Crafter's Companion Compendium (CCC) sheet called With Love.

Materials swap - Rodent or similar small animal.

Here's a picture of the materials I sent to my partner for this swap:

There are 4 different colors of glimmer paper (purple, green, brown, cream) a cream colored card base, a small piece of cream card stock for stamping, the Hunkydory sheet (from Book of Toppers - Midnight Garden), and some gold-edged purple ribbon from my stash.  And here's the card I made from them:

As you can see, the green background piece was embossed - using the folder 5.5 x 8.5 Scattered Fall by Spellbinders.  I then matted it on purple, cream, & brown before adding to the card with a narrow margin.  I DID cut out the centers of the different colors of glimmer paper to use elsewhere.  I sliced off the side edges of the Hunkydory sheet. to create the borders - then wrapped them with the narrow ribbon before gluing in place.  The focal was added with foam tape. A small ribbon bow decorates the top left corner.  In the lower right corner, I added a little bundle of slivers of glimmer paper before adding a stamped sentiment (HOTP Small Stamps - Flowers and Swirls).  It had been stamped on cream colored card stock, shaped with a Stampin' Up punch, and then inked around the edges before being added with foam tape along the bottom edge.

And here's the set I got from my swap partner:

And the card I made:

Here I used the red card stock as a mat for the patterned paper (it's actually double sided paper, but I chose this side of the pattern).  After coloring the fox with Inktense pencils & water, I fussy cut it and glued it in place as you see.  I also used the same pencils/water to color the holly sprigs & pine cones & cut them out.  After cutting a 1/2" piece of red card stock, I wrapped the baker's twine around it and tied it in a bow - taping it to the back side of the strip & trimming the ends of the bow.  Then I added the holly sprigs and pine cone as you can see.

Inside:

As you can see, I added another strip of the red and a couple more pine cones to form a border on the inside of the card.