CARD FOR A FRIEND

This card features the SU dsp with its shiny blossoms on a peachy background for the card front and a matching butterfly.  The burlap ribbon over the black cs border is just right with the dsp.

The sentiment is so true, and the card will be going to one of my friends in the Silver Stampers group.  We've been exchanging cards and letters since I started in the group, around 2001 or so.  We haven't met in person (yet) but I know she is a treasure.  Our common belief in Christ has deepened our friendship in a special way.

Silver Stampers (silver because of our hair color) can be identified by our inky fingers from New Jersey to Oklahoma to California and the Mid West.  We surely are a creative bunch!

SILVER STAMPERS UNITE!

...well, six of us anyway... 

This is the card I'm bringing for everyone to make.  The kits are all made up and ready to go for our get-together next week..  

Pop-up cards are always a lot of fun!

SILVER STAMPER FUN--Part Two

Aren't these caterpillar bookmarks adorable?  Linda brought everything needed to make these during her visit.  We made them while Joan and Joyce were here, and I made one for each of my two youngest grandsons who are also avid readers.

To hold the circles together, we used  glue sheets folded over, adding the eyes on top.

Scroll down for Part One of the amazing Silver Stamper visit!.

SILVER STAMPER FUN--Part One

This past week I had a wonderful visit from two Silver Stampers, Linda (from Minnesota) and Sheila (from California.)  They arrived Thursday just before 5 pm, and we were stamping by 6!  We made some summer wreath cards with my peg stamps, then had some grilled chicken and homemade salads for dinner.  What adventures these two ladies have had so far on their drive across our beautiful country!

The next day, we set up the dining room table for experimenting with Color Burst.  This card is one of those I made after spritzing with water, adding blue and purple CB particles and spritzing again with a water/Perfect Pearls mix.  We had a visit from Joan and Joyce who dropped in to say hello to the adventurous travelers.  After making some adorable caterpillar bookmarks (separate post,) we headed for lunch at the local chinese restaurant.  We later returned for a game of Mexican Train (dominoes) on the back deck.

After relaxing for awhile, the next project was re-packing Sheila's car for the next leg of their journey in the  morning.  The trunk and back seat were packed tight, although wisely allowing the rear window to remain unblocked.  Their plans are to continue to Maine where they can take the ferry to Nova Scotia, then travel back west on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence with stops along the way.  They will visit with one of Sheila's daughters before crossing back over the border to the US.  Linda won't be getting home until August 5, and Sheila shortly after that in San Diego.  What an amazing way to see the country!

Imagine my surprise when I saw that this week's challenge was to use Color Burst powders!  HERE is the link for the challenge.

SILVER STAMPERS

I've mentioned Silver Stampers several times on this blog, but I want to mention them again.  I've just received over 30 birthday cards this past week--today is the day!--and it has been so uplifting.  If you are over 50 and love to send (and receive) cards, then you would surely enjoy this wonderful group of stampers.  The annual dues ($12) cover the cost of maintaining and mailing the annual directory and birthday list. 

Membership gives you the opportunity to make some new friends by mail, or sometimes in person.  You can correspond with one or two on the list or 50 or more--it's up to you.  There are over 100 members from all over the country.  I keep in touch with about 10 or 12 on a regular basis, send birthday and Christmas cards to about 50 and receive as many back.  Some write or type long newsletters, some just sign the card and others enclose a separate note so their card can be re-used.  You could start out by picking one name from each month of the birthday list,  which would give you just one a month.

If you think this might be something you'd enjoy, you can contact the current coordinator, Gretchen King.  Her email address is gk1146@softcom.net.  (All levels of stamping are welcome, beginners to advanced.)  Just tell her Doris sent you!

COOL CARD FOR A HOT FRIEND

When my Silver Stamper friend from Oklahoma wrote and told me that the temps were over 100 this week, I just had to send her a card to make her feel cool.

Combining two seasons into one, I embellished the quilted snowflake with a foil butterfly from my scrap drawer.

...and I thought today's temp of 93 here in NJ was hot!

AUTHENTIC DOGWOOD STAMP

This stamp by Hero Arts is the only one I've seen (so far, anyway) that has Dogwood blooms with four petals instead of five.  There is a "Legend of the Dogwood" which is appropriate for Easter, but it requires an authentic 4-petal Dogwood blossom.

The leaves on this stamp are very dark, but I wanted the blossoms to be much lighter.  So I first stamped the image in Versafine Olympia Green and stamped a second image in Smokey Gray stamped off once.  I then colored both as shown with colored pencils.

Next, I cut the white cs close to the image on the sides, sponged the edges with Smokey Gray and glued it to the green dsp which I had already glued to the card front.  Then I added the lighter blossoms over the image with dimensionals.

The greeting, from the SU "Painted Petals" set, was stamped in the Olympia Green and mounted on the card with dimensionals.  The final touch of Diamond Stickles was applied to the centers of the blossoms.

This card is going to a Silver Stamper who is 88 and makes the most amazing cards!

FALLing Is In??

One of my fellow Silver Stampers (a club for stampaholics over 50) also had a nasty fall, so I made this card to cheer her up.  Inside it will read, "...but not my favorite activity!"

The torn strip is from a pad of Core-dinations in Distress colors by Tim Holtz and Ranger.  The core is kraft, which shows up when you tear it.  I'm going to get a lot of use from this pad!

No more "fall" cards, though... I hope...

SILVER STAMPERS

There's a group of us called "Silver Stampers" because we are over 50 (silver) and stampaholics (stampers) from all over the country. Should any of you be interested in joining, you can contact our present leader at her email address below.

The dues are very low and entitle you to our latest mailing list, newsletter and email updates throughout the year. Whether a beginner or more advanced stamper, all card makers are welcome to join in the fun of exchanging birthday and/or holiday cards at your own pace. I joined in 2002 and have loved corresponding with other stampers, just like when we were kids writing to pen pals! (only better...)

If this sounds like fun, contact our president via email at silverstamperbiz@att.net and tell her I sent you!