PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2013

What a wonderful past few days I have had.  I was fortunate enough to convince 3 of my blogging besties to make the trek to my home in San Diego for a little bit of crafting and a whole lot of laughing and friendship.

Kim was first to arrive--she flew down on Friday afternoon.  We picked up my daughter from her art class and went to lunch.

Rachel and Kim

First order of business was to break out some of my newest PTI goodies to make a quick card.  We both cased this card from Jess Witty.

My card is the one on the right.

After our crafty time, we walked down to the beach and had our picture taken.

The walk took a while, because we brought Sherlock, my new puppy with us.  He is 6 months old, and likes to stop and smell the roses--and everything else, too.

The next morning, Cathy and Marybeth arrived.  Of course, everyone arrived bearing crafty gifts.  I did not take pictures because I didn't think of it, and I immediately tore everything apart.  Here is one bit of what I made for my guests.  You will see the other side of these in a few days at the Waltzingmouse Pajama Party.

We all decided to case this card of Tracey's for our first challenge--the Bake n Take.

The one on the far left is mine.

We made a bit of a mess, but had a great time.  I commandeered my daughter's playroom for us.  I made 4 cards yesterday--we did way more chatting and laughing than crafting.

I made two cards for the Gallon, Quart, Pint challenge.  My first card used Watercolor Wonder.

Marybeth brought her new coffee set, and we played with that one for a while.  It was fun to use a set I didn't get.

I confess that after watching the salt tutorial, we kind of went off script for the rest of the afternoon, and just did our own thing.

I was trying to convince Tracey to come and join us, but Toronto is just too far away.  She was able to join us for a good part of the day by Face Time--I just love how technology is making the world seem just a little smaller.  Maybe next year.

I made one more card using a new 6X6 pad that Cathy brought me and a sketch from the first challenge.

And, here we all are at the end of the day.  My daughter lined us up in size order and took our final picture.

The California Girls

What a fun day.  I am so lucky to have met such nice women in our on-line crafting community.  I am already counting the days until Stamp A Faire 2014.

Thanks for Visiting

PTI July 2012 Blog Hop and Stamp-A-Faire Recap

Here is our inspiration photo for this month's PTI blog hop:

I decided to use Lovely Layers for my card, since I haven't used it too much yet.  I went with the theme of flowers, and the same basic color scheme, only my colors ended up being much brighter rather than the soft shades of the picture.  I think I am just a bright colored gal.  I like the card I ended up with, although it doesn't resemble the picture much.  But, the picture did inspire me, and that is the main point, right?

Supplies Used (PTI):
Stamps:  Lovely Layers
Paper:  Simply Chartreuse, White, Summer Sunrise Pattern, Simply Chartreuse Pattern
Ink:  Simply Chartreuse, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Memento Rich Cocoa
Other:  Lovely Layers Dies, Tracey's Fabulous Frames Die, Striped IP

And, if you don't mind more pictures, I've got some pictures from Stamp-A-Faire.  I was lucky enough to have two dear friends come over for the day, Kim from Cupcakes, Cards, and Kim and Cathy from Empty Nest Crafter.  I won't show my cards, since we were so busy talking and laughing, that I really didn't do much other than case a few of the DT's creations. 

Here we are on a break from crafting--I took them to the beach near my house.

Cathy, Me, Kim

Kim and I each made favors for each of us from Favor-it dies.

Cathy had the most beautifully wrapped basket of strawberry themed crafts and gifts.  This is what was left of it after I tore it open.  I should have taken the picture first.  She actually made paper strawberries with little gifts inside each one.

Cathy's Gift

Kim made the sweetest summer camp gift bags with card sets inside:

Kim's Gift Bag

Kim's Card Set

Kim had warned me she was bringing my birthday present on the plane, and that it was large.  Imagine my surprise when she came off the plane carrying this.  It was all wrapped up and in its own crate.  She and her husband made me this ribbon holder, just like Nicole's.  Isn't it just amazing?  I thought I had a lot of ribbon, but notice how much empty space there is.....

Stamp-a-Faire was a day to remember.  We had such fun, and still managed to watch a number of the videos and create a couple of cards, too.  I sure hope it becomes an annual tradition.

Thanks for Visiting