Monthly Card Swap Group

It has been a long time since I posted about my monthly card swap group. We are still together and starting our 2nd year of the group...should be fun! It has really helped me grow in my card making skills. Actually I didn't really make cards before I joined the group and now I really find it a great, quick crafty thing to do.

Of course lately I have been focused on getting items for my etsy shop made, but now that I almost have all the items photographed and ready to be uploaded I can focus on other things too.

I wanted to share the November cards for the group, I think by far it was my most favorite theme. Although it did not start out that way, I was moaning and groaning about doing the card and really waited until the last couple of days to get mine started. Our theme was a non traditional shape, so anything other than a rectangle. I had in my mind that I would do an ornament, but when it came down to it I just didn't really like the look of the ornament card, so I searched around and realized that my cricut can do amazing things. I did have to dust off my design studio and get it working!!! Think I have had that for 2 years and only used it a couple of times. I love it and decided I really need to use it more often.

So here are the 2 cards I made. One of them I made for my friend that is in the group. She is buys with school and just could not get to a card

this month so I made them for her. We have 10 in our group so we are making 10 of each card...so not bad once you get going. The first one is the one I used my cricut design studio for. I took the santa face from the doodlecharms cartridge and on design studio I copied and pasted a second face, then flipped the image and welded a part at the top of the card together. Then cut it out and added all the fun details, like an embossing folder for the beard and mustache, then stickled all the raised parts. Then my friend came over and did help make the little pom poms for the hat. I think this is one of my all time favorite cards. It turned out so cute!

The next one I can not take full credit for as I copied this from another person's blog. She did a great tutorial on this card. Here is the link if you would like to make one too. I made mine in holiday colors to go with the Santa card. I looked everywhere for a green plaid paper, can't believe sometimes how hard it is to find the perfect papers.

Back to reality, I have got a million things to do for this month and have not started one of them! I always wait till after December 15th to do my Christmas shopping because honestly I don't really have anywhere to store all the gifts and my kids are peekers! I don't know why but every year I feel bad that I wait so long, but it is just what works for me! Of course I do have a few parties early in the month so I have been working on a few gifts for those. I am doing a lot of making of the gifts this year...it costs a little less and I feel is so much more meaningful. Hope everyone I give them to feels the same way!