When the power goes off.........

....especially if it's during the day and I can still see, I just go to my craft room and play. YEP, our power was off for almost eight hours yesterday. I had serious withdrawal from not having my computer for company. However, the upside is that I completed a swap which I had only joined the night before! It's a swap at The Stamp Shack for Bella cards which is being hosted by BeckyP. They are ready for mailing and will be arriving in Tenneesee very soon Becky, so check your mailbox in a few days!



I'm sure that many of you are aware that SCS now has a new forum for Member Companies, those companies being Stamping Bella, Gina K. Designs, Papertrey Ink, Jackson Belle Embellishments, Lizzie Ann Designs, Scor-Pal and My Favorite Things. I love them all. That being said, the layout for this card of Merrybella is for the First Bella Challenge which is a sketch challenge. See details here.

When I saw that sketch, I just knew it would be perfect for the swap, too. It took me about two hours to create the six cards for the swap and I have to say, I love this card. It may well be the one I use for my own Christmas cards this year! For the sentiment, I used my CM smallest oval and the blue blade, just in case you wanted to know. Because it's a swap card, I wanted to make it fairly flat and not use to many embellishments as they can get heavy and add to the cost of mailing. (I've cut down on swaps because of the cost of postage.) So, instead of tons of embellies, I opted for textures. I used Fun Flock for the hat and boot tops, only three baubles for the tree and some Stickles - gold for the tree top and silver for the buckle. Then, I attached the ribbon with a lovely green staple, which also adds texture and interest. The entire six cards, with a return envie only weighs 93g or 3.3 oz. Perfect for mailing. I'm happy with that.

Cardstock: PTI White
Designer Paper: Reminisce
Stamps: Stamping Bella, PTI's Holiday Wishes, SU All About Christmas Wheel
Ink: Palette Hybrid Black
Accessories: Baubles, Stickles, Fun Flock, Staples