STARS Project: Envelope Books

As promised, I'm back with photos of our stamp club's monthly project for March.  This is the front cover of Lori's book.  And below is the back cover.

Every month I'm amazed at how everyone has access to the very same supplies, but they're all drawn to different bits of paper or clip art, or different stamp images.  The big surprise this time was how many brought supplies of their own, like colored envelopes and scrapbook papers.

Lori brought green envelopes:

And Laurie brought pink:

Mary's were brown:

And Lyn's were white:

Deb brought a rich green and found some great scraps of paper I had leftover from days gone by...



Have I mentioned we have a lot of Linda's and Lynda's in stamp club?  Lyn is actually Lynda too but was a goos sport and abbreviated years ago.  Her husband always knows when it's me calling because I ask for Lyn.  Everyone should have a little inside joke.

But I tell you this because I don't want you to be confused when I say these envelopes are created by Lynda:

And now, before I put these last 2 sets up, my apologies ahead of time to Michele.  In one photo you've got such a great smile I didn't want to NOT post it, but the picture is blurry.  In the next one the picture is crisp but the smile is gone because we were laughing and moving and coaching.  (I can hear Laurie telling her not to move in the middle of the shot)

See what I mean about that smile?  How could I possibly crop this photo down and lose that?

And again, with the covers...such different ideas.  At the top of this post you saw Lori's.  Now look at Mary's with that pop thanks to scrapbook paper and some of my measuring tape clip art:

Sharon and I didn't participate.  Instead we played catch up, comparing all the free games we've downloaded on our ipads, in between running around admiring the ongoing creations. 

Another photo op lost:  Lynda stamped an image that looks like the spectacle contraption found in an optometrist's office and I pointed out that I had a stamp of an eye that would fit perfectly inside the lenses.  But she wanted a left eye and a right eye.  So I whipped out a piece of transparency and had her stamp the eye twice before punching them out.  When she adhered them, one had the stamped image face up and the other was flipped over so that it was reversed.  Best of all, the shiny transparency looked like there were really lenses in the frames.  Now how cool is that?!

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it.  If you're not a member of a local stamp club, start one!  Look at all the fun you're missing.  Lo those many years ago I kept seeing the same faces show up for my classes and suggested they start joining me at my house once a month to play free of charge.  And here we are, with some of those very same girls still coming and still having fun. 

Are you close by?  Interested?  Email me.  And if you're not, we're not going anywhere so come back to visit...often.

And so much more...

Let's start with a follow up.  Above is Michele's collage in miniature at the end of class 2 weeks ago.  And below is how it looked last night when she pulled it out for show & tell at stamp club:

She's added seashells, grungeboard, wire & beads, and so much more.  Isn't that something?

And Laurie brought hers back but I never got a photo of it, which is a shame because she'd rearranged hers completely and added to it.  Maybe she'll send me a photo so I can show it off.

Lynda and Mary didn't bring theirs...so sorry.

Last month we discussed how we'd all met with some of our members taking classes from me as much as 14 years ago at the local community center.  We reminesced about those old classes and the techniques taught so long ago.  Michele told everyone she'd been going back through her stashes and using bits and pieces in new projects. 

So last night Laurie said she'd been doing the same and brought an accordian tag book that inspired us for next month's project.  Everyone's going to do a colorful background technique on 10 luggage tags and we'll stamp them during the meeting, each leaving with an accordian book of tags done by all the members in attendance.

Laurie also brought the cards shown below,  made from backgrounds she created in a specimen box collage class I taught last year.  Recycle, re-use...it's all the rage!

This frame is covered in dominoes she'd saved from years earlier when we played around with a lot of different techniques.  Another big hit.  So glad she saved them, and that she found a use for them.

And there must have been something in the air because Lynda brought a couple of projects also made with scraps, like this card:

and this book:

Lori had made a few cards with a masculine theme...

And Deb had made some of her wondrous cards for a wedding, but also brought along this one made with a "new" stamp.  So of course I pointed out 3 drawers filled with that very same stamp and others with the same witty women characters, which means yet another monthly project is already in the works.

There were envelopes and papers decorated with alcohol inks and shave cream.  Another accordian fold class I'd taught with a stamped suitcase on the front cover that actually opened.  Lots and lots of show & tell.

And let's not forget the homemade chocolate eclairs Lyn brought for our refreshments.  All this before we even started our project!  I should've been clever enough to take a photo of those.  Oh my, we are a spoiled bunch of girls...until it's my turn to play hostess and I run for a chocolate creme bundt cake at the grocery store.  Maybe that's why I rarely play hostess for refreshments.  Hmmm.

Totally unrelated to stamping, we compared covers for our ipads.  I have a new one I picked up at CHA in hot pink faux alligator with a bright lime green inside.   Sharon had a new one that's a swiveling stand, and Mary's had a cover similar to mine but with a hole so you could see the apple logo.  All different.  All clever.

Now I bet you can't wait to see photos of the envelope books in progress, right?

Come back tomorrow.  They'll be here.  Hope you will be too.

STARS are coming to play tonight

The girls in my stamp club are coming over tonight for our monthly meeting and a bit of play...making envelope books.  Have you made one of these before?

Last month we were trying to decide on swaps, challenges & projects for the upcoming months.  And I pulled out this little envelope book that I made years ago and it sparked everyone's imagination.

I made mine to hold bits from my travels but they could certainly house your coupon collection or receipts or, if your envelopes are large enough, they could hold cards you need to send out, making an envelope for every month.

Tonight I'm putting out hundreds of rubber stamps and a bit of ephemera, like the colorful pieces added to mine, so I'll take some photos of the girls at work and post them tomorrow.

Come on back to check them out, won't you?

Just Play

Hope you're having fun this week.  Pull our your art supplies, whether they be crayons, markers, chalk, colored pencils or paints & inks. 

Just play!