Postcard Pals Swap

Postcard Pals is one of my favorite sets in the 2018-19 Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalog. Look at these little cuties.

I used this set for a monthly swap. I was in the mood for bright, spring colors, so I used lots of Granny Apple Green and Daffodil Delight.

I had so much fun coloring this image. I used Stampin’ Blends in Real Red, Smoky Slate, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Petal Pink, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Granny Apple Green. Oh – and some of the swaps had a little swoosh of sky in Balmy Blue. (I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.)

Our Stampin’ Blends make it so easy to look like an artist. They blend beautifully. I always order a combo pack so I have a light and a dark marker in each color. (You don’t save money, but it does save me frustration to have both.)

Simple Details

Since I knew I’d be using Stampin’ Blends, I stamped the image on Whisper White Cardstock using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. After coloring the image, I rounded the corners, then layered to a slightly larger piece of Basic Black Cardstock (also with corners rounded).

Before adding the stamped layer, I adhered a strip of Brights (Granny Apple Green) 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). I added a sentiment along the bottom, also in Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and then the stamped/colored image went on top with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

A Word of Caution

Sadly, over half of my swaps haven’t made it to their destination yet. It’s probably posted somewhere on the Stampin’ Up!® web site and on the USPS site (although I couldn’t find it), but I didn’t realize that if you mail a card in our Medium Clear Envelopes, it needs to be hand canceled. I’ve been using these envelopes for years without a problem, but apparently, this time there was a stickler for policy in the post office. Three of my swaps were delivered, three were returned to me, and two are still MIA. So – word of caution – if you use Clear Envelopes to mail your card (and who doesn’t want everyone who touches it from your house to its destination to see your creation?), be sure to add an extra 15¢. The good news, though, is that the “non-machinable” extra is 7¢ less than it was before the postal increase last month, so there’s that. (There’s always a silver lining, right?)

Here’s a photo of the sticker that came with my returned cards. So be sure if you have clasps, bumps, plastic, or any of the other things mentioned, you need to add 15¢.

According to the label, it sounds like I could have gotten away with just adding the extra postage. The stamps weren’t canceled; they had a squiggle over them. I didn’t want to take a chance, though. I stuck the entire original (envelope and all) into a Whisper White Medium Envelope with a new Forever postage stamp. Hopefully they’ll get there ok. Lesson learned!

Another Silver Lining

If you purchase everything I used to make this card, you’ll not only have a lovely collection of Stampin’ Blends, lots of paper for future projects, and a great corner punch, but you’ll also qualify for a Level 1 and a Level 2 (or three Level 1) Sale-a-bration Product! How fun is that? You know my motto, of course. “Why spend $8 for a beautiful card at the store when you can makea better one yourself for ~$150?” Actually, though, that $150 will make a LOT more than one card. I made nine, which reduces the “per card total” drastically – and I can make at least 39 more before I run out of Daffodil Delight Cardstock, so that brings the price per card to less than $4.00. PLUS you get free products, the joy of creating, and the recipient will be touched that you took the time to make a card for him/her. That makes the card priceless. (Feel free to use this math/logic on your husband, parent, significant other, or conscience as needed.)

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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