So many swaps....

So little time!  The fact that I belong to a group called "Swappers Anonymous" should be your first clue that I am a Swap addict.  I admit it.  I have a swap problem.  The biggest issue I have with it is that I will go for a while without joining ANY and then all of a sudden I do something INSANE, like join six card swaps, a Secret Sister group and a Secret Cupid thing ALL AT ONCE.  Of course, most of the swapping is because we have a new catalog out.  That accounts for 5 of the 6 swaps.  Add one for Sale-A-Bration and you have six.  I can't post my card that I sent for Lyssa's New Catalog swap as I have submitted it in a contest.  I will show you a piece of it though:

The image is from the Playful Petals set.  It is stamped in Stazon and then colored using Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aqua Painter.  The DSP used behind the flower is from the Pink Pirouette Patterns DSP.

Here is the card I did for the SAB swap:

Sorry it's crooked.  My scanner hates me.  If I put cards in against the edge of the glass they come out straight, but the scanning software then crops them and I lose part of the card.  Sigh.  The supplies used for this card are the Botanical Blooms set and the Delicate Dots DSP, both available as free product choices during Sale-A-Bration which is running thru the end of March.  The ribbon is the So Saffron Poly Twill from the current catalog and of COURSE there are brads on there.  I also used the Scallop Edge, Word Window, Key Tag and Wide Oval punches.  Yes, I am a punch junkie.  The flower outline was stamped in Regal Rose and Old Olive and the fill images were done in Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery.  The center of the flower was colored So Saffron and has little dots of Dazzling Diamonds on it.  The layout was inspired by one of my fellow Swapper Anonymous friends, Kathy.  I made it after seeing this card on her blog.

I will post the cards I did for my three Swappers Anonymous swaps later in the week.  The hostess mailed them back out to us today.  The last swap I did was just mailed to the hostess this week and she won't be mailing them back until Saturday or Monday, so I won't be posting that one until next week sometime.

So what swaps do I have on the horizon?  Well, I still have my Secret Sister swap going thru March.  I sent my pal a package yesterday that I will upload at a later date.  We also have the Occasions Mini starting up April 1st.  I am already signed up for a swap for that.  Then I joined another secret pal swap for Easter. 

The discussions of Convention swaps have already started.  Convention is August 5-8 this year and I already have the cabin booked for my swap-making in July.  The new catalog comes out July 1st so there will be lots of swaps using new sets this Convention instead of TONS of swaps using the few sets that we get to pre-order.  That will be NICE.  In 2006, I attended my first SU Convention and only took 50 swaps (can you IMAGINE?!) with me and over 30 of the cards I brought home had used Blossoms Abound (now retired).  While I *LOVED* that set, after getting SO MANY cards with it, I don't think I used it again after Convention.  2007's over-used pre-order set was Baroque Motifs.  2008 was Dreams Du Jour.  There will still be an over-used set this year if we get a preview list to order from just because it will help folks get going on their swaps a month sooner.  It's also when we get our hands on the new "In Colors" for the first time.  Mmmmmmm.... new colors.....  Every year there is at least one "in color" that I don't know how I will live without.  Cool Caribbean, Soft Sky....  This year's is Pink Pirouette.  I think I will cry having to go back to Pretty in Pink for my "light pink" needs.  It just looks so DARK to me now!  I'll also be missing the Bella Rose DSP.  I'm into my 3rd package of it.  I don't think I've ever USED UP a whole pack of DSP before, let alone TWO whole packs!

Enough dreaming of new product!  Back to the stamp table!  I have 2 birthday cards to mail today.... are they done yet?  Noooooooo.....  Toodles!