Madison Shoebox Swap

This past Saturday was the 3rd Annual Mad-City Madness Shoebox Swap hosted by Tracy (AZMommy on SCS) up in Sun Prairie. What a great time! I have been to all three events now and it's always a blast. Many of the same people have attended this or similar events in the area over the years and it's good to see everyone too, and catch up.

This was my original swap card for the event. I have, in the past, been known to make my cards a bit too involved because I just can't stop fiddling with them, LOL! Last year's card, for example {click here to see it} required an OBSCENE amount of prep time before hand with background stamps, cuttlebugging, sanding, distressing, masking...it required masking and coloring to make the card that day too. I love that card, but WHAT was I thinking - for a shoebox swap?! I made a concious effort this year to KISS {keep it simple, stupid!}.

I like how this card turned out, unfortunately, it has heat embossing, eyelet setting and background stamping {not once, but twice AND due to the card orientation you have to try to line it up}. No! Too putzy for a shoebox swap - bad bad Jennifer! I don't even know how the facility would feel about heat embossing in their banquet room? But that's a tale for another day...

In the end I went with a simplified version of this card, nixing the heat embossing and the background stamp. It wasn't as *wow* but it was still pretty. We have to do what we can with the time that is given to us {at the shoebox swap with 30 other stampers}! *wink*