Convention Operation Smile donation & Card Swaps for Northern Stars team event & Competition Layout

I am so excited that I got this opportunity to attend the Close To My Heart convention in Provo this year! In late November last year, after my daughter finished Year 12 and all her school commitments, my husband (Keith), daughter (Ali) & I visited our favourite travel agent to book a trip to the East Coast of Canada & the US that I had found and wanted to do! And the best part was that it coincided with convention! But when we went to book, the tour I wanted to do was sold out, so we looked at other options, but nothing came close to the original tour, so we decided to book the same tour, but in September/October. I was disappointed that I wasn't going to get to convention after all, but when Ali said she really wanted to go to Utah & I said I was disappointed I wouldn't get to convention, Keith told us we could still go and he would stay home for this trip and just do the other one with us! He didn't have to say it twice and as we were with the travel agent at the time, we booked both trips!

Once we had confirmed this trip and I registered for convention and organised accommodation, we were very excited. Then a few weeks ago, I was asked to donate something to the Northern Stars Team Dinner Operation Smile Auction. I was honoured to have been asked and had to work out what I would make to donate. I love making samplers, so decided that is what I would do. 

This is what I came up with! 

 To create this sampler, I used Black, White Daisy, Lemon, Lagoon, Candy Apple, Willow, Carolina, Raspberry & Sapphire cardstock; Silver Foil paper; Seasons Mix Ins paper pack; Stitched Squares Thin Cuts; Decorative Borders Thin Cuts; Stitched Flowers Thin Cuts; Crafting Shapes Thin Cuts; Shaker Window & Confetti Thin Cuts; Shaker Window Foam & Acetate; Crafty Loose Sequins; Gold Embellishing Thread; Silver Embellishing Thread; Ultra Thin Glue Dots; Micro Glue Dots; 3D Foam Tape; Thin 3D Foam Tape; Liquid Glass & Dual Tip Permanent Glue Pen. Once completed, I added the sampler to a 3D frame.

I also signed up for a card swap at the Team dinner - where we had to make 3 different cards to swap within our group. I chose to use the Craft on paper and stamp sets to make my swaps.
This card was created using White Daisy & Carolina cardstock, Craft on Paper Pack (bulk paper), Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Z4069 - Craft On Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts set, Black & Canary ink pads, Loose Silver Sequins, Thin Foam Tape.

My second card was created using White Daisy & Carolina cardstock, Craft on Paper Pack (bulk paper), Z4069 - Craft On Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts set, Ballerina, Canary, Carolina, Candy Apple, Thistle & Sweet Leaf ink pads, Thin Foam Tape.

And my third card was created using White Daisy & Carolina cardstock, Craft on Paper Pack (bulk paper), Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Stitched Square Thin Cuts, Z4069 - Craft On Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts set, Black, Ballerina, Bluebird, Candy Apple, Saffron, Raspberry, Willow & Canary ink pads, Loose Silver Sequins, Thin Foam Tape.

Every time I attend convention, I enter the page layout competition as this generally makes me think outside the box a little. This year, we are celebrating 35 years of Jeanette Lynton and Close To My Heart so the theme for the competition was "Celebrate". My layout is about celebrating my time as a volunteer at my daughter's old school & being awarded Volunteer of the Year at the school at then end of the year last year. 

I volunteer in the Resource Centre (Library) at the school and much of my time is spent covering new books, repairing & re-covering damaged books these days. I have also helped out with special activities and events in the library such as book week and the annual book fair and much more. It is a role I truly enjoy doing and that is why I continue to volunteer there even though Ali finished school last year.

There is so much I want to share with you about convention, but that will have to wait till another day!

Until then, happy papercrafting.

Doreen