Monday, May 16, 2011

I'm a Busy Bee

http://nancybdickey.com/Postcards.html

In 2009 I took a work shop on how to make mailable quilted postcards from Nancy B Dickey.
I've listed her website under my card I created in her workshop. She is a great artist and person.  

Finally something even I can finish in a couple of hours depending on the embellishments and detail. I got Immediate gratification seeing it come together!  
Meet Henriette

From this workshop a Bee was formed. One of the girls asked if maybe we'd want to get together and work on postcards. This way we could bounce ideas off each other and share. We're known as the "Made to Be Canceled Bee" Our Queen Bee Susi opened up her home to about 12 of us. We have a lot of fun being creative and social. Seams Seems like we're always laughing. Some of us can produce 1 or 2 cards in the time we meet while some others can mass produce the cards. We meet once a month but have moved our meetings to Quilters Crossing in Tomball so Susi could have her home back. 


I made this card for my boss for her birthday. She loves golf. Sometimes I have to push myself to make these little post cards because there’s no pattern. The only thing that limits your creativity is Your imagination. Sometimes I can come up with an idea but sometimes I have to look at other work to get an idea. The golf course idea I got from a Yahoo group member named Barbara from Postcard Pizazz or Art For Mail.

Now I did have a problem at first with postcards ..."Where in the heck was I going to hide a check or money for birthdays or whatever? What was I to do?" Mail the postcard and then turn around and mail the check. That doesn't sound cost effective. So It was time to put on my creative cap. First I had to find that cap. ;o)

Then a light bulb came on... Leave one side open to slide my check or money in. 
All Dressed Up


Here I left  the skirt hem open and put the check up the skirt. Ooo la la








In this example of a graduation cap I left the check hanging out for the picture so you could see where the opening was. I fold the check and put it in its hiding place, go to the post office to have them hand stamp and cancel the postcard, slide my card in the clear envelope, seal it, and send it on its way.
The postal Clerk never saw me put the check in the cap and all is good.  
                Made this card for the Hoyt newlyweds. This card is a shaker card. Meaning when you shake it the rings and hearts move around.


Like all girls we have to have a designer purse right? So I made a CK Original for My Godchild where I left the top open to put the check actually in the purse. 

The only problem with this hiding method is you'll have to let the recipient know there is a check hiding in their card. Otherwise they look and read your note on the back and toss it aside or worst they throw it away.
To date I have only had two cards lost via the postal service.

Here's a card being made by one of the bee members.  Anything goes when making your own mailable postcard. some of the girls add candy wrappers, paper or embroidery.                 
Here I typed up 4 recipes and made a little cookbook that I pasted on a kitchen motif fabric. I found a plate and spoon in the doll house section at Hobby Lobby and pasted them on there too. Not only did my recipient get a quilted card but they also got 4 recipes that my family enjoys.


I found bees to be so much fun and productive I actually I ended up being a member of 4. Three of the bees are guild sponsored and the 4th is a group of friends. Of course that's what all bee's really are. "A gathering of friends"
  1. Made to Bee Canceled  -Here's a picture of some of the group. As you notice a few hid in the back of the line. Camera shy I'm told.
  2. 
  3. EQ Be'ers -is for those of us who have a quilting software called EQ7. In this bee we don't use anything but our laptops and we learn on to use the latest software EQ7 on how to create/design blocks or the whole quilt via software verse graph paper and pencils.
     
    Lt to Rt Charmaine trying to ignore the camera and Deb is pretending to work. Charmaine learned EQ from Diane so she fills in if Diane can't make it. Deb is the shop owner.
    Here's the EQ software description for inquiring minds: "quilt designing software program that helps you create your very own quilt designs using virtual fabrics, blocks and borders, turning your computer screen to a design wall. You can print quilt labels, draw original block designs, even import scanned fabric and photos. And no math is needed – EQ7 calculates yardage and all pattern sizes & seam allowances." 
             The gal in green smiling yet saying "I'm gonna hurt you and that camera" is our resident expert Diane. Our group meets once a month at Quilter's Crossing.   Oh yeah I forgot to mention I'm the Queen Bee of this group. But I'm a Baddd Queen Bee since I can't make it to my own bee it seams seems.
  4. Evening Stars meets 2 times a month at one of the members church. Now I was always under the impression that a Quilting Bee was where the women gathered around a guilt and quilted on the same quilt. Oh contraire. Each member works on whatever project they want. I sometimes work on postcards and other times I work other quilting projects I've got started. One day maybe I'll finish a quilt project to take pictures of. Some of the girls are into Red Work and do a lot of hand embroidery.  
  1. JV Gals - this bee doesn't really have a name but because I've given them a nick name so my husband can keep up with where I'm at and which bee. I ought to Nick name them "The Church Lady" from Saturday Nite Live. Am I dating myself. Most of the girls in this group belong to the church where we meet but don't currently belong to Tri County Quilt Guild. This group meets every other Thursday and I got invited by a couple of former co-workers to join them. I don't always get to join in because of other obligations but they welcome me whenever I show up. Another Fun and talented group of women. I've even been able to entice a few of them to join the Quilt Guild.
Well I've probably talked wrote enough about Bee's for now soooooo

Until Next Blog...... 
Quilting with a friend  or friends will keep you in stitches

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♥  Carla ! ♥
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