Double Pocket card | The Maui Stamper

I signed up for a “Wow” swap. I should have known better. A swap like that causes me to pull out all of the stops. I drive myself crazy coming up with an idea, and then spend hours putting it together because in my wisdom I decided to cut out a zillion little pieces. Of course, once I finish I think of dozens of additional little touches I should have added:

I actually did most of the construction for this swap at Boy Scout camp last week. My son’s troop needed some extra adult supervision during the day, and since they didn’t need me to do anything but be there in case of an emergency, I was pretty free. I spread out my project on one of the big picnic tables at their campsite and cut, scored, stamped, trimmed and punched the day away. The boys would come and go between activities and check out my progress. Some of them were curious and a couple seemed entertained by this mom working away in their camp. The site was so beautiful – and peaceful as long as they were away – that I really enjoyed myself.

Here’s another look at the card:

There’s a tutorial for this card at Splitcoast Stampers under Resources – look for the Diagonal Double Pocket card.

Travel is the ultimate educational experience. Getting outside of my comfortable routine and familiar environment exposes me to other ways of thinking and living and I find that really stimulating – at least for a while. We’ve been fortunate to be able to travel as a family to some pretty interesting places. Those times together have given us a lot of fond memories as well as no small amount of ammunition in the battle of the minds.

The new Sentimental Journey stamp set in the Summer Mini catalog calls to mind those family vacations. The excitement of arrival in a new place, the chaos of unanticipated situations, and the adventure of exploration are evoked in the images in this set. A pocket card seemed like a great way to package the possibilities:

Sentimental Journey, En Francais, Wings of Friendship and Whimsical Words stamps
Naturals Ivory, Sage Shadow, Soft Suede and Ruby Red card stock
Sage Shadow, Soft Suede and Ruby Red classic ink pads
Soft Suede Stampin’ Write marker, Vintage Brads, and Crop-a-dile
Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, Horizontal Slot and Tag Corner punches
1 1/4″ and 1 3/8″ square punches

Wouldn’t this be a fabulous way to present your graduate with that trip of a lifetime? Ah well…in my house, the trip of a lifetime is called University Tuition. But here are the tags I put inside:

Makes you want to pack your bags, doesn’t it? Even when I live in a wonderful place like Maui, travel beckons. And when the travel is done, well, there’s no place like home.