Retreat Make & Takes, Table Gifts, and other photos!

 

I recently hosted a 4-day craft retreat with these lovely ladies at the Best Western Hotel in Leesburg, VA.  The ladies had plenty of time to work on their own projects--card making, scrapbooking, sewing, etc.--but we also had six make & takes, catered dinners, and fun times with Bingo and even dancing!  There were display tables and stations where the attendees could borrow stamps, dies, and punches.  Each morning, there was a little gift waiting for them at their spot.

I found many of the ideas for my make & takes online, in which case I will share the links below.  I also typed up a PDF with photos and measurements for my guests and made "how to put together" videos for the make & takes (not the table gifts).  If you would like to receive this PDF and the video tutorials via email, you can purchase it below for $10.

On Friday we had a birthday theme.  We made the following projects:

I found the video tutorial for the cute box by In the Pink Designs. We put Hostess cupcakes inside for a sweet little birthday treat.  We used the Circle Sayings bundle and Bright & Beautiful DSP.

For the Daisy bay window card, you can find the measurements and link to my Facebook live video on my blog HERE.  We used the Cheerful Daisies bundle and Countryside Inn DSP.

Our next project was a card with a pocket inside for a gift card. We used the Bright & Beautiful DSP again along with the Beautiful Balloons bundle.

On Saturday, we had a Christmas in July theme. We made these three projects:

We made two cards with the One Horse Open Sleigh DSP, which is an online exclusive product.  I learned the 3-panel Z-fold card pattern from Rachel Tessman.

This next card was inspired by a card I saw made by Tami White.  I just changed it slightly to make less cardstock pieces for me to cut!

Our final project used the retired Gnome dies.  I learned how to make this notebook holder from Schell Fabian.  The inspiration for the front came from a tag I saw by Tami Hewlett.

That's the end of the make & takes!  They were a big hit!  Next, I'll share what I made for table gifts/party favors for my guests:

These scissor/paper snip pouches were inspired by a smaller version I saw by Lillian Kemp using the Mini Pocket Envelope dies.  I didn't have those dies, and I wanted a bigger version, so I made my own version.  It was very simple to make.  You can see my quick YouTube tutorial HERE.

That project gave me some left-over 1" x 6" strips of the Glorious Gingham Designer paper.  I put two strips together and wrapped them around a pack of dimensionals.  I decorated it with elements from the Crafting for You bundle:

The idea for these cute candy pouches came from Laura Mellinger.  You use a clear envelope (sold by SU), put the candy in, and fold the top down and adhere on the backside, leaving space at the top for the topper.  The topper is 4-1/2 x 3, scored at 1-1/2

The final gift was a small handmade gift bag (made from retired DSP) filled with a glue eraser and Utah Mint Truffles (super delicious!).  You can find instructions HERE.

Well, that's a lot of photos for one post, but since I'm terrible about posting, I thought I better "dump" them all now! :)

Putting on a retreat is an immense amount of work, but it certainly brings me joy when all the guests are there and we are having a wonderful time together.  The next one will be January 25-28th, 2024.  Save the date and come join us!

Daisy Bay Window Fun Fold Card

 

The bay window fun-fold card was a new one for me!  I received the following card in the mail from Carol LeFave last Mother's Day and knew I wanted to give it a try!

I wanted to use the beautiful Countryside Inn DSP and Cheerful Daisies bundle to create this card.  The card does lay flat to mail and it does open.  After you open it, you tuck one little flap under the inside piece to get the bay window look.  This was one of the make & takes at my recent craft retreat.

When the card is flat, you don't see the DSP on the right side
because that piece is on the inside.

Inside view. The left floral flap is glued down flat.

I don't know who to credit with the original measurements for this fun fold card, but I will post them below.

 

Measurements (in inches):

• Boho Blue card base: 4-1/4 x 11, score at 5-1/2, 6-1/2, 7-3/4, 9-1/2, and 10-3/4
• Boho Blue (strip on the inside): 1 x 4-1/4
• DSP (floral): 3/4 x 4 (cut 2)
• DSP (navy striped): 1-1/2 x 4
• White (inside): 3-1/8 x 4
• White: scraps to die-cut the daisies and the tag

You can see a video of me cutting and putting this card together HERE.  I used a sponge dauber to add Lemon Lolly ink to the flower centers.  I daubed Granny Apple Green on the leaf and Boho Blue on the flower edges.

I hope you enjoy making this fun fold card.  I thought it was pretty cool and fairly simple compared to some.  Give it a try!

Product List

Cheerful Daisies Bundle (English) [161297] $53.00	Boho Blue 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [161724] $10.00	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.50	Countryside Inn 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [161467] $12.50
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110] $9.00	Boho Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [161650] $9.00	Lemon Lolly Classic Stampin' Pad [161666] $9.00	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad [147095] $9.00
Sponge Daubers [133773] $5.50	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] $6.00	Boho Blue 3/8" (1 Cm) Textured Ribbon [161631] $8.00