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We are just a few weeks away from our Winter VSN!
The hostesses are preparing a wonderful variety of challenges and creating some samples for your inspiration.
If it's been a while since you have done Virtual Stamp Night, you can ask questions here. Why, how, etc etc
I'm looking forward to this! How 'bout you?
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
The following 5 users liked this post by berlycece:
Hmm, where is everybody? I for one am really looking forward to VSN! It's good to have something fun to look forward to after all the holiday hoopla is done. I can't wait to see all the great challenges that will be posted for our fun theme this year to celebrate the Winter Olympics!
__________________ -----LizBeth"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, ..." ~~1 Thess. 4:11 (NIV)
I am around. I will hopefully create a few challenge cards, but not all. I bought a few new/used stamps on Etsy and eBay. One is mostly greetings that I will use, so my plan js to stamp these in several colors onto die cut or punched shapes. My husband found a plastic container for me to use to keep them in. I make few cards these days, but this will work well for patterned paper. I do look forward to the event as it is fun to see what everyone comes up with for each challenge.
Here are some things I like to prepare before VSN.
1. Have plenty of card bases cut and scored.
2. Pull out favorite sentiment sets i anticipate using. Birthday, sympathy, and thinking of you top the list
3. Grab image sets that might work for the theme. For this winter VSN, I will have snowflakes, snowmen, and maybe some pine trees ready and waiting
4. This is the hardest. CLEAR plenty of space before I start. I am in the worst state of chaos in my craft room but I am determined to make space!
What are your prep routines?
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
The following 3 users liked this post by berlycece:
Kim, I'm just winging it. No prep. LOL! That being said,..
1. I won't keep up.
2. I have a neat/organized space (I'm one of those weirdos that cleans up after every card).
3. I just want to have fun - so I create what I can and don't stress about what I can't.
4. My mantra: There's always the grace period at the conclusion of VSN.
The following 4 users liked this post by Forest Ranger:
I fall in between Kim and Jeanette with my prep routines for VSN!
1. I don't pull out stamp sets or paper ahead of time, but I do cut and score plenty of card bases.
B. I keep up with the first two or three challenges...and then fall behind! But I don't worry about it because we have "extra time" to finish and upload at the end.
C. I try to clean up after each card, because I have a small space, and if I don't put stuff back where it came from, I waste time looking for it (on the craft table, on the floor, under my desk, in the hallway....lol!).
4. I also make sure I am well caffeinated before VSN goes live! :-) And have some snacks on hand; snacks help me think! (Right? Or is that just what I tell myself, lol!!)
A. Like Jeanette, my main goal is always to have fun, and to encourage other participants to have fun, too!
Hugs!
__________________ -----LizBeth"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, ..." ~~1 Thess. 4:11 (NIV)
~~My Patronus is a squirrel~~
The following 2 users liked this post by LizBeth1976:
Jeannette, I love that there is a grace period for posting VSN cards. As fun as it sounds to spend the whole weekend making crafts, my life just doesn't work like that.
I have to admire those of you who clean up after every card. I tend to let my stuff fill up the space available, including the floor around my craft desk, until I eventually get around to cleaning it up.
Too bad it isn’t this weekend, because a lot of us will be snowed in or at least we will be staying in out of the sub degree temps!
The sun is shining here now, but when I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. the temp was -20 degrees (F)! With a "wind chill" of -44. Brrrr!! It's now made it "up" to -17; wind chill is -37! I feel sorry for anyone who has to work outside today--the garbage crew, the mail carrier, etc.!
__________________ -----LizBeth"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, ..." ~~1 Thess. 4:11 (NIV)
~~My Patronus is a squirrel~~
The following 2 users liked this post by LizBeth1976:
Our temp is dropping. The feels like was -10 when my husband went to work and now it shows -13. He took his heavy coat. He will be home at noon and off for the rest of the day.
I know I have card bases that I purchased from Altenew. I doubt I make all of the VSN cards. I am very slow creating these days. I have a few stamps downstairs with me, paper trimmers, MISTI's, ink cubes in colors and black memento ink. I have a lot of markers and colored pencils. I will see what I can create.
Too bad it isn’t this weekend, because a lot of us will be snowed in or at least we will be staying in out of the sub degree temps!
I thought that myself but next weekend's highs here are 20 degrees so I'm still ok with staying in to stamp! Although winter is my favorite season and I'd rather be out in 20 degrees than 85 degrees! It was 13 today and my husband and I walked almost 6 miles and we enjoyed it. Wind is what makes it brutal. I'm hoping we can walk in the snow tomorrow.
It's been awhile since I have been able to play along with a VSN and I love the Olympics, so I'm super excited to stamp next weekend. My creativity has been in overdrive the last couple months and it's all I've wanted to do. My usual prep for VSN is to have a plan for dinner - my husband is super laid back as long as there is adequate food ready for him to heat and eat lol! Other than that, I wing it.
__________________ Nicole
The following 2 users liked this post by cnsteele:
Too bad it isn’t this weekend, because a lot of us will be snowed in or at least we will be staying in out of the sub degree temps!
I saw a funny graphic on a crating Facebook page. It had a map of the 48 connected US states with this weekend's forecast. Instead of inches of snow, it listed # of cards to make.
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
This will be my first try at VSN. I found only a short shopping list and the PDF for TRACKING, do we need to update the one done in 2021? Then, do you add each new challenge during the weekend, not beforehand? So many questions!
Susan, right now there is the bonus color challenge and the shopping list. On Friday, they will start showing each challenge. It is one per hour, then they will pick back ip on Saturday. Sorry, but I do not remember the specific times. They will put a challenge chart together, google sheets, where you can copy and update your own copy. It will make more sense on Friday. Personally, I look at the challenges as they go live and then decide what I am able to work on. You will have two weeks to complete all of the challenges, or it was that way in the past.
MDO Susan, Welcome to VSN. We're so happy you plan to join us.
As Lisa said, there is currently a "bonus challenge" you can get started on. Read the directions on the challenge about posting your card when you go to upload it, because it's a little different than posting a daily challenge.
Starting Friday afternoon (around 5 or 6) a new challenge will be posted each hour, until about 10 (all Eastern times). On Saturday, the challenges start around 1 and go until 9 or 10.
You do not have to do all the challenges, and you don't have to do them immediately when they are posted. You have about a week to post your entries.
You can use the tracking sheet if you want, but it's totally for your own use. I just keep a piece of notebook paper where I list the challenge keyword and a brief description of the challenge, and check off the ones I've completed.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else you want to know.
Thank you, Sandy! That really helps, because I would have started at Pacific time and been three hours late. Will there be other announcements this week, like more things added to the shopping list?
MDO Susan -- There may be a quick reminder when it's getting close, but I don't know for sure. I think the shopping list is pretty complete -- as Kim says, most of the challenges don't require anything beyond what you probably already own.
Hopefully this thread will get chattier as we get closer to going live. In the meantime, spread the word.
I fall in between Kim and Jeanette with my prep routines for VSN!
1. I don't pull out stamp sets or paper ahead of time, but I do cut and score plenty of card bases.
B. I keep up with the first two or three challenges...and then fall behind! But I don't worry about it because we have "extra time" to finish and upload at the end.
C. I try to clean up after each card, because I have a small space, and if I don't put stuff back where it came from, I waste time looking for it (on the craft table, on the floor, under my desk, in the hallway....lol!).
4. I also make sure I am well caffeinated before VSN goes live! :-) And have some snacks on hand; snacks help me think! (Right? Or is that just what I tell myself, lol!!)
A. Like Jeanette, my main goal is always to have fun, and to encourage other participants to have fun, too!
Hugs!
I'm up second this time, I don't think I've ever been up on the 1st day before.
Great goals..
1. I'm horrible at that one, if I have a heads up as to what's coming my mind is already formulating plans. I was preparing for mine, but I'd get a thought for another and stop what I was doing to go pull out more stuff.
B. Me too. I used to make sure my cards were simple enough to keep me in the hour. As the years have gone by my cards are getting, " more"
C. Same, when done with it, put it back. My problem is pulling stuff out so far ahead and stock pulling it around me for later.
I did a huge clean up of the craftroom yesterday though. I even washed my table and desk. They look so pretty. I should take a picture before I touch anything!
4. I have a water cooler in the craftroom and my cup keeps my ice for several hours. I keep lemon packets in my drawer. There's a container of gum in the drawer too. I should check before Friday and make sure it's not empty. Haha
5. Years ago someone said I was like the groups cheerleader so I changed my avatar to a cheerleader. It was cute. My best advice is don't think too much or too hard. Keep it simple to start. Now I feel like I need a cheerleader, or Gordon Ramsey yelling "Move your butt woman!"
Here are some things I like to prepare before VSN.
1. Have plenty of card bases cut and scored.
2. Pull out favorite sentiment sets i anticipate using. Birthday, sympathy, and thinking of you top the list
3. Grab image sets that might work for the theme. For this winter VSN, I will have snowflakes, snowmen, and maybe some pine trees ready and waiting
4. This is the hardest. CLEAR plenty of space before I start. I am in the worst state of chaos in my craft room but I am determined to make space!
What are your prep routines?
1. I actually took 1 back of every color to the UPS Store and had them cut in half, it have so many bases, I feel like I'll never go through them, but I have taken notice of what I use the most. Oddly it's Mossy Meadow.
2. I aim for birthday mostly.
3. When cleaning yesterday, I made myself put them away, I had 14 sets on my table. So naughty! Haha
4. I have my desk plus I had 4 TV tray tables around me. WT..... I forced myself to clear them off, was them and put them away. I took one back out, it's where I keep my little photo booth. The smells nice since i washed them all off.
I even swept & mopped then vacuumed the rugs.
I'm ready to destroy my room again. Haha
Woo hoo! I haven’t played along with VSN in quite some time. Something told me this morning to check out the VSN threads and voila! It’s this weekend! How lucky am I? I’ll be playing along, no specific prep. Going to check out the color challenge now. Stay warm everyone!
My prep is to cut card bases...I did that in December for the start of the year...well, I've used 134 of them already so need to cut some more for this weekend!
Empty the garbage, have all dies and embossing folders put away before the start, then I'm ready!
I'll try not to pull out too many items this afternoon or tomorrow morning so I'm ready.
Vikki...great prep with washing the spaces and vacuuming!
__________________ Everything you want to accomplish in life requires an investment of your time...BPMoran or MLennington
Woo hoo! I haven’t played along with VSN in quite some time. Something told me this morning to check out the VSN threads and voila! It’s this weekend! How lucky am I? I’ll be playing along, no specific prep. Going to check out the color challenge now. Stay warm everyone!
Yay!! Good to see you again!!
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
My prep is to cut card bases...I did that in December for the start of the year...well, I've used 134 of them already so need to cut some more for this weekend!
Empty the garbage, have all dies and embossing folders put away before the start, then I'm ready!
I'll try not to pull out too many items this afternoon or tomorrow morning so I'm ready.
Vikki...great prep with washing the spaces and vacuuming!
WOW!! I can't imagine working at that pace.
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
My prep is to cut card bases...I did that in December for the start of the year...well, I've used 134 of them already so need to cut some more for this weekend!
Empty the garbage, have all dies and embossing folders put away before the start, then I'm ready!
I'll try not to pull out too many items this afternoon or tomorrow morning so I'm ready.
Vikki...great prep with washing the spaces and vacuuming!
I think that would be a full years worth or more for me! Glad you have so many hospitals that take your cards.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can work on these challenges in advance, but please do not post them until the challenge is available to everyone. One is for Friday night, one is for Saturday.
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator, Weekly Sketch Challenge
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I just saw Lisa's post in this week's F4A thread about VSN starting tonight (today's F4A theme is Fruit if anyone wants to come play). I haven't played in VSN in a long time. I am going to try to play as much as I can in this one. It is the Youth State Wrestling tournament in Alabama this weekend and I have two grandsons in it. Luckily, with the grace period I can catch up on any that I want to do; I will try to do as many as I can.
I saw where we are talking about our prep and make systems/styles for VSN. I am pretty sure I would win the messiest and most disorganized crafter at SCS. I am not good at planning or being prepped ahead of time. Even when I am a hostess in a challenge, I am most likely doing my card right before I post the challenge. When someone mentioned making bases ahead of time, I laughed because if I did that, they would be the wrong color or I would forget them or I would want to do a different orientation.
With the weather being so cold in the US and other countries (or probably super-hot in others), hopefully we will have more participants - that always makes things more fun.
I can't wait to see what everyone makes!
__________________ Nancy Williams - Hope your day is Spirit-filled and ink-filled (in that order)
The following 4 users liked this post by nwilliams6:
I just saw Lisa's post in this week's F4A thread about VSN starting tonight (today's F4A theme is Fruit if anyone wants to come play). I haven't played in VSN in a long time. I am going to try to play as much as I can in this one. It is the Youth State Wrestling tournament in Alabama this weekend and I have two grandsons in it. Luckily, with the grace period I can catch up on any that I want to do; I will try to do as many as I can.
I saw where we are talking about our prep and make systems/styles for VSN. I am pretty sure I would win the messiest and most disorganized crafter at SCS. I am not good at planning or being prepped ahead of time. Even when I am a hostess in a challenge, I am most likely doing my card right before I post the challenge. When someone mentioned making bases ahead of time, I laughed because if I did that, they would be the wrong color or I would forget them or I would want to do a different orientation.
With the weather being so cold in the US and other countries (or probably super-hot in others), hopefully we will have more participants - that always makes things more fun.
I can't wait to see what everyone makes!
Nancy, I actually have a fruit stamp, patterned paper with fruit both downstairs with me and available to use. I might get to play with fruit and join in your chalkenge!
I am excited to participate in what I can with the VSN challenges. I am thankful that ulu put the sneak peeks out. I was thinking on stars and know a few star punches and dies that might be easy for someone to bring me. For those wondering, my craft room is upstairs and I am only up to going up three steps. I shouldn't say only, as that is a big accomplishment. I need to look at the other peek and think about it.
Nancy I laughed...it isn't hard to cut cardbases when the only color of card base is usually WHITE, OFF WHITE OR CREAM...and there is a perfect size very old Rubbermaid container that has a lid on it (now one of those lids is broken off but I still put it on the container...just because it belongs there!) so I do it when the color and container gets empty.
It will be more fun with other participants, last time it seemed there was less than 10...SCS is my "social media" site but I still don't know how to get around it. I have lots of fruit dsp
Any possibility you can send me the link for the 4A challenge? I call my one set of my grandchildren 4A Grands.
__________________ Everything you want to accomplish in life requires an investment of your time...BPMoran or MLennington
Less than an hour to "go live" for VSN!! Woot! Is everyone ready? Is everyone getting excited!??!!
__________________ -----LizBeth"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, ..." ~~1 Thess. 4:11 (NIV)
Go for the Gold Chat thread!!
SNEAK PEEKS
