My first swap

A while back I took part in the altered playing card challenge over at Sandee and Amelie's steampunk challenge blog and I forgot to mention how happy I was when I found out that my altered playing cards were spotlighted at Sandee and Amelie's steampunk challenge blog. Such a lovely surprise =).

These cards brought yet another suprise because after I posted my APC's for the altered playing card challenge over at Sandee and Amelie's steampunk challenge blog, I received lots of sweet messages. Among which there was one message from a lovely, very talented, lady. Her name is Dagmar and you can find her wonderful blog here. Dagmar mentioned in her comment that she would love to add one of the cards to her ATC collection. I was delighted that she liked them so much, so I wrote her a message telling her that I would gladly sent one to her.  She wrote me a lovely message back in which she offered to sent me one of her ATC's in return.

I was over the moon as this was now my very first swap. I love sending gifts, I love surprises and I love getting mail, but...well there allways a but isn't there, I didn't know how to get the ATC to her in one piece. Nor what is common practice when doing a swap.

So I did some research and Dagmar sent me some tips. I found a nice free picture online for the back of the card and a bubble envelope, large enough for the ATC. I was however still afraid it might bend or break in the mail and after thinking a while, I figured I would make a little book to put the ATC in. And since I love making books and trying new things, I made her a little ATC booklet.

I even remembered to make some "making off" shots.

I started out with some corrigated cardboard book covers

Painted them with my favorite color blue and stamped in the paint. I then created some bubbles with my heat gun, because, well, I love bubbles.

Found some nice papers to go with it and folded them to make pocket pages.

Then found out I made a mistake in calculating the size of the covers, so I made new covers. Covered them with paper from a very old dutch-german dictionay. As I liked the original blue covers very much, I peeled them, carefully, and painstakingly slowly, back from the corrigated cardboard and stuck them to the new covers.

Made a spine for the booklet, about the width the booklet would be when all 5 pages were in it and they wouldn't get squashed.

I thought it looked so cute!

I added some embellishments and pierced the spine with the aid of a template to attach the pages.

I also pierced the pages and then tied them into the cover.

I am definitely in love with this booklet, it's so cute. I now have to make one for myself =).

Specially since I now received my happy mail from Dagmar. Look what she sent me. Not only the promised altered playing card from the steampunk challenge, but also another ATC, so I now have a collection of two =). Aren't they gorgious? I love them. There was even a further surprise in the form of a beautiful card she made.

Thank you Dagmar, such a wonderful surprise, it really made my day.

I still have the ATC's for the WOYWW4 anniversary, over at Julia's blog Stamping ground, to finish and send out. Well actually they are finished, but I don't have all the addresses yet. Tomorrow I will send out the cards to those that have send me their address allready and I promise I will soon show you what I made.

For now I think I will call it a day. Thank you all for watching and I wish you all a lovely evening.

Linking this to:

• Creative every day Check-in: May 27 - June 2
• Challenges 4 Everybody: Challenge # 21 - Anything goes