I'll claim this project as my first card of summer. I made a swap with my friend and the theme was to use the very last stamp and/or die we purchased! Mine was this cactus embossing folder and clear stamp: a great little bargain I found for $2! That's my cute little straw pig holding up my two projects. As they have 3D qualities I will explain how I prepped them for mailing. I merely glued foam I cut from makeup sponges, works great! Another thing was I used up some really old brads and an eyelet from my embellishments. I used alcohol markers to colour white brads! The embossed mat featuring the cactus is cardstock from DCVW which was sanded. I thought that turned out great! I wanted bright colours and I love how it all turned out. To add a bit of interest, I tied some orange twine across the card top and created tiny banners that can swing about when you shake the card, they make a soft tap sound and it's kind of fun to do, lol! ....