Want To Play Cards?

I was about to enter the house when I saw my dear hubby throwing what looked like playing cards in the garbage can. "Hey, why throw them away?" I said, and he responded with, "I lost three cards, plus some are dirty or damaged already." My mind raced. I have seen a lot of layouts lately incorporating playing cards. They are like the new bingo cards, only better. I think it is just ingenious that scrappers find additional functionality for items we normally use for sports and leisure.

Take a look at Sheila's "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas". I couldn't agree more on her choice of embellishments, as her playing cards symbolize the gambling and the casinos found in Sin City. At first glance, Joanna's "Players of Bachelorhood" may strike as simple, but the concept behind using the cards as picture frames to introduce these "players" is really clever and awesomely original. Peggy's "Lucky" layout strikes as romantic, and what better way to embellish a layout about gambling in love, than by using the playing cards of king and queen of hearts!

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas by Sheila Cahill MacLeod

Supplies: Papers: Reminisce, Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View, Stickers: Paper House Productions, Creative Imaginations, Sandylion Sticker Designs, Other: welcome sign and Binion's image from a Vegas brochure.

Design Notes: Using Picasa 3 software, I did the following two things on this layout: I used the collage feature to easily make the photo with four Downtown Las Vegas hotspots and in the bottom photo, I edited out a football on the marquee and added "We Aim To Please" and the first names and last initial of us girls that where there together celebrating our Big 50! I used my Word Program to make my journaling spot.

Journaling: High above Fremont Street over 12 million lights create the Viva Vision canopy and light show over the original Glitter Gulch. With music pumping through the sound system and lights racing above your head you'll find yourself movin' and groovin'! The show is free and Downtown Las Vegas comes alive every half hour. The first light show was broadcast in 1995. In 2004, $17 million was invested in upgrading the Viva Vision canopy. Significant improvements were made and now the display is so sharp, live video can be broadcast on what is the world's largest screen. While there, we heard "A Tribute To Queen," with favorite songs "We Will Rock You," "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "We Are The Champions" while admiring the stunning graphics above! Later we all had delicious "$8.00 NY Steak Specials" with all the trimmings at Binion's Casino & got free decks of playing cards to top off our Downtown Adventure. The Sam Boyd's Fremont Casino marquee features Me and my Girls...not really, silly!

Players of the Bachelorhood by Joanna Toczek

Supplies: Chipboard: Li'l Davis Designs, Other: cardstock, playing cards, stamps, black ink.

Design Notes: I simply cut out the centers of the playing cards and placed the desired images.

Lucky by Peggy Schenkels

Supplies: Cardstock: The Paper Company, Other: papers, playing card, frame, bingo card.

Design Notes: This layout didn't feel "finished" until I added the hand stitching. I mimicked the pattern of the pink/white patterned paper, which is always a great trick if you can't come up with original stitching ideas/patterns.

Journaling: I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend!