Missing U

Hi, everyone.

Hope it's been a fun-filled Halloween time around your place. Last Sunday was trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, including a parade that met in our court that was followed by lots of little goblins knocking on neighborhood doors.

Then, yesterday was trick-or-treating for preschoolers at the local library. What fun it was helping out with the necklace craft! It was also amazing how exhausting necklace-making could be. It reminded me of my elementary math coaching days. I remember leaving those kindergarten and first grade classrooms in complete awe of those teachers. I had no idea how they did what they did every single day -- but I was so thankful that they were there for those little ones.



Pickerington Local Library staff and volunteers
Halloween 2014

Now for today's card.

Missing U

The card below was inspired by the current Shopping Our Stash challenge to use long-forgotten circular elements on our cards.

Distress Ink core fired brick; Recollections white; Bazzill black
???? stash round chipboard letters
computer-generated Word Art sentiment
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
Paper Shaper and Marvy circle punches, Spellbinders scallop circle die
adhesives: Ranger multi-medium, Recollections foam squares

I wish I could say that the alphabet idea is original to me. I think I first saw it in a Leisure Arts card making book, but have also seen it in several other places. However, the design is original, and I'm pretty pleased with the result.

This really is a stash-inspired challenge. I have had these chipboard letters for such a long time. Every so often I would open my stash embellishments box and see these cool chipboard stickers. Thanks to the SOS team for the push to make this card.

Since the chipboard letters were black on white, I decided to go with a classic black, red, and white palette. Seems to have made a crisp card.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Should be a fun weekend. Hope to work in time to make some craft show cards.


Newest Challenge:
Nov. 1 - Nov. 21

The November Words 2 Scrap By challenge goes live tomorrow morning. I-Teamer Annie is taking the reins for this month's challenge. Can't wait for you all to join us for Annie's challenge.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Cool Yule

Hi, everyone.

Hope all is well. The good news is I have a card to share. The bad news is that I have only one.

You see, I made the mistake of starting to clean out the closet in the guest bedroom, which has led to work in two other closets. So my ongoing card-making obsession is being overshadowed by a temporary closet-cleaning obsession.

Guess I'm lucky to be posting a card at all.  :)

A Cool Yule

Recollections light blue distressed; Bazzill black; SU core white; Distress Ink core paper
punches: Stampin' Up! owl builder, tree, and small heart; EK snowflake border and small hole, Paper Shaper circle
dies: SU word bubble; Paper Smooches snowman (for cap)
TPC Studio sentiment in StazOn jet black
tree inked in DI evergreen bough
snowbanks made with Staedler bendable ruler
adhesives: Recollections foam squares; Zig 2-way glue pen

Hope these little guys will be a  hit at an upcoming craft show. The inside sentiment reads, "Wishing You a Cool Yule!"

And, it looks like these little critters are going to make their way to the current Jingle Belles challenge to make a card featuring a critter.  :)

Not A CREATURE was Stirring
Featured Favorite

Parting Thoughts

Alicia asked about the background of the Any Hero card in Sunday's post. Yes, core paper has been embossed and sanded to create the tone-on-tone vertical stripe background.



Next Challenge
Nov. 1 - Nov. 21

The next Words 2 Scrap By challenge goes live on November 1. Hope you all will join us for this month's words. I-Teamer Annie is our hostess for our November challenge.  :)

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Lots of Stars for an OWH Star

Hi, everyone.

A really quick post today since it is trick-or-treat day in our neighborhood.... and our dads are coming out for the festivities.  :)

Today's Any Hero Card was inspired by OWH Sketch #241.

Bo Bunny Anthem; Distress Ink core
Sizzix/SU embossing folder
Paper Studio brads
Creative Memories circle cutting system
punches: ??? border punch for tiny stars and Paper Studio
Distress Ink vintage photo for aging dp
adhesives: Recollections foam squares and Zig glue gun

That's it for today.


Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Happy Brrr-thday

Hi, everyone.

Hope you all had a great weekend. My dad and I headed out of state to visit family. It was a wonderful visit... lots of hugs, conversation, shopping, and eating.  :) 

But I have to confess I'm moving a little slow this morning. Just not quite ready to jump back into the old routine. So, what's a gal to do? Why make a card, of course!

Happy Brrr-thday

The card below was made for the current OWH Mid-Month Challenge to make a winter birthday card. I was so taken by Ronni's adorable card and sweet sentiment that I decided to case Ronni's sentiment.

dp: Authentique glistening
Marvy and Paper Shaper circle punches
Paper Smooches snowman dies
Stampin' Up! snow day stamps and Christmas tree punch
snowflake punches: Recollections, EK, and EK border
Simon Says Stamp A2 curved edge die
Distress Inks: evergreen bough, pumice stone, Victorian velvet
Mark Richards crystal gems
adhesives: Zig glue pen and Recollections foam squares
Inside Sentiment: Happy Brrr-day!

I went tone-on-tone for the snowflakes so the center of attraction would be the snowman and tree scene. Then, I placed gems on the snowman -- and a snowflake with a gem next to the snowman -- to bring more attention to this little guy.

Parting Thoughts

Guess I really do need to accomplish something house-related this afternoon. So, I best go.

Before leaving, I'd like to welcome Kathleen to this blog. She blogs about stamping adventures at Life's Like a Bowl of Stamps. What a cute blog name -- and even cuter cards! Her kiddie cards are absolutely adorable. Welcome, Kathleen.  :)

I also want to reply to a question asked by Alicia in an earlier post. The question was if these Zig pens really work. The truth is I typically just use my pen to adhere tiny objects and don't worry quite as much about the temporary/permanent aspect. For this purpose, the pen's always worked well for me as a strong adhesive. So, I can't really speak to the 2-way aspect. But, I'm guessing that these wouldn't remain as scrapbook store staple if they didn't work well. So, I'm hoping you all have experiences with the 2-way element of this glue that you'd be willing to share.


Sandy Allnock stamps and
artwork up for grabs!

A quick reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for this month's Words 2 Scrap By challenge.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin! Have a great week.  :)

Thanks in Any Language

Hi, everybody,

Today I have a card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch. This is a new challenge blog for me. Better late than never, right?!

Stampin' Up! World Map on back of Studio Calico something else
computer-generated words on Crate Paper rose garden
Distress Ink chipped sapphire
inking in DI vintage photo, wild honey, and antique linen
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
punch: Paper Shaper circle punch

When I saw the four vertical strips on the sketch, the idea of saying "thanks" in four languages came to mind. And, pairing these with a world map image just felt right.

Those of you who have seen Any Hero cards I have made from Operation Write Home sketches know that I don't always follow the road map exactly. So, I'm taking the Mojo Monday guidelines to heart when they say dimensions are not given for a reason -- to allow for flexibility. So, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees and shortened the four strips -- allowing for a larger space for the map image. Hope this is okay.  :)

Since this card is going to OWH, I wanted to leave lots of room for our hero to write home -- but still carry through with the theme of the card. So, the inside of the card has a short sentiment on "aged" paper.

Parting Thoughts

Speaking of OWH, Sandy has extended the Christmas card deadline to October 18. Seems like we need a few -- just a few -- more holiday cards. My five extra cards went in the mail today. If you are new to OWH and would like to help, please visit the OWH Web site for card guidelines, shipping information, etc.

Collection closes on October 1!

Speaking of Sandy, this month's prize package at Words 2 Scrap By includes two Sandy Allnock Ciara and Friend stamp sets -- perfect for this month's the-road-to-my-heart-is-paved-with-paw-prints challenge. Would love for you to join us!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

OWH Sketch #238: Seems Like Forever....

... since I've made an Any Hero card. So, it was so nice to see that Marlene had posted a new sketch for us OWHers.  :)

Authentique pride; Bazzill admiral and watermelon; Distress Ink antique linen
Unity sentiment in DI vintage photo on Crate Paper rose garden
TPC Studio sentiment in Zing copper embossing on Crate Paper rose garden
antiquing in DI vintage photo and chipped sapphire
punches: Paper Studio star, ??? corner rounder for tiny embellishments
Sizzix embossing folder
adhesives: Zig glue pen, Recollections foam squares
 

I really liked today's sketch, but was surprised how long it took me to put this card together. In the end, I think the struggle was worth it. I'm pretty pleased with the way this turned out -- and especially like the little snippet in the bottom left of the larger sentiment rectangle, which is the throw-away piece from the corner rounder.  :)

Parting Thoughts

The collection closes
on October 21!

Hoping to play with the SU Festival of Trees bundle this week. But, headed out of town with my dad to visit some family. So, we'll see how much card making actually gets done.

A quick reminder about this month's Words 2 Scrap By paw-print-inspired challenge. Two of Sandy's Ciara's Friends stamp sets -- along with some Sandy-colored images -- will be awarded to the winning card/project.  Hope you will join us!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

What Did the Red Leaf Say?

Hi, everyone!

Hope the weekend is off to a good start! Our rain-free September has been replaced by a rain-filled October. Rainy days are perfect for card making, lunches with friends, ... and a little house cleaning. So, no complaints here. :)

Today's card was inspired by the current challenges at Shopping Our Stash and Cards in Envy. Both challenges involve using autumn colors, with a charge to use autumn leaves at CIE.

Distress Ink core paper
fussy-cut computer-generated sentiment on Recollections white
fussy-cut tree from a Pinterest-found-outline
Paper Smooches leaf die
adhesives: Recollections foam and Zig glue pen
tool: Staedler bendable ruller

The fall season has passed for Operation Write Home cards. (Actually, today is the OWH deadline for mailing in Christmas cards.) So, I decided to go in a totally different direction than a traditional autumn card -- choosing to make a punny, non-autumn autumn card for a child that one of our deployed troops could send home to a little one any time of the year.

I know the leaves are too large for the tree -- and that positions and colors of the leaves are probably scientifically inaccurate. But, I thought the simplicity of the design, the variety of colors, and punny riddle would appeal to a young one who would treasure a card from mommy or daddy.

 The red leaf, the yellow leaf, and the sentiment are popped on the front of the card. The inside of the card has the riddle answer... along with a few more leaves. Yes, there's a little red leaf at the top and a little yellow leaf at the bottom.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Looking forward to tomorrow's OWH sketch challenge. Last week's OWH World Card Making Day blog hop was tons of fun. Thanks to all fellow OWHers for lots and lots of inspiration.

Cards/Projects can be linked
until October 21!

Our paw-print-inspired Words 2 Scrap By challenge is still open. Stamps and original artwork by OWH's very own Sandy Allnock is up for grabs. If  you haven't already joined us, we hope you will check out our October challenge. 

Think that's it. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

thanks

Hi, everyone!

Today's card is a thank you card with a really cool embellishment.  :)

MME Stella Rose (from a friend)
prima flower inked in Distress Ink evergreen bough
Winnie and Walter sentiment in DI pumice stone
gem: Hero Arts or Mark Richards

The two things I like about this card are: 1) that the shorter front flap, which results in less writing space, is perfect for a quick thank you when I don't have a lot to say, and 2) the flower turned out way better than I expected.  :)

The flower started as a plain off-white prima flower that was actually a little stiff. I pressed it in Distress Ink, but only the edges were colored. So, I spritzed water with a Ranger mister. The ink spread a itty-bitty amount. So, I took it to the bathroom, ran water over it, and left it in the sink. I couldn't believe how pretty it was in the morning!

 

 

 

Parting Thoughts

Sandy Allnock stamps and artwork
will be awarded to the winner
of this month's challenge!

Thanks to everyone who visited here and/or W2SB during last weekend's WCMD OWH blog hop. Wasn't the hop amazing?! We have so many talented crafters at OWH!

Speaking of Words 2 Scrap By, we have a paw-print-inspired challenge going on this month in celebration of adopt-a-shelter-dog month. Cards/Projects can be linked up until the 21st. And, for the second straight month we have a SUPER prize!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

First Summer, Then Winter?!

Hi, everyone!

Hope you all had a chance to play with paper and ink yesterday during World Card Making Day. My sincerest thanks to everyone who stopped visited here and at Words 2 Scrap By from the Operation Write Home WCMD blog hop. I spent the afternoon playing with paper and ink, but not hopping. Hoping to check out the OWH hop tomorrow. 

Well, today's post pretty much sums up weather in my neck of the woods. Here in Ohio it was 80 degrees on Wednesday afternoon and sleeting on Saturday morning. Seemed only appropriate to do summer- and winter-themed cards.  :)

Card #1: An Homage to Summer

This week's challenge at Shopping Our Stash is to make a card featuring clouds or the Sun. Thought I'd give that uber-cool Tim Holtz rays stencil a try.

Distress Ink core paper, Recollections white cardstock colored with Distress Inks
Tim Holtz Collection stencil in Wendy Vecchi white paste colored with Distress Inks
Stampin' Up! See Ya Later sentiment in StazOn jet black
circles: SU owl builder punch, edges inked in DI black soot
Creative Memories oval cutting system
Recollections foam adhesives
circles and 3/4-ellipse coated in Glossy Accents

While the general design was in my brain from the beginning, the actual execution took a while. The sentiment also includes, "when skies are gray." However, I didn't like the colored rays on gray. So, I decided to go with DI milled lavender and masked off that part of the sentiment. Next, for the "Sun", I played with various DI papers before deciding to do a blend of spiced marmalade and mustard seed on white. Then, I played with lots of different embellishments before deciding on the punched-out circles. For a short time, I considered going with black circles. But, I didn't want it to feel Halloween-y, and I wanted a happier/brighter feel. So, I stayed with spiced marmalade, brushing the edges with DI black soot for a little definition. While it took a while to get here, I'm pretty happy with the results.

Card 2: A Wish for a Mild Winter

Authentique glistening; Distress Ink core
Memory Box wesley bear in DI pumice stone on Crate Paper rose garden
background: Hero Arts background stamp in Versamark
sentiment: SU snow day
small heart: SU owl builder punch; snowflakes: EK border punch
lines and dots on scarf: Creative Memories burgundy pen, Uni-Ball Signo white
adhesives: Recollection foam squares, Zig glue pen

The card above was made for this month's OWH Our Daily Bread Design challenge to make a winter (non-Christmas card) that features snowflakes. The card looks so simple -- in a good way. So, why in the world did it take me so long to make it? I knew I wanted to use the Authentique paper and the Memory Box stamp. Also knew pretty early on that I wanted to make the snowflake background on one of those pretty Authentique papers. But, it wasn't until I looked at secondary colors in the dp and decided to use DI tattered rose that the card really came together -- incorporating the tattered rose color in three places. Then, I took an itsy-bitsy page out of Sandy's book and added a little hand-drawn embellishment to the scarf. The final decision was what color and/or pattern to make the little snowflakes in the upper right corner. Turns out sanded DI pine needles was just the right choice.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Again, my thanks to those of you who visited from the OWH blog hop.

This Month's Prize:
stamps and colored images
from Sandy Allnock!

We have a paw-print-inspired challenge going on this month at Words 2 Scrap By in honor of adopt-a-shelter dog month. However, any pawed pet can be the muse for a card. Hope you will join us for a chance to win our awesome prize.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

WCMD 2014: Say It with Stencils

Hello, Fellow Card Makers!

In honor of World Card Making Day 2014, Operation Write Home is having a blog hop of LOVE cards. Why LOVE cards? Two reasons: 1) to celebrate our love of card making, and 2) to make cards for one of OWH's 4 themes.  :)



Please click here to return to the start of the blog hop.
And, click here for an update of current OWH needs.

I have two love cards to share -- both of which were made using stencils. The second card is also included in the Words 2 Scrap By stop on the hop. We have a new challenge going on at W2SB with a fabulous prize featuring the wonderful art of Sandy Allnock, Founder and Executive Director of OWH. Hope you'll join us for our October W2SB challenge.  :)

paper: Distress Ink core, Bazzill black
My Favorite Things brick wall stencil
stencil inked with various Distress Inks on DI pumice stone paper
Tim Holtz idea-ology numbers and photo corner
inside sentiment: Our love is stronger than any brick wall.



paper: Distress Ink core
Simon Says Stamp falling hearts stencil
Art c white texture paste and application tool
buttermilk acrylic paint brushed on stenciled hearts to "soften" appearance
Stampin' Up! punches: owl builder, small heart
SU/Sizzix birds & branches decorative strip die
heart embellished with Glossy Accents
inside sentiment: I'll OWLways Love You

You can click here to return to the start of the OWH hop. Thanks for stopping and happy hoppin'!

W2SB #10: Paved with Paw Prints

Hi, everyone!

Bobbi's rubbing off on me. When we have come up with previous months' words, she has sought out lesser known "holidays." When we saw that October is adopt-a-shelter-dog month, that did it for us. As the human mama to one very spoiled rescue, it was a no brainer to choose paw prints over jack-o-lanterns. Hope all fellow pet lovers will agree.  :)

My card was a birthday card for my nephew, who really does love our little rescue. The inspiration for the theme of the card was the dog property laws, which can be summed up in one word, "Mine!"

The photos on the card show Miles engaged in three of his favorite pastimes. In these photos, he is wishfully looking at our picnic goodies, going under the coffee table to get some alone time with a favorite Christmas present, and resting on a chaise lounge that used to be mine. Bet your pets have things that used to yours, too.  :)

The inside of the card was suggested by hubby. My sentiment was way too wordy. He suggested "Yours" as a complement to "Mine." Sometimes he comes up with just the right suggestion!

original photos :)
Distress Ink core (fired brick and pumice stone); Recollections black
MME Frame Up Corners, fussy cut and covered with Glossy Accents
SU word bubble dies

??? image and Paper Smooches Alphadots
image and sentiment on watercolor paper in StazOn black
Distress  Ink core fired brick

Hope you will join us at Words 2 Scrap By for our furry-friend-inspired challenge.

Parting Thoughts

 

A quick reminder that Operation Write Home is hosting a blog hop this weekend in honor of  World Card Making Day. Love-themed cards can be linked up on Saturday for those wishing to be a stop on the hop.  :)

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!