3,000,000 Cards and Counting!

Hi, everyone!

Did you hear the FABULOUS news? Yesterday, Sandy posted that OWH has surpassed the 3,000,000 card mark! Isn't that amazing?!

So, today's Any Hero card, which is inspired by Sketch 245, commemorates this wonderful achievement. Loved Linda's sample card. Hope the card below is worthy of such a great sketch.

We R Memory Keepers red, white & blue; American Crafts white and blue cardstock; Creative Memories silver
TPC Studio sentiment, heat embossed in Stampendous silver with Versamark stamp pad
punches: Stampin' Up! tag, Marvy circle, ??? border punch (for tiny star), Paper Studio star
Creative Memories circle cutting system; adhesives: Glue Dots and Recollections foam squares
Darice embossing folder; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon

Wish the picture were a little better capturing some of the details, like the silver-embossed sentiment. The lighting makes it appear darker than it actually is.

After the entire card was done, I had to switch out the ribbon. I had originally gone with a silvery ribbon, but it "shed" glittery bits. and I decided to replace it with this shimmery blue. But, when I removed the silver ribbon, the top of the tag ripped. So, I've attached this blue ribbon with more glue dots than necessary to cover up the ripped portion.  :(

Other than that, I think it's turned out pretty well. I followed the sketch pretty closely -- shocking, I know! And, I used solid color cardstock to complement, rather than fight with, the tag's pattern.

Parting Thoughts

January 1 is going to be a big blogging day. Not only is it the annual OWH Best-of Blog Hop, it is also the debut of the our first Words 2 Scrap By challenge of the New Year!  :)

Until then, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Remembering Max

Those of you with furry family members probably know all too well the pain that comes when we have to say good-bye to our furry friends. Turns out my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Randy have recently said good-bye to their beloved Max.

So, today's card is for you, Max.

Provo Craft paws-itive thinking; Recollections black; SU crumb cake and cherry cobbler
Creative Memories circle cutting system; Marvy circle punch
big paw print: EK heart and hole punches
adhesives: Scotch ATG, Recollections foam squares, and Glossy Accents

My thanks to Words 2 Scrap By I-Teamer for the idea of using an inverted heart and four circles to make a paw print. 

Thanks for stopping... and give your furry friends an extra hug tonight.

Festive Gift Card Holders

I was wrapping gifts and realized I needed a gift card box for one of my father-in-law's presents. Sure, we have some store-bought boxes around the house. (Don't we all?) But, I decided to do a quick Pinterest search and see what I could do with those random 12" x 12" sheets of holiday paper.  :)

Boy, was there a lot of inspiration and lots and lots of styles! I chose to go with a basic trifold design.

• I cut 4.25" width and 9" length strips of paper and scored the paper at 3" and 6" marks.
• Just a tad was trimmed off the bottom third so the holder lies flat when closed.
• Then, 0.5" was trimmed off the top third and the corners were rounded.
• Embellishments, including to/for tags, were added to the outside flaps.
• A decorative, write-on panel was added to the inside of each holder.
• Finally, I tied a ribbon around each card to serve as an embellishment and as the holder's closure. 

Reminisce Christmas paper; stash white cardstock
Spellbinders Nestabilities scalloped circle die; Creative Memories circle cutting system
Robert Stanley Collection ribbon

After I made the red, white, and green holder for my father-in-law's gift card, I realized these might make for some quick craft show items -- a nice complement to my multi-stepped craft show cards. So, while I still had Christmas all those materials and tools out, I tried my hand at a couple of different styles.

Chatterbox holiday stripe vellum; stash rusty-red cardstock; Crate Paper rose garden
Spellbinders Nestabilities scalloped circle die; Creative Memories circle cutting system
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon; Emagination tree punch

Stampin' Up! cherry cobbler; stash white; Recollections black
SU/Sizzix button embosslits; Marvy and Paper Shaper circle punches
SU Good Greetings sentiment; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon

I'm thinking about printing out URLs on some white cardstock, punching them out with the Stampin' Up! word window punch, and attaching them to the back of the holder.

Parting Thoughts

May you have the merriest of Christmases and happiest of New Years -- years full of crafting opportunities.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Silent Night....

Hi, everyone!



Mood Board at Simon Says Stamp

Tonight's post features the Christmas card I made for Dad. Since he's a bit of an artist, I thought he would appreciate the artsy feel of this card -- which is just a tad outside of my normal paper-piecing and/or heat-embossing wheelhouses.  He also isn't the jolliest of people when it comes to Christmas traditions. So, a non-Christmas Christmas card seemed like a good choice for him. Either way, it's a one-and-only -- no multiples of this one. Hope he likes it!

I'm linking this to the current Winter Inspiration challenge at Simons Says Stamp. The inspiration for this card came from the tree photo in the bottom right corner of the SSS mood board.

Hero Arts OWH Forest stencil;
Wendy Vecchi embossing paste, applied with a wooden craft stick
Distress Inks chipped sapphire and milled lavender,
applied with Ranger blending tools on watercolor paper;
 

 Wish the picture turned out better. This card really is much more striking in real life -- really!

After I finished inking and pasting the stencil, I decided to mount the image on watercolor paper and write on the back... ala a postcard.

 

Parting Thoughts



December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

Hope your holiday preparations are going well. We're pretty close to be being done here. Now, if only the weather forecasters would be wrong about that Christmas Eve storm...

The December 21 deadline for the current Words 2 Scrap By challenge is fast approaching. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, and there are a couple of MFT stamp sets included in our prize package! We know that December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

One Sketch, Two Cards

I'm here today with two cards inspired by Operation Write Home Sketch 244.
 
The first card is inspired by the current Shopping Our Stash challenge to make a card that features the primary color red. Okay, all the Christmas cards are in the mail, and the Valentine/Love cards have already been sent to Sandy at Operation Write Home in order to make the December 31 deadline. So, in spite of the fact that most linked cards will feature holiday red images, I've made an Any Hero card for Operation Write Home.   :)



OWH Sketch #244
Bo Bunny anthem; DCWV la crème stack
Stamper's Best sentiment (and inking) in Distress Ink black soot
Marvy and Paper Shaper circle punches; Nestabilities scallop circle die
Paper Studio star punch and brads
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
adhesives: Ranger mulit-medium, Recollections foam squares

The second card is also for Operation Write Home. Missing You is one of the most commonly requested OWH sentiments/themes. So, I used Sketch 244 as the inspiration for this Missing U card -- although my banner is just a tad longer than the sketch banner. After all, there are 25 letters that needed to make their way onto the top part of that banner!

OWH Sketch #244
MME breeze; Distress Ink scattered straw; Recollections black, Stampin' Up! gray
computer-generated text; sponging in Distress Ink black soot
Nestabilities Spellbinder scallop circle die; Marvy circle punch
SU owl builder punch for three tiny circles
adhesives: Glossy Accents, Recollections foam squares
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon

Parting Thoughts

 The December 21st Words 2 Scrap By challenge is fast approaching. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, and there are a couple of MFT stamp sets included in our prize package! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

I still need to make that Christmas card for Dad's stocking. And, I'd like to make a pet sympathy card for my aunt.

 Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

'tis the season

Hi, everyone!

I loved the featured elements of today's cards so much that I decided to keep the design and papers clean and simple.

paper: Stampin' Up! blackberry bliss and Recollections white
Hero Arts branch in Distress Ink evergreen bough
SU Christmas Collectibles bundle, image embossed in Inkadinkado gold powder
??? sentiment in SU blackberry bliss
stash sequin; Ranger Stickles 

paper: Stampin' Up! blackberry bliss and Recollections white
Hero Arts branch in Distress Ink evergreen bough
SU Christmas Collectibles bundle, image embossed in Inkadinkado gold powder
??? sentiment in SU blackberry bliss
Celebrate It! sheer ribbon; stash sequin; Ranger Stickles 

Since the cards were for a craft show, I used ribbons on a couple of cards but went ribbon-less on most of them. The ribbon-less cards seemed like they needed a little more pizzazz. So, I added the sequin and Stickles to the right of the ornament. When I saw the result, I added these elements to the ribbon-ed cards too.

My one possible regret is that I didn't include a hanger for the ornament. But, I decided against it when I choose to place the ornament as far right as I did. I must say, however, that I'm as pleased as punch with the ornament itself. The look of the gold embossing on that yummy SU paper is FABULOUS!

As my longtime readers know, I consider myself stamping challenged -- which is the inspiration for the name of this blog. So, I was THRILLED at the quality of the stamped branches and sentiments. It was a red-letter stamping day indeed in the menopause room!

In addition to entering this card in the current Jingle Belles Anything Goes link-up, I'm entering these cards into the two following Simon Says Stamp challenges:

• the current Monday Challenge blog's Anything Goes challenge, and
• the current Wednesday Challenge blog's Bling It On challenge.  

Parting Thoughts

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The deadline for the December Words 2 Scrap By challenge is fast approaching. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, and there are a couple of MFT stamp sets included in our prize package! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

It's Beginning to Look...

Hi, everyone!

When I first saw the Festival of Trees stamp set from Stampin' Up!, this three-tree visual popped in my head. You see, tree decorating is a three-step process in our house.   :)

• Step 1: Hubby assembles our artificial tree.
• Step 2: Hubby puts on the lights and garland.
• Step 3: I put on 98% of the ornaments, with hubby adding the highest ornaments and the tree topper.

Once the tree is up and decorated, it really does look a lot like Christmas at our house!



Stampin' Up! crumb cake cardstock
SU festival of trees stamp set and coordinating punch
Distress Inks evergreen bough, fired brick, and vintage photo
heat embossing in Zing clear and Inkadinkado gold powders
SU large scallop edgelit
accents with Uni-ball gold gel pen

Recollections white and Stampin Up! mossy meadows cardstock
SU festival of trees stamp set and coordinating punch
inks: SU mossy meadows; Distress Ink fired brick and vintage photo
heat embossing in Zing clear and Inkadinkado gold powders
SU large scallop edgelit
accents with Uni-ball gold gel pen

Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas candy cane/peppermint pink cardstock
SU festival of trees stamp set and coordinating punch
Distress Inks evergreen bough, fired brick, and vintage photo
heat embossing in Zing clear and Inkadinkado gold powders
SU large scallop edgelit
accents with Uni-ball gold gel pen

Card is inspired by the carol
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!"

As the photos show, I made three versions of this card. On the inside, all have the same sentiment -- because our home really does look a lot like Christmas once the tree is up and decorated.

I'm entering this card in:

• the Cards In Envy challenge to make a card inspired by a Christmas carol. In this case "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas" is the carol behind this card.
• the Shopping Our Stash to make a card using a favorite technique which, for me, would be heat embossing. And, even though it's not really a technique. I love making cards that tell a story with the visual(s).
• the Simon Says Stamp's Monday blog Anything Goes challenge.
• the current Jingle Belles Anything Goes link-up.

Parting Thoughts

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The deadline for the December Words 2 Scrap By challenge is fast approaching. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, and there are a couple of MFT stamp sets included in our prize package! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Missing You... Again... and Again

Hi, everyone!

Variety of Miss You Cards

While the rest of the world is making and sending Christmas cards, I've been holed away the last couple of days putting the finishing touches on an Operation Write Home box of card. It's actually Valentine's Day until the end of December in OWH world. So, I've been busily making Miss You cards to complement the already-made Love, Birthday, and Thinking of You cards. 

Since I've blogged in the past about cards similar to the owl and dictionary page cards, I'll just blog about the "Miss You Like Crazy" card.

Authentique strong collection; brown: American Crafts neutral;
gray: Stampin' Up! neutral; black: Recollections
Hero Arts image for OWH, heat embossed in Zing copper powder
SU brads 

Close-Up of Hero Arts image

I love this stamp set designed by OWH's very own Sandy Allnock. This particular image reminds me of baseball, and I picture it on a pinstripe paper. However, it appears the menopause room is all out of pinstriping. So, I went with a branded look of copper embossing on wood grain paper. So, what do you think?

Parting Thoughts

Okay, I've really got to get on our Christmas cards. Hubby keeps asking me if we are sending cards this year. 

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The December Words 2 Scrap By challenge went live last Monday. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Missing You

Hi, everyone!

Today's card is a masculine/gender-neutral missing you card for Operation Write Home that was inspired by Mojo Monday #375.

Authentique handsome; Distress Ink wild honey; stash cardstock
Cuttlebug embossing folder
TPC Studio sentiment, heat embossed in DI walnut stain
inking in DI vintage photo and walnut stain
Stampin' Up! brads; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
Creative Memories circle cutting system

Parting Thoughts

One Missing You OWH card down... Lots more to go.  :)

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The December Words 2 Scrap By challenge went live last Monday. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

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

Hello Honey

Hi, everyone!

What a fun and rewarding weekend around here -- the perfect combination of family time, community time, crafting time, and sports-watching time!  The weekend included Santa Saturday at the public library, a Buckeye win, and lunch with hubby and father-in-law.  While I am thrilled for this Buckeye team, I feel for those TCU and Baylor fans, not to mention the Wisconsin coach. 

Enough about that. Time for today's card, which I am linking up to the current OWH Our Daily Bread Design challenge to use primary colors and the Paper Smooches January Guest Designer search. (Just can't get enough of these PS bee dies!)

Distress Ink core scattered straw; Recollections black; Stampin' Up! cherry cobbler
Paper Smooches Bee Mine stamps StazOn jet black ink on watercolor paper) and coordinating die
bee colored with DI scattered straw ink brushed on with Ranger water brush
SU word bubbles die; background: SU/Sizzix embossing folder
hearts: SU small heart and owl builder punches; SU cherry cobbler twine
adhesives: Glossy Accents and Recollections foam squares

I used the "Bee Mine" sentiment on my last card, but went with "Hello Honey" for a little longer OWH shelf life. This one reads more like a punny love card than Valentine's Day card.

Parting Thoughts

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The December Words 2 Scrap By challenge went live last Monday. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! December is such a crazy month, but we hope you will find a little time to join us for this month's challenge.

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

Bee Mine

Hi, everyone!

I am sooooo excited to share today's card. Kim's Bee Mine Paper Smooches stamp set has been one of my favorite go-to sets for OWH love cards. Now Kim has added dies for these sweet bees -- no pun intended -- in her newest release. Well.... I can't contain my happiness! Thanks, Kim.

Distress Ink core scattered straw; Recollections black; Stampin' Up! cherry cobbler
Paper Smooches Bee Mine stamps (in DI  black soot ink) and coordinating die
SU word bubbles die; background: SU/Sizzix embossing folder
hearts: SU small heart and owl builder punches; SU cherry cobbler twine
adhesives: Glossy Accents and Recollections foam squares

I Said, He Said

I was so pleased with this card, I not only shared it with hubby but also talked to him about the design. The 10-30-60 color rule came up -- though I told him that it didn't have to be exact. That's when he said that was good because this looked a little more like 3-16-81 -- stressing that if it were a rule, the exactness of a 10-30-60 ratio probably mattered. Oh, I was laughing so hard I was practically crying. 

To top it all off, he came over just as I was typing this to say, "It really is a nice card even if it isn't 10-30-60" and more laughing ensued. I am so blessed. That man makes me laugh at least 10 times a day.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Linking this little bee card up for the OWH Red Friday Bloghop and for the current Paper Smooches Anything Goes challenge.

Before I go, I want to give one last shout out to Kim at Paper Smooches. I placed my order Sunday night, and the package arrived today! Not only is she an uber-talented artist, but she provides the best customer service in the business. Thanks, Kim! You and the PS Team totally rock.  :)

December Challenge
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The December Words 2 Scrap By challenge went live on Monday. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! Hope you will join us for this month's challenge.

Have a good rest of the week. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Have a BEARy Merry Christmas!

Hi, everyone!

What a fun day! Shared a table at the craft show at my former workplace with a good friend and caught up with so many other work friends.  :)

Now for today's card. Last year, I made a little polar bear card that stole my heart. I loved him so much that I just had to send a few more of these little guys to OWH this holiday season, as well as bring a few of them along to this year's craft show.   :)

Distress Ink core stormy sky, fired brick, mustard seed, and pine needles; stash white and black cardstock
SU word window punch, Marvy and Paper Shaper circle punches; EK hole punch
Recollections snowflake punch; Emagination tree punch; ??? corner rounder for treetop star
Creative Memories oval cutting system (for ears and snout); Uni-ball white gel pen
hand-drawn/traced, fussy-cut Santa hat and candy cane
inside sentiment: Have a BEARy Merry Christmas

I have to say these cards were so labor intensive. But, if I do say so myself, they were so worth it!  :)

I'm linking up this little guy for the current Cards In Envy Santa challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge to make a holiday card.

Parting Thoughts

I really have to get to that OWH Red Friday love card blog hop. It's on tomorrow's to-do list.



December Challenge:
Dec. 1 - Dec. 21

The December Words 2 Scrap By challenge went live yesterday. This month's words are Eat, Drink, and Be Merry. Hope you'll find a little time this busy month to play along!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

For: Santa and Rudolph

Hi, everyone!

Can you believe it's been an entire year of W2SB challenges?! It sure has been a whole lot of fun! Before getting to this month's card, I want to thank those who have been instrumental in making this first year possible.

• My partner-in-crime Bobbi,
• Our amazing I-Teamers,
• All of you who have played along with us this year, including our wonderful Guest I-Teamers, and
• Our wonderful Sponsors and Friends.

Thank you all so much for a wonderful first year.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

Last month, I wrote a little about Mom. I think of her so often this time of year. She absolutely loved the holidays... and did everything possible to fill our home with a joyous spirit. 

What I best remember about Mom's holiday preparations is the time she spent baking Christmas cookies. Mom's birthday was December 17, and she spent her birthday week baking dozens and dozens of cookies. Mom would make two or three different types each day. I still remember the pure joy of coming home from school with my brother to freshly-baked cookies. While I didn't realize it until years later, I'm sure she saved our favorite types as the last batches she would make each day. To me, nothing will ever mean Christmas more than her homemade cookies.  

So, Mom, today's card is for you -- and will be included in the Christmas package hubby and I send to my brother and his family. Its sentiment is from a holiday decoration I found at a Pennsylvania craft store: Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts... That's the Way the Season Starts.

Echo Park Christmas This & That; Distress Ink core; Stampin' Up neutral core
Elizabeth Dulemba artwork for cookie outlines
Digitcrafts artwork (found on Pinterest) for carrot outline
Spellbinders nestabilities scalloped circle die; Creative Memories circle cutting system
inking and accents with various Distress Inks; computer-generated "For" tag
candies: punched from Reminisce peppermint candies with SU owl builder punch
ornaments: Wendy Vecchi embossing paste; Recollections glitter;
Elizabeth Craft Design silver embossing powder; Glossy Accents
sentiment: Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts... That's the Way the Season Starts

Thanks to Jennifer McGuire for her
suggestion to use ice cream sampling
spoons to apply glitter.  :)

I have to confess that these cookies were quite an undertaking. I started using the outlines of Elizabeth Dulemba's coloring-book-pages cookies to cut out shapes from Distress Ink antique linen. I inked the edges to give the "cookies" a baked look. Next, I "iced the cookies" with embossing paste and sprinkled them with (red and green) glitter and (silver) embossing powder. I thought I  could handle the glitter -- which is normally banned from the menopause room for OWH reasons. However, when I  just couldn't deal with it any longer, I "sealed the cookies" with a coat of Glossy Accents. Take my word for it, these are some pretty substantial cookies -- much thicker than Mom's cookies.  :)

Hope the card brings back lots and lots of warm and fuzzy Christmas memories to my brother.

This Month's Prize

In addition to our W2SB Winner Badge and an offer to join us as a Guest I-Teamer in February, the winner of this month's challenge will receive a couple of fun My Favorite Things stamps.

So, here's wishing you and your loved ones the jolliest of holidays and the merriest of Christmases.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!