Patriotic Banners

Hi, everyone!

I'm here with an Any Hero card for Operation Write Home Sketch #249! Love, love, love this sketch! Finally a perfect sketch to use my Stampin' Up! bitty banner punch.  :)

OWH Sketch #249
Bo Bunny anthem; Distress Ink core paper; Crate Paper rose garden
??? sentiment in DI walnut stain; inking in DI vintage photo
Cuttlebug embossing folder; Stampin' Up! bitty banner punch
garage sale brad; Recollections foam adhesives

You might notice that I rotated the sketch to better fit my patriotic sentiments. And, since this is an Any Hero card that doesn't have to fit USPS postage requirements, I used a single layer of foam adhesives for the banners and a double layer on the sentiment panel.

Parting Thoughts

The March Words 2 Scrap By challenge goes live tomorrow. Annie is our hostess this month, and I hope you will join us.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

To a Classic Father

Hi, everyone!

It's good to be back on line. Caught some kind of bug that had me down for a couple of days. But, I'm happy to report that I'm getting twitchy about spending so much time on the couch. Guess that means I'm getting back to my old self! Even made it out to a store today!  :)

I'm still busy making dad cards for Operation Write Home. As you can imagine, lots of our deployed heroes want to send cards to dad around Father's Day.

Stampin' Up! espresso card base
Core'dinations chocolate lover and Recollections black cardstock
Stampin' Up! Guy Greetings and Banner Blast stamps (in Distress Ink black soot)
Tim Holtz Simon Says Stamp stencil (in DI walnut stain)
inking in DI vintage photo; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon

When I think of the men in my life -- hubby, dad, and dad-in-law -- I see conservative, stoic, no-nonsense guys. I kind of think many of our troops' dads are the same kind of guys. So, I'm going with lots of Earth tones and no-frill designs for these "macho" men. But, I'm making some special backgrounds and using some gorgeous ribbons! For this background, I:

• did some second-generation stamping of a tool image,
• stamped a star image between tool images,
• lightly stenciled a dot pattern (in Distress Ink walnut stain) in open, non-stamped images, and
• applied (DI vintage photo) ink around the card and along the distressed edges.

Love, love, love the way these techniques turned a plain cream piece of cardstock into a one-of-a-kind piece of designer paper!  Perfect for all those macho dads.  :)

I'm going to be linking this card up to:

• the current Male Room challenge to create your own background paper,
• the current monthly Work-it-Wednesday challenge on the Simon Says Stamp blog,
• the current Anything Goes! challenge on the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge blog, and
• the current Anything Goes challenge on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge blog.

Parting Thoughts

A new OWH Sketch Challenge goes live tomorrow. And, the March Words 2 Scrap By challenge posts on Sunday. Hope you will be able to play along.

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

My Favorite Sidekick

Hi, everyone!

I'm here today with a kiddie card for the current Operation Write Home Midmonth Challenge, which features an absolutely adorable card from Patricia at Thinking of Inking.

Distress Ink core paper; Recollections black
Paper Smooches super stamp set, in Distress Ink black soot
Stampin' Up! cherry cobbler baker's twine
adhesives: Zig 2-way glue pen, Recollection foam squares

I really like the way this paper-pieced Super Hero turned out -- definitely worth all that fussy cutting. But, I still think the card looks a little bare. Think I'll take out that star corner rounder to add a bit more pizazz when I get back to home base. Besides, my eyes are only seeing four elements. So, this card needs at least one little star before it goes to OWH -- Gotta have an odd number of elements!   :)

Parting Thoughts

This is the final day for the current do-something-different Words 2 Scrap By challenge. Just saying....  'cause we'd love to have you join us.   :)

Stay warm, stay safe, and think springy thoughts. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Life with Father

Hi, everyone! Hope the weekend is off to a great start -- regardless of all the cold and snow.

Tonight I'm  here to share a card for the current Shopping Our Stash Big Screen challenge. For this challenge, we have been asked to make a card inspired by a movie.

Since the Operation Write Home deadline for Father's Day cards is the end of April, I'm beginning to make some dad cards. I found myself looking at a Tim Holtz collage paper pad, a roll of Ribbon Boutique mustache ribbon, and some Stampin' Up! Guy Greeting stamps -- all of which have a vintage dad feel to them. So, I used these as my materials for a Life-with-Father-inspired card.

Inspiration Movie: Life with Father
Tim Holtz collage paper pad; Recollections black
Stampin' Up! Guy Greeting stamps in Distress Ink black soot
Ribbon Boutique jute mustache ribbon
SU brads; Recollections foam square adhesives
 

The paper pad is actually an 8" by 8" pad. Some of the papers have images that are better suited for scrapbooking than card making -- including the paper I chose for my background. I was just so drawn to the grandfatherly gent pictured on the paper, that I had to use him. So, I cut the paper to include my gent, and then designed and positioned the sentiment layer to complement the background layer. I thought about using only two brads -- positioned in diagonal corners -- on the sentiment panel. But, the bottom brad got lost next to the ribbon and decided to go with brads in all four corners.

I'm actually crafting from the road -- sans a heat gun, embossing tools, or a die cut machine. But, I'm hoping the layers, brads, and jute ribbon are enough to qualify this for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog challenge to make a card with texture. 

Parting Thoughts

February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

Tomorrow, February 21, is the deadline for this month's Words 2 Scrap By do-something-different challenge.  :)

Stay safe, stay warm. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Circles, Circles, and More Circles... Oh, My!

Hi, everyone. Boy, talk about a winter that just won't give up! Hope you are safe, sound, and warm.

Before I share today's card, I'd like to welcome Polka Dot Rosie to the blog. She is a wonderful crafter and is our Guest I-Teamer at Words 2 Scrap By this month. Welcome, Rosie! I'm so glad to have gotten to know you.  :) 

At least we have a really interesting OWH sketch to keep our creative juices flowing. Coni provided the wonderful card that inspired this week's sketch. As much as I like our sketch, I have to confess that it was a little intimidating for me.

OWH Sketch #248
Bo Bunny liberty; Bazzil admiral; Crate Paper rose garden; Distress Ink antique linen
TPC Studio sentiment in DI walnut stain; inking in DI vintage photo
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Paper Studio star punch, Marvy circle punch; ??? corner rounder (for tiny star)
Creative Memories circle cutting system
Recollections foam adhesives

To CAS-ify the sketch a little, I only used two patterns and went with a solid color, embossed background layer. After deciding on the major elements, I added the sentiment and taped down these key elements. Then I played with various circles and stars until I came up with a design that felt just right -- telling myself it was okay to not use all the sketch's circles.  :)

Since this is an Any Hero card, I was able to make it thicker than typical OWH cards. So, the sentiment and lower left blue circle are popped using double layers of foam adhesives.

I like the final look of this patriotic card. The colors and shapes seem to have a nice balance to them. I hope it will convey our appreciation to one of more troops for his/her/their service.

Parting Thoughts

February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

Our Words 2 Scrap By February challenge is up-and-running. Our thanks to our OWH friends who have already played along with this month's do-something-different challenge. And, as they say, the more the merrier.  :)

Stay warm and be safe.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

just a note hello

Hi, everyone! Hope the work week started well. Warm thoughts to our East-coast friends faced with digging out from even more snow. Ugggggh!

A New Sketch Challenge

I have an Operation Write Home box of cards just about ready to send to Sandy -- only needing a few more thinking-of-you type cards. And, I came across just the perfect sketch for a few masculine hello cards.

It seems our friend Leslie at Crooked Stamper has started a new sketch challenge. And, I am so excited to be able to link up one of the following cards to Leslie's post.  :)

 

Fancy Pants Design etcetera paper; Recollections black cardstock
Paper Smooches just a note image and Winnie & Walter big bold happy sentiment in Distress Ink black soot
card 1: Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon; card 2: Stampin' Up! brads

Love this sketch and think I'll be using it more often. Thanks, Leslie!  :)

Parting Thoughts

February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

The February Words 2 Scrap By challenge is up and running. Hope you will all join us.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

You're a Treasure

Hi, everyone! Tonight, I'm here with a card featuring an adorable parrot from Paper Smooches' new Ahoy Me Hearty stamp set.

My card was inspired by the current Operation Write Home Our Daily Bread animal challenge. The challenge is to make a card featuring an animal.

 

Paper Smooches ahoy me hearty stamp set
Distress Ink core paper; Stampin' Up! (cream) neutral core
Paper Smooches quotables dies
Stampin' Up! owl builder punch to punch out coins
images and sentiments stamped in Distress Ink black soot
parrot hat, eye, and front sentiment heat embossed with Zing clear powder
adhesives: Scotch ATG, Recollection foam squares, Zots glue dots
tool: Staedtler bendable ruler; techniques: fussy cutting and paper piecing

paper-piecing close-up

I just adore this stamp set. When I first saw that parrot, Distress Ink colors immediately came to mind. And, I really think this guy came out just as I had hoped. (Actually, I had planned on making a few more of these tomorrow for my OWH box. LOL! With all that fussy cutting and paper piecing, I don't think that's going to happen.)

Since this little guy is headed to Operation Write Home -- and maybe eventually to a hero's little boy -- I added a little interest to the inside while leaving lots of room for a note home.

In addition to linking this little guy up to the OWH ODBD animal challenge, I'm also linking it up to:

• the Paper Smooches Guest Designer search and
• the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday bright-and-beautiful challenge.

Parting Thoughts



February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

The Words 2 Scrap By challenge is underway. This month's challenge to craft something different than your usual card/project is inspired by a few lines of dialogue in the Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie.

Have a wonderful Sunday. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

hi mom

Hi, everyone! Friday!

I'm happy to announce that I'm putting a little dent in non-Mother's-Day Mother's Day cards for Operation Write Home. Hubby's been going to a lot of basketball games lately, which has put a little crimp in my crafting plans. But, I officially have at least of few mom cards to put in the next box I send to Sandy -- including the card shown below.

Distress Ink core (tumbled glass, dusty concord, spun sugar); Recollections white
Paper Smooches just a note in DI dusty concord
Paper Smooches botanicals 2 in spun sugar
computer-generated sentiment
Stampin' Up! island indigo baker's twine; stash rhinestones
adhesives: Scotch ATG, micro Glue Dots, Recollections foam squares, Glossy Accents

I've long wanted to make a card featuring a "hi mom" note coming out of a typewriter. After all, that's what all the college kids say when they are shown on the sidelines of a game.

So, when this PS stamp set showed up in this week's mail, I couldn't wait to ink it up!

• The background was created by drawing parallel and perpendicular lines to use as guidelines. Then, I stamped one of the flowers from the PS botanicals 2 set to create the floral pattern shown.
• I used an exacto knife to cut a slit for the typewriter note.

Paper Smooches has another Guest Designer search up and running. I realize my style isn't in the typically whimsical vein of PS. (Although, this card's a little closer than I usually get.) Regardless, I can't resist the temptation of linking up this little card... along with a few other entries. 

Also, think I'll link this up to the Simon Says Stamp H-is-for Monday challenge -- in this case, H is for hi -- and its bright-and-beautiful Wednesday challenge.

Parting Thoughts

I'm in the process of assembling four more of these. Hope to get to that tomorrow or Sunday. Would love to get my box in the mail to Sandy by the end of the week. Sounds like our OWH cupboards are pretty bare right now.

February Challenge
Feb, 1 - Feb, 21

We are almost a week into the new challenge going on at Words 2 Scrap By. This month's challenge to do something different draws its inspiration from a few lines from the Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie. Hope you will be able to play along.

Think that's it for now. Have a great weekend! As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Jar of Hearts

Hi, everyone! Two posts in one night! AMAZING!!!

This second card was inspired by the current Mojo Monday sketch and a desire to make a love card that a hero could send home to his or her mom. This Paper Smooches canning jar image seemed perfect for both.  :)

Bo Bunny 12" x 12" back-to-back crazy love; Crate Paper rose garden (neutral)
Paper Smooches crystal clear image in Distress Ink walnut stain
("Ball" heat embossed with versamark in American Crafts Zing clear embossing powder
computer-generated sentiment
Paper Shaper and Marvy circle punches
Stampin' Up! owl builder (for tiny heart), small heart punches, and bitty banner punches
Fiskars border punch; SU cherry cobbler baker's twine
adhesives: Scotch ATG, micro Glue Dots, Recollections foam square
 

Hubby gave his approval, which surprised me because it is fussier and busier than my typical card. I am really thrilled with the Ball Jar itself.

And, since this is an OWH card, I added a little something to the inside.

Think I need to make a few more of these for OWH. I'm going to keep the basic layout, but need to replace the papers. Seems like these  have been in my stash for so long that I don't have many of them. Just happy to have found a good use for my 12" by 12" stash.

 In addition to Mojo Monday, I'm going to link this up to the following challenges:

• the Shopping Our Stash love-me-do challenge,
• the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog anything goes challenge,
• the Simon Says Stamp Monday blog letter H challenge -- with my H standing for hearts, and
• the Cards In Envy hearts-all-a-flutter challenge.

Parting Thoughts

Hope to carve out some crafting time tomorrow afternoon.

February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

We have a new challenge going on at Words 2 Scrap By. This month's challenge to do something different draws its inspiration from a few lines from the Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie. Hope you will be able to play along.

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

To Mother

Hi, everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Paper Smooches!

 

Paper Smooches Blog

 

Before I get to today's card, I'd like to give a shout out to Kim and her amazing Paper Smooches team. Paper Smooches is celebrating its 4th Anniversary.

Not only is Kim an amazingly talented artist, but her customer service is second to none! I'm actually waiting for a PS order to arrive... and I can hardly wait! But, thanks to Kim, I won't be waiting long.

To Mother

In Operation Write Home world, the calendar reads Easter and Mother's Day, with upcoming deadlines of February 28 and March 31, respectively. So, I have a mom card to share today. 

How appropriate that today's card features PS stamped images, along with Stampin' Up!, Ranger, Really Reasonable Ribbon, American Crafts, Bazzil, and Martha Stewart products.

American Crafts peachy keen; Bazzil basics paper (cream); Stampin' Up! early espresso
Paper Smooches crystal clear and botannicals 2 stamps
SU postcard background, postage collection, festival of trees, and 2000 wreath of roses stamps
SU postage stamp punch; Martha Stewart butterfly punch
various Distress Inks, including bundled sage and Victorian velvet
Really Reasonable Ribbon lace and stash heart-shaped gems
Zig chocolate writer-marker; Ranger distress and blending tools
adhesives: Scotch ATG and Glue Dots microdots
 

Wow! That's quite a list of supplies! Reminds me of hubby looking around the menopause room and commenting on how much stuff I have in here. LOL -- if he only knew.  :)

The postcard background stamp could probably be trimmed and sent as an actual postcard. However, I made this as a card for an OWH hero to send to a mom. So, I chose to trim down the card size just a tad and make it a traditional card to allow for more writing space.

Planning on entering the card above in the following challenges. Would also like to enter in the current Shopping Our Stash love challenge. But, even though butterflies, flowers, and hearts are my way of sending love to a mom, I just don't feel right linking it up there.

• Simon Says Stamp's current Wednesday blog challenge is an Anything Goes challenge.
• Simon Says Stamp's current Monday blog challenge is to make a card associated with the letter H. For my card, H stands for heart-shaped gems.
• The current Cards in Envy challenge asks for two or more hearts. Since there are 8 heart-shaped gems on this card, I'm really hoping this card counts. :)
• While the Word Art Wednesday challenge blog offers digital word-art-scripture sentiments, the team also encourages crafters to link up cards/projects with uplifting, positive messages. Again, I'm hoping this card counts for the current Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes challenge.

Parting Thoughts

Gotta work on more mom cards. Hope to have another card or two to post in the next couple of days.

February Challenge
Feb. 1 - Feb. 21

We have a new challenge going on at Words 2 Scrap By. This month's challenge to do something different draws its inspiration from a few lines from the Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie. Hope you will be able to play along.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

W2SB #14: Do Something Different

I loved Bobbi's idea for a Groundhog Day-inspired Words 2 Scrap By challenge to do something different. 

I decided to step outside of my card-making box. The W2SB tag line encourages projects other than cards. So, I decided to use this an opportunity to try out possible non-card craft show ideas: gift card holders, bookmarks, and ornament tags.  :)

Gift Card Holders

Gift card holders seemed like a good place to start -- something that everyone needs during the holiday season... and something much quicker to make than my typical cards. So, where did I go for ideas? Why, the Internet, of course!

I found a number of design possibilities and went with a basic trifold design my holders. For step-by-step instructions for the holders shown below, please click here.  :)

Bookmarks

Next on my list, was trying my hand at some bookmarks. Again, the Internet came to the rescue with several options. I decided to go with corner bookmarks, like the ones shown here.

SU cherry cobbler; stash white; Recollections black (for bookmark base, not shown)
SU owl builder punch (for hat topper circle) adhered with Glue Dot
 

I actually ended up changing the dimensions of my bookmarks from 2.25" by 2.25" to 2.125" by 2.125" so that I could get four from an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. My steps for scoring and cutting are shown below.

Step 1: Cut 4.25" square pieces of paper.
Score lines along the middle vertically and horizontally.
Then, score diagonally as shown.

Step 2: Mark the sections to be cut out with Xs.



Step 3: Cut out the marked sections.

Step 4: Fold the two triangle along the scored lines.
Step 5: Decorate as desired.  :)

Since the Santa bookmark turned out pretty well, I'm going to make up several different kinds -- including monsters like the ones shown in the link above -- for next year's craft show. While there might be a market for Santa gift card holders, there probably isn't quite as much of a demand for Santa bookmarks after Christmas.  :)

Ornament Gift Tags

I really do think folks like my cards. But, most folks don't seem to send old-fashioned cards nearly as much these days. Seems these cards have been replaced by those fun photo cards. I'm thinking that gift tag versions that double as ornaments might be the way to go. They could be just the answer to card-like keepsakes.

In keeping with the holiday theme, I've made two versions of a Santa ornament/tag. Not quite sure which I prefer. Think I'm leaning towards the second ornament/tag which was inspired by a paper-pieced Santa I found on Pinterest.




various Distress Ink core paper, featuring pine needles; SU cherry cobbler; stash white
punches: SU word window and owl builder; Paper Shaper circle; EK snowflake border and hole
dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities scalloped circle and SU word bubble
Creative Memories circle cutting system
Paper Smooches twine; Stickles (crystal)
adhesives: Glue Dots; Recollections foam squares
Creative Memories circle cutting system
SU festival of trees to/from stamp

 

SU cherry cobbler; Distress Ink core, featuring antique linen; stash (Recollections?) white
Creative Memories circle cutting system
Spellbinders Nestabilities scallop circle die
punches: SU owl builder, EK hole
inking in DI barn door with SU sponge dauber
Paper Smooches twine; SU festival of trees to/from stamp (on back of ornament)

Parting Thoughts

Hope you will be able to join us for this month's W2SB challenge. In addition to a Guest I-Teamer gig and our W2SB winner badge, this month's winner will receive a polka-dot alphabet stamp set from My Favorite Things.

And, I'd love some feedback on the gift card holders, bookmarks, and ornament tags. Do you like one of these ideas more than the others? Have you sold anything like these at craft shows? If yes, how did it go? Feel free to leave a comment below about any feedback/suggestions.  :)

Hope the New Year is off to a great start. As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!