There's No Place Like Home

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is a special one for our family. My father-in-law is moving from his home of over 60 years -- the home he shared with his beloved wife of over 50 years, to a senior living community. The choice is totally his, and he will still be in an independent living situation. But, it will still be a bittersweet day when moving day actually arrives.

So, hubby asked for a card for his dad. I immediately thought of "There's No Place Like Home" -- one of the quotes for this month's W2SB Oscar-inspired challenge.

Bo Bunny Trail Mix, Distress Ink core
AC trimmer with wavy edge blade for roof shingle edges; Sizzix ef
Paper Smooches twine (behind house number sign), Paper Studio brad for door knob
EK hole punch, Distress Ink for sponging around card elements
Recollection foam adhesives for door and house number sign

The idea for this shape card came from Leisure Art's Card Sketches for Paper Crafters. Hubby gave the card a thumbs up... I was afraid it might look too simple. And, hubby suggested the "123" sign, which are the numbers in my father-in-law's new address.  Lastly, I cut out some "wood planks" for the front façade of the house.  :)

Oh, and after the picture was taken, decided to cut off the pointed tip of the roof. Like the flattened rooftop version much better!


That's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

OWH's 2014 Card Bowl -- A SUPER IDEA!

Hi, everyone!

Looks like OWH is having a SUPER fun party this weekend! Hope you can join in the fun.

First, two quick announcements:

• Today marks the posting of Challenge #2 at Words 2 Scrap By. Thanks to Bobbi for providing a colourful challenge for our second month. Entries must be linked by February 21 to be in the running for this month's prize package. And, thanks again to everyone who joined in the fun last month!
• Today also marks the 3rd anniversary of Paper Smooches! Paper Smooches is one of my all-time favorite companies -- and was the sponsor of the very first W2SB challenge. Congrats, Kim! Can't wait to see what you have in mind for us this upcoming year.  :)

Now on to the OWH fun -- three challenges in three days!

Challenge #1: Make a masculine card featuring Broncos or Seahawks colors.
 

paper: stash faux basketball leather; Bazzill admiral; stash gray
Zip'E Cut alphabet dies; EK border punch
inside: Paper Studio star punch

Okay, so I guess this officially counts for the Broncos. When push comes to shove, that's probably who I will be pulling for. But, I really don't have a horse in this race. So, my real inspirations for the card were my beloved hubby, a former b-ball coach who is my MVP, and the team closest to my heart, the Chicago Bears.

There are two things I absolutely love about this card. The first is this to-die-for basketball-textured paper, which was purchased long ago for a scrapbook that never got made.

The second thing I loved was being able to effortlessly use dies -- real-life dies. Those letters were created using alphabet dies on admiral blue and basketball paper. A $10 raffle ticket on a holiday basket at work resulted in winning $50 in Michael's gift cards. Those gift cards, and a 50% off coupon, were all I needed to break down and finally buy a Big Shot/Kick! I truly feel like a kid in a candy store when I look at all those fabulous Paper Smooches dies!  :)

 

Challenge #2: Make a masculine card with brown for our ODBD challenge.



paper: Bo Bunny Trail Mix; Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Paper Smooches ribbon; Paper Studio brads
Recollections and Tombow foam adhesives

This card is bittersweet. The bitter part is that the Bo Bunny paper was purchased during Archiver's going-out-of-business sale.

The sweet parts are Paula's Bootcamp lessons, the focal point image, and the ribbon treatment. I was struggling with the color combo until I remembered Paula's 60-30-10 rule and added a touch of black. I also liked using a small portion of the full embossed image to create the card's focal point. Finally, I like the ribbon technique, which was created by taking a scrap of ribbon, placing it under the longer ribbon, and overlapping the ends. Oh, the ribbon is another fabulous Paper Smooches purchase.  :)

Challenge #3: Make a masculine card using Donna's great sketch.

Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Paper Smooches stamps and dies
computer-generated starbursts
Recollections foam adhesives; Glossy Accents as adhesive

Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Paper Smooches die
computer-generated sentiment

Okay, did I tell you how much I'm loving my Big Shot? The building and Super Hero on the outside, as well as the car on the inside, were cut using Paper Smooches dies. :)  Alas, the starbursts were created the old-fashioned way: computer-generated and fussy cut.

I really did use Donna's sketch as the inspiration for this card. When I first saw the horizontal strip, I thought of those cute little buildings. Then, came the idea for using a narrow strip and starbursts for the sketch's vertical strip. Finally, I knew our little Super Hero needed to make an appearance. When I realized the direction he would be facing, I placed the vertical strip and starbursts on the right.  :)

But, what's a Sunday Sketch without an Any Hero card. The card below is a little closer to the sketch.

Distress Ink core; Authentique Pride sponged with Distress Inks
Paper Smooches ribbon; Stampin' Up brads
Fiskars and Paper Studio star punches
Recollections foam adhesives


Parting Thoughts

Thanks to OWH for a fun weekend of challenges -- just the right amount!

Hope all the football fans enjoy the game and the non-fans enjoy the commercials.

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! And, if you are in the market for an Olympic-themed challenge, don't forget to check out what Bobbi has for us this month at W2SB!