2012: A Year in Review

Here are links to my favorite 10 cards of 2012.  Looking through my cards, it seems that most of my favorites are either quite CAS or have many layers and embellishments.  All but one of these cards (the baby card) were donated to Operation Write Home so that our military heroes can write home to their families.  2013 is a great time to get involved with OWH if you haven't yet volunteered for this great organization!  Visit www.operationwritehome.org to learn more! 

#1: Cream in my Coffee 

#2: Sketch 120

#3: Super Dad

#4: Missing Link

#5: Sketch 116

#6: Star Spangled

#7: CAS birthday

#8: That's how we roll!

#9: Oh Baby!

#10: Home Sweet Home

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Friendship set to music

Do you ever make a card or two while you're cleaning up your workspace?  That's how this card was invented.

The papers were all scraps sitting on my desk from other projects.  I'd already embossed the gold paper and punched the corner.  I just added the vellum quote and twine (which covers the adhesive I used). 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Christmas cards for work

 My team goes together to do group gifts for a few people at work who make our job easier!  I was asked to do the cards, so I made these, taking into account each recipient's personality.  The first one is my favorite because it fits most closely with my personal style. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Heartfelt sympathy

One of my coworkers lost her daughter last night.  She passed at a very young age, completely without warning, and leaves two small sons.  There really are no words to express how devastated everyone is over this news.  Not only is the faculty at my school very tight-knit and therefore close with the mother, but this young woman was also a student at the school several years ago, so numerous staff members taught her. 

I hope this card brings a bit of comfort to the grieving family. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

A little birthday card

OWH shipper Caro celebrated her birthday today, so we were asked to post birthday cards to the FB wall.  I made this one in just a few minutes tonight.  I knew I wanted bright circles overlapping, so I just chose some fun papers and added some Paper Smooches stamps and an SU sentiment to finish it off.  The chipboard letters are cut with my Cuttlebug. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

We Click- Paper Smooches

Sandy, President of Operation Write Home, put out a request for cardmakers to send in one kit of 6 cards for CHA.  She asked us to use current products from companies that partner with OWH and that was the biggest part of the challenge for me!  Most of what I buy is on clearance so I had very little current stuff in my stash.  I did win some Paper Smooches stamps recently, so I decided to use them with some plain cardstock to make my kit.  

Since this is a love card, I'll put in a little plug to remind you that Valentine's Day cards are due to OWH shippers by 12/31.  That being said, have a heart and ship them early so that these generous volunteers aren't swamped with work over the holidays!  Love cards are also the OWH Midweek Throwdown, so you can link up your cards on the OWH blog when you've made them.  :)

As I put together this post, I saw that Paper Smooches is having a Sparks challenge right now to use cameras on a card.  Is that a coincidence or what?  Yay!  

Stamps: Paper Smooches Perpetual Bliss
Cardstock: The Paper Company
Punches: EK Success binding edge, .75" square, and 1.75" circle
Dies: Spellbinders Circles
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark, and SU Tempting Turquoise
Other: Glossy Accents, Dimensional Adhesive

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Getting back in the card making groove

November came and went and I made very few cards.  I am getting back in the swing of things now that I've crafted all of my Christmas cards, too.  Yesterday, I made some thank you cards using some new-to-me SU items I bought from a coworker and tonight I decided to pull out yet another color of ink I hadn't played with before, Orchid Opulence (now retired).

I snagged an Inkadinkado stamp set for myself at TJMaxx today when I was picking out some Christmas presents.  I liked the balloon and this sentiment was one I knew I would use a lot for OWH.  The quotation marks are all wrong, though.  I think I'll trim them off with my scissors since they make no sense! 

Stamps: Inkadinkado (balloon, sentiment, and flower) and American Crafts (clouds)

Gems: TPC Studios
Flowers: Making Memories and Hero Arts
Brad: Making Memories

I'm going to enter this card into December's ODBD challenge which asks us to use flowers on our cards.  This looks springy to me!  Our Daily Bread Designs is so generous to offer to pay for shipping for two boxes each month as long as we link up cards from 50 different card makers.  Can you help this month? 


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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Patriotic Thank Yous

Here are a few patriotic thank you cards I made tonight with some Stampin Up stamps and inks. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Lawn Fawn fun

Lawn Fawn has a challenge posted on their blog to get submissions for example cards to be published in their next catalog.  I have a couple of their sets and decided to play along.  This card features Quinn's ABCs with Critters on the Farm.  I partially inked the "I like ewe" sentiment to provide a label under the sheep.  "I love a sheep" is a much less commonly needed sentiment! 

I love how well these Lawn Fawn stamps cling to the blocks, transfer ink, and clean up.  The alphas are also formed as handy rectangles to make lining up phrases for stamping simpler.  The other supplies I used were white, black, and red cardstock as well as a few markers (Copics E11 and W3 and a red Bic Mark It).

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.