OWH Sketch 70

 Hi there.  Time for another OWH Sketch.  This is number 70.  I'm getting through them pretty well at this point with over 100 completed this year.  I would love to be caught up by the time summer vacation rolls around, if not sooner.  That way, I can work through them again!

I love these papers from MME.  I've said it already, but I've been having such fun with them over the past few days.  The papers look especially good with distressing, I think.  The sentiment is from Unity and was my freebie when I placed an order during their warehouse sale last month. 

I'm entering this card in Unity's May Challenge to use stripes.  :) 
------
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 620 blank and 200 AnyHero (as of 4/24)
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.

Abby's challenge- black and white plus ribbon

Abby's challenge at the Perfect Sentiments Challenge was to make a card using only black and white plus ribbon or twine.  I've had this pp for a while and struggled to use it. I like how it looks with no colors competing for attention.  I used two kinds of ribbon- printed grosgrain and white satin.  This card will go to Operation Write Home.   
------
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 620 blank and 200 AnyHero (as of 4/24)
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.

Happy Birthday

Recently, Caro posted that she was running short of birthday cards to send her OWH contacts.  I cannot tell you why, but birthday cards are my least favorite cards to make.  I even prefer making sympathy cards to making birthday cards.  But our heroes need more birthday cards, so I did my best to oblige.    Despite the weird shape of some of the photos (thanks, Blogger!) I can assure you these are all A2 size. 

The yellow card uses OWH Sunday Sketch #38.  How are you doing on the sketch challenge for 2012?  This card is so far out of my normal comfort zone but I love the result.  The sketch pushed my creative limits.  That's why I love sketches! 
------
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 302 blank and 200 AnyHero (as of March 4)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Round Easel Card

I've been absent from blogging again, but I'm back to share a round easel card that I made based off the OWH tutorial here. 

I followed the directions exactly (well, except for that part where I had to rip the whole card apart and re-cut some pieces because I attached parts out of order and in the wrong place).  This was fairly easy to construct and is super cute.  My only gripe is how little space is left for writing, but that can be overcome with an additional sheet of writing paper. 

I used an image from SU Lighthouse and the accompanying sentiment.  I tried Staz-on but it doesn't work well with Copics.  I guess it's Memento that everyone uses.  Darn!  I was so excited that I finally bought Staz-on, too.  Nevertheless, I used Copics to color the image.  I stamped the sentiment in blue chalk ink.  The cardstock is Bazzill (dark) and Pebbles Inc (light).  Eyelets are Making Memories.

 A little perspective:

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to link your round easel card to the challenge. 

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 302 blank, 200 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #8- Jungle Animal

Tonight's second challenge is to make a card featuring a jungle animal.  I got some Creative Imaginations epoxy stickers recently and was excited to open the package and make a card with one.  I used assorted cardstock, a CB embossing folder and a Fiskars crimper to build the card base.  There are Colorbok square brads as an accent. 

This is one of the "art" cards that Sandy said aren't in high demand, so I won't make very many with this type of sentiment.  I just liked the sticker.

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely! Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #7- CAS

I think I might be much more of a CAS cardmaker than I give myself credit for.  I love a white-on-white card (provided there's no stamping involved because I'm fearful of smudges) and a simple embellishment.  I used We R Memory Keepers twine and a Cuttlebug folder to give the card a bit of extra interest.   I chose this Deja Views sticker for the focal point and mounted it on two layers of cardstock.  The sentiment is surely intended as a caption for a first birthday picture, but it made me chuckle and I thought our heroes might have a similar sense of humor. 

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely! Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #6- Tan and Blue

Here's my blue and tan card to represent the sea and the sand!  It's not beachy, but that wasn't a requirement.  I used a sticker from Deja Views.  The papers are all scraps.  The solid is Bazzill, the blue check is K&Co, and the tan check is so old that I couldn't tell you a manufacturer.  I finished the corner with heart brads by Colorbok.  I also used my Tim Holtz distressing tool for the first time on this card.  I don't think it's any better than using my scissors like I was before, but it might be safer, and since my major run-in with the guillotine paper cutter at work a couple of weeks ago, I should best be careful.  ;)

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely! Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #5- Birthday

This challenge didn't stretch my brain nearly as far as the fancy fold we did yesterday.  I don't like making birthday cards, though, so it did test me in that regard. 

I used a Deja Views sticker for the sentiment, some K&Co patterned paper, brads by JoAnn (I think), and border stamps by Martha Stewart.  

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #4- Beachy Thinking of You

So, it's time for another VCMP post.  Can you tell I don't want to do lesson plans or chores?  If you want more details about the VCMP, scroll down to my recent posts. 

This challenge was to make a beach-themed thinking of you card.  While I have a couple of beach stamps, they lend themselves to making a scene and I never like what I make with them.  Instead, I grabbed this decade-old die cut, mounted it on white to help it look a bit cleaner, and placed it on a card based on Sketch 42.  The stamp is my KI Memories, the brads are from Colorbok, and the papers are from K&Co. 



















Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #3- Funky Fold

When I saw Sandy's funky fold tutorial this morning, I just knew it would be one of the challenges we'd face tonight for the VCMP.  

The directions were fairly straightforward, but that didn't stop me from making three mistakes on this card.  1) I cut the strips 1 inch in from the edge instead of 3/4 inch 2) I scored all the way across at 5.5 inches and 3) I scored all the way across at 1 inch.  Despite these three mistakes, the card came out alright.

The glittered paper I used is from Fiskars and is very, very well sealed, so it's safe for our heroes because it won't flake off on them!  I also used polka dotted paper from K&Co Girl Scouts stack and the Best of K&Co stack.  The ribbon is by Offray.  Stamp by Studio G, label punch by EK Success, modified by me.  Because this card has a smaller writing space than normal (the front panel would be hard to write on), I'm going to line the card with a piece of paper folded into fourths and trimmed to size so the hero can open it up and write a longer note if desired. 

If you need some cardmaking inspiration, check out the challenges posted each night at 5 and 8 EST all this week on the Stars and Stamps blog!

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #2

OK, two challenges in one night and a weeknight at that!  Craziness!

The second VCMP challenge is to make a nautical themed masculine card.  Do you sense the cruise theme with these challenges?  I feel like there's going to be one at the end of the week requiring a buffet, lounge chair, or bath towel origami animal!  Seriously, though, my predictions are 1) the sketches they're using on the cruise, 2) water, 3) sea life, 4) map, 5) summer, 6) the cruise digi, and 7) some additional color or sentiment themes. 

I used a stamp from SU Wonderful Woodcuts (a fabulous set for masculine cards) and some Bazzil that I embossed with two CB folders.  I tried to cut waves to make a ruffle card and it was a major disaster, so I nixed that idea early on.  I think the problem was that the Bazzil wanted to tear since it had been embossed and had been weakened. 

I colored the image with my watercolor pencils.  Frankly, I get much better results with them than the few Copics I have and the whole set cost about as much as 1 Copic.  One day, I will learn enough about Copics to make them worthwhile. 

The anchor was part of some random embellishments in a grab bag of sorts I bought at Big Lots about two years ago.  The pack didn't have a manufacturer, but it might be Colorbok because most items in the bag were from that brand. 

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

VCMP #1

 

It's time for a Virtual Card Making Party!   The first challenge during this weeks "party" is to create a card using green, yellow, and hot pink.  As soon as I read the challenge, I thought of a pack of paper I have with exactly those colors of cardstock.  I used a technique I saw on Tonic's blog a while ago to make another Mom card.  It's a bit time consuming to make because of the border punch work, but I really think it looks nice, so I'm happy to put in the effort!  I wish I had a heart die so I could do the same thing to a heart shape. 

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Dad Cards and Sketch #68

On Saturday, I bought a package of Making Memories Dad stickers ($1 at Ollie's). I decided to use them all at once so there wouldn't be one or two lingering on the sheet. I love the sense of accomplishment I get from using up an entire package of embellishments, sheet of paper, or roll of ribbon. This weekend was great because of how many things I used up. Among other things, I finished off 10 rolls of ribbon!

Here are two cards I made based on OWH Sketch #68.



I'll be sharing the other cards I made later in the week, so stay tuned!

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

More Father's Day card

There are a pile of cards I made this weekend using a pack of Dad stickers and various papers from my stash. I'll be sharing them this week. Here are two cards based on OWH Sketch #66.





Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely! I know I've been saying this for a month, but it's true. Right now, I have over 250 ready to go, and once I hit about 300-330 my box will be full.

Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

OWH Sketch #107

I used some scraps that were siting on my desk and a vellum quote for this card. The hardest part was choosing the ribbon- I just didn't have the right color to match the pastel scheme so I had to use white!

This card is based on OWH's Sketch 107. The February ODBD challenge is to use ribbon. I will link this card so I don't forget to enter. Many of my cards use ribbon, so this was an easy challenge!

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

CASE of Jennifer McGuire's blog skip card

OWH hosted a CAS skip today and Jennifer McGuire of Hero Arts was one of the bloggers. Her card inspired a lot of CASE action on the OWH FB page and I decided to join in the fun. I love the "graph paper" background that she used. I don't have any and didn't think my school graph paper would be an appropriate substitute, so I used this blue checked paper by Pebbles, Inc. The other papers are from the same line.

The stamp is from Hampton Arts clear stamps "Mom and Dad" set. The corner punch and label punch are both by EK Success. The snap is by Making Memories.


Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Mother's Day CAS card

In case you didn't already know, I love a bargain. Today while I was at Goodwill, I stumbled upon 3 boxes of 40 print-your-own wedding invitation and response card sets by Martha Stewart for $1 per box. I read the back of the box and saw that the response card envelopes were A2 size, so I figured I would buy the sets just for that. $1 for 40 envelopes is a good price. The other pieces I could either use to stamp images on or as card elements. They have one edge that is punched like eyelet. I am using the large invitations folded in half as A2 card bases. Here's a CAS Mother's Day card I made using one of the invitations.



The stamp is from a Hampton Arts clear set of Mom/Dad stamps. (It was $2 at Big Lots several months ago.) The ink is Studio G. The ribbon is Offray Simply Grosgrain.

I'm planning to make about 20 of these depending on what grosgrain ribbon I have that matches my inks. I used up the green ribbon on 8 of these and found enough lavender for 4 more. Have you seen that OWH has a challenge for Mother's Day cards? Get your boxes to your shipper by March 20th- half Mom cards and half general. My sidebar has more details!

Look around carefully, and you might also find a bargain to use in your crafting! What's your best crafting bargain?

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Sketch #34 for Mom!

I made this card with Sketch #34. As it turns out, there's some mystery surrounding that sketch, so go here to learn more. As it turns out, there is also a lost Sketch #34 here. I'll have to do that sketch soon- I really like it!

This card uses papers from Making Memories, a punch by EK success, a corner rounder, and a stamp by Studio G. I made several of these for my box. I think I have my box about 3/4 full, so after another 50-75 cards, it should be ready to send.

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Have a Splendid Day!

I've been slowly using the paste paper I made way back in college over the past few months. This plum paper turned into 8 of these cards. Paste paper is meant to be used for the covers of handmade books, but since I've never made any books, I thought it would be great for cards. I love the variegated colors and kind of want to make more paste paper. Perhaps when I use up the dozen or so sheets I have, I will invest in the supplies to make more.

This card also uses a rose stamp from Inkadinkado, a sentiment from American Crafts, gems from Jo-Ann's dollar bin, and a corner punch. The corner punch helps this card qualify for OWH's midweek throwdown (though a corner punch is arguably the least interesting punch I could have chosen). It's also based on an OWH Sketch, did you notice? It's number 31!

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Cars and Sketch #30

A recent post showed some Disney Princess cards I made with holographic stickers. I can't leave the boys out, so I got a pack of Cars stickers at the same time. I made six of each card and used up both packs of stickers! 12 more cards for the OWH box. :)

These cards, based on OWH Sketch #30, use a couple of Cuttlebug embossing folders and some solid cardstock. I am waiting on the diamond plate embossing folder I ordered to come- it would have been perfect for these cards, but I was too impatient to wait a few days for it! I stamped a sentiment from Studio G. The background layer is also stamped with action words from KI memories in Versamark.

These stickers came from a dollar store. Do you ever find great craft supplies at places other than your LSS or big box craft store?

Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: none thus far, but my box is filling up nicely!
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695