Odds and ends = cards

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was cleaning my craft desk this weekend.  It's been quite the undertaking since I'd let it get out of hand.  Now, instead of simply filing scraps or getting rid of them, I've been making cards.  I also had a large stack of semi-completed card fronts that needed attention.  I guess I ran out of time or inspiration when I first made them and I just haven't gone back to finish them over the past several weeks. 

Here is the first group finished off into a set of 16 identical Mother's Day cards.  Just to be fair to all the dads out there, I should disclose that my mom and I were shopping at JoAnn together a year or two ago and when she saw the stamp, she requested it for her Mother's Day card that year.  It's nice to offer some humorous choices for Mother's Day; why are the fathers the only ones we can poke fun at?  :)  I used the same paper I'd used for some Mother's Day cards last year since Caro had commented how nice it was that they weren't pink. 

 
The butterfly cards came about in much the same way.  There are nine of these in my box now.  I was so pleased to finally find a project on which I could use this American Crafts ribbon.  Since purchasing it, I've all but sworn off printed ribbons, with the exception of neutral or subtle patterns because I can never get them to match.

 

My box of cards is about half full with 153 cards and a goodly stack of kids Any Hero letters.  I wonder if I'll actually get it ready in time for the Mother's Day deadline or if these cards will be waiting for 2014.  
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
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.

Inky backgrounds

I decided to get inky today and use some Tim Holtz Distress Inks to make some background papers.  I chose several coordinating colors of ink, pressed the ink pads onto my acrylic block, spritzed it with water, and pressed it onto my paper.   I have Inkadinkado blocks which have wavy edges for the grips, so you can see the outline where the ink stopped on the paper.  I used more water on the pink paper so the colors blended more.  The green paper was a little drier so there are more speckles visible.

After the papers were dry, I stamped a MS bird with black ink and added some lace trim.  The wide lace is dyed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, too.  I blotted it with a tissue to give it the soft colored look that the paper has.

Finally, I added a sentiment on a piece of dimensional adhesive.  These were fun and I am sure I'll make a few more.  I might try adding in some of my SU reinkers because I only have 5 colors of Distress Ink so there aren't many decent combinations I can make. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Simple Christmas

I'm looking for a simple, elegant card design for Christmas.  I'm going to make a few sets and dontate them to my church's holiday bazaar and make some for OWH.  This might not be the final design, but I like its simplicity.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

New TPC stamp set!

Last weekend, I picked up an adorable stamp set at Tuesday Morning by The Paper Company.  It's got cute kids playing winter sports and corresponding sentiments.  I thought it would be good for coloring. 

Here's the little skating girl decked out in pinks and purples.  The card screams little girl to me, especially with the shimmer paper in the background.    

Papers: Stash

Stamps: TPC Winter Activities

Punches: Fiskars Medium Corner Rounder, SU Oval, Marvy Large Highland Snowflake

Ribbon: JoAnn

Coloring: Bic Mark-its, Sakura Gelly Roll silver pen

Embossing: Cuttlebug Snowflakes

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Like a bowl full of jelly

I was happy to get to share a short tutorial on OWH Stars and Stamps today featuring how to make a Santa card.  The version here is slightly different from the one in the tutorial.  I used buttons instead of brads, white ribbon instead of black, and a metal slider instead of a soda tab for the belt buckle.  I also added two vertical score lines on either side of the buttons; they may not show up well in the photograph unless you click to enlarge it.  I made this kind of card last summer and had some fun with them, so I wanted to make a few more this year.  You can see my original post from August 2011 here.  If you want to see a similar card, check out OWHtv episode 29 from September 2011 where Sandy shared some cards in this same style minus the beard. 

I hope you try your hand at some Santa cards!  Thanks so much for visiting if you came over from the OWH blog.  I'm happy to have you here!  
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Fabric on a card

This is my first attempt at using fabric on a card.  I've used plenty of ribbon and even a good deal of pre-cut felt, but never honest-to-goodness fabric.

I had some scraps left over from covering my stool cushion at work and I thought the vibrant pattern and corduroy texture would work well on a card.  I trimmed a strip of fabric freehand and layered ric rack over top so the raw edges wouldn't show.  A simple stamp by Unity and this card is ready to ship out.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Treats for someone sweet

One of my coworkers and her husband hosted a party at their house for a lot of people (friends, family, coworkers) over the weekend.  I wanted to take them a little gift in addition to bringing something to share at the party.

I dug through my stamps and found seven stamps with the word "sweet" before I came across this one with the sentiment I wanted.

Made with a combination of Studio G and SU stamps, Copic markers, assorted cardstock from my stash, random ribbon, and lots of white chocolate!  That's right, the mix inside is Alton Brown's White Trash.  Scrumptious! 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Cards with Mom

Mom and I designed these cards to send to the residents at a nursing home.  Mom makes 30 cards a month for the residents and while she visited we got three months of cards made.  The cards need to have large print, so this Unity stamp was a great choice. 

I also made the card below which inspired Mom to make the same card in white, black, and pink with a heart embellishment for February's Valentine's Day cards.  I didn't get a picture of the version we made for her.

 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Have a Cheerful Day!

This week's OWH Midweek Throwdown is to make a card with a sentiment of encouragement.  I think this qualifies as encouraging.

Stamp: SU Furnished with Love
Nesties: Labels Two (I cut the red layer by hand after tracing around the outside of the die.)
Paper: Basic Grey Picadilly
Ribbon: Offray
Hardware: Making Memories
Coloring: Copics
Sketch: #49 (loosely based on it, anyway!)

This is one of many cards I made when my mom spent a few days at my house visiting.  We made 90 cards for a nursing home since Mom sends a set of 30 each month as part of her church's outreach program and she wanted to take advantage of my supplies.  We also made cards for OWH that I'll share over the next few days.  Our biggest project, however, was getting some new furniture for my craft room.  We went to the local Habitat ReStore for the first time this morning where we found a computer desk and a shelving unit that are now hanging out in my craft room holding my supplies.  I'm thrilled to finally have plenty of storage for my supplies at a reasonable price (just $35 for the two pieces) and to have supported a local charity that benefits my community.  This also nixes any plans for turning part of the room into a guest room.  So sorry to my guests who will have to camp out in the living room!

If you're in the market for anything for your home and you have a ReStore, it might be worth your while to stop in.  I was impressed by the wide selection of items in the store.  They had all kinds of furniture, any building materials you could want, large appliances, and even some household goods like small kitchen appliances, decorations, lamps, dishes, and more.  If you're renovating your house, they'll accept donations of useable building materials, too!  It's a great way to support Habitat for Humanity and get a bargain in the process. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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 normal Christmas card

Hi everyone!  Just a friendly reminder to finish up your package of cards for this month's OWH challenge (half fall or winter/half anytime).  Cards are due to shippers at the end of the month, so you have just about a week before you have to mail your cards.  I don't think I'll have enough to make it worth my while this time, but I'm consistently working so that I'll have a nice box to send by mid-August.  

The last Christmas cards I posted were (by my description) weird!  Here's one that follows a traditional color palette.

Funny story:  I was in the middle of making this card when I noticed I had a FB message from a friend I hadn't conversed with in about a year.  I responded and then looked back at my card.  I about fell over when I noticed the card I had nearly finished is almost an exact replica of a dress my friend made and wore to our college's ball.  I dug through my photos and found a picture of my friend wearing her dress.  It's like photo inspiration in reverse!  How unlikely!  

Embossing Folder: Lace by Darice
Paper: cardstock from stash
Ribbon: Offray (thanks to Mommom's stash)
Stamp: Michael's
Punch: I don't have a ticket punch, so I use a 1/2" circle punch on the corners
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Grateful

Have you seen the newest OWH challenge?  This time around the theme is half Fall/Winter and half anytime.  I feel like they're doing a challenge a month now and that's too quick for me!  I like to fill up a large box because it's much more economical.  It only costs about 5 cents per card to mail a large box but the few times I've mailed a small package it costs as much as 20 cents per card.  I'd rather ship a large box because I could definitely put that extra 10 or 15 cents per card into some quality cardstock!  I might hit up the local printing shop later this month to see what they have on hand.  I want to use up my GP 110 before I go because I know I won't want to use it once I find something better.  I'm down to about 50 sheets, so we're nearing the end!  Anyway, I digressed from the challenge details.  Boxes are due at the end of the month to any shipper with half fall/winter and half anytime cards.

I made six of these cards using old DCWV paper from the 2009 Fall stack.  The circle was stamped with leaves from SU All Natural (still a favorite set of mine even though it's long retired) and a sentiment by Studio G (from Walmart last year).  The burgundy strip is punched with a Fiskars border punch and tied up with Offray ribbon.  

I'm grateful that today is my last day of Common Core training for this summer.  I had no idea how long of a commitment I got myself into last summer when I agreed to attend the training.  I'm also grateful that I get to see my parents and most of my extended family this weekend.  What are you grateful for today? 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Anniversary Love

A simple card to share today.  I used scraps of paper from Graphic 45, MME, and one bit from DCWV to fashion the background.  I tied a ribbon around, added some hearts and a little Glossy Accents to the tiny heart, and it was all set!  I think it would be a great anniversary card for the Midweek Throwdown, so I'll add an anniversary sentiment to the inside. I think it's masculine; what do you think?

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

Unity Chick Challenge #38 and FWF

I'm back with a little Unity fun.  I decided to make a baby card with Chick Challenge Sketch #38 for one of the many showers I'm attending this summer.  Lots of friends and family members are expecting- it's so exciting!

The yellow "baby" text is a transparency overlay by Colorbok that I layered on top of the paper pieced stroller.  I decided to use a photo corner shape instead of the semicircles in the sketch and I created some of them with paper punches by EK and Fiskars.  I added some large American Crafts eyelets and tied up the brown satin ribbon from JoAnn into a simple knot.

When I visited the Unity blog today, I was super excited to see that my last CC card was chosen by the Chicks and I get to display the featured peeps badge.  As soon as I figure out how to grab it, it will be in my sidebar!  :-D

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

I colored. And it turned out pretty.

In a swap, Raeanna sent me a bunch of large images to color.  As I said before, I'm not a huge fan of coloring, though I'd like to learn to enjoy it.  I chose this witch sitting on a pumpkin because the markers I have suited its color scheme better than some of the other images she sent.  I had to supplement my Copics with Bic Mark-its, so there are a few streaky areas that I just couldn't get to smooth out.  It was the first big thing I've finished coloring.  Usually I end up throwing them away early on and giving up.  There are plenty of mistakes, but it's not a train wreck, so I used it. 

I used Nesties to cut her out and add a scallop border.  The orange cardstock is stamped with a witch hat in Only Orange.  The sentiment stamp and the hat are by Studio G.  The ribbon is Michael's and the brad is Studio G from Walmart.

All together now: 

 

Thanks for visiting.  Did you see that OWH has a new challenge due the end of this month?  It's for half and half general and fall/winter cards.  Holiday-specific are OK, but they love getting general fall and winter cards too since they can be sent for many weeks instead of for just one specific date.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
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.

The Mistake-Riddled Card

Let me tell you the story of a simple card whose creation was riddled with mistakes.  I started this card by choosing some scrap strips of cardstock in bright colors and punching them with my star border punch.  I attached them to the card base, trimmed a bit off the sides, and realized I needed to add something to the top.  Ribbon!  I checked my stash and nothing matched.  I chose the yellow since I thought it at least complimented the other colors.  Then I cut the ribbon too short.  Not a problem- I just covered the gap with a felt embellishment.  That embellishment was now off center and made the card look wonky.  I stamped a sentiment and punched it out with a scallop circle.  It was too round so I picked a different stamp.  The stamp came out crooked which reminded me that I need to remount the stamp straight. To remedy the crooked stamping, I decided to cut the sentiment into a wavy banner.  When I laid it on the card, I decided I needed to walk away lest I mess up anything else I'd need to fix! 

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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.

Ippity Chick Challenge #36

The moment I saw this sketch, I loved it.  I really need to work off sketches because my cards are entirely too plain when I don't.  This sketch gave me a good jumping off point, and then I felt like I could run with it and add some details of my own.  

Since it's an ippity challenge, I needed to use only stamps from Unity.  I chose this owl stamp because he is great to paper piece.  I love that about a lot of Unity stamps- they are large enough to piece and have thick lines so they're more forgiving when it comes to cutting!  I used papers by Cosmo Cricket as well as some kraft and cream cardstock. 

After I created the owl, I folded an envelope from a 5.5" square of kraft cardstock.  I attached the bottom flaps with ATG but I used some orange washi to hold the top closed so that the sender and recipient can open the envelope.  In the envelope, I included several small cards that increase the amount of space for writing in this card.  Since I will send this card to Operation Write Home, that's particularly important.  Our heroes can't always get other paper in the theater, so we try to make sure to maximize writing space by lining dark card bases and including extra folded paper if we make a smaller shaped card. 

Thanks for visiting! 

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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.

ODBD June Challenge- Shaped cards

When I saw the newest ODBD Challenge on the OWH Stars and Stamps blog, I immediately thought of my nesties.  Then I thought most people would do something with nesties and I wanted to switch it up.   I just used my paper trimmer and some punches to make this card.  Last month, we barely got the 50 cards posted that we need to get ODBD to pay for two boxes of shipping.  They're so generous to offer, but we as cardmakers have to live up to our end of the bargain.  I though I'd made a card with simple tools to prove it can be done just in case anyone is hesitant to play along without a die cut machine.  :)

I started with a folded A2 cardbase.  I cut 1/2" off the bottom to make room for the pom pom.  Next, I marked 1" from the bottom on each side and the midpoint of the top (2 1/8" from either side).  Then I cut the card to make a party hat shape.  I cut patterned paper to fit the hat, pieced together a crazy brim from scraps, and added a decoration to the top made from various paper punches and a brad.  Then, I stamped the sentiment, though I would have been wise to have done so much earlier.  Ribbon was a finishing touch. 

Note: The black really is even on both sides, but the way it's standing open for the picture, the back of the card shows through and makes the layering look uneven.  Sorry about that! 
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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.

Sketch 84

OWH Sketch 84 for you!

I'm loving these MME papers sent to me by Sassy.  Aren't they great?  I might have made this one too girly with the ribbon, but I couldn't resist this beautiful golden ribbon by Making Memories. 
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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.

OWH Sketch 121 and Tropical MWT

Here's my take on OWH Sketch 121.  I went with brights for the tropical colors Midweek Throwdown from Operation Write Home, so put on your sunglasses!  

I used a 3/4" punch to add the circles to the vertical strips. The sentiment was computer generated and punched out with EK Success punches.  Ribbon by Offray. 

I've made it halfway through May with a blog post every day!  My goal is to get through all of May with a daily post as part of the WordCount blog challenge.  Have you been blogging more of late? 
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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.

Purple flower thank you

I got some purple markers and decided to try them out on this card.  While purple is my favorite color, I have a hard time using it in my crafts because I think the different shades of purple are hard to coordinate.

I colored the flower stamp (a very old one from Dollar Tree), stamped the sentiment (Hampton Arts), and added bling.  While the bling appears blue, it is actually purple.  The fancy cut is a Cricut cut from a swap.   I layered the green paper (K & Co) with the purple cardstock (Recollections), punched the top edge with a Fiskars punch, and wove hem tape in for my bow. 

Thanks for visiting!  
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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.