OWH Sketch #77

More pretty My Mind's Eye paper for this sketch.  I just picked up the stamp at Michaels this weekend though I think it's been around for a few years. 

Today is the beginning of my summer vacation.  Woot!  I've been ready for summer for a month, so I cannot wait to get started on the fun, travel, and home projects that come with the season! 

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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 #101

Here's one of the hardest OWH sketches for me, #101.  I'm not good with lots of fussy bits like these pennants.  Thankfully, I had the idea to use glue dots on the backs of the pennants instead of ATG and it was easier than I expected.  I used My Mind's Eye paper that I picked up over the weekend at AC Moore for $2 with a coupon.  I'm loving the size of the patterns on 6x6 paper - so much better suited for cards than most 12x12 papers.  I also felt it was easier to attach the pennants with brads in the corners instead of having string go all the way across. 

This card isn't for OWH.  (They don't want retirement cards since it's an uncommon event and thinking of you or blank would work fine.)  One of my beloved coworkers is retiring after 41 years of teaching.  She's a legend and an inspiration.  She's teaching grandchildren of her original students at this point!  I've so enjoyed getting to know her over the past four years and I will sorely miss her next school year.  Anyway, she's into vintage quilts, so I chose a set of papers that reminded me of vintage fabrics.

Papers by MME.  Sentiment stamp by Studio G.  Punches by Fiskars (triangles) and EK Success (label).  I distressed the sentiment with Antique Linen.  The other pieces are distressed with the Tim Holtz tool.  Brads by Colorbok.
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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 #96

OWH Sketch #96 turned on its side right here!  Using MME paper, Studio G stamp, and MM brads. 

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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 #100

It's always nice to have a little card like this waiting in the wings.  Based off Sketch #100, featuring papers by Basic Grey's Picadilly and using stamps by Unity and Studio G.

It's field day at school.  I'm saying a prayer that I'll come home the same shade of pale I leave here this morning.  Even wearing my SPF 85, I'm not sure how well I'll do since it's two hours in the sun.  It should be a blast, though.  We've got kids doing egg tosses, relay races, hula hoop passes, and more then we're capping it off with a rematch of today's students versus teachers volleyball game.  As happens every year, we wipe the floor up with them.  Today, we played 5 or 6 rounds and won them all by at least 8 points.  Hehe!  Somehow, the kids think they'll win every year.  We always show them up! 
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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.

Two girls at play- friendship challenge

Over at Two Girls at Play, the Perfect Sentiments challenge is to make a card with a vintage feel and a friendship sentiment.  I used some lace from my grandmother's house.  I don't know how old the lace it, so it really could be vintage!   

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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.

Love every inch of you- Unity NSDC

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!  I have been away from scrapbooking for about a year and a half.  I have good intentions to get back into it, but some changes in my family have made it more of a sad hobby than a happy one for me now.  I'm hopeful that I can get back into scrapbooking this summer when I have some time to devote to selecting pictures, printing them, and putting albums together.  In the meantime, I've gotten involved with Operation Write Home as an outlet for my paper crafting. 

Here's my entry for the National Scrapbooking Day Challenge hosted by Unity Stamp Company.   They provided a sketch that we could use for either a card or a layout.

This card is quite a departure from my normal style.  I bought these DCWV papers about a year ago, got them home, and promptly wondered what I had been thinking.  I don't really "get" steampunk nor do I own any of the trappings of that style - distress inks, metal stuff, copious amounts of embossing powder, etc.  For some reason, I grabbed that paper tonight, thought of my "love every inch" Unity set, and went to town.

I used a 4.25" base in a medium brown shade.  I layered two pattered papers by DCWV and one by Making Memories.  The circle was traced and hand cut.  Each of the squares was stamped in two colors with the ruler from Unity, then stippled with brown, and finally edged in burgundy.  The Unity sentiment was stamped on more of the background paper.  The burgundy paper was punched with a Fiskars punch.  Brad by Making Memories.  Lace from Mommom's stash.  I used my Tim Holtz distress tool to rough up the edges.  Finally, I lined the inside with "Poopoopaper"- natural fiber paper made from cow manure.  Don't worry- it doesn't smell and it's gorgeous! 

Thanks for visiting.  Now to see if I can actually post this on SCS.  I've never posted there!  
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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.

Unity FWF- Delight in the day

Earlier this week, I was planning some simple card kits to take to a friend's house for our monthly craft night tonight.  Unfortunately, family circumstances caused her to cancel.  While I could have saved the kits for our next night, I put a few together. 

This one uses Unity's "delight in the day" sentiment from the You & Me set.   The pattered paper is by K & Co.  Cardstock is from the Paper Company.  The scalloped rectangle was from a swap a while ago.  I got the lace when cleaning out my grandmother's house with my mother.  I took all of Mommom's lace and ribbons to use on my cards.  I have no idea how old it is.  It could be just a few years old or possibly decades old! 

I'm entering this in this week's Unity Friends with Flair challenge.  I love a good Unity challenge.  :)
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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.

VCMP #9-13, OWH Sketch #108

I was away on Friday and Saturday, so I wasn't able to keep up with the VCMP challenges on the Stars and Stamps blog.  When I got back to crafting this afternoon, I was able to combine several challenges. 


Here are the challenges I worked on:
#9 Punches or Diecuts
#10 Vintage
#11 Green with a Splash of Color
#12 Boat or Ship image
#13 Embossing

#10, 13: This card is my vintage card.  I never do vintage, so this card was a challenge!  I heat embossed the heart image from Inkadinkado, distressed its edges, attached flowers, and colored the button brads with a Sharpie.  I think the text background paper is pretty strange- I looked down and the first word I picked out on the sheet was "sewage."  The graphic designer must have had a sense of humor to pick that text.  I half-hid the word behind the brown flower.  Sewage and love don't go together! 

#9, 12: This card uses some circle punches and a boat image by Inkadinkado.   I made a kids' card because I messed up on the jungle animals challenge and made that card an adult card. 

#9, 11- I started this card with the scroll-patterned green paper.  It reminded me of Christmas, so I ended up making that kind of card and using up the punched medallion that was left over from cards I made in the fall.  It's also based off this week's Sketch, #108. 

OK, I think I crammed enough fun into this post.  Have a great Sunday. 

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