Circle Hello

This card is a great way to use up smaller pieces of paper that are leftover from other projects. If I had it to do over again I would have used a little distress ink or chalk ink around the edges of the circles to add some dimension. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 


The theme this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is "Going Around in Circles," so I'm linking to this card over there. 

OWH Sketch #248

Paper: My Mind's Eye Boy Crazy
Stamp: Hero Arts Everyday Sayings
Ink: Stampin Up Soft Suede
Card Base: Bazzill Peanut Cluster

Love Hearing From You

A clean and simple card design today. The paper has a vintage look that pairs well with the old-fashioned telephone on the card. The stamping didn't come out perfect, but I kept it because it goes along with the vintage look. 

This card design is based on one of the earliest Operation Write Home sketches. -- sketch 17. Their earlier sketches didn't have a lot of components so they are are a good place to look if you want a clean look.

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: Hero Arts

Challenges:

Hero Arts. A Blog Called Hero. Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp. Wednesday Challenge. Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp. Monday Challenge. We've got your Number
Mod Squad Challenge. Love

Embossed and Die-Cut Love Card

This card is part of my ongoing project to make at least one card using each Operation Write Home sketch. 

I used a card base from DCWV that was already printed with pink stripes. It's difficult to see in this picture, but the panel of pink paper on the top is embossed with hearts. 

The theme this week at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is to use your favorite technique. I recently acquired my first die-cutting machine. So, right now die-cutting is my favorite thing to do. 

OWH Sketch #81

Heart punch: Stampin' Up 
Paper: My Mind's Eye
Label punch: Stampin' Up Word Window
Embossing folder: Darcie
Die: Spellbinders
Stamp: Hero Arts Everyday Sayings
Ink: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo
String: From stash (I have had this a really long time)

Indie Bloom Thank You

This card uses just a couple bits from the Basic Grey Indie Bloom collection, but they defined what went on the rest of the card. The strip down the left is a sticker from Indie Bloom. The Orange mat under the sentiment layer is also from Indie Bloom. 

I chose an embossing folder that coordinated with the designs on the stickers (Foulard from Cuttlebug). The ink was just a cheap little Studio G pigment ink because that is what matched. 

The card was based on one of the May sketches from Viva La Verve. The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week is Thank You, so I'm entering this card in that challenge as well.  

Viva La Verve May 2015 Week 3

The orange layer was cut and embossed using a Spellbinders die. The sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts. 

Sweet Floral Thinking of You

I have a bunch of paper from the Graphic 45 Baby to Bride collection. This is very feminine paper with lots of pretty, delicate designs. It was a perfect choice for the latest Waffle Flower Challenge which has these same colors in it. I used a Spellbinders die to cut the scalloped shape on the right which also matches the shape of the rug in the inspiration photo. 

The layout comes from Operation Write Home sketch #254. 

OWH Sketch #254

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Anything Goes, so this card will be entered there as well.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Everyday Sayings and the ink is Wild Wasabi from Stampin' Up. 

Pretty, pretty thank you

This card is part of my ongoing attempt to make at least one card with each Operation Write Home sketch. OWH recently announced that they will be shutting down at the end of 2015. Although I'm sad that I won't be able to share my cards with U.S. military abroad, I know that the reason for OWH closing is actually great news: the troops are coming home. 

The deadline for shipping all cards to OWH is going to be August 1. We'll see. Maybe I can complete my goal of using ALL the sketches by then. 

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week is Thank You, so I'm entering this card. 
The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Anything Goes, so this card will be entered there as well.

Operation Write Home Sketch #209

Paper: Basic Grey, Lucille
Embellishements: Basic Grey, Lucille
Stamp: Hero Arts, My Favorite
Ink: Hero Arts, Charcoal

Best Son Ever Card

This card uses one of the Viva La Verve card sketches for March. Three of their 4 March sketches have circles in them. Circles are tricky for me. I don't have a die-cutting machine and have had my Silhouette for less than a year, so I'm just not used to working with large circle elements.

This card design did not come easily, but I'm happy enough with the result.

This card will go in the Viva La Verve Challenge as well as the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes).

Paper: My Mind's Eye Boy Crazy
Stamp: Hero Arts You're a Winner
Ink: Colorbox Scarlet

Distressed Mother's Day

Mother's Day is not in distress. But this Mother's Day card has a distressed look to it. The base layer is paper from 7 Gypsies. The bold lines on the washi tape and the crisp black circle were starting to make the look too harsh, so I softened it up a bit by inking just the outer circle of flowers from a stamp that had a distress look to it and putting them around the edge of the sentiment layer. I think that touch, plus the torn edges at the bottom of the two strips of washi keep this card balanced between the geometric and vintage styles.

OWH Sketch #105

Every month Our Daily Bread Designs sponsors the shipping up two boxes of cards for Operation Write Home based on how many people respond to their monthly challenge. This card is for their March challenge which is to make a sentiment the focus of a card.

The Monday Challenge this week at Simon Says Stamp is "Just a hint of clover." I think this card is perfect for that because the green in the background and subtle. The Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is "Special Lady/Girly," so I'm entering this card in that challenge as well. 

The Wednesday Challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is "Anything Goes." So I am entering this card in that challenge too. 

Sketch: Operation Write Home #105

Paper: 7 Gypsies Venice

Stamp: sentiment - Hero Arts Happy Mom's Day, circle - Fiskars

Ink: Hero Arts Soft Granite and Black

Scrappy Card for Mom

The deadline for getting Mother's Day cards to Operation Write Home is March 31, so it is prime time to make cards for mom. Sentiments like the one I used on this card are great because they don't say "Mother's Day," and can be used at other times of the year. 

The Mod Sqad Challenge this week is make a background. That's great! It allowed me to use one of my favorite techniques for using up scraps. 

The card base looks black in this picture, but it is actually navy blue to match the mat layer under the sentiment. I rounded off two corners on the card base and the matching two corners on the sentiment.

The Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is "Special Lady/Girly," so I'm entering this card in that challenge as well. 

Sentiment: Hero Arts Happy Mom's Day
Ink: Momento Navy Blue
Embossing folder: Elizabeth Craft Designs

So Special

I'm really enjoying the papers in the Basic Grey Bittersweet collection. 

The most recent Inspiration Challenge at the Verve Blog is called "Vivacious Valentine," and includes a photo of little hearts attached to twigs. My card doesn't resemble the picture very much. I was going for a love card that was a little less traditional and that could be donated to Operation Write Home. 

Paper: Basic Grey Bittersweet
Chipboard Heart: Basic Grey Bittersweet
Stamp: Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments
Ink: Versafine Sepia
Ribbon: American Crafts

Pink Kitty

This week the challenge at the Monday Challenge Blog at Simon Says Stamp was to use red and/or pink. What goes better with pink than Hello Kitty? Not much! 

The Wednesday Challenge this week is "All Creatures Great and Small." Hello Kitty is a small creature, right? I hope fictional creatures count. 

Last year I decide to challenge myself by using EACH of the Operation Write Home card sketches. There are currently 248 sketches and 2 more are released each month.  At this point, I have used over 100 sketches. I have no deadline for this goal, so no pressure. Its just a way to keep practicing and learning. 

This card uses OWH Sketch #227. I added some blue for contrast so that things would "pop" a bit. This card should fit the needs of OWH well. They often ask for all-occasion cards that can be sent back home to children. This one doesn't have sandcastles, fall leaves or snowmen on it. So, it could be sent any time of year. 

Operation Write Home Sketch #227

Paper: Hello Kitty 12" x 12" pad
Stamp: Hero Arts Woodland Creatures
Ink: Momento Nautical Blue

Dimensional Ruffle

The challenge this week at Waffle Flower includes a pallet of the colors red, orange, bright pink and a subtle tint close to white. I chose cardstock from my stash to match these colors as well as I could. I cut the cardstock into 4" x 1.5" pieces, used a border punch on them, and layered them into a dimensional ruffle. I found a ribbon in my stash that was the exact color needed to match. 

This was my first time making a dimensional ruffle. I really liked this technique and it was a great way to use up scraps too!

Operation Write Home Sketch B-5

Because this card is really bright, I'm entering it in the Simon Says Stamp All Things Bright and Beautiful challenge as well. 

Sketch: OWH B-5
Stamp: Hero Arts
Ink: Memento 
Ribbon: American Crafts
Punch: EK Success

Bright Stars Card

This card was made for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- All Things Bright and Beautiful. My card is more on the bright side, not so much the beautiful side. I'm still trying to keep up with the OWH sketches, so I used sketch #246 here. The stamp is part of a OWH fundraiser set made by Hero Arts called "You're a Winner".

The paper I used came with matching stickers and I used three of them as embellishments.

Operation Write Home Sketch #246

Sketch: Operation Write Home #246
Paper: My Mind's Eye, Boy Crazy
Stamp: Hero Arts, You're a Winner
Ink: Stampin' Up, Soft Suede

OWH Sketch #12 Card Challenge

OWH Sketch #12

Paper: Crate Paper

Stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Hero Arts

Edge Punch: EK Success

Love Cards in Subtle Colors

Made using My Mind's Eye Sweetest Thing Tangerine paper.  I thought I'd seem the last of this paper, but I came up with enough pieces to make 3 more cards. I'm still working my way through the nearly 250 sketches on the Operation Write Home (OWH) website.

Sketch #145 is simple and balanced. 

Sketch #145

Sketch #208 is a great way to use up smaller pieces of paper. The sentiment stickers were from a set sold to coordinate with the paper.

Sketch #208

Sketch #221 is my attempt at making a more masculine card from this paper.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts Year Round. 

Sketch #221

Julianne Vintage: Pink, Brown and Blue

This set of cards was made using paper from a collection called Julianne Vintage from K and Company. The pad included stickers and other coordinating embellishments. The embellishments really came in handy when making cards based on sketches.

Let's start with Operation Write Home sketch 3. The stickers included with the paper made this sketch easy. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

OWH 3

Sketch 28 might become a new favorite. The sentiment is from Tim Holtz. If you look on the right side of the card you can see three little candy dots from Stampin Up.

OWH 28

Sketch 142 was a natural fit with the label embellishments in the pack. I inked the edges to add dimension. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

OWH 142

I ended up flipping sketch 180 sideways. I wish I had more of these flowers so I could make a whole stack like this! The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday.

OWH 180

Sketch 203 is very similar to sketch 142. I used the same Hero Arts sentiment for both sketches.

OWH 203

Sketch 206 felt a little hard to work with. I'm not used to using a lot of circles in my designs. The stamp is from Hero Arts.

OWH 206

Sketch 241 is the latest sketch from OWH. The design is simple and elegant. I used a stamp from Whimsy Stamps.

OWH 241

#Handmadecards

Lucille Cards

Today I'm posting pictures of a bunch of cards I made using a 6 x 6 pad of paper from Basic Grey. The paper is called "Lucille." It is very feminine, so I didn't even attempt to make any masculine cards. I used this paper to the bitter end when there were only tiny scraps left. I also tried to use Operation Write Home (OWH) sketches whenever I could.

Sketch #18 uses a stamp from Close to My Heart.

OWH #18

Sketch #79 is a way to use smaller strips of paper. I love this stamp from Viva Las Vegas. I stamped it with four different colors fading from dark to light.

OWH #79

Sketch #51 is one of my favorites. I use it all the time. I like to modify it by putting the semtiment on the right. The sentiment here is from Stampin Up, as is the decorative punch.

OWH #51

Sketch #80 didn't look that interesting on paper, but now I think it might become a new favorite. The semtiment is from Paper Smooches.

OWH #80

Sketch #101 was a way to use the banners that came with the sticker sheet from Basic Grey. The punch and stamps are from Stampin Up.

OWH #101

Sketch #127 is a classic, it's very similar to Sketch #1. The sentiment is from Verve.

OWH #127

Sketch #154 is yet another way to use up smaller pieces of paper. I used a corner rounder to make them look like flower petals. The stamp is from Hero Arts.

OWH #154

Sketch #160 is another great way to use up smaller strips of paper. The bird stamp is from Close to My Heart. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

OWH #160

Sketch #177 uses a stamp from Hero Arts. This is one sketch that might grow on me.

OWH #177

Mojo Monday #238 is the ultimate way to use up little squares of paper. I used the measurements posted on The Best Things in Life are Pink.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Mojo Monday #238

Finally, here's what I came up with to use up the last of the scraps. I just used whichever circle punch would fit each scrap. The sentiment is from Close to My Heart.