Love Stands the Test of Time

A little while ago I was asked by Janet Hunnicutt from OWH if I would be willing to make a card for one of their posts, focusing on making your own background paper from stamps (rubber or digital), and my card is being featured today.  Well, there is just no way that I could refuse, it's such a great cause.  All the cards go to the guys and girls in the armed forces, allowing them to be able to write in them and send them back home to their loved ones.

Along the way my card sort of became a masculine looking card because of the colours mainly, which is a good thing, because those are always a challenge to make for most of us.

Paper: cardstock (PTI); Neenah
Ink: Fired Brick, Walnut Stain & Vintage Photo distress inks
Stamps: Unity (clocks); Technique Tuesday (Je t'aime); Hero Arts (Flourish on the heart)
Other: Glossy accents; foam dimensional tape; EK Success Heart Punch

I created the background patterned paper by first stamping the clocks in Walnut Stain (2nd generation stamping) and then overstamping with the sentiment in Fired Brick distress ink.  I inked around the edges with some Vintage Photo distress ink.

The sentiment strip was computer generated and matted with a strip of chocolate brown cardstock.  The heart was stamped with the Fabulous Flourish stamp from Hero Arts.  I also added  a little bit of glossy accents on the flourish and inked around the edges of the heart with Vintage Photo as well.  Finally, the heart was adhered with some dimensional tape.

A really simple card to make and quite an enjoyable process. It's amazing what you can come up with by just looking at unused stamps!  You can see the post regarding my card on the OWH Stars and Stamps website.

I hope I have left you with a little bit of inspiration!  Wishing you a spectacular day!

OWH Fundraiser Week

Hello friends!  Today is a special day because it kicks off a benefit for Operation Write Home!!  

For those of you who aren't familiar with Operation Write Home, they are a non-profit group that collects handmade cards (over a million, so far!!) to send to our soldiers deployed overseas.  Some of them are Any Hero cards that we write in to say "thanks for serving!", but most of the cards are left blank so the soldiers can send them back to their families and friends stateside.  It's a fantastic organization!!  

But, in order to send the thousands of cards that will go out during the holidays, they could really use some extra funds for shipping, and that is where two digi designers would like to help.  Katlyn, of KnK Designs has teamed up with Deedee Anderson to offer 7 digi sets that are perfect for your OWH cards - or any cards, for that matter!  All of the proceeds for these sets (minus the paypal fees, of course!) will be donated to OWH.  Every bit of it! 

You can buy the sets separately or in a bundle - Go check out KnK Designs for all the details!! Here are some of the price details for their digi stamps:

Single digi set -   $2

K 'n K Designs digi bundle - $6  (four sets)

Deedee Anderson's digi bundle - $4 (three sets)

Complete Digi Bundle - $10  (Deedee's and K 'n K's - 7 sets)

I was kindly asked to participate in this Fundraiser by spreading the word and also showing you some of the stamps they have.  Here are two cards I made using the digis from KnKDesigns, this first one uses the "Written With Love" digi:

Paper: cardstock (PTI); designer paper (MME); Neenah

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic Markers; Antique Linen DI

Stamps: Written with Love (digi - KnKDesigns)

Other: Stampin Up Scalloped Edge Punch; Dimensional tape

Isn't this bunny totally adorable!  I fussy cut the bunny and popped it up with some dimensional tape. (The sentiment is not part of that set, although there are sentiments in the set).

And I made a second card using a digi called Patriotic Pickles:

Paper: patterned paper (unknown); cardstock (PTI); Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic Markers; Antique Linen DI
Stamps: Patriotic Pickles (KnKDesigns)
Other: glossy accents; dimenstional tape

This is a card that a Hero could perhaps send home to his child.  I added some dots of glossy accents on the stars for texture and each star is popped up using dimensional tape.

I hope that you can find a way to help OWH in this fundraiser, it's for a great cause really!  So go on over to KnKDesigns and see those fun digis!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

OWH Cards For Kid

I noticed over at the OWH Stars & Stamps blog that they were asking for Cards for Kids for the Heroes to be able to send home to their children.  So, what a perfect reason to use the Monster stamp set from Hero Arts.  Here are two versions of the same card, just something simple.

Paper: Hero Arts Notecards; Neenah Solar White; Patterned paper (from my stash)

Ink: Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, Broken China & Scattered Straw Distress Ink; Versafine Onyx Black
Stamps: Hero Arts
Other: Corner Chomper

I stamped that cute little monster on some patterned paper and cut him out before adhering him to the dotted panel.  That dotted panel is made using the Life of the Party Dots background stamp, which I am going to love!

Thank you for popping in!

Thinking of You

This is my second post today, and I will most likely have a third one once my little piece for my next card dries, in time for Lucy's Day 6 Sletch Challenge. So scroll down to my previous post if you want.

OWH are in need of cards that say "Thinking of You", so that is what is keeping me busy today.  Here is a card I made to add to my box which I hope to ship out in the next two weeks once it is filled. (Now remember, I'm the one who doesn't like to make more than one, maximum two, of the same card, so for me to fill a box of a hundred can take a whole month!).

Here is my card, I hope you like it:

Paper: PTI Cardstock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Vintage Photo & Pumice Stone Distress Ink, CTMH Olive ink, Versamark
Stamps: Hero Arts, Ali Wdwards (Sentiment)
Other: Tiny gems by Mark Richards, Clear Embossing Powder

The background is clear embossed using the Large Fabric Design stamp from Hero Arts.  Then I stamped the centre panel with stamps from another Hero Art 2011 stamp set and inked the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I added 3 of the worlds' tiniest gems, so good luck finding them!

See you later.

Be Mine Valentine

Last weeks' challenge over on the OWH Website was to create cards with Valentine as the theme for the troops.  I had a chance to play a little in my craft room this evening and created a very simple design using paper from my huge pile of "scraps" which are always so hard to throw away.  This together with a very handy stamp set from Papertrey Ink called Tiny Treats: Valentine was all I needed to come up with these cute cards.

The card recipe for the above card and for the rest is all the same.  I used my Copic Markers to colour in the stamped images.  The various scalloped circles are all made using the PTI Limitless Circle dies.  The above red border was created with the piece of paper that was left after punching out a scalloped border using an EK Success punch.

Here are the other cards I created:

Thank you for looking!  Your comments are always welcome, that way I know that I am not going crazy writing to myself!

Wishing you a good evening!

Feeling Honoured!

A short while back Jan at OWH asked if I would be willing to provide some Winter Themed sample cards for the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog for today.  I am sure you can imagine that I was totally over the moon!  I said yes, of course.  Just be aware, that if you are submitting cards to OWH for the armed forces, the Christmas deadline has passed, but they can always use general Love cards, Thinking of You, Missing You and Valentines Day is not that far away!

I provided OWH with 2 cards, I am not sure which one they will showcase today, but here are my cards.  I hope you enjoy them, they were such fun to make!

In the first card I embossed the purple cardstock with a Cuttlebug folder.  The snowman was stamped on the centre panel and the edges of that panel were inked using the Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  I then stamped the snowman a second time on a seperate piece of paper, coloured him with copics, cut him out and adhered him to the panel.  I added some Glossy Accents to his gloves, pom-pom and buttons.

The sentiment is adhered on a piece of felt which was die cut with a PTI die, I also added some gemstones around the circle.

Paper: Rustic White Cardstock (PTI), Purple & Red cardstock (PTI), Neenah Solar White

Ink: Copic markers, Faded Jeans & Dusty Concord Distress Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: Hero Arts

Other: Felt (PTI), Gems (Hero Arts), Glossy Accents, Cuttlebug Folder

The second card really put a smile on my face!  I had just purchased the liquid applique that morning and had to play with it!  I first stamped the Hero Arts cloud stamp over the card front.  I then tore off three seperate pieces of white cardstock and adhered them to the card base to create the snow hill.  I then added the liquid applique to the edges to act as snow!

The little penguin was stamped, coloured with Copics, cut out and adhered to the hill.  Isn't he having fun?!

Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic Markers, Soft Pool by Hero Arts
Stamps: Inkadinkado, Hero Arts
Other: Marvy Liquid Applique

Thank you for dropping by today!  Wishing you a most wonderful day!

OWH Thinking of You with Ribbon

This week the midweek throwdown at OWH is to make a card that has "Thinking of You" and ribbon on it.  Well, ribbon is my challenge, so why not give it a try!

Paper: Notecard (Hero Arts), Distressed Dots (PTI), Rustic White (PTI), Watercolour paper

Stamps: Hero Arts

Ink: Peeled Paint & Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Embossing Ink

Other: Ribbon from my stash, White Gel Pen, Clear Embossing Powder

I stamped the notecard using the Hero Arts background Flourish stamp and Versamark ink.  It's there, I promise, just difficult to see in the photo.

I then stamped the Poppy Background stamp using Peeled Paint Distress ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I stamped one of the poppies with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a seperate piece of paper, cut it out and coloured it using various Derwent Coloursoft Pencils and blending it with a Gamsol type product.  I adhered this poppy using dimensional dots.  I highlighted the centre of the poppy with my white gel pen. (Cannot use glitter for OWH).

I tied a ribbon around the panel, (Yeh!), and adhered the sentiment on the side.  Both the sentiment and larger panel were softly inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink around the edges to break up the yellow!

Wishing you all a great day!

PS: Don't forget the OWH Valentine's Blog Hop on Saturday the 13th!

More Distress Inks & Some Ramblings on About Running!

As I said, I love Ranger's Distress Inks,  so versatile.  So for my card today, everything was stamped using Distress Inks!

Paper: Watercolour, PP Unknown
Stamps: Hero Arts, Ali Edwards
Ink: Corduroy & Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
Other: Sewing

Forgive me for not always remembering where my patterned paper comes from but I have this habit of tearing off the covers and separating my paper into colours before filing them away.  Some of my papers are so old that even if I had tried to memorise the manufacturer, I would have forgotten!

So for this card I used this unknown but lovely soft pink patterned paper, patterned because it actually does have some splashes of light brown and some corners actually had some lightly stamped flowers on it, but that's not the corner I used.  Anyhow, I sewed around the edges, and inked it with Corduroy Distress Ink.

The centre panel was created using a Nestability Die ( I believe it is the large scalloped circle) and watercolour paper.  I stamped over it with another gorgeous Hero Art Stamp, the Silhouette Grass, with Corduroy Distress Ink and a spritz of pearlized water. (I stamped it off on scratch paper first as I did not want the image too dark).  I lightly inked those edges with the same distress ink.  The butterfly, Hero Arts again, was stamped using Worn Lipstick Distress Ink on watercolour paper, also spritzed.  I adhered that with one wing flat and one wing raised with a dimensional dot.

The sentiment is from a lovely stamp set byAli Edwards at Technique Tuesday.  It was also stamped with Corduroy Distress Ink.

I think I am too long winded in my explanation, but I want to cater for new stampers, which was me only about 2 years ago.  So forgive me, but I will continue to look for a way to shorten my description.

On another matter, this week I am building up to my 25 Kilometer race on Sunday!  Boy, I have not run that far for a long, long time, about 8 years actually. But only another runner will understand what I am about to say, I am totally hyped up about it!  I am so looking forward to it!  Being out there running fills me with a sense of freedom!

Wishing you a wonderful day and hope to see you tomorrow!

OWH Sketch Challenge #41

The new sketch challenge for the week has been posted over on the Stars and Stamps Blog, and here is my take on it.

Paper: Hero Arts Notecard, PTI cardstock, Neenah Solar White
Stamps: Hero Arts, PTI
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Embossing ink, Dusty Concord Distress Ink
Other: Lace (Hobby Lobby), Pearls (HA)

I wanted to use this beautiful lace I found at Hobby Lobby so I sewed a small strip of it to the card to add some elegance.  The Fabulous Flourish is from Hero Arts and I stamped that with Embossing Ink and embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder.  I then stamped and coloured, with Copics, the Marigold from PTI, added a few white dots with a gel pen and some pearls in the centre. The white panel was distressed on the edges and inked with some Dusty Concord Distress ink.  The sentiment is from a different PTI Year of Flowers stamp set.

Enjoy your Halloween festivities!  We are about to head out the door even though we are all a bit under the weather with a respiratory bug, but what can one do when you have a four year old that has been looking forward to this for weeks!

OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge

This week OWH (Operation Write Home) are reaching out for masculine cards in their Midweek Throwdown Challenge!  I have often wondered what was actually meant by a "masculine card".  Did it mean a card from a man to another man, like father to son, son to father etc...but then to put myself out of my misery I decided it must mean a card that has a masculine look and feel.

So yesterday I made two cards to add to my box for this worthy cause, and I played along with the current requirements and made them look masculine, in my eyes at least.

Paper: kraft; old stash
Stamps: Hero Arts; PTI Woodgrain Background Stamp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Vintage Photo & Peeled Paint Distress Ink

I really enjoyed making this first card with "camo" paper, a bit of a woodgrain background on kraft and those beautiful Christmas trees from Hero Arts again inked with Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo Distress ink.  I stamped a small sentiment on a tab which I simply stapled to the panel, I don't think it can get more masculine or rugged than that.  What do you think?  I am also going to submit this one for the current Hero Arts contest.

This next card was an even simpler card with only the sentiment being stamped.  Don't you love that sentiment, it's from Ali Edwards' collection from Technique Tuesday.  Sometimes we simply have to say thank you, for everything.....because there is so much to be thankful for. I love those patterned papers from Bo Bunny.

Paper: Bo Bunny
Ink: Adirondack; Memento Tuxedo Black; Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamp: Ali Edwards from Technique Tuesday
Other: Mat Stack Die PTI

A short post today as we leave shortly for Austin and our Half Marathon in New Braunfels tomorrow!  Very excited!  And then to fetch Mom on Sunday!

Wishing you all a wonderfully productive weekend filled with lots of time together with those special people in our lives.  Chat to you all again on Monday!