My Favorite Martian

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year's Eve!

A quick post for this week's OWH sketch.  The large rectangle seemed like a perfect place for a Bo Bunny chipboard ET. :)

                    

Bo Bunny Blast Off! dp and chipboard embellishments
AC and Core-dinations cardstock
stash ribbon

Parting Thoughts

First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to Julie for her wonderful sketches and wish her all the best in her new OWH role!  It will be exciting to see what Marlene has in store for us. :)

It will also be great to see everyone's Top Ten. There will be lots of mojo and creativity for all to see!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy scrappin' -- and ring in the new year safe and sound.

A Miss You Card Fit for a Gent

Hi everyone,

A quick post of a card for this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge.

Momenta Paper
sentiment heat embossed in Distress Ink Fired Brick
black rhinestones

For this card, I went with one of my favorite go-to layouts. Two tips for asymmetrical pocket cards for OWH: 1) Adhering two pieces of cardstock back-to-back make the overlapping corner "sturdier" for shipping purposes, and 2) A width of 4 inches allows the card to fit nicely in A2 envelopes in spite of the overlap. 

After quite a bit of deliberation, I decided to go with Fired Brick instead of Black Soot for the sentiment. Maybe it's the OSU Buckeye fan in me, but I'm glad I did. :)

I wanted to make an elegant card that could be sent to either gender -- a card that I could give to hubby or hubby could give to me. And, since it got the hubby seal of approval, I guess this little card fits the bill. 

Parting Thoughts

Started work on those birthday cards earlier this evening.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

As Quick as One, Two, Three

Hi everyone,

When I first read CAS-ual Friday's challenge to make a holiday card in 10 minutes, my first three thoughts were:

1. Really?
2. Really!
3. REALLY?!

My fourth thought was about a scrapbooking convention that a friend and I went to years and years ago. One of the sessions was something about making an album in a day. When the presenter said it wasn't necessary to spend hours on a page -- that minutes could do, my friend and I looked at each other in complete amazement. You see we didn't spend hours on a page. No, not us. We spent days on a page. LOL.  

So, my initial reaction to this challenge was pretty much the same. Then, I thought what the heck. Let's give this a try. And, three quick steps resulted in my first 2013 Christmas card. :)

Step 1: Emboss.
Step 2: Add brads.
Step 3: Adhere embossed image, attached to several layers of black cardstock.

AC textured black cardstock
white cardstock heat-embossed with gold powder
Hero Arts tree heat-embossed with green powder

What really excited me about this card was the way the embossing turned out. This was the first time that I tried embossing on top of embossing. The scan doesn't really do the card justice because the base has a great texture and the gold embossing is really spectacular. The tree turned out pretty well. To keep within the 10-minute limit, I didn't allow myself to obsess about the gold that was peeking through the tree's boughs and told myself it was okay to move on to Steps 2 and 3  :)

I'm pretty intrigued by the the idea of setting time limits for cards. I used this strategy when making the cards I wrote about in my last post and they turned out okay. Hmmm... Maybe this needs to be a resolution....

Parting Thoughts

Hope to post a Miss You card for this week's  OWH Midweek Throwdown. Also hoping to make this year's birthday cards for family and friends before heading back to work. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

28 Acts of Kindness

Hi everyone,

Merry Christmas!

And the Stockings were Hung...

As surprising as it seems, I've actually had far more time to make cards these last few days than I've had the last month or so. The house is cleaned and decorated (actually it's quite peaceful right now as hubby and pup are nestled away), packages are wrapped, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners plans are well-in-hand thanks to hubby's efforts.

So, I settled in yesterday evening and this afternoon for some serious card-making. :)

But, there were so many seemingly disjointed thoughts running through my head.  I wanted to make cards for the current ODBD, CAS-ual Fridays, and OWH Sunday Sketch challenges. Then, I read Sandy's request to make cards for heroes to send home to their little ones. And, I wanted to make a special card in memory of my mom.

Through it all, I kept thinking about Newtown and Ann Curry's challenge to perform 26 random acts of kindness.

Then came my epiphany: my act would be to make 27 cards for OWH heroes. And, if I remembered to stick to the CAS-ual Friday challenge to spend only 10 minutes on a card, I might actually be able to pull this off. Well, truth be told, I spent a little more than 10 minutes on most of the cards -- but not much more.

So, I made the following for my first OWH shipment of 2013:

• 20 cards for little ones,
• 6 cards for someone near and dear,
• 1 card fit for a mom

What's that you say? That only adds to 27?! 

You're right! Act #28 was to make an Any Hero card.

Acts #1-20: For the Little Ones



Bo Bunny Blast Off! paper, notebook, chipboard, and stickers
Yes, I actually stuck to the 10 minute rule for this one!  :)



Acts #21-26: For the Teachers

Momenta Paper, computer-generated font
This card was inspired by this week's OWH sketch.

Act #27: For My Mom, For Moms of Special-Needs Children

Bo Bunny Corsage rub-ons, Crazy Love paper; Fiskars border punch
BTW: This one took lots more than 10 minutes. LOL!

Act #28: For an OWH  Hero

Bo Bunny Liberty and Bazzill Admiral, inking in Stampin' Up! Night of Navy
This card was also inspired by this week's OWH sketch.

Parting Thoughts

As 2012 comes to an end, I wish you and  your loved ones a new year filled with peace, health, happiness, good fortune, and scrappin' time.

Thanks for visiting.

Holiday Cheer and Love Notes

Hi everyone,

Hope the week has gotten off to a good start for all.

Wonder if anyone else was crazy enough to go to a Toys R Us on a Saturday afternoon. Oh my... what was I thinking?! I just kept picturing a little 2 year old bpy who had asked for Legos and a Tonka truck on his McDonalds' tree ornament and somehow I managed to stay in the Christmas spirit the entire time.  :)

Now for the card-making part of this post.

OWH Sketch #150

Both of the following cards have 2 things in common. Each was inspired by this week's OWH Sketch and each was made from goodies in that fabulous Black Friday bargain bag from Scrapbook Art.

Paper, chipboard, and stickers: Bo Bunny Crazy Love

Paper, layered chipboard, stickers: Bo Bunny Liberty; cardstock: Bazzill Admiral

For Hearts and Flowers, I was pretty true to the sketch -- aside from the change to the small rectangle next to the right the oval. I've since added small strips of the brown paper at the top and bottom of the red rectangle and like the definition it gives, as well as the way the strips bring focus to the oval.

For this week's Any Hero card, I was a little looser in my interpretation -- rotating the sketch, replacing the oval with the chipboard outline of America, and foregoing the 4.25" by 4.5" inch rectangle in lieu of the pattern in the 4.25" by 5.5" background paper.

Craft Show Follow-Up

This year's craft show was lots of fun. It's always great to see the many talents of friends and colleagues. And, a little extra money for OWH supplies and donations is always a good thing. :)

Parting Thoughts

SEI paper,
Martha Stewart branch punch
miscellaneous embellishments

Some of you may remember Frosty's L'il Friend from last fall's OWH VCMP. Well, this week's challenge is to showcase something "knotty". So, I'm thinking this little guy just might make an appearance.

Hoping to get a flower card made for this month's ODBD challenge. And, then I really need to get my box of stamped-and-tucked love cards in the mail to Kris.

Have a great week!  Happy scrappin'!

Stars of Liberty, Tweet Love, and BOPPERS

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone's had a nice weekend. I've managed a nice work-life balance, which is unusual for me. :)

I have two cards and a craft show update to share.

Stars of Liberty and Tweet Love

I stopped by my favorite LSS, Scrapbook Art, to check out the Black Friday specials. And, I found a wonderful Bo Bunny package filled with Liberty, Crazy Love, and Blast Off! goodies. Often times, these grab bags have some good things, but others not so good. But, this was the perfect grab bag!  Not only was there a 6 by 6 pad of Liberty paper and embellishments, the package was also filled with tons and tons of love and kid themed papers, chipboard, brads, and transfers!!! It was the perfect package for OWH card-making!  Thanks, Terri!  :)

The cards below were made from this great find and inspired by today's Stars and Stamps sketch.

Bo Bunny Liberty paper and layered chipboard
Techniques: crimping, distressing, and inking

Bo Bunny Crazy Love paper and chipboard
Technique: crimping

The chipboard on the first card has that baked-in glitter that seems to be really, really well set. Since, it's triple layered, I thought it would be perfect for an Any Hero card. As far as the sketch is concerned, I went with the chipboard's multiple circles instead of one big one because I just couldn't resist this embellishment. :) In addition, my square is a little larger than the sketch to accommodate the chipboard.

For the second card, I cut out the square from a 12-by-12 piece of patterned paper. Since the image was soooo cute, I left off the big circle and added a few chipboard embellishments.

Craft Show Update

I'm hoping to make a few more cards during the second NFL game. But, everything is set and ready to go -- signage is made, cards are boxed up, ...

In addition to cards, I'm selling {gift} Bag Toppers, aka BOPPERS. If you want to read a little more about these, check out my last post. I'll try to blog about the process for making these adorable little guys next weekend. :)

Think that's about it for now. Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

The BOPPERS are coming! The BOPPERS are coming!

Hi everyone,

Hope it's been a good week.

I actually have a craft fair project to share, rather than a card. And, I have to say I was so excited when I saw this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to create a clean and simple gift tag. I have been working on tags for gift bags, aka {gift} Bag Toppers, aka BOPPERS for Wednesday's Craft Fair!

Craft Fair  BOPPERS

Paper: 3 Bugs in a Rug Deck the Halls collection, miscellaneous cardstock
Sentiment: computer-generated
Technique: OWH's Tuesday Tutorial on Tree Folding

Paper: Miscellaneous cardstock
Stamp: Hero Arts Stunning Snowflakes
Tools: snowflake punches
Embellishments: Best Creation stickers, gems

Paper: Authentique, AC cardstock
Embellishments: stash 3-D stickers

Not only do I want to give credit to OWH's tree folding tutorial, I also need to give credit to Crafting at the Spotted Canary . While I've coined the term "BOPPER", this wonderful idea itself aired on the Spotted Canary TV show.

The first BOPPER I made was a birthday bopper for hubby. And, I love that a BOPPER is a card, {reusable} bag, and gift wrap all-in-one. Let's hope my friends and colleagues love them as much as I do!

Parting Thoughts

Not sure how much card-making will happen this weekend. We are working at the local food pantry tomorrow morning, a friend and I are going to a Christmas concert tomorrow night, and I have work-work to do sometime this weekend. Oh well... The food pantry will be quite rewarding and the concert will be both inspirational and heartwarming.

Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Greatest Couples throughout History

Hi,

Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family, friends, and loved ones.

Greatest Couples....

Just one card to share today, which I will be posting for both OWH Sketch #148 and the Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a card using turquoise and silver.

Paper: My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose from several seasons ago
Sentiment: computer generated
Tool: EK Success triple  heart punch

Because of my crazy schedule at work and preparing for the upcoming Craft Show, I feel like I'm behind in OWH Valentine's Day cards. So, I decided to make a Valentine's Day card using a rather non-traditional Valentine's Day color palette. I originally created the sentiment card for a card for hubby last February. :)

As far as the sketch is concerned, I rotated the design and used 2 patterns instead of 3 for the background layer. As far as the color challenge, I'm not quite sure this is truly turquoise and silver -- but it was the closest match I could find in my stash. 

Craft Show Preview

The show is December 5. So, I'll share more details next week -- including a preview of an item that I am really excited to take to the show.

I spent the first part of the afternoon preparing signage, organizing items for transport, etc. My thinking is that I can always make a couple more cards next weekend if I have some time.  But, all the other details have to be done. 

The photo shows the designs I have for sale, most of which have made an appearance in earlier posts. Hope it's a good variety -- and that I have a lot of traffic at my table. :)

Parting Thoughts

I'm hoping to find a little time after dinner to make an Any Hero card made for this week's sketch.

Have a great week. As always, thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Hey L'il Monster

Hi everyone,

Hope the weekend's going well.

I have three cards to share with you today. :)

Card #1: Hey L'il Monster!

This first card was inspired by 3 things:

• This week's OWH Tuesday Tutorial on Fussy Cutting,
• Adorable monster paper on clearance at Michael's, and
• the sentiment "Hey L'il Monster" from Lesiure Arts' card- making sketch book.

Paper: Recollections Monster and All Over Monster, AC Cardstock
Sentiment: computer-generated in Andy style
Techniques: heat embossing with clear powder, punching

Tools: Creative Memories cutting system, circle punches, border punch

Seriously, what was I thinking?

This card initially had a gem in place of the eyeball. It was late last night -- okay late's a relative thing since it was 10:30 on a Friday night (lol) --  and I felt like it needed something over on that side. Why not a cute little lime gem? And, then sanity returned this morning when I asked myself what I was thinking putting a swallow-able object on a child's card! Then the idea of an eyeball popped into my brain -- and I'm so glad it did. I really like the way this l'il guy turned out. :)

One thing I really like about this card is its strong focal point. What I know about graphic design could probably fit in a thimble. But, I think the fact that the eyeball connects to the sentiment and the sentiment connects to the monster is making for a great focal point.

I LOVE how the heat embossing turned out on the monster. On thinner paper, the result is usually bumpy, which is perfect for this little guy. He is shiny and bumpy -- and popping off the page. :)

The eyeball has about 4 layers of circles underneath to give it a little pop off the page. And, there are strips of cardstock under the arms and leg to reinforce them just a bit. Finally, there's a tiny little monster looking out from inside the card. :)

The best news is I have 2 more monsters I can fussy cut for 2 more cards!

Card #2: A World of Thanks

This card was inspired by this week's Midweek Throwdown Challenge to make a thank you card.

Paper: DCWV Travel Stack, miscellaneous cardstock;
Sentiments: ? stamped in Distress Ink Black Soot, computer-generated in Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold
Techniques: heat embossing, border punching, inking

 This card was a bit of a challenge.

• I wanted to make something that could go masculine. [Check]
• I wanted to use the DCWV Travel Stack to use the international stamp
  and computer sentiment [Check] but....
• I'd already used all of my favorite papers from the stack. Hmmm....

All in all, this is a good little card. It definitely has a nice physical weight to it. It's just not as shiny and attention-grabbing as the L'il Monster -- but then what could be? :)

Card 3: Snowflakes of Sympathy

This last card is for a girl at work whose mom died quite suddenly about a week ago.  It'll be 25 years next month that I lost my mom. I still remember a card received from friends the following Christmas. Actually, I have no idea what the front of the card looked like -- nor do I remember the manufacturer's stamped sentiment. But the handwritten note... well, that's another matter.

May your most treasured gift this holiday season be
your memories of Christmases past.

This is a sentiment that I have written on more cards than I care to remember throughout the years -- and the sentiment that will be shared with my colleague. I hope the design of the card below conveys the peace and comfort that Kevin and Denise's message brought to me all those years ago. Think I'll post this for CAS-ual Fridays' Winter Blues challenge.

Paper: Recollections embossed with Hero Arts snowflake stamp, AC cardstock, stash cardstock
Embellishments: white sheer ribbon, gem
Tools: Creative Memories square punches, snowflake punch

Parting Thoughts

Not quite sure I'll get to the Sunday sketch tomorrow since Craft Fair prep time is waning.

Picked up some wonderful pads of paper for next year's OWH Christmas cards. I especially love We R Memory Keepers' Winter's Frost Collection. Those papers are sure to make some beautiful cards. 

If I don't post anything else this week, have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving celebration with family, friends, and loved ones.

Stars, Elmo, and Christmas Trees

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented on the birthday candle card and Any Hero card. If it weren't for wanting to honor copyright laws, I'd publish the inspiration card for last post's birthday card. The Leisure Arts book Card Sketches for Paper Crafters is carried by Archivers -- or can be purchased at Amazon  -- if you're interested in checking it out. 

It's been a busy weekend. But, I still managed to carve out a little crafting time this weekend. :)

So, what do stars, Elmo, and Christmas trees have in common? They've all been the focus of this weekend's crafting activity!

Card 1: Your Courage Inspires Me

The first card is an Any Hero card inspired by this week's OWH sketch and this week's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a card in red, white, and blue.

                                              

Paper: We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue; AC blue cardstock; Bazzill watermelon cardstock
Sentiment: Stamper's Best in Distress Ink Vintage Photo
Tools and Techniques: star punch, heat embossing with clear powder

As with most of my Any Hero cards, I rotated the sketch to make a  horizontal card.

Card 2: Elmo

The inspirations for this shaped card were: 1) a similar card posted by Sandy a few months ago and 2) this week's Casual Friday challenge to create a card with something torn.

Paper: AC Cardstock
Techniques: tearing paper
Tools: Creative Memory circle, circle punches, corner rounder

This was actually pretty quick to do. Elmo's face is a solid piece of cardstock covered by strips of torn paper.

Next time, I'm going to try and use smaller strips -- maybe quilling papers. And, I think I will fan the strips out in a circular pattern around the nose area and vary the strip lengths a little bit more.

It's also worth mentioning that the white circles are 4-plyed so that  they won't bend easily while in transit -- or while in the hands of a little one. :)

All in all, I was pretty pleased with the way this little guy turned out. :)

Card 3: Season's Greetings

The last card is part of a set I'm making for next month's craft fair.

Paper: Authentique, AC black cardstock
Sentiment: Hero Arts in Distress Ink Black Soot; Gems: Core-dinations Nightfall
Tree: Hero Arts in clear powder using VersaMark
Tools and Techniques: border punch, heat embossing 

 Parting Thoughts

I'm hoping to get a few more Season's Greetings card done tonight. We'll see...

Have a great week. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

2 for 1

Hi everyone,

A quick post to share two cards inspired by this week's OWH sketch.

                   

Card #1: A Birthday Card

This first card is pretty true to the sketch, following a 90 degree rotation.

Paper: My Mind's Eye, stash cardstock
Sentiment from Whipper Snapper, heat embossed in Distress Ink Vintage Photo
Techniques: Leisure Arts candle idea described in last post
Tool: hole punch

I initially used a AAA battery to roll the candles -- and found the technique worked well with designer paper, but not heavier cardstock. However, the candles seemed too thick for OWH. So, I went with the "smashed" versions instead.

Card 2: An Any Hero card

I was a little more liberal in my interpretation of the sketch for this one.

Paper: We R Memory Keepers, BasicGrey kraft, miscellaneous cardstock
Tools: ek success and the Paper Studio star punches; crimper, distresser, hole punch
Embellishment: strands of jute

The background paper is one that I really struggle with in this Red, White & Blue collection because it is such a strong image. After layering the red and white-starred paper, it felt okay pairing these two patterns together. And, I think it helps that the stars were punched from the same cardstock as the cream layer behind the red and white-starred paper.

Parting Thoughts

Hubby wasn't a huge fan of either card. They were both too busy for his taste. They are actually a little on the busy side for me, too -- just a little out of my normal comfort zone. But, I think they work. 

Have a great week. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Hearts and Sparks for Heroes

Hi everyone,

Let me start by sending thoughts and prayers to those on the East Coast dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

The images on television are unbelievable. I can't even begin to imagine what life is like for those of you dealing with such devastation and loss. My brother's family had lots and lots of rain, but only rain.

Hearts for an OWH Hero's Loved One

The card below was made for this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown and inspired by another one of Ashley's fabulous scrapbook sketches. Making cards for OWH is kind of like living in a time machine. While the rest of the world is starting to make plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas, OWHers are making Valentine's Day cards.  :)

Cardstock: Core-dinations Vintage Collection
Designer Paper and Chipboard: We R Memory Keepers
Techniques: Inking (Distress Ink Tattered Rose), embossing, punching, distressing, crimping
Tools: Sizzix folders, ek punch, heart template, crimper

The left side of the sketch was used to make the card.
An embossed heart was used for the large circle;
a chipboard piece for the 4 x 4 photo;
a We R Memory Keepers paper embellishment, layered on various papers, for the 6 x 4 photo;
and a smaller heart for the "round" sketch element, nudged slightly right.

 This was the first time I've paired different embossing folders and was pretty pleased with the results. The We R Memory Keepers paper and chipboard are from the Be My Valentine collection from a few years ago.

In addition to the Midweek Throwdown, I'm going to post this card for this month's ODBD challenge to make a card dusting off a tool or technique. It had actually been awhile since I'd used my Ranger sander. Not only was it perfect to use on the embossed cardstock, but it also worked really well for distressing the chipboard.

Sparks (aka Candles) for a Family Hero

The card below is for a family hero, my father-in-law. He will be celebrating his 89th birthday on Wednesday. The inspiration for this card came from Leisure Arts great card-making book -- page 109, to be exact.  :)

Paper: Kaiser Up, Up, and Away, DCWV Christmas & Winter Combo;
wicks: dental floss; sentiment: heat embossed with Stampendous clear powder

I ADORE the simplicity of this card -- and how it can be adapted so easily to masculine/feminine, child/teen/adult, whimsical/elegant. And, who would've thought of using dental floss? Designer Beth Matson, that's who!

The candles on the Leisure Arts sample card were round, compared to my flatter candles. So, I played around with rolling paper around a AAA battery -- and was really pleased with the result. And, I will probably use contrasting ink for the sentiment on future cards, as well as vary the sentiment depending on the recipient. :)

This seems like a good fit for this week's CAS-ual Fridays' challenge to make a masculine CAS card. Also thinking of making a variety of these to give to family and friends in 2012.

Parting Thoughts

Hoping to make some more progress on craft fair projects tomorrow. And, looking forward to tomorrow morning's sketch challenge.

Thanks for visiting. Special thanks to those leaving such kind words. Happy scrappin'!

from a grateful American

Hey everyone,

First of all, I hope this finds everyone on our east coast safe and sound. We have family in Norfolk and have been watching the weather maps regularly.

Today's Crafting News

I'm so excited! Not only did I make a significant dent in my craft show project --details in a blog-to-come, but I also had a chance to do an Any Hero card for this week's OWH sketch on the day it was posted! It seems like a long time since I've been able to say that.

Bo Bunny Liberty, jute, and a star punched from a kraft gift bag;
Sentiment: Stamper's Best stamped in Close to my Heart Night of Navy;
Gem: Hero Arts; Star Punches: Fiskars and the Paper Studio

I love the combo of navy and jute -- and it immediately came to my mind when I saw this week's sketch. I originally punched the larger star from a sheet of BasicGrey kraft paper. But, the color of the gift bag seemed a better match. And, I thought about trimming the left edge of the jute, but decided to go with this asymmetrical look. :)

Parting Thoughts

For those of you on the east coast, stay safe.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

A Star-Filled Tribute

Hi everyone,

A quick post of an Any Hero card inspired by this week's OWH Sketch, Sketch #143.

Paper: We R Memory Keeper Red, White & Blue
Punch: the Paper Studio
sSentiment: heat embossed in Distress Ink Black Soot

When I saw the sketch, I immediately thought of rows of stars.  However, as you can see, the sketch calls for five 0.5-inch rows. Since my smaller star punch was a little wider than that, I went with 3 rows. In addition, I rotated the sketch to go with a pre-written Any Hero card message.

A trick I recently learned -- that everyone else probably already knows :) -- is to cut the small strips and adhere them to the card before cutting them to the "correct" length. This was certainly  much easier than my previous strategy of trying to measure first and then adhere.

Oh, and one more thing, I placed the center star in each row first. Then, I placed the far left and right stars. Lastly, I placed the second and fourth stars -- "eyeballing" them between the end and middle stars.

A simple, but heartfelt, card that I hope will convey gratitude and appreciation to a hero.

Parting Thoughts

Hoping to get to work on a project for the upcoming Craft Show.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin!

3 for 1

Hi everyone,

I have three cards from one sketch to share today. But, first, a couple of thank yous.

Thank You #1

As always, recent comments from followers and visitors are truly appreciated. Special thanks to Kathryn for her reminder to make a template of the little candy corn cards before I ship them in the mail to my nephews. I would've totally forgotten to do that. :)

Thank You #2

This one's a huge shout out to the wonderful people at Oak Creek Printworks. For the second straight year, I ordered sleeves for cards I will be selling at an upcoming craft show. And, for the second straight year, I was blown away by this company in Simi Valley (Pacific Time Zone) -- totally blown away. I called Monday after work (Eastern Time Zone) and my order arrived in Wednesday's mail!  Moreover, I had a wonderful conversation with Nancy when I placed the order and the sleeves are fabulous! 

Thank you, Oak Creek Printworks -- you totally rock!!!

And now for the main attraction... Drum roll, please.  

Paper: Jillibean Dutch Mustard Soup

                                                Card #1

While Pizazz It! is no longer a brick and mortar store, it is building a nice online presence. The card at the right was made from a wonderful card kit that was put together by Tiffany, who is a former Pizazz It class teacher and a great little designer. This sketch became the inspiration for two more cards.

Card #2

I used this design to make a few holiday cards for an upcoming craft show. For the show, I try to make several different designs to appeal to a variety of potential customers. Since this design has a quilt-like feel to it, I used some old-fashioned-feel paper to make several cards like the one below.

Paper: Authentique Festive collection, AC Christmas cardstock; Emagination punch, which was a garage sale bargain  :)

Since the paper combination was a little busier than what I typically use, I decided against a sentiment. But, that's not necessarily a decision carved in stone. :)   A shout out to Lynn at Scrapbook Art's OWH Card-Making Party last month for the idea to shadow the little Christmas tree. (BTW  This little card is already inside its protective sleeve.)

Card #3

The final card is for this week's Throwdown Color Challenge to make a card with black, white, and a pop of green or red. Since I had just mailed my holiday cards to OWH, I went with red and made my first Valentine's Day card of the season -- although I must confess I went with cream and black to use paper from the yummy DCWV All Dressed Up collection. :)

DCWV All Dressed Up, AC Christmas cardstock; EK heart and Fiskars border punches; heart-shaped gems ???

The Fiskars punch was another great garage sale bargain -- which made up for the this-three-way-heart-punch-is-so-darn-cute-but-more-than-I-want-to-spend impulse buy at my LSS. :)  I was really, really pleased with the way this card turned out. It was fairly labor intensive with all the punching, but definitely worth it.

Parting Thoughts

I really need to get some things done for the craft show. And, I'm hoping to get a little time to work try out this week's Sunday sketch. But, there are a few things that need some attention before I can get to the Menopause room. 

Hope everyone has a great week!  Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

Candy Corn, Anyone?

Hi everyone,

Just one card to share -- a non-Halloween Halloween card for my nephews. Even though it might not look like it from this scanned image, this is actually a shape card.  :)

The final card made; materials: AC Value Pack cardstock

Version #1

When I showed the first version of this card to hubby, he asked if I were going to add eyes to the ghost. I had thought myself that this shape could make a cute Charlie-Brown-like ghost. When I told him it was supposed to be candy corn, he said it didn't look like candy corn to him. So, the sides became more linear and tapered.

I'm thinking about making a few of these candy corn cards for OWH next year. But, if I do, I think the orange section needs to be larger and the other two sections -- especially the off-white top section -- need to be smaller. Also wondering how these would look on a standard 4.25 by 5.5 inch card with some funky non-Halloween, Halloween printed paper as the base....

Also thinking that the shape of Version #1 could make some cute ghost cards...

One tip for making the card above: I ripped 2-inch strips from the cardstock, cut them into rectangles that were longer than the card, taped each section down, and then trimmed the edges around the card.

Parting Thoughts

Goal #1 is to get my OWH Christmas/winter cards boxed up and ready to send.  Not quite sure what  will happen after that. :)

Have a great rest of the weekend. Thanks for your visit and happy scrappin'!

OWH Sketch #141: Patriotic Gratitude

Hi everyone,

Actually had a chance to make a card after all! The following is an Any Hero card inspired by this Sunday's OWH sketch.

We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue (patterned) , Bo Bunny Liberty (solid navy), Bazzill watermelon; Hero Arts sentiment in Close to My Heart Night of Navy; Fiskars and the Paper Studio star punches; crimper

 Parting Thought

I recently received a comment asking about crimping. I'm actually using just a garage sale find paper crimper that doesn't even have a company name it. If  you're interested in learning more about using a crimper, click here to see a short video -- to which I have no affiliation whatsoever. :)

Gotta run. Have a great week!

And, thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Merry Christmas... and Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

Many thanks to everyone who made a card for last week's OWH Sketch #140. Extra special thanks to those of you who posted cards and/or left such kind comments. (It's always amazing to see how one sketch can produce such different cards. :)  Looks like another great sketch from Julie this week.)

Kudos to those who are sharing cards on your blogs for the World Card Making Day Blog Hop. I took a quick look yesterday and am hoping to spend more time there today. At first glance, I saw some really pretty cards -- definitely worth a second look. :)

A Christmas Card Inspired One of Ashley's Sketches

That's right -- one of my favorite designers posted another great scrapbook double-page sketch! I used the left side as inspiration for the following card.

 

Authentique Festive collection, stash cardstock; computer-generated font; Creative Memories circle templates and miscellaneous circle punches; crimping and inking

Once paper choices were made, there wasn't anything too complicated with this card. My biggest decision was which paper(s) to use for the punched-out circles in the bottom left and top left. Some papers seemed like too much, others not quite enough. When I finally decided to use the same pattern for five of these circles, the card felt just right -- as Goldilocks would say. :)

Finally, I inked the outside of several of the larger circles in Adirondack Espresso, and I inked edges and crimped ridges on the cream and red ornament paper using Close to My Heart Desert Sand and Adirondack Espresso.

Think I'll post this one for the ODBD October Challenge to make a card using circles.Isn't it great when one card does double duty?!   :)

Parting Thoughts

Not quite sure how many cards I'll be making today. There are a couple of things on my to-do list that have to come first. And, I actually need to plan out what my next couple of card-making weeks will look like. :)

Have a good rest-of-the-weekend and a great start to the work week. As always, thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

Card-Making Parties and Midweek Challenges... Oh My!

Hi everyone,

Hope the work week got off to a good start. I have one card to share. But, first a shout-out to my favorite OWH card-makers and LSS.

The Second Annual Card-Making Party at SBA

Last year, the wonderful folks at Scrapbook Art helped organize an amazing card-making party. We were blessed to have corporate funding to help pull off the event. (To check out last year's event, click here.)

This year, these wonderful ladies weren't about to let a lack of financial funding stand in their way. Without any corporate funding, the second annual SBA card-making party resulted in 1424 card being shipped to OWH!  To see photos of this party -- along with other parties from around the country, click here. :)

Serious kudos to Jeri, her prep team, and Terri and her wonderful staff at Scrapbook Art!!!

And, now to the card portion of this post...

The following card was made for last week's Midweek Throwdown challenge, which was to use stickers. Speaking of stickers, I've learned some great tips this past week from the OWH blog team's sticker cards. Thanks to all!

Bazzill paper; Creative Imaginations Holiday Phrase stickers

I've had this sheet of stickers for so long -- think I picked it up at a garage sale. And, I really love them, but never quite got around to designing a card with them. Looks like this week's challenge solved that problem! (And, there are 34 more stickers left on this sheet!)

One of the things that I really like about these stickers is that their background is clear -- llike the SRM stickers, which I am totally going to have to check out. :)

My biggest challenge was picking out just the right color of cardstock to complement the stickers' colors.

I picked up a little trick from a PBS show called the The Spotted Canary. The host of this show, Joy, placed the bottom edges of a row of stickers on the top of a see-through ruler to help line her stickers up exactly as she wanted them. I tried that with the bottom row of stickers on this card -- and, boy, it was so much easier than my former try-peel off-try-peel off again method. :) 

Parting Thought

As always, thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week and happy scrappin'!