Monday Musings: A Memorial Day Edition

Hi, everyone,

Thanks to all the servicemen and women and their families for the sacrifices you make for our country. Godpseed!

Heartfelt condolences to those families of heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

OWH Sketch #123: Red, White, Jute, and Star

My Any Hero card for this week's sketch should be a real crowd-pleaser based on all your kind comments about Two American Treasures.  (Hubby actually gave this one a 9 out of 10 -- and that was before the final element was added!)

                                      

Paper: Bo Bunny Liberty, BasicGrey Kraft; Sentiment: Stamper's Best; Fiskar's star punch; garage-sale button and jute

Those of you who visit regularly know how much I love this Bo Bunny collection. And, I LOVE the jute paired with the deep navy. 

So, this card came pretty quickly. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

• I immediately knew what papers and material to use for the background, the larger centered rectangle, and the vertical strip. I knew the sentiment. I remembered something about a star-shaped button -- and quickly located it. But, I didn't remember it being white. 
• So, the first design issue was how to pop the star. If you look closely at the top of the vertical strip, you'll see there's a tilted blue star. It seemed like tilting a kraft star would mimic the star in the paper nicely and serve as a good background for the button. Finally, I  used a string from the jute to dress the naked button. :)
• After putting the card aside for a little while, I remembered a painting teacher talking about colors appearing three times in a piece. It was clear that the card needed another punch of white. But, neither pearls nor gems felt right because the button is made of plastic. And, then it came to me that a simple line of punched out circles -- punched from the same paper as the card base and sentiment -- might be just the trick. And, I was really pleased with the result when I placed these 5 circles on the circle.

 Parting Thoughts: OWH's Memorial Day Blog Hop

While hopping from blog to blog this weekend, I was struck by a couple of things. 

• Isn't it amazing how the OWH sketches result in such a variety of cards? Very cool!
• Isn't it wonderful that the blog hop brings recognition and focus to the meaning of Memorial Day? It's so much more than buying mattresses. Don't get me wrong -- we've been the mattress buying couple. When you need a new mattress, you need a new mattress. But, for me, the hop has really helped focus on the true meaning of this 3-day weekend.

 I've also noticed a few bloggers talking about their motivation and inspiration for making cards. For me, there are three reasons:

• My father-in-law is a World War II. He's actually had a remarkable year -- a year full of honors and recognitions for his service. If you'd like to learn more about these tributes, please check out this March 2nd post. We are so blessed that he is still with us. [We will be having dinner with both of our dads this evening! :) ]
• My uncles served during the Vietnam era. Uncle Ken was in the Army, while Uncle Charlie was in the Navy. Needless to say, they take the Army-Navy game pretty seriously!  We are further blessed that both uncles are still with us.
• Finally, I taught high school for 20+ years. Hubby is also a teacher. Over the years, we've known so many young people who have chosen to serve our country.  

 Think that's it. Thanks for stopping by. Hope everyone has a fun, but safe, Memorial Day.

2012 OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop

Hi, everyone. Thanks for stopping by Scrapping with Purpose, one of the stops on this year's Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop.

                        

When I think of Memorial Day, three things come to mind:

• our troops, past and present;
• my mom and mother-in-law; and
• memories of summers past and hopes for summers to come.

For the hop, I've made cards for each of these. All three cards were inspired by OWH Sketch #59.

  

For the Troops: Two American Treasures

For our Moms, with Love

With Thoughts of Summer: Footprints of Love

Thanks again for visiting. Details for the cards posted are included in posts for May 23 and May 25.

Click here to return to the start of the blog hop. Happy hoppin'!

Friday Night Writes: An OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop Edition

Hi, everyone,

I am so excited about this weekend's blog hop.

              

Hope everyone will be able to make at least a few stops. All three of the cards I'm sharing tomorrow were inspired by OWH Sketch #59. I heat embossed using Versamark and clear powder on both of the cards shown below.
 
                                     

For Our Troops: Two American Treasures

Know how every 6 x 6 pad of paper has a couple of patterns that seem a little more challenging to use than the others? For me, this flag and eagle image was one of those challenging papers. So, I chose to use just a part of the paper. Finally, I heat embossed the eagle to give it a little extra oomph!

Paper: Bo Bunny Liberty, Bazzill watermelon; jute and gems

Summertime: Footprints of Love

Summer has always been filled with family celebrations for as long as I can remember. Let's start with our summer birthdays: hubby, dad, mother-in-law, nephew, and me. Then, we had the anniversaries: my parents, my in-laws, and hubby's and mine. (Before I started making cards, you wouldn't believe how many trips I made to Hallmark during the summer months. Now, I visit my favorite LSS and Michael's! Hmmm...) The Fourth of July was a time for fireworks, parades, an occasional picnic, ice cream, and time with family and friends. And, of course, there were family road trips and vacations.

When I first experimented with heat embossing, the image I got reminded me of wet sand. So, I thought about how I could incorporate that into a beach-related card to commemorate beach vacations with hubby. When I came across the Inkadinkado footprint stamp at a garage sale, I took it as a sign that I really needed to work on that beach vacation card.

Paper and Vellum: Recollections; Stamps: Inkadinkado, PSX; FiberScraps, BasicGrey opaline half pearls

I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the letters. The original stamped letters were too light. So, I used a Q-tip-like tool to apply a little more Versamark and re-embossed.

But, the heart turned out pretty well. And, hubby approved of the footprints. More importantly, he immediately knew what they were -- and that was seeing only footprints on an otherwise plain rectangular brown piece of cardstock! He reassured me even more by saying that sand footprints aren't perfect. :)

The Recollections paper is actually from its baby boy collection. The fibers were another garage sale find. I was planning on using a piece of corrugated darker brown cardstock instead of the fibers. But, the card felt like it needed more color variety. When, I pulled out ribbons and found these... Well, they grew on me. The colors seemed perfect. And, the collection of fibers felt organic and flow-ey -- reminiscent of seaweed, but  in a totally good way.

Parting Thoughts

Looking to achieve the right balance this weekend: time to honor and remember, time to be inspired, time to relax, and time with family.

Hope to see you at the hop!

        

OWH's Memorial Day Blog Hop: A Preview Post

Hi, everyone,

Hope the week is going well. Just a quick reminder that the OWH Blog Hop is scheduled for this weekend.

                          

When I think of Memorial Day, three things come to mind:

• our troops -- present and past,
• my mom and mom-in-law, and
• summertime memories and future plans.

This weekend, I hope to share three different cards, all made using OWH Sketch #59. For now, I have a card for the moms.

In Loving Memory of our Moms

It will be two years this weekend since the passing of hubby's mom. In December, it will be 25 years since I lost my mom. It is such a blessing to still have our dads. Nevertheless, we miss our moms so very much. 

Basic Grey paper, Martha Stewart punch-around-the-page and small butterfly punches, ribbon and gems

I already had the larger butterfly punch. So, I bought a punch to make baby butterflies. And, I spent way too much time -- really, way too much time -- thinking about the patterns and gems for these little butterflies. But this card is, after all, a love note to our moms. A few of the details I decided upon are:

• using different patterns to represent the two families. I used tan for my mom's side and blue for hubby's side. 
• differentiating the gals from the guys by using a single gem for the gals. 

Parting Thoughts

I'm hoping to get Card #3 done for the blog hop. And, I'm REALLY hoping that I don't mess up the whole posting/linking thing.

And, I'm hoping everyone has a chance to make a least a couple blog stops this weekend -- including me. :)

Thanks for stopping by. And, happy scrappin'!

Monday Musings

Hi all,

I'm thrilled to say it's been a perfect blend of time with hubby, time with family, time outside relaxing, time inside doing household chores -- and time making cards! It's great to have several cards to share. But first...

Scrapping with Purpose's Blogversary

Last Armed Forces Day was the date of our McGraw-Hill Global Volunteer Day event, during which McGraw-Hill employees partnered with the staff and customers of Scrapbook Art to make cards for Operation Write Home. One thousand, seven hundred, ninety-three cards to be exact!

My first blog post, which was to share our event with "the world", was on May 23, 2011. So, if you have started visiting the blog since then -- or would like to take a trip down memory lane, please check out the first couple of posts.

Speaking of GVD...

McGraw-Hill is in the process of separating into two companies, McGraw-Hill Financials and McGraw-Hill Education. While May has traditionally been the month during which Global Volunteer event were held, plans are to hold events later in the year. I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as GVD 2012 has been the go-ahead and we have a firm date with Scrapbook Art.

Armed Forces Day 2012

Since I was not participating in a local card-making event to commemorate the day, I was thrilled that OWH was joining forces with Stamper's Best to have a blog skip of its own. :)  The sentiment on the Any Hero card below was made using my new set of Stamper's Best stamps and a slightly-modified OWH Sketch #122.

Paper: SignifyPink Pages of Honor, Bazzill admiral; inkded Cuttlebug embossing folder; brads

One More Patriotic Card

The following card started as a vertical card that was to be based on Mojo 240. The admiral base and jute strip came immediately. But, then I just couldn't get the rest to work out. The card started feeling like nothing more than disparate elements that had no connection to one another. I knew the sketch was going to be a challenge because it was more complex than my usual style, but I really wanted to give it a try. So, I set the card aside for a couple of days. When I came back to it, I decided to totally change direction -- going completely away from the original sketch. While it's nothing like the sketch for Mojo 240, I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. (And, it received hubby's stamp of approval!)

Paper: Bo Bunny Liberty and Bazzill admiral; sentiment stamped in Distress Ink Barn Door Red; baker's twine and gems

  

Cards for Family and Friends

Whew!  I made a card for my great aunt's 95th birthday, a retirement card for a friend, and a graduation card for the friend's daughter. 

The birthday card was based on the card I posted for OWH's VCMP -- same paper, same design. The only difference was that I chose not to heat emboss using Versamark and clear powder. The other two cards came together pretty quickly.

Paper: Kaiser Up, Up and Away, Ranger Core; gems

Paper: ???; Gibson Greetings sticker, Kaiser rhinestones, blue gem to hold the tassel

 

I have to say I love this graduation card. The daughter's school colors are gold and black, so the scrap paper worked out perfectly. The design seems so simple, yet is so effective. (Think I'm going to make a similar card in red and black with a similar sticker and accents of blue for the daughter of my father-in-law's neighbors. These neighbors, including the kids, have been so wonderful to my father-in-law that we want to something for their daughter.

Parting Thoughts

The garage sale was fun, with perfect weather. I made a few purchases -- a couple of books for the pool, some plastic storage, and some watercolor paints. But, there weren't any too-good-to-be-true, just-what-I-was-looking-for finds this time around.

I'll be working on a couple of cards for OWH's Memorial Day blog hop. More to come. :)

                          

Thanks for stopping by. As always, happy scrappin'!

Friday Night Writes

Hi, everyone,

Hope it's been a good week for you. The week's been good around here. 

Thanks to those all who visited this blog during the past week. Special thanks to those who left comments -- including Linda, who may have solved my penguin-in-a-tree conundrum. And, I need to thank Paula for her blog support. (Paula, crossing my fingers that this post publishes as scheduled!)

Good News... Bad News

Work is going really well. The good news is that I am working on a project that I really enjoy. However, it's a project that's pretty mentally draining. Normally, I use card-making as a nice, change-of-pace, re-charging diversion. But, I have to confess that I've pretty much vegged -- or, on one or two nights, done a little "home" work...

... which brings us to the bad news. I only have one card to share -- and not even one of the cards I had planned to make.

A Colleague's "Going Away"/Congrats Card

One of my favorite team members has accepted a position with another department. It's a good move for him -- one that involves a promotion and a raise in pay. But, we have been cubicle neighbors for the last couple of years and I will miss him terribly.

So, I made the card below to wish him well in his new position -- hoping that this new position is the admission ticket to the career adventure he's been hoping to find.

Kaiser Up, Up, and Away paper and embellishments

OWH's Wonderful Partners

During National Scrapbooking Weekend, Marianne linked "sister cards" for my OWH patriotic challenge. And, I was so taken by the sentiment on one of her cards, that I just had to have that stamp set to use on future Any Hero cards.

I immediately went to Stamper's Best and placed my order. I have to tell you the customer service was amazing. I can't believe how quickly my order was processed -- and how quickly it arrived at the house!

This is the third OWH sponsor with whom I've done business. I've also ordered from ODBD and Heinrich's. Each time, the service has been amazing  -- just amazing!

So, this is a big shout-out to these wonderful folks! I highly recommend purchasing products from OWH's fabulous partners.

Parting Thoughts

I have to get those retirement party, graduation, and 95th birthday cards made this weekend. The celebrations are next weekend! So, wish me luck!

Oh, and hubby and I have our second must-do garage sale tomorrow. So, wish me double luck. There's no telling what we might find. :)

Have a great weekend!  Happy scrappin'!

Monday Musings

Hi, everyone,

Hope it was a good weekend. Hope all of our OWH Moms enjoyed a special day.

The weather here was so pretty Friday and Saturday -- too pretty to resist being outside. So, I have only one card to share.

OWH Sketch #121 and ODBD May Challenge

The card below is being posted for this week's sketch challenge  and for this month's ODBD challenge, which is to create a card with five elements.

This card's elements are:

• patterned paper,
• layering paper and jute,
• scoring and inking,
• a stamped sentiment, and
•  embellishments (gems).

Bo Bunny Liberty -- shocking, I know; Bazzill admiral and watermelon; jute and gems

I adjusted the dimensions to create a horizontal Any Hero card that worked for my pre-written note. And, I moved the sentiment to the left to compliment, rather than compete with, the eagle and the field of stars. After that, this card came together pretty easily.  I actually loved being able to use the eagle/sunburst stripes/blue field of stars part of the paper pack. This seemed like one of the few papers from the collection I would have trouble using. But, this sketch really lent itself to the sunburst pattern on the top and the striped pattern on the bottom.

And, Margaret, your Bo Bunny paper is in the mail. It should be arriving on Thursday or Friday. Can't wait to see your Bo Bunny patriotic cards! :)

Tuesday Morning

It probably seems from my previous Tuesday Morning and garage sale posts that I go out shopping all of the time. That's actually not the case -- though hubby would probably disagree. :)   It's even more seldom that I shop on Saturdays as most stops are quick errands at the end of workday. 

That said, I did stop by Tuesday Morning on Saturday after meeting a good friend for lunch. I've been wanting to upgrade to a better cutting board and luck was with me. There was a single 12 by 12 Fiskars board just begging to be taken to the Menopause Room. How could I possibly turn it down?

Today's posted card is the first to be made with the new board. :)

And what was the little creature saying/doing?

You might remember the little creature I posted on Friday. Well, the story is that I was making a card for the VCMP owl challenge. I found this little guy on a great set of chipboard animal stickers (lions, elephants, crocodiles, fish...). And, I decided to place him inside a hole created from some BasicGrey wood-grained paper. I was pretty happy with the way the card was taking shape.

Then I showed it to hubby. First of all, he thought the creature was a penguin. And, after he said that, all I could see when I looked at the little guy was a penguin. Moreover, hubby didn't think the paper looked anything like wood or trees. And, if the paper did resemble wood or trees, why was there a penguin on the card?

Maybe it's one of those you had-to-be-there moments. But, it really was too funny!

So, I'm still debating what to do about this card. I can't possibly finish it as an owl in a tree now. But, where do I go from here? 

Parting Thoughts

We received an invitation to a combined retirement (for the mom) and graduation (for the daughter) party. And, I have a great aunt will be celebrating her 95th birthday. So, those 3 cards are on my week's to-do list.

Have a great week!  Thanks for stoppping by and happy scrappin' to all!

Friday Night Writes

Hi, everyone,

First, a HUGE thank you to all for your support of OWH's "sister cards" challenge. I so appreciated your visits to the blog post, your comments and -- most of all -- the cards you made for our heroes. All the cards were so well done. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And the Bo Bunny Liberty Blog Candy Goes to....

Margaret G, which is extra appropriate since Margaret made the sample card for this week's Midweek Throwdown challenge involving patriotic cards. Margaret, thanks again for playing along in our challenge! Please e-mail your shipping information to me at cards.by.sybrina@gmail.com to receive your prize.  :)

OWH VCMP Die Cut Challenge -- Take Two

Remember when I said I wasn't pleased with the flip flop card. I think I said it wasn't quite done. 

Thanks to Kathryn and Sarah for comments that inspired a few significant changes. Kathryn complimented the detail on my cards, like the heat embossed flip flop imprint. That made me realize that the lack of detail on the flip flops themselves was exactly what was bothering me. Sarah suggested the addition of a little gem. I really liked this idea -- and started thinking about what other details could/should be added.

So, the following changes were made to the flip flops. And, what a difference a few details can make!

• Light yellow pastel  highlights were added to the inside.
•  Dark blue/brown shading was added to the outer edge.
• Stickles were added to the thong portions.
• Tiny blue gems topped off the thongs.

And this creature says/does...?

  

Okay, I will tell you the specifics of the conversation I had with hubby about the card -- or, more accurately, the beginnings of a card -- shown below in Monday Musings. 

Before that, my questions for you are:

•  What would the little "creature" shown below say or do? 
• And where in the world is "Waldo"?

 Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to everyone for such a nice response to the OWH "sister cards" challenge. :)  :)   :)

Not quite sure what I'm going to work on this weekend. I certainly hope to make an Any Hero card using this Sunday's sketch. I still need to make (or choose) a card for this month's ODBD challenge for OWH. And, then there are still a few unfinished VCMP challenges, a Midweek Throwdown, a scrap tutorial... 

So little time, so many possibilities. :)

Happy scrappin' to all!

Monday Musings: An OWH VCMP Early Edition

Hi, everyone,

Hope you all have had as much fun as I have making cards for this weekend's OWH VCMP party. Thanks to OWH for organizing the hop and to the hosts for such wonderful challenges.

As I look at my set of cards, I'm seeing a definite theme -- now that I've gotten serious again about counting Weight Watcher points in anticipation of pool season. Freudian images of sweets -- cupcakes, ice cream, cake -- abound!  :)

One other Common Element

While working on these cards, I tried a new technique. And, I liked it so well that I used  it on 4 of the 5 cards.

I pressed cut-out images (the top and bottom of the cupcake; the ice cream scoops and cones; the flame, candle, ribbon, and bottom trim; the flip flop print) in a Versamark pad. Then I heat embossed using clear embossing powder. 

The result was a shiny, slick image that really draws attention to the embossed images. Patterns really come through nicely. And, if you repeat the process, the embossed images are even shinier -- kind of like applying a second layer of varnish. 

Card 1: Paper Piecing a Child's Card

Initially, I thought this card could work for either a child or an adult. To make it more child-like, I added Stickles to the stars and flowers on the background paper and added gems to the corner.

DCWV Sweet mat stack; Stickles, gems

Card 2: Using Something Hoarded

 
Okay, the paper and embellishment on this card were supplies used in one of my first card classes at Pizazz It!. I loved this S.E.I. line so much that I've been holding on to the leftover paper and die cuts to use on an extra special wedding card -- maybe for my nephews' weddings. :)

But, my nephews are 12 and 10. :( 

So, here goes...

S.E.I. Moonrise paper and die cuts

Seriously, this was a great idea, Carol!  Thanks for the inspiration. I think it made for a very nice card.

Card 3: Making Food a Focal Point

I have to say I am quite pleased with the way this little card turned out. Heat embossing with clear powder really popped the patterns on the ice cream scoops and cones!

DCWV Sweet mat stack; Inkadinkado Birthday Cupcake sentiment

OWHers, no need to worry if the looped background paper looks glittery. This is one of those DCWV paper packs in which the glitter seems to be baked in really well.

Card 4: Using Bright Colors

As much as I like the previous card, I LOVE this card. It is one of my all-time favorites. The inspiration for it came from one of Tiffany's card-making classes at Pizazz It! A few new techniques and added elements have kicked a great card up a notch or two. :)

All paper came from a Stampin' Up! garage sale find!

I'd like to take a few minutes to describe my thought process when creating this card.

• I rounded the top corners of the card base, but kept the bottom corners at right angles, to mirror the shape of the cake.
• I selected the floral print and then selected the coordinating blue, red, and gold papers.
• Next, I decided the background needed a color to pop the floral pattern. I chose to heat emboss Distress Ink scattered straw, using clear embossing powder. (And, if you've never tried this technique, the result is sooooo gorgeous. It just glistens in the sunlight!)
• I decided to use red for the flame and cake base, and blue for the candle, ribbon, and bottom trim to help the eye go from the top of the cake to its bottom. I chose gold for the center flower to connect it with the background color.
• I used Versamark and clear powder to heat emboss the papers for the flame, candle, ribbon, center flower, and bottom trim. Again, this adds a great shine and brings out the patterns in these papers so nicely.
• I scored the cake base, crimped the bottom trim, and formed the ribbon and snipped its ends for a few textural elements.
• When piecing together the cake, I made the candle 2-layered so that the flame would fit nicely in-between. Pop dots raise the cake top and candle/flame.
•  I set the candle a little to the left so the cake was just a little asymmetrical. (I initially tried tilting the cake's layers a little, but didn't like the result.)
• After adding the pearl to the center of the flower, I added pearls in a vertical line to the top right of the card. These pearls also helped pull the eye down the card. And, they added a little interest to the top right portion of the card without detracting from the cake or from the beautiful Distress Ink background.

It's amazing how CAS cards look so simple, yet can be so intricate in their designs. Speaking of CAS, CAS-ual Fridays is celebrating its first anniversary. So, I think I'll post this little cake there, as well.

I just love going to CAS-ual Fridays for inspiration. I've not been following CAS-ual Fridays long, so maybe it's a mis-perception on my part. But, it seems that the DT's sample cards often have varied backgrounds, but the winning cards seem to have mainly white backgrounds. Regardless, I'm posting this little card, entitled Look Who's Turning One, at CAS-ual Fridays and crossing my fingers. :)

Card 5: Using a Die Cut

I'm almost embarrassed to post this card after the last one. Let's just say it's still a work in progress. It needs a little more oomph before it makes it into my OWH box -- think I'll tinker with the flip flops for starters. However, I do really like the heat embossed flip-flop-"sandprint".

DCWV Stack 6, Bazzill Preppie cardstock red

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to everyone involved for a great blog hop. Looks like I have an owl-themed challenge to take on this week. And, I want to post a card for this month's ODBD challenge. 

Have a great week!  Happy scrappin'!

Rebels with a Cause: Making Patriotic Cards

Hi, everyone,

Welcome to Stop #7 on OWH's Card-Making Party Blog Hop in honor of National Scrapbooking Weekend! If you've arrived here via other means and would like to check out the other stops on the hop, visit Stars and Stamps.

To view all stops on the hop, visit Stars and Stamps.

When Sandy e-mailed the blog hop theme was being rebellious because we are rebels who scrap cards instead of scrapbook pages, a twist on the James Dean classic movie Rebel without a Cause immediately came to mind. I suggested a blog stop entitled Rebels with a Cause, with this stop's cause being making patriotic cards.

This Stop's Challenge: Patriotic "Sister Cards"

So, my challenge is to make two patriotic cards -- one Any Hero card and one blank card to be sent back home. And, I'm asking that the cards be "sister cards".

What are sister cards, you ask? Okay, sister cards  is a totally made-up phrase -- at least as far as I know. But, for this purpose, sister cards are two cards that are similar in design and/or inspiration, but still different in their own way.

Sample Cards

For my sample cards, the inspiration was old-fashioned, patriotic bunting. I've wanted to make some bunting cards for awhile now but hadn't taken the time to play with the idea until now.

For extra texture and dimension, I embossed and inked the gray paper from DCWV. (Didn't this gray make a great neutral? The red, white, and blue just pop! Here's hoping that at least one of these counts for Allison's blue and gray challenge!) In addition, I crimped the watermelon cardstock on the blank card and scored it on the second card. Finally, I used just a touch of Stickles for the star centers on both cards and on the USA on the first card for a little extra oomph. :)

BLANK CARD: Paper: Bazzill admiral and watermelon, K&Company Americana mat pad, DCWV Christmas & Winter Combo; Stickles; funky fiber

ANY HERO: Paper: Bazzill admiral and watermelon, K&Company Americana mat pad, DCWV Christmas & Winter Combo; Stickles; baker's twine

So, I hope these sample cards give you an idea of what I mean by "sister cards". And, for information and ideas about what to write in an Any Hero card, click here.

Blog Candy

Is there candy, you ask? Why, yes, there is!  And what better candy for a patriotic challenge than a brand spanking new 6 by 6 pad of Bo Bunny Liberty paper. (Those of you who visit regularly know how much I love my Bo Bunny!)  One lucky card-maker will receive this wonderful paper pad from my own personal stash. :)

To qualify for the Bo Bunny raffle:

• Link one card for 1 "ticket". 
• Link its sister card for 2 additional "tickets".

The winner will be announced on May 11 in Friday Night Writes.

Ready, Set, Scrap!

Thanks for stopping! I can't wait to see your patriotic "sister cards"!  (Remember, that any cards that specifically refer to the 4th of July should be in shippers' hands by the end of the month.)

And, don't forget there's one more stop on this weekend's hop! 

'

Friday Night Writes

Hi, everyone,

Talk about the best  laid plans... Remember my plans to "attend" my last couple of Tim Holtz classes?

Moreover, I have no cards to share -- but for a good reason. Sandy contacted me about hosting one of the stops at this weekend's OWH blog hop. So, I've been busy creating a couple of cards to share on Sunday. :)

OWH's Rebellious Blog Hop

One last reminder about this weekend's OWH cards. To celebrate National Scrapbooking Day/Weekend, we rebels will be busy scrapping cards for our troops and their loved ones.

I am thrilled to be hosting one of the Sunday stops.... and I'll have a little blog candy for one lucky visitor.

The blog will start here.

And the Liebster goes to....

OMG!  Sound the alarm, e-mail Brian Williams, text Diane Sawyer, and tweet Scott Pelley. I just received my first blog award! I am a Liebster Award winner!

Okay, so I'm joking about the Brian Williams thing. But, I am truly touched that Kathryn of  Kathryn's Cards has deemed my blog worthy of this honor. Kathryn, that's really very sweet of you. Thank you!

The origins of the Liebster Blog Award are somewhat unclear. However, Kathy from My Creative Impulse offers the following explanation on her blog.

"... general consensus is that it originated in Germany. Liebster, means favorite or dearest, and the Liebster Award is designed to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award, the recipient must pass it on to five more blogs of note."

 I had to laugh when I read the fewer than 200 followers part. Yeah, it looks like I still qualify on that front. Now, the favorite or dearest part may be a different story. :)

As Kathryn said it was hard to choose. There are so many wonderful bloggers. It is my honor to announce the next Liebster awards:

• Lee Mae at Boxes of Dogs, a member of the OWH blog team
• Sue at Little Bits of Randomness, another fellow OWHer who makes the cutest cards ever
• Donna at Crafty Colonel, another fellow OWHer whose blog I just joined
• Ashley at Designs by Ashley, an up-and-coming designer who has just published her first book of 12 by 12 sketches
• Tiffany at  I am My Design, another up-and-coming artist (and sometimes blogger) who will be receiving her Associate's Degree in Graphic Design in the next couple of weeks and is largely responsible for my recognition since she introduced me to card-making

Liebster Award winners need to:
1. Thank you Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
3. Copy and past the blog award on your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less you feel deserve recognition.
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

I hope the newest Liebster Award Winners will be as pleased as I was. Thanks again, Kathryn!

Parting Thought

Have a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day/Weekend!  Hope you have a chance to spend a little of it with us OWH rebels. :) 

Newsday Tuesday

Hi, everyone,

A quick post to let you know of two newsworthy events happening this week!

OWH's Rebellious Blog Hop

As most of you probably know this Saturday is National Scrapbook Day -- a day filled with lots of scrapbooking parties. And, OWH loves a good party! 

But, this will be a scrapbooking party with a bit of a twist. Instead of scrapping pages we'll be scrapping cards. Be sure to check out the Stars and Stamps blog this weekend -- Saturday and Sunday -- for challenges sure to inspire. 

Scrapping with Purpose is thrilled to be hosting a challenge on Sunday!  :)

Another Rockin' Design by Ashley

Ashley of Pizazz It! fame has posted Sketch #3. Ashley sent me a preview and asked if I'd like to make a companion card. Talk about an offer I couldn't refuse.  :)

So, Ashley's May sketch was the inspiration for the card below, which I gave to a colleague at work to commemorate his retirement.

Kaiser Up, Up and Away collection

 I must say I was at first puzzled as to how to proceed because the sketch has lots of photos. (After all, it is for a scrapbook page!) But, then...

• I rotated the sketch 180 degrees and decided to work with the right side. 
• Next, I chose a postcard embellishment left and right sides to take the place of the two photos.
• Finally, I used masculine colors and embellishments to turn a feminine sketch into one suitable for the gentleman who was retiring -- just as Ashley suggests in her book. 

So, if you have some scrapbook pages to layout and/or want a chance to win Ashley's sketch book, take a few minutes to check out her blog. :)

Parting Thoughts

That's it for today. Looking forward to this weekend's hop!

Thanks for stopping by on Newsday Tuesday!