Favorite Cards of 2012

Happy New Year!

Thought I'd take a few minutes to share my three favorite cards from the past year, along with seven contenders.. Each caption has a sentence or two about the reason for selecting the card, as well as a link to each card's original post.

    

The Contenders...

A Divine Treat

This was one of my first attempts at coloring -- and with acrylics, no less!
It also provided me with the opportunity to "chat" with the cupcake's artist, Elizabeth Dulemba.

posted on 3/12/2012

For a Traditional Dad

This was my first time to use Core Paper.The design took a card I made
for my dad to the next level.

posted on 4/16/2012

Look Who's Turning One!

This card was a favorite for several reasons.
It was my first time to create a Tim Holtz-inspired background and to heat emboss with clear powder.
In addition, it was one of my first times to link to a site other than OWH.

posted on 5/6/2012

ROARing Good Day!

This was one of my first ever kiddie cards.
In addition, it was my first "official" adventure in paper piecing.
(BTW: This was one of hubby's Top 3!)

posted on 2/12/2012

A Patriotic Challenge

Those of you who have visited before know how much I love to make Any Hero cards.
My favorite Any Hero cards, like the one shown, often use Bo Bunny Liberty paper and a little jute.
Moreover, this was a sample card for one of the Sunday Sketch challenges. :)

posted on 9/30/2012

Jean Scene

This was my first shaped card -- and I was able to make 8 of them from some great
garage-sale-find stickers! Moreover, two of the eight were set aside for birthday cards
for my 11- and 12-year old nephews. :)

posted on 7/11/2012

Three Times the Greenery

Those who have visited before also have seen cards inspired by Ashley's fabulous scrapbook
designs. I loved how this card has a CAS-feel even though the design was fairly elaborate. I also loved
how the swirls in the paper were repeated in the stamped image, the trees, and the curvature
of the border punch. Finally, I was thrilled that this card was a sample card for the Christmas is for Kids
Labor Day VCMP challenge. :)

posted on 9/2/2012

And now the Three Favorites...

Love is in the Air

I absolutely adore everything about this card -- from the patterns and gems of the butterflies,
to the blueness of the paper, to the doodled butterfly trails.This was made for a CAS-ual Fridays challenge... and is my best CAS card... so far! (BTW This was another of hubby's Top 3! He likes the "simple ones.")

posted 4/1/2012

A Seussian Christmas

This card was inspired by a CAS-ual Fridays challenge -- taking another card I made for my dad
to the next level. I loved the result so much, I made these in three different palettes for this year's
Craft Fair. (And, for the record, this is hubby's #1 pick-of-the-year!)

posted on 7/24/2012

Frosty's L'il Friend

Just thinking about a little one receiving this adorable snowman-shaped card from mommy or daddy
brought me such joy that I had to choose it as my favorite. Moreover, it combined several of the techniques I had been working on during the year, including heat embossing and combining textures. Finally, it was a sample card for the Christmas is for Kids Labor Day VCMP challenge. :)

posted on 9/2/2012

Parting Thoughts

So, Sandy mentioned setting a crafting goal or two. 

• For starters, I'm going to continue to make an Any Hero card -- and also a Midweek Throwdown card -- for as many Sunday sketches as possible.  
• I'm going to do my best to clean up my space immediately after each cardmaking session. :)
• And, once this big deadline at work has been met, I hope to leave more comments for my fellow OWHers. I know how much comments mean to me.... and I know I've really dropped the ball on that one this past year. :(

It's been almost two years that I first started making cards for Operation Write Home. Little did I know then that I was joining such a talented, caring, and generous community of crafters. Not only do OWHers create fabulous cards for our heroes, they create a genuine sense of community and family for their fellow cardmakers. I am very grateful for the support and friendship of my OWH colleagues. Thank you all so very much for your amazing support of OWH and for your help in making me a better cardmaker. :)

As always, thanks so much for visiting. Here's wishing you many joyful hours of scrappin' in 2013!

You can click here to return to the rest of the OWH Top Ten links. :)