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'!

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'!

OWH VCMP Follow-up: Blog Candy Winner and Holiday Card Directions

Hi everyone,

A HUGE THANK YOU  to everyone who made holiday cards during OWH's VCMP. Our heroes and their loved ones will surely appreciate them.

As promised, the following post provides shares the techniques and decisions involved in the making of Frosty's Lil Friend and Three Times the Greenery. But first, a drum roll please....

And, the blog candy goes to...

Ann M. Congratulations, Ann!  Please send me a street address or P.O. Box to which I can send the Stampendous stamp set. 

And, I'd love to know where you found this sentiment. It is perfect for OWH holiday cards.

Thanks again to everyone who played along. What a great group of cards -- don't think I could choose a favorite if I had to...  :)

Frosty's Lil Friend

• Frosty's Lil Friend  started with a post-it note sketch. [Okay, actually two sketches when the first looked more like a bird than a snowman. :) ]

 

 

• I chose the stash papers I wanted to use -- and made sure I had enough of each type to complete the card. (Trust me, I've learned this lesson the hard way!) Then I made sure I had just the right fiber and floss to coordinate with the papers.
• I used a Creative Memories circle to draw the biggest circle possible on a folded 4.25-by-5.5 inch card base.
• Next, I free-handed a top hat and the beginnings of the snowman's body on the card base. Then I cut along the outline through both layers of the card.
•  I cut out the head and snowman body separately from the first paper, using the card outline as my templates. (You could cut out one solid shape, but I chose to go with a separate head for more of a 3-D look.)
• To make the hat, I heat embossed the second paper using clear powder to add a little extra sheen and texture. Then, I used the card outline as a template to cut out the top hat. Once again, I made the decision to make this element out of two separate pieces.
• The nose, which is "two-ply",  was cut from the AC cardstock.
• Darker pastels were used to shade the left side of the face, under the head, and the left and bottom of the nose. A lighter pastel was used to highlight the right side of the face.
• The buttons were "dressed" and the fiber was attached.
• Before adhering the buttons and nose, each element was placed on the card to get just the right placement before applying the glue dots and tape. 
• Finally, I used Martha Stewart's branch punch from a third s.e.i. paper to add a little interest to the hat.

Three Times the Greenery

First, a brief history. I met Ashley when she was working at her mom's LSS Pizazz It! She makes great designs for scrapbook pages, from which I make cards. Three Times the Greenery was inspired by the sketch below.

 

• Once I chose to use Bo Bunny's Father Christmas paper, I decided to use three punched-out trees for the three "photos".
• The green circle was cut from the same paper as the trees to help "pop" the trees. 
• I heat embossed a swirl design on the circle to add a little interest to the circle and to better connect it with the swirls in the base paper. So that the embossed circle wouldn't have a greater importance than the trees, I heat embossed the tree paper before punching out the trees.
• Then, I put reddish paper behind several elements, including around the light green rectangle in order to provide a visual break between it and the green circle.
• Border punching the left side of the red rectangle was the last step before adhering the elements. (Trees have a second layer of trees underneath them.)

 This week's  CAS-ual Friday's Challenge is to make a card featuring embossing -- dry, heat or both. Think I'll post Three Times the Greenery. Even though it has several different elements, it still feels CAS-like to me in its focal point. And, I really do love the way this one turned out.

Parting Thoughts

Such a pretty day here and so many things to do: walking off yesterday's family reunion Calories, watching a pro football game or two -- especially my favorite team who's on at 1:00, reading on the front porch, and making OWH cards. Hope I manage to get them all in. :)

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

The Word of the Day is "Pocket"

Hi everyone,

Thanks to all of you for your response to Making a Difference.

I have three pocket-related things to share today.

A Pocketful of Well Wishes Cards

The following 3 cards were all made for family and friends using a sketch from a fabulous card-making book. Really, this book is so wonderful I literally squealed with delight when it arrived in the mail -- much to hubby's surprise! :) 

Aside from the gem on the first card and the tulle on the second card, all three cards were made entirely from garage sale finds (a pile of Stampin' Up two-sided dp, prima flowers, brads, ribbons) and menopause room stash (cardstock))!

The first card most closely follows the sketch on page 180. However, it doesn't quite fit in an A2 envelope and requires hand delivery. So, I modified the design for cards requiring envelopes.

Ashley's Pocketful of Talent

Surf's Up! was inspired by one of Ashley's monthly sketches.

We R Memory Keeper's Down the Boardwalk collection; gems

For my card, I focused on the center part of the left side of the sketch.  I love this paper collection and thought the colors could work well going into late summer/early fall.

A Little Extra Pocket Cash

A big thing happened in my little blog world this week. The 25th follower joined Scrapping with Purpose! To celebrate, I'm raffling off a $25 gift card.

So what do you need to do to qualify, you ask? Two simple things:

• Be a follower by noon on Saturday, August 11.
• Leave a comment letting me know whether you would like a card to Michael's or JoAnn's.

In appreciation of those of you who have been following up until now, followers as of August 6 who leave a comment will receive two raffle entries.  

While I haven't been the best blog follower/commenter as of late, I really appreciate those of you who have made this a regular stop.

Parting Thoughts

The good news is that they really like me at work. The bad news is they really like me at work.

My most recent project, which has been a red-hot frying pan, is winding down. But, I found out today that my next project will find me jumping into an even hotter skillet!

Not only do I think blog posts are going to be fewer and fewer, I fear that card-making may also be far more limited than I would like -- especially thinking about the upcoming push to make cards for our heroes.

Hoping I'm wrong, but not counting on it.


As always, thanks for visiting. I'll be looking for comments from followers by August 11.

Until my next post, happy scrappin'!

Did Someone Say Fireworks?

Hi, everyone,

A quick post to share a card for Ashley's July sketch. For my card, I focused on the middle part of Ashley's sketch.

       

We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue; Stickles; heat embossing with Versamark and clear powder

• I layered 3 pieces of paper for the background paper.
• In place of the 4 x 3 photos, I stamped using VersaMark, heat embossed using clear embossing powder, and cut out two firecrackers. (The stamp is from a Making Memories set purchased at a garage sale!) 
• The lighter sections of the fireworks were a happy accident.I was tracing around the sections with a white gel pen when I smeared a little of the ink. So, I wondered what would happen if I purposely smeared the ink. When I liked the end result, I repeated the process with the second firecracker. A happy accident, indeed! I really like the subtle striping that the smearing created.
  
• For the 4 x 6 photo, I cut out text and an image from papers in the pad. I also cut out part of a pennant from one of the other papers for the circle and plume above the second 4 x 3 photo.
• I cut a border, fussy cutting along the arced edge, for the borders separating the middle and bottom parts of the sketch.
• For two finishing touches, I adhered elements (the left firecracker, the round image on the far right, the bottom border) with pop up glue dots and added crystal Stickles (the firecracker bursts, the stars in the pennant, the stars and firecrackers in the circular element, the stars in the center strip of the border) for a little shimmer.

Hubby commented that this is a little busier than my typical card and I have to agree. But, the card's elements seem to have a nice balance and I kind of like the way it turned out. I hope one of our heroes will be pleased to receive it.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fun, patriotic, and safe Fourth of July holiday. And, happy scrappin!

Sample Cards for Ashley's Sketches

Hi, everyone,

A few weeks ago, Ashley sent me a couple of card sketches and a sketch for a 12 by 12 layout with an offer I couldn't refuse -- making sample cards!  :)

So, here are Ashley's card sketches -- and the cards that were inspired by them. :)

Card 1: Summer FUN!

  Card 2: splish, splash

NOTE: This card has been posted for CFC66. Click here to check out this CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

      

Card 3: Fun in the Sun

All three cards were made from Jillibean Soup's Watermelon Gazpacho Soup collection (6 by 6 pad and embellishments) and Ranger Distress Ink core paper.

I really do love Jillibean's papers, but find it challenging to combine the patterns. I love the way the patterns pop when paired with bright cardstock!

Stamped images and sentiments are from the Making Memories summer foam stamp collection.


With any luck, I'll be posting a card for the 12 by 12 sketch in a couple of days. Until then, happy scrappin'!

Friday Night Writes

Hi, everyone,

Again, my appreciation to all who have visited this week, with special thanks to those who left comments. Red, White, and Boom seemed to be a crowd pleaser.

I apologize to my OWH friends for not leaving comments for their wonderful creations these past weeks. I know how much everyone enjoys receiving feedback. But, I haven't done any of that since the blog hop. 

Janet's Birthday Celebration...

... went really well. It started with a potluck breakfast of egg, sausage, and cheese casserole; muffins; fruit; orange juice; and a coffee/hot chocolate/tea bar. Then, she received a small gift (balloons, candy, plants, candle, homemade cards) from other members of our team. Finally, the math department had an afternoon birthday cake break, complete with a rendition of "Happy Birthday"!  

Of course, Janet is so gracious that she wouldn't say otherwise. But, I think she really did like her handmade cards. One of the girls on our team said Janet told her she wanted to frame the heritage Bo Bunny card. :)

  Two Sympathy Cards: Comfort, Understanding, and Peace

On a very sad note, the mother of two girls (sisters) at work passed unexpectedly last weekend. Both Kim and Abby are so sweet. Friends of Scrapbook Art who participated in last May's Global Volunteer Day event for OWH may have met Abby as she made cards with us that day.

So, I made a trip to Scrapbook Art to buy some special paper and ribbon to make cards for Abby and Kim. These cards are so hard to make -- aren't they? I ended up using paper from webster's ages In Love collection. It seemed soft and pretty without being too flowery. The sentiment is by Gillian Vance. I love this set of stamps -- and the sentiment used is one of my favorites from this set.

All in all, I was fairly pleased with the results. On the second card, it was my first time using my garage sale ribbon threader punch. I wish I would've done a better job lining it up. But, I thought the ribbon against the paper turned out nicely. All in all, I was trying to convey serenity and beauty without going over the top. I hope I managed to do that. 

Parting Thoughts

There's a tie for first place on this weekend's crafting to do list:

• Per Sandy's Midweek Throwdown request, I want to make cards for and in honor of retiring OWH board member Dee.
• And, I need to honor a promise I made to hubby to get some pictures in some bargain-buy frames for a naked hallway in need of decorating. :)

(And then there's that darn dusting and vacuuming.  If only...)

I'm also tinkering with a couple of cards for a few of Ashley's sketches. I've made a little progress on those, but not as much as I would've liked. Unfortunately, this weekend's not looking much better for that.

Anyhow, have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by. Happy scrappin'!

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!

Monday Musings

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I'm excited to have Package #3 ready to send to Kris. I'm mailing off 22 Dad cards, 22 general sentiment cards, and 7 Any Hero cards. :) 

For those of you making Dad cards for OWH, the deadline for Father's Day cards is fast approaching.

I have 3 cards to share today.

Card #1: Inspired by Ashley's Sketch of the Month

Last Saturday, I had a chance to catch up with Ashley and Tiffany from Pizazz It! When we were talking about their new sketch book, I mentioned that one of my favorite books is one that shows a 12 by 12 layout and a card inspired by the layout. 

Ashley is sponsoring a monthly sketch contest -- with the winner getting a copy of her new sketch book. The card below was inspired by this month's sketch!  

Jillibean Soup's Watermelon Gazpacho collection; Core Vintage (Flower Power) collection; unknown red cardstock

I'm especially excited about this card for two reasons. The first is that Ashley and I going to make this a regular thing. She's going to post her monthly sketch and I'm going to create a sketch-inpsired card!  Very cool!!! [And, seriously, if you haven't checked out her book, please do. It's sooooo well done. I'm pleased to say that I am a proud owner of an autographed copy!  :) ]

My second reason for being excited about the card is its the first Jillibean card that I've designed and liked. I love the bright colors and whimsical looks of her papers. But, for some reason, I seem to struggle putting the patterns together. (I think it might be in part that the pattern sizes are not as distinctively different as in a Bo Bunny collection.) This time, however, I think I got it just right. Using the red and Core card stock made such a difference. I actually really, really like this card. :)

Card #2

This is the last card that made it into this week's shipment. And, it was the last of my Saturday crop cards that needed to be finished. There are a few of those irritating scanning shadows... but this card's shadows aren't too bad.

Kaiser Lush collection; border punch; embellished with sheer white ribbon and pearls

I'm actually glad that I took the rest of the week to finish up these cards. I was starting to get in a design rut towards the end of the day. New days brought fresh perspectives for different finishing touches.  :) 

Card #3: OWH Sketch #118 

For whatever reason, this week's sketch came far more easily to me than last week's. The Any Hero card below is the first card for OWH Package #4!  :)  As usual, I rotated the sketch to make a horizontal card. Other than that, I think my only other changes were to slightly adjust the position of the square and place the side banners on top of  the square instead of next to its edges.

 

Bo Bunny Liberty collection; Bazzill admiral card stock; Hero Arts gemstones

I just love this Liberty collection -- and Bo Bunny paper in general. As I mentioned before, the different pattern sizes just make it so much easier for me to mix and match layers. 

And, many thanks to Donna and Carol for their reassuring words about not worrying when I use sketches as inspirations, rather than as blueprints. (Ashley says the same thing in her book, too.)

Parting Thoughts

The family who lives next to my father-in-law had to put their beloved dog down a few days ago. Since hubby and I are big dog lovers ourselves, making a card for the family is at the top of this week's card to-do list. After that, I hope to get started on some kid cards for OWH using some of the stickers and embellishments I picked up at last Saturday's garage sale. 

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