Always...

Hi, everyone.

Today's card was inspired by two challenge: to make a masculine card for this month's OWH Our Daily Bread Design challenge and to make a Valentine's Day or Love Card for OWH's Midweek Throwdown.

Authentique Pride; Distress Ink core (antique linen, fired brick); Bazzill (admiral)
original computer-generated sentiment in Mistral printed directly on core paper
hearts: hand cut from template, inked in Distress Ink fired brick with SU daubers
EK punch hearts on inside of  card
SU brads; Tombow foam adhesives for small heart

When making an Any Hero card on Sunday from this pad of Authentique paper, I was really drawn to this plaid. While I used other papers for Sunday's card, I kept this in mind for a masculine non-patriotic card. This plaid with its splashes of red seemed a good choice for a masculine Valentine's Day card. 

The red used for the hearts actually is much truer to the red in the plaid than the image shows. I initially inked the edges of the small heart so that it would stand out from the bigger heart. But, the fired brick ink on the fired brick paper had such a nice look, I decided to ink the edges of the bigger heart as well. However, I took care to leave some separation where the two hearts overlap.

A quick internet search for masculine Valentine's Day cards yielded a few possible designs. So, I tweaked one of the layouts for the card above. Although hubby did not give it an overwhelming endorsement, I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. (Maybe he was just card-weary by that point of the evening. At least that's the story I'm sticking with!) And, I think it makes for a nice OWH masculine Valentine's Day card that could also be used later in the year as a love/anniversary card.

Parting Thoughts

Finally making a dent in those challenges. Now I need to make some progress on Valentines for OWH.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! Have a nice week.

Your Thoughtfulness Meant the World

Hi, everyone.

This card has been rattling around in my brain for such a long time. I just never had quite the right tools or skills to make it a reality. And, then I saw the new Stampin' Up! World Background Map stamp in this year's catalog!

But, then there were a couple of delays in getting the new stamp. So, the card still had a little more time to rattle around. Finally, the stamp arrived, the ideas came together, and the card below was born.  :)

Stampin' Up! World Map background stamp
stamped image on watercolor paper in jet black StazOn
map image washed in watered Honey Brown and Cape Cod acrylics
map and scroll edges inked in Distress Ink wild honey with SU sponge dauber
map edges distressed with Ranger distress tool
scroll: computer-generated with Word shapes and Old English font
background paper: Distress Ink core
American Craft premium ribbon, garage sale brads
Inside Sentiment: Your Thoughtfulness Meant the World to Me

Making a few more of these for the craft show. And, think this one might just be Pin-worthy! Can't wait to show it to my fellow Stampin' Up! partners in crime and our SU instructor at our Christmas Card-Making Party on Friday.

Parting Thoughts

Can't wait for tomorrow -- my father-in-law's 90th birthday dinner. His sister and brother-in-law came in tonight from Alabama. And, friends and neighbors seem really excited. Should be a special night for a remarkable man.  :)

A Thank You Fit for a Man

Hi, everyone.

Today was Jan's last post as OWH's Midweek Throwdown Hostess. It's pretty appropriate that today's challenge is a thank you because that's what all of us want to say to Jan.

Since I missed out on the Facebook post about making a masculine friend card, I thought I'd make up for it making a masculine thank you card for today's challenge.

dp: Jillibean Fresh Vegetable Soup (mushroom)
cardstock: browns: AC and/or Bazzill; almond cream: Bazzill
sentiment heat embossed in Distress Ink walnut stain
recycled raffia from ??? that will pull right off

I'm working on an invitation to my father-in-law's 90th birthday party. (More on that in a future post!)  The materials for those invitations are still strewn all over our dining room table. So, I replicated the invitation fold (a 12" by 4.25" card that is scored and folded at 3.25" at either end), stamped the sentiment -- surprisingly getting a "good" stamped image on my first attempt, taped on the dp, and tied on a scrap ribbon. Voila! This had to be the quickest card I've made in a long time since all of the heavy lifting went into designing the party invitations.

Parting Thoughts

Looking forward to this weekend's VCMP.

One last shout out to Jan. Thanks, Jan! All the best in your new ventures.

A Patriotic Gratitude

Hi, everyone.

Today's Any Hero card was inspired by OWH Sketch #186.

Authentique Pride, Bazzill admiral, Distress Ink core fired brick
Hero Arts sentiment heat embossed in Distress Ink black walnut
Recollections burlap/jute, Stampin' Up! brads, 3D Zots glue dots

 Loving these CAS sketches.  :)

Still loving the burlap against navy. :)

Still making Any Hero cards in all those traditional colors.  Maybe one of the paper companies could give me a hand and make a collection of patriotic papers in nontraditional colors.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy your Sunday.

Hubby and his dad have been on a weekend trip visiting family. Looking forward to their arrival home. But, have made the most of some alone time to do some serious crafting!

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

[Just Because]

Hi, everyone.

Hope your weekend is off to good start.

Our weather here is so gorgeous! It's hard to imagine that I stayed inside long enough to make a card. But, when you have a new stamp you just can't wait to use...  Well, you know what I mean. :)

Stampin' Up! Off the Grid stamp, heat embossed in Distress Ink black walnut
computer-generated sentiment in Franklin Gothic Book (40 red, 20 green 0 brown)
white paper: swiped with Distress Ink antique linen, faded jeans, and bundled sage
Distress Ink core paper: black walnut and bundled sage
Paper Smooches twine

Unfortunately the applied ink is too light to really show up on the screen. However, to lightly ink the background cardstock, I pressed "used" dryer sheets into the ink pads and swiped them across the paper.

I'm also pleased with the way the sentiment turned out. I went with brackets instead of curly braces -- and chose a more linear font -- to coordinate with the embossed grid. 

This was a mock-up for a possible craft fair card. Think I'm going to green light this and make a few more of these cards.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Falling Leaves

Hi, everyone.

Hope everybody is okay after this afternoon's storms.

The card below was made for today's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a masculine-themed card.

Craft Smart stamp, heat embossed and sponged in Distress Ink
Distress Ink core paper; Sizzix embossing folder
Stampin' Up! brads; Zots 3D glue dots

I'm very excited about the technique used for the leaves. After heat embossing the image in Distress Ink walnut stain, I used cotton swabs to sponge on various Distress Inks (wild honey, scattered straw, fired brick, dusty concord).

I also like the sketch. It came from that fabulous Leisure Arts book. I tried to create a strong focal, use odd numbers of elements (5 strips of paper, 3 brads), and pay attention to the rule of thirds. It seems I can't help but channel Paula these days. :)

Not so sure this is masculine-themed enough. Hubby loves fall. So, I went with a neutral/male fall palette. Also, not so sure about the embossing folder. Wanted to add some texture, and this was the closest to nature folder that I had. Maybe I should've bought a wood grain folder after all.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Have a good rest of the week. Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

A Multi-Faceted Card for A Multi-Faceted Dad

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is the card I will be giving to Dad on Sunday. Dad is a retired design engineer who worked on rockets and likes to dabble in watercolor painting. So, a card with a mathematical (geometrical) feel and an artistic flair somehow seemed like a good combo.

Stampin' Up! embossing folder; Distress Inks: Bazzill cardstock
computer-generated hexagon and sentiment (Mistral); Paper Studio brads; 3D glue dots

First of all, I love, love, love this embossing folder!  :)

The first step was to ink the inside of the folder with Distress Ink black soot before embossing. Then, I cut out the interiors of a few hexagons from another cardstock and used the negatives to sponge the card's hexagons with other Distress Inks.

At this point, the card looked really pastel. So, I sponged some black on the inside of the hexagons -- heat embossing with clear powder for some bubbly texture. 

Next, I worked on creating a pair of computer-generated hexagons, and a text box in the smaller hexagon for the sentiment. I used the larger hexagon as a template to create the black hexagon. I cut outside of the shape of the smaller hexagon to mimic the look of the embossed hexagons. Lastly, I added brads (through both hexagons) and adhered the shape with 3D glue dots.

Parting Thoughts

Prayers and blessings to those military families who are without loved ones this Father's Day. Hope everyone is able to spend the day with loved ones.

My brother and his family are scheduled to arrive in town tomorrow for a week-long visit. It's been such a long time since we've seen each other. And, it's been forever since we've both been with Dad on Father's Day. To make an even merrier celebration, hubby's dad is also joining us on Sunday.

So, it sounds like I need to get on that house cleaning as soon as I sign off. And, there's not likely to be much card-making in the next week or so. (No CAS-ual Friday card tonight!) I'm actually thinking this might be my last post for awhile.... But, I am sooooo excited to see my brother!  :)

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

A Solitary Bird

Hi, everyone.

Hoping everyone is safe from tonight's storms. Sounds like it could be a little touchy around here.

Now for Today's Card...

Today's Midweek Throwdown challenge is to make a card featuring a winged creature. Winged creature challenges usually bring out my butterfly punches. But, I wanted to make something a little more masculine. So, I decided to go with an embossed image of a little bird waiting for the return of his/her mate.

Cuttlebug embossing folder; Distress Ink core paper
sentiment stamped in Distress Ink vintage photo
Stampin' Up! brads; Celebrate It jute twine; 3D glue dots

I've had this folder for a couple of years, but just wasn't sure how to bring a little pizzazz to such a simple image. Hope I've accomplished that with the sanded embossing and mixture of textures.

Parting Thoughts

Now what to do for Paula's Design Bootcamp challenge to make a card that features repetition... and variation... and a strong focal point. :)

Looking forward to tomorrow night's Stampin' Up! technique class.

Thanks for stopping, happy scrappin', and stay safe.

God Bless You for Serving

Two posts in one day -- woot! woot!

The Any Hero card below was inspired by OWH Sketch #173.

Stamper's Best sentiment, heat embossed in Distress Ink black soot
Distress Ink core paper, green and black paper embossed with Sizzix folder
Paper Studio star punch; Stampin' Up neutral brads

For a change, I was pretty true to the sketch -- adding a few brads on the left and shifting the focal point rectangle a little to the right.

I went with black brads in the lower rectangle to balance the star(s), and add just a little more interest to the card, without detracting from the sentiment. And, the brad in the stars is much closer to the sentiment paper than it appears on screen.

A second source of inspiration was seeing Sandy's recently-posted Any Hero cards in non-traditional palettes.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. We're headed to my father-in-law's for dinner.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Getting My {OWH NSD} Party On

Hi, everyone!

Aren't OWH VCMP days the best?!

Challenge #1: ODBD Miss You card

I picked up this wonderful stamp set at a garage sale a couple of years ago, but never got around to using it. What was I thinking?

Stampin' Up! image, heat embossed in Distress Ink vintage photo; Stampin' Up! neutral brads
tan and brown paper: Distress Ink core paper; dark brown paper: AC
computer-generated sentiment (Mistral)

 Challenge #2: Sketch-Based Kiddie Card

For this card, I went with a colorful array of cute cupcakes, which could be for a birthday. But, I intentionally left off a sentiment. So, it could be sent for any happy occasion that calls for a cupcake celebration. :)

dp: MME Life of a Party; teal and pink: Distress ink core; garnet: ???
Stampin' Up! cupcake punch and pool party ribbon
hand-drawn curly cues; 3D glue dots
Creative Memories cutting system
OWH Sketch #102

 Challenge #3: A Romantic Card

Strangely enough, I really struggled with this one. Butterfly cards usually come pretty easily. Hope this one turned out okay. [And, now that I see it on the screen, it looks like I need to do some ribbon straightening. :( ]

Cuttlebug embossing folder; Martha Stewart punch
Distress Ink core and AC white
Celebrate It ribbon; Queen & Co and Mark Richards pearls
Creative Memories cutting system

Challenge #4: A Scrapbook-Page-Inspired Card

I LOVED this challenge. Thanks, Nancy!

designs by ashley rock
12 x 12 Scrapbook Sketches, Vol 1

There used to be a local scrapbook store named Pizazz It! It was fabulous! Since the store's closing, the owner's daughter Ashley has continued to be active in the scrapbooking community. Ashley designs wonderful scrapbook pages. And, for a time, she would send me a sketch and I would make cards from it. Then Ashley got engaged and the sketches quit coming. Hmmm....

Anyway, for this challenge I pulled out Ashley's book of sketches to make the card below.

Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies
MME Moments dp; blue/gray cardstock: Distress Ink core; navy cardstock: Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co.
Queen & Co. and Mark Richards pearls; sentiment stamped in Night of Navy
Creative Memories square punch, Marvy circle punch

Challenge #5: OWH Sketch #171

I usually make an Any Hero card from the weekly sketch. However, since Julie's challenge is Any-Hero-card related, I'll make another romantic card instead. It seems I have butterflies on my brain this weekend. :)

Bo Bunny Mama-razzi; tan and turquoise cardstock: Distress Ink core, dark brown: Bazzill or AC
sentiment stamped in Adirondack espresso; champagne-colored heart gems: ???
circle punches: Marvy and EK; butterfly punch: Martha Stewart

Challenge #6: An Any Hero Card featuring an original Photo

Better late than never for this one.

I must admit that my first reaction was, "Seriously?" But, after inspiration hit, I was really pleased that Julie posted this challenge.

The photo is a view from our front porch, which proudly displays Old Glory.

Paper: green and red, Distress Ink core; blue, Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co,; white: AC
Recollections brads; computer-generated sentiment

Challenge #7: A Summer Card

Vacations at the beach are some of my favorite summertime memories.

The brick wall technique used on the card below was one of the tutorials featured on Pinterest. Still think I need to add a little more color to the sentiment paper. It's still looking a little stark/harsh to me.

DCWV Travel Stack; Distress Ink core papercomputer-generated sentiment (Bradley Hand ITC), sponged in Distress Ink tattered rose
champagne-colored heart gems

Parting Thought

I so loved this VCMP. Challenge hostesses did a wonderful job on gently nudging us to try new things, like making a card from a scrapbook page layout or trying a new tutorial.

Great job, hostesses. Thanks for organizing such a fun party!  :)

Thinking about You All the Time

Hi, everyone! Happy weekend!

A quick post for this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a card related to time.

brown & green: Distress Ink core; black: Bazzill; cream: ???
Sizzix folder: heat embossed in Distress Ink vintage photo and sponged in peeled paint, tumbled glass, dusty concord
sentiment: computer-generated (Arial Black); Stampin' Up! brads
Creative Memories cutting system

The texture is FABULOUS! I also really like the way the inking came out. I dabbed a scrap of the paper with various inks until I decided to go with this combination. And, after applying peeled paint, I decided to use the green paper as the base -- with the layer of black in between. 

The card above is slightly different than the one linked at OWH. I felt like the sentiment needed a little something more, but I didn't want to add any extra bulk. Hmmm... When I couldn't find just the right embellishment in my stash, I added a little hand-drawn squiggle -- sketching it first in pencil. :)   Hope it looks okay. 

Just for fun, I thought I'd share the card at the right. I made it a year or so ago using the same embossing folder. It feels like I'm making some progress in this cardmaking journey. This new version has lots more texture, more depth, more layers -- and the shape of the sentiment's papers are more in keeping with the embossed image.

Parting Thoughts

It was a big week: went to a Stampin' Up! technique class and received several online cardmaking supply orders -- including some stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs. (ODBD is a great corporate partner/sponsor of OWH!) Hoping to find a little playtime this weekend. :)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Three Star-Studded Tributes for Dad

Hi, everyone.

First of all, and most importantly, my thoughts and prayers to anyone affected by today's incident at the Boston Marathon. What a scary world this can be...

OWH Design Bootcamp: Odd Numbers

On my recent road trip, I had a little Father's Day paper, some Distress Ink core, a few Father's Day stamps, and a couple of star punches. Each of the cards below were made during my trip. And, each of the following cards were made with some basic design elements in mind: 1) strong focal points, 2) the rule of thirds, and 3) odd numbers of elements.

Having an odd number of items is something I consciously do on almost every card. It's gotten to the point where hubby says, "No, you can't have two of those. It's gotta be an odd number." 

Moxxie VIP Father's Day dp; Distress Ink core
EK hole punch; Paper Studio star punch
Stamper's Best sentiment stamped in Stampin' Up! Night of Navy

Moxxie VIP Father's Day dp; Distress Ink core
EK hole punch; Paper Studio star punch

Moxxie VIP Father's Day dp; Distress Ink core
EK hole punch; Paper Studio star punch

The last two cards were inspired in part by a sketch on page 78 of Leisure Arts' Card Sketches for Paper Crafters.

Parting Thoughts

Take care. Be safe. Hug your loved ones.

A Sophisticated Token of Appreciation

Hi, everyone!

This week's OWH Midweek Challenge is a color challenge -- making a card in our own favorite colors. Sounds like a great challenge, right? So, what about those of us who are fickle in our color palettes -- changing with the seasons?

However, I am always drawn to a classical black, brown, and cream palette. And, I have a love of rich turquoise/teal papers. Then came the epiphany that my new favorite paper collection has all of these! So, Bo Bunny Mama-razzi it is! When Sandy mentioned a need for Miss You and Thank You cards... Well, the card below was born. :)

Bo Bunny Mama-razzi, Bazzill black; Mark Richards crystals; sentiment stamped in StazOn jet black

The design is pretty simple, but seems to work well with the background pattern. I'm really pleased with the way the black separates the patterns and pops the colors.

 

Parting Thoughts

Have a great Friday. Looking forward to a telecommuting workday tomorrow. :)

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Tag for Dad -- UPDATED

Hi, everyone.

Hope the week is going well.

The card below is for today's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a card featuring a tag and some twine. It's actually one of the cards I made when I was offline last week. Great timing for the MWT!

Moxxie VIP Father, Distress Ink core; Celebrate It! jute twine
EK border and hole punches

Sounds like OWH needs some Miss You cards. Maybe I can make one of those tonight.

Update

Got that Miss You card made after all. Nothing groundbreaking here -- just a card that could be sent to/from a man or woman. I've seen this sentiment a number of times on other cards and thought it would work well here. Thanks to fellow card-makers for this idea.

dp: Momenta; tan cardstock: AC Neutrals
gray cardstock: Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co., other cardstock: stash from ???
Celebrate It jute twine; 3D dots
sentiment: computer-generated in Arial; 20 pt; R: 43, G: 68, B 149

Parting Thoughts

Again, many thanks to those who have complimented the bubble wrap background. Lee Mae, the rock guitar card using three Distress Ink colors that you posted a couple of weeks ago was actually one of the inspirations for that tutorial. :)

As always, thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Q: When does 1/3 + 1/3 = 1?

A: When you place an element one-third from the left and a second element one third from the bottom to create one great card!

If you haven't yet checked out Paula's Rule of Thirds post for this month's OWH Design Bootcamp, be sure to take a look. Paula is sooooo rocking design bootcamp!

Paper: Bo Bunny Liberty, Core-dinations Vintage, Bazzill Admiral
sentiment from Paper Inspirations heat embossed in Distress Ink vintage photo
garage sale brads

I really LOVE this card -- so CAS and so elegant! I decided to go with a white background for the sentiment so it would really pop -- and I placed three little brads next to the sentiment to draw just a little more attention to the sentiment portion of the card.

Parting Thoughts

 Thanks again, Paula! Who knew bootcamp could be so much fun?

This is probably the last post for a week or two. May have a chance to make a few cards, but probably not to blog about them.

Have a good rest of the week. Thanks for visiting -- and happy scrappin'!

The Road Less Traveled By

Hi everyone,

The card below was made for this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown to make a card featuring blues and greens.

patterned paper: Momenta 6 x 6; DCWV, brown/black paper: DCWV Travel Stack, green: Distress Ink Core
computer-generated sentiment, inked in Distress Ink antique linen
tools: crimper, EK Success border punch; embellishments: garage sale brads

This design is one I've used a number of times before. What's different this time is that I took a long and winding road to get here. :)

My original plan was to make a card using the ribbon brad trick featured in this week's OWH Tuesday Tutorial. I had the cutest little travel brad to use -- which is why I choose these papers. Unfortunately, the ribbon was too flimsy and the brad was too big. So, I decided to go with a crimped strip behind the sentiment, as well as adhering the sentiment off-centered to allow for the brads on the left. But, when I placed the elements together, the card still seemed a little too plain. That's when I cut a strip off the front of the card and added a little more pizzazz with the border punch.

All in all, I'm okay with the way this little card turned out -- and it certainly fits the Midweek Throwdown color challenge. I was just a little surprised by the journey it took to create it. :)

Parting Thoughts

Gotta go! But, I can't wait to tell you about tonight's card-making adventure. Hoping to get a chance to blog about it tomorrow. :)

Until then, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

WILD About You

Hi everyone,

When I first saw today's OWH Midweek Throwdown, I had no idea what I would make. Then, I remembered a croc embossing folder and some animal print paper -- and the card below was born!

Midweek Throwdown Recipe:
embossing folder: Sizzix
border punch: EK Success
2 patterned paper: BasicGrey 12 by 12 pad
1 piece of jute twine
(sentiment: computer-generated (Andy font); paper and twine inked with Adirondack espresso)

 

I must admit, I'm pretty wild about the way this tag turned out -- and everything about it is hand-crafted. :) 

• The sentiment is computer-generated and printed on the back of a piece of Core-dinations Vintage paper. 
•  The core paper was mounted on two "solid" papers from the same BasicGrey pad.
• Each layer of the tag is inked with Adirondack espresso.
• The jute twine was also pressed into the Adirondack ink. It is double knotted and "secured' with a dab of glue on the back of the tag.
• Finally, the tag was adhered using 3D glue dots.

My initial thought was to add a few brads. However, I decided to leave the tag and card exactly as shown.

Hope a hero is as wild about this card as I am. :)


As always, thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Paper, Tools & Techniques... Oh, My!

Hi everyone,

Excited about this weekend's OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party? I know I am.

Erika's Zig Zag (aka Chevron) Challenge

star paper, chevron paper, word search: We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue
cardstock: red: Bazzill watermelon, blue: ???; stars: Recollections brads
techniques: crimping, fussy cutting

This challenge inspired me to use one of those patterns and one of those small embellishments in the paper pad that hadn't initially called to me. Thanks, Erika!

Thinking this is a card that might appeal to a pre-teen.

Misty's All Creatures Great and Small Challenge

paper: Core-indinations Vintage collections; butterfly: K & Company adhesive chipboard
embellishments: Queen & Co and Mark Richards pearls; flea market & scrap ribbon by/from ???
technique: embossing with Sizzix folder; tools: Creative Memories cutting system, corner rounder

I can never resist the opportunity to make a butterfly card. Misty's challenge gave me the perfect reason to use this adorable butterfly chipboard sticker. Thanks, Misty!

It seems like a daddy might be sending these butterfly kisses to his little princess. :)

Beth's Selective Embossing Challenge 

green/gray paper: Distress Ink core, black: Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co, brown: AC;
embellishments: garage sale brads;
techniques: selective embossing with Tim Holtz folder; heat embossing with Distress Ink Black Soot and clear powder;
inking in Distress Ink Black Soot, Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Stampin' Up! Bravo Burgandy, Stampin' Up! Going Gray
sentiment: Jillian Vance; adhesive: 3D glue dots

Oh my gosh -- I've seen this technique used on cards and wondered how it was done!  Thank you, Beth, for sharing this with us! 

One note about the card: I originally placed brads at the center of the gears, but felt the gears were starting to look more like flowers. So, I added additional brads -- going for a few clusters of 3 -- to bring back the "manliness" feel of the card. Hubby said it was "nice", which is pretty high praise from Mr. Stoic. :)

Yvonne's Things with Wings Challenge 

Summer Rule No. 7 tag: My Mind's Eye garage-sale bargain
blue paper: Distress Ink core; brown and green paper: Core-dinations Vintage core
circle and hole punches, sanded for distressed effect
inking in Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Distress Ink Peeled Paint, and Distress Ink Tumbled Glass

paper: BasicGrey inked in Distress Ink Vintage Photo and Distress Ink Antique Linen
Martha Stewart butterfly punches; Creative Memories cutting system
Queen & Company and Mark Richards Pearl; Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder

It's ironic I have two cards for this challenge because I really do not have many winged things in my stash upstairs -- a fact hubby would find rather unbelievable! Thanks, Yvonne, for helping me spread my wings for this challenge. 

What I really like about the first of these cards is that it's a change of pace for me. I've had this adorable tag, which was 10 cents at a garage sale, for several years. Guess it was waiting for just the right challenge to come along! I also like how the sanded circles mimic the circles on the tag.

The second card is more of a typical card for me, although I don't often emboss patterned paper. Hubby preferred this one. :)

Leslie's Disappearing Act Challenge

paper: Moxxie Father 12x12 and AC Neutrals cardstock 8x8; Cuttlebug ef
sentiment: Stamper's Best heat embossed with Distess Ink Vintage Photo
star punches: The Paper Studio and Fiskars; garage sale brad
inking in Distress Ink Vintage Photo and Close to My Heart Desert Sand

 

What a great challenge!  I never would've thought about getting 6 cards from one 12 by 12 sheet. And, I seldom make multiples.

However, confession is good for the soul. I had to cheat a little on this one. The only 8.5 by 11 cardstock I have is Bazzill Admiral and Watermelon -- to go with my cherished Bo Bunny Liberty paper. But, I went with the spirit of the challenge and made 6 cards from this one 12 by 12 sheet of Moxxie paper. :)

Oh, my sentiment strips are not the specified dimensions for the designated sketch... and I moved the sketch embellishments. It just felt right to place the stars on the right side to balance out the vertical strips.

OWH Sketch #160 

dp and star sticker: Bo Bunny Liberty; cardstock: Bazzill Admiral and Watermelon
star brads: Recollections

Love the sketch!  This week's Any Hero card really came together quickly once I decided upon the dp for the background. Decided against the sentiment rectangle after placing the star on the white paper.

Can't get enough of these cute little star brads I found on sale at Michael's this past week. Just wish the center part of my card didn't look like it's sliding downhill. Why don't these things ever look so obvious on the card? :(

Linda's Things with Wheels Challenge 

cardstock: AC; computer-generated sentiment
tools: Creative Memories cutting system, hole punch

Okay, I have so few wheel-related items in my stash. But, I found stickers from long ago. So, I went online, did a search of truck birthday parties, and came up with the idea of yellow and black diagonals. Various party sentiments provided a spark of inspiration and the card text was born. Kind of stumbled on the gray and orange papers through experimentation. Finally, I decided to go with just black punched holes to kid-friendly focal accents. 

Thanks, Linda, for inspiring me to create my own wheek-related background to go with my few stickers. :)

Jen's Caffeine Challenge 

DCWV Sweet matstack; SEI Happy Day die cut accent
stash ribbon (with cute polka dots); Mark Richards crystal sticker pearls
tools: Creative Memories cutting system, Fiskars border bunch
technique: inking edges in Close to My Heart Desert Sand

Jen, you had me at chocolate. Thanks for hosting!  :)

For those new to OWH, the glitter on this card is okay. Papers with baked-in glitter, like some DCWV and SEI lines, are okay to use. The "Can I scrape it off?" test is a good test to use. 

Sharon's All White & Cream and Kaylee's Glitter-Free Glitz and Glam Challenges

White & Cream cardstock: AC; Cuttlebug ef
embellishements: Queen & Co and Mark Richards pearls, cream tulle

I never, ever would have thought of doing a 3-layered card in all white or cream. And the results are so elegantly CAS. I'm really loving this monochromatic look. (Wouldn't this make a beautiful wedding card?)

For Sharon's challenge, the layers are: bottom embossed white base, cream rectangle, and a white rectangle with a scored border. I went with pearled butterflies and tulle for the embellishments.

After I embossed the butterflies, I thought about adding a tiny pearl for every embossed dot -- channeling my inner Sandy, I suppose! This seemed like a perfect way to incorporate Kaylee's glam challenge. While it makes for an interesting effect, I'm thinking all the pearls might be too much to send in the mail. So, I'm thinking of replacing the top butterflies before I mail this to Kris -- maybe going with just a few pearls in the center of each butterfly.

Thanks to both Sharon and Kaylee for hosting such creative challenges.

Donna's Washi Tape Challenge 

Making Memories Packing Tape; Core-dinations core paper
computer-generated sentiment; garage sale brads
technique: sanding

I seem to be saying this a lot during this card-making party, but I did not have any  washi tape in the menopause (aka craft) room -- mainly because I had no idea what to do with it. However, I did have some garage-sale packing tape that I had not yet opened. So, in the spirit of the challenge, I went with that.

After seeing Donna's great sample card and the wonderful linked cards, it looks like I'm headed to my LSS to pick up some washi tape. Thanks, Donna, for showing some of the cool things that can be done with a little tape!

Parting Thoughts

Wow! That was so much fun! With the recent demands of work, it'd been a long time since I've had a couple of days to devote to cardmaking. So glad I was able to do that this weekend.  :)

Thanks to OWH's very own Allison for organizing our party and to all of the cardmakers who hosted challenges. And, thanks to all of you who visited and/or left comments.

Looks like it's time for Design Boot Camp. It appears Paula has a focal point lesson for us!  

Happy scrappin'!