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'!

A Friend with Chocolate -- UPDATED

Hi, everyone.

Hope the weekend is going well. Here's a quick Sunday post for two challenges:

• the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to stamp on printed paper, and
• OWH's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a card featuring a sentiment.

Distress Ink core, DCWV Sweet Matstack
Inkadinkado sentiment in Adirondack espresso
Stampin' Up! cupcake punch and neutral brads
Cuttlebug embossing folder; 3D glue dots

Looking at the scanned image, I realize I still need to add cherries to the top of the cupcakes. (Update: Cherries added -- and the little bits of pink make such a difference!) Speaking of scans, (still) sorry about the shadows.

I don't often stamp on printed paper. But, it's something I should do more often because the effect can be so sweet. [Pun intended :) ]

And, I really like using the brads for chocolate chips. It feels like an unexpected detail.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Still  hoping to get an Any Hero card made this afternoon. (And, gotta top off these two little cupcakes with a couple of cherries!)

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

A Variegated Garden

Hi, everyone!

Happy Wednesday!

The card below was made for this month's installment of OWH Design Bootcamp, using variation to add interest. This card really feels like a change of pace for me, although I can't quite put my finger on why that is. (And, while I'm 'fessing up, this lesson was a really hard one for me.)

Making Memories foam flower stamps
AC White; Distress Ink core
Distress Ink tattered rose, dusty concord, and peeled paint
stash ribbon; Queen & Co. and Mark Richards pearls
Stampin; Up! sponge daubers

I tried to go with a variety of flower sizes and two different colors of flowers, with the biggest flower being a different color than the other flowers. (The large flower is also two-layered.) In addition, I added variety through the use of pearls and ribbon (hard and soft elements). Finally, I added variety through the number and sizes of pearls used in the center of several flowers.

The placement of the largest flower was made based upon the rule of thirds. And, the sentiment was placed to be fairly close to the largest flower.

I'll be interested in getting feedback on this one, since it does feel so different than my usual cards.

Parting Thoughts

Feeling kind of tired tonight. Not much more comes to mind.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Gold Star Mothers

Hi, everyone.

A few days ago, I posted the Any Hero card shown here. I mentioned that I only use this paper for Any Hero cards because of its gold stars, in spite of how much I love it. A couple of folks were puzzled by my statement. So, I thought I would take a couple of minutes to write about Gold Star Mothers, which I first learned about from hubby a few years ago.

Gold Star Mothers:
A Brief History

The link above will take you to the official history of Gold Star Mothers. I will do my best to provide a brief summary.

During World War I, homes, businesses, churches, schools and other organizations displayed Service Flags. On each flag, there was a blue star representing each individual from the family or organization who was serving the Armed Forces.There was a gold star for each individual who had died from such service to his or her country.

"The idea of the Gold Star was that the honor and glory accorded the person for his supreme sacrifice in offering for his country, the last full measure of devotion and pride of the family in this sacrifice, rather than the sense of personal loss which would be represented by the mourning symbols."

On June 4, 1928, the national organization that came to be known as American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., was founded by twenty-five mothers living in Washington, D.C. In 1942, membership was opened to mothers who had lost a son or daughter during World War II or the Korean Conflict. In 1984, the organization was granted a charter by the Congress of the United States. This amazing organization continues to support those families who have made the greatest sacrifice.

Making OWH Cards with Gold Starred-Paper

 When I first found that fabulous SignifyPink paper several years ago, I couldn't wait to use it for some OWH cards. But, when I showed my cards to hubby, he was surprised that they would be sent to family members. That's when I first learned about Gold Star Mothers -- and decided against using the paper on future cards.

A few months later, Sandy posted a card using the same paper. When I asked her about using the paper, she suggested using it for Any Hero cards, saying that the troops themselves don't give much thought to gold stars.And, that's what I've done ever since seeing Sandy's card.

Parting Thought

Thanks to fellow cardmakers who asked about the gold star statement in my last post. Please click here to learn more about Gold Star Mothers.

You Make America Proud

Hi, everyone.

Happy Mother's Day to all our OWH and military moms. It's a bittersweet holiday for hubby and me as both of our moms have passed. We were so blessed to have such wonderful women in our lives, and have the fondest memories of times spent with our moms.

Today's Any Hero Card

Today's Any Hero card was inspired by OWH Sketch #172.

Signify Pink Pages of Honor
sentiment OWH digi by Paula
cardstock: Bazzill Admiral, AC white and dark gray, ??? yellow
punches: star from Paper Studio, circle from Paper Shapers
embossing with Distress Ink embossing pad and Inkadinkado gold powder

After deciding on the image and paper, I changed the dimensions of the elements to be more rectangular than square, keeping the corners on the center element. I also changed the position of the circle element -- and felt like I needed a second one of these to balance the card.

The look is a little busier than my usual style, but I think it turned out okay. In addition, I love this paper, but hesitate to use it for cards sent to family members because of the gold stars. A while ago, Sandy suggested it's use on Any Hero cards. And, this sketch seemed like a good fit for the paper.

Parting Thoughts

Again, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in our OWH family. Hope you're enjoying a wonderful celebration with loved ones.

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

Thinking of You, Jane

Hi everyone.

Another short post -- this one in memory of longtime OWH cardmaker, Jane E. of Garden Grove, California. Sandy asked that we remember Jane by CASE-ing one of her beautiful cards.

Jillibean Dutch Mustard; Distress Ink core
sentiment in Adirondack espresso
Martha Stewart punch
Hero Arts Hues

It was an honor to remember Jane in this special way. Thanks, Jane, for all you did for OWH.

His and Her Cards

Hi everyone,

Click here to see original post.

A super quick post for OWH's His and Hers Midweek Throwdown Challenge. The card at the right was made for last weekend's OWH NSD VCMP. I liked the window tutorial effect so much, I decided to make a "his' version using the same layout.

Bo Bunny Timepiece; cardstock: red, Distress Ink core; tan, AC; black, ???
Stampin' Up! brads
computer-generated sentiment (Bookman Old Style)

Have a great weekend! 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!  :)

Connect the Dots

Hi, everyone!

For the next two weeks, CAS-ual Fridays is celebrating its 2nd birthday with a challenge to make a card using a Tic Tac Toe board of its Top Ten Challenges. I ended up choosing polka dots, bling, and black and white to create the card shown below.

Cuttlebug embossing folder; Zig pen
Twinery Baker's Twine; Mark Richards crystals; 3D glue dots
computer-generated sentiment in Harlow Solid Italic
black cardstock: Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co., white paper: ???
Creative Memories cutting system

I was originally stumped for an idea, coming to a dead end with each row, column, diagonal. So, I did  a Google search for quotes about polka dots and found a perfect inspiration. When I came across this quote from the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, I knew I had just the sentiment. The next step was to choose a font that has the feel of a free-spirited, independent woman. Appropriately enough, this font is Harlow Solid Italic. :) 

So, I interpreted the challenge "rules" to limit card features to just one row, column, or diagonal of the board. That may or may not have been correct, but that was my story and I stuck to it. However, I'm really tempted to try another version of this card with red and white twine and and red gems. Something tells me this card's independent woman is not likely to play by the rules, at least not all the time.  :)

Hubby's Quote of the Week

Maybe this should become a recurring feature. (Oh, JoAnn, your comment about "estrogen poisoning" was hysterically funny! I'll have to remember that one.)

Tonight, hubby saw the quote above on the kitchen table. When he joined me outside, he asked about the quote. I explained what I had in mind, and asked if he didn't realize it was about a card. His response was, "Isn't everythng?" -- to which I replied, "Well, it certainly should be!"

Later in the evening, I came down from the menopause room and showed him the finished product. And, he really, really seemed to like it. So, I'm one-for-one to start the weekend!

Parting Thoughts

We have a busy Saturday, but I'm going to try and make the second version of Connect the Dots. If I do, I'll update this post.  So, stay tuned!

As always, thanks for stopping. Happy scrappin' on National Scrapbooking Day! Hoping to also have a chance to check out Operation Write Home's cardmaking event.

A Patriotic Thanks

Hi, everyone.

First, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who responded to hubby's question. Your comments were often funny, at times wistful -- and all so very honest.

A few words about hubby. This August, we will have been married for 30  years. (It's actually amazing to see that in print!) And, he is so supportive and kind -- in spite of that stoic persona of his.

Just  a small snippet of his kindness: He was running errands earlier today -- close to our neighborhood Michael's, which is one of those places that he avoids like the plague. However, I had mentioned about wanting to pick up ATG refills. So, he raided the menopause room trashcan to find an empty pack to know what type of tape I get. Yea, he talks a good game, but he's a real sweetheart.  :)

A Patriotic Thanks

The card below was inspired by two OWH posts: today's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a thank you card and  yesterday's Tuesday Tutorial about making a card using scraps.

Bo Bunny Liberty; tan: Distress Ink core, blue: Bazzill admiral, red: Bazzill watermelon
sentiment heat embossed in Distress Ink vintage photo; garage sale brad; 3D glue dots

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to all for sharing your hubbies' reactions to card-sharing.

Have a good rest of the week. Happy scrappin'!